Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 802 - 753: Exposure

This time, everyone was in an uproar.

Even Song Prefect was stunned.

The onlookers among the common people began to chatter in agitation.

The faces of the Yu Wen father and son turned ashen in an instant.

Both shouted indignantly, "This must be a frame-up! A frame-up!"

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice collected the documents and sneered, "If Marquis Zhongyi is not convinced, then please visit the Ministry of Justice. The evidence there will certainly make Marquis Zhongyi submit willingly. Someone, take them away!"

The government officials in the Ministry of Justice uniform stormed into the hall and dragged the Yu Wen father and son away.

The Vice Minister handed the official document to Song Prefect, "Mr. Song, you don’t need to handle this case anymore. From now on, it will be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice."

Song Prefect had been worried about not being able to judge the Yu Wen father and son, and although Prince Luling’s status was restored, the Li Family father and sons had no real power.

Currently, they were also at odds with the Empress Dowager.

In contrast, the Yu Wen father and son held sway over the court.

If their colleagues intervened, the Yu Wen father and son might return home unscathed.

He would not be able to account to the Li Family father and sons.

Now that a new case had surfaced and the Yu Wen father and son were taken by the Ministry of Justice, Song Prefect was all the more pleased.

He accepted the documents, signed them, and stamped them.

The Yu Wen father and son were taken to the government office of the Ministry of Justice.

The common people, curious about what wrongdoings the Yu Wen family father and son had committed, followed along.

The Minister of the Ministry of Justice was already seated in the court, accompanied by Grand Tutor Jiang and two scholars from the Hanlin Academy, along with a Chief Eunuch by the Empress Dowager’s side.

The Minister of the Ministry of Justice saw the Yu Wen father and son, struck the gavel, and shook a written indictment toward them.

He began to recite the crimes of the Yu Wen father and son one by one.

The refurbishment of Fengyi Palace five years ago, was wholly managed by Yu Wenbo.

The materials used were also procured by himself, and when the craftsmen pointed out issues with the materials, Yu Wenbo disregarded them and insisted on their use.

After completing the palace refurbishment, Yu Wenbo sent people to kill six craftsmen.

Four others fortunately escaped.

Among them, two fell ill and died later, and upon examination, their bones were found to be black due to exposure to large amounts of arsenic.

The other two survived but were in poor health, their bodies also containing arsenic poison.

Having finished presenting the charges, the Minister also called forth the forensic doctor Shu Gong and another middle-aged man, along with the remains of the other two deceased craftsmen.

There was a chorus of exclamations from the onlookers outside the court.

Subsequently, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice summoned two eunuchs and brought forth a highly decomposed corpse.

The body was dressed in the court eunuch’s attire, with a palace waist tag, this person was the little eunuch Fuzi who disappeared from Li Can’s side a month ago.

On the day Li Can died, Fuzi disappeared.

The Minister produced evidence found on Fuzi’s person, a light brown sachet containing two snuff bottles and some jade East Pearls.

Those two golden snuff bottles were given to Yu Wenbo by Li Can half a month before his death.

Pointing at Fuzi’s corpse, the Minister coolly said, "Marquis Zhongyi, what else do you have to say?"

Upon seeing Fuzi’s body, Yu Wenbo’s face turned paler than Fuzi’s warped hands.

Enduring the cadaver’s stench, he yelled angrily, "Mr. Chen, condemning me based on some unidentified corpse, is this how you handle cases regularly? And these craftsmen’s words are pure nonsense! I think this Ministry of Justice should just shut down!"

The Minister retorted coldly, "Marquis Zhongyi, I see you are not resigned without seeing the coffin! Someone! Call Prince Xiangyang!"

The short-statured Prince Xiangyang timidly walked from the back hall to the main court.

When he raised his head, he saw the murderous look on the faces of the Yu Wen father and son.

Frightened, Prince Xiangyang froze and moved next to the Minister.

The Minister glanced at the Yu Wen father and son, "Prince, please speak."

Prince Xiangyang pointed at the Yu Wen father and son, "I have never done anything disloyal to the Emperor or the Empress Dowager! It was Yu Wenbo who wanted me to find Fuzi; as for his connection with Fuzi, I have no knowledge!" He waved his hand, "Marquis Zhongyi said that as long as I support him, he would endorse my grandson as the new Emperor. What he did, I know nothing!"

"The Prince may not know, but I do!" the Minister shouted to the forensic doctor, "Someone, present the evidence!"

An elderly man in a white robe and turban, wearing gloves, approached Fuzi, and from his waist retrieved another sachet.

The forensic doctor opened the sachet and poured out some orpiment that had turned into sludge.

The Minister declared, "Marquis Zhongyi, after the Emperor’s death, the Imperial Physicians discovered a substantial amount of orpiment in his stomach. Though used in painting, it contains high levels of arsenic! I recall that Fuzi once went to your mansion to ask for some orpiment, saying he wanted to paint. Did this happen? By the way, I happened to be at your residence that day."

"Yu Wenbo, how dare you bribe the eunuchs by the Emperor’s side to commit regicide, deceive the Imperial Family, and even attempt to incinerate them! Such a villain is not worth sparing, lest the Emperor’s spirit cannot rest!" Grand Tutor Jiang, harboring bitter hatred for the Yu Wen father and son, slammed the table in rage.

"Mr. Chen, the evidence is conclusive, no further trial is necessary," the two accompanying scholars agreed.

Yu Wenbo’s complexion had turned utterly bloodless.

He was speechless.

Only Yu Wen Zan, with eyes filled with resentment, glared fiercely at Prince Xiangyang.

"Prince Xiangyang, you are truly cowardly for life! I must have misjudged you!" Yu Wen Zan sneered.

"You father and son wanted to rebel and attempted to drag me down with you. I have no divided loyalty to the Emperor and Empress Dowager, stop making false accusations!" Prince Xiangyang retorted, sticking out his neck angrily.

It turned out that the Yu Wen father and son, as early as five years ago, attempted to slowly poison the Empress, so she would be childless.

They were just waiting for the right moment to send their clan’s daughter into the palace.

Indeed, Princess Consort Yu Wen was quite capable, quickly winning Li Can’s affection, thus seizing the opportunity for the Yu Wen family to take control.

However, Li Can was a person of unpredictable temperament.

Sometimes he treated the Yu Wen father and son very well, sometimes punished harshly.

At the end of last year, Li Can suddenly wanted to recall Prince Luling and his father.

This was intolerable to the Yu Wen father and son.

Having just ousted the Pei Family, monopolizing court power, how could they bring back trouble?

Prince Luling was even more difficult than Prime Minister Pei.

The Yu Wen father and son wanted to monopolize power, thus began their plotting.

They bribed palace staff to secretly poison Li Can’s food and made contact with Prince Xiangyang.

Prince Xiangyang had been cowardly all his life.

Harboring ambitions to strengthen the family, yet lacking courage and opportunity.

After Li Can fell ill, the Yu Wen father and son approached him, saying that if the Emperor died, they would certainly recommend Prince Xiangyang’s grandson as the new Emperor.

This delighted Prince Xiangyang immensely.

In a moment of heated excitement, he agreed.

Who knew, the matter was still exposed.

Early this morning, the Empress Dowager found Prince Xiangyang and questioned him about whether the Yu Wen father and son had approached him.

He, cowardly by nature, unable to withstand the Empress Dowager’s stern gaze, confessed voluntarily.

Infuriated, the Empress Dowager took up a pair of scissors to kill him.

He was so scared he knelt on the ground, swearing to topple the Yu Wen father and son, and avenge the Emperor.

.