There was a sudden clatter inside the room. Ling Yan calmly walked in and dragged out Mian Xiao, who was still flailing about.
Without changing her expression, Ling Yan scanned the crowd with her usual cold and aloof demeanor.
"I've beaten him up."
There was a moment of silence. Everyone craned their necks to take a look. They saw Yan Yifan lying inside, his face bruised and swollen, and one of his hands hanging limply beside him, bloody and mangled. But since the effect of the medicine hadn't worn off yet, the pain was still numbed. He was still dazed and didn't know what had happened.
Mian Xiao let out a cold snort and asked, still not satisfied,
"Your Highness, shall we report this to the authorities?"
Protecting Ye Xi in his arms like a precious treasure, Yi Yuan nodded.
"Go ahead and report it. Send him to the Supreme Court of Judicature to stay there for a few days. We don't want to lose the witness by any chance later."
Saying so, they were about to leave quietly.
But suddenly, a familiar male voice sounded from behind.
"Prince of Yu'an?"
Everyone turned around in unison and saw Cao Sheng standing not far away, looking a bit excited and incredulous.
"It's really you."
Cao Sheng seemed to have discovered something extraordinary and burst into laughter. The expressions of contempt, schadenfreude, and a hint of secret pleasure alternated in his eyes.
"I knew it, I knew it. Hahaha... That stupid Ye Xi really thought you would treat her whole - heartedly. She thought she had found a good man and didn't hesitate to break off the engagement with me in public. But what's the result? Our noble and peerless prince, who never gets close to women, actually comes to a brothel! And he can't even wait to hug a woman in the corridor."
"Tsk tsk tsk..."
Cao Sheng looked as if he was watching a good show and mocked,
"The prince really has good taste. This courtesan has skin fairer than snow and a graceful figure. She must be extremely beautiful. It's only natural that Ye Xi, that ugly woman, would be despised. It's really satisfying. When will the prince kick that faceless woman out of the house?"
Since the fortune - telling was held in a brothel today, the location was special, and this kind of dirty place was full of people. Ye Xi didn't bring any of her usual attendants, only Ling Yan. Their outfits were completely different from their usual ones, and Ye Xi hadn't even taken off her veil after the fortune - telling. Cao Sheng didn't recognize at all that the two people in front of him were the girls he had accidentally met in the suburbs of the capital and mistakenly thought were Miss Yun.
All he knew was that the Prince of Yu'an had left Ye Xi and come to the brothel, and even hugged another woman in public. Just thinking about Ye Xi's determination to break off the engagement at that time and the regret and pain she would feel if she knew about this now, Cao Sheng felt extremely happy all over. He was almost eager to tell Ye Xi this news and see her expression when she found out.
None of them wanted to pay any attention to him. The effect of the medicine on Yan Yifan inside was about to wear off, and Ye Xi hadn't detailed what she had read from his mind yet. They didn't have the time to listen to Cao Sheng's self - righteous ridicule.
Yi Yuan gave Cao Sheng a cold glance and simply ordered,
"Lin An, you go take care of reporting this to the authorities."
Then he slightly raised his chin towards Cao Sheng, his eyes filled with frost.
"Mian Xiao, weren't you not satisfied with the beating just now? Here's someone with a loose tongue coming to you. Go ahead."
After saying that, he shook his outer robe to wrap Ye Xi tightly, picked her up around the waist, and took to the air.
"You... How dare you!"
Seeing that Mian Xiao was serious, Cao Sheng's face turned pale. He subconsciously took a step back but still tried to maintain his dignity.
"I'm the son of an official. My grandfather is the emperor's teacher, and my aunt is the empress. If you really dare to make a move, you won't have a good time either."
But Mian Xiao seemed not to hear what he said at all. He just rubbed his fists and walked towards Cao Sheng on his own. Frightened, Cao Sheng ran downstairs while unconsciously speeding up his speech, and even the threatening words from his mouth unconsciously changed.
"You'd better think it over. Anyway, my reputation is already ruined, but your prince still has a good reputation. If you make a big scene in this kind of place, it will be the most unfavorable to you when the news spreads..."
As he was speaking, he was almost at the bottom of the stairs.
Seeing Cao Sheng's cowardly look, Mian Xiao sneered contemptuously. He raised his fist haughtily, then turned around and followed the others who had left into the air.
Not long after, a group of constables came with their swords drawn and carried away Yan Yifan, who was half - naked, trembling as his mind gradually cleared, and howling miserably while holding his mangled right hand.
Inside Zhihong Garden -
"According to what Yan Yifan said during the fortune - telling, all the military funds he embezzled were partly used to buy official positions and bribe others to consolidate his official career; the other part was secretly transferred back to his hometown, Tanzhou, to buy fertile land, houses, beautiful maids, and servants, and to build large - scale buildings and even a mausoleum. He was fully prepared for his retirement in the future."
Everyone gathered together and listened to Ye Xi recount the information she had obtained from Yan Yifan.
"In the northwest corner of the warehouse in his mansion, there is a third lamp. If you turn it, a secret compartment will appear. Inside the compartment, there is a ledger with the detailed income and expenditure of the embezzled silver, clearly showing where it came from and where it went."
"As for the person behind the scenes, it's not really someone who gave orders. It can only be said that they were in cahoots with each other and took what they needed. It's Yan Yifan's superior, Shen Bianhuai, the vice - minister of the Ministry of War."
"Humph - the Shen family." Yi Yuan snorted coldly.
"In this case, it seems that Shen Zhou is the one who is in trouble."
"We can't afford to delay. We have to go and retrieve that ledger right now."
Xie Huaiyue pondered and said,
"Just now, my subordinates have taken Yan Yifan into custody in the prison. So many people saw it at that time. This news will spread throughout the capital before dawn. Although he was arrested on the charge of visiting a prostitute, with the caution of the Shen family, once they get the news, they will surely go to look for any evidence that is unfavorable to their family, in case there are any loopholes on Yan Yifan's side."
"You're right,"
Yi Yuan agreed.
"Mian Xiao, you go and retrieve that ledger immediately. Lin An, go to the Frost Pavilion and select two people. Set off for Tanzhou as soon as dawn breaks to check the specific situation. If there are suitable ones, bring back two witnesses."
"Yes."
The two of them responded in unison and went to make preparations respectively.
Hun Yuan groaned.
"Alright, all of you have something to do, but I can't help at all. How about I tell everyone's fortune?"
"You'd better just rest,"
Xie Huaiyue said with a smile.
"If a great master who usually stays in the palace gets involved in court affairs and is discovered, it will be a big problem. Moreover, your injury hasn't fully recovered yet. The more fortunes you tell, the more it will damage your lifespan."
Yi Yuan also said,
"What A Yue said is right. The autumn imperial examination is approaching. We still need you to preside over the blessing ceremony before the exam. You'd better recover from your injury quickly."
"Alright, alright..."
Hun Yuan pouted.
"Then let's disperse. Don't disturb my rest."
Everyone stood up one by one, but Xie Huaiyue said,
"Speaking of which, the matter of Ye Pengcheng has been dragging on for so long. The emperor has clearly given the order that this matter must be settled before the autumn imperial examination. The imperial edict should come out tomorrow. Miss Ye, do you want to go and take a look?"
After hesitating for a while, Ye Xi asked,
"It's okay. I just don't know what the punishment will be?"
"Ye Pengcheng's crime is serious. He will be beheaded after autumn. Among the other Ye family members, the young women will be sent to the Music Bureau, the others will be punished to work on the imperial farm in the countryside, and the men over ten years old will be exiled to Ningbei."
"Tsk..."
Ye Xi sighed softly.
"With this punishment, Ye Jueyao will probably wish she were dead. After all, we've lived together for more than a decade. I should go and see her off for the last time."