The Abandoned Wife of a Military Family: Your disguise has been exposed again.

Chapter 165 The mastermind behind it all is not him

Yunwei looked at Rongzhen with a puzzled expression.

Rong Zhen frowned, looking at Rong Xue with displeasure.

Rong Xue felt a little guilty, but still couldn't help but speak well of the woman. "After Yao Deqing committed suicide out of fear of punishment, he left behind only Yao Zifei and her mother. Not only was their home confiscated, but all the women in their family were also sent to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution).

Her mother, unable to bear the humiliation, killed herself by hitting her head against a wall, leaving Yao Zifei all alone.

A couple of days ago, I went to the brothel and saw her being bullied. I helped her out, and she begged me for help. So I brought her to see the Imperial Uncle. Imperial Uncle, she knew nothing about Lord Yao's crime; she's innocent. Could you please pardon her?

As he finished speaking, the air fell silent.

Yun Wei looked at Yao Zifei thoughtfully.

Her clothes were thin, which made her look even thinner and more pitiful.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, he quickly looked up at her, then looked down again.

"I have heard about the Yao family's affairs; it was His Majesty's judgment," Rong Zhen said in a cold voice.

Yao Zifei suddenly crawled forward two steps on her knees and said excitedly, "Your Highness, my father has always been an honest and upright official. He would never have done anything like embezzlement and corruption. Someone must have framed him. I beg Your Highness to overturn the verdict against my father."

"If he was framed, why did he commit suicide out of fear of punishment?" Rong Zhen asked coldly.

Yao Zifei choked for a moment, "My father must have been framed. He was an honest and upright official all his life, and he would never do such a thing..." As she spoke, she was overcome with grief and burst into tears.

Rong Zhen's expression was icy. "An honest official? Then how come a large amount of treasure was found in your home? Explain to me where all that treasure came from?"

Yao Zifei paused in her sobs, then, as if remembering something, quickly added, "Those treasures must have been planted by someone..."

"Hmm, so your father even built a secret room specifically to frame him?" Rong Zhen sneered.

Yao Zifei twisted her fingers, completely speechless.

Rong Xue felt a pang of pity and was about to plead for mercy again, but a stern look from her royal uncle silenced her.

"Qingfeng, see them out." Rong Zhen didn't want to see the two of them again and ordered in a deep voice.

Rong Xue snapped out of her daze and quickly said, "It's already lunchtime. Let Qingfeng take her back. I'll stay and have dinner with my uncle and aunt."

"There's no food for you," Rong Zhen said with a stern face.

Rong Xue: "..."

Finally, he left dejectedly with Yao Zifei.

Yunwei was surprised.

She believed she knew something about this young prince.

He has a free-spirited personality and is somewhat unconventional, but he is not a meddlesome person.

Unexpectedly, he would plead for that Miss Yao.

"What is the relationship between Rong Xue and that Miss Yao?" she couldn't help but ask.

Rong Zhen said, "Rong Xue has always been mischievous, especially when he was a child. Once, he actually sneaked out on his own. At that time, he was still young. Once he went out, he couldn't find his way home. Fortunately, he met the Yao family and was sent back by them."

Yunwei understood. That's why Rong Xue was helping Yao Zifei—to repay a favor she owed from her childhood.

"What's the deal with that Yao family?" she asked in turn.

“The disaster relief funds in Yangzhou were embezzled by officials. All the evidence points to Yao Deqing, who is the mastermind behind it all,” Rong Zhen said.

"So, the Emperor punished him? And to escape punishment, he committed suicide?" Yun Wei frowned slightly, feeling that things were not so simple.

“Yes, when the evidence pointed to Yao Deqing, the Emperor was eager to punish him and even found a large amount of treasure in his home.” Rong Zhen paused here, and seeing that she was interested in the matter, she said more, “Although Yao Deqing was pushed out to take the blame, he was not clean either. He also embezzled the disaster relief funds in Yangzhou. However, the real mastermind behind it was not him.”

"Is it the emperor?" Yunwei immediately realized this.

Rong Zhen remained noncommittal, put his arm around her shoulder, and led her into the dining hall. A meal was already laid out on the table.

The two sat facing each other.

“He was afraid that if I investigated further, it would expose the place where he was secretly training and stockpiling troops, so he could only push Yao Deqing out. As far as I know, Yao Deqing has secretly planned a lot for him over the years, and the money he embezzled was all used to bribe people for him.” Rong Zhen said as he served Yun Wei a bowl of soup.

Yunwei picked up the bowl, took a sip of soup, and asked, "So Yao Deqing willingly went to his death?"

“Crown Prince Mingde was kind to him,” Rong Zhen explained.

Yun Wei nodded. "I see."

Rong Zhen didn't say anything more, picked up chopsticks, and served her food.

Yunwei looked at the mountain of food piled up in her bowl and quickly stopped her, "Don't put any more in, I can't eat that much."

"Think of the disaster victims in Yangzhou, we must not waste this opportunity," Rong Zhen said calmly, glancing at her.

Yun Wei: "..."

This man is still using the same words she said last time to shut her up.

They really hold grudges!
The next day.

Yunwei received a visiting card, signed by Muyun Manor.

Seeing her deep in thought as she looked at the invitation, Uncle Chen said, "If Your Highness does not wish to see me, this old servant will go and refuse."

Yunwei nodded and handed the invitation to him.

She had heard of Muyun Manor; it started out in the medicinal herb business, and there were many members of Muyun Manor in the imperial court. However, the head of the family was very low-key and rarely interacted with others. She never expected that he would send her a visiting card.

However, she believed that she had no contact with the other party, so she did not want to see him.

But to her surprise, the people from Muyun Manor persisted and sent several more visiting cards.

But she rejected them all.

A few days later, the Empress Dowager suddenly sent someone to fetch her to the palace.

When she arrived at Shou Kang Palace, she learned that the Empress Dowager had other guests.

An elderly woman, about the same age as the Empress Dowager, was talking to her.

"Weiwei, come here, let me introduce you. This is the head of Muyun Manor. You can call her Granny Cui." The Empress Dowager smiled and took Yunwei's hand as she introduced her.

Yun Wei was taken aback and looked at the old woman.

She was actually the head of the Muyun Manor.

So it's no coincidence that the Empress Dowager summoned her to the palace today.

She glanced at the other person discreetly.

"It's really not easy to get to see the county magistrate. I'm so glad to meet you." When Granny Cui saw her looking over, she smiled and stood up to give a bow.

Yunwei returned the greeting and asked directly, "Grandma Cui, is there something you need from me?"

Granny Cui shook her head with a smile, "It's nothing, it's just that I went out for a while and when I came back I heard that the Regent Prince was engaged to you, so I thought I would see you. I didn't expect that my actions would cause trouble for the County Princess."

Yunwei naturally did not believe her explanation.

If she really just wanted to see me, she wouldn't need to send so many invitations; she clearly has other motives.

But seeing that the Empress Dowager and she were having a pleasant conversation, she did not expose her.

"I heard that the county princess's adoptive parents' surname is Wang. So the county princess should have been called Wang Wei, right?" Granny Cui suddenly said with a smile.