bestfiction Chapter 302 The Source of Rumors
Chapter 302 The Source of Rumors
After Du Yunsheng was named Princess Zhaoyang, the first thing she did was to ask the emperor:
"Your Majesty, I don't need any reward. I just want to ask Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the case of my maternal grandfather, Zhang Dinglian's family in Zhenxing Marquis Mansion, who were framed!"
The emperor's eyes flickered with an imperceptible fluctuation when he heard this. He groaned for a moment and slowly spoke: "Princess Zhaoyang, I have heard what you said. But you know that this matter involves a wide range of issues and is of no small importance."
Du Yunsheng raised her head, her eyes firm, "Your Majesty, I know the complexity of this matter, but my grandfather's family has been wronged for many years. If I don't find out the truth, I will feel uneasy. And I believe that Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and will definitely clear the injustice for my grandfather."
The emperor looked at Du Yunsheng, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes, and then nodded: "Since Princess Zhaoyang is so insistent, then I will agree to your request. However, this matter involves palace secrets, and I must act with caution. Don't worry, I will secretly send someone to investigate."
A trace of gratitude flashed in Du Yunsheng's eyes, and he was about to kneel down to express his gratitude, but was held back by the emperor.
The emperor gently patted Du Yunsheng's shoulder and said kindly, "Princess Zhaoyang, you are so filial, I will make the decision for you. However, before that, you need to discuss the specific direction of the investigation with me."
Du Yunsheng nodded slightly, with a hint of determination in her eyes: "Your Majesty, I am willing to follow your arrangements."
The emperor turned and walked towards the dragon throne. After sitting down, he pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Du Yunsheng's grandfather, Zhang Dinglian: "General Zhang, what do you think about this matter?"
Zhang Dinglian walked out of the queue slowly. Although he was old, his back was still straight, and his eyes sparkled with wisdom. "Your Majesty, I think the key to this matter is to find out the real culprit who framed my Zhang family. And to find the real culprit, we must start with the officials who had a feud with me back then."
The emperor nodded slightly, with a gleam in his eyes: "General Zhang is right. However, this matter involves so many things that it is inconvenient for me to intervene directly. How about this, I will secretly send someone to investigate secretly, and at the same time, you can secretly observe in the court to see who reacts to this matter."
Du Yunsheng interrupted, "Your Majesty, I also have some eyes and ears in the palace and can assist in the investigation."
The emperor's eyes flashed with approval. "Okay, I'll trouble you. But remember, this matter involves great importance, so you must not alert the enemy."
After the three of them had made their decision, the emperor stood up and left. Du Yunsheng and Zhang Dinglian watched the emperor leave, their hearts filled with hope.
Back in his palace, Du Yunsheng sat in front of the window, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.
A few days later, some rumors about Zhang Dinglian's family began to spread in the palace. Du Yunsheng knew that this was deliberately done by the enemy to confuse the public. She remained calm and secretly sent people to record these rumors one by one.
In the court, Zhang Dinglian also began his investigation. He used his experience and connections to gradually identify several suspects.
A few days later, deep in the palace, the morning light was just breaking, and the golden splendor of the Forbidden City was even more brilliant under the morning sun. In the court, civil and military officials lined up in order, and the emperor looked solemn, sitting on the dragon throne and looking down at the court officials below.
"Zhang Dinglian, how is your investigation going?" The emperor's voice was majestic and deep, breaking the silence of the court.
Zhang Dinglian stepped out of the line and knelt respectfully on the ground: "Your Majesty, I have initially identified several suspects, but further investigation is needed to avoid wrongly accusing the innocent."
The emperor nodded slightly and said, "Well, you must be cautious and not act rashly. If these rumors are directed at the Zhang family, there must be someone behind them."
Princess Zhaoyang Du Yunsheng stood quietly behind the emperor. Her eyes were sharp and seemed to be able to see through people's hearts. She took a step forward and bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"Tell me." The emperor turned his gaze to Du Yunsheng.
"I feel that these rumors are not simply attacks on the Zhang family, but are intended to sow discord between our royal family and the Zhang family, and may even threaten the stability of the imperial power." Du Yunsheng's tone was firm, neither humble nor arrogant.
The emperor's eyes flashed with approval, and he nodded and said, "The princess is right. Zhang Dinglian, you and the princess should investigate this matter together and find out who is behind this."
Zhang Dinglian stood up immediately, secretly admiring Du Yunsheng's sharpness. He turned to Du Yunsheng and nodded slightly to show his cooperation.
"Grandfather, where do you think these rumors come from?" Du Yunsheng asked with a frown.
Zhang Dinglian pondered for a moment and said, "It's hard to find the source of the rumor, but the person behind it must know something about the Zhang family. I suspect someone in the palace is colluding with the outside world."
Du Yunsheng's eyes flashed with a gleam of light: "Then let's start from the palace and check those palace maids and eunuchs who have close contact with the outside world."
During the investigation, they discovered a palace maiden who looked furtive and seemed to be hiding some secrets. Du Yunsheng decided to interrogate her in person.
"What's your name? Why are you so sneaky?" Du Yunsheng stared at the palace maid coldly.
The maid turned pale with fear and said in a trembling voice, "Princess, spare me. My name is Cui'er and I am only following your orders."
"Whose orders are you following? Tell me quickly!" Du Yunsheng raised his voice a few notches.
Cui Er hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted her teeth and said, "It was Eunuch Liu. He asked me to pass the message to the outside world."
Zhang Dinglian immediately sent someone to arrest Eunuch Liu and interrogate him strictly. Eunuch Liu was stubborn at first, but under Du Yunsheng's majesty, he finally confessed.
"I admit that I was the one who instructed Cui'er to pass on the message. The person behind the scenes was a minister who gave me many benefits and asked me to help confuse the public." Eunuch Liu bowed his head and pleaded guilty.
Zhang Dinglian and Du Yunsheng looked at each other and had the answer in their minds. They immediately reported the matter to the emperor.
The emperor was furious when he heard this, and immediately ordered Liu Gonggong and the minister to be thrown into the Tianlao and interrogated strictly. At the same time, he praised Zhang Dinglian and Du Yunsheng for their outstanding performance and gave them some rewards.
In the court, the emperor said to his ministers: "Zhang Dinglian and Du Yunsheng have made great contributions this time, and I will reward them generously. In addition, I want to remind you that the affairs of the palace cannot be ignored, and you must be on guard in the future."
All the ministers responded in unison, and the atmosphere in the court became serious.
……
In the dim light of the morning, the imperial guards surrounded Qiao Zhiyu's Prime Minister's Mansion like an iron barrel. The people inside and outside the mansion were talking about it, and the atmosphere was filled with surprise and panic. At this time, a low voice of summons came from the palace, and Princess Zhaoyang Du Yunsheng hurried over.
Du Yunsheng stepped into the Prime Minister's Mansion and saw Qiao Zhiyu being tightly restrained by two guards, his face as pale as paper. She frowned, and a complex emotion flashed in her eyes.
"Master Qiao, what is going on?" Du Yunsheng's voice was cold.
Qiao Zhiyu smiled bitterly: "Princess, what else can I say now? I am indeed guilty, but everything I did was for the Western Wei Dynasty and for the people."
Du Yunsheng looked at Qiao Zhiyu with sharp eyes: "Do you think your crime can be easily washed away? You rebelled and usurped the throne, and poisoned the emperor. This is a serious crime that will punish all nine generations of your clan!"