Chapter 75: Performing in the name of art, accusing with tears and blood (Part 1)

The air in the Hall of Supreme Harmony felt frozen. Yun Zhi knelt on the cold golden bricks, holding high the blood-written letter in her hand. The edges of the rough hemp paper were wrinkled from her grip. The dark red handwriting was written with her fingertip blood mixed with ink. Every stroke was engraved with the injustice of the Yun family, and the candlelight shone brightly.

"Your Majesty!" Her voice didn't contain tears, but it was filled with piercing sorrow, like a blunt knife, repeatedly cutting the nerves of everyone present. "My late father, Yun Xiao, spent his entire life in the military, guarding the border for over a decade, protecting the nation and its people. He never had the slightest intention of collaborating with the enemy! Yet, to seize military power, Prime Minister Shen forged a secret letter of treason, bribed the Yun family's housekeeper to steal the defense map, and even had Shen Qingyue pretend to approach my late father to steal military secrets!"

She turned abruptly towards Prime Minister Shen, her eyes brimming with hatred. "Three years ago, my father discovered Prime Minister Shen's conspiracy and was about to report it to Your Majesty, but Prime Minister Shen turned the tables and accused us of 'collaborating with the enemy and treason'! Of the 173 members of the Yun family, except for this humble servant who managed to escape, the rest were beheaded in the busy streets! Every word in this blood letter is a record of the Yun family's grievances, and it also contains the names of witnesses bribed by Prime Minister Shen. Your Majesty, please send someone to investigate!"

"Nonsense, you witch!" Prime Minister Shen was so angry that he was shaking all over. He slammed the table and stood up. The hem of his purple official robe swept across the corner of the table, knocking the wine glass to the ground. The broken porcelain shards splashed the wine. "Yun Xiao is guilty of treason. The evidence is irrefutable! You are just the daughter of a guilty minister. To overturn the verdict, you dared to fabricate lies and slander me at the Queen's birthday banquet! Your Majesty, this woman has ulterior motives. She must be arrested immediately and tortured!"

The emperor sat on the dragon throne, his face gloomy. He stared at the blood letter in Yun Zhi's hand, then looked at Prime Minister Shen's agitated expression. His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne, his eyes full of doubt. Prime Minister Shen was always calm and composed, but today he was so out of control. On the other hand, Yun Zhi, although a convicted slave, spoke clearly and with a firm gaze, and did not seem to be making up lies.

"Your Majesty, every word I say is true. If I lie, I will be punished by lingchi!" Yun Zhi raised the blood-lettered letter, her voice even louder. "Prime Minister Shen said the evidence is irrefutable, but the handwriting of that 'secret letter of treason' is very different from my father's usual handwriting. Your Majesty only needs to summon the handwriting examiner from the Imperial Hospital to verify the authenticity! And the commander of the guards who was responsible for the confiscation of property back then saw with his own eyes that Prime Minister Shen's men took the real defense map from the Yun family study and claimed it was 'evidence of treason'. Your Majesty can summon him to confront them!"

Prime Minister Shen's face paled instantly. He hadn't expected Yun Zhi to know even these details! He feigned composure, "Your Majesty, this woman must have colluded with others long ago to deliberately fabricate these lies! The handwriting examiner has long since retired, and the commander of the imperial guards passed away three years ago. She's deliberately using dead bodies to confuse the public!"

"Prime Minister Shen is quite well-informed." Yun Zhi sneered and pulled out another piece of paper from her bosom - a fragment of a secret letter found in the secret room, with Prime Minister Shen's handwriting on it. "Your Majesty, this is the fragment of a secret letter that Prime Minister Shen wrote to Prince Xiao Jin years ago. It mentioned that 'Yun Xiao's defense map has been obtained, and a letter of treason can be forged.' The handwriting is consistent with the handwriting on Prime Minister Shen's daily memorials. Your Majesty, please compare and check!"

The eunuch presented the fragment of the secret letter to the emperor. When the emperor unfolded it, his brows furrowed even more deeply - the handwriting on the fragment was indeed similar to that of Prime Minister Shen's memorial, especially the three words "Bufangtu", which were written in exactly the same way!

"This... this is forged!" Prime Minister Shen took a step forward anxiously, but was stopped by the guards, "Your Majesty, this fragment is fake! She forged my handwriting and deliberately framed me!"

"Your Majesty will know if it's a forgery once you examine it," Yun Zhi said calmly. "The Imperial Hospital still has Prime Minister Shen's memorials on file. Your Majesty only needs to order them to be retrieved and the handwriting compared to determine the authenticity."

Xiao Jin stood aside, his face drained of color. He stared at the fragments of the secret letter in Yun Zhi's hand, then recalled Prime Minister Shen's fierce protests against Yun Xiao's treason three years ago. He recalled how he had murdered the Yun family because of Shen Qingyue's "testimony," and the torture he had inflicted on Yun Zhi. His heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, the pain so intense it nearly stifled him. Could it be... was he truly wrong? Was the Yun family truly being wronged?

Shen Qingyue sat in her seat, shaking like a sieve. She looked at the evidence Yun Zhi produced, listened to her accusations, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt tightly, her nails practically digging into her flesh. How had Yun Zhi found this evidence? How dare she publicly accuse her at the birthday banquet? No, she couldn't let her continue!

"Your Highness!" Shen Qingyue suddenly spoke, her voice tinged with tears. "Hurry up and save Prime Minister Shen! Yun Zhi, that witch, is deliberately trying to sow discord and destroy the Shen family, destroy us! Have you forgotten that her father collaborated with the enemy three years ago, and she even wanted to poison you? She is a vicious woman!"

She tried to discredit Yun Zhi with her past "crimes", but unexpectedly, these words reminded Xiao Jin - Yun Zhi "poisoned" three years ago and was framed by Lin Wanru. Later it was found out that it was because of Shen Qingyue that he had not redressed Yun Zhi!

Xiao Jin's gaze fell on Yun Zhi, who was kneeling on the ground, her clothes thin and plain, but her back was straight, like a weed unyielding in the cold wind. There were no tears on her face, only a cold determination. In her eyes, there was no longer any affection for him in the past, only hatred and determination.

"Enough!" The emperor suddenly stopped, his voice majestic. "Prime Minister Shen, Yun Zhi, you two each hold different opinions. I need to verify them before making a final conclusion. Come, take the blood letter and the fragments of the secret letter from Yun Zhi's hand, and immediately issue an order to retrieve the handwriting archives from the Imperial Hospital and summon the former members of the Yun family to come and confront them!"

"Your Majesty, this is unacceptable!" Prime Minister Shen shouted anxiously, "The Yun family's former members were exiled long ago and their whereabouts are unknown. Yun Zhi is deliberately stalling for time to escape responsibility!"

"Prime Minister Shen is quite aware of the whereabouts of the Yun family's former members." Yun Zhi said calmly, "This servant does know that several of the Yun family's former members who survived are now in the capital. Your Majesty only needs to issue an order, and they will come to testify."

Her words were like a bomb, exploding in the palace. Prime Minister Shen's face turned completely pale. He hadn't expected Yun Zhi to actually contact the old members of the Yun family! He suddenly looked outside the palace, as if wanting someone to stop them, but he was stared at by the emperor's guards, unable to move.

The officials could no longer hold back and began to whisper among themselves—

"I didn't expect there was a hidden story behind the Yun family's case!"

"Prime Minister Shen's reaction today is so strange, it seems like he is guilty!"

“The evidence Yun Zhi produced doesn’t look fake. If it were true, then Prime Minister Shen would be guilty of a heinous crime!”

The Empress sat to the side, her expression also grim. Today was her birthday banquet, yet such a major incident had arisen. If not handled properly, not only would the royal family's reputation be damaged, but it could also lead to a larger conspiracy. She looked at the Emperor, her eyes filled with worry.

The emperor took a deep breath, looked at the chaotic scene in the hall, then looked at Yun Zhi who was kneeling on the ground, and said in a stern tone: "Yun Zhi, you said that there are old members of the Yun family who can testify. You can ask them to come into the hall immediately. If they can produce solid evidence, I will believe you; if not, I will punish you for slandering the ministers!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yun Zhi kowtowed, her voice tinged with barely perceptible emotion. She stood up, looked outside the hall, and nodded to the three former generals who were already waiting there.

Three generals, dressed in coarse cloth, walked quickly into the hall, knelt on the ground, and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you! I was a general under General Yun Xiao in the past. Today, I have come to testify for the Yun family. Prime Minister Shen has framed loyal officials and is collaborating with the enemy and selling out the country. The evidence is irrefutable!"

Prime Minister Shen looked at the three generals, his body softening and he almost collapsed to the ground. He knew that the situation was over - these three generals had been Yun Xiao's confidants in the past, and they knew too many details about his frame-up against the Yun family!

Xiao Jin stood aside, looking at the three generals, then at Yun Zhi, his heart aching so much that it almost stopped beating. He remembered his own ruthlessness in ordering the execution of the Yun family, his cruelty in forcing Yun Zhi to drink the abortion drug, his unwavering trust in Shen Qingyue, and the countless humiliations he had inflicted on Yun Zhi...

It turns out that he had been wrong all along! So wrong, so hopelessly wrong!

Yun Zhi looked at Xiao Jin's pale face, her eyes devoid of sympathy, only a coldness. She turned to the emperor and kowtowed again, "Your Majesty, these three generals possess secret letters from Prime Minister Shen to the enemy nation, as well as the confession of the housekeeper who was bribed by Prime Minister Shen. I implore Your Majesty to allow them to present evidence and clear the Yun family's name!"

The emperor nodded: "Present it!"

The three generals pulled out a secret letter and confession from their pockets, which the eunuch presented to the emperor. The emperor unfolded it, his expression darkening, his fingers trembling slightly with anger. The secret letter contained not only the details of Prime Minister Shen's dealings with the enemy nation, but also his promise to "cede three border cities upon success." The confession detailed how Prime Minister Shen bribed the steward, forged the defense map, and framed Yun Xiao.

"Shen! Prime Minister!" The emperor slammed the throne, his voice filled with anger, "What else do you want to say?"

Prime Minister Shen sat slumped on the ground, his face ashen, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a word. He knew that the evidence was irrefutable and he could no longer quibble!

The whole palace was in uproar! All the officials looked at Prime Minister Shen in shock, at the emperor's furious expression, at Yun Zhi and the three generals kneeling on the ground. No one had expected that a banquet for the queen's birthday would reveal such a shocking conspiracy!

Xiao Jin's body swayed, and he nearly fell. He looked at the secret letter in the emperor's hand, at Prime Minister Shen's miserable state, at Yun Zhi's cold eyes. His mind flashed back to the scene of the entire Yun family being beheaded, the image of Yun Zhi being tortured by him, and Shen Qingyue's usually gentle smile...

At this moment, his worldview completely collapsed.

Yun Zhi knelt on the ground, looked up at the emperor, and said in a firm voice: "Your Majesty, the evidence is irrefutable. I implore Your Majesty to clear the name of the Yun family, bring Prime Minister Shen and his accomplices to justice, and restore justice to the world!"

Her voice echoed through the Hall of Supreme Harmony, filled with endless grief, indignation, and resoluteness. A long-simmering storm of revenge finally reached its first climax at this moment. And then, even more cruel truths were waiting to be revealed—Shen Qingyue's faked death, Xiao Jin's crimes, would be completely exposed at this birthday banquet.