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Chapter 334: Night Investigation
Chapter 334: Night Investigation
At Feng Xuanrui's age, he already understood a lot of things.
Feng XuanShang thought for a moment and finally decided not to hide the truth: "You guys dug up a corpse where you were digging."
Although Feng Xuanrui had his suspicions, he still drew in a cold breath when he heard the confirmation. His eyes widened as he pointed in the direction of the excavation site, unable to form a complete sentence in his surprise.
Seeing his reaction, Feng XuanShang gently nodded and reassured him in a soft voice: "Don't worry, your Uncle Wang has already sent a message to the palace. People will come to investigate, and they will clear your father's name."
Feng Xuanrui's worry, however, was not solely about his father's reputation.
He couldn't quite put his finger on what else was bothering him, but eventually, he decided to lie back down honestly.
Feng XuanShang found his reaction amusing and, flipping through a storybook he had brought with him, asked gently, "Alright then, what story would little six like to hear?"
Feng Xuanrui thought for a moment before choosing one of the books.
Feng XuanShang soon began reading aloud in a gentle, warm tone.
Feng Xuanrui was already very tired, but he was forcing himself to stay awake to hear the outcome of the investigation, which piqued his curiosity.
Now that he had his answer, he felt a sense of unease weighing on his heart. However, he couldn't resist the pull of sleep for long, and soon enough, he drifted off alongside the low murmur of his uncle's voice.
Once Feng XuanShang confirmed that his nephew was asleep, he sat quietly for a while before getting up to extinguish the lamp. He instructed the servants to keep a close eye on the two children to ensure their safety, and then he dismissed the attendants, leaving the room illuminated only by the light of a single lamp.
Feng XuanShang was already aware that the Crown Prince had arrived with an entourage. As the head of the Feng family, he knew he had to make an appearance.
After calming his two nephews, he made his way towards the northwest corner of the estate.
The Crown Prince had brought along the coroner from the capital region and skilled investigators from the Dalian Temple, a legal and investigative institution. They were all resolved to determine the identity of the remains as quickly as possible.
If it turned out to be Princess Jiaoyang...
...then it would bring them some long-awaited closure.
And if it wasn't, then there was no harm done.
They had experienced disappointment countless times over the years, so one more instance wouldn't make a difference.
When Feng XuanShang arrived, the coroner was still examining the remains.
Age and gender were relatively easy to determine—the shape of the pubic bone, for example, differed between males and females.
However, determining more specific details required a range of research techniques, including boiling the bones.
Feng XuanShang watched the coroner's every move, feeling his scalp tingle uncomfortably.
After arriving, he first greeted the Crown Prince with a bow.
The Crown Prince offered a slight smile and a casual wave of his hand in response. The two brothers exchanged brief pleasantries before turning their attention back to the coroner's work.
An investigator from the Dali Temple was still in the pit, meticulously examining every inch.
They were leaving no stone unturned in their search for evidence.
In the middle of the night, lamps illuminated the pit, and the investigators continued to dig, their efforts unwavering.
Feng XuanShang had a hunch about the identity of the remains, and the Crown Prince's decision to bring in such a large team suggested that he also suspected something significant.
Perhaps it really was Aunt Jiaoyang.
When the Su clan was exterminated all those years ago, the entire province of Cangzhou had been turned upside down in the search for her, but her body had never been found.
If the remains before them belonged to her, then at least they could find some measure of peace.
As this possibility occurred to Feng XuanShang, he felt his breath catch in his throat.
However, he maintained a calm exterior, refraining from saying much to avoid raising everyone's hopes only to dash them later if the remains turned out to be someone else's.
After working tirelessly through the night, the coroner finally presented their findings.
"It's a woman, likely between the ages of twenty and thirty. In my personal opinion, she was probably no older than twenty-five. However, the bones have been buried for some time, and many factors can affect the accuracy of our assessment, so we should widen this age range to account for potential errors."
"She has given birth, and based on the state of the pelvis, it appears that she died from childbirth complications."
"The deceased had been on long-term medication, which caused severe discoloration of the ribs and other areas. These medications may or may not have been poison. It's possible that the person had a chronic illness requiring prolonged treatment, or that the drugs adversely affected their body. There's no way to verify that now."
"As for the little finger bone being outside the box, it was likely a result of improper handling. It was forcibly broken and left protruding from the edge of the box, possibly going unnoticed by the person who buried it, so..."
...
Upon hearing this, Prince Qi's expression grew even graver.
The Crown Prince's face also took on a displeased look.
This information...
...matched up with what they knew.
Princess Jiaoyang had indeed died of complications during a difficult childbirth.
Of course, that was the news reported by the Su family to the capital.
At that time, the power struggle for the throne had already concluded, and the Emperor was in the process of consolidating his power by purging opposing factions.
While the news from the Su family was upsetting, it didn't raise much suspicion due to the ongoing political turmoil.
Naturally, the Su family's collusion with the former Emperor's favored concubine would eventually come to light, and they would be investigated.
Not long after, Princess Jiaoyang's trusted handmaiden escaped back to the capital, injured but carrying the truth about her mistress's death.
Su Leng, the Princess's husband, already had a lover, and his marriage to Princess Jiaoyang was solely driven by self-interest and manipulation by the former Emperor's concubine faction.
Through their collaboration, they orchestrated the tragic outcome.
Being in the remote region of Cangzhou, Princess Jiaoyang was far from the Emperor's watchful eye after her marriage.
Su Leng initially kept up appearances, but not wanting to wrong his lover any longer, he soon abandoned all pretense.
He brought his lover back to the Su Manor and introduced her as the true young lady of the household, a role that was accepted by the servants.
Back in the capital, the power struggle for the throne had reached a feverish pitch, and Princess Jiaoyang was carrying a child.
Not wanting to worry her imperial brother, she chose to report only good news and kept her troubles to herself.
However, Princess Jiaoyang was no fool, and she made secret preparations.
Should the situation turn dire, she intended to report the Su family's misdeeds to the capital.
Princess Jiaoyang suffered an early labor induced by Su Leng and his lover, which led to a difficult birth that took both her life and that of her child.
The child's remains had been found long ago, and the Emperor had them properly buried.
Although the child carried the blood of the Su family, it was also the fruit of Princess Jiaoyang's life, so the Emperor gave them a respectful burial to ease his sister's spirit.
Princess Jiaoyang had made arrangements. In the event of her untimely death, she instructed her trusted handmaiden to bring evidence back to the capital!
Evidence of the Su family's collusion with the former Emperor's concubine faction, and their collaboration with foreign powers in Cangzhou.
Princess Jiaoyang prepared four sets of these documents and entrusted them to four of her closest handmaidens.
Three of the handmaidens perished on the treacherous journey back to the capital, but one survived and delivered the evidence, along with news of the Princess's fate, to the newly ascended Emperor.
With concrete evidence and driven by the death of his sister, the Emperor showed no mercy in his punishment of the Su family.
However, when the Su family realized their scheme had been exposed, they took one last desperate measure—they hid Princess Jiaoyang's body.
They chose to face the annihilation of their entire clan rather than reveal anything about the Princess's remains!
By then, the former Emperor's concubine faction in the capital had already been purged.
But there may have been remnants, and they aided the Su family in hiding the body in a royal garden, right under the noses of the imperial family!
If these remains indeed belonged to Princess Jiaoyang, then the Su family had truly committed an unforgivable act of treachery!
The investigators from Dali Temple were still examining the details, hoping to find something that could be used for comparison and thus infer the identity of the remains.
(End of Chapter)
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