After Xiao Yan left, someone carried Lu Chongyuan's body out.
Most criminals convicted of treason would have their bodies thrown into mass graves after being executed, left to be eaten by owl beasts. However, Lu Chongyuan's identity was different.
Emperor An never wanted to give others a chance to criticize him, so even if he had to execute him, he had to gain the reputation of being a "benevolent monarch forced to do so", and he had to stand high in the end. So Canglang ordered people to put Lu Chongyuan's body in a thin coffin and temporarily place it in the imperial prison, waiting for the other members of the Lu family to be convicted before finding a place to "bury" them.
Canglang asked people to take care of the prison and transfer the other members of the Lu family to the death row, while the coffin containing Lu Chongyuan was placed casually in a dark place.
Late at night, someone quietly opened the door and sneaked in. He opened the coffin, bent down and pressed the corpse for a while, and then checked the mouth, nose and body.
After confirming that he had indeed died of poisoning and had stopped breathing, the man closed the coffin again and left quietly.
…
When Xiao Yan got on the carriage, he saw Tang Ning leaning against the inner room, looking down at something in his hand.
Seeing him come in, she handed him something in her hand and said, "Brother, Lu Chongyuan wrote a confession. I didn't expect the Lu family to collude with Emperor An and do so many things. Each of these things is enough to ruin his reputation."
"With this in hand, once we quell Beiling's campaign against Emperor An and his son, we'll be able to put them to death..."
Tang Ning was stunned when someone grabbed his wrist. "Brother?"
Xiao Yan casually took the thing from her hand and threw it aside. He pulled her closer and looked her up and down: "Are you hurt? Did Lu Chongyuan hurt you?"
Tang Ning was stunned for a moment and then laughed: "He is in that state, how can he hurt me? Besides, Jinyun is always guarding me."
Seeing Xiao Yan frowning and looking under her skirt, she lowered her head and found that her cloak and skirt were stained with blood, and even her sleeves did not look clean.
Knowing that he had misunderstood, Tang Ning quickly comforted him softly: "I'm not injured. This is all Lu Chongyuan's blood. I accidentally stained it in the prison just now. I will change it when I get back."
"Are you really okay?"
"What can happen to me? Don't worry, brother. I'm fine."
Xiao Yan was relieved when he saw that she didn't seem to be lying. He touched her palm and felt it was cold. He reached out and held it in his palm for a moment, until her fingertips became warm. Only then, at Tang Ning's urging, did he pick up Lu Chongyuan's "confession letter".
The bloodstained confession was written in a somewhat weak but concise manner. Perhaps because he truly hated Emperor An, Lu Chongyuan did not try to cover up for him at all.
Apart from the twenty years of disaster relief in the south that they had known about before, there was also how they later framed King Cheng and how they instigated the aristocratic families to join forces against the He family.
Almost all of the charges against the He family were framed, and the reason why Prince Li's temperament changed drastically was because he was drugged by Emperor An and the people from the aristocratic families.
That medicine can make people angry, damage their bones and make them weak.
Xiao Yan didn't find it strange to see these things. After all, he had seen his father's temperament change drastically. Later, after asking Madam Qin, he learned that there were indeed drugs that could make people do that.
But when Xiao Yan continued to read, his expression froze.
But I saw Lu Chongyuan writing.
"The Eastern Palace burned down, and the walls collapsed. Xie Tianyong feared the drugging would be exposed, so he tried to cover up any traces. However, the men he sent discovered something the size of a bullet stuck between the collapsed brick walls and the bed. The areas not burned by the fire were sealed with medicinal wax."
"Xie Tianyong ordered someone to take it out and hand it over to the Lu family doctor for examination. After reading ancient books, he learned that it was called Zuimeng Powder. Its strength can cause hallucinations, loss of sanity, and a state of madness."
"Xie Tianyong and I suspected this item was the work of the late emperor. We tested it a few times, and the late emperor was shocked. He tried to silence the witness but failed, and ended up hurting the witness himself. He was forced to stay on his sickbed, and Xie used this opportunity to gain the throne..."
Lu Chongyuan didn't write much, just a few sentences, but they made people feel cold.
Xiao Yan tightened his grip a little bit, and raised the corners of his mouth in a mocking manner.
"I just find it strange. When the late emperor forced my father to death and destroyed the He family, he should have been at his most proud."
"Before the incident at the Eastern Palace, he was in good health and had never shown any symptoms. How could he have passed away so suddenly after his father's death? It turned out that someone had something on him and put him in the hands of the Lu family and Xie Tianyong."
He brought disaster upon himself and even blamed his father for his serious illness. He only told outsiders that it was because the Crown Prince had committed treason and had no father or king, and he was so sad that he fell seriously ill. Even his subsequent death made his already notorious father bear the crime of being unfilial and unbrotherly by angering his biological father to death.
Drunken Dreams...
The last time the Eastern Palace was renovated was before the Crown Prince's wedding. To show his appreciation and love for the palace, the late Emperor personally ordered its reconstruction despite the Crown Prince's objections, more than doubling the size of the original palace. Even the carvings of dragons and phoenixes on the beams were personally designed by the late Emperor, who then ordered them to be carved and placed in the Crown Prince's bedroom.
When Xiao Yan was young, he heard his father mention this matter more than once. Even when his father later had a dispute with the late emperor and the two had different political views, and his father noticed that the late emperor was not as close to him as before, he would still tell the young Xiao Yan.
The late emperor cared about him and loved him like an ordinary father.
Xiao Yan squeezed the thing in his hand tightly, thinking of the past, and the veins on his neck bulged.
Tang Ning looked at the gloomy eyes of the person next to him and put his hand on his.
"Brother..."
There was a slight tear in Xiao Yan's eyes. He couldn't help but hold Tang Ning's hand and pull her into his arms, hugging her tightly with a tense voice.
"Father, he's not worth it."
He had the ability to destroy the previous emperor and to save himself. In the end, when he went mad and violent, he could have dragged the Wei Dynasty to be buried with him, but he didn't.
He could have survived, could have escaped the fire, could have escaped that ridiculous treason.
But he never took that step until his death.
Xiao Yan's eyes were filled with hostility as his body tensed up. He wished he could destroy everything he wanted to protect until his death!
Tang Ning's bones ached when he held her tightly, but she did not struggle. She just put her arms around him and stroked his back again and again.
Her voice was soft but firm.
"The late emperor resented the fact that the Crown Prince was favored by the Grand Ancestor and resented his popularity among the court officials and the people. Back then, the Crown Prince was like the rising sun and the bright moon, while the late emperor could only hide in the dark, timid and cowardly, like a rat."
"The late emperor could never compare to the crown prince. Even if he tried every possible means to destroy him, countless people in this world would still remember the crown prince. The late emperor spent his entire life in despicable and insignificant ways, only to have Xie Tianyong snatch the throne from him."
"No one in the Wei court will remember the late emperor. Even if they do, he's just the father of the Crown Prince. Brother, this is his retribution."
Tang Ning put her arm around his waist, and the firmness in her voice gradually calmed the hostility in Xiao Yan's body, and the madness of wanting to destroy everything in front of him at all costs also slowly faded away.
He relaxed his grip a little, and buried his head in Tang Ning's neck with red eyes.
"I will never be like my father, never!"
He would rather destroy everything that belongs to him than let anyone else get their hands on it!
CWTGD Chapter 458 - An Di is suspicious
"Your Majesty, Lu Chongyuan is dead. I, your humble servant, have personally examined his body and confirmed that he died of a severe poisoning. He died instantly."
Emperor An sat on a low jade couch with his shirt open, a freshly used bowl of ice next to him. The autumn night was already chilly, but he was wearing thin clothes and walking barefoot on the ground.
"Did Xiao Yan ask him anything?"
"It only mentioned Lu Jiuan and Pingshan Wang."
Liu Tong'en, who was standing in the hall, was over forty years old. He had a pair of eyes that were particularly sharp, which was different from his appearance, on his honest and simple face. He lowered his head when he heard Emperor An's question.
"Lu Chongyuan mentioned what happened that night, still insisting it was a plot. However, Governor Xiao simply said he had been recuperating in the capital and had never left Jiyun Lane. It was Lu Chongyuan's overthinking that had trapped him. Furious and embarrassed, Lu Chongyuan brought up his past with Your Majesty and nearly revealed the Crown Prince, but was stopped by my humble men."
Emperor An's expression changed instantly: "Did Xiao Yan hear that?"
"No, but..." Liu Tong'en raised his eyes: "Superintendent Xiao must have noticed something, so he didn't question Lu Chongyuan too deeply. When Lu Chongyuan took the poison, Superintendent Xiao didn't stop him. He just watched him die and left."
Emperor An's expression softened upon hearing this: "Xiao Yan has always been a smart man."
Liu Tongen did not disagree with this, he just hesitated and said:
"Your Majesty, you previously asked me to investigate the Lu family's affairs. There's nothing strange about them. The Lu family did intentionally conceal the matter of Prince Cheng, and even Lu Yin's biological father was silenced by Lu Chongyuan. However, there is one thing I feel is a little off. Before the Lu family's incident, Lu Yin had met with Princess Xiangning."
"Song Tangning?"
"yes."
Liu Tong'en said, "Lu Chongyuan was very cautious. Lu Yinsheng's parents had been silenced long ago. After returning to the Lu family, he had been very quiet until he met Princess Xiangning. After returning to the Lu family, he began to secretly investigate the affairs of Guan and Prince Cheng."
"With Lu Chongyuan's methods, it's impossible for Lu Yin to hide the old events from him, unless someone is secretly helping to cover it up."
Emperor An stroked the ring in his hand with a somewhat cold expression, while Liu Tongen continued.
"There's one more thing. Regarding Madam Zhao, Zhao Yuanlang has already admitted to murdering the Fourth Prince's wife and blaming Governor Xiao. He also admitted to colluding with Lu Chongyuan. However, he has always said that he never sent anyone to hunt Madam Zhao down, nor did he poison her."
"Before he died, Lu Chongyuan insisted that Governor Xiao had left the capital, saying that he burned the Forbidden Palace and committed a grave mistake by sending people to break into Jiyun Lane in order to expose this matter. Although Governor Xiao never admitted it, I still feel that this matter is a bit strange."
Emperor An raised his eyes to look at Liu Tong'en: "Do you suspect Xiao Yan left the capital without permission?"
Liu Tong'en frowned. "I just think that with Lu Chongyuan's mind, if he hadn't really noticed something, he would never dare to take such a risk. And Yue Fengcheng, he has always said that when he led his men into Heli Hall that night, Princess Xiangning looked panicked, and even the attendants around Governor Xiao behaved strangely."
"Yue Fengcheng was the one sent by His Majesty to be with Xiao Yan. If he hadn't discovered something, he wouldn't have dared to send someone to do it even if Lu Chongyuan promised him a huge reward."
If Xiao Yan had not used himself as bait that day and set up a trap to plot against Lu Chongyuan, Yue Fengcheng and the others, then Lu Chongyuan must have really discovered that Xiao Yan was not in the capital and wanted to kill Xiao Yan for deceiving the emperor.
Where did Xiao Yan go during that time?
How did Lu Chongyuan discover it?
Xiao Yan, while recuperating from his injuries, secretly left the capital. What was he trying to hide from His Majesty? And since Lu Chongyuan was suspicious, why didn't he just inform His Majesty directly, or perhaps make a public announcement about the matter? He wasn't the only one in the court who disliked Xiao Yan; there were many who wanted to take advantage of his misfortune.
Lu Chongyuan could have used their strength to take action, so why did he go to such lengths as burning down the Forbidden Palace to create an assassination plot to lure away the capital patrol and the Black Armor Guards, and even send people to Jiyun Lane himself?
What is Lu Chongyuan afraid of? What is he wary of?
Liu Tong'en always felt that this matter was covered by a veil. The truth seemed to be right in front of him, but he couldn't see clearly through the veil. However, he subconsciously felt that the strangeness was in Xiao Yan, and even in the Xiangning County Princess Song Tangning.
The Lu family's defeat was too quick and too strange.
When Emperor An heard what Liu Tong'en said, his face darkened.
He was suspicious by nature, and although he hated Lu Chongyuan, he had "worked" with him for many years and knew Lu Chongyuan's abilities too well. He had been furious about the peace deception between King Cheng and Lu Qingfeng before, but now that he had calmed down, he realized that something was wrong.
Xiao Yan...
Is he really hiding something?
"Have someone keep an eye on Jiyun Lane, and you go and interrogate Jiang Ji yourself."
That day, Jiang Ji followed Feng Lai to Jiyun Lane to "examine" Xiao Yan. If Xiao Yan had really left Beijing, where did the so-called "serious injury" that Jiang Ji diagnosed at that time come from?
And Feng Lai.
Feng Lai had personally met and spoken with Xiao Yan. If Jiang Ji was lying, what about Feng Lai? Did this eunuch know about it, or was he involved?
Emperor An paused when he thought of Feng Lai, his expression growing even colder. "When you leave, mention this to Feng Lai."
Liu Tong'en was stunned for a moment, then he understood what Emperor An meant: "I understand."
…
Eunuch Feng stood outside the palace holding a whisk, looking up at the bright moon in the sky, which was already round. He thought that the Mid-Autumn Festival was only three days away, but His Majesty had not mentioned the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet yet.
The Grand Empress Dowager left the palace, the Queen Mother fell ill, and the Queen was deposed and "burned herself to death."
Although there are other concubines in the harem, no one dared to take on this task without His Majesty's permission. Furthermore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is only three days away, and with so many incidents happening in the palace lately and countless deaths, His Majesty might not want to hold the palace banquet this year...
"Squeak."
The palace door opened, and Eunuch Feng quickly stood up and turned around, only to see Liu Tong'en walking out.
"Commander Liu."
"Eunuch Feng."
The two of them greeted each other, and Liu Tongen said honestly, "It's really hard for you to stay here so late, father-in-law."
"How can it be hard or not to serve His Majesty? It's Commander Liu who comes to the palace so late. Is there any important matter with the Imperial Guards?" asked Eunuch Feng.
Liu Tong'en said, "It's not about the Imperial Guards, but I have some other troubles. His Majesty asked me to go to the Imperial Medical Bureau tomorrow, but I'm not very familiar with that place."
Eunuch Feng was puzzled: "Imperial Medical Bureau?"
"Your Majesty has something for me to ask Doctor Jiang."
After Liu Tong'en finished speaking casually, he turned to Eunuch Feng and said, "It's almost midnight. I have to hurry to the Forbidden Garden. Deputy Commander Yu's injuries haven't healed yet, so I have to take his place and lead his men on guard duty for a few days."
"There have been too many disturbances in the palace recently. If we cause any more trouble, His Majesty will not forgive us."
Eunuch Feng smiled and said, "Then Commander Liu, please go ahead. I, your servant, must also go in and serve His Majesty."
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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