Ming Dynasty: At the beginning, the house was ransacked and the ancestral temple was burned down.

Chapter 222 The truth is revealed! Wanli fainted!

For Xiong Tingbi, although he and Zhang Yunxiu were from the same hometown, the two colleagues did not have a close relationship.

Moreover, Guo Zhengyu had also reminded him in a veiled way that it was best to stay away from Zhang Yunxiu.

Xiong Tingbi didn't know whether there was any conflict between Zhang Yunxiu and Guo Zhengyu, and he was too lazy to care about it. For him, he only made friends with people he wanted to make friends with.

It was for this reason that when Xiong Tingbi saw that Zhang Yunxiu not only took the initiative to find him but also said that he could give him advice on the case, he still questioned it out of caution:
"Why are you helping me?"

"Because we are from the same hometown." Zhang Yunxiu answered with a relaxed look, as if this was the real answer.

Although Xiong Tingbi had a bad temper, he was not a bad person. With the mentality that it would be okay to listen, he said:
"Please enlighten me."

……

Zhang Mansion.

When Zhang Yunxiu came back, Zhang Chonghui was already waiting for him.

"Did Xiong Feibai hear it?"

"At first he thought I was joking, but then I told him it was my idea, and he didn't say anything. I guess he took it to heart."

"It seems that the case will soon have a conclusion."

"I think so. Speaking of which... we did such a great job this time that the prince's hand was broken. Are you sure you can succeed?"

"The prince's hand was broken but it was his own choice. As for whether it can be successful, I actually don't know."

"This...just in case..."

"So what? So far, haven't there been enough what-ifs? Rather than sitting there and waiting to die, why not take the initiative to test the emperor!"

"That's right... By the way, will you be imprisoned again this time?"

"That depends on whether Concubine Zheng is willing to come out and see me again."

……

Prison Department of Punishment.

Logically speaking, it was not the job of Xiong Tingbi, the official in charge, to try the criminals.

Xiong Tingbi did not report to his superiors that he was there to try a case. He just walked up to Zhang Cha, carrying a basket of delicious food, as if he had casually strolled into the Ministry of Justice's prison.

Then, in front of Zhang Cha, he took out the delicacies in the basket one by one and placed them where Zhang Cha could not reach but could smell them.

In this stinking cell, such temptation is fatal to a prisoner who has suffered a lot of torture and has been hungry for a long time.

However, Xiong Tingbi did not think that these foods could pry open Zhang Cha's mouth as Zhang Chonghui said.

After all, this idiot has been through so many punishments, yet he refuses to tell even a word of truth!
How can a fool who is not afraid of punishment and death be afraid of hunger?

Xiong Tingbi wanted to laugh. He laughed at himself for being so inexplicably convinced by Zhang Chonghui's method of "food inducement".

He had heard of sexual seduction many times, but this was the first time he heard of "food seduction".

Facts have proved that nothing is absolute.

"Do you want to recruit me? If you do, I'll give you all of these to eat."

After Xiong Tingbi said something to Zhang Cha, who was drooling, he did not forget to follow Zhang Chonghui's instructions and added:
"If you don't confess, then don't say any more! From now on, don't even think about having anything to eat. We will starve you to death!"

Xiong Tingbi was just threatening casually; he didn't expect Zhang Cha to confess.

However, reality is always so magical. When Zhang Cha heard the words "starved to death", he actually panicked!

"No! I don't want to starve to death! I'll confess! Is it okay for me to confess?"

Xiong Tingbi was stunned. Instinctively, he asked again, "Who ordered you to do this?"

"But...but he is my benefactor! I...I can't betray him..."

"You won't tell me? Then you'll starve to death!"

"Yes...it's the uncle of the king!"

"..."

……

Qianqing Palace.

"Your Majesty... Zhang Cha has confessed, but..."

Chen Ju's face was full of embarrassment, and he did not dare to hand the file in his hand to the Emperor for a long time.

"Huh? He finally confessed?" Zhu Yijun was also a little surprised. Looking at Chen Ju's panicked expression, he immediately realized that something was wrong.

After preparing himself mentally, Zhu Yijun took a deep breath and then dared to ask:
"What did he confess?"

Chen Ju had a sad face and trembled as he said, "Your Majesty, I dare not say..."

Zhu Yijun sighed deeply. Having already made a guess, he asked helplessly, "Is the imperial concubine involved again?"

"Your Majesty... yes... but..." Chen Ju really didn't dare to say the next words.

Zhu Yijun became very annoyed upon seeing this, so he simply snatched the case file and started reading it himself.

However, it would have been better if he hadn't seen it. Once he saw it, Zhu Yijun fainted from anger...

Yes, Zhang Cha confessed. He confessed everything.

He not only told about how he was well fed and well-kept by the 'king's uncle'.

He also said that under the guidance of two eunuchs named Pang Bao and Liu Cheng, he joined a cult called the "Hongfeng Sect".

Pang Bao and Liu Cheng were the eunuchs around Concubine Zheng!

When Zhu Yijun saw this, he had not yet fainted from anger.

After all, you can't trust everything a fool says. This kind of thing is likely to be a deliberate frame-up by someone.

Moreover, this so-called Red Seal Cult has been developing for several years, and there are only about thirty people in total. Calling it a cult is a bit of an exaggeration...

Originally Zhu Yijun could still accept it, but the more he read the files, the higher his blood pressure became!

Especially when Zhu Yijun saw that Zhang Cha came to Beijing under the instructions of Zheng Guojiu, and then came to the vicinity of the Eastern Palace under the guidance of Pang Bao and Liu Cheng, and asked him to wait for someone!

And the person they asked Zhang Cha to wait for was actually... Zhang Chonghui!

When he saw this, Zhu Yijun was so angry that his head went blank and he fainted instantly.

Regardless of whether Zhang Cha's confession was true or false, Zhu Yijun could not accept that his beloved woman was connected with Zhang Chonghui!
For the emperor who is very concerned about his reputation, this is more painful than taking his life!

His Majesty the Emperor was so angry that he fainted. The first thing Chen Ju did was to call for the imperial physician.

The second thing Chen Ju did was to hurriedly send someone to the Ministry of Justice and ask the officials there to suspend the trial of the case!
……

Meanwhile, on the other side.

At this time, Zheng Mengjing didn't know that Zhang Cha had confessed. She didn't even know who this fool Zhang Cha was or where he came from.

She had been worried for several days, and now she needed someone to discuss what to do.

But at this critical moment, her good brother Zheng Guotai could only be furious:

"Zhang Chonghui! It must be Zhang Chonghui's doing! He actually managed to kill that madman!
He never intended to cooperate with us from the beginning! He just used us! He wanted to drag us down!"

Zheng Mengjing also knew that this time she was dragged into this situation by the evil Zhang Chonghui!
She also knew that if she continued the investigation like this, the ministers of the previous dynasty would definitely pin the blame of the assassination on her, the imperial concubine!
Zheng Mengjing was panicking. Even though the madman her brother had found was already dead, the situation was so chaotic now that it was only a matter of time before she was involved.

After all, all the things she hadn't done in the past could be blamed on her, not to mention that this time, she really had evil intentions...

……

The news that the Emperor was so angry about the latest confession from the Royal Guards soon reached Zheng Mengjing's ears. At the same time, Zheng Mengjing also learned the contents of the confession from Zhang Cha.

After hearing that Zhang Zhonghui was also involved, Zheng Mengjing fainted like her emperor husband...

The only difference is that Zhu Yijun fainted from anger, while Zheng Mengjing fainted from fear.

The imperial concubine's psychological endurance was stronger than that of the emperor, and she woke up soon.

After waking up, the first thing Zheng Mengjing did was to explain everything to her emperor husband.

After all, the things Zhang Cha said were not done by her!
She didn't even know who Zhang Cha was. Pang Bao and Liu Cheng didn't know that Zhang Cha either. She even knew about the Hongfeng Sect only recently after hearing about it from Zheng Guotai!
How could it be her!
What made Zheng Mengjing most nervous was not these. After all, she had never done it before and she had confidence in it.

But the connection with Zhang Chonghui...

Zheng Mengjing knew very well that this matter was much more serious than other things, and she would never admit it even if she was beaten to death!

……

Emperor Wanli finally woke up. As soon as he woke up, he saw Concubine Zheng, with tears in her eyes, kneeling in front of his bed and crying. She cried and said aggrievedly:

"Your Majesty, I am really tired. Every time something happens, they will frame me.

Now, in order to ruin my reputation, they have even dragged in the descendant of that traitor Zhang Chonghui.

I really can't stand such an insult, just destroy me and let me die."

Zheng Mengjing cried very aggrievedly and sadly, as if his heart was really dead and he didn't want to struggle anymore.

Zhu Yijun felt distressed when he saw this, and his original anger and doubts were reduced a little.

However, the emperor is still the emperor after all, and the suspicious and sensitive Zhu Yijun couldn't help but ask Zheng Mengjing:
"You really didn't do anything?"

Zheng Mengjing's heart skipped a beat, and he raised his hand and swore:
"Your Majesty, I swear to heaven that I don't know what Zhang Cha is!

If you don't believe it, you can bring Pang Bao and Liu Cheng in for interrogation. They don't know Zhang Cha either!
As for the rest... Your Majesty, please believe me, I have never done it!"

Looking at Zheng Mengjing's serious oath, Zhu Yijun unconsciously recalled that he had also sworn the same oath to Zheng Mengjing in the past.

He vowed to make her the queen and to make their son the crown prince.

But now?

"You go back first." Zhu Yijun said weakly, "I'm tired and want to rest."

This is just an ordinary sentence, nothing special.

However, to Zheng Mengjing's ears, it was like a bolt from the blue.

Because His Majesty the Emperor actually called himself "I" to her.

It was obvious that the emperor, who had always said that he would love her and trust her all his life, no longer believed what she said.

Even if she swore to heaven, she wouldn't believe it.

How is this not considered a broken heart?
……

Zheng Mengjing was heartbroken and she didn't even know how she left the Qianqing Palace.

After returning to the palace in a daze and restless state, she learned two pieces of news that made her devastate.

The first news was that Pang Bao and Liu Cheng were still arrested and interrogated by the emperor's order, but it was not the Ministry of Justice that interrogated them, but the Dongchang Jinyiwei.

The second piece of news was that Zheng Mengjing was devastated to learn that her brother Zheng Guotai actually knew Zhang Cha...

Although it was not as Zhang Cha said, she was not kept well-fed and well-dressed by her brother for two years.

But Zhang Cha had indeed received favors from her brother, and had indeed joined her brother's Red Seal Sect...

Once you are involved in a relationship, you can't wash it off.

Zheng Mengjing felt that she could only wait for death now, and her son's dream of becoming emperor and her dream of becoming empress dowager were probably going to be completely shattered.

The Imperial Concubine felt very uncomfortable. She wanted to complain to her brother Zheng Guotai, but at this time, Zheng Guotai could only avoid suspicion and did not dare to enter the palace at all.

With nowhere to vent, Zheng Mengjing could only take his son Zhu Changxun to complain.

But Zhu Changxun was in a rebellious mood now. He didn't want to listen to his mother's nagging at all. He even said unintentionally:

"As the saying goes, it takes two to tango!"

Seeing her son was so heartless, Zheng Mengjing had no choice but to cry to her daughter, but her daughter was so young that she couldn't understand why she was crying.

Zheng Mengjing thought of the big fat cat he had raised before, and sighed: "If only Li Nu was still here..."

But the cat was dead, just like the emperor who once doted on her.

Just when Zheng Mengjing was sighing that "her beauty is still here, but the emperor's favor has already ended", a letter was "once again" handed to her.

This time, there was a cat drawn on the envelope.

……

Qianqing Palace.

Chen Ju is reporting the latest situation to His Majesty the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, Pang Bao and Liu Chengdu said they have never seen the idiot named Zhang Cha, and Zhang Cha also said that the Pang Gong and Liu Gong he knew were not these two people."

Upon hearing this good news, Zhu Yijun smiled lightly as if trying to find joy in misery, but he did not ask or say anything else.

Chen Ju, who was standing by, saw that the Emperor's mental state seemed a little abnormal. After hesitating for a while, he said:
"Your Majesty, this matter is really strange. I dare to say that this case...cannot be investigated further!"

Zhu Yijun finally spoke, but he asked calmly:

"Why? Because you also suspect that the imperial concubine is in league with Zhang Chonghui, right?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not!" Chen Ju hurriedly explained: "I just feel that the person behind this case has ulterior motives. If we continue to investigate, I'm afraid... I'm afraid..."

"I'm afraid that if I get involved too much, it will bring shame to the royal family. I'm afraid the court officials will start to make a fuss about the matter of returning to the country. I'm afraid that the world will think... that I want to kill the prince, right...

But Chen Ju, now, even if I don't want to investigate, I'm afraid I can't... Zhang Chonghui is involved in the matter, but he was sent to the East Palace by me...

Over the years, I have investigated so many cases, and the culprit is either the imperial concubine, the emperor's uncle, or myself. It's always like this..."

Zhu Yijun spoke blankly, feeling numbness and helplessness.

He thought, perhaps he had been wrong from the beginning, he shouldn't have let Zhang Chonghui go to the East Palace in the first place.

But given the situation at the time, he didn't seem to have any other choice...

"Forget it, let the Ministry of Justice continue investigating." Zhu Yijun said tiredly:
"Anyway, there is nothing wrong with Pang Bao and Liu Cheng, so the imperial concubine is clean. If the prince's uncle is not clean, then let the Ministry of Justice handle it according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yijun's meaning was very clear. He no longer wanted to protect this trouble-making brother-in-law.

This time he planned to push Uncle Zheng out to silence the people, so that he could not only save his Concubine Zheng, but also leave behind a good reputation of "killing relatives for the sake of justice".

"Your Majesty, what about... Zhang Chonghui?" Chen Ju asked carefully.

Zhu Yijun closed his eyes and said calmly, "Since we have to continue the investigation, we must investigate him as well. Let the Ministry of Justice try him in public in front of all the officials during the trial."

"But Your Majesty..." Chen Ju said worriedly, "This kid doesn't speak lightly. What if... he bites someone during the trial?"

"Don't worry, he won't do anything rash during the trial." Zhu Yijun still had his eyes closed, but his tone was affirmative.

Chen Ju was still worried. After all, Zhang Chonghui had too many criminal records. So he tried to persuade him again, saying:
"Your Majesty, what if Zhang Chonghui really does something reckless? I'm afraid he will then..."

"Nothing will happen." Zhu Yijun opened his eyes this time and spoke word by word:

"This time, he will definitely not mess around."

"Because...I know him."

(End of this chapter)