No matter how cautious and careful both father and son were, they couldn’t explain the eighteen years of lost contact in between.
However, in the hearts of Pei Zhan and Liang Chen, another layer of doubt emerged: What exactly was Mr. Ning worried about back then? With his connections in the court, sending Yang Yi back to the Imperial Palace shouldn’t have been a problem, so why did he choose such a roundabout way?
Moreover, what exactly did Mr. Ning encounter at the dock? Who exactly were the people fighting at the dock?
The incident of Mr. Ning’s peril was reported by He Qunying. Looking at it now, it’s highly likely this clue was provided by Xu Yin, so why did Xu Yin know so much?
Even if he was a descendant of the Prince Yi Mansion, with plenty of people to dispatch for gathering information, isn’t the scope he covers too extensive?
Thinking of this, Pei Zhan said, "Your Majesty, regarding Xu Yin, I have something urgent to report."
The emperor snapped out of his contemplation, his gaze landing on Pei Zhan’s face: "That’s right, you entered the palace this time intending to report Xu Yin."
He waved his hand and walked back to sit on the edge of the couch, saying, "Go ahead."
Pei Zhan said, "A few days ago, He Qunying rented two ships from the Ning’s Trading House, claiming to transport a batch of silk from Hangzhou to the capital. However, since this silk workshop was set up using funds embezzled from the He Family’s public treasury, I found it suspicious and decided to investigate.
"During the process, I discovered that Xu Yin had secret dealings with He Qunying. I sent people to Xu Yin’s ancestral home in Tanzhou and found he had secretly raised a large group of Hidden Guards there. The steward managing the ancestral home was hiding a token of the Dayue Country’s Prince Yi Mansion.
"The steward named Zhou Yi used this token to issue commands.
"At the same time, I intercepted spies dispatched by the Dayue Royal Family on the two merchant ships He Qunying rented. According to them, Xu Yin is very likely the legitimate grandson of the Dayue Country’s King Yi."
The Empress and the Emperor lifted their heads simultaneously.
"Xu Yin is actually from the Dayue Country?" the Empress blurted out, "Wasn’t he the southern man Taiping saved from the battlefield back then?"
Upon hearing this, Liang Chen got to his knees, lifting his robe: "Your Majesty, I deserve death! Back then, the Liang Family failed to recognize people for what they were, mistakenly saving a noble from an enemy country as a citizen of our dynasty, allowing a wolf into our house, resulting in the loss of many lives!
"Currently, we still don’t know his intentions or whether there are any further wrongdoings that might harm the Great Zhou Dynasty’s governance. If so, I beg Your Majesty for punishment!"
"May Your Majesty discern!" Pei Zhan also knelt down, saying, "Our army guards the northwest border, and the Liang Family is not the only one that saved suffering citizens; Xu Yin is not the only person they saved. In the eyes of all soldiers, the lives of innocent citizens are weightier than the heavens; how can one be a gentleman without saving those in distress? The source of this content ɪs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁
"I believe the fault does not lie in Xu Yin being a Dayue person, nor did Liang Ning’s kind act go wrong; the mistake is in Xu Yin’s treacherous heart!
"We, from a family of generals, have fought in campaigns across the realm to bring peace to the world, not just for personal gain. The tradition of saving lives on the battlefield stems from when Your Majesty led us to conquer the world!
"Xu Yin was born in the Great Zhou, and had never lived in Dayue. If it weren’t for having a father of Dayue lineage, he would entirely be a citizen of the Great Zhou!
"His claimed background completely aligns with the identity he claimed!
"So where was Liang Ning wrong in failing to discern his identity?
"Not only could she not discern it, no one who knew him thought that someone speaking fluent Tanzhou dialect could actually be a royal of Dayue!
"Even today, if I did not present evidence, who among the civil and military officials could have guessed that Xu Yin would be Dayue?
"And the one who saved Xu Yin at all costs, Liang Ning, also died at Xu Yin’s hands back then!"
Upon hearing these words, the Empress gasped repeatedly. The shock of the content was so great that she could only express surprise at the last part: "You say Liang Ning was killed by Xu Yin? Wasn’t her death an accident?"
"Precisely!" Liang Chen nodded heavily, his chest rising and falling, his eyes reddened, "Regarding all this, once Prince Rong arrives, Your Majesty can question the truth from him!
"Xu Yin killed my aunt because she happened to pass by the scene of the massacre and took the dagger. When Prince Rong later searched everywhere for the dagger, it presented Xu Yin an opportunity to abandon Liang Family to join Prince Rong’s Mansion, secretly setting fire and murdering my aunt!"
"How did you know all this?"
The Empress found herself completely unable to suppress her shock.