I died tragically in my previous life, and I want to be an empress in my next life

Three days later, Zhang Musheng came to the cell again. He saw Wang Dunfa sitting on the ground in a slump, his eyes dull and he looked very depressed. For Wang Dunfa, these two days were like a year.

Originally, the Marquis of Zhongwu had agreed with him that he would send someone to deliver news to him every seven days, but this time there was no movement. This made Wang Dunfa start to worry. Could it be that he had really become a discarded pawn in the eyes of the Marquis of Zhongwu?

"General Wang, what are your thoughts?" Zhang Musheng asked calmly.

Wang Dun sat on the ground in a daze, his face pale and haggard, his head lowered and silent, his hands clenched into fists.

Seeing this, Zhang Musheng slowly squatted down and said in a low and powerful voice, "General Wang, even if you take all the blame, will your family be safe?"

"I don't understand what you mean." A trace of panic flashed across Wang Dunfa's eyes, but his tone was calm.

Zhang Musheng slowly took out a jade pendant, which was soft in texture, finely carved, and exuded a faint jade fragrance. He gently shook it in front of Wang Dunfa's eyes, and the jade pendant flickered with a faint light in the dim prison.

"General Wang, look at this, do you recognize it?" Zhang Musheng said in a low voice.

Wang Dunfa raised his head and his eyes fell on the jade pendant. His body trembled and his face changed suddenly. He was very familiar with the jade pendant. It was his son's personal belonging and he gave it to him personally.

"This..." Wang Dunfa's voice trembled a little, and a trace of panic and pain flashed in his eyes.

Zhang Musheng continued, "If you want your family to be safe, then you must tell the truth."

"Hmph! Your wife and children are not guilty of this! I didn't expect that you would do such a thing in order to force a confession!" Wang Dunfa roared, his face full of indignation and helplessness.

"General Wang, don't worry, your family is safe now. Prince Jing has sent people to properly arrange for them in a secret location." Zhang Musheng comforted him. Hearing this news, Wang Dunfa felt a little more at ease.

"However, there are other people who want them to disappear." Zhang Musheng's words made Wang Dunfa's heart rise again.

Marquis Zhongwu said that if things were irreversible, he would take on all the responsibilities by himself and ensure that they would have no worries about food and clothing, right?

Seeing the doubt on Wang Dunfa's face, Zhang Musheng understood.

So he took the opportunity to say, "Only the dead can keep secrets in this world. I believe General Wang also understands this principle, right?"

Wang Dunfa raised his head in fear, "What do you mean, Master Zhang?"

Zhang Musheng took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "General Wang, perhaps some people are worried that something will bring disadvantages to themselves, and will take some measures."

Zhang Musheng paused for a moment, observing Wang Dunfa's reaction. Seeing that Wang Dunfa's face had turned even paler, he continued, "General Wang, you can only truly protect your family's safety if you cooperate with us. If General Wang takes the blame and makes meritorious contributions, the court will definitely not pursue the Wang family members."

Wang Dunfa couldn't help but feel a chill. He knew that he had no choice. If he took the blame and made meritorious service, at least his family would have a glimmer of hope.

Wang Dunfa took out a seemingly ordinary copper coin from his underwear and handed it to Zhang Musheng, "Master Zhang, take this and go to Xihua Street to find a man named Wang He. He will give you something you need."

Although this copper coin looks ordinary, it is actually a token of trust, and only the Wang family knows its meaning. Zhang Musheng took the copper coin, looked at it, put it into his sleeve, and left the cell.

After leaving the cell, Zhang Musheng went straight to Xihuashi Street to find the man, who mysteriously handed Zhang Musheng a stack of secret letters.

When Zhang Musheng opened them, he found that they were all secret letters between Marquis Zhongwu and Wang Dun. With this evidence, it seemed that Marquis Zhongwu could not escape the connection.

At the morning court the next day, Xuanyuan Ping presented the secret letters directly to the emperor. The emperor took the secret letters, flipped through them page by page, and his expression became increasingly gloomy.

The secret letter contained not only evidence of the current embezzlement of military pay, but also evidence that Marquis Zhongwu had been embezzling military pay for many years. The emperor looked at this irrefutable evidence and felt angry and disappointed.

The Marquis of Zhongwu was panicked in the court. He never expected that Xuanyuan Ping would actually produce such evidence. He wanted to refute, but found that the evidence was too conclusive, leaving him no room for rebuttal.

The emperor immediately ordered the dismissal of Marquis Zhongwu and his case to be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for trial.

Xuanyuan Zheng was also covered in cold sweat. Although he had not been implicated yet, the Marquis Zhongwu was his father-in-law. How could others not think too much about it?

In fact, most of the money embezzled by Marquis Zhongwu flowed into the Eastern Palace.

Moreover, he had finally built up some prestige in the army recently thanks to Marquis Zhongwu, but now, it's all gone.

Xuanyuan Zheng returned to the East Palace with a rage, and the atmosphere in the East Palace was extremely heavy. As soon as he sat down, he saw Xiao Lingyun rushing in with tears in her eyes, crying as pitifully as a pear blossom in the rain.

Xiao Lingyun suddenly knelt in front of Xuanyuan Zheng, holding the corner of his clothes tightly with both hands, crying, "Your Highness, please, save my father!"

Looking at Xiao Lingyun with tears streaming down her face, Xuanyuan Zheng felt distressed, but he really had no time to care about her at this moment.

"Marquis Zhongwu has brought all this upon himself!" Xuanyuan Zheng's tone was filled with indifference and determination.

"Your Highness, you can't just stand by and watch him die! My father was wrongly accused, he must have been framed!" Xiao Lingyun burst into tears, her words full of despair.

Xuanyuan Zheng shook off Xiao Lingyun's hand with all his strength, "Yun'er, calm down, please. The evidence is irrefutable, and there is nothing I can do."

After saying that, Xuanyuan Zheng stood up and left the East Palace. He decided to go to the Queen Mother to discuss countermeasures.

Looking at Xuanyuan Zheng's departing back, Xiao Lingyun felt a wave of despair. Her face was as pale as paper, she sat on the ground helplessly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Not far away, Zhao Wanru stood quietly by the side, with a complex expression in her eyes. She recalled the disaster relief fund case, when the prince was just as cold-blooded and ignored the Zhao family.

Now this scene happened again, and she couldn't help but feel a bit bitter in her heart. The prince was cold-hearted by nature, and once they lost their usefulness, he would discard them like trash.

On the second day, Xuanyuan Zheng handed over all the silver given by Marquis Zhongwu. Originally, this silver was sent to the Eastern Palace in the name of Xiao Lingyun's dowry, and Xiao Lingyun was demoted to a concubine.

Xuanyuan Zheng's quick reaction has received mixed reviews from both the court and the public. Some say that the prince is sacrificing his own relatives for the sake of justice, while others say that the prince is ruthless and heartless. However, for Xuanyuan Zheng, the negative impact this time has been reduced to a minimum.