Chapter 76 Prime Minister, what else do you have to say?
Chu Yunjin turned her head to look.
The one who arrived was a guard dressed in a flying fish robe.
He dismounted abruptly and hurried to the front of the Prince's Palace, where he knelt on one knee: "Your Highness, the Emperor summons you to the palace immediately."
Chu Yunjin's expression changed slightly: "What's wrong?"
"The palace is in an uproar." The guard bowed and replied, "The disappearance of Princess Jin could not be kept secret and has been reported to the Emperor. After hearing the news, Prime Minister Wen blamed the Prince Jin's residence for its poor defense and requested the Emperor to issue an order to find her. He also designated Prince Ming to thoroughly investigate the matter... However, before the Emperor could issue the order, he learned that Prince Ming had taken the Prime Minister's eldest son to the Imperial Prison. Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister fainted and cried, begging the Emperor to make a decision. After inquiring about what happened, the Emperor learned that it was caused by Prince Yan, so he sent me to invite His Highness to the palace."
Chu Yunjin looked at Yan Cang with concern.
"You go back to your residence first." Yan Cang touched her face. "I'll go to the palace to take a look. Don't worry."
Chu Yunjin was still worried: "This whole thing started because of me, so I'll go with you."
Yan Cang raised an eyebrow: "What are you going there for? Can you help investigate the case?"
Chu Yunjin remained silent: "..."
"Adele, escort the princess back to her residence." Yan Cang turned and ordered, "Qingchuan, prepare the horses."
"yes."
Yan Cang mounted his horse and led Qingchuan straight to the palace.
People were kneeling all over the floor in the Hall of Diligent Governance.
The Prime Minister and his brother-in-law Wen, the Prince of Jin whose injuries have not yet healed, the commander of the guards of the Prince of Jin's mansion, the head maid who serves the Princess of Jin, and the pale-faced Madam Wen.
"Your Majesty, He Yun is innocent!" Lady Wen cried bitterly. "Although He Yun is not good at studying, he is of upright character and kind-hearted. He would never do anything to abuse a woman—"
"Your Majesty," a eunuch rushed in, knelt down, and reported, "His Highness the Prince of Yan has arrived."
Emperor Zhaode coldly said, "Let him in."
Yan Cang strode into the hall, his long, plain brocade robe accentuating his tall and slender figure, his indifferent and aloof demeanor undiminished.
After entering the hall, he bowed to the emperor, then turned to look at Madam Wen kneeling on the ground: "Is your son kind-hearted and of good character?"
Madam Wen cried until her eyes were red and swollen, her face was pale, and she couldn't utter a word.
Prime Minister Wen raised his head, his eyes filled with resentment as he looked at Yan Cang: "Does Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, intend to convict He Yun based on just a single sentence? The Imperial Prison is a place where Your Highness knows the rules better than anyone. Even if He Yun survives the interrogation, even if his innocence is cleared, he… he…"
"Why is the Prime Minister in such a hurry?" Yan Cang looked around and, as expected, did not see the Prince of Ming. "The Prince of Ming should have led people to search the Prime Minister's residence, right? I believe in the Second Prince's abilities. When the Second Prince returns, the Prime Minister will naturally know whether there is any evidence."
Prime Minister Wen's pupils contracted sharply, and he almost lost control of his emotions: "I am a first-rank minister in the court. What right does Prince Ming have to search the Prime Minister's residence?"
Yan Cang said indifferently, "My second brother never follows the rules when doing things."
"Outrageous!" Emperor Zhaode said angrily. "Even the Zhenfu Division has a right to act without evidence. Your second brother is becoming more and more reckless."
Yan Cang remained silent.
"You too!" Emperor Zhaode roared, "Just because of a mere quarrel, you sent the son of a first-rank minister to prison—"
Yan Cang interrupted him: "Does Father want to know how Wen Heyun insulted the Princess?"
Emperor Zhaode paused, glanced at Prime Minister Wen subconsciously, and then said, "He insulted the Princess Consort of Yan?"
"He called the Princess Consort of Yan a 'whore who sleeps with anyone.'" Yan Cang's face was cold and stern, his eyes indifferent and ruthless. "Why don't we let Prime Minister Wen say for himself how a minister's son should be punished for insulting a princess consort?"
Emperor Zhaode was taken aback, then his eyes turned icy as he glared at Prime Minister Wen with sharp fury.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent! He Yun would never—"
"Does the Prime Minister mean that I deliberately insulted my own queen in order to frame your good-for-nothing son?" Yan Cang looked down at him, his eyes cold and devoid of warmth. "If I wanted to target the Prime Minister, I would never have gone after your useless son, much less use my own queen as an excuse. Insults are insults, and no matter how much you deny it, it won't change the facts."
The atmosphere in the main hall was oppressive, filled with an air of impending doom.
Emperor Zhaode's face was frosty, and his voice was chilling: "The Prime Minister has raised a fine son."
Prime Minister Wen suddenly kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I deserve to die!"
"Your Majesty," the Imperial Son-in-Law Wen pleaded, "He Yun... he was just—"
The eunuch entered the hall again to report: "Your Majesty, Prince Ming has arrived!"
Emperor Zhaode roared, "Let him in here!"
Yan Yang stepped into the palace, carrying someone in his arms—or rather, a petite and slender woman clinging to his neck, refusing to let go.
This scene looks ridiculous.
However, the woman's clothes were disheveled, her hair was messy, and she looked weak and lost. Just from her posture and back view, one could almost feel her despair and fear.
Emperor Zhaode looked astonished: "Who is this?"
Yan Yang did not answer, but glanced at Prime Minister Wen kneeling on the ground: "Prime Minister, you are here too? Perfect, I brought some people with me for you to meet."
Having said that, he turned his head and said, "Bring them all in."
Two guards from the town government led in a group of frail-looking women, all dressed in thin clothes, with disheveled hair and pale faces. Broken scars were visible on their exposed faces, necks, and arms.
When Prime Minister Wen and his wife saw these women, their expressions changed drastically. All the color drained from their faces, and a look of horror involuntarily appeared in their eyes.
The women entered the hall barefoot, kneeling on the ground trembling with fear, their faces as pale as paper, not daring to utter a sound.
“Father,” the Prince of Ming bowed respectfully, “these girls were brought from Wen Heyun’s courtyard. If you do not believe me, you can ask Prime Minister Wen to identify them. They are all innocent women that Wen Heyun has gathered from various places. The oldest is no more than sixteen years old, and the youngest is only twelve or thirteen. They are covered with scars, all caused by Wen Heyun.”
He turned and ordered, "Lift up your clothes and let the Emperor see what Wen Heyun has done to you. Then tell the Emperor where all the women older than you have gone."
The women raised their heads, trembling as they lifted their sleeves and collars: "There were also some older sisters... who were tortured to death, their bodies hastily dragged out and buried..."
The shocking wounds were displayed before the Emperor, and Prime Minister Wen almost fainted upon seeing them.
Emperor Zhaode looked at these frail young girls, his anger turning to ice, his expression chillingly cold.
"As for this woman..." Yan Yang patted the one clinging to him, "Because she was too stubborn and refused to give in, she suffered the most. So, fearing she would be sent back, she clung to me tightly..."
He raised his hand to support the woman's waist: "I have examined the wounds on her body. The most numerous are whip marks, as well as some branding marks. There is almost no unscathed skin on her entire body..."
Emperor Zhaode clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and even the breath he exhaled was filled with boundless rage: "Such a brutal and tyrannical act has left me utterly speechless!"
He looked coldly at Prime Minister Wen: "Prime Minister, what else do you have to say?!"
Prime Minister Wen's face turned deathly pale: "Your Majesty, I...I..."
Emperor Zhaode's face was ashen: "Take these women away, find out their origins, have the imperial physicians treat their injuries, send those who can be sent home, and if their safety cannot be confirmed after sending them home, keep them in the palace as servants—"
Before he could finish speaking, a loud voice suddenly rang out: "The Empress Dowager has arrived!"
Emperor Zhaode's voice faltered, and his brows furrowed.
The entire hall fell silent instantly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com