vrcanaries Chapter 206 The Truth Emerges
Chapter 206 The Truth Emerges
"Your Highness, look at this!"
The Third Miss hurried into the Imperial Study, holding a yellowed letter in her hand. This was just found in the secret compartment of the Grand Tutor's Mansion.
Mo Yunchen took the letter and frowned more and more as he read it: "So that's it..."
The letter recorded a secret event that happened twenty years ago: all the strange things that happened when the late emperor passed away were related to the Grand Tutor!
"This old thief," Mo Yunchen sneered, "his ambitions were planted so early."
According to the correspondence, the Grand Tutor had begun plotting this scheme twenty years earlier. He not only secretly befriended the princes but also cultivated close associates within the court. Even more terrifying, he had even participated in the conspiracy that led to the previous emperor's death!
"No wonder," the Third Miss suddenly realized, "No wonder he was able to operate in the court for so long without being discovered."
"Yes," Mo Yunchen sighed, "He is using the name of 'assisting' to erode the foundation of the imperial court."
At this moment, the niece rushed over and said, "Another new discovery! We found an account book in the Grand Tutor's Mansion."
The account books detailed the Grand Tutor's income and expenditure over the years. Besides his regular salary, there was also a large amount of silver from unknown sources. All of this silver was related to several businesses.
"Investigate!" Mo Yunchen immediately ordered, "Find out the details of these businesses for me!"
Soon, a shocking discovery surfaced: these businesses were operating legitimate businesses on the surface, but in fact they were secretly smuggling weapons! And these weapons eventually fell into the hands of the princes.
"That old bastard," the Third Miss gritted her teeth, "no wonder the prince has so many weapons. It turns out he's the one behind it all!"
"Not only that," my cousin analyzed, "these companies also control several important shipping routes. If something unexpected happens..."
The three of them looked at each other and understood the seriousness of this: the Grand Tutor was preparing for a future rebellion!
"Seal!" Mo Yunchen immediately ordered, "Seal up these businesses immediately, don't let any of them go!"
Just as the order was issued, a new discovery was made: hidden in the interlayer of the account book was a list. This list recorded all the private matters of the ministers in the court, even their weaknesses!
"So that's how it is," Miss San suddenly realized, "He uses these handles to control the court officials."
"It's not just about control," Mo Yunchen sneered, "These handles can be used to threaten at any time. Once the time is right..."
Indeed, with these handles, the Grand Tutor could easily stir up internal strife in the court. Then, he would be able to reap the benefits.
"This old fox," the niece sighed, "is really thoughtful."
At this moment, my cousin suddenly asked: "So what about this list..."
"Burn it," Mo Yunchen said decisively, "Keeping this kind of thing will only cause trouble."
The third lady said, "Wait a minute!"
"how?"
"Although this list cannot be kept, it can be used to identify court officials," she analyzed, "to see who is still secretly colluding..."
Mo Yunchen's eyes lit up: "You are right."
So in the next few days, the court continued to investigate the Grand Tutor's followers while secretly observing the ministers whose names were on the list.
As expected, some people began to get restless. They either took sick leave or requested to be transferred to other places, fearing that they would be implicated.
"These people..." Miss San sneered as she looked at the list. "They have something to hide, and they can't sit still."
"But then again," the niece suddenly asked, "Isn't the Grand Tutor afraid of leaving something behind by doing this?"
"What is he afraid of?" My cousin shook her head. "Didn't you see the way he looked before he died? He was clearly confident."
Indeed, although the Grand Tutor was dead, his schemes continued to play out. Those under his control were now in a state of panic, fearing that their secrets would be exposed.
"This old fox," the third young lady sighed, "is still a source of worry even after his death."
"It's okay," Mo Yunchen said, "Now that we've discovered his tricks, we must eliminate these hidden dangers."
So the court began a new round of investigations. This time, instead of arresting anyone, they offered those ministers under investigation a chance: confess voluntarily and receive a lighter sentence.
As soon as this policy was announced, many people immediately turned themselves in. They explained how they were controlled by the Grand Tutor and how they were forced to participate in the conspiracy.
Through these confessions, the court further understood the Taishi's power network, which not only spread throughout the court but also penetrated into the local areas.
"It looks like a major purge is coming," the third young lady said, looking at the confession. "So many people are implicated..."
"It's time to purge them," Mo Yunchen sneered, "The court can't tolerate so many parasites."
At this moment, a notice came from outside: The Queen Mother summoned you!
When the three of them rushed to the bedroom, they saw the empress dowager flipping through an ancient book.
"What does mother want to talk to us about?" Mo Yunchen asked.
The Queen Mother sighed: "I was sorting out old things and found something..."
It turned out that this ancient book was left by the previous emperor, and it recorded some important court affairs. It mentioned the Grand Tutor, saying that his "mind is unpredictable and must be guarded against."
"The late emperor had already seen it?" The third lady was surprised.
"Yes," the Queen Mother sighed, "but there was no evidence at the time. Besides, the Grand Tutor had just made a great contribution..."
Mo Yunchen thought thoughtfully: "So the late emperor had to use him?"
"That's right," the Queen Mother sighed. "At that time, the government was in turmoil and we had to rely on him. Who would have thought..."
The three of them finally understood: the late emperor had long seen through the Grand Tutor's ambitions, but had been forced to tolerate them due to circumstances. The Grand Tutor was seizing this opportunity to gradually erode the power of the court.
"This is his method," Miss San suddenly realized. "First, he'll make a contribution, then slowly infiltrate. Once he's firmly established, he'll be unstoppable."
"So this time we must eradicate them completely," Mo Yunchen said firmly, "We can't give them the chance to make a comeback."
"That's right," the Queen Mother nodded. "We must investigate this thoroughly this time. However..." She looked at the Third Miss, "You have to be careful too."
The three of them understood what the Queen Mother meant: the remaining followers of the Grand Tutor would definitely not give up. At this time, they had to be more vigilant.
Back in the imperial study, the third young lady suddenly said, "Your Highness, I feel like there's something I haven't discovered yet."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
"Think about it," she analyzed, "The Grand Tutor has been running the business for so many years, it's impossible that this is all he has left. He must have other tricks up his sleeve..."
Mo Yunchen's eyes lit up: "You mean, there is a bigger secret?"
"Yes," the Third Miss nodded, "and this secret may be hidden in a place we least expect."
At this moment, my niece came hurriedly: "Third sister, guess what I found?"
She took out a blueprint: it was found in another secret room in the Grand Tutor's Mansion. There was a strange mark on the blueprint, which seemed to be a mark of a certain place.
“This is…” The third young lady looked carefully and suddenly exclaimed, “Wait! Where have I seen this mark…”
She looked up the documents she had found before and compared them, and indeed she found a clue: this mark was related to a certain detail when the emperor died!
"Quick," Mo Yunchen immediately stood up, "Look for it according to the map!"
The three of them, along with their guards, rushed to the spot indicated by the marker. It was a remote corner near the imperial mausoleum, usually unnoticed.
But when they dug according to the map, they soon made a discovery: there was a secret room hidden underground!
"This..." The third young lady gasped as she looked at the items in the secret room.
The secret room contained not only a large number of documents but also some strange instruments. The most eye-catching thing was a painting hanging on the wall: the person in the painting was none other than the late emperor!
"It seems..." Mo Yunchen's voice was cold, "The truth about my father is finally coming to light."