Chapter 461 Staying in the capital to cooperate with the Dali Temple's investigation
Jiang Yu's two consecutive questions immediately caused the Prime Minister to show a look of panic. He hurriedly kowtowed again, crying out that he was wronged, and then looked up at Jiang Yu, saying earnestly, "Duke of Chu, I know you are angry at this moment, and I can understand your feelings."
He turned his gaze to Pei Tinglan, his eyes filled with a deliberate pity, and said, "But I also hope that the Duke of Chu can understand my situation back then. When Tinglan fell into the water, she was rescued by a man, and your grandfather insisted on breaking off the engagement. For her, who had already lost her reputation at that time, this was tantamount to forcing her to die."
“She had indeed decided to hang herself at the time, but I saved her life in time. My sister and I have depended on each other for many years. How could I, as her older brother, just stand by and watch her take her own life?”
The Prime Minister pretended to wipe his eyes with his sleeve, then turned to the Emperor and bowed, saying, "After my repeated persuasion, Tinglan finally gave up the idea of suicide. Later, she asked me to send someone to accompany her to relax. After returning, she said she wanted to go back to my ancestral home. I knew that the capital was a place of sorrow for her, so I granted her request."
"I specially sent guards to escort her back, but unexpectedly, she was robbed on the way. The news I received at home was that she had been killed by the robbers. I always thought she was long gone until the Prince of Lingnan brought her back to the capital this time. Only then did I learn that she had survived by chance and was saved by the old Prince of Lingnan. Later, she became the Princess of Lingnan."
The Prime Minister kowtowed again, his voice tinged with remorse: "After learning of this matter, I was filled with fear and trepidation. I wanted to immediately go before the Emperor to plead guilty, but I am old and cowardly, and I have hesitated for so long that I have not dared to come. I deserve to die! I deserve to die!"
...
Both the Emperor and Jiang Yu were somewhat surprised, not expecting that even now, the Prime Minister could still deliver such a flawless explanation. But upon further reflection, they realized that he and the Prince of Lingnan had probably conspired together to fabricate this lie.
As expected, the Prince of Lingnan spoke up next, his tone respectful but with a hint of defense: "Your Majesty, when my father saved my mother, he did not know that she was the Prime Minister's younger sister. Moreover... at that time, the Prime Minister was just a poor scholar who had just passed the imperial examination. My mother had suffered a series of setbacks and did not want to talk about the past, so she did not reveal her true identity to my father and only wanted to live in anonymity."
"My father never knew my mother's true origins until his death. It was only after I brought my mother to the capital that I learned she was the Prime Minister's younger sister."
"Heh..." The emperor couldn't help but laugh, his eyes full of mockery. These two, uncle and nephew, managed to absolve themselves of all responsibility! But he knew in his heart that the key point of this matter was not Pei Tinglan's identity, but the evil deeds she had committed over the years.
At this moment, Jiang Yu snorted heavily, his tone disdainful: "So much time has passed, those who knew the truth are long gone, so the Prime Minister and the Prince of Lingnan can say whatever they want."
"Duke of Chu, I know you hate me and Tinglan to the core right now, but you can't just call white black out of thin air!" The Prime Minister's voice carried a hint of pleading, his words implying that Jiang Yu was "unforgiving": "Tinglan is petty and harbors resentment towards your grandfather because of what happened when she was young, and perhaps she has done some inappropriate things to the Duke of Chu's mansion. But look at her like this now..."
"How about this, if the Duke of Chu is still not satisfied, he may speak up in front of the Emperor. As long as it is within the power of the old man and the Prince of Lingnan, we will do our best to satisfy you."
These words made Jiang Yu laugh in anger. She chuckled twice, her sharp gaze fixed on the Prime Minister: "Prime Minister, you have quite the silver tongue. Then I'd like to ask you—I was kidnapped when I was three years old. A legitimate daughter of a Duke's family, I almost died a violent death and spent more than ten years living in the marketplace. How do you and the Prince of Lingnan intend to compensate me for this?"
"As for my elder brother, he was originally the legitimate son but was secretly replaced as an illegitimate son and was poisoned. How will you compensate him for the decades of suffering from illness? And what will you give to those in my Chu State Duke's Mansion who were killed by her?"
The Prime Minister and the Prince of Lingnan's faces darkened, and they both remained silent with stiff expressions. Jiang Yu turned to the Emperor, bowed deeply, and said, "How could Pei Tinglan, a woman, commit so many heinous acts without anyone's help? I have evidence that the Prince of Lingnan was also involved in the plot to harm my Duke of Chu's mansion."
Having said that, Jiang Yu took out a memorial from his sleeve and presented it with both hands. Zhao Fuquan quickly stepped forward to take it and presented it to the emperor. The emperor opened the memorial, read it quickly, and his face instantly turned cold. He handed the memorial back to Zhao Fuquan: "Let the Prince of Lingnan take a look as well."
Zhao Fuquan bent down to take the memorial and presented it to the Prince of Lingnan. The Prince of Lingnan, his face ashen, accepted it and skimmed through it. He knew without even looking that he couldn't refute the evidence presented. Given Jiang Yu's status and intelligence, it wouldn't be difficult for him to fabricate some "evidence," a mixture of truth and falsehood, that the Prince couldn't refute.
But he still forced himself to speak, his tone tinged with grievance: "Your Majesty, I have never done these things."
He then turned to Jiang Yu, his eyes filled with displeasure: "I can understand that the Duke of Chu wants to avenge his family. I also feel deeply remorseful for the mistakes my mother made. But the Duke of Chu cannot fabricate evidence to frame me!"
Jiang Yu was too lazy to argue with him anymore, and simply kowtowed to the emperor again: "I hope Your Majesty will investigate."
The Emperor tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his expression grave as he pondered for a moment before speaking: "This case will be thoroughly investigated by the Court of Judicial Review. Pei Tinglan has committed numerous heinous crimes; imprison him for now. As for the Prince of Lingnan..."
He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the Prince of Lingnan, and slowly said, "You will remain in the capital for the time being to cooperate with the Dali Temple's investigation. You are not allowed to leave without permission."
The Prince of Lingnan knelt on the cold floor tiles, his teeth clenched so hard they ached, and even his breathing became heavy and labored. He lowered his eyes, not daring to look the emperor in the eye, his anger and resentment forced down his throat. After a long while, he finally managed to kowtow: "Your subject obeys the decree."
A mocking smile curled at the emperor's lips as his gaze fell upon the prime minister beside him. The prime minister, over seventy years old, had long lost the steadiness he once possessed in court; his back was slightly hunched, and strands of white hair at his temples were damp with cold sweat, clinging to his gaunt face, making him look exceptionally disheveled. But how much of this disheveled appearance was genuine, and how much was feigned?
Once upon a time, this old man was his most trusted minister. When he first ascended the throne, the court was in turmoil, and it was the prime minister and several senior ministers who accompanied him through the most difficult years. At that time, he always told those around him, "The prime minister is mature and prudent, and is my right-hand man." Even when he mentioned him to the Empress Dowager, he was full of reliance on him.
But who could have predicted that the person he had entrusted with half his life's trust had harbored malicious intentions from the very beginning and had done so many things behind his back?
The emperor's gaze grew increasingly dark, and the prime minister's body began to tremble slightly. The emperor narrowed his eyes and slowly spoke, "Prime Minister, you..."
He paused deliberately halfway through his sentence. If the Prime Minister were sensible, he should have offered his resignation at this moment. But the Prime Minister remained kneeling there, motionless, showing no intention of speaking. The Emperor gave a cold laugh and continued, "Prime Minister, you should go home and rest for a while to avoid suspicion."
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty obeys." The Prime Minister hurriedly kowtowed, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible panic.
The emperor, no longer wanting to see his hypocritical demeanor, turned his gaze to Jiang Yu and softened his tone: "Minister Jiang, rise."
"Yes." Jiang Yu responded and stood up.
The emperor then looked at the others kneeling on the ground, his tone tinged with impatience: "You may all get up as well."
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