Zheng Zihe took full responsibility for all the crimes, though he did toss in a few minor accusations against Prince Jin. By mixing truth with falsehood, the testimony seemed far less fabricated than it might have otherwise. Zheng Zihe confessed to dozens of cases, large and small, until the hands of the young eunuchs responsible for recording his testimony were practically flying across their pages.
Finally, as Zheng Zihe fell silent, a wave of clamor swept through the great hall. Yet, upon catching sight of Emperor Qiwen’s darkened complexion and the bulging veins on his forehead, everyone fell into a tacit and fearful silence.
Emperor Qiwen was not oblivious to the fact that the Zheng family used the names of Prince Jin and Consort De to bully others and act with impunity, but he had naively assumed this was merely a common vice among the imperial kin, not a truly grave matter. Never had he imagined that what he knew was merely the tip of the iceberg! The extent of the lawlessness and the number of lives these "imperial kin" had claimed were utterly inconceivable to him. He could not help but wonder: were these incidents isolated cases, or were they the norm?
Chapter 571