Chapter 283

Chapter 283: The Hua Family's Involvement

Hua Bi felt a jolt in his heart.

This matter was likely connected to his family.

As expected.

When they went to arrest Zhao Si, they found no living person. However, they did find a corpse.

He was dead in a field on a farmstead, unnoticed because it was winter and no one visited the area.

Thus, he had been dead for a day and a night before being discovered.

It was only during the extensive search by the soldiers on the farmstead that he was found.

"Sir, he died of poisoning," a bailiff reported.

Judge Xu of the capital nodded, instructing, "First, bring the body back, thoroughly search this farmstead, dig three feet into the ground if you have to."

Actually, the capital judiciary knows less than the Ministry of Clan Affairs and the Ministry of Justice.

But they could guess the outline; this was an incident from within the palace.

Any case involving the imperial household is of utmost importance and cannot be taken lightly.

The Hua family already has a daughter in the palace; who knows what connections might be involved?

Soon, Zhao Si's body was brought back to the capital and immediately taken by the Ministry of Justice.

The Capital Prefecture had no objections.

At this time, the Ministry of Justice had coroners ready for an autopsy. Although it was preliminarily determined to be poisoning, the exact poison needed to be identified.

Minister Qi of the Ministry of Justice, Minister Helan of the Dali Temple, and Minister Xing of the Censorate were all present, making the Capital Prefecture seem particularly insignificant.

The attendance of all three judicial offices underscores the seriousness with which the case is regarded.

The old woman is now nationally wanted.

As long as she is alive, she can be found.

And for Hua Bi, being embroiled in this case makes proving his innocence difficult.

Yun Li sighed upon hearing the latest updates from Li Mu: "It's involved the Hua family."

"To answer Madam, it has involved them, but investigations are ongoing. It's not yet clear if the Hua family is responsible. The main issue is that the involved old woman has not been found. The Ministry of Justice suggests she might have been silenced. If alive, why is there no sign of her?"

Yun Li nodded, agreeing that if silenced, once the body is buried, it would indeed never be found in this lifetime.

"His Majesty instructed me to tell you not to worry. Now that Zhao Si has been found, it's possible to trace his contacts before his death. How did the poison he bought end up with the old woman? These are all living people; they couldn't have disappeared while alive, right?" Li Mu said.

"You're right, this matter has also troubled His Majesty," Yun Li said.

"You shouldn't say that. This case is a major issue. The appearance of such poison in the palace, what if it had caused an even greater incident?" Li Mu said.

Yun Li nodded in agreement.

That's precisely why Emperor He Jingxi called for such a large-scale investigation.

Usually, poisons like arsenic have a noticeable taste.

This Jin Wu head blends in with the scent of medicinal herbs.

For someone with malicious intent, it's easy to exploit.

The victim doesn't realize at first, making it extremely dangerous.

Many heads will roll before this matter is settled.

Yun Li sighed, "Tell His Majesty for me, with the affairs of state being so busy these days, he should rest more."

"Of course, I will relay Consort Yun's message," Li Mu smiled.

Yun Li rewarded him with silver and sent him on his way.

"Your Majesty, do you really think Jing Jieyu was involved?" Zhu Ding frowned, "What good does it do her? Her disfavor with the Emperor is a known fact; why bother?"

Yun Li frowned, "I don't know. But who would go so far as to bribe servants from the Hua family? And so loyally at that?"

Zhu Ding also shook his head, "Now that many from the Hua family have been taken by the Ministry of Justice, the truth should come out. But there must be a motive, and I don't see what Jing Jieyu would gain from this."

To say she wanted to harm Consort Min might be to regain her child, but to harm her own lady, what could possibly be the goal?

"Maybe it's not her, or maybe it's not just her. At this point, His Majesty will surely find out the truth," Yun Li seemed less anxious.

"As you say, Your Majesty."

The Hua family matter proved much easier to investigate.

Zhao Si had a wife and children, but it was quickly discovered he also had a mistress.

Being a steward of the Hua family, he often traveled to the estate, enjoying a certain freedom.

The child born to a maid who was part of Consort Jing's mother, Lady Yang's dowry, enjoyed a certain status within the Hua family.

This meant that his involvement made the case easier to investigate.

Soon, his mother was interrogated, leading to Lady Yang's confession.

It was indeed Lady Yang who had orchestrated the plan, though she was unclear about how she learned of the Golden Crow's Head.

Lady Yang, as Hua Bi's wife and a woman of conferred rank, was previously untouchable.

However, once implicated in the case, there was no exemption.

Thus, officials from the Capital Prefecture arrived to take Lady Yang into custody.

Hua Bi, realizing the gravity of the situation, understood his downfall was inevitable.

Even without any prior knowledge, he knew he was finished.

Without resistance, he let the officers take Lady Yang and her personal servants away, while he was placed under house arrest.

His sons were forbidden from leaving the house.

The Hua family had once been illustrious, enjoying generations of prominence.

With Grand Tutor Hua respected by two emperors, the family had reached the pinnacle of honor.

Sadly, just a few years after his passing, the Hua family faced imminent decline.

Lady Yang was taken to the Dali Temple, initially silent, but even without physical torture, the Dali Temple's methods made enduring silence impossible.

The jailers had ways to make one wish for death without shedding blood.

Within days, the noblewoman could no longer bear it.

She confessed to orchestrating everything.

She had learned of the Golden Crow's Head years ago and had paid for information regarding Consort Yun's medicine, which was no secret.

The reason for targeting Consort Yun was because her daughter entered the palace the same year as Consort Yun, firmly believing Consort Yun was behind her daughter's misfortune.

She refused to divulge anything else.

Clearly, these were lies, yet she adamantly withheld the truth.

She insisted, even in the face of death, that Consort Jing was completely unaware, utterly oblivious.

Whether aware or not, by this point, Hua Bi and his sons were imprisoned.

Conspiring against a consort of the court is no minor offense.

By the time Consort Jing was informed, the verdict was already sealed.

Once Hua Bi and his sons were incarcerated, there was no longer talk of sparing them from torture.

Within days, the once-glorious members of the Hua family were treated no better than livestock, beaten until bloody.

But Hua Bi and his sons truly knew nothing of the scheme, all orchestrated by Lady Yang, hence they could reveal nothing under torture.

Even when Lady Yang's fingers were pierced with bamboo sticks, she persisted in claiming responsibility, convinced that Consort Yun had harmed Consort Jing.

All of this had nothing to do with Consort Jing.

She also admitted to hiring the old woman, a long-standing servant of the Hua family.

He was later killed by her men, and his body was buried outside the city.

The body was soon found, and everything matched up.

People close to her couldn't connect Jing Jieyu to the crime, as if she truly wasn't involved in the whole affair.

In the Zhengyang Palace, Meng Chang presented a stack of confessions, including those from the Yang family, her close associates, and some useful statements from the Hua family.

The stack of confessions was thick, totaling dozens of pages.