In that instant, a dense ache spread through Li Yue Shu's heart.
She couldn't imagine how terrifying and desperate young A Min must have felt, experiencing a family annihilation at such a tender age, during a time that should have been filled with joy and laughter.
Qin Mo Yuan's voice was low, his heart aching for the child. "When I received the news and rushed over, out of the nearly two hundred people in the Zheng family, only A Min was left alive."
He still remembered the scene when he broke into the Zheng manor, seeing the Zheng family members shield A Min with their own bodies.
Li Yue Shu's brow furrowed. "Is the Zheng family's crime real?"
Within the capital, under imperial authority, the truth of many matters was not what it appeared to be.
"No," Qin Mo Yuan stated with certainty. "The Zheng family were loyal subjects for generations. Their only daughter even entered the palace to become Consort Rong, making them the most loyal supporters of the current emperor."
Loyal supporters were the emperor's most devoted subjects. They never took sides in the succession struggle, nor would they ever commit treason.
Li Yue Shu clenched her hands tightly and asked, "Since A Min is alive, why was he later perceived by the world as deceased?"
The kettle was steaming. Qin Mo Yuan, wrapping a handkerchief around it, lifted it.
"It was already too late by the time I received the news. I pulled A Min from a pile of corpses. He was severely traumatized, so I took him back to the prince's manor to see a doctor."
He frowned slightly, his gaze turning cold. "When I sent word about A Min to the palace, I learned that the people sent to confiscate the family's property had already reported A Min's death. My imperial brother also decreed that Consort Rong be banished to the cold palace."
"They found a corpse similar in age to A Min, claiming the Zheng family used A Min as a hostage to attempt an escape, and that A Min, in his fear, had run around and was accidentally killed. The Zheng family, in their rage, even struck A Min's corpse dozens of times until... his features were unrecognizable beyond recognition."
Li Yue Shu's heart tightened. "And the emperor believed this?"
Qin Mo Yuan gently swirled the cup of scalding hot water, his gaze deepening. "The people sent to carry out the confiscation were trusted confidantes of the Empress. My imperial brother has many sons, and the Zheng family has already been executed. The army controlled by the Zheng family was also reclaimed by my imperial brother. What was one son to him..."
Trading a son with whom he had a distant relationship for an army, it was natural that no one would bother with the truth behind the Zheng family's alleged treason.
Li Yue Shu paused. "What army did the Zheng family command?"
Qin Mo Yuan replied, "The Chongzhou Garrison. Besides the Imperial Guards, it is the largest army in Chongzhou."
A chill settled in Li Yue Shu's heart.
No wonder...
She looked at the children playing not far away, her voice low. "What happened next?"
Qin Mo Yuan's eyelids drooped, his voice devoid of emotion. "Later, I secretly brought A Min into the palace to see my imperial brother. Father and son spoke for half an hour in the imperial study. I don't know what they discussed, but after A Min came out, he asked me to take him away from Chongzhou."
Except for his imperial brother, no one knew he had gone to the Zheng family's. Therefore, taking away a supposedly deceased prince was not difficult for him.
Li Yue Shu's brow furrowed, a spark of anger rising within her.
To abandon his own son for an army, and to turn a blind eye to the wrongful deaths of loyal subjects – what a truly good emperor!
Qin Mo Yuan noticed her anger and offered the cup, now no longer scalding, to her. "Drink some water to moisten your lips."
Li Yue Shu's anger seemed to freeze. She instinctively licked her lips, only then realizing they were so dry they were cracking.
She looked at Qin Mo Yuan, accepted the cup, and replied softly, "Thank you."
Qin Mo Yuan's thin lips moved, but he said nothing, merely pouring himself another cup of water to cool.
"I have found evidence to clear the Zheng family's name. In two days, when court convenes, A Min will appear openly and have his identity restored."
Li Yue Shu's hand, holding the cup, tightened. While she was happy for A Min, she also felt a pang of loss.
A Min still hadn't changed his address to her. Once his identity as a prince was restored, they would likely have no connection whatsoever...
Qin Mo Yuan sensed her unusual mood immediately. Being as sharp as he was, he naturally guessed the reason.
However, with Consort Rong still alive, he was not in a position to make decisions for A Min, nor did he know how to comfort her.
After a long silence, Li Yue Shu spoke first, but asked about something else. "The emperor actually tacitly approved the Zheng family's crime. Will he agree to a rectification?"
She knew the imperial decree for the confiscation had come from him. Agreeing to a rectification would mean admitting his own mistake.
For an emperor, losing face was a serious matter!
Because of A Min, Li Yue Shu held no good opinion of this emperor. When mentioning him, her tone carried a hint of coldness.
Qin Mo Yuan naturally detected the disrespect in her tone, but he did not get angry. Instead, he felt a little guilty.
His imperial brother was his full brother, his most trusted relative. But regarding the Zheng family's matter, his imperial brother had indeed made a mistake.
Although the Empress was the one who framed the Zheng family, his imperial brother, in order to gain control of the Chongzhou Garrison, had turned a blind eye to the Zheng family's wrongful deaths and even abandoned his own son. This was his failing towards the Zheng family and A Min.
Qin Mo Yuan quickly stated his stance. "I will personally champion the Zheng family's exoneration in court, and my imperial brother will surely agree."
At the time, the evidence was conclusive. Shortly after, he himself had an accident, which was why it had been delayed until now.
Li Yue Shu believed that if Qin Mo Yuan said he would do it, he would.
However, she felt that the emperor's agreement to rectify the Zheng family's name was not solely due to his brother Qin Mo Yuan's plea, but also because the Chongzhou Garrison was already in his hands.
With nearly two hundred members of the Zheng family dead, and only Consort Rong still alive in the palace, whether the accusation of treason was true or false no longer mattered to him.
But Li Yue Shu could also see that Qin Mo Yuan had affection for his imperial brother. Her words, spoken aloud, were somewhat hurtful, so she refrained from speaking further.
...
As the person directly involved, Shen Yi Min was naturally aware of his impending restoration to his rightful identity. Yet, he felt no joy at all.
The wrongful deaths of nearly two hundred Zheng family members, his grandfather's desperate struggle, the Zheng family members shielding him with their lives...
He would never forget those memories, nor the words spoken to him by that person on the imperial throne in the imperial study.
If he could, he would rather have remained Shen Yi Min of Tongmu County forever.
The night was as black as ink, yet Shen Yi Min sat in the courtyard, unable to sleep.
"Creak—"
The sound of a door opening was quite noticeable in the silent night.
Shen Yi Min turned and saw Mo Lian, draped in an outer garment, holding a lantern, emerging from the house.
He sat down beside Shen Yi Min and placed the lantern on the stone table. "Sitting here alone, what are you thinking about?"
Shen Yi Min didn't answer his question, instead asking, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Mo Lian yawned. "I noticed you've seemed preoccupied these past few days, as if you're hiding something. I woke up and you weren't in bed, so I came to check."
He glanced at the person beside him. "Ever since we arrived in Chongzhou, I've felt something was off with your emotions. I even saw you crumple up several sheets of paper when you were writing to Ling'er."
He seemed to have something he wanted to say, but didn't know how to put it into words.
But some things needed to be spoken aloud for the heart to feel less burdened.
Looking into his friend's sincere eyes, Shen Yi Min, who was accustomed to keeping everything bottled up, suddenly felt a desire to confide.