Chapter 136: Chapter 135: You Were the One Fooled!
Once everything was ready, Yong’an Daoist performed the ritual to summon spirits, murmuring, "Disciple dares to open the ghost gate, summon the male ghost Chu Wenyao, soul, return! Soul, return!"
Chilling winds blew around, and everyone felt a sinister presence.
"Soul, return!"
Seeing no movement nearby, Yong’an Daoist stomped his foot and scattered paper money.
Yu Nianzhao remained composed, even raising a hand to stifle a yawn.
That calm demeanor instead reduced suspicion from Empress Dowager and Duke Luu towards Yu Nianzhao.
If she really committed murder, how could she be so carefree in front of them? How big a heart did she have?
Little did they know, Chu Wenyao’s soul had already been devoured by Jiu Ying, so where was the soul to summon?
"Yong’an Daoist, Wenyao is missing? Has my Wenyao appeared?" Ms Chu asked anxiously.
Cold sweat dripped from Yong’an Daoist’s forehead as his face turned pale, "I could not summon the soul of your esteemed son; perhaps he has already gone to the underworld preparing to reincarnate."
Yu Nianzhao nearly burst into laughter.
"Then what should I do? Will the real murderer who killed my son just go unfound?" Ms Chu’s heart shattered.
"Tsk, Chu Wenyao, that scum deserved his fate, why bother seeking the real murderer!" Yu Nianzhao mocked.
Mr. Chu glared, "One can say nonsense, but should not speak without careful thought; Miss Yu, defaming my deceased son, aren’t you afraid of being haunted in dreams?"
"Am I afraid of him seeking me?" Yu Nianzhao chuckled lightly, "Back then, I calculated and found Chu Wenyao was doomed. He abducted maidens, abused and humiliated concubines, caused countless deaths; his death was just retribution, called by vengeful spirits!"
Yong’an Daoist immediately refuted, "Impossible, I calculated his lifespan, not that short."
Yu Nianzhao calmly stated, "Then there are variables, you a Daoist, do you not understand what variables are?"
Jing’an Daoist said, "Life is full of change, even fortune-telling often has variables."
Yong’an Daoist, "..."
Words spoken, what more could he say?
Ms Chu glared hatefully at Yu Nianzhao, angrily shouted, "Stop spewing venom, Wenyao was not capable of such cruelty, his nature is known by Duke Luu, a spirited child, daring and direct."
Duke Luu, "..."
He hadn’t uttered a word!
Yu Nianzhao looked towards Emperor Anqing, "Tsk, whether I spew venom, better let someone dig out those corpses at the Chu Family, let them tell you who exactly is lying."
Emperor Anqing was also startled, not expecting such a drastic turn of events, he leaned towards Xie Jiuxiao, whispering, "Your future wife is quite commanding, huh?"
Xie Jiuxiao smiled, with a hint of affection unnoticed even by himself, "Hmm, then Royal Brother let her command a bit."
Emperor Anqing shook his head helplessly, knowing his cherished younger brother was destined to be under a wife’s strict rule.
Emperor Anqing waved a hand, "Order the investigation, let them dig three feet at the Chu Family if needed."
"Let Mu Hongxuan tag along," Xie Jiuxiao saw Yu Nianzhao wink at him, instructing the Dragon Shadow Guards knowingly.
Ms Chu cried, "What is this? After losing a son, you sprinkle salt on our wounds?"
Empress Dowager feigned sympathy, "Indeed, such pain as a white-haired person sending off a black-haired one, how can you add fuel to the fire? If no bodies are found, Yu Nianzhao, what will you do for absolution?"
Yu Nianzhao confidently replied, "Not my place for absolution."
Mr. Chu proudly retorted, "Don’t be so smug, else you might fall hard."
Yu Nianzhao blinked her lovely eyes, "I return the same words to you."
"You..."
Mr. Chu unable to argue, chose silence.
Not long after, the guard returned, "Report to His Majesty, in Mr. Chu’s courtyard, indeed corpses were dug up."
"Outrageous!" Emperor Anqing, furious, pointed at Mr. Chu’s nose, "The corpses were found, evidence solid; explain this thoroughly to me."
"Impossible!" Mr. Chu stood stunned, as if struck by lightning.
"Indeed, two female corpses were dug out, in Mr. Chu’s courtyard, with freshly disturbed soft soil nearby, as if recently excavated."
Emperor Anqing, livid, "Two female corpses! Hear that, don’t claim ignorance of Chu Wenyao’s actions."
"No way! How could there be two more, only five total, was this brat Wenyao really fooling even his own father?" Under continuous pressure from Emperor Anqing, sweat soaked Mr. Chu’s back, he knelt in panic, muttering unconsciously.
Empress Dowager and Duke Luu’s faces changed simultaneously, they couldn’t silence Mr. Chu, they’d heard his words, as had others.
"What did you just say? Only five?" Xie Jiuxiao bared a cold smile, "Good, you admit to Chu Wenyao’s murders, just five? You two are truly vicious."
"You tricked me?" Mr. Chu awoke from a daze, only now realizing, pointing at Yu Nianzhao and Xie Jiuxiao, seething.
"A fine Chu Family! A fine Chu Wenyao! You father and son have the audacity to harm women in Shangjing, committing such a grave crime under the Emperor’s eye!" Emperor Anqing’s eyes filled with menace, genuinely furious, "You’ve also framed Yu Nianzhao, unaware retribution always comes! Now, your retribution has arrived."
Mr. Chu slumped defeatedly, crying, kowtowing, "Your Majesty, this was Wenyao’s pig-brained foolishness, done unintentionally. I only found out posthumously, not intentionally deceiving His Majesty, please forgive."
Ms Chu was dumbstruck, she murmured, "So what Yu Nianzhao said is true? Wenyao really harmed women? No wonder since his concubine entered, she was never seen again. Previously I dismissed it, unaware it was..."
"Foolish woman! Beg His Majesty’s forgiveness." Mr. Chu had no mood to tell her the truth, pulled her to kowtow for clemency.
Duke Luu too was distressed, family nonetheless, gritting his teeth, knelt, "Your Majesty, Wenyao has paid for his errors with his life, this brother spoiled his children and indeed bears guilt, please Your Majesty, punish him."
Emperor Anqing coldly said, "What punishment does Duke Luu think appropriate?"
Duke Luu shivered, hurriedly smiled wanly, "Your Majesty orders punishment, how could I dare overstep?"
"Hmph, you Chu Family dare anything!" Emperor Anqing angrily said, "Chu Wenyao killed five lives, deserved his fate. Child not taught, father’s fault; Chu, you are equally guilty, I will strip your position, banish Chu Family’s second branch to Lingnan as commoners; Duke Luu failed in oversight, punish by house arrest six months, dock pay three years!"