PFC Chapter 227 He's My Father (Part 1)
Chapter 227 He's My Father (Part 1)
Inside the study, the Crown Prince slammed his hand on the desk, causing it to vibrate.
The butler below felt a chill run down his spine, but remained outwardly calm.
"Tell me, what's going on?"
The prince threw what he was holding at the steward, his tone cold as if it contained ice.
The steward knelt down, bowed his head, and said, "It was this old servant's fault for failing in his duties. Please, Your Highness, calm your anger."
"Calm down?" The Crown Prince sneered, "There is such a treacherous person hiding in the Eastern Palace, and the steward is completely unaware of it."
The butler lowered his head, remaining silent as if terrified.
"Sacrifice, folk witchcraft? Do you know what Father Emperor will think if this gets back to the palace?" The Crown Prince sneered, "If it is used by someone with ulterior motives, both I and the Crown Prince will be accused of treason."
“Your Highness,” the steward stammered, “Fortunately, the Crown Princess discovered this matter. Even if it reaches the palace, without concrete evidence, His Majesty and the Empress will not believe it. Your Highness’s devotion to His Majesty and the Empress is known throughout the country.”
The prince flicked his brocade robe and frowned, asking, "Where is the murderer? Has he been caught?"
"Your Highness, after searching the entire Eastern Palace, we only found two suspects, who are currently being held in the dungeon. Her Majesty is interrogating them, and I estimate that the truth will come out soon."
"Who is it?"
"Chunxi, the maidservant beside the old woman, and Eunuch Chen, who was in charge of purchasing spices in the mansion. It is said that Eunuch Chen and the old woman were from the same hometown of Ganzhou, and Eunuch Chen's family had been taken care of by the old woman's parents. Eunuch Chen was introduced by the old woman. He was a eunuch because of his own disability, and he was almost thirty years old when he entered the mansion."
"Entering the palace at thirty? That doesn't seem to be in accordance with palace rules, does it?"
The steward said, "It doesn't fit! But there are always exceptions. Not to mention the Eastern Palace, even the Emperor and Empress's palaces have eunuchs who entered the palace halfway through their careers. Unlike the eunuchs who grew up in the palace, they are more quick-witted, know a lot about outside affairs, and are better at understanding their masters' thoughts."
"You mean every palace has them?"
"Pretty much, this is a tacit rule in the palace." The steward replied with a forced smile, "Most of those who grew up in the palace are trusted confidants, while those who come in from outside are mostly there to handle purchasing and errands."
"So you've also investigated what happened to Eunuch Chen before he entered the palace?"
"This old servant has brought Eunuch Chen's files on Her Majesty's orders." The steward stepped forward and retrieved Eunuch Chen's files.
Eunuch Chen was a scholar who came to the capital as a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. He originally planned to continue his studies in the capital, pass the imperial examinations with top honors, and enter officialdom. However, he offended someone as soon as he entered the academy, and was not only expelled from the academy but also had his career ruined.
After that, he took a job teaching at a private school, but was kicked out because he couldn't stand some of the practices there. After that, he made a living by copying books and writing letters for others.
One day, on his way home, he encountered a woman covered in wounds and looking sickly. He took her home and learned that she had contracted a sexually transmitted disease and had been thrown out of a brothel to fend for herself. He had studied some medicine in his youth, and the woman's illness was not the kind that was difficult to cure. With the folk remedies he had and his careful care, the woman gradually recovered.
A year later, they got married and had a daughter in the rented courtyard.
A woman was out shopping with her daughter on her first birthday when she encountered some of her former customers who harassed her. The woman resisted fiercely, but they dragged her into an alley. By the time Mr. Chen arrived at the alley after hearing the news, the woman was already dead, and her young daughter lay on a pile of garbage, barely alive.
In his quest for justice, Eunuch Chen gathered evidence from all sides, but unfortunately, those guests all came from influential families. His lawsuit failed, and he was instead beaten; it was during that incident that he sustained his injuries.
Those people were extremely ruthless; they not only severed his genitals but also kept him bedridden for six months. He and his youngest daughter survived only thanks to the care of their neighbors.
Later, he met a nanny on the street, who introduced him to work at the Eastern Palace. The records didn't mention his youngest daughter, but Lu Zhiyuan speculated that Chunxi was Eunuch Chen's daughter, and her entry into the Eastern Palace was pre-arranged.
"Whether it's Eunuch Chen or Granny Chen, their fate has nothing to do with Father Emperor, Empress Dowager, or me. Why did they bury such things under the tree, and why did they switch my incense?" The Crown Prince waved his hand: "To the dungeon!"
In the dungeon, Lu Zhiyuan leaned against a bench. A cushion covered the bench, and a large, stitched-up white fox pelt draped over the back. Lu Zhiyuan toyed with a small medicine bottle in her hand, glancing at Eunuch Chen and Chunxi. Eunuch Chen stood, looking somewhat disheveled, injured by Lu Yun who had captured him. Chunxi knelt, her hands tightly gripping her clothes, occasionally glancing at Eunuch Chen beside her.
She was just a young girl who hadn't experienced much in life, and she couldn't withstand such fright.
"You all know what I want to ask. You can answer, or you can choose not to." Lu Zhiyuan poured out two small pills. "I have plenty of methods, but as for the outcome..."
"This servant admits, this servant is his biological daughter." Chunxi panicked: "Your Majesty, please understand, this servant has never participated in what they did. I only learned about my true parentage after I entered the manor."
Eunuch Chen looked at Chunxi, his face expressionless.
Fearing that Lu Zhiyuan wouldn't believe her, Chunxi took out something: "This is the IOU I owed him when he gave me away for adoption. I grew up with my adoptive parents as far back as I can remember. When I saw him occasionally, I only treated him as a relative. If it weren't for the changes in my family, I wouldn't have entered the palace, let alone come to the East Palace. I swear, I really don't know what they did, and I don't know that the person you met was him."
“But you witnessed him murdering the old woman.” Lu Zhiyuan stood up, walked to Chunxi, lifted her chin, and forced her to look into her eyes. “You saw it, but pretended not to, because the murderer was your own father. Between your own father and the old woman who had taken care of you, you chose your own father.”
Chunxi subconsciously pursed her lips and gripped her clothes even tighter.
“You not only watched him kill the old woman, but you also helped him clean up the mess. You were the one washing the teacups, and when you heard a noise halfway through, you hurriedly left.” Lu Zhiyuan tossed the small medicine bottle in her hand. “You didn’t leave through the front door. Instead, you blocked the door from the inside, making it look like the old woman committed suicide out of guilt. You went out through the window, and you even carefully wiped away the footprints left on the windowsill. When the steward entered the room and saw the old woman’s body, he saw a beam of light and heard a very faint sound. He looked around the room but didn’t find anything unusual. At that time, you were hiding under the window. You were very clever; you waited until the steward left the room before escaping.”
"How did Your Highness know all this?"
"Your sleeve."
Chunxi looked at her sleeve and noticed several noticeable stains of varying sizes on the cuff of her left sleeve. These stains were left from washing teacups; the incident had happened so suddenly that she hadn't had time to go back and change. She never imagined that such a small detail would be discovered by the Empress.