Chapter 75 We urge Your Majesty to make a decision soon! ...
"How does it make sense now?" The person in charge was completely bewildered, but was chased out by the doctor. "Go quickly, once Physician Jiang arrives, you will understand everything."
The official had no choice but to order his men to hurry to the Imperial Medical Bureau.
...
The next day.
"Alas..." Doctor Jiang put down his hand that was taking the pulse and sighed softly. Then his complicated gaze fell on Bai Yun's face, as if he saw another person through him. "This gentleman has indeed been poisoned by the Soul-Hooking Poison."
"However, the toxins in this person's body have been removed. Although the damage to his heart meridian is irreversible, if he can be properly cared for, his lifespan will not be greatly affected."
"Thank you," Baiyun said gently.
"Sigh," the old doctor Jiang sighed, packing up his medicine box, "this seemingly insignificant little devil herb is actually quite harmful."
Bai Yun lowered his eyes: "What has the grass done wrong? It's just that people's hearts are unpredictable."
Before leaving, the old imperial physician Jiang gave him one last look, his words carrying a deeper meaning: "Back then, before Consort Rong gave birth, it was I who took her pulse. At that time, the Consort was troubled by palpitations, but my medical skills were insufficient to determine the cause. I only assumed it was because the Consort was worried about something during her first childbirth. But I never expected..."
“Over the years, I still sometimes think about it and wonder if I had been more knowledgeable or more careful back then, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.” He looked at Baiyun, his weathered face full of gentleness. “If you need anything, my lord, just send someone to find me.”
Bai Yun bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, sir."
"Now that I know what you want to know, why are you still looking so miserable?" the doctor teased the young clerk.
"Why is this happening?" The doctor knew what he wanted to ask.
Baiyun could have enjoyed the treatment of a prince in the palace, so why did the old marquis choose to commit the crime of deceiving the emperor and secretly take her out of the palace?
"I still don't understand. The concubine who poisoned him has already been executed. Why are they being so cautious?" To say they are cautious is an understatement. In reality, he was like a frightened bird.
The doctor sighed. This subordinate's success and failure both stemmed from his naiveté.
He put his arm around the junior manager's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "That's because the real mastermind is still watching us closely."
"Who else?" The junior steward was shocked. "No, should we continue investigating these palace secrets?"
He dared not think any further. He had the power to order Consort Rou to murder the imperial heir and then disappear perfectly after the plot was exposed.
"My lord!" he cried, his face contorted with grief. "I haven't found a wife yet! I still have elderly parents back home to support! Let me go!"
The doctor grabbed him with one hand, preventing him from keeping up with Hengbo's pace, and sneered, "It's too late now."
Hengbo was speechless at her noisy subordinate. What was there to be afraid of? This case was personally delivered to her by Ji Heng. Don't forget, if they couldn't get to the bottom of it, he would make trouble for them.
A few days later, in front of the Ministry of Justice.
"This humble woman, Yan Wan, is the wife of the disgraced official Zhao Lian and the daughter of the disgraced official Yan Zong. Now..."
Before she could finish speaking, the clerk guarding the door waved her away, saying, "If you have any grievances, please report them to the Prefectural Governor's Office. Not just anyone can enter the Ministry of Justice."
“No,” Yan Wan said without getting angry. “This humble subject was entrusted by the Marquis of Dingbei to assist the Ministry of Justice in handling the case.”
While the junior official hesitated, the chief clerk rushed over and said, "Madam is very righteous. Please come into the hall to talk."
Yan Wan bowed to him and then followed him into the inner courtyard.
"Madam, your father is currently retired and at home. Although he lost his official position and his family fortune, he is at least not worried about food and clothing. But if you really submit this, there will be no turning back. Not only your father, but you may also be implicated."
“My lord,” Yan Wan smiled, “I’m just glad that although my father is ruthless, he’s not stupid and knows to leave himself some leverage.” Although in the end, she benefited from those leverage.
“Very well,” the official in charge of the Ministry of Justice nodded. “In that case, I will submit the evidence you have of Yan Zong’s conspiracy with Empress Dowager Zhengde to murder the concubines and imperial heirs. You will remain in the Ministry of Justice for the next few days, both for your safety and to facilitate subsequent interrogations. Do you have any objections?”
"No, thank you, sir."
“My lord,” the Ministry of Justice official presented Hengbo with the files and evidence he had compiled over the past few days, “everything is ready, we just need the right opportunity.”
"But will the Minister agree to present this case at the morning court session?"
Qin Fei, the Minister of Justice, was a loyal minister to the emperor. He wasn't stupid enough to want to get himself into trouble by directly contradicting the emperor. And his subordinates couldn't very well overstep their bounds and do the same.
This matter made his wrinkles deepen with worry, but Hengbo had nothing to worry about.
If he doesn't want to talk, then force him to. If Ji Heng asks, he'll have to answer whether he wants to or not.
"Princess, are you sure Ji Heng will ask about this in court? Are you some kind of mind reader?"
Hengbo felt a wave of nausea and got goosebumps. He was too lazy to explain further. Just you wait and see.
At the meeting.
Hengbo, bored out of her mind, secretly stretched her aching muscles, occasionally glancing up at the Minister of Justice beside her. Because of her status as a princess, she was not ranked behind the Minister.
The Minister of Justice pretended not to notice the occasional distracting glances from those around him, his eyes fixed on his boots. The thought of the report he'd received the previous night made his head spin.
The timing was so perfect that he didn't even have time to submit a memorial to His Majesty to distance himself from the situation.
Thinking of this, he hated the Prefect of the Capital with a burning rage. That old fox dumped this mess on him without even consulting him. Otherwise, he would never have entrusted the entire investigation to Princess Shenxiao.
He just hoped the court session would end quickly so he could go and pledge his loyalty first.
Unfortunately, fate did not grant his wish.
"Your Majesty," Eunuch Zheng whispered in the ear of the eunuch on duty outside the palace, "the Marquis of Dingbei requests an audience with the Emperor."
Ji Heng frowned. "Let him wait."
Eunuch Zheng was in a dilemma. "The Marquis of Dingbei is kneeling outside the palace, imitating the ancient practice of carrying thorns to apologize to His Majesty in front of all the court officials."
"Oh?" Ji Heng suddenly remembered the case that was transferred to the Ministry of Justice a few days ago. Could it really be that Marquis Dingbei did it, and the Ministry of Justice caught him red-handed?
Why didn't Qin Fei submit a memorial, or even just present it at the court assembly? Do you think I would protect the Marquis of Dingbei? This fellow is truly senile.
Ji Heng, who had long wanted to see the Marquis of Dingbei suffer a setback, pretended to ponder for a while before saying, "Summon the Marquis of Dingbei to court."
Upon hearing this, Qin Fei almost fainted from breathlessness. Good heavens, he was wondering why the princess had specially submitted a document to him. Did she want to recruit him?
It turns out that the princess never intended for him to walk out of the Golden Palace properly!
The Marquis of Dingbei, who was over fifty years old, walked into the hall bare-chested, carrying a bundle of brambles on his back. Ignoring the stares of others, he knelt down in the hall and said, "Your subject Lu Pingxuan pays respects to Your Majesty!"
"Marquis of Dingbei," Ji Heng squinted, scrutinizing the expression on his face, "what is the reason for this?"
"Your Majesty, I have committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor, an unforgivable offense. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Ji Heng turned to the Minister of Justice, "Qin Fei, come and explain this to me, and let all the ministers in court hear it too. Don't wrong the Marquis of Dingbei."
The moment Qin Fei saw Marquis Dingbei, he knew that today's events were already set in stone, and there was no point in struggling any further.
"Your Majesty, recently, when the Ministry of Justice was investigating the case of the Marquis of Dingbei's residence and Bai Yun, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, they discovered some old stories from the previous dynasty."
"The Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department, Bai Yun, is not actually a member of the Lu family of the Marquis of Dingbei, but rather the son of Consort Rong, who was born in her womb back then," he swallowed hard, closed his eyes, and said in despair, "Your Majesty's brother!"
"Nonsense!" The teacup and water were thrown at Qin Fei, splashing onto him and creating a misty haze.
"A bunch of scoundrels!" He walked into the hall, pointing at Qin Fei and then at Lu Pingxuan: "You're all in cahoots, conspiring together! Do you think I'm so easily fooled?!"
"Where is the evidence? Present the evidence to me!"
Qin Fei crawled on his knees to Ji Heng and handed him the memorial he had written the night before, which he intended to submit after court.
Ji Heng glanced over and sneered, "This is just speculation. So, does that mean all the thirty-five-year-olds in the world who have been poisoned by this are my brothers?!"
Hengbo pouted. She hadn't even played all her cards yet, and Ji Heng was already about to flip the table. He couldn't afford to play this game.
"Your Majesty," the Marquis of Dingbei said in a hoarse voice, "when my younger sister gave birth, my mother was by her side. At that time, my younger sister knew that she would not make it, so she asked the midwife to cut the baby first. Physician Jiang, who was taking her pulse at the time, also knew about this."
"If Your Majesty does not believe me, my mother and Physician Jiang are also waiting outside the palace. They can come and ask questions at any time."
Ji Heng's face turned ashen. "Someone, summon the old lady and Imperial Physician Jiang to the palace."
Then, the two sprightly old men politely deferred to each other as they entered the hall. One was serious and the other was gentle, but neither of them showed the slightest tension, and they stood on either side of Marquis Dingbei, seemingly unconcerned about the tense atmosphere in the hall.
"Your Majesty," the old lady said, her voice still loud despite her advanced age, "this matter was entirely planned by me. It has nothing to do with my son, nor with Physician Jiang. Please do not take your anger out on me."
Ji Heng sneered: "Madam, you don't think that by accepting the blame for deceiving the emperor, the Marquis of Dingbei will get away with it, do you?"
The old lady smiled kindly: "My son is unaware of the details of what happened back then." As she spoke, she took out a wooden box from her sleeve and gestured to the waiting palace servants to present it to Ji Heng.
She declared firmly, "My Dingbei Marquisate has never deceived the Emperor; this matter was tacitly approved by the late Emperor."
Ji Heng took out the imperial edict that had been sealed for many years from the box, read it, and then remained silent. Even though the court officials were extremely anxious, they had no choice but to hold back.
"Very well!" Ji Heng casually handed the imperial edict to Eunuch Zheng. "Since it is the Emperor's decree..."
His sinister gaze fixed on the old lady. "Then naturally I have nothing more to say. Old lady, you don't need to think of me as so narrow-minded. I'm overjoyed to have another brother!"
"Marquis of Dingbei, get up too. Do you think I'd eat you up if you put on such a show?"
Lu Pingxuan remained kneeling. "Your Majesty, concealing the news of the imperial heir is only my first crime. I have a second crime," he said, raising his head with a resolute air of fighting to the death.
"Your Majesty, I wish to file a complaint against the late Empress Dowager Zhengde and former Minister of War Yan Zong. The Empress Dowager Zhengde and Yan Zong colluded and plotted to poison my younger sister, Imperial Noble Consort Huarong, and the children of the late Emperor."
"The Ministry of Justice has investigated this matter and hopes Your Majesty will make a decision as soon as possible!"
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