Hearing Di Lingwei say this, Wang Feifei quickly replied, “The people who stormed the execution grounds with Feifei that day were all her trusted confidants. They acted on her orders. Please, Your Majesty, don’t blame them, alright?”
“Since Zhen has already said Zhen will not hold you accountable, naturally, Zhen will not hold your subordinates accountable either,” Di Lingwei said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“Then what Your Majesty wants to ask is…” Wang Feifei looked at Di Lingwei with curiosity.
“Feifei, when you stormed the execution grounds that day, did you bind yourself with an extra layer of restraint?” Di Lingwei looked at Wang Feifei, her gaze then drifting downwards.
Wang Feifei understood immediately and admitted with embarrassment, “That is correct.”
“That is strange. Zhen summoned you to bathe together shortly after, yet Zhen did not discover the marks that should have been present,” Di Lingwei said, studying Wang Feifei.
“That… that is probably because Feifei is uniquely gifted. They truly do not leave marks.” Discussing such a topic made Wang Feifei blush slightly.
Seeing Wang Feifei’s expression, Di Lingwei understood the situation. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Uniquely gifted, indeed.
…
Not long after, Mu Fuwan awoke.
As soon as she was awake, Di Lingwei summoned her.
“This Subject greets Your Majesty.”
Entering the bedchamber, Mu Fuwan knelt on one knee with a look of shame. The dignified Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard had unexpectedly slipped up, requiring Her Majesty to personally rescue her. In her view, this situation was utterly humiliating.
Di Lingwei had no intention of blaming anyone. She said casually, “Rise. Tell Zhen everything you uncovered.”
Mu Fuwan nodded. After standing, she hurriedly recounted all the information she had found.
From the information she gathered, it could be definitively concluded that Chen Daorong had been secretly amassing wealth on a large scale, purchasing items like swords, armor, and grain, and transferring them elsewhere.
Furthermore, other evidence existed, including proof that Chen Daorong had been in contact with elements of the Rebel Army.
With this evidence, charging Chen Daorong with attempted rebellion was absolutely no problem.
Di Lingwei was already mentally prepared for these matters. The more detailed knowledge caused no emotional fluctuation in her. She was far more concerned about why Mu Fuwan had slipped up.
When Di Lingwei asked this question, Wang Feifei also looked at Mu Fuwan with curiosity.
Wang Feifei knew her childhood friend very well and couldn’t understand how she had nearly fallen in the Imperial Uncle’s Mansion.
Mu Fuwan’s expression turned serious as she said, “Because some Silver-Armored Men appeared this time.”
Silver-Armored Men?
Di Lingwei and Wang Feifei exchanged a glance.
As she recalled the events, Mu Fuwan said, “At the time, after finding the evidence in the Imperial Uncle’s Mansion, this subject was preparing to leave quietly with it and her subordinates. Unexpectedly, a Silver-Armored Man discovered me, and then more Silver-Armored Men appeared. Initially, I didn’t take them seriously and planned to fight my way out, but the strength of these Silver-Armored Men shocked me.”
She explained that those Silver-Armored Men were incredibly powerful. Any one of them was no weaker than the Imperial Guard, perhaps even slightly stronger. The one leading them even surpassed her in strength, which was the main reason for her failure.
“Feifei has never heard of these Silver-Armored Men,” Wang Feifei couldn’t help but say.
“Nor has Zhen,” Di Lingwei mused.
“Little Wan, were you unable to determine the identities of those Silver-Armored Men?” Wang Feifei asked Mu Fuwan again.
Mu Fuwan shook her head. “No. Not only did the Silver-Armored Men wear silver armor, but their faces were also covered by silver masks. It was fundamentally impossible to judge their identities.”
This matter was not simple. Di Lingwei’s heart grew serious.
Mu Fuwan’s martial power was not low. As someone capable of becoming the Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard, her martial prowess was evident. Yet, such a person had been suppressed. How terrifying was the opponents’ martial prowess? Could such individuals be completely unknown?
After pondering for a moment, Di Lingwei asked Mu Fuwan for more details. Mu Fuwan honestly confessed what she knew, but it didn’t yield any further insights. The origins of those Silver-Armored Men remained a complete mystery.
For the time being, they could only keep this matter in their hearts.
Confirming that no more information could be obtained, Di Lingwei said, “Little Wan, you just woke up. Go and rest some more.”
Being called “Little Wan” gave Mu Fuwan a feeling of being flattered, as it was a very intimate form of address.
“This Subject will rest well. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.”
Mu Fuwan respectfully withdrew.
Not long after Mu Fuwan left, Xing Ruolan came to report that the Minister of Justice, Ding Ling, had arrived.
After receiving Di Lingwei’s permission, Ding Ling entered the bedchamber.
“This Subject greets Your Majesty.”
Upon entering, Ding Ling knelt and saluted with the utmost respect.
“Rise. Minister Ding, what matter brings you here?” Di Lingwei asked unhurriedly, seated in her chair.
“This Subject is here regarding the matter of Imperial Uncle Chen. Here is his confession.” Ding Ling pulled the confession from his robes and presented it.
Hearing this, Di Lingwei was slightly taken aback. “He confessed so quickly?”
“Uh…” Ding Ling smiled sheepishly. “Imperial Uncle Chen indeed confessed very rapidly. So quickly, in fact, that many are unsure whether his words are true or false and could only record them first. However, this Subject believes it is likely true.”
“Why does Minister Ding believe Imperial Uncle Chen’s confession is most likely true?” Di Lingwei asked, not rushing to read the confession yet.
“This is based on my understanding of Imperial Uncle Chen. It’s not that this Subject knows him so well, but after checking past information on Imperial Uncle Chen, I discovered he is someone rather afraid of pain,” Ding Ling replied.
With that, Di Lingwei understood. Ding Ling believed that Chen Daorong feared torture and therefore confessed honestly from the very beginning.
Thinking this, Di Lingwei asked no further. She took the confession and slowly read through it.
The confession contained many things Chen Daorong admitted to, such as leaking the information that Di Lingwei had intentionally destroyed the Wang Family.
Furthermore, Chen Daorong had spread various other rumors, causing Di Lingwei no small amount of trouble in secret.
And there was a reason Chen Daorong targeted Di Lingwei so persistently.
After reading the confession, Di Lingwei finally understood this reason. It was unexpectedly related to her mother, the Consort!
Her mother was known as Consort Xuan, but she had long since passed away from illness.
Chen Daorong’s older sister was known as Consort Lian, who had passed away even before Consort Xuan.
Judging from the confession, Chen Daorong likely suspected that his sister Consort Lian’s death was caused by Consort Xuan. Therefore, he wanted revenge against Di Lingwei, Consort Xuan’s daughter, since Di Lingwei was also Consort Xuan’s only child.
Di Lingwei felt quite speechless about this. She hadn’t expected the cause to be so old, with the involved parties dead for who knows how many years. Even she would find it very difficult to investigate the truth.
