Li Yuanting still didn’t understand the meaning behind Grand Tutor Li’s words. He saw his father already heading towards the palace gates and hurried to catch up, asking, “What does he want us to exchange for Huai’an?”
Grand Tutor Li’s wrinkled eyelids drooped slightly, concealing the depth in his eyes. “Huai’an won’t do anything to betray the Li family.”
Li Yuanting was stunned by his father’s words.
Won’t betray the Li family? Did that mean even if Li Huai’an fell into Xie Zheng’s hands, Xie Zheng wouldn’t be able to obtain evidence of their involvement in the rebels’ escape from Chongzhou and near capture of Lu City?
Was it because Xie Zheng couldn’t get Huai’an to talk that he was using Huai’an’s jade pendant to negotiate with them?
The sedan chairs for the Li father and son were already being carried to the street outside the Meridian Gate. Li Yuanting quickly stepped in front of Grand Tutor Li as he was about to get in, his emotions agitated. “Father, do you intend to abandon Huai’an?”
Grand Tutor Li gave his eldest son an impassive look. “Do you think the Li family has any other choice right now?”
From the moment the Li family fully supported the Crown Prince, they had already become treasonous rebels in the Emperor’s eyes, worthy of immediate execution.
The Crown Prince also held letters and physical evidence of their correspondence, essentially controlling their fate. The Li family had no choice but to continue supporting the Crown Prince.
Sacrificing Li Huai’an was the only way to protect the Li family’s interests to the greatest extent possible.
After Grand Tutor Li got into the sedan chair, Li Yuanting remained rooted to the spot, stunned by those words.
Even though he understood the Li family’s current predicament, he still found it hard to believe that his father would so easily abandon the youngest and most promising child of their generation.
A servant waiting nearby cautiously asked, seeing that Grand Tutor Li’s sedan chair had already left, “My lord, shall we depart?”
Thinking of his son who had now become a sacrificial pawn, Li Yuanting felt a surge of grief in his heart. His face drained of color as he turned to enter the sedan chair. “Let’s go back.”
In the Imperial Palace.
After leaving the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Qi Sheng didn’t even return to Taiqing Palace before smashing vases and jade ornaments in a side hall.
When he tired of smashing things, he leaned on a table with both hands, panting heavily and glaring viciously at the pile of broken porcelain on the floor. “Does Xie Zheng still show any respect for me as emperor?”
The attending eunuchs were frozen in fear. Even those usually skilled at flattery didn’t know how to placate this temperamental emperor at the moment.
After catching his breath for a while, Qi Sheng let out a sinister laugh. “Let him be arrogant for now. Xie Zheng’s good days are coming to an end.”
Thinking of something, his mood suddenly improved. He even straightened out his dragon robe that had been disheveled from his earlier fit of rage. With a curved smile on his lips, he said, “Return to Taiqing Palace.”
However, just as he walked out of the side hall, he let out a short, sharp scream at the sight of blood splattered on the white jade steps.
Qi Sheng collapsed on the threshold of the side hall, his terror-filled pupils reflecting the image of one of his trusted eunuchs lying dead with eyes wide open and a long sword still dripping with blood.
He looked at the man in full armor standing coldly at the bottom of the great hall, holding the sword, and stammered, “Duke… Duke Wu’an, are you… are you planning to assassinate the emperor and rebel?”
Xie Zheng flicked his wrist lightly, cleaning the blood droplets from the sword tip. He leisurely sheathed the long sword into the empty scabbard of a nearby Imperial Guard, completely ignoring the guard’s pale face. He raised his eyes and looked calmly at Qi Sheng. “Your Majesty wrongly accuses this subject. I heard that this eunuch was speaking treasonous words and harming Your Majesty. Since Your Majesty has granted me the power of life and death, I dared to eliminate this scourge on Your Majesty’s behalf.”
The dead eunuch was the one who had previously gone to Chongzhou to deliver the imperial edict.
He had received Qi Sheng’s secret orders. If not for the Li family later allowing Wei Yan to join forces with the Crown Prince and pull off an escape from Chongzhou City to attack Lu City, the next step would have been to make a move against Fan Changyu on the battlefield.
Even though the scheme failed, when Tang Peiyi was about to dispatch cavalry to support Lu City, this eunuch still interfered.
If Tang Peiyi hadn’t been so resolute and had allowed the eunuch to take away most of the cavalry under the pretext of returning to the capital to report, Lu City really wouldn’t have been able to hold out. After returning to the capital, this eunuch greatly exaggerated the events in Chongzhou when reporting to Qi Sheng.
If Tang Peiyi and the others hadn’t won the battle, leaving Qi Sheng with no outlet for his anger, Tang Peiyi and Fan Changyu might not have survived their return to the capital, or at least would have been severely punished.
Xie Zheng hadn’t had time to deal with these vermin before.
Now that he had “returned to the capital” in a righteous manner, it was time to settle accounts one by one.
Qi Sheng watched the man approach him as casually as if taking a stroll in the garden. His face turned pale as paper. He wanted to call for protection, but in this vast hall, only one Imperial Guard remained outside.
He didn’t know where Xie Zheng had sent the rest of the guards. Qi Sheng became even more frightened, his hands shaking uncontrollably as he propped himself up on the ground. Staring at the approaching Xie Zheng, he tried to sound fierce but his voice betrayed his fear: “What… what do you want to do?”
His sorry state no longer held any trace of imperial dignity.
A faint hint of mockery flashed in Xie Zheng’s eyes. He bent slightly at the waist and extended a hand towards Qi Sheng. With his naturally handsome features, when he smiled slightly, it was extremely deceptive. “This subject’s handling of the treasonous servant has inadvertently frightened Your Majesty. I truly deserve death for this offense. Allow me to help Your Majesty up.”
Looking at the handsome face before him, Qi Sheng felt it was more terrifying than seeing a night demon or evil spirit.
He didn’t dare accept Xie Zheng’s help and tried to support himself on the door frame to stand up. However, his elbow was seized by an iron-like grip.
This was the first time Qi Sheng realized how terrifying a military officer’s strength could be. A muffled groan escaped his throat as he felt his entire arm might be crushed by Xie Zheng’s grip. Cold sweat rolled down his temples like beads.
Xie Zheng’s lips still held that thin smile as he asked slowly and deliberately, “Were Your Majesty’s disrespectful words towards the Cloud and Plume General in court earlier also due to that servant’s instigation?”
Qi Sheng’s heart jolted violently as he finally understood that Xie Zheng’s actions today were to avenge Fan Changyu.
He was both shocked and furious that Xie Zheng dared to show such disrespect for imperial authority, giving rise to a twisted malice. However, at this moment, it was all covered by fear. A bead of sweat rolled down his sideburn as he agreed with a pale face: “Yes… it was that dog servant who spoke slanderous words to me.”
Xie Zheng raised his dark lashes slightly, finally loosening his grip on Qi Sheng’s elbow. He said pointedly, “That’s for the best.”
Qi Sheng of course heard the threatening intent in Xie Zheng’s words.
He had come today to warn him not to set his sights on Fan Changyu again.
No matter how resentful he felt inside, the severe pain in his elbow kept Qi Sheng clearheaded. He didn’t dare say anything inappropriate in front of Xie Zheng.
Xie Zheng gave him a faint glance and clasped his hands in a perfunctory salute. “Now that the treasonous official has been eliminated, this subject shall take his leave.”
Only after Xie Zheng had completely left his sight did Qi Sheng manage to stand up by supporting himself on the door frame of the side hall. Despite the harsh winter cold, his back was soaked with cold sweat.
The head eunuch, who hadn’t dared to breathe loudly throughout the encounter, finally approached with a pale face to support him. In his shrill voice, he cursed, “Xie Zheng truly has wild ambitions! The Xie family has always been loyal, how dare he disregard the law like this! He’s bringing shame to the Xie family!”
Qi Sheng’s face was gloomy as he roughly pushed away the head eunuch who had come to support him. Looking in the direction Xie Zheng had left, he muttered, “We can’t keep him around any longer!”
As the former Garrison Commander of the capital, Xie Lingshan had a mansion in the city, so Xie Zheng’s residence didn’t need to be arranged separately.
Shortly after the court was dismissed, people from the palace delivered the Nine Bestowments granted by the emperor to his mansion.
Xie Zheng only went back to change into casual clothes. He didn’t even bother to meet the eunuchs who came to deliver the gifts and went directly to the Memorials Office to find Fan Changyu.
However, his trip was in vain.
It turned out that shortly after Fan Changyu returned with Mrs. Zhao and the others, Tang Peiyi had sent someone to summon her.
The progress of the joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices was not only closely watched by Fan Changyu but also by Tang Peiyi, who was determined to seek justice for He Jingyuan.
Today, when Xie Zheng returned to the capital, the Court of Judicial Review interrogated the captured Sui family officers and servants again, and another person died from excessive torture. However, the matter was temporarily suppressed and hadn’t been reported to the court yet.
Tang Peiyi was worried that there were Wei Yan’s people in the Court of Judicial Review. If all the main witnesses from the Sui family died during the joint trial process, it would be even more impossible to implicate Wei Yan.
There was another interrogation scheduled for this afternoon. Fearing that something might go wrong again, Tang Peiyi decided to bring Fan Changyu, He Jingyuan’s eldest son and Zheng Wenchang to observe the proceedings.
At the Court of Judicial Review.
The weather had been getting colder day by day since winter began. Fan Changyu, now a third-rank military officer, had a seat in the observation area with a charcoal brazier placed under the low table to her left for warmth.
The chief judge on the court bench was the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, flanked on his left and right by officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate.
Under their brocade-covered desks were also charcoal braziers, providing even more warmth than the observation seats below.
The rebel remnants kneeling below wore only tattered, thin prison uniforms, their faces, and hands already blue from the cold.
Officials who had worked at the Court of Judicial Review for a long time knew that interrogations in the dead of winter were the best opportunity. Without using any torture methods, just freezing the prisoners for a night or two could make them confess on their own.
Fan Changyu had been observing for a while. The chief judges were merely going through the motions of asking questions, but before answering, the prisoners were always dragged out to be beaten with thirty heavy strokes. The executioners were extremely harsh, and after thirty strokes, the prisoners were almost flayed.
Tang Peiyi said this was to demonstrate power. After suffering, the prisoners wouldn’t dare to speak falsehoods when answering questions.
However, those being interrogated this afternoon were all minor figures. Even though the execution bench outside was dripping with blood, no important information had been obtained.
During the intermission, the observing officials all went to the side rooms to drink some tea or went outside for some fresh air.
Seeing that no one was around, Tang Peiyi lowered his voice and said, “A death occurred during this morning’s interrogation, and this afternoon they’re only questioning some insignificant servants. Even though Wei Yan is claiming illness at home, his reach is still quite long!”
Hearing this, Fan Changyu frowned and asked, “If he has people in the Court of Judicial Review, should we assign more protection to that advisor from Prince Changxin’s mansion?”
He Xiuxun, He Jingyuan’s eldest son, said, “Grand Tutor Li’s people are more anxious than us. The Li family won’t let him die an unnatural death.”
Tang Peiyi nodded in agreement and added, “The Li family is still struggling to find physical evidence to implicate Wei Yan. Later, they’ll probably need to interrogate Sui Yuanhuai’s concubine again. With her child as leverage, she shouldn’t be able to hide any secrets.”
Fan Changyu suddenly asked, “Was Sui Yuanhuai’s concubine interrogated this morning?”
She of course knew that the concubine of Sui Yuanhuai imprisoned in the jail was fake, but since she had been used by Qi Ren to replace Yu Qianqian and her son, she must also be from the Sui family.
However, given Qi Ren’s methods, he would never send someone who knew his secrets into the hands of the court.
Under severe torture, they might not be able to extract evidence of Wei Yan’s collusion with the Sui family, but who knows if they might uncover the news that “Sui Yuanhuai” was not dead.
The emperor was already wary of Xie Zheng, and on the first day when Tang Peiyi brought the Jingzhou troops back to the capital for an audience, he had deliberately created obstacles.
If there was another excuse, that the rebel remnants weren’t dead, all the generals who participated in suppressing the rebellion would not only fail to receive rewards for their merits but might even be punished. The situation would be extremely unfavorable for them.
Fan Changyu clenched her fist, her expression becoming grave.
So Qi Ren had dug another pit here waiting for them!
As long as the joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices went smoothly after Wei Yan was brought down by the Li family, they would also be punished for falsely reporting the elimination of rebels to gain military merit.
This was truly killing two birds with one stone!
Seeing Fan Changyu’s unhappy expression, Tang Peiyi said, “They didn’t get to interrogate her. Before summoning Sui Yuanhuai’s concubine, they first interrogated one of Sui Yuanhuai’s close servants, and that servant was beaten to death. Who would have thought that when the concubine was brought to the court, she passed by the courtyard and saw the dead servant on the execution bench, and fainted on the spot? The people at the Court of Judicial Review were afraid she might die from shock, so they called for an imperial physician. That’s how the news spread.”
Fan Changyu responded with an “I see.”
With matters weighing on her mind, she had no interest in listening to the rest of the interrogation and found an excuse to leave the courtroom.
She wandered towards the location of the prison. The guards at the entrance saw her wearing the uniform of a third-rank military officer and blocked her path, saluting, “Sir, the prison area is restricted. You can’t go any further.”
Fan Changyu clasped her hands behind her back, slightly raising her eyelids with a cold nod, truly embodying the demeanor of a great general who doesn’t reveal emotions. She turned and wandered off in another direction, as if she had been lost in thought earlier and had mistakenly walked to this place.
Those undergoing joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices, being major criminals of the state, could not be interrogated alone without an order, nor could they receive visitors.
Fan Changyu wanted to familiarize herself with the layout of the Court of Judicial Review and the distribution of guards, planning to sneak in at night.
As she walked along the high wall, continuing to discreetly observe the layout of the Court of Judicial Review, something suddenly hit her shoulder.
Fan Changyu lowered her eyes to look and saw a tightly wrapped plum blossom bud that had fallen to the ground.
She looked up and noticed Xiè Zhēng perched on the gray-tiled wall, one leg bent. With one hand, he brushed aside a branch of red plum blossoms, tilting his head slightly to look at her. His complexion was as exquisite as jade, rivaling the vibrant plum blossoms that surrounded him.
With his phoenix eyes half-closed, he lazily asked, “Have you been sizing up the area from the south wall to the north wall, planning to commit theft?”