"My Lord Prefect, what Leng Shui Xiang says cannot be trusted. She and I have had a conflict, and she is always looking for a way to incriminate me. I merely met with the Grand Prince Consort in secret to reminisce about old times, and did nothing else." Regardless, Madam Zhou wanted to make one last desperate plea. If she could, she truly did not want to die.
Wu Cai Wei hesitated, then suggested, "If I am not mistaken, she should have the jade leaf with her at all times. I believe her personal maid would know this matter more clearly."
Soon, her personal maid was brought in. The Grand Princess addressed her directly upon seeing her, "You conspired with your mistress to harm the royal son-in-law. Do you know the consequences? The Bai family might not be in much trouble, but your family would undoubtedly face the crime of extermination. If you tell the truth, I will request the Emperor to punish only you, and spare your family. If you do not tell the truth, then I am powerless. When the investigation is complete, no one in your family will escape."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhou, from a corner unseen by others, looked at her with a somber expression. The maid was startled, her body stiffening. She struggled, knowing that after being with Madam Zhou for so long, if anything happened to her, Madam Zhou would absolutely not help. As the Princess said, she had committed a crime punishable by the extermination of her entire clan, and she did not believe Madam Zhou could contend with the Princess.
After a while, she finally said, "Does the Princess think she could rescue my parents and brothers from the Bai family? After all, we are children of the household, and there are some things I cannot disobey my young lady."
The Grand Princess immediately agreed. She gave her personal palace maid her token and instructed her to go to the Bai family immediately to retrieve the people.
Ignoring Madam Zhou's terrifying gaze, the maid recounted everything she had done, word for word.
It was then they learned that the jade leaf was still at the inn, buried beneath a large tree in the courtyard. Seeing that the situation was beyond her control, Madam Zhou collapsed onto the ground. She dared not imagine how disappointed her father would be upon learning of her actions, yet if she could do it again, she would still choose this path. After all, their encounter in the past had already sealed this ending.
The primary reason she chose to keep the jade leaf with her was because the Grand Prince Consort had once said he liked Yu Meng Shu. When they met again, she had also smelled the faint scent of Yu Meng Shu on him. In a moment of passion, he had told her that Yu Meng Shu and the jade leaf were incompatible. By keeping it on her person, Madam Zhou harbored a hidden desire for self-destruction, though she had never acted upon it.
Soon, Madam Zhou was sentenced to immediate execution. When Old Master Bai received the news, he was utterly shocked and rushed to the palace to beg for forgiveness from the Emperor. This time, he not only refrained from defending his daughter but also tried his best to distance the Bai family from the matter.
The Emperor was somewhat angered by the Bai family's failure to properly discipline their daughter. Although he did not reprimand the Bai family at the time, from then on, any promotion for anyone from the Bai family or related to them became exceptionally difficult, including Bai Hui Ya's husband, who remained a fourth-rank official his entire life. Whenever she thought of this, Bai Hui Ya was consumed by hatred. Sometimes she wondered if she had provoked her too harshly, but Bai Hui Xian had already passed away by then, making it impossible to ask.
What Wu Cai Wei did not expect was that her voluntary reporting of the matter would lead to the Grand Princess showing her some favor. After all, an enemy's enemy is a friend.
The Ouyang family's affairs could not withstand scrutiny, as many of their actions went against the Emperor's wishes. Ouyang Chen had not cared about this before, nor had he considered it. With a new perspective, he began to gather people to collect evidence.
Looking at the evidence in his hands, Ouyang Chen could not help but marvel at Old Master Ouyang's audacity, daring to embezzle funds meant for disaster relief, not to mention accepting bribes.
Originally, Ouyang Chen did not intend to present the evidence to the Emperor so soon. However, Old Master Ouyang had given orders to set an ambush on the Second Prince's southward journey and capture him. Corruption and bribery were one thing, but if the Prince were to meet with any misfortune, they would be utterly doomed.
Therefore, the day after the order was issued, after the morning court, he went directly to see the Emperor and asked him to dismiss everyone else. Seeing Ouyang Chen's serious demeanor, the Emperor knew it was no trivial matter. When only the Emperor and the head eunuch remained in the hall, Ouyang Chen produced the evidence he had brought, recounting the deeds of Old Master Ouyang and his latest command.
Truthfully, when the Emperor saw the evidence, he felt both anger and joy. He was pleased that he could finally bring down the Ouyang family, but angered that Ouyang Chen had done so many things behind his back and even plotted against his own son. It seemed his long-standing dissatisfaction with Ouyang Chen was not without reason.
However, the Emperor looked deeply at Ouyang Chen and said meaningfully, "If I recall correctly, you were raised by the Ouyang family. Does this not constitute stabbing them in the back?"
Ouyang Chen calmly replied, "Indeed, we are grateful for their raising us. However, in the face of national righteousness, nothing else is worth mentioning. We also understand the principle of righteousness over kinship. I beg the Emperor to spare their lives, considering they were not entirely of their own volition."
The Emperor stared at him, seeing his clear conscience, and sighed, "Do you know that if I punish him, you will no longer be able to appear in court?"
Ouyang Chen said calmly, "I thank Your Majesty for your favor. In truth, I have never had excessive ambitions for power. I have someone I love and wish to marry her, then live an ordinary life and grow old together."
Seeing his lack of ambition, the Emperor felt he had misjudged him. He truly had no interest in his official position. Perhaps it was better this way, so he would not harbor resentment after leaving the court. He finally nodded and agreed to his request.
As soon as Ouyang Chen returned to the Ouyang residence, Old Master Ouyang summoned him to his study, asking what he had discussed with the Emperor in private. Ouyang Chen deflected by saying he had vied for the task of the southward journey with the Emperor.
Old Master Ouyang had not failed to notice his change. Thinking that his mindset had shifted after his southward journey, he felt it was time to prioritize his marriage again.
Some time ago, he and his wife had discussed his wife's niece. He had initially thought his wife would readily agree, but to his surprise, his wife had disdained him for being an adopted son, and the matter had been dropped.
The moment Ouyang Chen left Old Master Ouyang's study, the Imperial Guards surrounded the entire Ouyang residence.
Old Master Ouyang, utterly bewildered, stepped forward to greet the leading general, as they had known each other casually. To his surprise, before he could even reach them, the general ordered him to be bound.
Then, they stormed into the back courtyard like a raging flood, gathering the unprepared female members of the household in the front courtyard. They were subsequently escorted to the Grand Court of Revision, and amidst the curious gazes of the crowd, the Ouyang residence was sealed.