Chapter 80: Is That the Point?
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“Could it be possible,” Prince Shun said, desperately searching for an escape, “that I remembered it wrong? Or perhaps… she did?”
“She is clearly from the Great Sheng Empire…” he added, attempting to salvage his argument.
“In that case,” Yu Zhi Yi suggested calmly, “why not summon her parents here? Since we lack her birthdate and facial traits, having her parents could provide the missing pieces of information. With them, perhaps I can uncover what we’re missing.”
Prince Shun’s face fell as he donned an expression of utter defeat. “Her parents only had one child—her. After her passing, they were stricken with grief and followed her to the grave.”
… Splendid. All evidence and clues severed.
Yu Zhi Yi rubbed her brow in thought. “Then, what about their birthdates?”
She didn’t hold out much hope and was about to suggest exhuming the bodies to examine their bone structures when Du Zi Heng suddenly interjected, “Surely their household registration records still exist? Even if the information might be falsified, we could use it as a basis for investigation and trace where things went wrong.”
“That would be a start, leading us closer to the truth.”
The Emperor contemplated this for a moment before looking at Yu Zhi Yi. “What do you think, Minister Yu?”
Yu Zhi Yi winced slightly at the title but quickly accepted it with grace. She opened her mouth to speak, realizing the flaws in her initial suggestion after hearing Du Zi Heng’s proposal. Regardless of how open-minded the era might be, digging up graves was always a step too far—most people would find it hard to stomach.
But since the Emperor had asked, she answered honestly, “I can read the faces of the living, but I can also discern those of the dead. Sometimes, I can even see things that others cannot. That’s why I initially considered opening their graves.”
Du Zi Heng’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Both Prince Shun and the Emperor looked equally stupefied.
Moments later, Prince Shun recovered and burst out, “Suggesting such an absurd thing as grave digging is one thing, but proposing to dig up three graves at once?! Young Madam Du, do you not see how unreasonable you’re being?”
The Emperor gestured for Eunuch Hu to calm Prince Shun, while he attempted to mediate. “Let us proceed with Zi Heng’s suggestion.”
The Ministry of Revenue, which oversaw both national finances and population records, was tasked with retrieving the relevant household data. Even though the empire boasted a staggering population of nearly thirty million, it took less than an hour for the officials to locate the records.
Yu Zhi Yi carefully examined the household registration and birth dates. After a moment of calculation, she declared, “These two individuals’ household records appear genuine. The events deduced from them align, for the most part, with the lives of Prince Shun and Princess Consort Shun.”
She continued, “Prince Shun’s father-in-law was named Han Yong Lie, whose ancestral home is in Linxi County, Taihe Prefecture. Going back several generations, his family were impoverished farmers. However, his grandfather, known for his wits and boldness, managed to accumulate several hundred taels of silver after befriending influential benefactors.”
“Through three generations of effort, by Han Yong Lie’s time, the family had built a fortune worth tens of thousands of taels, gaining local prominence.”
“However, ten years ago, Han Yong Lie’s once-thriving household was massacred, leaving no survivors.”
Prince Shun and the Emperor were each reviewing parts of the registration documents when they heard this. Both turned sharply toward Yu Zhi Yi, with Prince Shun erupting in fury. “Nonsense!”
What Yu Zhi Yi said didn’t match the official records at all.
The seasoned war hero, unrestrained in his rage, let his bloodthirsty aura crash down like a mountain upon Yu Zhi Yi.
Even Du Zi Heng, standing nearby, felt the overwhelming pressure.
But Yu Zhi Yi seemed utterly unfazed as she continued in her usual composed manner. “Shortly after Han Yong Lie’s family was declared ‘dead,’ a family of three emerged in Peng City, a distant border region.”
Peng City, located on the edge of the Great Sheng Empire, bordered the Great Luo Empire and was plagued by constant warfare. Adding to its woes were the bandits who frequently raided the outskirts, often annihilating entire villages.
As a result, population records there were notoriously chaotic. Villages or even towns often vanished before their records were fully established, rendering those documents meaningless.
“Han’s family of three—or, more accurately, those orchestrating behind them—exploited this chaos. They spent two years preparing and colluding with bandits from beyond the border. Eighteen years ago, the same year His Majesty and Prince Shun met the young lady from the Han family, they orchestrated a village massacre to create the opportunity to migrate south.”
“Their original plan was to infiltrate the home of a government official by having Miss Han marry into the household, either as a legitimate wife or a concubine. She would then seek to sway the family to their cause.”
“However, none of them anticipated Miss Han’s extraordinary allure, which captivated both the Crown Prince and his companion, Prince Shun, simultaneously.”
“Miss Han seized the chance and strung both along, subtly sowing discord whenever possible.”
“Yet, she failed to account for the deep bond and mutual trust between His Majesty and Prince Shun. After several failed attempts, she abandoned her verbal provocations to avoid suspicion.”
“As for the incident that drove a wedge between His Majesty and Prince Shun—the death of the Princess Consort Shun—it was not orchestrated by His Majesty.”
“The princess consort had requested an audience with His Majesty to inquire about Prince Shun. Before entering the palace, she consumed a poison that would take effect within an hour, timing her visit to perfection.”
“After leaving the palace, the poison acted as planned.”
The Emperor, long awaiting vindication, looked at Yu Zhi Yi with gratitude and admiration. “You see? I told you—it wasn’t me!”
Still doubtful, Prince Shun frowned. “If she was from An Kingdom, why was she raised in the Great Sheng Empire? And why would those two natives of our empire help her?”
Yu Zhi Yi, ever patient, explained, “Decades ago, before the fall of An Kingdom, Han Yong Lie’s grandfather conducted business there and received favor from its royal family.”
“After the kingdom’s demise, its defiant royal members were slaughtered. Only those who knelt in surrender survived, though they were little more than cowards clinging to life.”
“Miss Han is the granddaughter of the Crown Princess of An Kingdom, who refused to surrender.”
“Upon learning of An Kingdom’s fall, the Crown Princess—who had just given birth—knew her defiance would lead to a grim end. Unable to bear seeing her newborn perish with her, she claimed to have given birth to a stillborn and secretly entrusted her son to loyal servants who smuggled him out of the kingdom.”
“Miss Han is the daughter of this rightful heir.”
“Impossible! That’s impossible!” Prince Shun cried, rejecting the truth outright.
If Yu Zhi Yi was right, then his wife’s approach to him was nothing but a scheme to turn him against his own.
“Those years of love and warmth, all the affection and tenderness—were they lies?”
Yu Zhi Yi blinked, perplexed. “… Is that the point?”