Taifu Feng seemed not to hear the mockery in Song Junzhan's eyes. He struggled to get up and walked to the edge of the cage. He looked at Song Junzhan through the bars, his eyes full of excitement.
"It's you. I remember what you looked like when you were a child. You are really Song Yun's grandson. You are still alive. The Song family still has descendants..."
The expression on Master Feng's face was different from what Song Junzhan had imagined. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether he was really excited or just acting.
"Back then, you switched sides, betrayed your best friend, and became the emperor's accomplice. Why are you pretending so hypocritically now?"
The Song and Wan families were destroyed, but the Feng family remained intact. Who were they putting on a show for?
Taifu Feng saw the hatred in Song Junzhan's eyes. He shook his head slowly, tears welling up in his eyes. "That's not the case, child. I have not betrayed Brother Song and Brother Wan..."
"It was the late emperor. It was the late emperor who could not withstand the pressure from the aristocratic families and was forced to burn the imperial edict that he had already written, and then he punished them to appease the anger of the aristocratic families."
Song Junzhan sneered and said, "If it's a punishment, why didn't it affect you at all?"
Taifu Feng slowly explained, "The late emperor didn't really want to kill anyone, so he ordered the confiscation of property and exile. He left me behind because I was teaching the crown prince, and I hold the highest official position, and am one of the six great families, so I can protect the others whose property was confiscated."
He seemed to have remembered something, his eyes filled with pain. "Everything was arranged. As long as you leave the capital, I will have someone find a chance to take you away. We will hide our identities and wait for the right time. But your father is too extreme. He can't accept this reason for failure. He hates Your Majesty for going back on his word. Not only did he speak wildly, he also openly insulted Your Majesty. Your Majesty was forced to order the killing."
"The others were exiled. I immediately sent my son to Lingchuan with others to wait for you. As long as you pass by there, he can rescue you and take you away. Unfortunately..."
He clutched the railing tightly, heartbroken: "It's a pity that you met with an accident before you even reached Lingchuan, and my son... only returned with a corpse..."
Song Junzhan knew that Taifu Feng's only son died outside and was carried back by someone. He always told others that he was accidentally killed by bandits, but no one knew that he went to Lingchuan to pick him up.
Song Junzhan hated Taifu Feng for many years and never thought the truth would be like this.
Thinking about it carefully, he knew that Master Feng was involved in the revival of the imperial examination system, but no matter when his father went crazy or when his grandfather warned him in the prison, he never mentioned or insulted Master Feng, the traitor.
Perhaps, as Master Feng said, they knew that the purpose of Master Feng staying was to protect the two families, so they did not say much, and also wanted to get rid of Master Feng and leave some hope for their families.
Song Junzhan didn't want to believe this truth.
The Song and Wan families were wiped out until only he and Zi Yue were left. Couldn't they hate the Feng family that is still standing?
Taifu Feng's son died while trying to fend for them...
He was a little dazed for a moment and couldn't help but take a step back.
A palm pressed against his back. The force was not strong, but it gave him strength instantly.
Looking back, his eyes trembled: "Your Majesty..."
Song Junzhan looked sad. He had clearly come here to seek revenge, but in the end he was devastated by the truth.
The appearance of Xiao Li made him find his backbone instantly. She was the only one he was willing to trust and rely on.
The banished handsome man showed such an expression, which made people feel pity for him.
Xiao Li patted him on the back gently: "Don't just listen to one side of the story. There are other witnesses here."
"Master Wang, are you going to say something?"
Watching the show and seeing Wang Changwen in himself: "......"
He was among those who prevented the previous emperor from reviving the imperial examination system. What could he say?
Of course, it’s not that there’s nothing to say.
"When the late emperor wanted to revive the imperial examination system, the first person to disagree was Lu Cang. Although everyone was talking about the six major worlds, the Lu family alone controlled 50%, and the other five families each controlled 10%. The Lu family spoke out to stop it, and the smaller families gathered around them. At most, we just followed suit and expressed our opinions."
He was not the mastermind, nor did he attack the Song family. Song Junzhan should not look for him if he wants revenge.
Thinking of this, he seemed to have unloaded some psychological burden. "Our Wang family is also powerful and has always wanted to compete with the Lu family for prominence. But no matter how powerful the Wang family is, it is not to the point where it can force the emperor to compromise. Back then, when the Lu family took the lead, the Wang family, the Shangguan family, the Qin family, and the Xue family were forced to express their stance. After all, the revival of the imperial examination system was indeed a threat to our families."
"And..." He paused and glanced back: "As for the deaths of the Song and Wan families, you should know more about it if you ask the Lu family."
Officials related to the Lu family were locked up in a cage alone, but since Lu Cang was dead, it was unknown how much the other members of the Lu family knew.
Xiao Li narrowed his eyes: "I'm afraid you know more than that."
Wang Changwen looked at Xiao Li, his eyes filled with calculation: "I do know a lot, but if I tell you this, will the Empress let the Wang family go?"
Xiao Li shook his head: "No.
Wang Changwen: "Then how does the Empress intend to deal with me?"
Xiao Li: "I haven't made up my mind yet. I'll lock you up for now, but you won't be able to be an official."
Wang Changwen looked at Xiao Li and said, "At first, my eyesight was limited. I just thought Princess Xuanyang was different. I never thought you would be so lucky."
"I can see that the Empress cares deeply about this person. I should know a thing or two about what you want to know. As for whether I will tell you or not, it depends on how much weight this person holds in the Empress' heart."
To put it bluntly, he just wanted to use the information he knew to gain benefits.
Before Xiao Li could express his opinion, Song Junzhan suddenly became stern: "Don't bother, Patriarch Wang, I will find someone to investigate it myself."
Then he stood between Xiao Li and the railing and said, "Your Majesty, it's time to go back for lunch."
He can solve his own problems. It is impossible to make Your Majesty feel embarrassed about it, let alone let Your Majesty compromise on it.
Anyway, his family has been dead for many years, and now that he has power, he has plenty of time to investigate slowly.
Xiao Li was pleased to see his sensible look. He raised his hand to touch his collar and gently pushed him aside.
"If you don't want to tell me, why don't I tell you?"
"Back then, the late emperor was forced to sacrifice the Song and Wan families to appease the anger of the aristocratic families. However, someone saw through the late emperor's intentions and accepted the result on the surface, but secretly sent people to kill them all. This was most likely the work of Lu Cang."
"As for the Feng family, I don't know if they're the same group, but they must have known about Grand Tutor Feng's plan, so they followed his son and used bandits as pretexts to kill people, completely eliminating the late emperor's chance to use these people."
"As for the truth of that year, Lord Wang shouldn't be the only one who knows it. Taifu Feng should know it by now. After all... He Changyu should be dying soon, right?"
Taifu Feng's expression changed. He did detain He Changyu for secret interrogation, and he did ask him some questions about what happened back then, but why did the empress know so much?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
