Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 288: He Even Doesn’t Spare His Wife and Child

Chapter 288: Chapter 288: He Even Doesn’t Spare His Wife and Child

The Yun family’s incident swiftly "reached" the Emperor’s ears.

The Emperor became furious and commanded the Ministry of Punishment and the Dali Temple to investigate closely. If the situation proved to be mere rumors, justice would be restored to Duke Uncle Yun; but if it was not rumors, then relatives of the royal family who broke the law must be punished just as commoners are!

The common people applauded, believing the Emperor’s actions to be extremely fair and just, not shielding his royal relatives from the law.

One must know, that Duke Uncle Yun was none other than the Empress’s own elder brother.

What was unexpected was that upon digging in the back courtyard of the Yun residence, skeletons were indeed unearthed, all female. Digging for the entire morning, a total of thirteen skeletons were found. The coroner determined that the oldest had been dead for over twenty years, and the most recent one had been buried just three or four months prior, with a strong stench of decay still noticeable upon exhumation.

The government officials saw the Yun Residence’s flowers not only bloomed earlier than elsewhere, but were also exceedingly vibrant; the trees lush. Little did they expect that beneath such a beautiful and colorful exterior lay such wickedness.

As the skeletons were carried out of the Yun Residence, the common people’s fury soared, while every member of the Yun family went weak at the knees, trembling as they witnessed the scene, until each and every one of them was taken away by the soldiers.

The reason being to prevent the Yun family from tampering with the evidence.

The Yun family had been arrogant and domineering for many years in Capital City, as one of the foremost noble families, never short of bullying men and women. It is only in the past year that they had restrained themselves somewhat, but they had never before seen such a display.

Moreover, the Second Prince’s condition was dire, alternating between highs and lows of fever over the last half-month, sometimes delirious, in no state to manage the Yun family’s affairs.

Thinking this, every member of the Yun family felt a profound sadness and could only hope that the Empress would plead on behalf of the Yun family.

However, in a case such as this, even if the Empress desired to speak out, the unfolding events no longer allowed her to intervene.

The women who had been forcefully brought to Duke Uncle Yun’s backyard, one by one revealed his crimes.

Their families destroyed, some who had given birth, their children had been smothered or burned to death. These women endured and lived solely for the day they could expose Duke Uncle Yun and seek vengeance for their families.

They had no power to kill Duke Uncle Yun, for those who wished to had all become fertilizer for the garden in the back. They did not want to die yet, not wishing to perish before Duke Uncle Yun, but to watch him fall into ruin and meet an inglorious end.

Inside the yamen, the mournful cries of these women weighed heavily on the hearts of all present.

Minister of the Dali Temple Sikong Fu shook his head in sorrow while his student and subordinate, Vice Chancellor of the Dali Temple Su Yuting, furrowed his brow, his lips tightly pursed.

The Minister of Punishment Jia Shibai, originally from the Second Prince’s faction, now kept his mouth tightly shut, not uttering a single word.

Who among them did not know that the Emperor, with ulterior motives, wished to eliminate the Yun family? Otherwise, how could the man wielding the kitchen knife have so coincidentally been saved by the Bureau of Military Affairs? If not for that, the Yun Residence’s wicked servants would have long since taken the chance to kill him and leave no witness to the act.

Jia Shibai had already pledged allegiance to the Third Prince; after all, the Second Prince had lost part of his leg and could hardly be considered normal, whereas the Third Prince, despite burns, could conceal them with clothing without affecting his appearance. Besides, the Third Prince was the Emperor’s most beloved son.

Now that disaster had struck the Yun family, the Empress too would inevitably be implicated.

Even if she were able to maintain her position, the Empress would no longer have the strong support of the Yun family.

With the incident of the Yun family as the starting point, the decline of the Second Prince was inevitable.

Henceforth, any minister who petitioned for the Second Prince to be installed as Crown Prince on the grounds of being the Principal Consort’s legitimate son would face not only the issue of his disability, but also the stain of his maternal family, the Yun family, as the greatest blemish on the Second Prince.

As the case continued to be examined, Jia Shibai’s defection to the Third Prince’s side provided an opportune moment to present his credentials. He could use this chance to unearth all of the Yun family’s misdeeds, large and small, ensuring the complete and irreversible downfall of the Yun clan.

...

Within Prince Xiu’s Mansion of the Second Prince, the women of the inner quarters gathered together, discussing the affairs of the Yun family.

Of course, Princess Consort Yun Weiwei and the ostracized Murong Man were not present.

Weiwei is a member of the Yun Family and had often returned to the Yun Residence, maintaining a close relationship with them; naturally, they did not dare to discuss this matter in front of Weiwei.

These women wore looks of concern, their hearts filled with anxiety.

The Second Prince had been bitten by a venomous snake and had half his leg amputated; this was a massive and grievous blow to Prince Xiu’s Mansion, and they all understood what it meant.

The Third Prince’s leg had not yet been amputated, and the Emperor had already taken him into the Central Palace, instructing the Imperial Physicians to provide meticulous care every day.

Ever since the accident befell the Second Prince, only a few Imperial Physicians had been called at the beginning. Later, none could be summoned, claiming that Consort Jing was ill and all Imperial Physicians were attending to her - it was clear that it was the Emperor’s doing.

Now that such a big incident had happened to the Yun Family, it was uncertain whether Prince Xiu’s Mansion would suffer any repercussions.

In the past, for the sake of winning favor, they had been fierce rivals, but now, for once, they could sit together amicably.

However, they also did not dare to discuss for too long. The Second Prince was erratic in his moods, and any slight misstep could provoke his displeasure. Just like Murong Dan, who, having been forced to kneel as punishment, developed a chronic knee condition from the cold and was also fallen out of favor with the prince. He had not summoned her again since.

Yet the Second Prince still came to know of this affair because Weiwei had secretly instructed her servants to mention it; in his rage, he ordered their family-disciplined punishment, slapping each mouth fifty times and placing them under confinement.

"Concubine, now that His Highness is disheartened, and other women have been disliked, the Principal Consort is a member of the Yun Family and dares not show her face; your presence at this time will surely regain His Highness’s favor," someone advised.

In a secluded courtyard, Guard Shi spoke with a hint of bitterness to Murong Man.

Murong Man seemed not to notice the expression on his face, and, with a light laugh, said, "With the Yun Family’s mishap, His Highness is in distress; whoever appears before him will displease him. One must wait for his temper to cool first. It’ll take a few more days. I’ll have to trouble Brother Shi to pay more attention to the situation there."

Guard Shi promptly replied, "It’s no trouble; it’s my duty to do so."

Murong Man responded by pouring him a cup of hot tea with a smile.

Guard Shi held the cup in his hands, finding the tea bitter to the extreme.

After some thought, he cautiously said, "Concubine, given His Highness’s current predicament, it seems unlikely he will ascend to the grand ceremony. Perhaps you should seek another way out?"

Murong Man responded with a wry smile, "How can I seek another way out? I am the duly recognized Concubine of Prince Xiu, I belong to Prince Xiu’s Mansion for life; we share glory and disaster together. Moreover, my heart is pleased with His Highness, and I wish to share in his fortunes and misfortunes."

Guard Shi accidentally spilled the tea on his hand, but felt no burning sensation, just an extreme coldness within.

Murong Man lowered her head, pulling a cold smile that Guard Shi couldn’t see.

The matter with the Yun Family was tumultuous, and after a full ten days of investigation, the evidence of the Yun Family’s crimes was finally laid out.

Murong Jiu heard that the evidence filled dozens of volumes, and several brushes had broken in the process of writing them.

Just the reading of the charges took more than half a Shichen.

What surprised her most was that Duke Uncle Yun had been misbehaving since his youth, with the number of women who died at his hands reaching well over a hundred.

Even his principal wife had not died by accident, but was drowned in a lake by him after she discovered his deeds and tried to free the pitiful women, resulting in two deaths from one corpse.

Moreover, there was another matter that was even more outrageous and involved the Empress!