NFBE Chapter 244 Princess Consort of Xiang
Chapter 244 Princess Consort of Xiang
In fact, it was someone arranged by Prince Chen who "coincidentally" presented the collected evidence, including witnesses and physical evidence related to Wang Xunzhen's abduction of women and destruction of dikes, to Yan Lin.
Yan Lin was so shocked by these appalling facts that he didn't even bother to investigate why the evidence was found so easily.
Although he did not delve into the reasons behind it, he still sent people to carefully investigate and finally confirmed that all the relevant witnesses and physical evidence were conclusive.
He never expected that such dark, sinister, and heinous things were hidden in the seemingly peaceful Xiaozhou.
Unexpectedly, the Mongol and Li people of Yuanbei River have been living such a difficult life in recent years because of Wang Xunzhen.
Wang Xunzhen has practically become the local tyrant of Xiaozhou! He acts recklessly and lawlessly!
Yan Lin knew that this matter was of great importance, so he immediately decided not to proceed according to the original plan.
He sent men back to the capital at top speed to report the truth of his investigation to Emperor Wenjing, while he himself secretly infiltrated the Xiaozhou Prefectural Governor's residence and arrested Wang Xunzhen and his entourage who were enjoying themselves.
At that time, Wang Xunzhen and his group of cronies found several beautiful and charming women and indulged in pleasure in the mansion. They were all immersed in this debauched atmosphere and made all sorts of ugly mistakes.
When Yan Lin burst in, the group was enjoying themselves with a woman in front of everyone...
Even though Yan Lin was on duty deep within the palace, he was still quite shocked by this scene.
Before Wang Xunzhen and his group could even pull up their pants, they were tied up by Yan Lin's men.
Wang Xunzhen was instantly sober, his eyes were bloodshot, as if they were about to spew fire.
He glared at Yan Lin and roared:
"Who dares to be so insolent? What audacity! Do you know who stands behind me? If you dare to lay a finger on me, I will make sure you suffer a terrible death, leaving you with no place to bury your body!"
Yan Lin stared at him coldly, as if looking at a dying man. "Whether I will suffer a terrible death is still unknown, but you..."
His voice was low and cold, "Wang Xunzhen, this time, the entire Wang family will suffer because of you."
These words struck Wang Xunzhen like a thunderbolt, leaving him completely stunned.
Even after Yan Lin ordered his men to escort Wang Xunzhen and his party out of the prefect's mansion, Wang Xunzhen remained in a daze.
News of what happened in Xiaozhou reached Shengjing early the next morning.
Yan Lin's letter was sent to Shengjing by express courier. He harbored a selfish motive, wanting to avenge the innocent Mongol-Li people who had suffered so much. Just like when the post station messenger reported the Mongol-Li people's rebellion, he spared no effort in spreading the news along the way.
Therefore, as soon as the news reached Shengjing, almost everyone knew about it.
The reason why the Mongol people rebelled was because they had suffered a great injustice.
Moreover, since the Mengli people declared their rebellion, they have only clashed with the troops of Xiaozhou Prefecture and have not committed any other extreme acts.
It's not accurate to say that the Mongol-Li people rebelled; these Mongol-Li people from the Yuanbei River were seeking revenge against Wang Xunzhen, the prefect of Xiaozhou, and his entourage.
"Have you heard? Wang Xunzhen, the brother-in-law of the Prince of Xiang, is doing all sorts of evil in Xiaozhou because he is the Prince of Xiang's brother-in-law. He even acts like the local tyrant of Xiaozhou, and anyone who does not comply with his wishes is dealt with by him."
"He's just a mere prefect, yet he's so arrogant and rampant. There must be someone behind him protecting him and covering up his crimes."
Almost everyone who knew about this matter believed that Wang Xun's arrogance was inseparable from the Prince of Xiang in Shengjing.
Perhaps, King Xiang is still cleaning up his messes.
After all, Wang Xunzhen had caused quite a few troubles in the two years before he left the capital, and it was the Prince of Xiang who stepped in to resolve them for him.
Who would believe that King Xiang knew nothing about this?
The atmosphere inside the Imperial Study was as oppressive as the calm before a storm.
King Xiang, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, had lost his usual dashing demeanor. He knelt on both knees, and his fair and delicate forehead bled from repeated kowtows.
"Father! Your son is truly wronged!" The Prince of Xiang cried out in grief, tears streaming down his face. "Although Wang Xunzhen is related to me, I know nothing about what he did in Xiaozhou!"
“When he was in Shengjing, I protected him many times, but only because of our kinship. I only dealt with trivial matters. How could I have imagined that he would commit such an outrageous crime in Xiaozhou?”
Emperor Wenjing sat upright on the majestic dragon throne, his face so gloomy it seemed as if water could drip from it.
He looked down at the kneeling King Xiang, his gaze as cold and unfathomable as a deep pool.
“He wields absolute power in Xiaozhou, acting recklessly and wantonly. Isn’t that because his brother-in-law is you, the dignified Prince of Xiang?”
"You say you know nothing about it, then whose mansion did all those chests of jewelry and gold that Wang Xunzhen sent to Shengjing over the past few years end up in?!"
King Xiang's body jolted violently, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
His lips trembled slightly.
“Father, I only had some normal business dealings with Xiaozhou. I never shielded or condoned his evil deeds. I was deceived by his hypocritical appearance. If I had known his true colors earlier, I would have not hesitated to put justice before family and never tolerated him.”
Emperor Wenjing's gaze grew increasingly cold, and his tone became extremely chilling, "Do you think I'm as easy to fool as a three-year-old child?"
King Xiang had never seen Emperor Wenjing so angry, and in his fear, he kowtowed repeatedly.
"Father, please forgive me! I did accept the money from Wang Xunzhen, but it was because the Princess Consort told me that it was all money Wang Xunzhen earned through his own business skills. Out of gratitude for my past kindness to him, she sent money to him every year as a token of her filial piety towards her brother-in-law!"
"Your subject truly had no idea that this silver was actually the blood and sweat of the people that Wang Xunzhen had plundered!"
"Princess Consort of Xiang..." Emperor Wenjing's forehead veins bulged as he coldly ordered, "Xu Haifu, summon Princess Consort of Xiang to the palace!"
When Xu Haifu led his men to "invite" the Princess Consort of Xiang, he had just gotten off the carriage when he saw the Princess Consort of Xiang standing outside the gate of the mansion.
Princess Wang, the wife of the Prince of Xiang, was around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. She had a gentle face and peaceful eyes.
She was dressed in a magnificent noblewoman's gown, the hem of which fluttered gently in the wind. Her hair was meticulously styled, and the jewels in her hair swayed slightly with her movements, making a crisp sound.
However, upon closer inspection, one can see that although she is not yet thirty years old, her face already shows signs of weariness from years of experience.
The weariness was like a thin layer of haze, hanging over her face.
Upon seeing Xu Haifu arrive, she stepped forward gracefully, curtsied, and asked softly, "Eunuch Xu, are you here to take me into the palace?"