Chapter 112: The Grave Robbery Incident

Chapter 112: The Grave Robbery Incident

Lin Baozhen leaned back in her fishing chair. The weather wasn't great today, with a hazy golden sunlight casting over the lakeside and the willow branches. A light mist hovered over the lake's surface, and the gloomy weather made her fishing particularly successful. Wan Xiuer hadn't caught much, but Baozhen's basket was already brimming with fish.

"How could he have been promoted so quickly?" Lin Baozhen muttered.

To Lin Baozhen, she had been waiting for the chance to mock her half-sister, but in the blink of an eye, the other girl had become the wife of a Prefectural Magistrate.

Wan Xiuer noticed Lin Baozhen's discontent and said with a smile, "Big Sister, you are the Lady of the Marquis. Even if he is promoted quickly, he's still just a Prefectural Magistrate in a poor region."

"You're right, Weilin is very impoverished."

Thinking about the poverty of Weilin, Lin Baozhen felt somewhat relieved, but the thought of his rapid promotion still irked her.

Previously, Wan Xiuer and Lin Baozhen had never discussed Fu Jiaze and Lin Yingxue. From Baozhen's recent expression of aversion, Wan Xiuer knew that Baozhen didn't like Fu Jiaze. So, she began to recount what she knew about Weilin.

"Since the Di people once invaded Weilin, their tall and mighty warriors took over several counties under its jurisdiction. The locals here are as timid as mice, always fearing another invasion. Most of the people have fled, leaving behind only the elderly, the sick, and the weak. The county magistrates and prefects who come here are usually demoted officials."

Lin Baozhen pouted, "I knew he was foolish. No one else would go there, but he insists on going."

At this point, she became cheerful again, while Wan Xiuer was puzzled by Baozhen's overly intimate tone. When Baozhen called Fu Jiaze foolish, it sounded almost like playful teasing between young lovers.

Wan Xiuer quickly responded, "Indeed, he's a fool. It's just bad luck for Second Sister to marry him. You, Big Sister, are much better off. Lord Marquis cherishes you deeply."

Lin Baozhen's chin lifted slightly, and she was flattered by Wan Xiuer's praise.

Wan Xiuer soon realized that Lin Yingxue's appearance was timely. In the past, Lin Baozhen was reluctant to talk about the days when Concubine Chen was still the Lady of the Yongning Marquis. Now, she was willing to speak more openly.

Although Yelu Dan had arranged people in the capital, the matter of Concubine Chen was a taboo topic among the noble families, and they were unwilling to touch it.

Wan Xiuer listened attentively to Lin Baozhen's words and her wild speculations, taking them all as truth.

According to Lin Baozhen, Yan Ji was killed by the enemies of the Yongning Marquis. Concubine Chen wanted justice for her son and stayed in the palace, where she gained the emperor's favor. The old lady of the Yongning Marquis was also burned to death by the enemies.

These events seemed too coincidental, but Wan Xiuer didn't have time to think deeply about the inconsistencies. She nodded subconsciously, swayed by Lin Baozhen's narrative.

Lin Baozhen continued smugly, "Concubine Chen can't seem to move on and still misses that child. However, she should have focused more on herself."

But Lin Baozhen believed that Concubine Chen couldn't bear children. Otherwise, how could the Third Prince have ascended to the throne?

Wan Xiuer pondered this.

Regardless of the mysterious events at the Yongning Marquis's residence, Lin Baozhen had a valid point. Yan Ji's death allowed Concubine Chen to be content as the emperor's concubine. Yan Ji's death was timely. According to Lin Baozhen and the information gathered from the palace, Concubine Chen still mourned the child named Yan Ji. The emperor showed great tenderness towards Concubine Chen because of her grief for Yan Ji.

The emperor might still cherish Concubine Chen's display of sorrow, but what if it lasted too long? Would he find it annoying? Perhaps Concubine Chen's mourning for the child was a way to recall the Yongning Marquis?

If they wanted to elevate Concubine Chen further, they needed to find a way to make her forget everything about the Yongning Marquis's residence.

After receiving this information from Lin Baozhen, Wan Xiuer sent a message to Yelu Dan.

Based on Wan Xiuer's letter, Yelu Dan made a decision. Since Yan Ji was buried in the ancestral grounds of the Yongning Marquis, and since Yan Ji was a memory that Concubine Chen should forget, he ordered his men to rob Yan Ji's grave. They decapitated the body, leaving only the head, and destroyed the rest of the remains.

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In the eyes of the world, Yan Ji was the heir of the Yongning Marquis, destined to become the future Lord Marquis. His burial site was in the ancestral grounds of the Yongning Marquis, but due to his young age, the funeral rites were not grand.

Both the emperor and the current Concubine Chen missed Yan Ji and wanted to give him a grand funeral, but their guilt led them to decide on a simple burial.

The emperor comforted He Lanting, "You will have my children. Don't dwell on Jier. As parents, we know to burn more incense for him."

He Lanting closed her eyes and clutched the emperor's robe.

Yan Ji was gone, and now the most important thing was the emperor.

Following Yelu Dan's orders, his men, knowing that Lin Zongfei was a fifth-rank administrator, managed to avoid the night patrols.

A team of four men completed the grave robbery late one night.

Half a month after Wan Xiuer learned about Yan Ji's fate, his small grave was dug up.

The body was decapitated, and the torso was taken away, leaving only Yan Ji's head. A dead yellow dog was left behind, carrying Yan Ji's head in its mouth.

The dog's belly was stuffed with a blood-stained note.

The Yongning Marquis was unrighteous, so his enemies specifically desecrated Yan Ji's grave as retribution against the Marquis.

When the tomb keeper of the Yongning Marquis's residence woke up the next day, he found his neck sore and saw the state of the grave. He realized he had been tricked; the body of the Marquis's heir had been desecrated.

He asked the others to keep watch and rode into the city. He struck the drum of complaint and told the official, "Sir, I am the tomb keeper of the Yongning Marquis's residence. Our young heir's grave has been desecrated. He died so tragically, and now his body has been dismembered, leaving only his head."

The tomb keeper bowed deeply. He was a lifelong servant of the Yongning Marquis, loyal to the old Marquis. Seeing the Marquis, the young heir, and the old lady pass away, he felt a deep sorrow. He never imagined such a thing could happen under the emperor's nose.

"Please seek justice for our young heir."

The clerk recording the complaint didn't take the matter seriously.

The Yongning Marquis was long gone, and the heir was dead. The former Lady of the Yongning Marquis had become Concubine Chen, and the old lady was also deceased. Such a case of grave desecration only required a routine inspection and documentation.

The official straightened his robes and took the tomb keeper to the outskirts. On the way, they encountered Fu Bin dining on dumplings with Fu Wanan.

Seeing the tomb keeper, Fu Bin frowned and sent someone to inquire. They learned that the body of the Yongning Marquis's heir had been dug up, decapitated, and the torso had vanished.

Thunder rumbled, and sweat dripped down Fu Bin's forehead. The capital was about to face a storm.