novelraw Chapter 414
Chapter 414
The imperial eunuch was so terrified that his soul seemed to leave his body. It took him a long time to squeeze out a "yes."
Yan Zheng's eyes were cold and ruthless. No wonder she came and left so quickly; these filthy tricks had actually been paraded right in front of her!
"Yin Shun, go and handle this matter. I shouldn't need to teach you what to do, should I?"
Yin Shun bowed and complied. Turning around, he immediately led his men to apprehend the Director of the Palace Prison.
Under intense interrogation, the Director confessed that it was the Minister of War who had ordered him to do so.
"Pei Ji?"
Yan Zheng's gaze turned icy. He initially wanted to order the man's head chopped off and sent back, but remembering that Ayan was still pregnant, he said, "Give him thirty strokes of the cane and send him back. I believe Pei Ji will understand my meaning."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
That very day, several men were beaten until their skin split and their flesh tore, leaving them on the verge of death. When they were carried into the Pei Manor, the entire Pei household was given a terrible fright.
Pei Ji listened to his subordinates' reports with a gloomy face. He looked up at Yin Shun, who was standing opposite him with a smiling face, and forced himself to cup his hands in a salute. "Please report to His Majesty, Eunuch Yin, that the Emperor and Empress share a deep love, and I, Pei Ji... have learned my lesson!"
Yin Shun bowed slightly before returning to the palace, where he relayed the message word for word to the Emperor.
Inside the Kunning Palace.
Yan Zheng said innocently, "Ayan, you heard it all. This was Pei Ji's doing. I truly knew absolutely nothing about it!"
Chu Ruoyan leaned against the soft pillows. A wave of nausea hit her chest, and she quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief, dry heaving a couple of times.
Yan Zheng hurriedly supported her, letting her lean against him, and gently patted her back. "Are you feeling very unwell? Should I summon Chief Physician Zhang?"
Chu Ruoyan shook her head weakly. "No... it's just some morning sickness. It's nothing serious."
Seeing her like this made Yan Zheng's heart ache. He narrowed his eyes and stared at her belly for a moment, then said coldly, "You little things, if you dare to torment your mother again, just wait and see how I deal with you after you come out!"
Chu Ruoyan couldn't help but laugh, asking how he could hold a grudge against unborn children.
But who knows if the babies actually heard him; she truly didn't feel nauseous anymore.
Yan Zheng held her hand. "Ayan, just this once. I will never let you suffer like this again."
The young lady smiled and looked up at him. "But what if they are two sons? Don't you want a daughter?"
"No." The man's attitude was very resolute. "If you want one, we'll let Little Sixth have a child and we can adopt one to raise."
His reaction finally allowed Yulu and Nanny Zhou to completely set their minds at ease.
It seemed that the rumors about maternal relatives interfering in politics truly didn't originate from him.
Nanny Zhou coughed and said, "Your Majesty, Her Ladyship is pregnant and needs more rest..."
Yan Zheng understood immediately. He carefully helped her lie down and kissed her forehead. "Ayan, you rest first. Don't worry about anything else; I will solve it."
Chu Ruoyan smiled and said alright. She believed he would solve it.
Coming out of the Kunning Palace, Yan Zheng's face turned icy. "Nanny Zhou, speak. What was the matter Ayan came to see me about earlier?"
Nanny Zhou glanced at Meng Yang before revealing the rumors about the Chu family's overwhelming power and the potential for maternal relatives to monopolize authority. "Moreover, according to Yin Li's investigation, the source of these rumors seems to be... Guard Meng."
"What?! Me?!"
Disaster having fallen from the sky, Meng Yang pointed at his own nose and jumped three feet into the air. "Which bastard dares to throw dirty water on me? The imperial guards have been too busy to even breathe these days; who has the free time to spout such nonsense? Your Majesty! Your subordinate wishes to investigate this personally!"
Yan Zheng nodded, and Meng Yang immediately dashed off like a gust of wind.
Unfortunately, as fiercely and proudly as he had left, he returned looking incredibly dejected.
"Your Majesty... your subordinate is incompetent. All the witnesses have been silenced, and I truly cannot find anything out!" After saying this, he suddenly thought of something, and his eyes lit up. "Right, Your Majesty! Since that's the case, then your subordinate is a suspect! Shouldn't I be thrown into prison first? Then the matters with the imperial guards can just..."
Before he could finish, Yan Zheng shot him a light, sidelong glance. "When did I ever say you were a suspect?"
Meng Yang's head drooped instantly. He was truly going crazy from being so busy; he would rather sit in prison than clean up the mess of the imperial guards!
Old Xu looked at him teasingly. Who told a certain someone to insist, when they first entered the capital, that he couldn't trust anyone else with the palace's defense and absolutely had to take charge of it himself?
However, seeing his colleague suffer, he stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty, in truth, it doesn't matter if we can't investigate it. There are only a few people who could be pulling the strings behind the scenes anyway. What do you think?"
The corners of Yan Zheng's lips curled up. "Indeed. The only ones with the courage and ability to do this, besides Pei Ji, is Ayan's cousin."
Old Xu nodded. "It's true that Lord Pei is intent on adding people to this inner palace, but sowing discord between the Emperor and Empress, undermining imperial power, and possibly even ruining this empire—he shouldn't be capable of going that far."
Yan Zheng gave a slight nod.
In that case, there was only one person left.
Yun Zihao, the Heir of the Prince of Jin.
This person was like a venomous snake, always hiding in the shadows. He had previously ordered Cao Yang to conduct a thorough search of the capital, but unfortunately, they still couldn't drag him out!
"To be able to kill someone in the palace without anyone noticing, I'm afraid he still has spies here..." Before he could finish, Yin Shun rushed in hurriedly. "Your Majesty, the Duke of Chu has arrived!"
In the Imperial Study.
When Chu Huaishan saw him, he bowed his head to pay his respects, but Yan Zheng caught him by the arm. "Father-in-law, I have said before, there is no need for such formalities in private."
In the past, Chu Huaishan would have definitely insisted, but today he took the opportunity to stand straight. "Your Majesty, then this old subject will speak frankly. This old subject... wishes to resign from his post."
Yan Zheng furrowed his brows, his expression darkening. "Has Father-in-law heard some idle gossip?"
Chu Huaishan shook his head. "Your Majesty, actually, this old subject has had this intention for a long time. I merely wanted to wait until Yan'er gave birth before leaving, but now, I fear I cannot wait that long."
The rumors of maternal relatives interfering in politics were not only spreading within the palace.
In just two or three days, they had also caused an uproar among the common people.
Some said that the Chu family was a case of when one man attains enlightenment, even his dogs and poultry ascend to heaven. Others said that the future empire would not be surnamed Yan, but Chu...
Every word was a vicious attack meant to destroy one's heart. Even Cao Yang's side was affected, and quite a few officials had already begun secretly offering tokens of allegiance.
After Yan Zheng listened to him finish, he only asked one question: "Father-in-law, you should be clear about my feelings for Ayan."
Chu Huaishan let out a bitter laugh and took half a step back. "It is exactly because this old subject is clear about it that I cannot let these rumors destroy the two of you. If the Emperor and Empress are at odds, the hearts of the people will be unstable. If the court is forced to divide into two factions and the officials take sides, it will be another storm of blood and violence. Your Majesty, this old subject is getting old and wishes to go home to accompany Roumin. I would like to take this opportunity to beg Your Majesty to grant this request!"
Having spoken, he bowed deeply.
Yan Zheng's expression gradually turned solemn. He clasped his hands and bowed all the way to the ground. "Thank you, Father-in-law!"
The news of Chu Huaishan's resignation still reached the Kunning Palace at the very first moment.
Chu Ruoyan remained silent for a long time before asking just one question: "When is Father leaving?"
Yin Li replied, "The Duke of Chu said that once the imperial decree is issued, he wishes to take Princess Roumin back to Mount Wutai tomorrow for a visit."
Chu Ruoyan nodded and dismissed him. Nanny Zhou asked worriedly, "Your Ladyship, are you alright?"
Chu Ruoyan said in a hoarse voice, "I'm fine. Actually, I knew this day would come sooner or later. Father can never forget the great kindness of the Murong family, and he would leave eventually. I just didn't expect it to be so soon..."