White bones withered
After Lu Shiyuan entered the palace, Cheng Yunfan went to see Xie Sili.
He did not inquire about the grievance drum, but after learning that he wanted the Zhenshan Pagoda, he only instructed him to bring the coroner.
Cheng Yunfan was puzzled, but still followed her instructions and brought the coroner along, just in case.
People rarely come to Zhenshan Pagoda. One reason is that the pagoda was built by the Grand Secretary, and another is that many years ago, there was a rumor that a group of tomb raiders who came to Zhenshan Pagoda mysteriously disappeared from here.
As rumors spread among the people, over time, the truth can become widely accepted, giving rise to all sorts of gossip and rumors.
Upon arriving in the eastern suburbs, you can see the Zhenshan Pagoda in the distance. From a distance, it stands amidst swirling smoke, yet you can feel the occasional gusts of cold wind blowing by.
"Prefect Cheng, why have you come here?" the constable asked, puzzled. "This place is extremely eerie; we should go back immediately."
"Hurry up and move forward." Cheng Yunfan said, kicking the constable. "If you don't find what Lord Lu wants, you'll lose your heads."
Some of the constables were timid, while others were bold. The bolder ones had already headed towards the Zhenshan Pagoda, while the timid ones huddled together for warmth, reluctantly continuing forward.
The closer they got to the Zhenshan Pagoda, the colder they felt. It wasn't the kind of cold weather they expected, but a cold that seeped into their very bones.
“The location chosen for the Zhenshan Pagoda should have been a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters, but now it has become a wasteland.” The coroner said, looking at Cheng Yunfan beside him. “I think this is not simple.”
The coroner of the Jingzhao Prefecture was a young man in his thirties. He wore a dark blue robe and had a somewhat indifferent expression, but his eyes were scanning the surroundings.
Cheng Yunfan pressed him down and nodded. "There's a chilling wind blowing here, like a place teeming with resentment. If there really are ghosts, they're probably the wronged souls of those who died tragically at the hands of the Fang and Zhao families."
"My lord, we've found something here! Please come and take a look."
Hearing the voices of the constables ahead, Cheng Yunfan and the coroner walked forward together.
On the way to Zhenshan Pagoda, there was an abandoned well with various patterns carved on the well cover. It took Cheng Yunfan and several constables working together to move the well cover.
The moment they removed the manhole cover, they felt a gust of cold wind.
Cheng Yunfan, lost in thought, looked at the constable beside him and said, "Get the stuff ready, we're going down the well!" He barely hesitated.
With everything prepared, Cheng Yunfan and the coroner led a daring constable down the well.
The well was extremely deep, and the walls were covered with slippery moss. The deeper you went, the stronger the cold air emanating from it became.
Upon touching the ground, they lit a tinderbox and were stunned by what they saw: as far as the eye could see, there were only skeletons.
Even the bravest constables couldn't help but vomit after witnessing this scene.
"Can we take these corpses upstairs?" Cheng Yunfan asked the coroner standing to the side without changing his expression.
“Alright.” The coroner nodded to Cheng Yunfan. “Prefect Cheng, go out first. Leave the rest to me. I promise to take all the corpses out.”
After Cheng Yunfan went up, the coroner began to get busy, chanting the Rebirth Mantra, hoping for a good outcome in the next life.
As evening approached, the coroner finally brought all the skeletons out of the well. The skeletons had already been pieced together, and they matched exactly what the villagers had said: there were fifty corpses in total, the youngest being no more than eight years old and the oldest no more than twenty.
Their only thing in common was that they all died tragically at the hands of the Fang and Zhao families.
Cheng Yunfan pressed down on the skeletons lying in front of him, then turned his gaze to the coroner. "Why do you think they turned into skeletons?"
“After the flesh and blood have decomposed, only bones remain.” The coroner looked up at Cheng Yunfan. “Let’s take these corpses back first, and then we can discuss this further.”
When Cheng Yunfan returned to the Jingzhao Prefecture with the coroner, he saw Jun Qiyu, Guan Lingsong, Lu Shiyuan, and Wei Lin standing together.
As they moved, the skeletons were revealed one by one before them.
"Greetings, Your Highness..."
"These are corpses dug out of an abandoned well?" Jun Qiyu interrupted him, his gaze falling on the skeletons placed beside him.
"Yes, these are the remains dug out of the abandoned well." Cheng Yunfan said respectfully, "There are exactly fifty sets, which matches the number of people who came to report the case."
Noticing Jun Qiyu's gaze, Cheng Yunfan continued, "According to the coroner, the youngest was only eight years old, and the oldest was no more than twenty."
"The Fang and Zhao families are truly beasts!" Lu Shiyuan cursed without thinking. "When the time comes, we will use evidence to ensure that the Fang and Zhao families die without a burial place!"
After saying this, Lu Shiyuan remembered that Jun Qiyu was standing next to him. He glanced at Jun Qiyu and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Lord Lu is right. People like this deserve to die a thousand or ten thousand times.” Jun Qiyu said coldly. “Father Emperor has been too tolerant of the aristocratic families, which has led them to act recklessly and disregard Father Emperor.”
He twirled the jade thumb ring in his hand.
“You all know my character; I’m not good for anything if I’m obsessed with women. I’m leaving this matter entirely to you. If you need my help, I’ll do my part.” Jun Qiyu looked at them with a cynical smile.
"Your Highness, rest assured, we will do our utmost to investigate this matter." Lu Shiyuan and the others looked at Jun Qiyu with respectful expressions.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they saw a constable walking towards them. "Your Highness, Lord Lu, we have also made some discoveries at the Zhenshan Pagoda."
“If the area over the abandoned well is full of girls, then the area under the Zhenshan Tower is full of male skeletons. Unlike the girls, their bodies are intact, but they can no longer be called human.” The constable looked at them respectfully. “The coroner has already dug the bodies out over there. Do you want to move over there?”
"Go." Jun Qiyu said without thinking. "It's a good opportunity to see just how ruthless the Fang and Zhao families have become." After saying this, Jun Qiyu looked at the three people standing beside him. "Lord Lu, Lord Guan, and Lord Wei, why don't you come with me?"
Cheng Yunfan did not go with them. He recorded the details of the corpse, while the other three went with Jun Qiyu.
Upon arriving at Zhenshan Pagoda, the guards there, each holding a torch, respectfully bowed to the three of them.
"Your Highness, this way please." The constable who led them took them toward their destination.
When they met the coroner, they saw countless corpses in front of him. They could identify the corpses by their clothes, and among them was a group of the tomb raiders from before.
Jun Qiyu stood there, watching everything with a cold and aloof gaze.
"Your Highness..."
Hearing Lu Shiyuan's voice, Jun Qiyu looked up and whispered, "I have never seen such a scene before. If it is like this even under the emperor's nose, what about in places the emperor cannot see?"
He didn't give them a chance to speak and continued, "There must be many more people suffering like this. If this matter cannot be thoroughly investigated and the truth revealed, how can we face the people of the world?"
"Lord Lu, Lord Guan, Lord Wei, I trouble you to submit your memorials. I will also inform my father of this matter." Jun Qiyu looked at them and said in a low voice, "Regardless of whether the matter is true or false, this is something that my father must know about."
Everyone thought that Jun Qiyu was the number one playboy in Chang'an, a person who indulged in brothels and was obsessed with beautiful women.
Yet, one could sense his strength in his words; even with such a weak power, he wanted to help these people.
“Lord Fang is a man of the First Prince. Your Highness has no power in the court. If you were to become an enemy of the First Prince…” Lu Shiyuan’s gaze fell on Jun Qiyu, but he did not finish his sentence.
"So what?" Jun Qiyu turned his gaze to the three of them, a nonchalant smile on his lips. "I have no ambition and no interest in that position. My elder brother has failed to manage his subordinates properly. Are you going to blame me for this?"
Jun Qiyu didn't give anyone a chance to speak, "I will definitely uphold justice and seek fairness in this matter!"
"On behalf of the people, we thank Your Highness!" The three men bowed to Jun Qiyu.
Jun Qiyu returned to the city with them. Lu Shiyuan and the other two went directly to the Jingzhao Prefecture. Jun Qiyu returned to the palace to verbally inform the Emperor about the matter.
"Is His Highness Prince Yan truly a man who indulges in beautiful women?" On the way back, Wei Lin looked at the two of them. "I think His Highness is not simple."
"Lord Lu, I heard you've detained Miss Si Li. What are your plans?" Guan Lingsong asked, his gaze fixed on Lu Shiyuan.
"Lord Lu, why did you take Miss Si into custody?" Wei Lin also turned his gaze to Lu Shiyuan.
Under their gazes, Lu Shiyuan helplessly spread his hands. "She said she didn't want to leave the dungeon and was chatting happily with the old man next to her." He raised his hand to his forehead. "Are you two going to check on the girl later?"
“Of course.” Guan Lingsong and Wei Lin’s voices rang out simultaneously.
After arriving at Jingzhao Prefecture, Lu Shiyuan led Guan Lingsong and Wei Lin to the dungeon to visit Xie Sili.
"How is the young lady? This is the first time we've met her," Guan Lingsong said nervously. "We've heard she's always lived in Yuzhou City."
"We were quite surprised when that letter told us about this," Wei Lin said, then turned his gaze to Lu Shiyuan. "Lord Lu, what is this young lady's identity?"
a long time.
Lu Shiyuan said, "She's just an ordinary young girl. As for her identity, all I know from the information I have is that she is the daughter of Prime Minister Xie."
"Who?" Guan Lingsong looked at Lu Shiyuan in surprise. "Prime Minister Xie? Left Prime Minister Xie Chun? She's actually Prime Minister Xie's daughter!"
"We have always been at odds with Prime Minister Xie. If she finds out about us..."
Guan Lingsong, nearing forty, looked at Lu Shiyuan with a hint of nervousness in her eyes.
“There is no father-daughter relationship between her and Prime Minister Xie. It is said that Prime Minister Xie sent her back this time so that she could marry Prince Yan in his place.” Lu Shiyuan shook his head as he spoke. “However, these are all hearsay. You can ask the girl for the specifics when you meet her.”
Guan Lingsong and Wei Lin exchanged a glance, then nodded to Lu Shiyuan.
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