Greetings, Ninth Uncle

Chapter 139

As the stalemate continued, the matter of Empress Zhong's murder suddenly broke out on the tenth day. The entire Yang family, who was already on the cusp of the storm, received another major blow by the sudden accusation behind the death of the previous empress. Needless to say, the entire capital put their eyes on the Yang family. Once the accusation was proven true, Madam Yang wouldn't be able to escape punishment. The Yang family was greatly weakened by this case, reversing the deadlocked situation in an instant. At this point, the final result of Yang Xiaoyu's case could already be expected.

Cheng Yujin was certain that the former palace maid and the evidence she brought out must have been arranged by Li Chengjing. However, the originally planned timing was probably different. Yang Xiaoyu's death came too suddenly and abruptly, catching everyone, including Li Chengjing, off guard. Still, the golden opportunity was here, so Li Chengjing quickly made a decision to play his trump card: Empress Zhong's murder.

The political struggle currently shrouding the country was a dangerous warfield with many lives at stake, but the Eastern Palace continued its tranquil and peaceful days as before. Cheng Yujin stayed quietly in her palace, slowly recuperating her body while accustoming herself to a life as a mother. When Li Chengjing returned at night, he would join her and their children to spend a relaxing time as a family. Very rarely did he mention the turmoil at the court.

Cheng Yujin knew that Li Chengjing wanted her to recuperate in peace and was afraid to worry her about the affairs of the court, so she didn't ask anything. But not getting involved didn't mean that she was left ignorant. During the days, Cheng Yujin would receive reports from the Eastern Palace's servants whom she dispatched to be her eyes and ears outside.

Cheng Yujin finished the coats she was making for the twins. Du Ruo took the coats from Cheng Yujin's hands and carefully folded them on the table. Cheng Yujin then rubbed her wrist and sighed: "This is a battle between His Highness and Senior Grand Secretary Yang. What we can do is just wait."

This was indeed a war, a war between Li Chengjing and Yang Fucheng, between the Crown Prince and the Senior Grand Secretary, and between the Eastern Palace and the second prince's supporters. Two behemoths were confronting each other head-on, making smaller people tremble in fright. When immortals fought, it was always the mortals who suffered the most. For the first ten days, most people had been watching on the side, not daring to take a side. But the murder accusation against Yang Fucheng's wife turned the tide to Li Chengjing's side. One by one, people began to express their stances. Although the danger was real, the gains they ought to get were equally numerous.

Moreover, the Yang family was already finished. Yang Fucheng and Empress Dowager Yang had indeed been standing high for decades, and old habits die hard. Still, the Crown Prince was on the rise, which made it easy for people to pick a side. One was waning, and the other was rising. One had the support of the public, and the other was increasingly becoming unpopular. Li Chengjing's reveal about the late Empress Zhong's murder was the final nail that hit the Yang family's coffin.

The Yang family's reputation quickly deteriorated in just a few days. Now, even the pedestrian on the street dared to spit on the Yang Manor's gate and cursed the family loudly. Ten days later, the Judicial Court finally announced the result of the investigation. Yang Xiaoyu, the grandson of Grand Senior Secretary Yang, kidnapped a civilian girl, beat her brother to death in the street, and sullied the girl afterward. Seeking revenge, the girl bid her time and finally strangled Yang Xiaoyu to death with her belt while he was sleeping.

Dying on a woman's bed could be regarded as the fruit of the evil seed Yang Xiaoyu planted by himself, and the cause and effect of this case were very clear.

Seeing this result, the Emperor was extremely disappointed with the Yang family. His Majesty publicly rebuked Senior Grand Secretary Yang during the morning court session, citing his ineffectiveness in disciplining his family. Yang Fucheng's suspension of duty was initially only temporary, with the Emperor expressing that his duty would be resumed once the Judicial Court finished investigating Yang Xiaoyu's case. But now, the period of the suspension had become indefinite, and it was hard to say if he would ever be reinstated again.