The once-great Zhou family was reduced to ashes overnight.
When the Imperial Guards went to ransack the house, most of the Zhou family's servants had already fled, leaving the once exquisitely decorated mansion in a state of chaos and devastation.
Following Emperor Cheng'an's orders, the Imperial Guards practically dug up the Zhou family's house, but they found neither Zhou Qing nor Zhou Zhenrong, nor the millions of taels of silver.
When Emperor Cheng'an heard the report from the Imperial Guards, he was quite annoyed.
After hesitating for a long time, he still went to Empress Zhou's palace.
Empress Zhou sat by the window, looking rather melancholy. Emperor Cheng'an walked up behind her, looked at her slightly protruding belly, and said in a deep voice, "The Empress already knows the news?"
Empress Zhou nodded, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "My father and brothers committed crimes, and Your Majesty dealt with them according to the law. I dare not have the slightest complaint. But they are, after all, my family, and I am still saddened to some extent."
Emperor Cheng'an comforted her, saying, "This has already been reported to the Dali Temple, so it won't involve the women of the Zhou family. It can also be considered a blessing for the child in the Empress's womb."
A flash of resentment crossed Empress Zhou's eyes, but when she raised her face, it was a face streaked with tears: "Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty. On behalf of the Zhou family, I thank Your Majesty."
Emperor Cheng'an helped her up: "We are husband and wife, why say such formal things?"
Empress Zhou smiled through her tears: "Your Majesty is right, but I am still worried about my mother and the younger generation at home. I would like to go out of the palace to see them in the next couple of days. I would like to ask Your Majesty to grant me leniency."
Emperor Cheng'an said with a magnanimous expression, "It is only right. However, the Empress is currently pregnant. I am worried about her leaving the palace alone. Let Qi Zhong accompany you."
Empress Zhou naturally wouldn't refuse, and she was well aware of Emperor Cheng'an's intentions. However, Emperor Cheng'an always valued his reputation, and having just confiscated the Zhou family's property, he was too embarrassed to ask the Empress where the Zhou family's assets were hidden.
Empress Zhou was happy to play dumb. After thanking the emperor, she sighed and asked, "Is there still no news of my elder brother?"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Cheng'an's face darkened: "No, has Zhou Qing contacted you?"
Empress Zhou shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes again: "If my elder brother had contacted me, I would not have dared to protect him."
Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of her, Emperor Cheng'an had no choice but to give up for the time being. After offering a few perfunctory words of comfort, he turned and left.
After everyone left, Empress Zhou put away her sorrowful expression, instructed her confidante to close the palace gates, and pretended to be too grief-stricken to see guests. She then entered her bedchamber and opened the mechanism on the wall.
The display shelf on the wall slowly slid away, revealing a narrow doorway that could only allow one person to pass through.
Empress Zhou picked up the candle on the table and slowly went down the steps, where she saw Zhou Qing and Zhou Zhenrong hiding in the dark room.
When Zhou Qing saw her approach, his face darkened as he asked, "Has the Emperor left?"
Empress Zhou placed the candle on the table, a hint of mockery on her face: "They've already left. They came to ask me about my elder brother's whereabouts. They probably didn't find any silver when they searched his house, so they came here to subtly inquire about him."
Zhou Qing said, "Fortunately, you reminded me in time. My father and I had already planned ahead and moved our family assets and manpower to another location."
"What does Your Majesty intend to do next?"
Empress Zhou pondered for a moment and said, "Emperor Cheng'an's health is deteriorating. I think it's better to take action first than to wait for him to give up on his own."
She touched her lower abdomen, which was stuffed with cotton, and glanced at the dazed Zhou Zhenrong. She slowly said, "Fortunately, Zhenrong is doing well and already has a child. Otherwise, without my elder brother's secret support outside the palace, it would be quite troublesome for me to have another child."
Zhou Qing glanced at Zhou Zhenrong and said, "There's always a way out. Zhenrong will stay here with Your Highness to rest during your pregnancy. There are still many things waiting for me to do outside. I will find an opportunity to leave the palace. If Your Highness needs anything, please have Zhang Yun come to find me."
Empress Zhou nodded: "Elder brother, please be careful in everything. I will take care of Mother. As for Father, I will try my best to negotiate and postpone the execution as much as possible to buy you time."
Zhou Qing agreed and then quietly left through another secret passage.
*
At the same time, Shen Mingjiang and Shen Xiuyi, who had been exonerated and released from prison, were discussing matters in the Prince of Qin's residence.
Xue Shen said, "Zhou Qing's whereabouts are currently unknown, so he probably made preparations long ago."
Shen Xiuyi said, "Leave it to me now. As long as he is still in the capital, I can find him."
Xue Shen pondered for a moment: "Zhou Qin is not a threat. What worries me is Empress Zhou."
Shen Xiuyi asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Xue Shen then briefly recounted his previous speculations about the sordid deeds of Empress Zhou. Seeing the astonished expressions on the father and son's faces, he tapped the table and slowly said, "Not long ago, the spies I sent to keep an eye on Empress Zhou discovered that her personal maid was burning a blood-stained dress in the backyard."
"On the same day, the imperial physician who often prayed for Empress Zhou's safety also accidentally fell into the pond and drowned."
Xue Shen raised an eyebrow and smiled: "How could there be such a coincidence in this world?"
Shen Xiuyi also realized what was happening: "You mean, the child of Empress Zhou is gone?"
Xue Shen nodded: "That's right, but there hasn't been a single word from the palace, so the emperor obviously doesn't know about it either. Empress Zhou's concealment of the miscarriage clearly indicates she has other plans. If she can't wait and makes her move before me, it could be troublesome."
Killing Emperor Cheng'an was not difficult; the real challenge was getting him to confess his crimes while he was still alive and expose his shameful deeds to the public.
If Empress Zhou were to kill Emperor Cheng'an first for her own purposes, it would certainly not be a good thing for Xue Shen.
Shen Mingjiang remained silent for a long time before speaking: "Do you have conclusive evidence of what happened back then?"
Xue Shen said, "We have both witnesses and physical evidence."
Shen Mingjiang said, "Then this matter should be handled sooner rather than later, so let's put it on the agenda as soon as possible."
Xue Shen also had this plan, which is why he invited the two of them over today to discuss it: "I also had this plan, which is why I invited my father-in-law and elder brother over to inform them in advance. There will probably be major changes in the court later. Although you have now cleared your names, Emperor Cheng'an is wary that I will not reinstate you to your original positions so quickly. You can take this opportunity to avoid this storm."
Shen Xiuyi understood his meaning and nodded, saying, "I know, the Shen family will not get involved in this matter."
Xue Shen nodded, picked up the wine pot and poured wine for the two of them. The three of them raised their wine cups and clinked them together in tacit agreement.
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