With Lu Zhihe dead, Yang Hai demoted, Zhou Cong unwilling to delve deeper, and the Duke of Cheng ensnared in the black-registry scandal, they were all left to fend for themselves.
In the third year of Rende, before the imperial court had even reconvened, certain individuals began to sniff the changing winds. The protégés of Chancellor Lu started to stir once again. With plenty of hands available, work proceeded quickly. Within a single day, all the testimonies regarding the arson at Ruoyun Villa were altered. Everyone spoke with one voice: Lu Zhihe had absolutely nothing to do with the fire.
With Lu Zhihe scrubbed clean of all suspicion and Li Tushan unable to hold his ground alone, the finalized case report submitted to the throne named the various household servants who had physically set the fire as the primary culprits. Pei Hengyu did not wait for the court to open; once Li Tushan’s report arrived, he approved it that very day. Since Lu Zhihe was already dead, having those servants pay with their lives was not considered an injustice. With the Emperor’s vermilion mark placed upon the document, the Ruoyun Villa arson case was officially closed.
Chapter 98