lcionline Chapter 258: Handle
Chapter 258: Handle
Faced with Madam Yuan's threat, the Empress took a deep breath and could only suppress her anger: "I understand, daughter."
That day, government officials sent someone to deliver a message to Lin Rusi.
"Although Yuan Shao has been sent to prison, there is still no concrete evidence to prove that he committed any crimes. Moreover, he said that he is the Empress's cousin, so he is not someone who can be dealt with easily."
Lin Rusi sneered. Justice will prevail. The reason they came to spread these words is that they don't believe she can gather evidence. They want to play the good guy.
If she does find out, then she should be dealt with according to the law. If she doesn't find out, then it's her own fault for offending the Empress, and it has nothing to do with them.
As expected of someone who has spent years moving between court and government offices, he has truly distanced himself completely.
Lin Rusi naturally wouldn't directly turn against them, but simply said calmly, "Then please wait a few days, gentlemen."
Some of those people looked at her with contempt, while others mocked her arrogance. How could it be so easy to find evidence against someone who was the Empress?
Lin Rusi didn't bother to say anything more to these people. Once she found the evidence, they would be in a completely different state.
That's just how people are.
Lin Rusi called Wanxia over and whispered, "Go find a few of the new residents and secretly gather dirt on Yuan Shao."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "It needs to be quick, preferably within the next two or three days."
Wanxia didn't dare to be negligent and nodded.
Upon learning that Lin Rusi was secretly searching for evidence against Yuan Shao, Li Jingyang dispatched his secret guards to assist her.
"Remember to do everything you can to help Wanxia, and contact me immediately if anything happens."
The guard clasped his hands in response.
……
The next day, just as Lin Rusi finished getting up and washing, Wanxia rushed in, dismissed everyone, and whispered in her ear, "Miss, the people we sent have news; they've found out."
Lin Rusi was delighted and asked, "How come it's so fast?"
Wanxia took a comb from the dressing table and combed her hair, replying, "The Third Prince also knows about this. He heard that you wanted to investigate Yuan Shao, so he sent people to help you."
"This Yuan Shao likes to humiliate women, especially married women, and has already killed several women."
Lin Rusi frowned. She knew Yuan Shao was a spoiled brat, but she didn't expect him to be so cruel.
Yuan Shao truly deserved to die. He killed so many women, and yet he still dared to argue. If we let him go this time, wouldn't he become even more arrogant in the future?
Since she's taken charge of this, she should see it through to the end.
When Wanxia first heard this news, she was shocked: "Miss, Yuan Shao is too infuriating. We can't just ignore this. What should we do next?"
Lin Rusi rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
Do you know who these women are?
She felt that Yuan Shao, given his personality, would definitely look down on women from ordinary families, and she guessed that these women must not be from ordinary families.
Wanxia replied honestly, "It has been investigated. These women are all concubines of wealthy or official families in the area."
As expected, Yuan Shao, being so arrogant, certainly wouldn't have set his sights on a woman from an ordinary family.
"Go and send someone to find the husbands of these dead women and give them some benefits." As she spoke, Lin Rusi gave her a look, and Wanxia immediately understood.
Wanxia gathered these people together and asked, "Do you know why your wives or concubines have all disappeared?"
These people's eyes widened in shock, and they felt extremely guilty.
Someone said in an unfriendly tone, "How do you know about our household affairs?"
Wanxia didn't care about their impolite tone at all. "You don't need to know that. I'll tell you, your wives or concubines were all killed by Yuan Shao."
These men naturally knew about their wives' situation.
However, Wanxia's sudden telling them this puzzled them.
Wanxia looked at each of them and continued, "I believe you all understand, so don't you hate them in your hearts?"
These people looked at each other, their eyes filled with anger; how could they not hate each other?
But they also knew what kind of person Yuan Shao was, someone they, as minor officials, couldn't afford to offend!
Moreover, he has the Empress behind him; no matter what they want to do, the Empress will suppress it.
Wanxia seemed to have read their thoughts and slowly said, "I don't know if you've heard, but Yuan Shao is now imprisoned. However, the government needs evidence to prove it." As she spoke, Wanxia glanced at each of them.
These people looked at each other, their eyes filled with calculation.
Seeing this, Wanxia understood what they meant, took out a bag of silver from her pocket, and distributed a bag to each person.
Seeing their greedy expressions, Wanxia whispered, "Now that everyone has benefited, we need your help. Let's all get together and report Yuan Shao."
Once this matter was resolved, Wanxia immediately went to report back: "Miss, they have agreed and will file a complaint against Yuan Shao in a moment."
Lin Rusi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Alright, then let's wait and see the results."
……
The next day, before she could ask anything, Wanxia took the initiative to tell her, "Miss, there is news from the Third Prince that the Emperor is also very concerned about this matter."
Lin Rusi nodded. This was exactly the effect she wanted. The more people knew about it and the more people paid attention to it, the more likely Yuan Shao would be investigated by the government.
"Yesterday they went to file a complaint, and this is what the officials said."
Wanxia, who had been smiling, curled her lips when she heard Lin Rusi's question. "Miss, you're really something. The evidence is right in front of them, yet they still don't believe it. I'm starting to suspect they're working for the Empress."
Lin Rusi raised an eyebrow. She wasn't surprised that they would act this way. After all, she was nothing, while the other side held the title of Empress. How could they, as officials, not know who was more important?
Lin Rusi smiled and said, "Don't worry about them. Now that the Emperor knows, this matter won't end so hastily. After all, the Emperor is quite dissatisfied with the Empress."
This incident caused a great uproar in the court.
The next day at the morning court session, all the ministers were talking about this matter.
A high-ranking official directly advised the court on this matter.
"Your Majesty, I would like to speak today about the Empress's cousin, Yuan Shao."
“The things Yuan Shao is doing in the capital now have been listed one by one.”
The emperor touched the thumb ring and casually looked at the kneeling ministers before him: "I am already aware of this matter. You may speak to me with any opinions you may have."
The ministers were unsure of the emperor's thoughts. They didn't know the emperor's current attitude towards the empress. After all, how the emperor punished Yuan Shao now depended entirely on how much the empress still held in the emperor's heart. What was Yuan Shao compared to the empress's position?
The emperor was somewhat annoyed when he saw that none of them spoke.
"What's wrong? Everyone's stopped talking?"