Chapter 208 The Real Murderer
After Yan Shixu comforted Wen Li'er, he took her by the hand and returned to the main hall of the Su Mansion.
Nangong Ziyun and the three members of the Su family were all waiting for Wen Tingkuan to tell them who the murderer was who wiped out the entire Nangong family.
Being interrupted suddenly, several people were still a little confused.
Seeing the Imperial Concubine coming, they hurriedly stood up.
Only after the Emperor and the Imperial Noble Consort were seated did they sit down again.
Wen Tingkuan glanced at his daughter.
Li'er has been kind since she was a child, with a soft and sentimental personality. After hearing what happened in Nangong Mansion, it was inevitable that she would feel sad.
Wen Lier looked up and asked him, "Dad, who is the murderer?"
Under the waiting gazes of everyone, Wen Tingkuan spoke again.
"This minister has gone through many twists and turns over the years to find out the truth."
"At first, I found out that the murderer was King Wu."
Everyone frowned when they heard what Wen Tingkuan said, but no one interrupted him.
"King Wu, under the orders of the previous Emperor Zhaoqi, assembled a group of Dragon and Tiger Guards for the imperial court. These guards, after undergoing special training, are capable of defeating a hundred enemies alone. They are also skilled in the use of hidden weapons, each bearing a rabbit-shaped marking, which matches the marking on the hidden weapon I found in the ruins of Nangong Mansion."
"Plus, during the days when the incident occurred in Nangong Mansion, King Wu was suppressing bandits in Mizhou under the Emperor's order."
"The group of bandits who were responsible for the extermination of the entire Nangong family were captured by King Wu."
"Plus, King Wu is the commander-in-chief of the Dragon and Tiger Guards. Only he can dispatch them at will."
"All signs indicate that the murderer is King Wu."
Yan Shixu frowned.
He thought Wen Tingkuan had made a mistake in checking.
Although Uncle Wu's temper is a bit rude, he is not a cruel person.
He couldn't do something like wiping out an entire family.
Rabbit-shaped mark...
Yan Shixu couldn't help but think of the rabbit-shaped birthmark he saw on Uncle Wu's waist and abdomen when he was poisoned.
At that time, I felt that the birthmark was somewhat inconsistent with the image of Uncle Wu.
In this case, it makes sense for Uncle Wu to carve a rabbit-shaped mark on the hidden weapon.
When the Emperor's grandfather was alive, the Dragon and Tiger Guards were indeed dispatched by Uncle Wu.
However, after my grandfather passed away and my father ascended the throne, he found ways to take away those Dragon and Tiger Guards.
Later, due to various reasons, the Dragon and Tiger Guards were either dead or disabled, with only a few healthy members left, so they were disbanded.
By this calculation, when the Nangong Mansion was destroyed, the Emperor's grandfather was still alive, and it was indeed only Uncle Wu who could mobilize the Dragon and Tiger Guards.
But this is one thing, and sending the Dragon and Tiger Guards to wipe out the entire Nangong family is another. There must be something strange about this.
Wen Li'er also didn't believe that King Wu was the one who did this.
She said directly, "Father, King Wu is not such a cruel person. I have been in contact with him for quite some time. Although he has a fierce temper, he is not cruel. He would definitely not kill 187 people in the Nangong Mansion for some reason. Moreover, he has saved me, mother, and my brother. I don't believe that such a vicious person would save ordinary people."
Wen Tingkuan nodded and said, "Don't be anxious, Imperial Concubine. Let me continue."
When Wen Li'er heard how her father addressed her, she felt a little awkward and a little bitter.
My father must have done this because the emperor is here.
She took a deep breath and waited for him to continue.
Wen Tingkuan continued, "At the time, I was just speculating, and I had no substantial evidence. Even the story about the rabbit-shaped mark on the Dragon Tiger Guard's hidden weapons was just hearsay."
"When I investigated further after I finished my mourning, the clues were cut off and all those who knew about the incident were silenced."
"After I passed the imperial examination and entered the Hanlin Academy for three years, I secretly investigated King Wu many times. On one occasion, I was fortunate enough to accompany the Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy to a banquet in the palace. During the banquet, assassins attempted to kill the late Emperor Shunlong. King Wu remained motionless at his seat and fired three hidden weapons in quick succession, killing all three assassins."
"I quietly left the table and followed the palace servants who were carrying the assassin's body away. I used a trick to distract the servants mid-way and secretly removed the hidden weapon from one of the assassin's necks before leaving."
"After returning home, I carefully compared the hidden weapon that killed the assassin with the hidden weapon I had kept at home for many years and confirmed that they were exactly the same."
"From this moment on, I have determined that the man who massacred the entire Nangong family was truly King Wu."
"But the other party is a prince of high rank and power, while I am only a humble scholar who has not yet been granted official title. Furthermore, before the death of the previous Emperor Zhaoqi, he granted King Wu ten golden medals of immunity from death and also issued a will stating that unless King Wu committed the grave crime of conspiracy to escape or murdering his mother or brother, all other crimes would be offset by his merits and demerits. Bringing him to justice would be incredibly difficult."
"Later, I was appointed the seventh-rank magistrate of Jinyun County, Huizhou, and regretfully left the capital. When I returned to Luohe Town to pick up my wife and children, I learned from my wife that King Wu had saved my family's lives. My wife firmly refused to believe that King Wu was the murderer who wiped out the entire Nangong family. I was mistaken and asked me to re-investigate."
"I am beginning to waver in my previous judgment. Just as the Imperial Concubine and my wife said, a person with a vicious mind would never be able to perform such a chivalrous act."
"Once I had a suspicion, I began to investigate again. I later discovered something that completely overturned my previous judgment."
"I have discovered that An Chun, the legitimate son of Marquis Anxin, also accompanied King Wu to Huizhou to suppress the bandits."
"Marquis An Xin is Concubine Duan's legitimate brother. Concubine Duan treats her nephew An Chun as her own son, almost better than her own son, Prince Wu. Under Concubine Duan's dominance, An Chun shares almost everything Prince Wu has."
"When Prince Wu, under the orders of the previous Emperor Zhaoqi, formed the Dragon and Tiger Guard, Concubine Duan ordered Prince Wu to bring An Chun with him."
"Although Prince Wu is a prince, he is also a son of a man. He cannot disobey the order of Concubine Duan, so he gave An Chun the right to enter and leave the Dragon and Tiger Guard Camp freely."
"During that time, An Chun also provided King Wu with many good ideas, which accelerated the construction of the Dragon and Tiger Guard."
"The late Emperor Zhaoqi was greatly pleased and changed the inheritance system of the Anxin Marquisate to 'hereditary succession without interruption'."
"Everyone thought that only King Wu could command the Dragon and Tiger Guards, but little did they know that during that time, An Chun secretly bribed nearly half of them."
"And that half of the Dragon and Tiger Guard secretly did a lot for An Chun and Concubine Duan."
When Wen Tingkuan said this, his emotions fluctuated greatly.
"I can confirm that it was indeed the Dragon and Tiger Guards who wiped out the entire Nangong family, but they were under the orders of An Chun!"
"After years of investigation, I still couldn't find the reason behind An Chun's murder, so I wrote an anonymous letter to King Wu."
"The letter explained how the Dragon and Tiger Guards were bribed by An Chun, and how the Nangong Mansion was exterminated. Also sent along with the letter were the two hidden weapons."
"Later, King Wu secretly sent people to investigate the matter, and they must have confirmed the truth of what I said. King Wu took advantage of Emperor Shunlong's attempt to seize the Dragon and Tiger Guards to stir up internal strife and carry out a major purge."
"King Wu was known for his flamboyant and unruly nature. He used various excuses to kick out those he was sure hadn't betrayed him from the Dragon and Tiger Guard. An Chun didn't suspect anything at first. But by the time he realized what was happening, King Wu had wiped out the remaining members of the Dragon and Tiger Guard. Some died, some were injured, and the Dragon and Tiger Guard was disbanded."
"Because of that incident, An Chun lost both legs. I suspect that King Wu spared An Chun's life out of consideration for Concubine Dowager Duan."
"Those injured Dragon and Tiger Guards had secretly done a lot for An Chun. I suspected he would silence them. So I hired someone to take two of them away in advance and fabricated death evidence for them."
"The court officials tortured one of them and he died. The other confessed many of An Chun's evil deeds, one of which was the extermination of the entire Nangong family. However, he did not know the reason."
When Wen Tingkuan said this, he glanced at the emperor, knelt down and kowtowed, tears streaming down his face.
"The Nangong family is a prominent medical family in Shenglin, known for their generosity and kindness, never committing evil. The calamity that brought about their annihilation is likely due to the knowledge of the secrets of a powerful family. I request that the Emperor imprison the entire Anxin Marquisate and investigate the truth to comfort the souls of the 187 deceased members of the Nangong family."
Nangong Ziyun knelt down in front of Yan Shixu with a thud and kowtowed heavily.
"I also ask His Majesty to imprison the entire Anxin Marquisate and investigate the truth to comfort the souls of the 187 deceased members of the Nangong Mansion."
Wen Li'er also looked at Yan Shixu expectantly.
Yan Shixu squeezed her hand, called Zhang Sicheng into the hall, and looked at Su Muyang again.
"I hereby order that this case be handed over to the Dali Temple, with the Jingzhao Yin Mansion cooperating in the investigation. Sent Master Lin and Master Wang to the palace to see me. You two will first lead the troops to imprison the entire Anxin Marquisate. All those implicated in this case, regardless of their identities, will be apprehended and brought to justice."
"Your humble servant obeys your order."
The case was too serious, so Zhang Sicheng and Su Muyang did not dare to delay and left in a hurry.
Yan Shixu picked up Wen Li'er by the waist and strode out of the Su Mansion. He ordered Nangong Ziyun to go to the palace with him to take care of Wen Li'er until she successfully gave birth to the royal heir.
Upon seeing this, Madam Su went to Nangong Ziyun's yard in person, packed some things for her, and sent them to the palace early the next morning.
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