I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 277 Self-Preservation
"After listening carefully, I realized that the Turkic soldier who killed my wife was actually someone my concubine had hired to impersonate her!"

“My concubine has been devoted to Buddhism ever since, and she is so afraid that my wife will come to take her life. That is why she has gone mad from fear every day.”

Yin Wei inwardly scoffed. If Song Qingyan really was the murderer who killed the wife of the Duke of Wei, a first-rank official, could such a person be frightened by ghosts and monsters?
You're trying to fool an idiot!
"So that's how it is. It's karma," Emperor Pingyuan sighed. "Where is the concubine now?"

"Your Majesty, my concubine committed such a disrespectful act as murdering the mistress of the house. How can I tolerate this? I have already sent her to the Ministry of Justice prison to be dealt with by the officials of the Ministry of Justice."

The Minister of Justice stepped forward and said, “I have already sent someone to examine the concubine of the Duke of Wei. It has been confirmed that the concubine has gone mad. Just as the Duke of Wei said, the concubine kept muttering things like ‘Don’t let the First-Rank Duke of Wei’s wife seek revenge on her.’ It can be concluded that the concubine did indeed kill the First-Rank Duke of Wei’s wife.”

Yin Wei sighed inwardly, but having to play along, he could only say, "In that case, the spirit of the First-Rank Duke of Wei can finally rest in peace." What a load of rubbish!

Tang Zheng's face turned red, whether from pain or shame. "I know it's wrong of me to use this to blackmail you, but I really have no other choice. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

Emperor Pingyuan sighed, "How can there be a grudge between a father and daughter that lasts overnight? Minister Tang should find an opportunity to have a good talk with Princess Zhaoshan and clear up the misunderstanding."

Tang Zheng knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your teachings."

Yin Wei coldly observed the drama of harmony between the emperor and his ministers, and then brought up the old topic again, "What should be done about the storybooks?"

Emperor Pingyuan had a headache. "What does Minister Yin think?"

"I believe that it is more difficult to control the people's mouths than to control a river. Nowadays, the people deeply believe in the stories in the folk tales, and think that the fall of Wuwei City in the thirtieth year of Kangzhi was caused by the Wei Kingdom's collusion with foreign enemies, which is why they are so radical."

"I believe that it is better to guide than to suppress. Instead of wasting effort destroying the storybooks, we should find out the real culprit."

Emperor Pingyuan remained noncommittal, asking, "What if the accusation of colluding with the enemy is entirely unfounded?"

Yin Wei said, "That would prove the story is wrong, and would also clear the Duke of Wei's name."

"What do you, my esteemed ministers, think?"

"I second the proposal."

"Very well, since that's the case, then this matter will be jointly investigated by the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review. We must find out the whole story of the fall of Wuwei City in the thirtieth year of the Kangzhi reign!"

Emperor Pingyuan flung his sleeves and left, declaring, "Court adjourned!"

"Congratulations to Your Majesty!"

Yin Wei sighed inwardly. "Even if I hand it over to the Minister of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, they still won't find anything!"

It seems that the events of the 30th year of the Kangzhi reign were also related to Your Majesty.

Should he write a letter to Princess Zhaoshan asking if she could take him in as a staff member after he resigns from his official post?
Inside the Duke of Wei's mansion, the old lady of the Duke of Wei was waiting anxiously.

A maidservant came in to announce, "The Duke has returned!"

Old Madam An couldn't sit still any longer and quickly got up to greet him. Seeing Tang Zheng's pale face covered in sweat, she was immediately heartbroken. "Quick, quickly help the Duke to lie down! Go and summon the doctor!"

"Don't summon the doctor," the Duke of Wei objected, "My son just needs some rest."

Old Madam An disagreed, "But what about your health?"

"My son is safe and sound. The Duke of Wei's mansion is going through a lot of trouble right now, so let's try to avoid trouble if possible."

Madam An's eyes welled up with tears. Since Song Shi's death, when had Zheng'er ever felt so wronged?
It's all that little bitch Tang Zhao's fault!

After her son lay down, Madam An dismissed the servants and asked, "What did His Majesty and the court officials say?"

"His Majesty has ordered the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review to reopen the old case from the 30th year of the Kangzhi reign. As for the death of Lady Song," Tang Zheng said indifferently, "my son pinned the blame on Qingyan."

Madam An wasn't surprised. She had already guessed what was going on when her son asked her to poison the food of that vile woman in the Buddhist hall. "Can the court officials be trusted?" "His Majesty's words are law; they have no choice but to believe them!"

In this way, the Wei State Duke's Mansion's current predicament can be considered temporarily resolved.

Madam An felt a sense of relief, but couldn't help cursing, "It's all that little bitch Tang Zhao's fault! She's young but ruthless, making such a big fuss over this, forcing my son to go to the Emperor to report while he's sick!"

"If I had known, I should have killed Song when she gave birth to her and ended it all."

Or, after Song's death, they could simply poison him with a bottle of poison!
Tang Zheng closed his eyes. He had completely seen through Tang Zhao's malice towards him and the Duke of Wei's mansion. He would no longer harbor any fatherly affection for Tang Zhao.

“Mother, even if Tang Zhao doesn’t know everything about what happened back then, he knows eight or nine parts of it. We need to make preparations in advance, just in case.”

Old Madam An stopped cursing. "What do you mean?"

"If Tang Zhao has evidence of treason, given Emperor Pingyuan's temperament, he will definitely push me and the Duke of Wei's mansion out. Just in case, we need to prepare in advance."

How to prepare?

"My mother secretly packed her valuables, and if anything changes, I will immediately take her to the southwest."

"What about Mrs. An and the child?"

"They are weak and small, and will only slow down the journey. It would be better to leave them behind to confuse His Majesty."

"Alright!" Although Madam An felt sorry for her grandson, compared to her own and her son's lives, her grandson was nothing.

Besides, with a son around, why worry about not having a grandson?

Moreover, she already has a grandson in the southwest.

The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review conducted a perfunctory investigation for two months, but found nothing. In their closing statement, they wrote that there was no hidden truth.

Just as they were about to submit it to the cabinet, King Xuan's memorial arrived.

When Emperor Pingyuan opened the document, he was instantly filled with rage. After much deliberation, he summoned the Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review.

"King Xuan submitted a memorial stating that he had witnesses who testified that the fall of Wuwei City in the thirtieth year of the Kangzhi reign was caused by the Duke of Wei's collusion with the enemy. What is your opinion on this?"

The Minister of Justice silently stuffed the memorial into his sleeve.

The Minister of Justice asked, "Who is the witness?" He couldn't just randomly pick someone and claim them as a witness.

"He was the deputy general of General Song, who was stationed in Wuwei back then."

Emperor Pingyuan could hardly believe that such an important person was still alive. How did Tang Zheng manage to do things?
"This," the Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review exchanged a glance. If this were true, then the Duke of Wei's crime of treason would be sealed.

It's not a big deal to execute the Duke of Wei, but what if the Duke of Wei goes against His Majesty and implicates him...?

Emperor Pingyuan was also extremely troubled. If he had known this day would come, he would never have told Tang Zheng that he was impersonating the late emperor and associating with him.

Now that Tang Zheng has such a huge handle on them, they are truly in a dilemma.

The Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review looked at each other, neither of them knowing what to do.

After dismissing the useless Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, Emperor Pingyuan summoned Wan Shi, the commander of the Flying Dragon Guard, and ordered him to "find a way to kill Tang Zheng, no, not just Tang Zheng, but the entire Wei State Duke's mansion."

Only the dead can keep their mouths tightly shut.