Chapter 49 Chapter 49 By evening,...

By evening, it started to rain lightly in Dunhuang Prefecture.

Jiang Wan was sitting in a noodle shop on the street, with a bowl of steaming knife-cut noodles on the rough wooden table in front of him.

She picked up the wide, flat noodles and took two bites. The Dunhuang noodles were chewy and had a rich aroma, very different from the ramen she had often eaten in her previous life.

"I didn't expect the noodles here to have such a unique flavor, different from those in Lin'an. Are you used to it?" Jiang Wan slurped up a few noodles and said to the woman in pink sitting opposite him.

"It's okay. You'll get used to it after eating it more often. The knife-cut noodles here taste good." He Wanrong ate the noodles in big mouthfuls, her words a little unclear.

Jiang Wan watched her eat with great interest. Back in Lin'an, He Wanrong had been very particular about etiquette, never talking while eating or sleeping, her every move as graceful as a beauty in a painting. Now, she would roll up her sleeves and eat heartily.

Thanks to the county magistrate's wife's special permission, Jiang Wan followed her carriage to Dunhuang Prefecture and quickly obtained a factory construction permit.

Afterwards, the county magistrate's wife gave He Wanrong three hours of leave to accompany Jiang Wan to visit Dunhuang Prefecture so that she could familiarize herself with it and choose a site for building a factory.

At that time, the lady gave her a map of Dunhuang Prefecture and said, "Since you're new here, I should have invited you to dinner. But my husband has official business today and will be staying at the government office. I have to send him some food and bedding, so it's inconvenient for me to treat you. You and Wanrong haven't seen each other for a long time. Why don't you let her take you out for dinner so you can chat and have some personal conversation?"

Jiang Wan was very grateful to the county magistrate's wife for her consideration, which gave her the opportunity to be alone with He Wanrong.

She put down her chopsticks and looked at He Wanrong. "What are your plans for the future? I heard you mention overturning the verdict this morning, but I didn't dare ask more questions because there were so many people around. Now that there's no one else around, please tell me in detail."

He Wanrong raised her head from the steaming bowl, condensed water beading on her eyelashes. She stared at Jiang Wan for a moment, then shook her head. "You're free now, you have family to keep you company, and your shop is doing well. I can see you're quite content with this life. Wanwan, overturning the verdict is difficult. One wrong step could lead to a bottomless abyss. Why take the risk?"

Jiang Wan said seriously, "Miss, I grew up with you. Although we're nominally master and servant, I consider you a sister in my heart. The Duke and his wife are like my godparents. I really enjoy my life now, but since you're embarking on this arduous and dangerous journey to overturn the case, how can I not accompany you?"

Her tone was gentle, a little helpless, as if coaxing a child: "Besides, I'm just a businessman, there's only so much I can do to help you. But you have to face the whirlpool of the court head-on. If we talk about taking risks, you're the one taking the greater risk, right?"

Hearing the familiar, gentle voice, He Wanrong's thin face was touched. Her fingertips trembled slightly, and tears finally welled up in her eyes. She lowered her head, buried it on the table, and clasped her cheeks tightly with her hands. Jiang Wan could only see her hair and shoulders shaking with sobs.

Jiang Wan moved his butt and wanted to stand up to comfort her, but hesitated and did not move for the time being.

This little girl had been suppressed for too long, and it was time for her to let go. Otherwise, with her stubborn nature, she would still suppress her grief upon returning to the county government, and she might even become ill.

Jiang Wan didn't understand the case yet, but as a time traveler, she knew that there were very few examples of treason cases being overturned in history books, and each one was extremely difficult, most of which took more than ten years.

This heavy burden was placed on a young girl who had no relatives and was exiled to a foreign land. It would be difficult for anyone to bear it.

She waited for a moment until the girl opposite her calmed down, then she stood up, walked around the table, and sat next to her. She used a handkerchief to wipe away her tears and gently patted her back.

After a while, He Wanrong took a deep breath and began to tell the story.

"This case stems from a surprise attack by the Xiongnu on the border granaries of our Great Zhou, which were completely burned. Subsequently, the reserve grain in transit was also forcibly looted, resulting in over a dozen defeats for the Great Zhou, both large and small. However, the granary's location, the amount of grain, and the delivery times and routes were all secret. How did the Xiongnu suddenly know of this?"

"After investigation, the Ministry of Justice discovered that the files of the Ministry of Revenue had been leaked. According to their duties, the Ministry of Revenue allocates military pay, distributes rations, and transports them. This information is recorded in the files and kept strictly confidential."

"Leaking the files was a serious dereliction of duty. My father, then the Minister of Revenue, resigned and accepted the investigation. It was originally a routine investigation, and the officials in the Ministry of Justice believed that my father would not sell the files, so they did not interrogate him. But not long after, my father's personal servant knelt at the door of the Ministry of Justice, covered in blood, and begged for an audience. He fainted before the Minister of Justice arrived."

"After waking up, he grabbed the hand of the Minister of Justice, begging him for help through tears. He said that his father had a secret underground room in the bank outside the capital, where he had met with a man who looked like a Xiongnu. Now that the truth has been revealed, his father wants to kill him to silence him, and he had to go through great pains to escape."

Jiang Wan was shocked: "How could this be true? The people serving the Duke are all from wealthy families!"

Being a house-born child meant that the entire family's indentures were with the Duke's mansion. It was almost impossible for such a servant to betray his master.

Therefore, the servant's statement immediately gained the trust of the Ministry of Justice. Jiang Wan knew what happened next. They sent people to search the bank and indeed discovered an underground secret room. Inside the secret room, they found wolf mane, a common material for Xiongnu winter clothing.

The Ministry of Justice also recovered the fragments of paper that had been mostly burned in the brazier and discovered that they were indeed transcripts of the leaked documents. Thus, He Guogong was convicted of treason.

As Jiang Wan listened, something began to feel off. Even if there truly was treason, Duke He wouldn't have silenced a servant. House-born servants were practically impossible to betray their masters, and masters often trusted them much more. Duke He's having the servant witness his secret meeting with the Huns further demonstrated his immense trust in him. So why silence him? Fortunately, he didn't kill him, so he sent him running to the Ministry of Justice?

"Father would never do such a thing. My family treated that boy well, but he actually, actually..." When she said this, He Wanrong became very emotional and couldn't help coughing violently, her little face flushed red.

Jiang Wan helped her calm down, poured her a glass of water, and comforted her softly, "I believe you. Don't get too excited. Be careful not to choke."

He Wanrong clutched her chest to calm herself. Once her breathing had calmed, she continued, "According to the law, after the Ministry of Justice has investigated the case, it should have handed it over to the Three Courts for a joint trial to review the evidence. Father would have had the opportunity to defend himself at the trial. But for some reason, His Majesty, upon hearing about this, was furious and, bypassing the Three Courts, sentenced Father to death by beheading."

At this point, He Wanrong's face turned pale, her eyes dull. Jiang Wan, recalling the scene from his memory, couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness.

At the same time, she also noticed a number of problems. Treason was a serious crime, and according to procedure, the evidence had to be submitted to the three courts for review, the suspect's defense, and the identity and background of the witnesses had to be checked before the case could be reported to His Majesty for a final decision.

Duke He was both the Minister of Revenue and a duke personally conferred by the previous emperor, a highly respected position. A conviction required confirmation by the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Dali Temple, with the evidence and case files then submitted to the Secretariat for review before ultimately being presented to the emperor.

Duke He had a good reputation and was known for his loyalty. Jiang Wan suspected the emperor would likely order the Imperial Guard to investigate further before decreeing his execution. The imperial edict would also need to be reviewed and stamped by the Hanlin Academy before it could take effect. With all the necessary procedures, the execution would take at least a year.

The review process was likely rigged. Furthermore, someone must have leaked the "evidence" found by the Ministry of Justice to the emperor in advance, thus misleading him.

Looking at Jiang Wan's solemn expression, He Wanrong smiled bitterly. "You've figured it out, right? The investigation of this case is flawed, but whoever had the opportunity to tamper with it must be of high status. Moreover... I don't even know who is behind this or why they framed my father. Now that I'm trapped in the Western Regions and a criminal slave, it's even harder to investigate."

Jiang Wan analyzed, "Indeed, if the Duke was truly framed, then the mere faction of stealing the Ministry of Revenue's top-secret files suggests the culprit is no ordinary person. The faction tampering with the investigation to frame someone else likely involves factional wrangling within the court. The chances of overturning the verdict are slim, and attracting the murderer's attention could even put their life in jeopardy... Miss, have you truly thought this through?"

He Wanrong whispered, "Wanwan, don't call me Miss anymore. I'm no longer the young lady I used to be. I'm a ghost that crawled out of hell, filled with hatred. For the past six months, everything my parents have been through, and everything I've been through, has been like hell. I must find the murderer who framed us and return the pain I've endured tenfold."

At the end of her words, her eyes turned red, she clenched her fists, and her tone was filled with gnashing of teeth and unwillingness. In Jiang Wan's eyes, she looked stubborn and full of hatred.

In his memory, He Wanrong was gentle and kind, and he had never seen her hate anyone. But Jiang Wan, who had lived two lives, knew very well that the more kind a person was, the less likely they were to harbor hatred. When she hated someone, she would become more persistent, even if it meant destroying herself and the enemy.

Jiang Wan sighed, "If you want revenge, you must return to the capital. But you are a slave, you cannot leave the county magistrate's wife, nor can you redeem yourself. Have you thought of a way?"

"Well, in April is your sister's birthday. Your wife will come to Beijing to celebrate her birthday, and I will go with her."

Jiang Wan: "The County Magistrate's wife's sister married in Lin'an?"

"She married two years ago as the concubine of the Minister of Personnel's eldest son. She's now three months pregnant. Celebrating a birthday while pregnant is a double celebration, and it's a grand occasion. Madam will go there half a month in advance to accompany her as part of her family and help with the pregnancy. She'll return to Dunhuang after the birth."

Jiang Wan nodded. "It's a good opportunity. I'll open a shop in the capital as soon as possible so I can take care of you."