With the arrest of Zhou Nian and others, the case of embezzling military funds finally came to an end.
After the Shen family father and son were exonerated, Shen Mingjiang soon submitted a memorial to the emperor, claiming that he was ill. He said that he had suffered from many hidden illnesses during his years of military service, which had now all come out at once and he could no longer bear it. He could only retire and return to his hometown.
Shen Mingxiu, wanting to fulfill his filial duty of caring for his elderly father, also took leave and stayed home without going out.
Although Emperor Cheng'an didn't know what the father and son were up to, he was pleased that they didn't ask to be reinstated and return to court. He readily bestowed rewards upon them and approved their requests for leave.
Apart from Zhou Qing, who has yet to be apprehended, and the millions of dollars in wealth hidden by the Zhou family, Emperor Cheng'an has been enjoying a rare period of good fortune these past few days.
Although the crown prince was still not found, the empress's belly grew bigger day by day.
He even consulted a master who was skilled in determining the sex of the fetus, and the master said that the empress was definitely carrying a boy.
Emperor Cheng'an felt both hatred and worry as he thought of his eldest son, who was hiding somewhere.
But since he only had this one son left, he couldn't be too ruthless. After much deliberation, he decided to give the Crown Prince some time to recover. He planned to issue imperial edicts everywhere to search for the Crown Prince after the Empress gave birth.
Or we could try some other methods; the prince is soft-hearted and will eventually come back.
However, despite his well-thought-out plan, he never expected that on an ordinary day, someone would suddenly beat the petition drum to appeal for justice.
The man burst into tears at the bustling market entrance, listing his crimes.
By the time the news reached Emperor Cheng'an, it had already become a hot topic of conversation among the common people.
"What did you say?"
After hearing Qi Zhong's report, Emperor Cheng'an suddenly stood up, but he was so dizzy from standing up that he almost bumped into the table.
Qi Zhong also looked surprised: "A person claimed to be a palace maid who served the late empress. He said that he was bribed to poison the late empress, which is why she was pregnant."
"The palace maid claimed that the late Empress had been kind to her, but she had betrayed her benefactor for a few thousand taels of silver. She had lived in fear and unease all these years. In addition, her husband and eldest son had both died young, and her youngest son was seriously ill and not long for life. She felt that this was retribution for her ingratitude. In order to atone for her sins and give her youngest son a chance to live, the palace maid traveled thousands of miles from her hiding place in the countryside to the capital to turn herself in."
Emperor Cheng'an sat back down abruptly, muttering to himself, "Impossible, how could there be any survivors from what happened back then?"
Qi Zhong naturally knew what was going on, and he cautiously asked, "Should we call the person over to take a look?"
Emperor Cheng'an waved his hand weakly, thinking that after so many years as emperor, he was no longer afraid of what happened back then.
But now, upon suddenly hearing that the palace maid from back then had come to confess, and that she might reveal the sordid things he had done, he felt a sudden panic, shortness of breath, and weakness in his legs.
He didn't even have the courage to see that palace maid.
"Just say I'm feeling unwell, and ask you to go and check on my behalf to see if it's one of those who escaped from the net back then."
Qi Zhong said "Eh" and then hurriedly headed towards the palace gate.
*
Anyone who has been wronged can strike the Dengwen Drum to appeal their grievances.
However, if the injustice is found to be false, the perpetrator will be subjected to a hundred strokes of the cane, which is tantamount to death.
Therefore, not many people have sounded the petition drum over the years.
But in just one month, the petition drum has been sounded several times.
The surrounding people were happy to watch the spectacle. As the palace maid tearfully denounced the retribution she had received for her bad deeds, the discussion became lively. As the news spread, more and more people came to watch the spectacle.
Qi Zhong emerged from the palace gates and saw a large crowd of onlookers surrounding the palace. He ordered the imperial guards in a shrill voice, "Disperse all irrelevant people. Do not make any noise in front of the palace gates."
Upon receiving the order, the imperial guards immediately stepped forward with swords to disperse the civilians.
The onlookers, who were there to watch the spectacle, were forced to back away, but no one was willing to leave. They all stood at a distance, craning their necks to look in this direction.
Qi Zhong chased away the onlookers before walking up to the weeping palace maid and speaking condescendingly, "Who is it that is beating the drum to appeal for justice? State your name."
Hearing the familiar voice, the palace maid slowly raised her head and said in a tearful voice, "My name is Jingzhe."
Qi Zhong was stunned when he saw that familiar face.
He initially thought it was just a farce, but it turned out to be a real acquaintance from back then. Although the other person had aged considerably, he still remembered the black mole on his chin.
There was indeed such a palace maid by the side of the late Empress.
At that time, the late emperor had already begun to suspect the current emperor, and in order to protect himself, the current emperor had no choice but to strike first.
However, the late emperor was incredibly skilled in martial arts, and no one could get close to him. After much deliberation, the Emperor could only resort to a roundabout approach, starting with the late empress.
The late empress was a woman, and she was exhausted from taking care of her son day and night because of his accident. There were too many loopholes for her to exploit.
She was already physically weak, so the emperor found a colorless and odorless poison among the common people. This poison was not very potent; only a large dose at once would be fatal. But for the frail and exhausted empress, this mild poison was enough to take her life.
The people around the late empress were extremely loyal, and it took him a great deal of effort to finally find this palace maid. Palace maids were not allowed to get close to the late empress, but she happened to be in charge of all the utensils used by the late empress.
He bribed a palace maid to smear poison powder on the bowl the late empress used to drink her medicine every day.
The late empress was completely unaware of what was happening. The bowls of tonic soup and medicine she drank actually took her life prematurely.
After the Empress's death, the late Emperor was indeed greatly affected.
After the late empress's funeral, the late emperor summoned the emperor for a face-to-face confrontation. The emperor, who was prepared in advance, took the initiative and forced the late emperor to write a will to pass on the throne by threatening the life of the Prince of Qin.
These sordid matters, forgotten for many years, all resurfaced upon the sight of the palace maid named Jingzhe.
A surge of immense fear welled up in Qi Zhong's heart. He stared intently at the palace maid as if he had seen a vengeful ghost coming to claim his life.
He clearly remembered that after the late emperor ascended the throne, he was ordered to deal with all those involved, leaving no one alive.
Why did this crucial palace maid reappear in the capital seven years later, beating the drum to surrender herself?
Qi Zhong's heart pounded, as if a huge net was slowly spreading out above his head, reaching out to everyone who had participated in those events back then.
He took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly to keep his composure, but his sharp voice still betrayed some of his emotions: "Take the man away first, and let me interrogate him carefully."
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