Chapter 452 Results of the Three-Year Investigation
Chen Chu felt a pang of sadness.
Whether it's the Lu family or the Shen family, these two once-renowned aristocratic families are now reduced to just the two of them.
During the wedding ceremony, people can only bow to the ancestral tablet.
She could understand Pei Yuan's thoughts, and from her heart, she would rather marry Lu Zhan as Shen Chuchu.
She nodded solemnly.
“Okay, let’s avenge them together. When we succeed, we’ll take the children to pay our respects to them.”
Pei Yuan hugged Shen Chu tightly.
The two embraced quietly, needing no further words; everything was understood without being spoken.
After breakfast, Pei Yuan said to Shen Chu, "Come on, I'll take you somewhere."
"Going out? Aren't we going to the Flying Eagle Guard today?"
Pei Yuan smiled mysteriously and pulled her straight to the courtyard wall.
Before she could react, a large hand wrapped around her waist, and with a light touch of his toes, he flipped over the wall.
On the other side of the wall is the courtyard where Shen Chu once rented a place.
As soon as Chen Chu regained her footing, a gasp came from behind her.
Then came a long-absent scream.
"Young master, ah... no, young lady!"
As Chen Chu turned around, a figure rushed straight towards her.
He hugged her tightly, laughing and crying at the same time.
"Waaah... Girl, it really is you! Am I seeing things? Girl, you're still alive."
Shen Chu looked at Hongxiu crying with snot and tears streaming down her face, while holding a chicken leg high in her other hand, and couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.
As expected of Hongxiu, she never forgets about food.
She reached out and wiped away Hongxiu's tears. "I wasn't dreaming, it really is me."
Hongxiu looked Chen Chu up and down with her round eyes, then grinned.
"The girl is even more beautiful than before, that's wonderful."
Shen Chu tapped her head. "You look even more beautiful now."
Hongxiu covered her head and laughed, but as she laughed, tears streamed down her face again.
She wiped away her tears and handed the chicken leg to Shen Chu.
"Chicken leg, young lady, would you like some? If not, I'll eat it."
The question was asked so naturally, as if the two had never been apart for three years.
Shen Chu's eyes welled up with tears, and she shook her head with a smile.
"I don't want to eat, you eat."
The commotion outside drew two more people out of the house.
“Hongxiu, what’s wrong… Ah, Xiao Chuchu.”
Lu Zhong was the first to come out.
He stared at Shen Chu in shock, then at Pei Yuan, and after a long while, nodded with red eyes.
"It's good that you're alive, it's good that you're alive."
"Good child, you and the prince must both take good care of yourselves from now on."
After learning that Pei Yuan was actually Lu Zhan, Lu Zhong changed his address to "Young Master" and followed him wholeheartedly.
Next up was Juniper.
He wasn't familiar with Shen Chu, but he knew that she was the apple of his master's eye.
Du Song bowed slightly and invited everyone inside to talk.
Upon entering the house, Chen Chu was taken aback.
Several tables were set up inside the room, covered with numerous files and folded documents.
It looks like the guardhouse of the Flying Eagle Guard.
"This is......"
Hongxiu said, "Three years ago, His Highness bought this house and let Uncle Zhong, Brother Du, and this servant move in."
For the past three years, we have been secretly collecting and investigating the truth behind the Liangzhou case.
Hongxiu pointed to a stack of rosters on the table to her right.
"This is a list of former members of the Lu family army that I compiled. Over the years, we have secretly contacted each of them according to the list."
All the evidence and testimonies that could be collected have been compiled.
Shen Chu stepped forward and opened the confessions, where the soldiers' numbers and statements were clearly recorded.
"In the tenth year of the Longqing reign, I followed General Zhou to rescue Liangzhou. General Zhou claimed that the Lu family army was colluding with the Northern Rong and ordered them to be killed on the spot without exception."
Almost all the testimonies were like this.
The words "kill without mercy" sent chills down her spine.
The Longqing Emperor's four simple words sealed the fate of 50,000 Lu family soldiers.
Lu Zhong's eyes were red, his teeth were clenched so hard they were grinding, and his eyes were burning with anger.
"If the Crown Prince hadn't ordered an investigation, I wouldn't have known until now that the Duke and the Lu family army hadn't died at the hands of the Northern Rong people."
The Duke led us in a bloody battle against the Northern Rong people to protect our home and country, and we didn't utter a sound even when we lost an arm or a leg.
I personally led three hundred warriors to break through the siege and invite Zhou Qi. At that time, Zhou Qi readily agreed to lead the Yizhou army to the rescue.
I never expected that the person I invited wouldn't be reinforcements, but rather the deadly King of Hell.
"I have failed the Duke, and I have failed the brothers of the Lu family army. I deserve to die."
Lu Zhong beat his feet and pounded his chest. This man in his forties squatted on the ground and cried like a heartbroken man.
Duspine sighed.
"The army that Zhou Qi led back then was also a former member of the Lu family army. When those people raised their knives to kill their former comrades, their hearts were filled with pain and worry."
However, Zhou Qi had given an order that anyone who hesitated or wavered should be killed, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and kill them.
Taking advantage of the fact that the Lu family army had just driven away the Northern Rong people and were exhausted, he raised his sword and slashed down.
Afterwards, Zhou Qi claimed that he had led the Yizhou army to defeat the Northern Rong people and falsely claimed military merit.
As a result, many people in the Yizhou army were promoted, and everyone kept quiet about the matter.
It took us a lot of effort to find some people willing to come forward and testify.
After Uncle Zhong learned the whole story, he would burst into tears every time he brought it up.
Shen Chu knew that it was Lu Zhong who had asked Zhou Qi for help, so he must have felt both regret and resentment.
She didn't comfort Lu Zhong; such pain couldn't be relieved with just a few words.
"It's not enough for just these people to testify; it would be more convincing if real eyewitnesses came forward."
Lu Zhong fainted after breaking through the encirclement and meeting Zhou Qi.
He did not experience the massacre in Liangzhou.
"Brother Zhan is the aggrieved party in this matter and can seek justice for the Lu family army, but he cannot serve as a witness."
The best witness is my brother's silence.
Pei Yuan also thought of this.
Are you sure Changsheng is silent?
Shen Chu nodded, "Although I haven't seen his face yet, I'm at least 60% sure."
Twins can indeed sense each other.
"But like you, he seems to have no memory of what happened back then. I'll go back and ask my master to see if there's any way to awaken your memories."
Pei Yuan nodded. If Changsheng was indeed silent, then there would be a witness who had experienced this firsthand.
"I want His Majesty to personally apologize to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, to the Lu family army, and to the people of the world for what he has done."
Shen Chu sighed, "This matter will probably be very difficult, and we must plan it carefully."
Pei Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile.
"No rush, let's make Marquis Anding pay the price for killing innocent people and taking credit for them."
Shen Chu pondered the matter in her mind for a moment, and then suddenly remembered something.
"Brother Zhan, if the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion perished because of His Majesty's suspicion, what about the Duke of Huguo's mansion?"
Have you ever considered that the deaths of the five sons of the Duke of Huguo in the southern borderlands eighteen years ago might also be suspicious?
Before Pei Yuan could even reply, Hongxiu clapped her hands and said, "Miss, you and His Highness are truly in sync. His Highness has said the same thing."
Chen Chu's heart stirred slightly, and she asked impatiently, "You've already investigated? What were the results?"
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