AUBTN -Chapter 176 Filing a Complaint

In the study at Yuyuan, the stove burned warmly, dispelling the chill from outside.

Su Hewan was carefully watering several pots of clivia, her movements graceful and composed.

Yu Qing, on the other hand, was curled up on the soft couch with a hand warmer in her arms, like a cat, murmuring softly, “It’s been so quiet these past few days that it’s making my skin crawl… I have a feeling something big is about to happen.”

Leaning by the window, Lu Yan idly wiped the handle of his ever-present embroidered spring knife with his fingers.

“How much longer will this stalemate last?” he asked in a low voice, his gaze drifting toward Shen Jue, who was leisurely sipping tea.

Shen Jue put down his white jade teacup, the corners of his eyes lifting slightly.

“Why the rush, Lord Lu? A good performance needs to unfold slowly. Strike the drums too hastily, and you’ll startle the actors on stage. Wails and screams need some preparation before they sound truly moving, don’t you agree?”

Though he spoke casually, his words sent a chill down Yu Qing’s spine.

【Pervert! Shen Chang Gong is such a pervert! Treating human life like a performance… terrifying!】

Shen Jue’s gaze flicked toward Yu Qing with a faintly amused, unreadable expression, as if he could sense her inner scolding.

Frightened, she immediately buried her head in the pillow, pretending to be a mushroom.

Su Hewan set down the watering can, wiped her hands with a cloth, and walked to the table to sit.

“So, Lord Shen means that the rumors we spread were merely a lead-in, an appetizer of sorts?”

Shen Jue looked at her with admiration, showing the interest in his eyes without disguise.

“You understand me, Wan Wan.”

Su Hewan smiled, continuing her calm analysis: “Rumors alone will never stand in the open. The Princess can argue her case, but the Empress Dowager can only investigate in secret. Without concrete evidence, she cannot publicly strike against her in court. Therefore, we need someone of sufficient weight to bring forth irrefutable proof, and expose the matter openly.”

Lu Yan retracted his gaze, gripping his knife tightly, his voice cold: “A witness.”

“Not just a witness,” Su Hewan shook her head, a faint, frosty smile playing on her lips.

“What we need is a victim. Someone bold enough to confront the Princess directly in the Golden Throne Hall.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than there was a gentle knock at the study door.

Shen Jue’s personal attendant reported softly from outside: “Master, Lord Lu, the carriage of the Marquis of Ning’an from Xizhou has arrived in the capital one hour ago. They are currently resting at the city gate inn. They will enter the city first thing tomorrow morning.”

Yu Qing sprang upright from the couch, her eyes wide.

“Holy—cutting off the root! This move is insane! They actually brought the prince consort’s father! The Princess won’t die, but she’s going to suffer big time!”

Shen Jue let out a light chuckle, lifting his teacup and blowing the froth, an air of calm control surrounding him.

“Looks like tomorrow’s morning court session will be lively.”

For the first time in a while, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Lu Yan’s mouth.

“It’s time to close the net.”

The four exchanged glances. The grand drama they had personally orchestrated was about to reach its climax.

The next day, before dawn, all civil and military officials, dressed in court robes, filed into the Imperial City in an orderly line.

The morning wind cut against their faces with a bone-chilling chill.

Everyone could keenly feel that the atmosphere today was unusually tense.

On the Golden Throne, the young emperor sat upright in his dragon chair.

The court session proceeded in the usual manner, discussing trivial matters regarding border finances and provisions.

Just when everyone thought the day would pass uneventfully, a sudden series of urgent drumbeats came from outside the hall. Immediately afterward, a palace eunuch tumbled in, rolling and crawling, his voice piercing as he shouted:

“Your Majesty! Outside the hall stands the Marquis of Ning’an from Xizhou, leading a delegation to appeal for justice!”

“What?”

The moment these words were spoken, the entire court erupted in shock.

The Marquis of Ning’an?

Wasn’t he the father of the late Prince Consort of De’an?

Why would he leave his fief in Xizhou and travel all the way to the capital to air grievances?

The young emperor on the dragon throne’s eyes flickered with a trace of light, but he concealed it well, and his voice rang out with authority: “Announce!”

Moments later, an elderly man dressed in a marquis’s robe, accompanied by a dozen or so equally travel-worn and grief-stricken attendants, was escorted into the Golden Throne Hall.

Leading them was the Marquis of Ning’an. Though over sixty years old and at an age when he should have been enjoying a life of leisure, his face was haggard, and his eyes bloodshot.

The moment he entered the hall, he knelt heavily on the floor, lifting a scroll wrapped in bright yellow silk high above his head.

Crying out, he shouted: “Your servant, Shen Hongde, Marquis of Ning’an of Xizhou in the Great Wei, humbly greets His Majesty! Today I come not for rewards, nor for power, but for my tragically deceased son, Shen Zhen. I petition against the current Princess Royal, Li Yunxi. She is a woman with a heart of a viper, ruthless and cruel, who has harmed innocent lives—her crimes are unforgivable!”

This shocking accusation thundered through the Golden Throne Hall like a bolt of lightning.

Every court official, without exception, was stunned into silence, their minds blank.

Petitioning against the Princess Royal?

And it was the prince consort’s own father personally coming forward?

This… could this overturn the heavens?

Li Yunxi pointed at the Marquis of Ning’an, screaming sharply: “You… you’re talking nonsense! Are you insane? I am the legitimate daughter of the late emperor, the reigning Princess Royal, and you dare to slander me in this way!”

“Slander?” The Marquis of Ning’an lifted his head, tears streaming down his face.

“Princess Royal! Are you unaware of how my son, Shen Zhen, truly died? If your conscience were clear, why would you hastily return to the capital while my son’s bones were still warm?”

The Empress Dowager, seated nearby, couldn’t hide her joy. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief, perfectly conveying a mix of shock and sorrow.

The young emperor’s expression grew solemn. He slammed the armrest of the dragon throne: “Silence! Present the petition!”

The palace attendant quickly retrieved the heavy scroll and respectfully handed it to the young emperor.

The young emperor unrolled the petition, his gaze scanning line by line.

As he read, his youthful face darkened, and the anger between his brows deepened.

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Finally, the young emperor snapped the petition shut, his eyes shooting daggers at Li Yunxi, whose face had already drained of all color.

“Princess!” His voice was icy to the extreme.

“What do you have to say about what is written on this petition?”

He paused briefly, then, without waiting for Li Yunxi’s answer, handed the scroll to the chief palace attendant.

“Read it aloud!” he commanded.

The chief attendant took the scroll with trembling hands, cleared his throat, and began to read:

“Li Yunxi, as a royal princess, is headstrong in character, indulgent, and licentious. In her fief of Xizhou, she treated her prince consort, Shen Zhen, as if imprisoned, subjecting him to constant beatings and verbal abuse, causing severe physical and mental torment…”

Gasps of shock echoed through the hall.

Abusing a prince consort? This was unheard of.

The attendant continued, his voice grim:

“…Unable to endure the humiliation, the prince consort befriended a commoner woman outside the residence. Their affections were mutual, and she was also pregnant. Upon discovering this, Li Yunxi, consumed by jealousy, ordered that the pregnant concubine be bound and brought before the prince consort. In his presence, she commanded her cruel servants to inflict tortures upon the woman, ultimately… ultimately slicing open her abdomen, resulting in the death of both mother and child—a truly horrific crime beyond human comprehension!”

A brutal abdominal incision! Two lives lost in one body!

The hall was paralyzed in horror.