Chapter 38 After enduring countless tribulations and being reborn, she was the happiest person! ...
That night, the sky was pitch black, and a bright moon hung in the sky.
A horse-drawn carriage sped past on the official road, stirring up a cloud of dust in the wind it left behind.
Chi Yanzhou, holding Cui Fuyu whose face was pale and stiff, couldn't help but ask with concern, "Ayu, are you alright? Let the carriage slow down!"
There's no rush, but it would be a huge mistake to leave Cui Fuyu with health problems for the long term.
Cui Fuyu shook her head. She was just feeling a little palpitated, but she could still manage. It would be better to expose Zhao Jinghuan's conspiracy in front of the Emperor as soon as possible.
"It's alright, we'll be there soon, no need to slow down!"
Just now, they hurriedly went to the villa, took the token found by the Chi family, and then let Cui Hexuan and Zhao Jinghuan ride into the palace first.
Only Ru Niang, Chi Yanzhou, and Cui Fuyu were in the carriage.
If Cui Hexuan were here, he would definitely scold Cui Fuyu for her reckless behavior.
The carriage soon arrived at the palace gate. The driver made a sudden stop, barely managing to bring it to a halt. The chief eunuch beside the emperor was already waiting for Cui Fuyu at the palace gate.
Beside him was a cushioned ceremonial staff, a gift permitted by the saint.
As Cui Fuyu stepped down from the carriage, palace servants helped her onto the ceremonial regalia. Just as she sat down, the chief steward spoke up at the opportune moment: "Princess, His Majesty is waiting for you and these two in the main hall. His Majesty was furious when he first heard about this, but he was even more saddened. Now, His Highness the Prince of Tai, His Highness the Crown Prince, and your brother are waiting for you in the hall."
The Grand Steward actually underestimated the sage's anger.
When Zhao Chengrui first saw the evidence presented, he was also taken aback. He never expected that Zhao Jinghuan, who was usually honest and unassuming, would secretly plot so much. He was truly astonished for a long time.
He underestimated the Prince Gong's heir.
To plot a rebellion, they killed without blinking an eye, secretly traded smuggled salt, seized salt mines, ran large casinos to amass wealth, and secretly raised private soldiers in Sichuan... Each and every one of these acts made his scalp tingle and his back covered in cold sweat.
Before long, the chief steward brought Cui Fuyu and the others to the main hall, which was brightly lit, solemn and majestic, and the whole palace was silent.
Zhao Hanhong held a high position, while everyone else stood. The palace servants all bowed their heads, not daring to breathe loudly, for fear of angering the emperor at this critical juncture.
With the help of a palace maid, Cui Fuyu performed a simple curtsy and said, "This humble woman, Cui Fuyu, greets Your Majesty."
Even with his anger still burning, Zhao Hanhong saw the haggard Cui Fuyu and instantly felt sorry for her. His expression softened and he smiled, pointing to the soft chairs that had been prepared in the main hall. "You are still injured, no need for formalities. It's been a long time since I've seen Yu'er. How are you feeling? Have you taken the tonics your uncle gave you?"
While showing concern for Cui Fuyu, he also coldly reprimanded the palace servants: "You have no sense of propriety, why don't you help the princess to sit down?"
Cui Fuyu smiled and replied, "Thank you, Uncle. I'm fully recovered!"
Cui Fuyu sat on the soft chair and introduced Chi Yanzhou and Ru Niang to Zhao Hanhong. She put away her previous smile and said solemnly, "These two are the people who were killed because of Zhao Jinghuan's rebellion. Chi Yanzhou and Ru Niang! Ru Niang was the first person to discover the evidence."
Chi Yanzhou and Ru Niang knelt before Zhao Hanhong, saying in unison, "This humble subject, Chi Yanzhou, and Ru Niang, greet Your Majesty."
Zhao Hanhong glanced at the two men, then at the evidence laid out on the table, and said with a stern face, "No need for formalities."
He did not let the two of them get up, so they remained kneeling on the ground. Zhao Hanhong first asked Ru Niang, "Ru Niang, are you aware that one must be punished before filing a complaint with the emperor?"
According to the Yongping Law, before filing a complaint with the Emperor, the person must first be flogged thirty times in court, and then their statement must be heard and verified. If the statement is found to be untrue, the person will be imprisoned for one year, but the official's family members may be exempted from such punishment.
Even as an emperor, he could not believe one-sided accounts.
Ru Niang naturally knew this and was prepared to be tortured, but Zhao Hanhong's attitude was imposing without anger, which made Ru Niang leave the room. But if she didn't stand up and accuse Wu Haochang and Zhao Jinghuan, who else could accuse them?
Zhao Hanhong's stern gaze swept over Ru Niang, making her somewhat frightened. Her heart trembled, but she steeled herself and replied, "This humble subject understands, Your Majesty..."
Before Ru Niang could finish speaking, Cui Fuyu hurriedly interrupted, "Uncle, please investigate thoroughly. Yu'er is not being silly."
Cui Fuyu was worried that Zhao Hanhong would really have Ru Niang flogged thirty times outside the palace gate, which is why she was so anxious to speak up for Ru Niang.
Zhao Chengrui frowned and interrupted Cui Fuyu, who was about to say something: "Cousin, be careful what you say."
Zhao Hanhong knew she had no intention of offending him, but he was not an emperor who would make things difficult for anyone, so he asked again, "Is the evidence true?"
This time, Zhao Hanhong's voice was slightly gentler.
"Your Majesty, the evidence I have presented is true. If it is false, may I die a horrible death in all my future lives!" Ru Niang suddenly said with a firm look in her eyes, "The reason why I was able to discover this evidence so easily is simply because Wu Haochang and Zhao Jinghuan were too arrogant and looked down on everyone, which gave me the opportunity to discover everything."
What is she afraid of?
Isn't this exactly why she traveled all the way to the capital?
She should seek justice and clear her name, and now that she has received help from a benefactor, she should express her gratitude.
Ru Niang's gaze grew even more resolute as she met Zhao Hanhong's scrutiny: "Your Majesty is discerning and insightful. Zhao Jinghuan, in collusion with Wu Haochang, has committed countless despicable acts, working together to persecute the people of Sichuan. After learning of my arrival in the capital, he repeatedly tried to kill me. If it weren't for Miss Cui's intervention, this evidence would never have reached you—I fear I would have died with resentment!"
She spoke with tears in her eyes, asking why she had suffered because of these two scumbags and had no way to seek justice. Fortunately, Cui Fuyu saved her at that time and later helped her.
This kindness will forever be etched in my heart.
"Tell me how they harmed your husband's family?"
Zhao Hanhong tapped his fingers lightly on the table, eager to hear how Zhao Jinghuan was harming his people.
Ru Niang told Zhao Hanhong everything that had happened in her husband's family, and told Cui Fuyu almost exactly the same thing at the Cui residence.
However, when Zhao Hanhong heard Ru Niang say that her husband's family knew how to forge iron, he suddenly frowned. He remembered that the Ministry of War had not long ago been replaced with inferior weapons, which led to a major defeat on the border.
When he heard that Wu Haochang had placed the blacksmith order, he sneered inwardly. Sure enough, it was Zhao Jinghuan who did it again!
What a good nephew he is!
Zhao Hanhong was burning with rage, his aura so oppressive it felt like a mountain collapsing, causing everyone in the hall to tremble with fear.
Ru Niang didn't waste any time and quickly finished recounting the passage of time.
Based on the evidence she presented, Zhao Hanhong was somewhat convinced. He looked at Chi Yanzhou and asked, "Chi Yanzhou, what crime do you have to accuse me of?"
Hearing the Emperor address him again, he hurriedly took out the Black Dragon Society's token from his robes, held it high, and presented it to Zhao Hanhong, his voice strong and clear: "This humble subject accuses Prince Gong's heir, Zhao Jinghuan, of colluding with martial arts figures to establish the Black Dragon Society, which has allowed the Black Dragon Society to wantonly harm the Emperor's people, robbing and extorting wealth everywhere, and even killing my mother when his attempt to set fire to my house failed. He also sent members of the Black Dragon Society to assassinate Princess Jia'en twice, resulting in her serious injury. I beg the Emperor to uphold justice for us and thoroughly investigate Zhao Jinghuan!"
Chi Yanzhou's words almost added another layer to the severity of Zhao Jinghuan's offenses. They had already discussed it before they came, and their respective lawsuits were bound to bring Zhao Jinghuan down.
Zhao Hanhong couldn't help but sneer: "Well, well, what a fine Prince Gong's heir! He has done so many heinous things and even colluded with other forces to rebel."
"Father, I have something else to say." Zhao Chengxu stepped forward at the opportune moment to add fuel to the fire. "This afternoon, my cousin and I split up to go to Bailong Temple to retrieve the evidence that Ru Niang had hidden. The Black Dragon Society tried every means to obstruct us and sent more than ten people to silence us. If my cousin hadn't informed me of this and sent her personal guard, Vice General Li, to protect her, I'm afraid my cousin would have lost her life. Fortunately, Vice General Li was capable and captured the leader of the other side alive. Everyone had a token on them, just like the one that Chi Yanzhou had."
Zhao Chengxu's accusation confirmed Zhao Jinghuan's crime, and he did not forget to mention Cui Fuyu's merits and Li Fujun's talent.
Everyone in the hall except Li Chengrui knelt on the ground. Even Cui Fuyu rose from his soft chair and knelt down, shouting together, "Every word you said is true. Please, Your Majesty, arrest Zhao Jinghuan immediately and thoroughly investigate this matter, leaving no one unpunished."
His well-maintained hand slammed heavily onto the desk with a loud thud. He could no longer suppress his anger and ordered the chief steward beside him: "Issue my decree to summon Wang Fei to the palace. Have the deputy general of the Imperial Guard and the Enforcement Department arrest the criminal Zhao Jinghuan. Thoroughly investigate the Prince Gong's mansion, digging three feet into the ground, and do not let a single piece of evidence slip by."
The chief steward was sweating profusely, and he did his best to carry out Zhao Hanhong's orders. He originally thought that this matter was not too big, but after what they had just said...
This is a huge problem!
The chief steward dared not stop for a moment, but fortunately he met Wang Fei, who was also on his way to the palace, halfway there.
He kept telling Wang Fei about what had happened in the main hall. Wang Fei was dumbfounded. He had rushed to the palace that night because he had urgent business to report to Zhao Hanhong. Today was the last day of the ten-day deadline he had given him.
He had just discovered the matter concerning the Ministry of War when he didn't expect someone to file a complaint against Zhao Jinghuan before he could.
When Wang Fei requested an audience, the moon was already high in the sky, and the palaces in other places had already turned off their fires and gone to sleep.
Only where Zhao Hanhong was was the candlelight still shone brightly, and the palace servants added oil to the lamps several times.
As soon as Wang Fei arrived, Zhao Hanhong immediately had someone come in.
Wang Fei knelt on the ground and truthfully recounted what he had found out.
His words confirmed that Zhao Jinghuan was the mastermind behind the Ministry of War incident, just as Zhao Hanhong had guessed.
Now the witnesses and physical evidence are available.
Zhao Hanhong didn't delay and coldly ordered Wang Fei: "Wang Fei, receive the imperial decree. I order you to lead the Imperial Guards to arrest the criminal Zhao Jinghuan immediately and bring him to trial. The Enforcement Division is to lead troops to Sichuan to thoroughly investigate private soldiers. Anyone who disobeys the imperial order will be executed without mercy. Go immediately."
After watching Wang Fei leave, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, especially Cui Fuyu, who was the happiest person besides Ru Niang and Chi Yanzhou.
The Cui family mansion was saved, and nothing in the dream happened as it did...
Cui Fuyu even shed tears. She was overjoyed, and the tension that had been hanging over her heart finally dissipated. Coupled with her serious injuries, she hadn't recovered and suddenly fainted in the chair.
When everyone saw her crying, before they could ask why, she fainted.
Everyone present rushed towards her. Chi Yanzhou, who was closest, was the first to support Cui Fuyu, calling out to her anxiously, "Ayu, Ayu—"
Zhao Chengxu hurriedly said, "Quickly take my cousin to the nearest side hall."
"Hurry up and go out of the palace to bring Physician Chu into the palace." Zhao Hanhong anxiously got up from the dragon throne, walked towards Cui Fuyu, and then instructed the chief eunuch who had just left the palace, "Have someone go to the Imperial Medical Bureau to find a female physician on duty."
Cui Fuyu's sudden coma startled everyone into a panic.
The scene was extremely chaotic, with everyone shouting and making a great deal of noise.
It was Zhao Hanhong who spoke up to stop them: "Everyone, be quiet and don't disturb Yu'er."
The palace physician on duty received a summons and rushed to the Emperor's presence without even properly carrying her medicine chest...
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Author's Note: Ahhh, the villain who loves to act is finally going to fall from grace, and the thing that my little sister was worried about didn't happen [droopy-eared rabbit head] That's great!
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