AWB Chapter 387 Delay
Chapter 387 Delay
Er Ya and Atana whispered to Yu Wan that they were going out first.
Yu Wan nodded to them, and only after they left did she walk to the low stool by the bed and sit down.
She said softly, "You're still injured, don't overthink it."
"You've done a great job with what I asked you to do. Now, leave the rest to me, okay?"
Su Qingchan was seriously injured. Yu Wan initially didn't intend for her to do anything, but Su Qingchan said that she had made a discovery in the Prince's mansion.
These are the countless skeletons buried in the garden of Prince Yong's mansion.
Su Qingchan was also gambling.
She overheard an old man in the Prince's mansion say, "Don't go into the garden too often, or you'll be haunted by vengeful spirits," and that aroused her suspicion.
Later, he learned that many servants had died in the Prince's mansion, and coincidentally, he found a finger bone while strolling through that garden.
Su Qingchan thought to herself, perhaps it was buried too shallow and was dug up by a mouse or something.
It was only because her father and brother were watching over her from heaven that she discovered this clue.
Yu Wan raised her hand and gently took Su Qingchan's hand.
"Qingchan, don't worry, this time, Prince Yong will definitely receive the punishment he deserves."
She smiled and said, “Now there are quite a few officials in the court who are willing to speak up for you. Tomorrow morning at court, they will petition the Emperor to severely punish Prince Yong.”
"With officials petitioning for his life and the people's resentment boiling over, the Emperor cannot continue to protect Prince Yong in order to appease the people."
Upon hearing this, Su Qingchan's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
She lowered her eyes and murmured softly, "That's wonderful..."
She was determined to see the day when Prince Yong was utterly disgraced and doomed.
……
The next morning, as dawn broke, officials began to enter the palace to attend court.
Most officials knew why they were attending court today.
But after Liu Haifu said, "If you have something to report, speak up; otherwise, the court is adjourned," no one spoke for a moment.
Everyone knew that if the Emperor insisted on protecting Prince Yong, the first person to bring it up would become the target of the Emperor's anger.
Emperor Wenjing sat on the dragon throne, looking at the ministers below who had different thoughts, and sneered inwardly.
He glanced around the court and said in a deep voice, "My esteemed ministers, if there is nothing else important to report, you may adjourn the court. I am also somewhat weary..."
As soon as these words were spoken, one person in the court stepped forward.
It's Xiao Tengtian.
When they saw who had stepped forward, Emperor Wenjing and the others were taken aback.
Only King Qi showed no surprise on his face.
Yu Wan's frequent interactions with the second daughter of the Xiao family are enough to prove that the Xiao family was also involved in the Yong Prince's affairs.
Unexpectedly, the Xiao family still possessed some pride.
In the hall, Xiao Tengtian knelt down: "Your Majesty, I implore you to severely punish Prince Yong. He has disregarded human life and committed heinous crimes. If he is not punished, it will be difficult to appease public anger!"
With him taking the lead, seven or eight officials knelt down in succession and said in unison, "Your Majesty, the matter of Prince Yong's disregard for human life has become common knowledge. At this moment, there are still many victimized people gathered outside the Dali Temple!"
"Your Majesty, if this matter is not handled properly, it may cause widespread public resentment!"
Emperor Wenjing's gaze swept over the kneeling officials, finally landing on Xiao Tengtian. His voice was cold and deep: "Minister Xiao, you say that Prince Yong disregards human life. Do you have any concrete evidence to present?"
Xiao Tengtian looked up at Li Fu, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who was standing to the side, and said, "This matter should be reported by the Minister."
Yu Wan guessed correctly; Li Fu did indeed enter the palace yesterday to request an audience with Emperor Wenjing.
But after waiting in the imperial study for nearly two hours, he only heard Liu Haifu say, "His Majesty is tired and has already retired for the night."
Because he did not see Emperor Wenjing on this trip, he really couldn't figure out what Emperor Wenjing was thinking.
If the Emperor wanted to protect or abandon Prince Yong, he could have simply hinted at it to him, but the Emperor deliberately said nothing.
Li Fu took a deep breath, stepped forward, and knelt down.
Although his voice was steady, it could not hide his inner unease: "Your Majesty, as soon as the rumors came out yesterday, the Dali Temple sent people to the Prince Yong's mansion. Indeed, they found many skeletons in the mansion. After examination by the coroner, they were all found to have been brutally murdered and buried."
His statement leaves room for interpretation regardless of whether Emperor Wenjing was the Prince of Baoyong or the Prince of Sheyong.
The skeletons unearthed from the Prince's mansion could have been killed by Prince Yong or by a daring and treacherous servant.
Although the latter sounds absurd, if the emperor insists, the fake can become the real.
After hearing Li Fu's report, Emperor Wenjing's expression grew even more somber.
After a long pause, he spoke, "Have you interrogated the servants of the Prince Yong's residence?"
Upon hearing this, Li Fu understood Emperor Wenjing's meaning and respectfully said, "I interrogated the servants of Prince Yong's mansion overnight. They confessed that Prince Yong usually treated the servants in his mansion with extreme cruelty, often beating and scolding them severely. Servants in the mansion also frequently disappeared without reason. The steward told them that these people had all resigned and returned to their hometowns, but some servants witnessed the guards burying a body in the garden in the middle of the night."
After Li Fu finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence.
The evidence of Prince Yong's cruelty and murder of innocent people is conclusive; now, it all depends on whether the emperor will protect him.
Everyone held their breath, awaiting the emperor's decision.
Many officials were secretly watching Emperor Wenjing's reaction.
On the dragon throne, Emperor Wenjing gripped the armrests tightly, his face flashing with a complex mix of emotions, including anger and reluctance.
After a long silence, Emperor Wenjing finally spoke: "This matter concerns the face of the royal family and should not be judged lightly."
"Li Qing, you should properly arrange those remains and first appease the people who are causing trouble outside the Dali Temple."
“Prince Yong went to Huizhou to quell the unrest. I cannot summon him back to the palace now. All decisions will be made after he returns to the capital.”
His words were ambiguous, neither explicitly stating that he would severely punish Prince Yong nor protecting him.
But the officials could not object.
Because what the emperor said makes sense. Prince Yong went to Huizhou to quell the rebellion, so we can't just recall him now.
Left Chancellor Xie Shifu, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, the most important thing now is how to appease the people.”
The furious crowds outside the Dali Temple were what made all the officials feel troubled.
Emperor Wenjing nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Xie Shifu, signaling him to continue.
Xie Shifu, his body slightly hunched and his voice aged, said, “Your Majesty, I believe we should first send a highly respected official to the Dali Temple to explain to the people the importance the court attaches to this matter and promise to investigate it thoroughly and give them an explanation. At the same time, we should make public the coroner’s examination results and some of the servants’ testimonies, so that the people know that the court has not favored Prince Yong.”
After he said this, many court officials echoed his sentiments, and no one objected.
After thinking for a moment, Emperor Wenjing also felt that Xie Shifu's words made sense, so he nodded in agreement: "Very well, then we will do as Minister Xie says."
"Minister Xie, you have served in the court for a long time and are highly respected. I will entrust this matter to you. You must appease the people and prevent the situation from deteriorating further."
Xie Shifu had stepped forward, so he was prepared that this matter would fall on his shoulders.
He bowed and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."