Cao Dejiang’s words were nothing short of ruthless, hitting the mark and cornering Emperor An.
All eyes in the hall were on him, even the imperial clan members frowning with unreadable expressions.
Twenty years ago, during the southern relief effort, Emperor An was sent by imperial decree to clean up the mess left by Prince Li, and it was from that time that his “close” relationship with the Lu family began…
Emperor An felt his scalp prickle under everyone’s gazes. For the first time, he found Cao Dejiang more ruthless than Liang Guangyi. If he even hinted at reluctance now, he’d be branded as guilty, inviting suspicion and making himself a target.
He shot a venomous glance at Xiao Yan, his intent to kill solidified. When he looked at Duke Zeng, the faint affection he felt earlier for his son’s “help” vanished, replaced by regret that he hadn’t beaten this rebellious son to death that day.
“Lord Cao is right. Duke Zeng, continue,” Emperor An said through gritted teeth. “This concerns the lives of dozens of officials. Think carefully and speak clearly. If you err or omit anything, I won’t spare you!”
Duke Zeng’s heart trembled. He understood the threat in Emperor An’s words and the unmasked killing intent in his tone. But he knew even more clearly that, while he might have had a way out before speaking, he was now irrevocably tied to Xiao Yan.
There was no turning back.
One step back, Xiao Yan would die, and so would he.
The abyss of retribution would swallow him whole, leaving not even bones. Even if he retreated, his father wouldn’t spare him.
Duke Zeng was ambitious by nature. Glancing at Xiao Yan’s impassive expression nearby, his momentary panic steadied. When he looked up, his face showed no trace of fear.
“Your son will report everything clearly to Father and let the truth be known to the world.”
Emperor An’s hand shook, causing Eunuch Feng, whom he gripped, to wince in pain.
Duke Zeng stood before the hall and spoke gravely, “After learning that the officials’ gruesome deaths were all tied to the relief effort twenty years ago, I sensed something was amiss. At that moment, another rumor surfaced, pushing the matter into the public eye.”
“It’s said that after the relief ship carrying funds and grain was sunk, the wife of the coroner who examined the bodies of the hundred-plus soldiers who drowned with the ship went mad upon hearing of the recent officials’ deaths, raving daily about vengeful ghosts.”
“Fearing his mother would be scared to death, and gripped by his own fear, the coroner’s son took her to a Buddhist temple to repent. Before the Buddha, he confessed that the hundred-plus soldiers on the sunken ship were already dead before the ship sank, and his father, bribed, had falsified the autopsy.”
“He said his father discovered the ship’s sinking was deliberate, and the missing relief funds were likely stolen. He initially played along, planning to report it to Prince Li and Lord He Wenzhuo of the He family, who were overseeing the southern relief. But before he could, riots broke out in the three regions of Shezhou.”
Duke Zeng’s voice wasn’t loud, but it struck the hall like thunder.
Every word, every sentence, made faces pale.
“The blame for the ship’s sinking fell on the He family and Prince Li. Rumors spread that the court cared nothing for the southern people’s lives. With the death toll rising after the flood and the court unable to provide a second relief fund, Prince Li was summoned back to the capital by the late Emperor.”
“Before leaving, with a plague breaking out in Rongjiang within Shezhou, Prince Li didn’t dare entrust the matter to others. He left Lord He of the He family to oversee Rongjiang while he returned to the capital to secure funds and dispatch imperial physicians. But shortly after the physicians arrived, Rongjiang was flooded, leaving no survivors.”
At the mention of “Rongjiang,” Emperor An’s face turned grim.
Eunuch Feng, standing beside him, could feel his breathing grow heavy.
Below, Grand Tutor Liang clenched his fists, wanting to interrupt Duke Zeng but finding no pretext to do so.
Duke Zeng continued gravely, “Afterward, everyone assumed Rongjiang, located at the river’s mouth, was flooded due to a breached dam after the initial flood. But the coroner’s son said his father saw southern relief soldiers surround Rongjiang, throw torches into the city, and burn it to the ground.”
“The flames lit up Rongjiang’s night sky. Screams echoed through the surrounding hills. People battered the city gates to escape, but soldiers blocked every exit until the fire consumed everything, and the screams died out.”
The hall erupted in an uproar, faces filled with horror.
Marquis Wenxin slammed the table, roaring, “What did you say? Someone burned Rongjiang and killed everyone inside?”
“Yes!”
Duke Zeng’s face was heavy with grief. “The coroner saw Rongjiang burned. Afterward, someone opened the upstream dam, letting floodwaters destroy the city, washing away the fire’s traces and the bodies. Soldiers cleaned the city, leaving no evidence.”
“After fleeing, the coroner never dared mention the ship again. When those who bribed him sent a large sum of money, he took it in fear, pretending to collude, and lived as a wealthy man, claiming ignorance.”
“Seeing his greed, and with Lord He dying in Rongjiang and Prince Li sending investigators, they spared him to avoid complications. But the coroner’s conscience gnawed at him. Haunted by that night, he fell ill and died within five years.”
“Before his death, he told his wife and son, both out of guilt and to protect them if the truth surfaced. The son kept it secret until the recent deaths in Shezhou, including Shezhou Sima Lou Yong’an, who was responsible for retrieving the bodies and bribing the coroner to falsify the autopsy.”
“The coroner’s wife went mad with fear, and the son, terrified, went to the temple to repent.”
Duke Zeng glanced at the varied expressions of the courtiers, meeting the furious gazes of Marquis Wenxin and other martial officials, and said softly, “Temples are frequented by women, and with the deaths in Shezhou, Langzhou, and Raozhou, along with talk of ghosts, more people went to pray for safety.”
“When the coroner’s son took his mother to repent, someone overheard him mention the burning of Rongjiang and the massacre, as well as the murder of relief soldiers, the sinking of the ship, and the theft of a million in relief funds.”
“Now, not just Shezhou, Langzhou, and Raozhou, but other regions are rife with rumors.”
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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