strictlysupreme Chapter 376 Princess Rouan 26
Chapter 376 Princess Rouan 26
Ling Yi took the evidence from Wang Suizhi's hand.
With Wang Dao's instructions, the Wang family went to great lengths to seize profits for their family.
Land annexation, private possession of servants, illegal lending, and causing deaths are all minor matters. The major issue is that the Du family privately hoarded armor and manufactured crossbows.
This dynasty does not prohibit the possession of weapons in homes, but bows, crossbows, and armor are an exception.
It can shoot from a distance and resist swords and spears. What are you planning to do?
Are they going to rebel against the imperial court?
Now that the traitors have come forward, Princess Rouan would be unworthy of her royal status if she didn't take action to eliminate them.
Ling Yi smiled and said, "We still need to thank Patriarch Wang properly when we get back."
Without the Wang family head, how could she enjoy such convenience today?
Patriarch Wang, what a good man!
Wang Suizhi lowered his eyes and smiled faintly: "I hope Your Majesty will issue an edict to commend the Wang family head for his contributions to the world."
He was determined to place Wang Dao in the position of an enemy of the aristocratic families.
The eldest son's love for his father is truly profound!
The two men looked at each other, smiled innocently, and drew their weapons!
The Du family, which lost three members of their clan in the winter, has been forced to go underground by Ling Yi's blows. They only dare to secretly take in some land servants. Gone are the days when they made a fortune during the previous years of disaster. The family is now shrouded in gloom.
The aristocratic families' tendency to consider it a loss unless money falls from the sky was on full display at this moment.
"Why does Princess Rou'an have to meddle in other people's business? Aren't we rallying the people for the good of the court? Will she be satisfied if all the rioters flee to the capital?"
The elder's eyes flashed with a fierce light. If this were the previous dynasty, the "disaster victims" would probably have already rushed to the capital and stormed the city walls. How could they possibly stay obediently in the fortified village and let others encroach on their interests?
The head of the Du family frowned: "The patriarch sent a message from the capital, telling us to remain calm. Princess Rou'an is coming with weapons, including three thousand Imperial Guards, plus other garrisons for protection. What can we do?"
"Hmph!" The elder coldly snorted, "She will leave eventually!"
The journey home is long, and who knows what bad things might happen?
boom!
A loud crash interrupted his plans. He looked up, furious, and yelled, "You bastard, have you no manners?"
The old voice stopped abruptly as he watched soldiers carrying bows and crossbows rush into the courtyard.
These men were well-armored, and the swords at their waists were particularly rare.
He had seen such a person before, when it was snowing.
Just as he sensed something was wrong, Ling Yi stepped into the courtyard and said calmly, "Search!"
"Yes!"
Having received their orders, the guards dispersed like a pack of wolves to the front and back yards of the residence.
The Du family members gathered in the front courtyard seemed to hear the exclamation of their female relatives, and the leader's expression changed: "Your Highness, what does this mean?"
"You dared to break into my home without cause! Even if it costs me my life, I will go to the capital to beg His Majesty for justice!"
"Your Majesty," Ling Yi glanced at the middle-aged man with a mocking look, as if asking him what business he had with her father.
But then again, is Ling Yi someone who acts recklessly because of her father?
Of course not!
She acts based on evidence!
Pulling out a member of the Wang family behind her, Ling Yi said in a deep voice, "An official reported that you and others are privately possessing armor. I was just conducting a routine inspection. If there is nothing..."
"Your Highness, we've found it!"
Ling Yi watched as the soldiers swept through the area, pulling out crossbows from the back courtyard, and smiled: "Looks like we have them."
“Hundreds of crossbows, the ladies and young women of the Du family really have a great hobby.” She looked up at the Du family member who called himself a commoner: “Young Master Du, you wouldn’t say that everyone in the Du family is skilled in archery, would you?”
At that moment, the man's gaze was fixed on the Wang family member whose face was ashen.
He had warmly invited this person to his home a month ago, and his son was very close to him. But now this person has become the one who reported his family.
The Wang family, what a fine Wang family!
When the young man from the Wang family saw the poison in his eyes, he quickly shook his head, his eyes filled with panic.
He was merely following the orders of the family head to report the matter to Wang Suizhi; he didn't say a single word to Her Highness the Princess. Her Highness the Princess is lying!
But at this moment, the Du family member no longer cared about any of that.
All he knew was that the news had been leaked from the Wang family.
If he had no ulterior motives, why would he bother to inquire about this matter?
If the Du family hadn't been so wary of him, how could he have discovered such a secret?
Taking advantage of the good relations between the two families to do such a thing, the Wang family!
At this moment, not only him, but also the residences of Du family members in various places were broken into.
Possessing crossbows is a serious crime of rebellion; if one person is found guilty, the entire clan will suffer.
Ling Yi was worried that this year's spring plowing would be difficult, but now money, land, and farming tools have all come to her.
Even after deducting the rewards given to the garrison and the relief given to the people, she could still take a portion back to the capital and send it to the national treasury.
What a noble family! They are such good people!
As she continued signing the slips to escort the Du family back to Beijing, Ling Yi sighed inwardly.
"boom!"
This sound was exactly the same as the sound of the Du family's door being kicked open.
Ling Yi's hand, holding the brush and ink, suddenly paused, a bad premonition rising in her heart.
She looked up and saw a weary and worn-out eunuch: "Your Highness, His Majesty... has passed away!"
Rumble!
Spring arrived, and a heavy rain nourished the land, also soaking the clothes of Lingyi as she rode back to the capital.
At this moment, the inside of the straw raincoat and bamboo hat was completely damp, with mud splashing in.
The horse's speed was also reduced considerably due to the heavy weight.
Frustrated, Ling Yi took off her straw hat and raincoat and rode off at full speed.
The guards behind her followed suit, traveling much lighter and faster.
The journey there took a month, but the return trip, which took less than seven days by riding day and night, was completed.
When Ling Yi returned to the capital, it was still broad daylight.
Because of the emperor's death, white banners have been hung in the capital, every household is dressed in white mourning clothes, and the streets are deserted.
Ling Yi rode her horse all the way to the palace, disregarding the rule that one should not run in the palace, and rode all the way to the place where the emperor rested.
The imperial guards and court officials did not dare to stop the princess, whom the late emperor had favored most but whom he had not even seen one last time, and allowed her to enter the mourning hall.
At this moment, Ling Yi was in a sorry state and had lost a lot of weight.
But even more disheveled than her was His Highness the Crown Prince, who stood guard before the memorial tablet.
Upon seeing his sister return, he raised his pale face, his voice weak and feeble: "Rou'an, come and say goodbye to your father."
Ling Yi stared blankly at her brother, who had become so weak in just half a year that he seemed about to pass away, and then looked at her father, who had survived the last winter but would not see the next one, without a trace of expression.
She also thought that by lightening their burdens, they could live longer and make "her" more fulfilled.
But that was all just her opinion.
Manpower is sometimes exhausted.
For the first time, she understood this with absolute clarity.