Then, palace attendants immediately galloped to Pingyang Prince's mansion.
They brought the Pingyang Prince and Princess, who had no idea what had happened and were extremely bewildered, into the palace.
When the couple entered the palace and arrived at the main hall, they saw Yun Yueyin's figure lying on the ground, and their eyes widened.
They were so shocked their expressions changed.
Why was their daughter-in-law lying on the ground?
And her complexion looked alarmingly pale. Could she be dead?
While they were still in shock and unaware of what had transpired, the Emperor spoke, "Prince Pingyang, Princess Pingyang, do you recognize the person lying on the ground?"
The couple had no idea what had happened on the way.
So, when the Emperor asked, they naturally dared not lie and nodded directly. Prince Pingyang said, "We do. The person on the ground is Zheng Zhenzhen, the lawful wife of my second son."
"Your Majesty, this is..." Princess Pingyang was somewhat astonished, unsure of the current situation.
She looked closely.
Her daughter-in-law had no breath, completely still. How could she have suddenly become a dead person? And here in the imperial palace? No wonder she hadn't seen her since breakfast today. She hadn't even had anyone to vent her frustration on. And now, she had found her daughter-in-law's corpse!
What on earth had happened?
"Zheng Zhenzhen? Are you sure it's Zheng Zhenzhen?" The Emperor squinted his eyes and asked Prince Pingyang, feigning ignorance.
Prince Pingyang truly did not understand the Emperor's intention and frowned, saying, "Yes, this subject is sure it is Zheng Zhenzhen."
She was his daughter-in-law, whom he saw often in the mansion. He could not possibly misrecognize her face.
However, there was an injury on her forehead now, which looked quite severe. Was she dead? What exactly had happened?
"So it's Prince Pingyang's daughter-in-law. It seems you did not investigate her true identity thoroughly and were deceived by her. She is from Dongning Kingdom, not Xixia Kingdom," Li De said.
Prince Pingyang and his wife were greatly shocked. "What? How is that possible?"
"Before my second son married, I investigated her background. Her parents passed away early, and she grew up with her aunt. Although she was from a humble background, her identity was correct! Could it be... someone deliberately arranged a false identity for her? What is the intention of the person who arranged a false identity for her? Are they trying to harm our Pingyang Prince's mansion? Trying to harm my second son?" Prince Pingyang asked incredulously.
Yun Shu raised her eyes and glanced at Prince Pingyang, unexpectedly finding that he had stumbled upon the truth.
Wasn't Yun Yueyin precisely the pawn arranged by Li De and his group to bewilder Zhen Xu?
At a critical moment, Prince Pingyang's intelligence was online.
Upon hearing this, Princess Pingyang's rage ignited instantly. "What? She deliberately seduced my son? Who is the person behind her? Who is so wicked?"
Thinking of her beloved son now lying in bed, his former spirit and vigor gone, and becoming a laughingstock of the capital, she hated Zheng Zhenzhen to death!
She also hated the person who instructed Zheng Zhenzhen from behind the scenes!
After hearing Prince Pingyang's guess, Li De's expression grew somber, but he was adept at twisting facts. "That is a question for Prince Ye and Princess Ye."
The blame was directly shifted to Yun Shu and Zhan Tianye.
The Emperor remained silent, merely watching the unfolding situation with an expressionless face.
He was quite pleased to see Zhan Tianye and Yun Shu fall into difficulty. Only when mired in a swamp would they finally seek his help.
There should be some movement from Dongning Kingdom these days.
"Yun Yueyin appeared in General Li's study, and you strangled her. You don't even know the specific reason. You're asking me? I'd really like to know how you concluded she was an assassin. A woman who couldn't even lift a chicken, sent to assassinate General Li? The person behind her must have a sick mind," Zhan Tianye said, surprisingly speaking so much in one go.
Especially the last sentence, which was a veiled insult.
Li De, insulted as having a sick mind, secretly clenched his fists.
"I heard some rumors in the capital, saying that General Li and Yun Yueyin met multiple times privately at Yueran Teahouse. Such a man and woman in the same room easily leads to speculation, especially since Yun Yueyin is a rare beauty," Yun Shu said in a faint tone.
After their back-and-forth, Prince Pingyang and Princess Pingyang became even more confused, but also more shocked.
Their daughter-in-law was secretly meeting Li De?
This...
Their daughter-in-law's identity was fake, she was from Dongning Kingdom, and she was also committing adultery? And that person was Li De!
The couple looked at Li De with immense shock. Prince Pingyang even questioned in disbelief, "General Li, did you really have secret meetings with Zheng Zhenzhen, no, Yun Yueyin?"
Princess Pingyang cursed Yun Yueyin to her heart's content, calling her a slut!
When Xu insisted on marrying Yun Yueyin back then, she had felt that Yun Yueyin was a vixen. Marrying her into the mansion would surely bring no good, and might even attract disaster. And now, she was even secretly meeting with Li De, who was nearly fifty years old!
Truly filthy!
Such a seductive woman, no wonder she had bewitched Xu back then, making him utterly infatuated!
The Emperor's face darkened. He glanced at Zhan Tianye and Yun Shu. Both were extremely astute. Since they dared to bring a corpse into the palace with Li De, it meant they were well-prepared. Unless there was evidence, they could not be slandered.
In this matter, Li De was the only one who suffered. Was Li De getting old? How could he have caused such a great commotion in his own mansion?
If he wanted to kill a pawn, couldn't he have done so silently?
Now, he had only gotten himself into trouble.
It was truly a loss that outweighed the gain!
"May I ask where Princess Ye heard such rumors? I have never met Yun Yueyin anywhere," Li De denied with a dark complexion.
"It is merely gossip from the streets. If General Li is curious, he can order someone to investigate. After all, where there is smoke, there is fire. Although I believe General Li is not as dissolute as the rumors suggest, the rumors are quite convincing, making one naturally suspicious," Yun Shu said with a hidden smile. Li De was skilled at twisting facts, but did he think they were fools and incapable of doing the same?
Seeing Yun Shu's feigned sincerity, Li De gritted his teeth in anger, but he could not lose the dignity of a great general in front of others. He could only say with some indignation, "I never expected someone to be spreading rumors about me in secret!"
Seeing that the matter was becoming increasingly absurd, and that continuing would only lead to Zhan Tianye and Yun Shu implicating themselves further, which would only be more detrimental to Li De, the Emperor decided...
"The matter concerning Yun Yueyin is indeed rather strange. Since there is no evidence at present, we will leave it at that for today. I order the Dali Temple to thoroughly investigate this matter. As for Yun Yueyin, let her be buried with honor for now," the Emperor said.
This...
Just as Prince Pingyang was about to say something more, he suddenly realized something and looked at Zhan Tianye's face, exclaiming in shock, "The rumors are true! Prince Ye is indeed Prince Jin!"