The Court of Judicial Review presented the results of the interrogation to the Emperor.
The emperor flew into a rage.
He directly ordered the confiscation of the Pingyang Marquis's property and the extermination of his entire clan.
Lord Ye presented Lu Yanke's confession without reservation.
As for whether Prince Jin is the mastermind behind it all, the Emperor will decide for himself.
The imperial edict was issued very quickly.
The executions will take place at noon tomorrow. Not a single man, woman, or child from the Pingyang Marquis's household will be spared.
Upon the issuance of the imperial edict, all the civil and military officials remained silent.
No one dared to offend the emperor.
When the emperor is angry, rivers of blood flow.
Daring to steal silver from the emperor's pocket, they deserve to die!
*
Pingyang Marquis's Mansion
A cacophony of wailing and howling filled the air.
The Imperial Guards stormed into the Marquis's residence and began counting heads one by one.
Song kowtowed until her head bled, begging the commander to spare her son's life.
The commander, expressionless, ordered: "Take him away!"
Madam Song hugged her son tightly: "I won't leave. We have nothing to do with the eldest son's family. They are the ones who committed the crime. Why punish the third son's family as well?"
Song's voice became hoarse from crying.
"Please have mercy, he's just a child!"
The onlookers outside were filled with sighs of disbelief.
No matter what the heir of the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion did, the child is innocent.
Jiang Chuwei stood in the crowd, coldly watching everything unfold.
The third branch of the family is innocent, but it's just that they have the surname Lu.
Aristocratic families share in each other's glory and ruin.
Song had not committed any wrongdoings, but it was only because she married into the Pingyang Marquis's household that she was at fault.
Unlike Song, Mo, the second wife, had no expression on her face.
Only his eyes darted around.
She did not see Lu Haoran.
The old lady had already fainted, and the Marquis was kneeling on the ground like a living dead.
Everyone was stripped down to their undergarments.
Shivering in the cold winter.
No valuables were found in the Marquis's residence.
This greatly surprised the commander.
Isn't it smuggling salt? The money must be overflowing, right?
Why does the Marquis's mansion look so poor? They've not only raided the Pingyang Marquis's mansion; there are countless boxes of gold and jewels there.
Is the Marquis's mansion so impoverished and destitute?
The commander kicked Lord Lu: "Tell me, where else in your family are you hiding treasures?"
Lord Lu was confused.
The soldier cracked his whip: "Are you deaf? The commander is asking you a question!"
Lord Lu shrank back: "My lord! All the items are here; I dare not conceal them."
"Who are you kidding! Lu Yanke sells smuggled salt, yet there's not a single valuable item in his mansion. Keep searching. If you're lying to me, you'll be sorry."
The commander was furious.
Why hoard money when everyone's dying?
Lord Lu was terrified. Although they were both about to die, it was still hard to endure the torture before death.
"Really, there isn't any. Where would the Marquis's mansion get any money? That rebellious son has only been at the salt mine for two months. He just brought back some money to improve his life!"
Lord Lu cried and screamed, a heartbreaking sight.
Lord Lu never did anything heinous in his life, but he ended up in such a state because he had a greedy and stupid son.
The father is to blame for not teaching his son properly, and he is not innocent.
At this moment, Chen Yulan crawled over and said, "Sir! There's silver! The old lady's Shou Kang Hall also has a basement vault where many good things are hidden."
Chen Yulan looked at the old lady Lu lying on the ground, thinking that everyone was going to die anyway.
Even during the most difficult times for the Marquis's household, this old woman was reluctant to spend a single needle or thread.
Now she's just going to watch helplessly as all that money is confiscated.
This drove that stingy old hag to her death.
Old Madam Lu wasn't angered to death; instead, she was so angry that she came back to life.
As soon as she woke up, she heard Chen Yulan accusing her of having a private treasury.
Enraged, he cursed Chen Yulan: "You poisonous woman! It's because you keep forcing Yan Ge'er to bring back money that he took such a risk!"
"It is you, you wicked woman, who has caused the ruin of the Marquis's family! I will fight you to the death!"
After saying that, Madam Lu got up and slapped Chen Yulan across the face.
Chen Yulan is about to die, what does filial piety and face care about?
So, the soldiers formed a circle outside, while inside, Old Madam Lu and Chen Yulan were wrestling.
The people of the Lu family watched quietly, and not a single one stepped forward to break up the fight.
Fearing that someone might die, the soldiers pulled the two apart and whipped each of them twice.
Both of their faces were covered in smears, with long nail marks that were quite shocking.
Sure enough, all of Madam Lu's treasures were found in the basement of Shou Kang Tang.
Not only the soldiers, but even the people in the Marquis's mansion were astonished that the old lady had so much gold and silver jewelry.
She really is a miser!
Upon seeing so many jewels, Lu Yanfang, who had been stunned, finally snapped out of her daze, her eyes shining brightly.
"Grandmother, how did you hide so many treasures?" Lu Yanfang climbed up to the old lady's side.
She suddenly erupted in a hysterical outburst: "Why are you so heartless? I am your own granddaughter! You have never given me a single penny to spend."
Every time I steal that bitch Jiang Chuwei's jewelry, you always manage to take a little bit with you.
I thought you really had used all your money to support the Marquis's mansion.
You've deceived me so badly! Why did Grandma make us live like beggars?
When we went outside, we saw that everyone was incredibly poor.
That's why I stole Jiang Chuwei's jewelry.
Who doesn't want to live with their head held high? The reason I can't hold my head up in front of Jiang Chuwei is simply because the Marquis's mansion has no money.
Why does Jiang Chuwei act superior to me? It's because I need her charity.
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