Chapter 0163: Denunciation

Chapter 0163: Denunciation

Qi Tongkang quickly apprehended him and took him to a small courtyard in the city.

He confessed everything at the first scare.

He even disclosed what he wasn’t supposed to reveal.

Listening, Qi Tongkang felt like dying.

The Empress's elder brother didn’t die from illness. It was Doctor Zhang who poisoned him, and even this had been planned by Qi Xiaohe for over a year.

After using that medicine a few times, it really did cause angina...

Qi Tongkang simply wanted to kill his nephew himself.

Isn't this leading the whole family to their deaths?

Soon, the son of Doctor Zhang was also found.

But they could only watch as he was taken away by the officials from the Ministry of Justice.

The follower knew there was no time to delay and hurried back to inform Nian Mama.

Mrs. Wu knew the urgency; after all, she and Qi Tonglu had been husband and wife for many years, bearing two legitimate sons together.

Qi Tonglu knew his legitimate wife would not speak without cause, and at the same time, Qi Tongkang had also rushed back to report the summoning of Fang Qi.

They were never close, and Qi Tonglu had even looked down on this half-brother before, but now, what room was there for any estrangement between the brothers?

After pondering for a quarter of an hour, the brothers went to the palace together.

Claiming to have matters of utmost importance to report, and with Qi Tonglu holding a fourth-rank official position, He Jinli still granted them an audience.

In the Zhengyang Palace, he looked at the two brothers kneeling below and asked, "What matter of great importance brings my two officials to the palace so urgently?"

Qi Tonglu and Qi Tongkang first kowtowed three times, after which Qi Tonglu, with trembling hands, presented a confession, specifically that of Fang Qi.

With a quivering voice, he recounted how Mrs. Wu became suspicious of something amiss with Qi Xiaohu and his servant in January, and how her vigilance had led up to today.

"My brother and I sensed something amiss and dared not jump to conclusions hastily, so we apprehended Qi Xiaohu's servant, Fang Qi, and thereby uncovered this shocking news. We didn't dare delay. Qi Xiaohu, failing his duty as a servant to the Emperor, has brought great dishonor to the Qi family..."

He cried, "In our lives, my brother and I have known only loyalty to our sovereign. We had no choice but to forsake familial affection, to accuse him of rebellion and deceiving the Emperor. We beg His Majesty to see the truth."

Having said this, the brothers prostrated themselves on the ground, weeping bitterly.

He Jinli coldly chuckled after reading the accusation handed over by Meng Chang, "Very well, indeed very well."

"For conspiring against the Empress, for conspiring against General Xie."

Qi Tonglu and Qi Tongkang bowed even lower.

Actually, Qi Tonglu meant to suggest that the plot against General Xie should not be mentioned, to be investigated by the Emperor himself.

But Qi Tongkang refused, because he had personally interrogated Fang Qi, to affirm the truth of the matter.

They could not kill Fang Qi, the living proof. Inevitably, during a re-examination, Fang Qi would mention being interrogated by Qi Tongkang.

At that time, he would say, "I admitted then that my young master conspired against General Xie."

If Qi Tongkang didn't report this to the Emperor, it would be deceiving the sovereign.

With things having reached this point, he laid everything out, hoping to spare their lives.

Knowing that by coming forward voluntarily, they might at least save their lives.

Otherwise, who would dare to confess in the future?

After all, they were from different branches of the family; the actions of the main house should, logically, have been avoidable.

"Summon someone!" commanded He Jinli.

Meng Chang stepped forward: "Your Majesty."

"Immediately seal off the Qi residence, confining everyone inside, preventing them from leaving. Qi Xiaohu is to be imprisoned for a thorough investigation, and related individuals are to be swiftly sent to the Ministry of Justice."

He glanced at the two brothers trembling below: "The rest of the Qi family shall not leave the estate for the time being."

The brothers crawled a few steps forward: "We thank Your Majesty for your magnanimous grace."

Not being imprisoned offered a glimmer of hope.

That night, the Qi residence was securely surrounded by the imperial guards.

Within the main household, Qi Xiaohu was imprisoned.

Even if Qi Tongxi held the position of Imperial Secretary, Prime Minister, or the Marquis of Dongchang, he couldn't prevent the arrest.

And upon learning the reason, he knew not to interfere.

He understood his son. This accusation couldn't be a wrongful one.

The third branch was the most confused, genuinely unaware of anything, yet dared not to move recklessly.

It was a tumultuous night; the Qi household was brightly lit throughout, but after the brilliance, always comes decline.

In the inner palace, whether it was the Noble Consort or Beauty Qiong, all were oblivious to these events.

But by dawn, the news had spread into the inner palace.

The Noble Consort felt a darkness before her eyes, refusing to believe, herself also unaware.

Qi Xiaohe was wicked, but he was extremely protective of his sister, so he never informed the Noble Consort.

By now, the brother had been in jail for a night.

Their father, still a high official, could not shield his own son.

And she hated the second and fourth households even more for denouncing her brother!

Sometimes, that's just how things turn out.

The next morning, the Li family submitted a petition, accusing Qi Xiaohe of being cruel and abusive towards Mrs. Li.

This led to her miscarrying three times in three years and also alleged his involvement with prostitutes.

According to the rules of the dynasty, court officials were not allowed to consort with prostitutes.

It didn’t matter if you did it secretly, but once it became known, you were doomed.

The more glorious the Qi family appeared, the more people there were who hated them behind their backs.

Soon, people began to submit petitions one after another, detailing the crimes of Qi Xiaohe and his son.

After all, Qi Tongxi was still the Imperial Secretary, a first-rank official of the dynasty, so accusations against him had to be somewhat indirect, but Qi Xiaohe was thoroughly discredited.

Over three days, at least the crime of plotting against the Empress was firmly established.

Fang Qi did not deny anything, directly implicating a list of people involved in the affair.

Those arrested confessed readily, fearing severe punishment.

Doctor Zhang's son also knew quite a bit, indirectly confirming that Doctor Zhang had indeed been in close contact with Qi Xiaohe before his death.

He committed suicide due to overwhelming debts, even though working for Qi Xiaohe proved futile.

He had only one son, who was a disappointment, leaving both parents disheartened.

Why exactly Doctor Zhang used items from an epidemic patient on the Empress remains a mystery.

Perhaps he wanted to die and did not wish others to live well either.

Fortunately, the epidemic was discovered early at the Empress's quarters, preventing it from spreading.

Qi Xiaohe could not escape the death penalty.

At this point, Qi Tongxi could only submit a petition admitting his failure in disciplining his son, leading to a grave mistake, requesting to resign from his position and asking for punishment.

Mrs. Jiang fell ill and did not recover.

The Qi family's most promising younger generation suffered a significant blow.

It was utterly unexpected.

On the third day of the second month, the Noble Consort removed her hairpin to await punishment, dressed in plain clothes, kneeling outside Zhengyang Palace.

It was a remarkably fine day, probably because last winter was too cold, making the early days of February unusually warm.

This is what Yun Li thought as she held Zhi Fu's hand, arriving outside Zhengyang Palace.

She hadn't removed her hairpin, but she also wore very few, just a few pieces.

She didn't change into plain clothes, but she also didn't wear anything too bold, just a light purple dress. Simple and clean, she knelt a little behind and to the side of the Noble Consort.

The Noble Consort turned her head for a glance, her eyes filled with intense hatred, but she said nothing.

Yun Li found it amusing, yet she just knelt quietly.

She truly detested being implicated like this.

Expecting a long wait, she was surprised when after only half an hour, He Jinli summoned them inside.