Chapter 124   Raid on the Peng Mansion

The incident of the Crown Prince’s assassination attempt at the Ning’s Mansion had been under investigation for several months, yet there was no concrete information.

On the Ning Wang side, they delved into the background of the maid and her parents, eventually discovering that the maid had spent some time visiting her hometown with her parents and upon returning, her parents passed away shortly after.

Being a child born in the royal family and displaying a composed demeanor, despite being an orphan, she was valued and trusted in the Ning Mansion. This was why she was assigned to serve in the front hall during the Shinzi And Siyi wedding.

In hindsight, it was highly likely that during that time, the maid had come into contact with outsiders. It was also possible that the maid had been replaced by someone with a similar appearance, leading to the consecutive deaths of her parents.

Ning Wang reported the investigation results to the Emperor, receiving the expected scolding. However, the suspicion on the Ning’s Mansion had been cleared.

Of course, the Emperor did not truly suspect his brother. However, since the incident occurred in the Ning Mansion, Ning Wang had to bear the responsibility.

With the mastermind still unidentified, Prince Ning’s Consort was still unwilling to let go of the matter. Despite reporting to the Emperor, she was unwilling to drop the issue and continued to secretly investigate.

On the Emperor’s side, despite deploying many to investigate, there was no definitive result.

At that moment, news arrived from the Ministry of Justice that the assassin had confessed!

“Summon the Minister of Justice.”

Hong Gonggong promptly invited the Ministry of Justice, Pei Xiurong, into the court. Even though it was late at night, Pei Xiurong did not dare delay and hurried over upon receiving the news.

The Emperor’s expression turned cold as he said, “Speak.”

“Yes!”

Pei Xiurong organized his thoughts and reported, “The assassin, after being transferred to the Ministry of Justice, had already undergone torture. Due to her deteriorating physical condition, she was subjected to severe torture upon arrival at the Ministry of Justice, along with the use of a substance that clouds one’s consciousness. The assassin confessed that her master’s surname was Peng. Before Prince Ning Shinzi wedding, her master had sent her a message instructing her to seize the opportunity to… to kill the Crown Prince. She claimed ignorance of any further details.”

The Emperor’s gaze pierced towards the Ministry of Justice.

Pei Xiurong kept his head down, his expression unchanged.

The Emperor then inquired, “How is the assassin now?”

Pei Xiurong cautiously replied, “After the final severe torture, she didn’t last long and passed away.”

In reality, when the mastermind was finally revealed, Pei Xiurong was not present. After enduring several days of continuous interrogation, he took a brief rest, only the Deputy Ministry of Justice to extract the confession from the culprit.

At that moment, he didn’t want to delve deeper. Providing a result for the Emperor was crucial, as being under the Emperor’s constant scrutiny was too much pressure!

After listening to the Ministry of Justice, the Emperor fell silent for a moment.

Then, Hong Gonggong approached and whispered, “Your Majesty, Historian Zhang is outside seeking to see you, saying he has a report to make.”

The Emperor nodded, “Let him in.”

Known for his straightforwardness and fearlessness, Historian Zhang entered and immediately knelt down, exclaiming, “Your Majesty, I wish to report Minister Peng. Despite being a respected elder of two dynasties, he has failed to discipline his son, lacks personal morality, allows his son to abuse and mistreat his wife, and keeps young boys and girls in the mansion to satisfy his own desires.”

The Emperor’s expression darkened upon hearing this.

He responded, “In that case, order the Imperial Guards to immediately search Minister Peng’s residence.”

Upon hearing this, Historian Zhang was momentarily stunned, looking at the Emperor with wide eyes. He hadn’t even presented the letter and evidence from the Wei Shi yet, so why was there an immediate order to search Minister Peng’s residence?

“He thought he would have to summon Minister Peng, engage in verbal battles with him and his supporters, but it might not yield any results!

At that moment, Historian Zhang gained a new understanding of his position in the Emperor’s eyes!

The newly appointed leader of the Imperial Guards, Deng Zhijie, recommended by the Crown Prince, was the eldest son of Jining Family, just like Shu Yuyang, also a companion leader of the Crown Prince.

Upon hearing the Emperor’s decree, he immediately dispatched people to the Peng Mansion.

A large number of Imperial Guards were mobilized.

The news spread quickly in the capital, with people watching the movements of the Imperial Guards, only to discover they were heading towards the Peng Mansion.

When the Imperial Guards surrounded the Peng Mansion, Mr. Peng had just returned to the mansion. He was about to pull An Shaoyuan onto the bed, with two young children trembling beside him.

It wasn’t until the steward from the front yard hurried over to knock on the door that Mr. Peng urgently ordered the children to be sent back to the cellar and warned An Shaoyuan before dressing and heading to the front yard.

On the other side, Mr. Peng quickly ordered the two maids warming the bed to retreat, dressed properly, and listened to the steward’s report while hurrying to the front yard.

“Master, the sudden arrival of the Imperial Guards, apart from the people brought into the mansion by the Second Young Master, there is nothing unstable for now.”

Mr. Peng walked while saying, “It’s too late to send them out now. Go check on the Second Young Master’s side and hide the entrance to the cellar.”

“Yes!”

The steward hurried off.

As Mr. Peng arrived in the front hall, Deng Zhijie had already brought his men to the front hall.

Mr. Peng frowned, “I wonder what I’ve done wrong? Leader Deng, why are you so aggressive and barging in like this!”

Deng Zhijie paid no attention and directly commanded his men to continue searching inside.

After the arrangements were made, he calmly said, “Mr. Peng, I don’t know what you’ve done, but without the Emperor’s orders, I cannot privately command the Imperial Guards to search your Mansion.”

Mr. Peng felt a bit embarrassed, though he was flustered inside, he maintained a calm exterior.

“I am innocent, let them search. Let’s see what they can find!”

Other members of the Peng family arrived one after another. Mr. Peng glanced subtly at the Second Young Master, who nodded slightly, putting Mr. Peng’s mind at ease.

The cellar was extremely well-hidden, not easily discovered without an insider.

However, in a short while, the Imperial Guards appeared in the front hall with a group of young boys and girls. These children were all beautiful, some around twelve or thirteen, others as young as six or seven, many with injuries, some even appearing to be on the brink of death.

The faces of the Peng family members changed instantly!

Mr. Peng’s face turned pale, almost fainting on the spot.

Deng Zhijie quickly held him up, saying, “Mr. Peng, don’t faint! You are a person of integrity who clears themselves of suspicion.”

He then handed the person over to his subordinates, instructing, “Take everyone from the Peng Mansion away!”