"Go and teach the Li family a lesson. Since they can't teach their daughter well, they might as well stop."
"Yes, sir. I understand."
Yuan Yuhan was deep in thought. Suddenly, he recalled the rumor that the Third Prince didn't look like the emperor.
"Not looking alike... not alike... Empress, you'd better not let me find out anything shady. Otherwise, I'll surely skin you alive!"
"Go and find Young Master Jing. Ask him to investigate the empress, specifically... the events twenty years ago."
"Yes."
"You said Lou Ming left without asking you to remove the gu worm from his body?"
"Right. He left without saying a word."
"I see."
"By the way, Mu Nan asked me to tell you that the Fifth Prince sent someone to ask you to help investigate the empress about the events twenty years ago."
Twenty years ago? That was the year when the Third Prince, Yuan Yuze, was born. There used to be a rumor among the common people that the Third Prince didn't look like the current emperor, but it was later suppressed... Since Yuan Yuhan asked him to help investigate, he must have suspected something.
"Fire! Fire!"
"Fire! Fire!"
"What's going on?"
"Sir, the courtyard of the eldest young lady is on fire, and she's still inside!"
"Wantong! Wantong!"
Li Wantong sat in the room, watching the surrounding fire. She let out a strange laugh. Was she finally going to die? Hahaha... She was finally going to be liberated.
That day, after she was taken into the palace, she had a living hell. She was taken to a secret chamber and tied to a bed, unable to move. There were all kinds of tools on the surrounding walls.
She knew exactly what those things were for. She had read about them in storybooks. Her eyes widened in horror.
"Li Wantong, I originally planned to make you a noble concubine after you entered the palace, considering you're the daughter of Lord Li. But I didn't expect you to run away overnight. It seems I was too lenient with you that night, which allowed you to escape."
"No... Your Majesty, please spare my life..." Li Wantong looked at the man who appeared in the secret chamber in a panic. She knew how terrifying this man was.
"You know, even if you die here, no one will suspect anything. Then I can just make up a reason to execute you."
"No... No... Your Majesty, please spare my life... It's my fault... Please spare my life..."
Li Wantong watched as the emperor picked up a whip from the wall. As if he didn't hear her words, he walked slowly towards her and whipped her down.
"Ah! Help!"
That night, she was beaten black and blue. However, that kind of whip was specially made. It would only make people feel pain but wouldn't leave any marks on their bodies.
That night, she endured all the whips on the wall. Finally, she was brutally taken by the emperor, who didn't care about her body at all.
After that, there was blood flowing from her private parts. After the imperial doctor prescribed some medicine for her, no one cared about her anymore. She stayed in the palace for three days, suffering inhumane torture during these three days.
She didn't dare to tell her family because she knew it would be useless even if she did. Maybe she would even be sent back to the palace. She didn't want to go back to that hell.
A few days ago, the empress sent someone to ask her to get some kind of medicine. She guessed it was for Princess Tianlin. She agreed immediately. Why should she suffer such humiliation in the palace while Princess Tianlin enjoyed the favor of the Fifth Prince!
She was not willing! She just didn't expect that she would be so lucky to escape after being drugged. Moreover, she had already had a physical relationship with the Fifth Prince. She knew very well about the medicine she bought. Without a man, it couldn't be cured...
"Hahaha..."
Lord Li watched the house ablaze in the courtyard and cried bitterly. "Wantong... My daughter!"
"Sir, the fire is too big. We can't put it out at all."
Lord Li fainted under the great shock.
"Your Highness, there was a fire in the Li Mansion, and Li Wantong was burned to death in the house."
"Fire? Have you found out who set it?"
"The fire started from inside the house. It should be she who set it herself."
"Humph. She managed to escape this time. If she hadn't died, I might have intervened. Well, since she's already gone, we'll go and pay our respects when the Li Mansion is holding the funeral."
"Yes."
"Sir, the maid beside the young lady is here. She said she has something to tell you."
"Let her in." Lord Li was lying in bed with a towel on his head. He had been ill since Li Wantong's death.
"Sir..."
"Speak up. What do you want to tell me?"
"Sir, just now when I was changing clothes for the young lady, I found... found..."
"If you've found something, just say it. Why are you hesitating?" Lord Li was impatient when he saw the maid hesitating.
"I found that the young lady's virginity mark was gone." After saying that, she knelt on the ground and didn't dare to raise her head.
"Presumptuous! If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll have you beaten to death with sticks!"
"Sir, please spare my life. Every word I said is true. Please investigate."
"... Are you telling the truth?" If it was really the case, then what kind of humiliation had his daughter suffered? Who had defiled his daughter and killed her!
"I don't dare to lie."
"Who else knows about this?"
"Sir, I haven't told anyone about this. Usually, the young lady treated me well, so I dared to tell you this."
"When did you find out?"
"A while ago, the young lady went shopping. She didn't come back until evening. When she came back, she was in a daze. I thought she was tired, so I didn't pay much attention.
But the next day, when I was changing clothes for the young lady, she resisted strongly. When she pushed me away, her arm was exposed, and I did see that the young lady's virginity mark was gone."
"Moreover, since that day, the young lady has been staying in the room all day long."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier!" Such a big thing had happened, but his daughter had endured it alone. How desperate and painful she must have been at that time. He, as a father, had let her down!
"Go to the accounting room and get five taels of silver, then leave. Keep your mouth shut."
"Yes, I understand. Thank you, sir." She knew that usually, people who knew such things would be silenced, but the sir was kind and spared her life.
Lord Li was no longer the dying man he used to be. He was going to cheer up and find out who had defiled his daughter's innocence.
The first person he thought of was the Fifth Prince, Yuan Yuhan, but he quickly denied it. If Wantong had really had something to do with the Fifth Prince, she would have told him eagerly.
After all, his daughter had admired the Fifth Prince for a long time. But if it wasn't the Fifth Prince, then who could it be?
"Your Highness, Lord Li is here."
"Why is he here? Shouldn't he be busy with Li Wantong's funeral at this time?"