Chapter 114: The Grave Robbery (3)

Chapter 114: The Grave Robbery (3)

Huang Cai's introduction was not only heard by Miao Dali and the other Brocade Guards but also by the onlookers.

The crowd dispersed like a tide, discussing with a mix of fear and excitement, "It's actually Eunuch Fu, so handsome indeed?"

"Wow, this man is doomed."

"Not necessarily, could it be a fake?"

"Who in the capital city would dare impersonate Eunuch Fu? That would be courting death. Besides, I recognized his voice; it's definitely Eunuch Fu."

The clerk's curses suddenly stopped as he realized who he had offended. His body trembled like a sieve.

Miao Dali, who had been marching forward without hesitation, immediately halted, his expression cautious. "Eunuch... sir..."

Miao Dali knew it was likely true. He bowed respectfully, extending his hands to Huang Cai, "Could we see your token, sir?"

Huang Cai handed over the palace token.

Identifying various tokens was a basic skill for the Brocade Guards. After verification, Miao Dali was about to kneel, but Huang Cai held him back, "Our eunuch doesn't care for such formalities. Eunuch Fu doesn't want to disturb the people. It's just that this clerk was too arrogant and didn't properly investigate the Yongning Marquis case. When our eunuch questioned him, he spewed insults, which is why we disturbed you all."

Huang Cai gestured around, and Miao Dali immediately ordered the crowd to disperse while apprehending the clerk from the capital city's administration.

The clerk cried, tears and snot streaming down his face. If not for being restrained, he would have knocked his head bloody. "I failed to recognize the esteemed jade, I'm just a messenger. It's because our Lord Li thought this case was just a formality, and I had nothing to do with it."

As the clerk spoke, Lin Zongfei in the capital city's administration sneezed.

Lin Zongfei was nodding and thinking that the exhumation of the Yongning heir's body would be concluded today, and the Concubine Chen in the capital city would surely be grateful.

This favored Concubine Chen, after the Yongning heir's remains were no more, could truly focus on the emperor without distraction.

.

Rumbling thunder echoed, and heavy clouds could no longer hold back the rain. Large drops quickly turned into a torrential downpour.

The heavy rain did not deter Fu Bin and his companions. They went to the ancestral tomb of the Yongning Marquis, collected Yan Ji's remains, and Fu Bin, draped in a cloak, rode through the rain to the palace.

Leaning forward, he urged his horse faster, like a bolt of lightning through the wide streets of the capital city.

Thinking of Yan Ji's tragic state, Fu Bin cursed himself for not being able to move faster.

The streets and alleys of the capital city were closing up, and vendors were packing away their stalls. Some saw this figure and wondered what urgent matter it could be.

Drenched to the bone, Fu Bin arrived at the palace gate. The guards, seeing his condition, did not delay and let him in.

Fu Bin intended to freshen up before seeing the emperor, but Chen Pan, upon receiving word of Fu Bin's arrival, intercepted him and insisted on taking him to see the emperor and Concubine Chen.

He Lanting was lying on the bed with the emperor, reading a book. Whenever there was a heavy rain, the emperor always enjoyed holding He Lanting while reading.

He Lanting had been uneasy since early morning, deliberately jesting with the emperor. Seeing Fu Bin's disheveled appearance, she smiled, "Your Majesty, look at Eunuch Fu, so disheveled."

Yan Ji's matter could not wait, and Fu Bin immediately knelt to apologize, "I should not disturb Your Majesty and Concubine Chen's peace, but I encountered a shocking incident outside the city. The Yongning heir had already died a tragic death, but last night, villains desecrated his grave, defiling his body and preventing him from resting in peace."

After Fu Bin finished his report, a bolt of lightning illuminated He Lanting's pale face.

She stood up, not even bothering to put on her shoes, "What did you say?"

Fu Bin bowed deeply, "My lady, please bear up."

Fu Bin was drenched, with a leaf stuck to his forehead. The emperor wanted to kick him but didn't want to get wet. "Go clean yourself up and wait for me in the imperial study."

"Yes."

As Fu Bin was about to leave, He Lanting reacted, grabbing him tightly, "Don't go, how is Jier's body?"

Fu Bin whispered, "It's no longer intact."

"Enough!" The emperor forcefully pulled He Lanting away, and Fu Bin took the opportunity to quickly leave the palace.

Once outside, Fu Bin was grateful to Chen Pan. Handling the desecration of the Yongning heir's body was difficult, but if he had washed up before seeing the emperor, he might have faced more wrath. Thanks to Chen Pan, he could protect himself.

The emperor disliked Fu Bin's dampness, but Chen Pan was dry, so the emperor kicked him in the chest.

In the palace, He Lanting's mind was consumed by the words "no longer intact." Yan Ji was her and the emperor's son, who died innocently. She suspected the killer but couldn't seek justice. Now, even his body was incomplete. Would he be born with defects in his next life?

He Lanting's mind conjured images of the adorable Yan Ji.

Yan Ji was her and the emperor's son, charming and beautiful. She had personally handled his affairs, teaching him to walk and speak. She had great hopes for him, but he had already died tragically, and now his body was incomplete.

Tears streamed down He Lanting's face, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, my child, my child."

She was genuinely heartbroken and scared. Was Yan Ji's death and the desecration of his body divine retribution for her affair with the emperor? Would it affect her?

Thinking of this, He Lanting's body trembled, her face showing fear.

The emperor embraced He Lanting, pitying the beauty in his arms, sighing deeply, "My love, I will avenge him!"

He Lanting's abdomen ached, pulling her back to reality. She remembered something—her menstruation was late, and she might be pregnant. But...

The pain made He Lanting speechless, her face pale. Chen Pan, feeling guilty, did not look up, and the emperor, holding her tenderly, did not notice her condition.

Seeing blood on her lower body, staining the imperial robe, He Lanting struggled to grab the emperor's collar, leading him to notice.

"Physician! Summon the physician!"

While chaos reigned in Concubine Chen's palace, Empress Jian Yunyao's palace soon received news from Fu Bin. The Yongning heir's grave had been desecrated, and his body was missing everything below the head, which was found in the mouth of a dead dog.

Jian Yunyao did not like rainy days, as her son's death had occurred on a rainy day, and the chaos prevented her from collecting his remains. She placed the book on her face, her hand hanging down, and said calmly, "I know."

Jian Yunyao thought that the capital city was surely about to change.

—

Lin Yingxue met Fu Bin in the evening and greeted him with a bow.

"Uncle."

It was still raining at dusk, but not as heavy as the torrential downpour in the morning; now it had turned into a light drizzle.

Fu Bin's black boots were only slightly damp, while the rest of his body, including his cloak, remained dry.

"There's no need to write to Jiaze." Fu Bin knew that the newlyweds often wrote to each other. As he took off his cloak, he whispered, "The city gates have been sealed. The body of the Yongning Marquis's heir has been desecrated, and His Majesty is determined to turn the entire capital city upside down."

He Lanting's abdominal pain was far from a minor issue. It wasn't just about losing the child; she had also lost a significant amount of blood, damaging her reproductive organs, making it unlikely for her to conceive again.

While He Lanting was deeply saddened by Yan Ji's death, what filled her with even greater despair was the realization that she could never have another child. She cried bitterly over the desecration of Yan Ji's body.

He Lanting's physical damage stemmed from the desecration of the Yongning Marquis's heir's body. Since the officials of the capital city had failed in their duties, the emperor's wrath fell upon them, accusing them of possibly being accomplices. The investigation into the desecration was handed over to the Supreme Court.

Yelu Dan had been sailing smoothly for a long time, and with the world knowing that the Yongning Marquis's lineage had been cut off, he avoided Lin Zongfei's patrol squad and directly went to the ancestral tomb of the Yongning Marquis's family. After completing his task, the four of them returned to the city.

In his fury, the emperor accused the officials of the capital city of being involved in the desecration of the Yongning Marquis's ancestral tomb and ordered the Supreme Court to investigate. Unexpectedly, they discovered that there were indeed issues with the city patrols. The grave desecrators had indeed been let out by the guards at the city gate, claiming to be following Lin Zongfei's orders.

Lin Zongfei was merely a local official who had never had any entanglements with the Yongning Marquis's family. How could he be involved in this matter?

Thinking about all these events, Fu Bin rubbed his temples and did not reveal anything about Lin Zongfei to Lin Yingxue. He simply said that correspondence would be difficult for a while, and the city would be under stricter control until the desecration of the Yongning Marquis's heir's body was thoroughly investigated.