Chapter 125   Why Target Minister Peng

On the Palace side, the Crown Prince and Shu Yuwan had been closely following the developments.

Upon hearing about the imprisonment of the Peng Family, the couple exchanged a smile.

After some thought, Shu Yuwan said, “Jin Er, I promised to Mrs. Wei Shi that if she stands up, gathers evidence, and goes to Historian Zhang to file a complaint, I will help her save An Shaoyuan.”

The Crown Prince smiled gently, “Alright, I understand. You can rest assured.”

In the prison of the Ministry of Justice, An Shaoyuan had just been taken in when she was led out. Naturally, the Peng family members also found out who had leaked the information!

The eldest sister-in-law of the Peng family, the noblewoman who had contact with Zhao Qing Qing at the beginning, angrily scolded Peng Er, “It’s all because of you, bringing such a disaster into the house and not taking any precautions against her!”

Peng Er, naturally not one to back down, retorted, “It’s not like I wanted to marry her. Dad arranged it! Mr. Hou was also your alliance, who knew this person would turn against us!”

“Besides, apart from me, doesn’t Big Brother also have a taste for this kind of thing!”

The eldest sister-in-law’s face darkened, about to continue scolding, but Mr. Peng, who was sitting on the side resting his eyes, spoke up, “Quiet”

“Just a slight issue, and you’re attacking each other. Is this how I’ve taught you over the years?”

Upon hearing Mr. Peng’s words, both the eldest sister-in-law and Peng fell silent.

Peng Da asked, “Father, is it really the Second Young Master’s matter that brought the Imperial Guards here?”

Mr. Peng nodded in satisfaction, finally finding some usefulness in the family.

“Yes, there must be other matters as well. We were caught off guard, with no preparations. Now we can only rely on your sister.”

In the palace, when the Consort received the news, the entire Peng Mansion was already in the prison of the Ministry of Justice.

The Consort was visibly distressed. She had received no prior warning, how could the Peng family suddenly be imprisoned!

While urgently sending people to gather information, she also sought to see the Emperor.

Upon hearing that the Consort was seeking to see him, the Emperor was indifferent. He had never had much affection for the Consort.

The title of “Virtuous” given to the Consort initially was due to Mr. Peng’s high reputation and the Consort’s virtuous qualities. Now, it seemed like nothing but a facade.

The Emperor refused to see her, and the Consort remained kneeling outside the palace.

When Hong Gonggong went in to report, the Emperor casually said, “Let her be. If she’s willing to kneel, let her kneel.”

The Fifth Prince also received the news soon after.

He felt a sense of despair for a moment!

Although he did not want to be constrained by the Peng Mansion and the Consort, the Peng family was his last reliance, and now even the Peng family had fallen!

The Fifth Prince couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat, feeling like he was being secretly watched.

The Consort knelt for a whole day without seeing the Emperor. Realizing this path was futile, she decided not to waste any more time.

After kneeling outside for a while longer, she returned to her own palace.

Her attendants came to report that when the Imperial Guards found many young boys and girls in the Peng Mansion, the Consort felt a sudden darkness before her eyes.

She had some knowledge of these matters.

In the noble and aristocratic families, such incidents were somewhat inevitable. Although Second Brother had gone too far, he had always concealed it well. Why were they focusing solely on the Peng family for this matter?

The Consort had an instinct that there was more to it, feeling a sense of unease.

She had always been a hidden sparrow in the background, never revealing her sharpness no matter how Consort Zhang and Consort Shu acted. Now, who was targeting their Peng family? And for what reason?

She instructed her attendant, “Go and fetch the Fifth Prince.”

—

The next day.

In the court, everyone knew about the raid on the Peng Mansion, but no one dared to speak out, not even the proud students of Minister Peng. After all, people were actually found in the Peng Mansion. What could they say when the entire Peng family was imprisoned?

As the court session was about to end, a student who had been promoted by Minister Peng dared to speak up, “Your Majesty, although Mr. Peng has been lax in disciplining his son, he is an elder of two dynasties and of advanced age. He may not be able to endure the hardships of prison. I implore Your Majesty to show mercy.”

The Crown Prince, seeing the young official standing up to plead for Minister Peng, signaled to his confidant. Just as the confidant was about to step forward, Historian Zhang stepped out and loudly declared, “Your Majesty, I object. Can elders of two dynasties act recklessly and harm the common people?”

“Elders of two dynasties indicate that Minister Peng has betrayed the trust of two monarchs. Despite his advanced age, he may have been committing such acts for many years!”

The Crown Prince looked surprised at the impassioned Historian Zhang, secretly impressed by the choice of Historian Zhang recommended by Yuwan.

The Emperor remained silent.

After everyone had spoken, he finally said, “The crimes committed by Minister Peng are not limited to this incident. Let’s not discuss this matter for now.”

After the court session ended, the Emperor summoned the Crown Prince to the palace.

“Father, why have you summoned me?” asked the Crown Prince.

The Emperor’s expression was unchanged, but his question surprised the Crown Prince.

“Jin Er, why target Minister Peng?”