RWNEFE -Chapter 609 The Wu Family Is Finished!

If the Wu family wanted to clear themselves of guilt, it had to be done by their own people.

After receiving the news, Madam Liang rushed to the Shen residence at the fastest possible speed.

At that moment, the Shen family had not yet heard anything. When the gatekeeper saw Madam Liang arrive, he did not even try to stop her and simply let her in.

“Good elder sister, you must save our Wu family!”

“Our Wu family has been wronged. That Xiong Qi bears a grudge because our master never promoted him, so he fabricated groundless accusations to force our master to his death!”

“Our master is innocent…”

As soon as Madam Liang saw Madam Liu, she began crying and pouring out her grievances. As for seniority and propriety—who cared about that now?

“What exactly has happened, Madam Prime Minister?” Madam Liu said. “Calm down first and speak slowly.”

Madam Liang was crying so hard she could barely catch her breath, and Madam Liu understood barely half of what she said.

Madam Liang quickly wiped her tears and explained what had happened in the Golden Hall.

“That Xiong Qi—I know him. He often kept company with our nephew, Wu Tong.”

“Wu Tong is useless and uneducated; everyone in the capital knows that.”

“If it weren’t for my nephew’s sake, our master would have driven Xiong Qi away long ago.”

“He has no talent and no ability to govern, like a block of dead wood—thoroughly unlikable. Our master often reprimanded him and taught him principles of governance and proper conduct.”

“Who would have thought he was an ungrateful white-eyed wolf? Today, he actually slandered our master in the main hall!”

“Our two families are connected by marriage. To falsely accuse us is to accuse you as well. It shows he has no regard for the Shen family at all. You cannot just sit by and do nothing!”

Madam Liang spoke with great confidence, but inside she was already panicking.

She knew roughly how much gold and silver the family possessed. Relying on her husband’s official salary alone, it was impossible to accumulate such a vast fortune.

If the Emperor truly pursued this matter, their family would never escape.

Given the Emperor’s temperament, exile and forced military service for the entire clan would be a light punishment—at worst, it could mean total annihilation.

Madam Liu did not know what to do either.

“Well…” She had never dealt with such matters, and more importantly, she did not dare to.

Previously, Madam Tian had died precisely because she helped her natal family oppress the common people.

Even now, Madam Liu did not dare to look in the direction where Madam Tian once lived.

No wonder Fourth Brother never came home day or night—if it were her, she would not dare return either.

Putting that aside—

“Madam Prime Minister, it’s not that I won’t help, but I am just a woman. I have no say in court affairs.”

She was not foolish; it was best to push this matter away.

Everyone in the capital knew what kind of person Wu Yanzhi was.

With Shen Lanxi’s ruthless, impartial nature, if she wanted to move against Wu Yanzhi, who would dare stop her?

They did not want to be buried alive.

“Dear in-law, you can’t say that. My daughter is going to marry your family’s eldest grandson in the future.”

Madam Liu’s gaze flickered, and she subconsciously moved a step farther away from Madam Liang.

“Madam Prime Minister, you’d be better off seeking out the Princess. The Shen family is under her authority, and she is the Emperor’s mother. Even my eldest brother listens to her. As for those of us who rely on the Shen family, we have little influence and truly no voice.”

Madam Liang’s expression immediately changed.

Excuses—all excuses.

It was obvious they were unwilling to help her.

“Dear in-law, give me an honest answer—has His Majesty long intended to move against our Wu family?”

Madam Liu looked utterly confused.

“That shouldn’t be the case. If His Majesty truly wanted to act against your family, why would he have granted a marriage between our two families?”

Madam Liang thought about it and realized that was true.

She had forgotten—the marriage had been granted by the late Emperor. The revised marriage contract was something Wu Yanzhi himself had requested.

Shen Lanxi had never initiated it.

“I will go see the Princess immediately. I ask that you help pass along a message.”

This was something Madam Liu could do.

“Alright, wait here.”

Seeing Madam Liu agree so readily, Madam Liang felt a bit relieved.

But she waited and waited, and still no one came to summon her.

“I want to see the Princess. The Second Madam has already gone to inform her. Why has no one come to lead me over yet?” Madam Liang stood up impatiently. Not a moment could be wasted now.

“The Princess says she will not see you.”

Madam Liang was instantly enraged.

“If she wasn’t going to see me, why didn’t someone tell me earlier?”

The guards ignored her completely.

“Go inform them again. I want to see the Second Madam.”

The guards did not move.

Seeing no one listen, Madam Liang tried to go over herself. She had taken only two steps when she was stopped.

“The Princess has ordered us to escort you out. If you do not leave on your own, do not blame us for being rough.”

Madam Liang stared in shock, her face full of disbelief.

The guards were serious. Under the hostile gazes of four guards, Madam Liang left the Shen residence in a daze.

“It’s over… the Wu family is finished…”

…

“Princess, Madam Liang has left.”

Zhou Xinrou said coldly, “Wu Yanzhi should have been dealt with long ago. Apart from flattering Emperor Renxiao, he is utterly useless.”

The nanny asked, “Wu Yanzhi is still on the road to the northwest at this time. Should we…?”

Zhou Xinrou thought for a moment. “Wait a bit longer. If something happens to him now, people will definitely suspect Shen Lanxi.”

She was not doing this to protect Shen Lanxi.

Whether Wu Yanzhi lived or died made little difference to her.

The wealth he had accumulated would ultimately be confiscated into the state treasury.

The state treasury…

“Find someone to make private contact with Madam Liang and extract some money.”

“Even though that money will belong to us eventually, using it now is more practical.”

“Yes!”

“Send some of it to Huang Yu’s side. Raising troops consumes the most money.”

“Yes!”

The Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Justice quickly verified the case files. After confirming everything was true, they immediately submitted a report.

“Your Majesty, Xiong Qi’s accusations against Wu Yanzhi are all supported by solid evidence. Every listed crime is accurate, and we even uncovered many offenses that were not recorded in the files. Wu Yanzhi indeed exploited the people, committed countless evils, and his crimes are heinous.”

Shen Lanxi spoke with deep sorrow in her tone.

“He has betrayed my trust.”

“Your Majesty need not blame yourself. He has been entrenched in the court for many years—even we, his fellow officials, failed to see through him.”

Shen Lanxi sighed. “It was still my failure to discern him clearly.”

“Your Majesty need not be so. The one who committed the crimes is Wu Yanzhi. He deceived his superiors and concealed the truth. The guilty one is him.”

“Fortunately, Your Majesty is wise and discovered this ferocious tiger that endangered the court early.”

Shen Lanxi said, “Do not try to comfort me. Even though he is connected to the Shen family by marriage, I will not let such a ferocious tiger go.”

“Your Majesty is keen-eyed, just, and selfless—this is a blessing to Great Zhou!”

Shen Lanxi finally felt somewhat relieved.

“The state has its laws, and families have their rules. Go and carry it out.”

The three departments understood the Emperor’s meaning.

Rather than saying they were persuading the Emperor, it was more accurate to say the Emperor was using them as a pretext.

Even so, if such a pretext were used a few more times, they would still be willing.

Madam Liang had just handed over money to arrange matters when, almost immediately afterward, the officials came to confiscate the Wu family’s property.

Such speed—when the Emperor made her decision regarding the Wu family, she did not hesitate in the slightest.