The skeletons found in the Zhou Residence shocked everyone in the capital.
The next day, almost everyone was talking about this matter.
In the imperial palace, Princess Luo Shu knelt in front of the bed to beg for forgiveness. Her black hair hung down, and she was in low spirits.
"You... I don't want to see you again," Consort Dowager Jiang's voice was haggard and hoarse, but one could still feel her majesty.
"Mother..." Princess Luo Shu quickly crawled to her, "The Prince Consort has been sentenced to death, but my children... They're innocent and don't know what he has done. Please, spare them..."
"They've no idea, what about you? As a mother, don't you know?" Consort Dowager Jiang looked at her with disgust.
"I don't know that he killed my imperial sister! If I knew that the murderer was him, no matter how happy I was with him, I would definitely kill the enemy for my imperial sister!" Luo Shu quickly said.
Hearing that, Consort Dowager Jiang looked at her with a strange gaze.
"I was wrong to love you in the past. You are far worse than Xingmo. You're fake. More than 100 lives were taken, and you pretended not to know. Do you really think that I blame you for Xingmo?" Consort Dowager Jiang shook her head, "You're not worthy of being a member of the royal family."
The Emperor did not say anything.
Now that he heard these words, he knew what to do.
All these years, he had been very lenient to the Zhou family because of Luo Shu. If the Consort Dowager insisted on pleading for Luo Shu, it was possible to protect Princess Luo Shu and her children.
However, at that moment, there was no need for a lenient punishment.
The Zhou family's case was sentenced very quickly. Almost overnight, the entire family was destroyed.
In March, the mastermind, Zhou Feiyuan, as well as Old Lady Zhou and the others in the Zhou family who knew about the crime, would be executed after the autumn of the following year. The others would be exiled 5,000 kilometers away. Princess Luo Shu would be demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the temple to help to release the souls of the dead, never to be released for the rest of her life!
The Consort Dowager suddenly grew much older.
"Actually, all these years, I had already thought about it. If Xingmo was still alive, how could there have been no news of her? I just wanted to know who was so bold to harm her," The Consort Dowager's tone was calm, as if she had not been greatly agitated.
"Zhou Feiyuan deserves to die. How dare he humiliate the royal family like this!" The Emperor was furious.
"I heard from the Crown Prince that it was all thanks to the eldest son of the Xie family that he was able to investigate this matter. He must be well rewarded," the Consort Dowager added.
The Emperor was a filial son. Now that he heard that, he immediately said, "Rest assured, Mother. I've already prepared to promote him to the criminal master of the criminal division. This kid is young, courageous, and capable. The Crown Prince has praised him a lot, so we will definitely not mistreat him."
The Consort Dowager nodded.
He had found the bones of her daughter. Now that he had risen to the sixth-rank, it was actually still too low.
However, he was still young, so it was not good to raise him too fast out of nowhere.
"Mother, don't worry. Now that my Sister's bones have been found, there's no need for her to suffer any more grievances in the netherworld," the Emperor added.
They had already announced the news of the princess's death to the outside world, and there was even a mausoleum. However, this mausoleum had been empty in the past, and now, they had to bury her again.
The Consort Dowager nodded tiredly.
"I've not been involved in worldly affairs these years, but I have more or less heard that the people outside are dissatisfied with the Crown Prince. When he was born, he became the Crown Prince. If he's unable to ascend to the throne in the future... I think it's better for you to pave the way for him as soon as possible so that he won't have a bad ending," Consort Dowager Jiang said.
Consort Dowager Jiang's meaning was obvious.
If he would not become the next Emperor, then he should be abolished as soon as possible. He would be conferred the title of Prince and live an honest life in his fiefdom.
After staying silent for a few years, even if there was a new Emperor in the future, he might be able to forget the Crown Prince's limelight over these years.