Chapter 359: The Bai Family, Executed by the Entire Clan

Now Wan Tang's pain had dulled; even though Chu Yunzheng was pressing harder, she felt no ache.

Compared to Sister Hui's death, this was far too light.

She laughed through tears: "Your Majesty, if I said I don't know them at all, would you believe me?"

"No!" Chu Yunzheng said without hesitation.

Wan Tang sneered at herself: "I always thought I was just an orphan. Living deep in the palace, it was Your Majesty who found my mother's family for me, and only then did I learn I was a child of the Mo Family."

"How could I have known these were Mo Family remnants?"

"All I knew was that the demon consort bewitched the ruler, the people were suffering, and I prayed at Baoguo Temple, hoping to calm the people's anger."

"Who would have thought I'd encounter assassins."

Wan Tang smiled—once those crescent-moon eyes soothed the heart, now they were two scythes, eager to claim a life.

"Your Majesty, I was rescued, but you're unhappy about it?"

Chu Yunzheng, scalded by her smile, pulled his hand back.

He even took a step backward.

"Wan Tang, the evidence is conclusive. How do you want me to believe you?"

He no longer looked Wan Tang in the eye, instead questioning Zhao Hai: "Tell me in detail about these Mo Family remnants."

Bai Li fell to the ground, lifted her head, looked at Wan Tang, and her eyes were full of triumph.

She mouthed: You're dead.

Wan Tang remained as calm as ever.

Zhao Hai's voice was clear: "Reporting to Your Majesty, these two are the assassins captured by the Empress. They are indeed Mo Family remnants."

"If that's the case, it is indeed possible that the Empress staged the whole thing herself."

Zhao Hai looked at Wan Tang, his heart unwilling to bear it: "If so, this would be a matter of the Imperial harem..."

"No need." Chu Yunzheng cut him off, then turned to glare at Wan Tang: "The evidence is conclusive. Empress, you colluded with remnants to disrupt court affairs."

"From today, you are deposed from the position of Empress. Stay confined in Kunning Palace under strict guard, and have no contact with anyone outside."

As Chu Yunzheng spoke, he squinted at Wan Tang and said hypocritically: "Tang'er, if you come to your senses in Kunning Palace, I will still come to see you."

When he said this, there was even a flicker of so-called affection in his eyes.

Wan Tang suddenly felt her stomach churn.

She gave a low laugh: "No need at all."

"Is the Empress being ungrateful?" Chu Yunzheng's pressure returned, his brow furrowed.

Wan Tang, as if nothing was wrong, looked toward the door: "Since the Duke has been here for a while, why not come in and speak?"

Everyone turned in surprise.

The Duke of Ning, white-haired, walked unsteadily.

Slowly, he tried his best to smooth the wrinkles on his clothes, then stepped forward.

He bowed respectfully: "Old Minister greets Your Majesty, greets Her Majesty the Empress."

"Rise." Chu Yunzheng's tone was helpless, and he said softly: "Regarding Hui'er's matter, in the end, I am the one who wronged her."

"Duke, sit and rest for a while. After I finish handling this matter, I will apologize to you."

"Father, please come." Bai Li also scrambled up, trying to support the Duke of Ning.

The Duke of Ning coldly avoided Bai Li's hand.

He forced himself to stand up straight, then bowed deeply to Wan Tang again.

His gaze fell on the two Mo Family remnants: "Your Majesty, I did not come here to play the victim."

"My daughter is dead, and my heart aches. But I know even more that she was a good child, and I was the one who harmed her."

"If I hadn't morally blackmailed her back then, she could have become a female general defending the country..."

As the Duke of Ning spoke, his body trembled.

His cloudy eyes were filled with hot tears; he had galloped across battlefields, suffered severe injuries, and never uttered a sound even when his bones were scraped and flesh cut away.

But at this moment, his heart was torn apart; he was just a father who had lost his child.

"Father." Bai Li wheedled: "Don't be sad. Sister is gone, but you still have me."

"Get out!"

The Duke of Ning pushed her away directly, discarding her like a worn-out shoe.

He said with disgust: "I only had one daughter, and now she's gone."

Bai Li's face instantly lost all color, and her eyes held barely suppressed hatred.

Chu Yunzheng cleared his throat: "Duke, calm your anger. I know you are sad, but right now..."

"Right now, you need this old minister." The Duke of Ning reined in his emotions, and his whole body once again radiated the uprightness of a noble.

His aged voice was forceful: "You may doubt the words of others, Your Majesty."

"This old minister has been loyal to the sovereign and the state all his life. I wonder, Your Majesty, can you trust my words?"

Chu Yunzheng did not hesitate: "Of course I do."

"Then that's good." The Duke of Ning nodded.

He looked at the two remnants again, open and honest: "These two are indeed Mo Family remnants."

"Haha, Empress, now what do you have to say..." Bai Li immediately burst out laughing.

The Duke of Ning shot her a fierce glare: "But back then, the Mo Family was framed and their entire clan was executed. At that time, many in the Mo Family also developed disloyal intentions."

"Led by the Bai family, they were the first to break away from the Mo Family, and in turn betrayed all of the Mo Family's assets to the Late Emperor."

"To each seek a way to survive, the Mo Family remnants scattered and split apart. These were the people who chose to betray the Mo Family first back then."

"They secretly stole the Mo Family's hidden treasures and defected to the Bai family. Some also defected to Yan Wang."

Among them are these two people.

Chu Yunzheng's complexion was quite unpleasant.

But the Duke of Ning's words kept going.

"The Bai family has taken in many former members of the Mo Family, and all along has used these people to do many unsavory deeds."

"Dad!" Bai Li screamed in fright, "Before you took Mother away, the Bai family had always taken us in."

"Now, Mother is the lady of Guogong Mansion!"

Bai Li warns.

The Duke of Ning smiled coldly: "Yes! It is precisely because of this friendship that the Old Minister is also guilty beyond forgiveness."

"These years, we have turned a blind eye to the Bai family's affairs, shielding them far too much."

Saying so, he knelt on the ground again.

He took a memorial from his sleeve: "Emperor, inside are the Old Minister's detailed incriminating evidence, recording the Bai family's filthy deeds."

"Not only buying and selling official posts, colluding for personal gain, but also deceiving the lower and hiding from the upper, causing the people to suffer…"

Chu Yunzheng gave a look.

Zhao Hai stepped forward and took the memorial.

After a quick glance, he knelt again.

"Emperor, if these crimes are confirmed, the Bai family has committed the crime of beheading. All male members of the Bai family who have entered the court as officials are unforgivable, all sentenced to death."

"Emperor…"

Chu Yunzheng gritted his teeth hard and said coldly, "Investigate!"

"Wait," Wan Tang began, in a cold voice, "If so, Emperor, just now, did you wrong me, your consort?"

Chu Yunzheng looked at Wan Tang with hostile eyes: "The Empress, so indiscriminate of occasion, with state affairs foremost, yet still cares about her own interests?"

"It seems you, Empress, are also laughable."

"Emperor, why must you act preemptively?" Wan Tang replied directly, "What I say is also a matter of state affairs."

"The Duke's son has already confirmed that these two are indeed handling matters for the Bai family."

While Wan Tang was speaking, Xiao Shunzi had already knelt and handed a thick stack of testimonies to Chu Yunzheng.

Chu Yunzheng did not want to take them, so Zhao Hai quickly took them and examined them carefully.

Wan Tang continued, "Since I am the Empress, if the Bai family dares to plot the murder of the Fengqi Kingdom's Empress, can it still be considered merely a matter of the Imperial harem?"

Zhao Hai had just finished reviewing.

With a thud, he knelt on the ground, his voice trembling: "Emperor, these testimonies detail that the Bai family truly sent someone to assassinate the Empress. The Empress was praying for the people, and this is clearly to dispel the witchcraft of Concubine Li's deceitful words."

"If the Empress truly meets misfortune, how can the people's anger be pacified?"

"Or perhaps…"

Zhao Hai dared not continue speaking.

He glanced fearfully at Chu Yunzheng, then dared not follow the clue further.

With a heavy kowtow, he shouted loudly, "Emperor, the Bai family plotted to murder the Empress, a crime of utmost wickedness."

"Just this piece of evidence, according to Fengqi Kingdom law, warrants the extermination of the entire clan!"

"Please, Emperor, make the final decision!"