On the chessboard, once a move is made, there's no going back (3)
Yan Cheng's guards were the first to find Wang Shi, who was hiding in a thatched hut at the end of the village.
The woman was about thirty years old, with a haggard face and terrified eyes. When she saw strangers, especially those carrying weapons, she trembled with fear and gestured incoherently. She was indeed mute.
"The Wang family?" Yan Cheng lowered his voice and quickly revealed a black iron token engraved with special dark patterns, the symbol of the highest-ranking confidants of Prince Heng. "We are here on His Highness Prince Heng's orders to protect you! You need to tell the truth about the Northern Border Arms Case three years ago!"
When the woman saw the token, she was stunned at first, then her eyes flashed with disbelief, tears welled up instantly, she nodded frantically, and then anxiously pointed outside the house, making a slashing motion.
"No time to say more, let's go!" Yan Cheng made a decisive decision. Two guards protected Wang Shi on the left and right, while the others covered the rear and quickly retreated outside.
Almost the instant they rushed out of the hut, several poisoned crossbow bolts pierced the air! "Thud thud!" They pierced the door panels and walls! The Night Hawk Pavilion assassins had arrived!
"Protect the witnesses!" Yan Cheng roared, drawing his longsword to deflect the cold arrows. The well-trained guards immediately formed a battle formation, fighting and retreating.
In the darkness, the sounds of clashing swords, muffled groans, and the thud of corpses falling to the ground were incessant.
Yan Cheng brought only the best of the best, but the Night Hawk Pavilion assassins were even more numerous and fearless, launching a relentless offensive.
A fierce battle unfolded in the small village.
Yan Cheng's arm was slashed open, blood streaming down, yet he held tightly to Wang Shi's side. He knew that if this person were lost, His Highness would have no hope of turning the tide!
Just as the secret guards were gradually losing ground, torches suddenly lit up outside the village, and the sound of horses' hooves thundered! A troop of soldiers from the capital's patrol battalion had "coincidentally" arrived on patrol!
"Who dares to fight here?!" the captain in charge shouted.
Both sides in the melee were startled! Seeing that the situation was not good, the Night Hawk Pavilion assassins immediately whistled and retreated into the darkness like a tide, disappearing without a trace.
The patrol battalion did not pursue them further; their arrival itself served as a perfect barrier.
Yan Cheng knew perfectly well that this was no coincidence! His Highness must have made arrangements in advance!
He dared not delay and immediately revealed his identity to the captain, which was naturally a disguised one. He claimed that he had encountered bandits while capturing escaped slaves, thanked the general, and then quickly left the scene with the still-shaken Wang and his men whose casualties were unknown, disappearing on another secret path.
Hengwang Mansion, Secret Chamber
Wang knelt on the ground. Though she could not speak, she could read. Trembling, she used a pen to write on the paper, and with hurried gestures, she recounted the shocking inside story in broken sentences:
When her husband, Colonel Zhou, escorted military equipment to the northern border, he discovered that the actual items did not match the documents, as they were all old and obsolete. Suspicious, he secretly recorded and hid scraps from the genuine receipt documents, which bore the unique seal of the receiving warehouse and the signature of the person in charge, intending to report and expose the matter.
Unexpectedly, she was silenced and made to appear as if she had died in battle. Fortunately, she was secretly helped by a conscientious minor leader in the Night Hawk Pavilion, who allowed her to fake her death, escape, and hide under an assumed name, waiting for the day when her innocence would be cleared.
She also pointed out that Zhang Qiming from the Northern Border Grain Supervision Office was among those who forced her husband to sign false documents and later participated in his murder! The real document fragments she hid were sewn into the lining of one of her old, close-fitting clothes!
Physical evidence! Witness testimony! Directly pointing to the specific officials in charge!
Zongzheng Hengyu stared at the yellowed, stained, and uniquely marked paper fragments, as well as Wang's tearful testimony, his eyes flashing with cold light!
"Yan Cheng, immediately establish a complete chain of evidence based on this testimony and physical evidence! The forgery process, the arms swapping, the execution of the cover-up, the list of all those involved, their positions, their networks—leave no one out! The evidence must be irrefutable, with each link tightly connected, leaving them no room for rebuttal!"
"Yes!" Yan Cheng suppressed his excitement and left to carry out the order. With this breakthrough, all the scattered evidence he had collected before was instantly given a soul, and could be perfectly connected!
…………
The next morning, in the Imperial Court.
The atmosphere remained delicate. The Censorate was reporting on the preliminary progress of the review of the Northern Border Armaments Case. The report was vague, but it subtly pointed the finger at some mid-level officials, including Zhang Qiming.
King Zhaozong stood in the ranks, his palms sweating, but he tried to remain calm.
Just then, a guard outside the palace announced loudly, "Your Majesty! Prince Heng requests an audience outside the palace!"
The entire court was in an uproar! The Prince Heng, who had been under house arrest, had suddenly appeared at court?
Emperor Zongzheng Hong was also slightly taken aback, a complex look flashing in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Summon."
Zongzheng Hengyu, dressed in the everyday robes of a prince, with a lean face but a steady gait, walked into the main hall. In his hands he held a thick memorial and a sealed copper box.
"Your subject, Zongzheng Hengyu, pays his respects to Your Majesty." He knelt down to pay his respects, his voice calm and unwavering.
"Ninth Prince, why are you attending court instead of resting in your residence?" the Emperor asked.
Zongzheng Hengyu raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the Prince Zhao, whose face had suddenly changed, and the Emperor, who remained expressionless on the dragon throne. He said loudly, "Your subject has suffered an unjust accusation. During my seclusion, I have deeply reflected on my mistakes and realized that if I had not made some oversight, I would not have given others a handle to use against me."
"Therefore, I have been reflecting on my actions day and night, and by sheer luck, I have uncovered irrefutable evidence against the mastermind and his cronies who framed me, deceived the emperor, and wreaked havoc on the court! Today, I risk my life to come to the palace and earnestly beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly, clear my name, and uphold the law and order of the court!"
These words shocked the entire hall!
"Where is the evidence?" The emperor leaned forward slightly.
Zongzheng Hengyu held the memorial in his hand high: "This is the list of criminals, the process of forging documents, the source of physical evidence, and a summary of witness testimonies that I have compiled! All details have been recorded, and the witnesses and physical evidence are all available. Please review it, Your Majesty!"
The eunuch took the memorial and the copper box and presented them to the emperor.
The emperor quickly flipped through the memorial, which was neatly written, clearly organized, and contained an outrageously complete chain of evidence. The more he read, the more gloomy his face became. By the end, his face was ashen and his anger was surging.
Inside the copper box were genuine document fragments provided by Wang, as well as other supporting evidence that Yan Cheng had gathered overnight!
"Good! What a blatant act of deceiving the emperor! What a blatant act of disrupting the court!" The emperor slammed his fist on the dragon table, his anger thunderous.
"You've actually dared to extend your reach into my army! Framing a prince, using inferior goods, embezzling military funds, and murdering military officers! Do you even have any respect for me? Do you even have any respect for this great empire?!"
The emperor's rage was so intense that it made all the ministers feel suffocated.
“Zongzheng Hengyu!” The emperor looked at him.
"Your son is here!"
"The matter you have reported is of great importance! Where are the witnesses now?"
"Your Majesty, I have brought the important witness, Lady Wang, with me. She is waiting for your decree outside the palace!"
"Summon them!" the emperor immediately ordered.
Soon, Lady Wang was brought to the palace. Although she was afraid, with the encouraging look in Zongzheng Hengyu's eyes and the help of the prepared paper and pen, she recounted what had happened and corroborated the contents of the memorial.
The evidence is irrefutable!
The emperor's gaze, sharp as a sword, suddenly shot towards Guo Yi, the Vice Director of the Arsenal Department of the Ministry of War, who was already paralyzed with fear in the ranks of military officials.
"Guo Yi! What else do you have to say?!"
Guo Yi's face was ashen, and he kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life! It was... it was His Highness Prince Ming who forced me to do it! If I didn't do it, my whole family would be in danger!"
These words were like a thunderclap! Although there had been suspicions, the fact that a key official personally identified the King of Light carried a completely different impact!
"Who else?!" The emperor's voice was icy cold.
In order to save his life, Guo Yi spilled the beans, revealing everything about his accomplices, how they forged documents, and how they colluded with Zhang Qiming in the Northern Border!
All eyes immediately focused on King Zhao, whose face was ashen! Zhang Qiming was one of his former subordinates!
King Zhao knelt down with a thud and cried out in protest, "Father, please be wise! I know nothing about this matter! Although Zhang Qiming was once my study companion, I had little contact with him after he went to take up his post in the northern border! Someone must be using this as a pretext to frame me! Please, Father, investigate thoroughly!"
He had cursed the Ming King a thousand times in his heart, but could only desperately try to distance himself from the matter.
The emperor looked at his two sons kneeling on the ground, one with irrefutable evidence and the other eager to clear his name, his eyes filled with disappointment and rage.
He certainly knew that King Zhao might not have been directly involved, but he couldn't escape the blame for his lax management of his subordinates and poor judgment of character! As for King Ming... his heart was despicable!
"Guards!" The emperor's voice was filled with endless weariness and murderous intent.
"Arrest all the criminals and imprison them in the dungeon for rigorous interrogation! All officials involved, regardless of rank, will be severely punished once verified!"
"Prince Mingzong, Mingchen, is stripped of his princely status and demoted to a commoner. He shall be confined to his residence for life and shall not leave without my order! The Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the three judicial departments shall jointly investigate this case for me! Investigate it to the end and show no leniency!"
"Hengwang Zongzheng Hengyu..." The emperor looked at his ninth son, who was still kneeling upright, with a complicated expression.
"You... have been wronged. Effective immediately, all your titles and powers, as well as the military power of a nine-bead prince, are hereby restored. I hope that you will be even more diligent in the future and not disappoint my expectations."
"Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!" Zongzheng Hengyu kowtowed deeply. His voice was steady, without the slightest hint of excitement.
A stunning reversal was completed right here in the imperial court.
With irrefutable evidence, King Heng not only cleared his name but also uprooted King Ming's faction, severely damaging King Zhao's power and once again demonstrating his unfathomable cunning and strength to everyone.
After the court session ended, Zongzheng Hengyu strode out of the Chaozheng Hall amidst the complex and varied gazes of the officials.
Sunlight shone on him, making the gilded cloud patterns on the prince's casual robes flow, exuding an imposing aura.
This move was successful. But the game is far from over.
The young woman who inadvertently orchestrated all of this became the key to his downfall of the Ming King.
He recalled the report from the secret guards, which mentioned the spying of unknown forces outside the Prime Minister's residence and the increased guards that Prime Minister Jiang had secretly increased.
Perhaps it's time to make a personal trip to the Prime Minister's residence.
Zongzheng Hengyu's lips curled into a very faint, yet meaningful smile.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
