Liu Wanjun stepped forward and spoke a fair word, "Your Majesty, this old minister believes the ministers' words are just. However, there is one point, this old minister feels that it is not appropriate for His Highness to lead the troops to search the Prime Minister's mansion. This matter should still be handled by the Three Departments and Six Ministries, so as to be fair!"
The civil officials seconded the motion, but they also intended to use this opportunity to clear Nan Chaoyin's name. The events in court today would spread throughout the capital within half a day. Rather than letting Liu's actions tarnish the Prime Minister's reputation, it was better to cut the root of the problem and use the most effective method to prove Nan Chaoyin's innocence.
Hearing the voices of the officials seconding the motion, Nan Chaoyin felt a chill creep up his spine. He felt as though his liver and gall were about to burst. He couldn't tell if Ji Jinmo had taken Liu yesterday merely to vent his anger on behalf of Nan Shiying, or if he had already anticipated his counterattack and thus orchestrated this grand play, solely to have a legitimate reason to search his mansion.
"Prime Minister, what are your thoughts?" Ji Hong asked Nan Chaoyin.
Nan Chaoyin naturally did not want to, but with things having come to this, if he revealed even the slightest hint of reluctance, Ji Hong would become suspicious. Ji Hong was currently acting as if he were discussing with him, as if he cared about his opinion, but this was not the case. He was merely testing him.
Nan Chaoyin kowtowed again, "Your Majesty's will be done!"
"Good!"
Ji Hong nodded and unhesitatingly issued an imperial decree, "Minister of the Dali Temple and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, you two will cooperate with the Imperial Guards and proceed to the Prime Minister's mansion to conduct a search. Remember, do not let the matter become widely known!"
"Your subject receives the imperial edict!"
After receiving the edict, the Minister of the Dali Temple and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice bowed and retreated, only turning to walk out of the hall when they reached the门口.
...
The Imperial Guards, along with the Dali Temple constables and officials from the Ministry of Justice's clerical department, rushed to the Prime Minister's mansion.
"His Majesty has ordered that the gates be closed to receive the imperial edict!"
The contingent led by the Imperial Guards stormed into the Nan mansion. The gatekeepers who attempted to stop them were kicked flying by the Imperial Guard commander. The guards and servants who rushed over upon hearing the commotion were so frightened that their bodies went weak.
"We are acting on His Majesty's imperial decree to search the Prime Minister's mansion. If any of you dare to resist, you will be killed without mercy!"
"Guards, please bring out the Madam, Young Masters, and Young Ladies of the household. Remember, it is a 'please'!" the Imperial Guard commander repeatedly instructed.
What happened today was, in the end, merely political infighting, not a confiscation of property after concrete evidence was found. Therefore, it was still better to treat the Prime Minister's family with courtesy and politeness.
"Yes!"
Everyone obeyed.
Nan Yuan'er was awakened by the noise outside the door. Screams and the sounds of things being overturned filled the air.
"Guards, come..."
With a "clang," the door was pushed open from the outside. A biting cold wind rushed into the room, instantly lowering the temperature by several degrees. A look of anger appeared on Nan Yuan'er's pale face. Before she could erupt in anger, her maidservant scurried over to her side, shielding her.
She fiercely reprimanded, "My young lady is the future Empress! How dare you be so presumptuous!"
"This young lady, we are merely carrying out orders. His Majesty has ordered a search of the Nan mansion, and not an inch of it can be missed. If we have offended you in any way, we hope you will forgive us!"
"Guards, please escort Miss Nan out!"
"How dare you, how dare you... My young lady is injured. If her health is further compromised due to your actions, can you bear the responsibility?"
Seeing that the other party was indifferent to her threats, the maidservant, with a look of feigned fear and real trepidation, questioned them. The Imperial Guards grabbed the maidservant's arm and began dragging her out, showing no gentleness, as if they had forgotten the Imperial Guard commander's instructions.
This was hardly like escorting someone out!
After 'escorting' the troublesome maidservant away, Wang Yuyi walked to Nan Yuan'er's bedside and looked down at the talented woman who had once been famous throughout the capital.
Nan Yuan'er could only vaguely see a figure standing by her bed and could only feel the scrutinizing gaze emanating from that figure. Although she didn't know what had happened, from the conversation between her maidservant and the intruders in her room, she could roughly guess the current situation.
At this moment, whether she was stern or threatening, it would be of no use.
Realizing this, Nan Yuan'er spoke first, "I am truly... sorry. I... I am too severely injured to move. I wonder if you could spare my maidservants and elderly female servants and allow them to carry me out together."
Wang Yuyi looked at her deeply.
Her breathing was erratic, and she had to pause for several seconds when speaking. Although her eyes were open, they seemed unfocused. Judging by her appearance, breathing, and pulse, she exhibited all the characteristics of someone who was seriously injured.
The only thing that didn't fit was her reaction at this moment.
This was rather interesting!
However...
"I apologize, but the matter is of great importance. To prevent any collusion, we can only trouble Miss Nan!"
He said, stepping forward, pulling down the bed curtain, and wrapping Nan Yuan'er like a zongzi. Then, without any gentleness, he lifted her up and carried her out of the room.
The Nan mansion's inhabitants were escorted by the Imperial Guards to the rear garden. In the biting cold wind, bathed in the freezing air, everyone trembled, unsure if it was due to the weather or their current predicament.
The fear of the unknown filled them with dread, lest their master had angered His Majesty in court, bringing about this catastrophic disaster.
The Imperial Guards, the Dali Temple, and the Ministry of Justice were intermingled and then divided into three teams. One team remained in the rear garden to monitor the Nan mansion's people, one team surrounded the entire Nan mansion, and the remaining team began to search every corner of the Nan mansion with utmost thoroughness.
"My lord, we discovered something in Li Wan Pavilion..."
"My lord, we found something in Hui Lan Pavilion..."
High-class mansions often harbored many unsavory secrets. While the search did not uncover evidence of Nan Chaoyin colluding with the enemy, it did unearth quite a few other things.
"My lord, we found several corpses in the dry well in the back courtyard. Some have already turned to bone, while others are still intact."
"Retrieve them!"
Upon hearing that corpses had been found, the Imperial Guards' belief in the Prince's accusations against Liu was strengthened. However, they didn't realize the extent of the discoveries until they began the search; indeed, over a dozen corpses were unearthed within the Nan mansion.
The Imperial Guard commander's expression slightly changed.
"Continue the search!"
The Imperial Guards placed all the found corpses in the rear garden. The stench of decaying bodies, even in the open space, was enough to make people feel nauseous.
Whether it was intentional or not, Wang Yuyi directly threw Nan Yuan'er into a pavilion not far from the corpses. Smelling the foul odor drifting into her nostrils, Nan Yuan'er's already pale face lost even more color. Her chest ached faintly, and the bone-chilling wind seemed to penetrate her body relentlessly through the bed curtain and the quilt beneath it.
Nan Yuan'er's lips and teeth began to tremble uncontrollably.
Madame Wang's expression remained unchanged upon seeing the unearthed corpses. Nan Yujin grasped Madame Wang's hand, and Madame Wang looked up, receiving a reassuring glance from Nan Yujin.