Chapter 47: The Joint Trial by Three Authorities

Cheng Yulin was utterly confused.

What Daoist temple, what Daoist nun, and Cao Heyong? None of these made any sense or had any connection to one another.

Cao Heyong was a dignified and high-ranking minister of the imperial court; how could he possibly be tied to a Daoist nun or a Daoist temple?

Try as he might, Cheng Yulin could not make sense of it, so he had no choice but to ask again, "Have you sent people to go after Lord Cao?"

Qin Fuyu hurriedly replied, "Your subordinate has already sent men." He looked up at the sky. "We should have news coming back by afternoon."

Cheng Yulin nodded. "Were there any discoveries at the estate?"

Qin Fuyu quickly handed over a few sheets of paper with footprint rubbings on them. "These were left by the well in the western compound after the fire was put out. Your subordinate believes that there should be at least one survivor in the estate. And this—" He placed a pried-open screen on the table. "My lord, this screen was found in the rear quarters behind the main house. The screen is hollow on both sides, and the base is also empty. One of the panels was pried open by someone. There should have been something inside previously, but it has already been taken away."

Cheng Yulin pondered aloud, "The person who took the contents from this screen might be the one who set the fire and committed murder, or it could be the survivor."

Qin Fuyu said, "Your subordinate thought the same and has already ordered men to investigate the survivor."

In the afternoon, the atmosphere in the Danning Palace was tense. Everyone inside the hall kept their heads down, holding their breath and calming their minds.

This was the first time Emperor Jing and Empress Dowager Wen met after Gu Qingzhi's suicide.

Unexpectedly, the two neither exchanged harsh words nor resorted to violence; they both appeared quite calm.

"Your Majesty, I wonder who you asked me to come and see?" Empress Dowager Wen took a sip of tea and asked calmly.

Zhao Yizhen leisurely glanced toward the hall doors, a flicker of anxiety flashing deep within his eyes, yet he did not reveal the slightest panic. "Is Mother Empress getting impatient?"

Empress Dowager Wen sat upright. "The Emperor is not even in a hurry about state affairs; what is there for me to be impatient about?"

Empress Dowager Yang gave a light cough. "Elder Sister, Your Majesty, the chilled crystal plums made by the imperial kitchen today are quite good."

Only because of this exchange did Zhao Yizhen and Empress Dowager Yang manage to avoid a direct conflict.

As they were speaking, several Imperial Guards hurried into the hall, bowed, and saluted. "Greetings, Your Majesty, Elder Sister, Junior Sister."

Zhao Yizhen abruptly stood up. "You're back? Have the people been brought back?"

The lead Imperial Guard saluted. "This general has not failed his mission. All the people from the Qianbo Palace have been brought back and are outside the hall."

Hearing this, Empress Dowager Wen's expression suddenly changed.

Empress Dowager Yang anxiously asked, "Your Majesty, what Qianbo Palace? There has never been any Qianbo Palace in the inner court."

With absolute confidence, Zhao Yizhen said, "Empress Dowager Yang, please remain calm and do not be impatient." He raised his eyes and commanded, "There is no need to summon them one by one. Let them all enter together."

Before long, two men and two women walked into the Danning Palace with lowered heads.

Empress Dowager Wen narrowed her eyes sharply and asked, "Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this? Are you holding a joint tribunal?"

Zhao Yizhen's expression grew even calmer. "Mother Empress worries too much. Your son merely wishes to know some things that Mother Empress does not want your son to know."

He slowly swept his gaze across the six people in the hall and said coldly, "State your respective backgrounds."

The people looked at each other for a moment before stepping forward one by one.

"Before this humble servant went to the temporary palace, I was Shichu, a palace maid at the Qianbo Palace."

"Before this humble person went to the imperial tombs, I was Qingzhi, a eunuch in the small kitchen of the Qianbo Palace."

"Before this humble person went to the Imperial Horse Directorate, I was Xiaoyi, a sweeping eunuch at the Qianbo Palace."

"C-Common woman, common woman Qiao Amei, I am a midwife. I live, I live in Kushui Lane. I have sinned! I didn't know anything!"

These four individuals had already been extremely nervous, their mental states stretched to the absolute limit. When the last one, Qiao Amei, suddenly collapsed to the ground and burst into tears, it completely shattered the composure of the other three, who also dropped to their knees and repeatedly begged for mercy.

"Enough! I haven't said I'm going to take your heads yet; you're crying a bit too early!" Zhao Yizhen slammed his hand heavily on the table and asked sternly, "Which master did the three of you serve when you were at the Qianbo Palace?"

Upon hearing this, the three of them cast terrified glances at Empress Dowager Wen.

Empress Dowager Wen remained unhurried and leisurely said, "His Majesty is asking you questions; why are you looking at me?"

Shichu thought for a moment, touched her head to the ground, and said through clenched teeth, "Replying to Your Majesty, this humble servant... this humble servant served the late Emperor's Consort Chen."

"This humble person as well."

"This humble person as well."

The midwife Qiao Amei thought for a moment, touched her head to the ground as well, and said, "This humble woman... this humble woman never served any imperial consorts in the palace."

Zhao Yizhen asked again, "Where did the child born to Consort Chen go?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.

Yuzhong, Shaoyin, and Zhiting exchanged glances, wanting to withdraw but not daring to move.

Though they had known about these matters for a long time, these were still not things they were meant to hear.

The three of them froze for a moment, none daring to look at Empress Dowager Wen again.

Stiffening her scalp, Shichu denied it, "This humble servant does not understand Your Majesty's words. I... I was a personal attendant to Consort Chen. Consort Chen, Consort Chen never had a pregnancy; how, how could she have given birth to an imperial prince?"

The other two eunuchs chimed in unison, "Your Majesty, Consort Chen truly never had a pregnancy."

"Is that so?" Zhao Yizhen let out a cold laugh. His gaze slowly swept across the faces of the three, finally landing on the top of Shichu's head. "Shichu, you are different from the other two. Do you know how you are different?"

Shichu shrank back and said tremblingly, "This humble servant... this humble servant has a younger brother who has already, already married and established a household."

Zhao Yizhen nodded, neither confirming nor denying it, and instead turned his gaze to the midwife Qiao Amei. "Qiao Amei, you have been a midwife for over twenty years and delivered countless infants. You probably don't remember all of them, right?"

Qiao Amei nodded repeatedly, her face pale with fright. Just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted by Zhao Yizhen.

"You may not remember every infant you have delivered, Qiao Amei, but surely you must remember the one and only time you entered the palace to deliver a child?" Zhao Yizhen asked with a stern and cold expression.

How could Qiao Amei ever forget?

The events of that night were still vivid in her mind, something she would never forget until the day she died.

She was not going to be like those three people and stubbornly deny it before the Emperor!

She had sons, daughters, and grandchildren; she could not let them be buried along with this!

Creeping forward two steps on her knees, she stammered, "This humble woman, this humble woman remembers. On the twenty-ninth day of the fifth month, twenty-three years ago, it was a thunderous and rainy night. This humble woman had just finished dinner when she was called away, told that she was going to deliver a child for a noble person. The silver offered was generous, and I was forbidden from asking questions. Being timid, this humble woman went along. The noble person had a difficult labor and gave birth very slowly, lasting the entire night until the morning of the thirtieth, when she finally gave birth to a male infant. Afterward, she fainted. This humble woman cared for her until she woke up and then left. As I went out, I heard her ask where her child had gone, and someone told her that the child she gave birth to was stillborn. But this humble woman remembers clearly—that child was born alive."

Zhao Yizhen's face was completely calm, yet his heart could not conceal its resentment. He asked, "Is what you said true?"

Qiao Amei pressed her head heavily to the ground. "This humble woman swears to the heavens, every word is true."