After Miss Xu made such a fuss, the whole of Jincheng knew about the little thing Empress Yan had been keeping to herself, and people were gossiping about it behind her back.
However, due to the power of the Yan family, they dared not discuss it too much.
Of course, Lord Xu was no pushover either. Without saying a word, he led the Imperial Guards given to him by the Seventh Prince to investigate an old case from several years ago.
The first person I checked was Miss Yu.
A former subordinate of the Seventh Prince, she was forcibly taken into the palace as a concubine and died suddenly that very night.
Find everyone connected to Miss Yu. If all else fails, post a reward notice. Also, investigate the Lin and Zhuang families without delay.
The Zhuang family's daughter was married off to a distant place, and the entire Zhuang family moved away. Lord Xu wrote a letter and gave it to a guard, ordering him to hurry to the Zhuang family's home.
"Father, would the Zhuang family be willing to overturn the verdict?"
Lord Xu nodded: "Old Zhuang is just as stubborn. The matter caused quite a stir back then. The Zhuang family only needed to marry off their daughter, but Old Zhuang knew this very well and resigned from his post in a fit of anger and went to another province."
"Back then, Empress Yan had an excellent reputation, and no one dared to utter a word against her. Many things were never even touched by Empress Yan, and Old Master Zhuang could only suffer in silence. Now it's different. The matter has been exposed, and Old Master Zhuang will definitely come back to clear the Zhuang family of its humiliation and seek justice for Miss Zhuang."
Miss Xu nodded upon hearing this.
Just as Lord Xu had predicted, as soon as the Zhuang family received the news, Old Master Zhuang led his men to the capital overnight without saying a word.
Like Zhuang Lao, other families also rushed to Jincheng.
On the fifth day
There were about a dozen victims gathered at Xu's house.
Lord Xu was overjoyed.
The lights in the Xu family's house stayed on all night, and people came in waves to the study to write down every detail of what happened before they began their investigation.
Most of these people were former officials and were well aware of Prime Minister Yan's methods.
"It's all or nothing. If a new emperor must be chosen, the Seventh Prince is the most suitable candidate. And now that the Seventh Prince is involved, how can we, who are forced to resign, be willing to accept this?"
"that is!"
"This old scoundrel Yan has controlled the government for so many years, sending his daughter into the harem for wealth and glory. He has done so many despicable things in private. It's time to cleanse him up."
The group reached an agreement.
They spared no effort to drag Prime Minister Yan off his horse.
During the investigation, the Yan family was not idle either, and they made frequent moves in private. However, they soon discovered that no matter who they were, young or old, as soon as they went out, there was an invisible pair of eyes watching them.
Guards could be seen everywhere around the Yan family residence.
The palace gates were also guarded by the Seventh Prince. Anyone leaving the palace was searched, and people were assigned to keep a close watch on them, preventing them from going anywhere else to avoid tipping off anyone.
Under such close supervision, Prime Minister Yan's letters simply could not be sent out.
One letter after another was returned.
Prime Minister Yan's face turned ashen. He finally realized that something was wrong and hurriedly went to Empress Yan: "I'm worried that someone is stirring things up and deliberately trying to scheme against the Yan family."
Empress Yan has been unable to eat or sleep these days, she's been so angry, she's been clutching her chest and rubbing her temples, unable to get up.
Upon hearing her father's words, Empress Yan rubbed her temples, a murderous glint in her eyes: "The Xu family can no longer be allowed to live."
"But now everyone in the Yan family is being watched, what can we do?" Prime Minister Yan realized that things had gotten out of control.
He knew nothing about the situation outside.
Prime Minister Yan was startled and asked, "Could it be that the Seventh Prince wants to bring us down?"
Empress Yan was suddenly stunned.
After a long time, she claimed to be ill and requested to see several princes and their consorts from Jincheng.
One hour later
The residences of the Seventh Prince, the Third Prince, the Second Prince, and the Sixth Prince all received the news at the same time and went out to visit.
Princess Jiahua sat in the carriage. Her knees had improved considerably after several days of rest. She looked up at the Seventh Prince, who was sitting calmly opposite her.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, the Seventh Prince looked at her and said gently, "Don't worry, I won't favor anyone and will definitely investigate thoroughly."
Not only that, the Seventh Prince also assured Princess Jia Hua that anyone who dared to inform Northern Chu or disturb the two children would be killed without hesitation once he investigated!
This gradually eased Princess Jia Hua's anxiety.
So the group entered the palace to visit the ailing Empress Yan.
The Third Prince's Consort was the first to walk into the inner room, where Empress Yan, dressed in a plain long dress, leaned against the chaise longue, her face frighteningly pale.
"Why does Your Highness look so pale?" the Third Prince's wife exclaimed in surprise.
Empress Yan rubbed her temples, and a fleeting glance at Princess Jia Hua caught her eye. A look of disgust flashed across her face, but it vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving only a cold expression.
"It's an old ailment, nothing serious." Empress Yan coughed lightly, covering her mouth, her frail body trembling slightly.
At Empress Yan's signal, the Third Prince's wife turned to look at Princess Jia Hua and complained, "Seventh Prince's wife, I've been holding back some things for a while now."
Princess Jia Hua's eyelids twitched.
"It was I who invited you to the palace to visit Her Majesty. Her Majesty has protected you for three years, but you have never been seen visiting her even once. When Her Majesty's life was hanging by a thread, you didn't come either. A person should always have a conscience. Now that Her Majesty has been slandered, you haven't offered a single explanation. Copying scriptures and massaging Her Majesty's legs were all things you did voluntarily. Her Majesty couldn't bear to see you so tired, and each time it didn't take long. How come both of your legs are injured from kneeling?"
The Third Prince's wife then looked at the Seventh Prince: "I really couldn't swallow this, so I said a few more words. If you want to blame someone, Seventh Prince, then blame me."
"Third Prince's wife, say less." Empress Yan quickly advised, but was stopped by the Third Prince's wife: "Your Majesty, you protect us, and I really can't bear to see you embroiled in public opinion and slandered by others."
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