Caiyu, who had kept her head bowed for a long time, finally slowly raised it and boldly looked straight into Emperor Guangwu's eyes.
Rarely being stared at directly, Emperor Guangwu was suddenly startled. He abruptly felt that this look was so familiar that he blurted out involuntarily,
"You!"
For some reason, Caiyu's current look suddenly made him think of Lan Yuanyi, the former Marquis of Yongchang.
That brother of his!
Whenever they had a dispute over political views, Lan Yuanyi would boldly argue with him, glaring at him with a pair of big eyes like copper bells.
Caiyu spoke. Her voice was clear and powerful, completely devoid of her usual coquettishness.
"Your Majesty, I dare not claim credit."
She was indeed sensible!
Caiyu's words made all the whispering ministers below stop their discussions.
Just as they thought!
How could a mere maid dare to take the lead in claiming credit over His Highness the Prince of Yan?
After a brief moment of shock, Emperor Guangwu quickly regained his composure. Hearing Caiyu's answer, he was satisfied. He nodded slightly and said amiably,
"Although you, a little maid, dare not claim credit, according to General Sheng's strong testimony and the recognition of the Prince of Yan, your contribution is real. I once said that those who have made contributions in quelling this epidemic must be rewarded. Since you have merits, as I have given my word, I will still personally bestow this reward upon you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace." Caiyu knelt and kowtowed towards the emperor. "Your Majesty, I have an impertinent request. I hope Your Majesty will grant it."
Emperor Guangwu frowned slightly. "What is it?"
Caiyu knelt on the ground, bowing her body. The next words she said shocked everyone present.
"I am Lan Jinshu, the third legitimate daughter of the former Marquis of Yongchang, Lan Yuanyi. I beg Your Majesty to reopen the trial of the Lan family's case of treason!"
What?
The Lan family's case of treason?
Lan Jinshu?
She was Lan Jinshu?
The imperial garden suddenly boiled over!
Four years ago, in the case of the Lan family's treason, all the women of the Lan clan were confiscated. All those with good looks were escorted from the Jin region to the Jiao Fang Si in the capital. This case had attracted wide attention from all the officials in the court.
Everyone in the court knew the news that the third young lady of the Lan family had fallen off a cliff and died on the way.
Unexpectedly.
The person who had been dead for four years had actually come back to life and was standing right in front of everyone!
She was even facing Emperor Guangwu directly!
She had actually been hiding in the Prince of Yan's mansion!
Caiyu's sudden revelation of her identity sounded like a thunderclap in Song Yinghuai's ears. Her words shattered his rationality into pieces. His eyes were filled with anger and shock.
The third young lady of the Lan family... She was crazy!
If she wanted to reveal her identity, why didn't she tell him first?
Song Yinghuai suddenly turned his head and looked at Emperor Guangwu's equally stiff and shocked face. His heart skipped a beat.
Didn't she know that by doing so, she wouldn't help the Lan family gain any chance at all? Instead, she might push the lives of the entire Lan family into the abyss?
Song Yinghuai's expression suddenly became extremely ugly. His shocked look gradually turned into an unfathomable one.
However, Caiyu, who was kneeling on the ground, had already made up her mind. In the imperial garden filled with exclamations, she continued,
"My father was loyal to the emperor and loved the people. He led the Lan family's army to guard at Yanmen Pass for thirteen years, repelling the foreign cavalry outside the pass more than thirty times. He fought with the Hu cavalry and the Tatars more than a hundred times. The people in the Jin region were deeply grateful to my father. His achievements were widely known and praised. My father often taught us, the children of the Lan family, to be loyal to the emperor and love the people. A person like my father, who hated the foreign enemies deeply, would never collude with the enemy and betray the country!"
"I am willing to exchange my merits in quelling the epidemic for a chance to retry the Lan family's case. I hope Your Majesty will grant it!"
Emperor Guangwu was sitting upright on the dragon throne. However, the eunuch Cen, who was standing close by, could clearly feel that the emperor's anger was slowly fermenting.
It was over!
Eunuch Cen thought with a headache.
Not long ago, the Prince of Yan had just spoken out against the Lan family's case of treason, which had angered the emperor.
Today, another third young lady of the Lan family had come out to redress her father's grievances. And this third young lady of the Lan family was actually a maid in the Prince of Yan's mansion.
This couldn't help but make the emperor think more... His Highness the Prince of Yan must have known for a long time that this maid in front of him was the third young lady of the Lan family!
His Highness the Prince of Yan was actually hiding a court fugitive!
As for Emperor Guangwu?
At this moment, his heart was truly shocked beyond words.
No wonder he felt that this girl's look at him was familiar.
It turned out that she was actually the daughter of Lan Yuanyi!
The fourth prince was really bold enough to hide a fugitive and even stand up for the fugitive, trying to exchange his military power for a chance to retry the Lan family's case.
When one plan failed, he came up with another one. He took Lan Jinshu to Qixia Mountain and made contributions to exchange for a chance!
Good!
Very good!
The emperor slowly curled his palm on the armrest. The veins on the back of his hand were clearly visible.
The little thought of changing the crown prince that had just arisen vanished in an instant!
Xiao Rencheng keenly noticed the emperor's expression.
He secretly thought it was bad and nudged Xu Ziyi.
At this moment, only the Xu family could have a chance to stop the emperor's impending fury.
Xu Ziyi remained unmoved when nudged.
The family education of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion had always been to stay out of trouble, especially when it came to disasters.
If it hadn't been for Xu Buyue's words last time, he wouldn't have taken his father into the palace to plead for the emperor's mercy.
Xiao Rencheng gritted his teeth and threatened in a low voice, "Lan Jinxiang."
Xu Ziyi's face froze. Finally, he still stood up. "I didn't expect you to be the third young lady of Marquis Lan. The third young lady is willing to redress her father's grievances at the risk of offending the emperor. Although she has committed the crime of great disrespect, her filial piety is truly moving. Our Great Ye rules the country with filial piety. Your Majesty will surely not blame you for the crime of concealment and the crime of rudeness. It's just..."
He slightly raised his eyelids and glanced at Emperor Guangwu. Before the emperor could say anything, he continued,
"It's just that the case of the Lan family has already been concluded. The evidence is conclusive, and it was personally judged by Your Majesty. Without ironclad evidence, it is absolutely impossible to reopen the trial."
Xu Ziyi patiently advised Caiyu, hoping that she could understand the severity of the situation.
Caiyu understood.
It was personally judged by His Majesty, and the evidence was conclusive.
Xu Ziyi was trying to tell her that there was no evidence.
Moreover, the emperor was also unwilling to believe any new evidence.
However, the entire Lan family couldn't be wrongfully accused like this!
The Lan family had been loyal for generations. But in her father's generation, they were going to be labeled as traitors.
In the future, when her father went to the underworld, how could he have the face to face his ancestors?
As her father's daughter, how could she bear to let her father be condemned by the historians and scolded by the uninformed people?
Caiyu suddenly raised her head and resolutely looked at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne. She said word by word, clearly,
"I know that I have no evidence. But I am willing to guarantee with the lives of the entire Lan family that there are no traitors in the Lan family! I beg Your Majesty to retry this case! If we cannot find ironclad evidence to prove the Lan family's innocence, the entire Lan family is willing to die to prove our innocence!"
Caiyu's voice was as clear as pearls and jade. Every word was powerful and hit people's hearts directly, making everyone unable to ignore the determination and strength behind her words.
Xu Ziyi sighed silently.
He was at his wit's end.
The third young lady of the Lan family just wouldn't listen to advice.
Emperor Guangwu's gaze swept across the ministers below.
He noticed that there were excited, enthusiastic, panicked, and angry expressions...
All kinds of expressions were mixed together, and the faces in front of him gradually distorted.
He took a deep breath, looked at Song Yinghuai, and asked in a deep voice, "Fourth brother, the third young lady of the Lan family is now a maid in your mansion. You are her master. I'd like to hear your opinion."
The emperor wanted to hear the Prince of Yan's opinion?
Everyone's gazes instantly became more complicated.
Not long ago, the Prince of Yan had offended the emperor because of this matter and was punished to kneel outside the Chengde Hall for three days and three nights. Now, the emperor was asking the Prince of Yan's opinion again?
Was he trying to force the Prince of Yan to deny that there was injustice in the Lan family's case of treason?
If His Highness the Prince of Yan insisted on his previous view, it would be the second time he offended the emperor.
But if he denied his previous view, would the life of this third young lady of the Lan family still be safe?