The affairs in Yuzhen Commandery were urgent, but urgency could not be rushed. Planning and strategizing were still necessary. If the entire Yuzhen Commandery was under the control of Miao疆 remnants, then unless the army suppressed it, it would be impossible to resolve it completely in a short time. No matter how worried and indignant Ji Hong was, he had not lost his reason. He couldn't figure out how to use Liu Yuzi or how to deal with her without arousing suspicion from the Miao疆 remnants lurking in the capital. If he had known the matter involved such a wide scope, he would not have acted rashly. Otherwise, he would not be in such a predicament now.
He could only order that she be returned to the celestial prison.
...
Liu Ling's body was still at the Ministry of Justice. Fortunately, it was midwinter, and the body decayed very slowly in the extreme cold. His dead face was still somewhat presentable.
Zou Chengyi went to the Liu manor to persuade Liu Yujing to have Liu Ling buried first.
"Lord Zou, who killed my son? Who insisted on putting him to death?" Liu Yujing only wanted to know the reason, only wanted to find the real culprit. He looked at Zou Chengyi, begging him for a definitive answer.
Zou Chengyi was silent for a moment, and could only say, "Lord Liu, I can only tell you that this matter is too widespread, and it is no longer something you or I can control. Your son... Lord Liu, please wait a little longer, wait a bit more, and I promise I will give you an explanation."
"Could it really be..."
He had been thinking during this time. If his son's death was just to frame Feng Luan, then who would do it? Who would dare to do it? One person, one name, had been lingering in his mind. He just didn't want to believe it, didn't want to believe that everything was as he thought. That was the person he had sworn allegiance to!
Now, hearing Zou Chengyi's vague words, his suspicion gradually turned into certainty. The Emperor was not without reason to frame Feng Luan. Since Feng Luan entered the capital, he had been living in the Regent's manor. The Emperor clearly did not want to see the Regent befriend the people of Medicine King Valley. Besides this, perhaps there was more...
"Lord Zou, does the Regent suffer from a hidden illness?"
"What?"
Zou Chengyi was suddenly stunned, unable to keep up with Liu Yujing's train of thought. He looked at the man before him, whose temples were slightly white and whose face was haggard. He felt no sympathy, but after serving together for so many years, he had never seen such a weary look on Liu Yujing.
However, before his thoughts could spread, he suddenly understood why Liu Yujing asked if the Regent had an illness. He realized what Liu Yujing was thinking in his delusion and quickly explained, "No, it's not the person you're thinking of!"
He weighed his words, using a pronoun to refer to the Emperor. "This matter is far more complicated than you imagine, and the person you are thinking of, if involved in this entire affair, would be in the position of a victim, definitely not a perpetrator."
"Victim?" Liu Yujing pondered these words, racking his brain, but could not understand how his son's death would make the Emperor a victim as well.
His son was 'so fortunate' that he had not caught the eye of the dignitaries during his lifetime, but after his death, he had become the cause of a storm. Liu Yujing wanted to laugh, and as the corners of his mouth turned up, tears also slid from the corners of his eyes, flowing into the wrinkles around his eyes and being cut into even finer tear droplets. Before they could fall, they had already dried.
Zou Chengyi sighed, knowing that no words of comfort would be of much significance to Lord Liu at this moment. After all, empathy was too vague and idealistic. In this world, who could truly empathize?
He patted Liu Yujing on the shoulder and remained silent.
After a long while, when Liu Yujing had calmed his emotions, he said to Zou Chengyi, "Lord Zou, I do not seek revenge for my son. I only seek an answer, a conclusion. I implore Lord Zou to fulfill this."
"That is natural. I, Zou, will do my utmost to bring justice to your son!"
"Thank you!"
"You are most welcome. This is what I, as the Minister of Justice, should and ought to do."
After sending Liu Ling's body back to the Liu family, Zou Chengyi left the Liu manor.