The Empress Dowager was wholeheartedly supporting the eldest prince, and the embezzlement case at the Xizhou Dam was the best opportunity to bring down Xie Jingyin. Even though the Empress Dowager disliked Xie Jingyan mentioning Consort Chen, she still tacitly allowed Zhao Mama to tell Xie Jingyan the burial place of Consort Chen, thus fulfilling his filial piety.
Xie Jingyan had been waiting for this day for a long time, and immediately ordered his horse to be prepared. Shen Wan said, "I want to go too."
Xie Jingyan disagreed, saying, "You stay in the Prince's residence."
Shen Wan wanted to go, but Eunuch Yuan said, "Normally, it would be appropriate for the Princess to kowtow to Consort Chen and offer incense, but since the Princess is pregnant, it's better to be safe than sorry, in case she offends someone..."
Xie Jingyan objected, and Eunuch Yuan also disagreed, so Shen Wan had no choice but to abandon the idea.
After watching Xie Jingyan and the others leave Moyuxuan, Shen Wan went back to her room, drank half a cup of tea, and, feeling bored, read a book to pass the time.
Yinshuang brought in pastries from outside and said, "Your Highness, guess where Zhao Mama buried Consort Chen?"
Shen Wan asked, "A mass grave?"
Silver Frost, "..."
Can you call a mass grave a burial site?
That's called throwing them into a mass grave.
If they threw them into a mass grave, six years later, it would be impossible to tell which of Consort Chen's remains were which.
Yinshuang said, "Consort Chen is buried in the peach grove outside the city."
"The princess visited that peach grove this spring; the scenery was extremely beautiful."
Shen Wan was stunned.
Yinshuang added, "The princess has been to that peach grove several times, but she hasn't seen any graves there, nor has she heard of any."
Few young ladies from respectable families are brave enough to visit a gravesite, no matter how beautiful the scenery may be.
Yinshuang didn't know there was a grave in the peach grove, but Chenwan did know there was a grave, though it was empty.
In his previous life, his eldest cousin was forced to flee the capital and do business all over the Great Chu. His third cousin was kept in the capital, so he took a fancy to that peach grove, bought it at a high price, and built a garden for young ladies and gentlemen from noble families to rest and enjoy tea when the flowers bloomed in spring.
When building the garden, they searched all the nearby mountains. On the edge of the peach grove, in a place rarely visited by people, they found a solitary grave. There was no tombstone, no one swept or paid respects, and the grave was overgrown with weeds, which was really unsightly. In order to avoid affecting business, the third cousin asked people to burn incense and pay respects, and wanted to move the grave to another place. But when the grave was dug up, the fine nanmu coffin was empty, with nothing inside.
...That shouldn't be Consort Chen's tomb.
The Emperor hated Consort Chen so much that he wouldn't allow her to be buried in the Imperial Mausoleum. The Empress Dowager collected Consort Chen's body, and it was already a favor that she didn't have it thrown into a mass grave. How could she possibly use top-quality nanmu wood to bury Consort Chen? Besides, it was an empty coffin.
But Shen Wan suddenly remembered this matter and couldn't help but let her mind wander.
just in case……
What if it is?
Xie Jingyan only managed to get the Emperor and Empress Dowager to tell him the burial place of Consort Chen after providing evidence related to the Xizhou Dam. If it was an empty grave, wouldn't they be deceiving him?
Shen Wan was worried, so she immediately put down the book in her hand and went to the window.
She glanced around a few times, and Chen Yu appeared, saying, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"
Shen Wan said, "Go quickly to the peach grove and see if the grave of Consort Chen that Granny Zhao pointed out is on the edge of the peach grove. If so, have the prince dig up the grave and take a look."
Shen Wan spoke in a hurry because Xie Jingyan and the others had already been gone for quite some time.
If you're going to dig up a grave, you have to do it in front of Eunuch Yuan and Granny Zhao.
Although Chen Yu found it strange, she didn't dare to ask any more questions and quickly went to do it.
Chen Yu rode quickly out of the city and headed towards the peach grove.
The peach orchard was very large, and he searched for a while before finding Xie Jingyan. At that time, Xie Jingyan was pulling weeds from the grave with red eyes. Eunuch Yuan and Granny Zhao stood by and watched, both of them somewhat moved.
Chen Feng offered to help Xie Jingyan pull the grass off the grave, but Xie Jingyan refused. The grass on the grave was very lush, and Xie Jingyan's palms were covered in blood.
Chen Yu walked over quickly, and seeing him arrive, Chen Feng said, "What brings you here?"
Chen Yu didn't reply to Chen Feng, but went straight to Xie Jingyan's side and whispered a few words in his ear. Xie Jingyan's hand, which was pulling weeds, paused. He stood up and said coldly, "Dig up the grave."
Eunuch Yuan, "...???"
Granny Zhao, “…???”
They wouldn't even let anyone touch the grass on Consort Chen's grave just now, and now they want to dig it up?
What exactly is Prince Ling up to?
Although it was strange, neither Eunuch Yuan nor Granny Zhao tried to dissuade them.
Eunuch Yuan knew that Xie Jingyan had made up his mind, and no one could dissuade him. Granny Zhao, on the other hand, did not want to meddle in other people's business. No one could stop Prince Ling from digging up the grave of his birth mother, Consort Chen.
Soon the guards dug up the grave, revealing the coffin. Seeing that it was made of top-quality nanmu wood, Eunuch Yuan was quite surprised.
It was already surprising enough that Granny Zhao buried Consort Chen in the peach grove where she first met the Emperor, but she didn't expect that she would be buried with the finest nanmu wood. The Empress Dowager had always disliked Consort Chen, but she was surprisingly generous in burying her.
Chen Feng swept the dust off the coffin, and Xie Jingyan stared intently at it. "Open the coffin."
Chen Feng and Chen Yu, one on each side, pried open the tightly sealed coffin.
However, the moment the coffin lid was lifted, Xie Jingyan's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, his hands, cut by the grass, clenched tightly, and his sharp gaze swept towards Granny Zhao.
Granny Zhao was dumbfounded when she saw the empty coffin with nothing inside.
"How...how can it be empty?!"
Eunuch Yuan looked at Granny Zhao and said, "Did you remember the wrong place?"
Granny Zhao said anxiously, "I personally led the burial of Consort Chen, how could I possibly be mistaken?!"
Eunuch Yuan also felt that it was unlikely that he would be mistaken. If Granny Zhao knew that this was an empty grave, she would not have failed to stop Prince Ling from digging it up.
But who would steal Consort Chen's body after her burial?
emperor?
No.
Anyone could be, but the emperor is the only exception.
The Emperor doted on Consort Chen so much that he practically abandoned the harem. Betrayed by Consort Chen, the Emperor wished he could grind her bones to dust, so how could he possibly allow anyone to take away her body?
The guards turned the coffin upside down, but found nothing.
Xie Jingyan practically stormed off.
Granny Zhao was extremely anxious and looked at Eunuch Yuan, saying, "Who would steal Consort Chen's body?"
Ask him?
He wanted to know more.
"Let's go back to the palace and report."
Eunuch Yuan and Granny Zhao left the palace together and returned together.
The Imperial Study.
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, and the memorials on the dragon desk were still as high as they were when Eunuch Yuan left.
Eunuch Yuan stepped forward, hesitating whether to tell the Emperor about it, but the Emperor spoke first, "Where is Consort Chen buried?"
Eunuch Yuan said, "Bury it in the peach grove."
The emperor paused, his hand still holding the brush dipped in ink.
I didn't ask any more questions.
"Granny Zhao said it was buried there, but when Prince Ling dug up the grave, the coffin was empty..." Yuan Gonggong said cautiously.
The Emperor's expression changed drastically. "Empty?!"
"What do you mean by that?!"
It means exactly what it says.
Consort Chen was not in the coffin.
Eunuch Yuan said, "Granny Zhao said she personally witnessed Consort Chen's burial, but there was nothing in the coffin. After Consort Chen's burial, her body was stolen..."
*Smack*
The wolf-hair brush in his hand was slammed heavily onto the dragon-shaped desk.
The emperor's face was clouded with rage, as if a storm was brewing.
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