Chapter 26 — Sacrificed by the Heir: Reborn as Yue Zhaoyue to Avenge Sixteen Years of Injustice

That was the secret mandate issued by the Emperor himself sixteen years ago, ordering Yue Zhongshan to travel silently to the capital while carrying irrefutable proof regarding the embezzlement of military supplies in the Northern Border. The mandate explicitly stated that if he should meet with any misfortune on the journey, all memorials accusing the Yue family of colluding with foreign enemies were to be treated as fabrications. Yue Zhongshan had never been a traitor; he had been acting under imperial order to investigate the true culprits. In a corner of the underground vault, guards discovered an iron box buried beneath rubble. Its lock was mangled, requiring them to pry it open with blades after much effort. Inside lay several thin metal plates, each inscribed with the names of officials, merchants, and generals who had participated in the fraudulent transport of military provisions. The list contained twenty-seven names in total. Some were already dead, while others had retired to their hometowns. Yet, several names belonged to men currently standing within the court, some holding even higher positions than they had years ago. At the end of the list was a symbol of a five-clawed dragon, a perfect match for the black jade ring mentioned by the eunuch with the severed finger. Upon seeing the symbol, the Grand Court of Justice official immediately ordered the vault sealed, forbidding anyone from leaving the scene. The news of the discovery was kept under absolute secrecy, dispatched immediately to the capital via an eight-hundred-mile emergency courier.

Three days later, the imperial decree arrived in Qingzhou. The Emperor formally declared that Yue Zhongshan had been acting under a secret mandate to investigate the military supplies, had been loyal to the nation, and had never colluded with rebel forces. The charges against the Yue family were cleared, their confiscated assets were to be returned, and the cases of former subordinates who had been implicated were to be reviewed one by one. I knelt before the relay station, listening as the official read the decree word by word. Sixteen years of injustice had finally been washed away. But just as everyone believed the grand case had taken a significant step forward, an official noticed that the back of one copper plate held a line of tiny text, almost obscured by layers of rust. After it was carefully cleaned, the characters emerged: “The keeper of the dragon ring is in the capital. If I cannot reach the Emperor, investigate the manor of the prince who governed the Northern Border in the seventh year of the Thanh Hoa era.”

Inside the vault, no one spoke. In the seventh year of the Thanh Hoa era, among all the princes and imperial relatives who had traveled to the Northern Border, only one remained alive today. And that man was the very prince most trusted by the Emperor.

News of Yue Zhongshan’s exoneration reached the capital in a single night. The next morning, the morning court session began earlier than usual. Every civil and military official was in attendance; even the elderly ministers who had been pleading illness for days leaned on their canes as they entered the palace. Everyone understood that this day was no longer just about the Yue family—it was about a grand conspiracy buried for sixteen years. The throne remained silent. The Emperor gazed at the copper plate brought from Qingzhou, his eyes cold as if covered in a layer of ice. Below the great hall, the Grand Princess, the Minister of the Grand Court of Justice, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the Censor-in-Chief, and all members of the Three Judicial Offices stood ready. Before long, the voice of a palace attendant rang out, announcing the imperial order: “Summon Imperial Consort To to appear.”

The palace doors slowly creaked open. Imperial Consort To was draped in dark purple court attire, her expression as calm as any other day. Only after a night of confinement did her face appear significantly paler. She knelt and performed the ritual salute. “This humble servant greets Your Majesty.”

The Emperor did not tell her to rise. He merely gestured with his hand. The Minister of the Grand Court of Justice stepped forward immediately, opening the first file. “Reporting to Your Majesty, this is the record of incense entering and leaving the Imperial Household Department sixteen years ago.” He turned the pages one by one. Each page bore the red seal of Consort To’s palace. The final line recorded quite clearly: “One box of Soul-Calming Incense, granted to Assistant Minister Shen.” The Minister continued in a steady, calm tone, “This incense was disguised as Soul-Calming Incense, but according to the examination by the Imperial Medical Institute and scholar Co Nghien, it had actually been adulterated with prohibited substances. It was this very same incense that later appeared in the case of Lady Yue.”

The eyes of the assembly turned in unison toward Consort To. She only narrowed her brows slightly. “On the basis of a single ledger, how can you prove that I knew it contained prohibited substances? Items in the Imperial Household Department pass through many hands; how would I know who tampered with them?”

The Emperor remained silent. The Minister opened the second file. It was a copper medallion—the very one recovered from the body of the eunuch with the severed finger. One side was engraved with his official rank; the other bore a peony motif. That specific design was used exclusively by Consort To’s palace. “Do you recognize this medallion, Consort?”

She glanced at it briefly. “I recognize it. There are hundreds of eunuchs in the palace. It is not strange for one to lose a medallion.”

The Minister nodded. “Indeed, it is not strange. But the eunuch with the severed finger confessed before he died. He stated that he held this very medallion while leading the men who intercepted and murdered the couple, Yue Zhongshan and his wife.”

Consort To’s complexion remained unchanged. “The man is dead. Anyone can claim whatever they wish.”

Just then, the palace doors opened again. An elderly eunuch with silver hair was assisted into the hall by two guards. The moment he laid eyes on Consort To, he collapsed to his knees. “This servant pays respects to Your Majesty.”