Chapter 480: Do you want me to plead guilty before the Emperor on your behalf?
Yan Fengxi's words were like a thunderclap, shaking the entire palace and casting a dark cloud over it.
As the ladies and young women of various families left the palace, her words caused a shockwave throughout the capital city that was no less than a magnitude 10 earthquake. The Duke of Chu was a highly trusted and favored duke of the highest rank, while Prince Rui was a favorite of both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. He also held the power of the Imperial Workshop, which was capable of producing firearms with tremendous destructive power.
If these two were to actually get together, not only would the emperor feel threatened, but the ministers in the court would also be in no better shape.
But what Grand Tutor Yan felt at this moment was not just a crisis. His Yan family was now in the eye of the storm, and if they were not careful, the entire Yan family would be buried with this storm.
Looking at the mother and daughter kneeling on the ground, trembling, Grand Tutor Yan sat there like a statue. Standing to the side, Master Yan, Yan Fenghua, and Yan Fengju also remained silent with grim faces, and the room was deathly quiet.
After an unknown amount of time, Grand Tutor Yan moved his somewhat stiff body, looked at the mother and daughter who were almost paralyzed on the ground, and said, "Yan Fengxi suddenly fell ill and died after returning to his residence from the palace!"
A single sentence shocked everyone in the room; none of them had expected Grand Tutor Yan to be so decisive. After the initial shock, Yan Fengxi was filled with terror. She crawled to Grand Tutor Yan, hugged his leg, and cried out, "Grandfather, I'll never dare to do it again! Grandfather, please forgive me! I really won't dare to do it again!"
Grand Tutor Yan closed his eyes briefly, then opened them to a gaze filled with icy coldness. He called out towards the door, "Someone come here!"
The door was immediately pushed open, and the steward walked in. Grand Tutor Yan looked at him and said, "Prepare the medicine and send Yan Fengxi on his way."
"Yes!" the butler replied and quickly left.
"No!" Madam Yan cried out in anguish, collapsing to the ground and weeping bitterly. Master Yan opened his mouth as if to plead for her, but ultimately uttered no words. Yan Fenghua clenched her fists tightly, her eyes unable to bear looking at her mother and sister kneeling on the ground.
Yan Fengju, however, wore a somber expression, not for the mother and daughter, but for the future of the Yan family. No matter what, she was still a member of the Yan family. If the Yan family fell, she wouldn't fare much better.
A moment later, the door opened again, and the steward walked in carrying a tray. Grand Tutor Yan said without even looking up, "Let's get started."
"No, Grandfather, please spare me! I'll never dare to do it again, I really won't dare to do it again, sob sob sob sob..." Yan Fengxi cried and begged, trembling, but Grand Tutor Yan remained unmoved with his eyes closed.
Seeing this, the steward beckoned towards the door, and two burly women immediately entered. They grabbed Yan Fengxi from both sides, pried open her hands that were tightly embracing Grand Tutor Yan, and dragged her backward. The steward stepped forward, pried open Yan Fengxi's mouth, and prepared to force medicine down her throat.
"No, no!" Madam Yan rushed forward to stop her, but then Grand Tutor Yan's voice rang out, "If you continue like this, then you will die with her."
Madam Yan stopped what she was doing, tears streaming down her face. Master Yan walked over and pulled her away, scolding her in a low voice, "If you hadn't always indulged her, how could she have caused such a terrible disaster? If we don't give an explanation to the Duke of Chu and Prince Rui with her death, our entire Yan family might be finished."
Madam Yan was stunned by these words, completely dumbfounded. Meanwhile, Yan Fengxi had already been given the drug, and a few breaths later, blood flowed from all seven orifices, and then he fell silent.
Grand Tutor Yan instantly aged several years, but he straightened his back and said, "Madam Ma failed to properly educate her daughter; she shall be punished by having to atone for her sins in the Buddhist hall from now on."
In other words, she would spend the rest of her life in the Buddhist hall. This time, she didn't cry or struggle. She supported herself with her hands as she shakily stood up and staggered out of the study. She had been strong-willed for most of her life, scheming for most of her life, only to end up like this.
Inside the room, the steward, accompanied by several servants, quickly carried Yan Fengxi out and cleaned up the mess on the floor. In no time, the entire room was spotless.
Grand Tutor Yan sat silently for a long time with a tense face, then looked at Yan Fengju and said in a forced tone, "Fengju, come with me to the Duke of Chu's mansion."
He tried to get up, supporting himself on the armrest of the chair, but fell back down halfway up. Seeing this, Yan Fenghua quickly went to help him. Using his strength, Grand Tutor Yan stood up and said, "You can come with me too."
"yes."
Yan Fenghua responded and helped Grand Tutor Yan walk out, with Yan Fengju following beside them. Grand Tutor Yan glanced at her and said in a soft tone, "You have some connections with the Duke of Chu and Prince Rui, so say some nice things about them later."
“My granddaughter knows,” Yan Fengju said earnestly, “but perhaps it’s useless.”
She didn't believe that her relationship with Jiang Yu was enough to make her let Yan Fengxi off the hook for the trouble she had caused. Besides, their relationship had always been built on Jiang Yu helping her.
Grand Tutor Yan's eyes showed some disappointment, but he also knew that even if Yan Fengju had some talent, she wasn't very important in the eyes of the Duke of Chu. He sighed and said, "Just do your best."
"yes."
The three generations of the family rode together in a carriage. When they arrived at the gate of the Duke of Chu's mansion, Yan Fenghua personally stepped forward to present Grand Tutor Yan's visiting card. Then, a steward led them into the mansion and guided them into the main hall of the Duke of Chu's mansion.
Not long after they sat down, Jiang Yu and Marquis Anyuan walked in together. The three members of the Yan family quickly stood up, and Grand Tutor Yan bowed deeply to Jiang Yu, saying, "This old man has failed to discipline Yan Fengxi properly, causing him such great trouble for the Duke of Chu. This old man feels deeply ashamed and has come to apologize."
Jiang Yu stood there, watching the gray-haired Grand Tutor Yan bow at a ninety-degree angle before her, his posture extremely humble. But her face remained unmoved; she only glanced at him with icy eyes for a moment before stepping past him to sit in the main seat.
Grand Tutor Yan's body stiffened, and he turned around and bowed deeply to Jiang Yu. Seeing this, Marquis Anyuan sighed, walked to Jiang Yu's side and sat down, also without saying a word.
The room was silent. As time ticked by, Grand Tutor Yan, who was hunched over, could barely stand, when Jiang Yu's icy voice finally rang out, "Grand Tutor Yan, do you know who instructed Yan Fengxi?"
"It's...it's Zhu Junning," Grand Tutor Yan said, his voice trembling.
Jiang Yu scoffed, "Why did Grand Tutor Yan come to my residence and put on such an act? Did he want me to apologize to the Emperor on his behalf?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was as cold and sharp as ice, making Grand Tutor Yan tremble and almost lose his balance.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
