The letter was intercepted by Gao Yu and secretly delivered to the Luo family by Princess Huanrong Yunxi, who then forwarded it to Linchuan. Naturally, he knew the letter's origin better than anyone else.
Thus, under Gao Yu's subtle control and guidance, he and Zhao Ti examined the paper, ink, and handwriting of the letter from multiple angles. Ultimately, through the small amount of fine sand powder in the ink, they "deduced" that the ink stick used in the letter was "star sand ink," which was exclusively supplied to the royal family by the Imperial Household Department. In this way, they pinpointed the source of the letter to a family of duke or marquis.
Two days later, through handwriting comparison, they successfully identified a clerk and two staff members from the Prince An's residence.
With the help of various forces, the matter became the talk of the town in just a few days; the clerk and his two advisors were so frightened that they confessed without any torture.
On August 13, Emperor Xianlong summoned Prince Gong Yunchi, Princess Huanrong Yunxi, and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, who was in charge of the affairs of the imperial family, for a joint discussion. They concluded that both the witnesses and the physical evidence were credible, and the fact that Prince An Yunhuan had colluded with the enemy was thus confirmed.
****
In just ten days, the capital city was swept away as if by a sudden storm.
The once-illustrious Prince An's mansion was raided and its property sealed off; overnight, its members scattered like leaves in the wind.
Prince An, who was once favored by His Majesty, was stripped of his title and placed under the supervision of Prince Gong, Yun Chi. The Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, upon receiving His Majesty's decree, removed Yun Huan from the imperial genealogy.
On August 17th, Yun Lie and Luo Cuiwei went to Prince Gong's Mansion to bid farewell to Yun Huan, who had been stripped of his title and imprisoned.
To avoid a violent scene, Luo Cuiwei took the round dumplings from Yun Lie and, accompanied by the Princess Consort of Gong, strolled to the garden of the main hall of the Prince Gong's Mansion, leaving Yun Lie to go alone to the heavily guarded little house to see Yun Huan.
At this moment, Yun Huan was dressed in a coarse cloth robe, his appearance was disheveled, and his expression was dejected. He was no longer the handsome and elegant man he once was.
Upon seeing who it was, Yun Huan's eyes were filled with hatred, and he grinned maliciously through gritted teeth, "What, you've come to visit your defeated foe? You've come to ask me why I'm singled out for you? Give up, Yun Lie, I won't tell you anything."
Yun Lie chuckled and cracked his knuckles. "You're overthinking it. I'm just here to settle a personal score. You secretly divined my Weiwei's fate and even sent a message to the Northern Di people, planning to kill her. I've held this grudge for almost a year."
"Father...no, His Majesty's decree only places me under house arrest," Yun Huan's expression turned to terror as he took several steps back, pressing his back firmly against the wall. "You can't touch me! Where's Yun Chi? How dare Yun Chi let you touch me! Yun Lie, let me tell you..."
Yun Lie was too lazy to waste words with him and stepped forward without any politeness to throw a punch.
Poor Yun Huan, who had been pampered for many years, was no match for Yun Lie. With that punch, he had nowhere to hide.
Under the heavy blows, there were sounds of teeth falling out and ribs breaking...
Its sound was mournful, and its appearance was tragic.
Once Yun Huan was curled up on the ground with a bruised and swollen face, Yun Lie scoffed and dusted off his non-existent dirt.
"Useless idiot. All he does is scheme and plot, he never bothers to practice his martial arts and footwork."
Yun Lie squatted down with a look of disgust and patted his face, which was contorted in pain. "Have you figured out why you collapsed so quickly after spending these two days alone facing the wall?"
Yun Huan closed his eyes, calming the pain that felt like his internal organs were about to rupture, and smiled strangely, "Didn't you always pride yourself on your integrity and disdain forming factions? Now you've actually learned to... join forces with the two of them to besiege me?"
In the dark and gloomy confinement, with nothing to do, he naturally went through everything in his mind.
All the previously overlooked clues were finally connected.
Gao Yu, the commander of the Imperial City Guard, is the fifth son of the Duke of He's family, and the Duke of He's family is on Yun tide's side.
After Gao Yu intercepted the message sent by the Prince of An's mansion to the Northern Di, she did not present it directly to Emperor Xianlong. Instead, at Yun Xi's behest, she secretly handed it over to Yun Lie, who then took it back to the capital and publicly claimed that it had been intercepted at the border.
This is where Yunxi's ruthlessness lies.
If Gao Yu had handed that letter of treason directly to Emperor Xianlong, even if the investigation eventually led to the Prince An's residence, the news would not have left the capital. Given Emperor Xianlong's consistent favor towards Yun Huan, although he would not have escaped severe punishment, he would never have ended up in such a completely destitute state.
“And Zhao Ti, haha, back then, Zhao Ti’s so-called ‘escort’ you back to the capital,” Yun Huan spat out blood and laughed maniacally and bitterly, “was actually Yun Chi knowing that I planned to ambush you halfway, so he deliberately let Father… His Majesty know that you had left Linchuan to return to the capital without permission, and then specially sent Zhao Ti to protect you.”
Although the Black Armor Guards are loyal only to His Majesty, Zhao Ti, the deputy commander who controls the Black Armor Guards, comes from the Empress's maternal family; that is to say, even if Zhao Ti is not Yun Chi's man, he is one of the forces that secretly support Yun Chi.
"How strange," Yun Huan rolled over onto his back, clutching his chest in pain, and murmured with a mixture of confusion and desolation, "They actually joined forces to protect you... What are they after?"
Yun Lie reached out and slapped him hard on the head. "Because although they have been obsessed with vying for power and profit all these years, they have not forgotten that what they want to fight for is the position of crown prince, nor have they forgotten what they want to do with that position!"
Neither Yun Chi nor Yun tide forgot that the Crown Prince was the one who would one day shoulder the responsibility of ruling the world.
The struggle for the throne is a contest among the strongest members of the Yun clan, designed to ensure that the ultimate victor is the strongest of their generation, thus guaranteeing the continued succession of the Yun clan.
Therefore, no matter how despicable the means Yun Chi and Yun tide use to fight each other, they will never truly put Yun Lie and Yun Pei, the two guards of the country's borders, to death, nor will they collude with foreign enemies.
It was precisely because both of them had this bottom line in their hearts that Emperor Xianlong turned a blind eye to their actions.
Yun Huan was too focused on the struggle for power, forgetting what the purpose of this struggle was.
Because he crossed the line, he did not hesitate to collude with the enemy in order to completely eliminate his opponent, which is why he ended up being pushed around by everyone when he was down.
"But I'm just not reconciled," Yun Huan raised his hand to cover his face, his voice trembling with emotion, "You were inferior to me in every way... Why..."
Yun Lie stood up and gave him a light kick with his toe. "I've known my own worth since I was fifteen, and I've settled down in Linchuan without ever getting into pointless fights with you. I've also guarded the border for ten years with a clear conscience."
Everything he has now is what he deserves and what he asked for.
His only wishful thinking in his life was for Luo Cuiwei.
Thinking of his beloved wife, Yun Lie's eyes softened and a smile appeared on his lips. "This may be the last time we see each other in this life. I have nothing more to say. You can rest assured and continue hatching fleas."
He showed no sympathy for Yun Huan.
Although Emperor Xianlong never treated all his children equally, all the princes and princesses studied and received education in the royal academy in the North Garden during their childhood in the inner city.
Even though they have very different personalities and circumstances, they have all heard the same principles of national righteousness and right and wrong.
What kind of person you are born may be beyond your control; but what kind of person you become is a choice you make.
You can't persuade a suicidal person with kind words; if they choose to walk down a path of no return, they must bear the consequences themselves.
There is no need to sympathize with or even feel sorry for those who bring trouble upon themselves.