HLnovel Chapter 829 Disaster
Chapter 829 Disaster
The case of the Tenth Prince was handled by Ying Xun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, with the assistance of Lu Wei, the newly appointed top scholar.
Twenty-one days have passed since the incident. According to the Emperor's original decree, the case must be closed before the Tenth Prince's body is laid to rest. This is also to give the Tenth Prince an explanation and prevent him from being buried without a clear explanation.
The court officials only knew that the Tenth Prince had died suddenly, and the case had made no progress for many days. On the contrary, they heard yesterday that the Third Prince had caused a scene at the Dali Temple, and the news was spreading everywhere.
So as soon as the emperor started talking, the ministers began to discuss it.
The Third Prince was naturally among them. Hearing the people around him discussing his trip to the Dali Temple yesterday, even his usually gentle face became a little embarrassed.
Lu Yangyang is a real menace!
He had assumed the Emperor would first inquire about the progress of the case, but to his surprise, the Emperor called upon him first.
"Third Prince, I heard that you caused a scene at the Dali Temple yesterday. Is that true?"
The Third Prince stepped forward with a stiff upper lip. "Father, there is absolutely no such thing. I went to the Dali Temple only to inquire about the progress of my tenth brother's case."
"Is that so? When did I give you any instructions to oversee this case?" The Emperor's voice was indifferent.
The Third Prince immediately knelt down. “Your subject knows his crime and hopes that Your Majesty will forgive him. Your subject is concerned about your tenth brother and cannot bear to see him suffer such a calamity at such a young age. I hope that the Dali Temple can find out the truth as soon as possible so that your tenth brother can be laid to rest in peace. Your subject’s words are all true and there is absolutely no intention of overstepping the bounds.”
Some court officials stood up to speak in defense of the Third Prince.
“Your Majesty, the Third Prince is kind-hearted and only cares about the Tenth Prince. He has no other intentions.”
"Yes, Your Majesty. The Third Prince has always been loving towards his brothers. The Tenth Prince died at a young age under mysterious circumstances. The Third Prince is concerned about this matter, and although there are some improprieties in asking about the case, it is understandable."
The emperor remained silent for a moment as he listened to the pleas of his men, which made everyone break out in a cold sweat.
After a long while, the Emperor spoke in a calm voice: "In that case, you will listen to this today."
This means he's not allowed to interfere.
The Third Prince inwardly cried out in alarm, but dared not object, and quickly agreed.
He never expected that simply going to the Dali Temple to ask a question yesterday would bring him such trouble.
Father Emperor is clearly using this as an excuse to shut him up.
Why was he so unlucky to run into that jinx Lu Yangyang yesterday!
He was feeling annoyed when he saw Eunuch Feng whisper a few words in the Emperor's ear. The Emperor waved his hand, and soon after, Eunuch Feng arrived with several people. They were placed on the right side below the dragon throne, and a chair was brought over.
It was Consort Duan, Consort Yu, and Lu Yangyang.
Consort Duan and Consort Yu sat on chairs, while Lu Yangyang stood beside Consort Yu.
The court officials were somewhat puzzled when they saw the three people brought in. Since the late empress passed away, there had been very few opportunities for women to attend court, and this was the first time ever.
Seeing that Consort Yu looked slightly haggard, no one dared to say anything.
While it has been common for princes to die young, the Tenth Prince was different. He had grown up and died suddenly in the palace. There must be more to the case than meets the eye. It is not particularly strange that the Emperor specially arranged for Consort Yu to attend the hearing and hear the case.
Moreover, with the heir apparent yet to be appointed, there are likely suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the Tenth Prince.
Therefore, even though it was strange, no one dared to point out anything for a while.
As for the unfamiliar girl standing behind Consort Yu, although she was not dressed as a palace maid, her clothes were simple and her face was unfamiliar, so she must have been just a palace servant.
However, while others did not recognize Lu Yangyang, the Duke of Sheng did.
The death of the Tenth Prince originally had nothing to do with him. The Shengguo Duke's Mansion had also been having a hard time these past two years, so he didn't pay much attention to the discussions around him. However, when he saw Lu Yangyang appear, his pupils dilated and he was quite startled.
Why is she here?
It would be hard for Lu Yangyang not to notice such a gaze, especially since she was standing above Consort Yu, giving her a commanding view of everyone below.
Seeing the Duke of Sheng's utterly shocked expression, Lu Yangyang merely glanced at him indifferently before looking away.
Upon seeing that the person had arrived, the Emperor finally returned to the main topic and appointed Ying Xun.
"Ying Qing, please tell us about the current status of the case investigation."