Xiao Yan's palms suddenly tightened, and Jin Zhi who was standing beside him was also shocked.
Even Empress Lu, when she brought up the matter again, felt that Emperor An, who looked so weak at the time, was so cruel.
It was not just one or two people, but nearly ten thousand people, and they were all burned to death, leaving no one alive.
Queen Lu swallowed, suppressed the palpitations she had when she first learned about this matter, and continued towards Xiao Yan.
"After the fire in Rongjiang, in order to destroy all traces, Lu Chongyuan ordered people to break the water valve upstream of Rongjiang River. The flood poured into the city and washed away all traces."
"This blood letter was left by the magistrate of Rongjiang County before his death. It records all the evil deeds of Lu Chongyuan, who ordered the burning of the city. He hid it in a secret place in the government office before his death. It was accidentally found by Yue Hongchang, the former left assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who accompanied Your Majesty in the disaster relief work that year."
"As for the letter, I think Lord Governor Xiao should recognize the handwriting. It was written by He Wenzhuo after Crown Prince Li left. He realized that the shipwreck was related to the Fifth Prince. He ordered people to check the wreckage and the bodies of the officers and soldiers who were salvaged. They found something unusual and discovered that the officers and soldiers were dead before they fell into the water. So he wrote the letter to the Patriarch of the He Family."
"He Wenzhuo asked the head of the He family to tell the Crown Prince to search the Ministry of Revenue's granary, the silver and money transfer books, and the details of the 127 officers and soldiers. He also asked the Crown Prince to send people to investigate the coroners who performed the autopsies at the time."
Xiao Yan looked at the dried blood on it and felt extremely heavy: "How could these things fall into the hands of the queen?"
Queen Lu was silent for a moment. The letter was intercepted by the seventh prince Xie Tianyu at that time. She happened to be there that day, so she used some means to trick it into her hands. Xie Tianyu was so stupid that he didn't even know what these were.
As for the blood letter, Yue Hongchang originally wanted to use it to control the Lu family and rise to prominence, but it was unexpectedly discovered by Lu Chongyuan. Before Yue Hongchang was killed, she used the secret guard in Xie Tianyu's hand to exchange the blood letter.
But none of this can be told to Xiao Yan.
Empress Lu only said vaguely: "I must leave myself a way out."
Xiao Yan paused after hearing this and didn't ask any more questions.
The hall was extremely quiet for a while and no one spoke. After a while, Xiao Yan neatly put away the blood letter and the letter and put them back into his sleeve.
Xiao Yan said, "This blood letter can indeed bring down the Lu family. At best, it can seek justice for my third uncle who died unjustly. But it is of little use to me. The Queen should know what I want."
When Empress Lu heard him call He Wenzhuo his third uncle, she thought that Xiao Yan was probably the son of the first or second branch of the He family. The son of the first branch of the He family was nearly twenty years old when he died, so it certainly couldn't be him. Instead, one of the two legitimate sons of the second branch of the He family was about the same age as Xiao Yan.
She was guessing Xiao Yan's specific identity in her heart, but she didn't show any sign on her face.
"I know that Governor Xiao wants to clear the name of the He family, but the He family's affairs are related to the Crown Prince's treason. You should know that the case was decided by the previous emperor, and many people are implicated. There is absolutely no possibility of overturning the verdict..."
Xiao Yan looked at her coldly: "If you didn't know it was difficult, do you think I would stand here?"
Queen Lu: "…"
She frowned and said, "Master Xiao, if you want to overturn the case for the He family, you will definitely involve the Crown Prince."
Xiao Yan said indifferently: "What I want is just to clear the name of the He family. More than a thousand people in the He family died for the Crown Prince, and they have long since repaid the relationship between the monarch and his subjects. I only want to restore the former glory of the He family, so that everyone in the He family can rest in peace. As for those dirty deeds of the royal family that cannot be seen in the light..."
He sneered, "The Queen is helping me like this, so she can't ask for nothing."
"Your Majesty is already old. Without the support of the noble families and the hearts of the courtiers, he is like a tiger without claws and teeth. If the verdict of the past can be overturned, it will be a disgrace to the late emperor and your Majesty. All the faults also belong to the late emperor and your Majesty."
"The world is not stable now. The princes of various places have their own plans. Once the past events are exposed and the court is in turmoil, Your Majesty will have to abdicate and hand over the throne to a new monarch who has never been involved in the past events and is clean if you want to preserve the Xie family's imperial power."
Empress Lu was moved when she heard what Xiao Yan said, and her eyes showed some ambition: "What does Governor Xiao mean?"
Xiao Yan said: "This governor only wants one piece of the truth."
Empress Lu was not satisfied when she heard this: "The fourth prince is disabled..."
Xiao Yan looked at her: "So what? The former Emperor Qin looked like a demon, and his stature was so short that he was not even as tall as a horse, but who dares to say that he was not wise? It is the brain that is used to expand territory, not the face."
Queen Lu felt relieved. What she wanted was what Xiao Yan said. However, the He family's affairs were a little tricky. The biggest crime of the He family was that they colluded with the Crown Prince Li and plotted treason. To overturn the verdict for the He family was equivalent to overturning the verdict for the Crown Prince Li. No one knew the danger better than Queen Lu.
But she was too tempted by what Xiao Yan promised her. Now the Fourth Prince was "useless" and his future was ruined. If he did not take this path, he would be doomed to have no chance of becoming emperor. Moreover, the Lu family had murderous intentions towards her and her son. Once they fell into the margins, they would not even know how they died.
Queen Lu would never let herself fall to that level.
Seeing that Queen Lu was deep in thought, Xiao Yan did not urge her, but said, "Your Majesty, you can take your time to think about it. When you have figured it out, come and find me again."
Seeing Xiao Yan turning around and trying to leave, Empress Lu suddenly said, "Superintendent Xiao is leaving just like that?"
Xiao Yan turned around.
Empress Lu said in a deep voice: "I have given almost all my trump cards to Governor Xiao, but Governor Xiao has never left anything for me. If Governor Xiao goes back on his word..."
Xiao Yan raised his eyebrows and looked at her for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "If this governor really wants to go back on his word, even if you leave something behind, what can the queen do to me?"
He glanced at Empress Lu's ugly face with a half-smile: "I would like to leave something for Her Majesty, but Her Majesty's Fengxi Palace has been emptied out like a sieve. I'm afraid that as soon as I leave something for her, it will fall into the hands of the Lu family."
"The Queen is tired of living, but this Governor is not."
Queen Lu was a little choked, but had no way to refute.
Xiao Yan raised his lips and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. This Governor is not good at anything except keeping his word. This Governor can swear on the people of the He family who died unjustly. As long as Your Majesty can help the He family clear their name and help this Governor take down the Lu family, this Governor will definitely send the Fourth Prince to sit on that position."
When Empress Lu saw him swear on the He family, she relaxed and said, "Okay, I believe in Governor Xiao."
When Xiao Yan came out of Fengxi Palace, Canglang was waiting beside him.
Deshun stood quietly in front of the palace gate, and when he saw him come out, he bowed his head respectfully and stepped aside.
Xiao Yan glanced at him and led Cang Lang out.
Cang Lang couldn't help but whispered, "Master, do you really want to help the Fourth Prince ascend to the throne?"
Xiao Yan touched the blood-written letter in his sleeve, squinting in the dazzling sunlight: "So what if I helped him."
The country can have a new ruler every day, it's just a dragon throne. If he is willing to help him to sit on it, it also depends on whether he can sit on it firmly.
One day, it was sitting.
Go up and then come down, it's also sitting.
He only said that he would help the Fourth Prince ascend the throne, but he did not say that he would keep him on the throne.
…
Queen Lu had no idea what Xiao Yan was thinking. She only knew that she had reached an agreement with Xiao Yan. The two of them knew each other's secrets and became "allies". The pressure she had originally felt because of the Lu family's sudden attack on her was suddenly relieved. With Xiao Yan's support, what would happen even if the Lu family was gone?
Queen Lu walked around to the back hall and looked at the Fourth Prince who was unconscious on the bed. With Xiao Yan's support, the Fourth Prince would definitely be able to ascend to that position after the Lu family was abolished. However, the relationship between them and Xiao Yan was not stable enough. She had to think of another way, at least to force Xiao Yan to help the prince.
The queen frowned slightly as she lowered her eyes. When the daughter of the He family married the Crown Prince, the He family helped the Crown Prince with all their strength. The Lu family also assisted him to ascend the throne because she married Emperor An. However, Xiao Yan, the son of the He family, had no sisters...
She paused, that wasn't right.
Queen Lu suddenly thought of Song Tangning, whom she had not seen for a long time.
"Jinzhi, how does Xiao Yan treat Song Tangning?" Queen Lu suddenly asked.
Jinzhi was a little confused, but she still said truthfully: "He treated her like his own sister. I originally thought that Governor Xiao was treating Miss Song as a weapon, but later she broke up with the Lu family and had no relationship with the Song family. Governor Xiao still treated her very well. It is said that even the academy in the south of the city was watched by Governor Xiao himself."
If the academy were to be run normally, it would take at least half a year. But now, it has only been a month and it is almost completed.
"Superintendent Xiao is extremely protective of her, and the few times he attacked her were all because of Miss Song..." Jinzhi paused, remembering that Song Tangning was no longer a member of the Song family, and should be called Yiyang County Lady: "Anyway, in my opinion, the two of them are not much different from real siblings."
Queen Lu's heart moved. Xiao Yan cared so much about Song Tangning. If she could follow the Fourth Prince, wouldn't it allow Xiao Yan to be one step closer to them?
The Fourth Prince's wife cannot be moved for the time being. Her mother's family has military power and can help the Fourth Prince at critical moments. But if she is the Fourth Prince's concubine, I think it would be enough.
Empress Lu was moved: "When will the wife of Duke Rong hold the banquet?"
"The day after tomorrow."
"Pick some things for me and send them to Madam Rongguo and Tang Ning."
Jinzhi just thought that the Queen wanted to show her goodwill to Song Tangning and Rong Yue, so she quickly nodded and agreed.
"Go and ask the Fourth Prince's wife to come to the palace."
"yes."
…