119 Petition

◎Deep in my heart, a subtle sense of loss emerged◎

"How could this happen?" Li He's face turned pale as he looked at the pot of failed soup, as if he saw the scene of Song Jinyi being taken to the execution ground.

Huge panic and self-blame instantly overwhelmed her, her hands shook even more violently, and her vision went dark.

It’s over… It’s all over. She can’t save Sister Jinyi…

This thought was like a poisonous snake, gnawing at her nerves. Her body shook and she almost collapsed.

Zhang Yao held her shoulders and whispered softly in her ear, "Ahe, cheer up..."

Zhang Yao's words were like vague notes passing by her ears.

In her confusion, she suddenly thought of Song Jinyi, and remembered that they had come to hold a birthday banquet for the Queen Mother, now the Grand Empress Dowager, and the group was imprisoned in the imperial prison.

Only Sister Jinyi stood up and fought hard for the opportunity to save herself.

She was only sixteen or seventeen years old at the time, and it was the first time she encountered such a thing. There was a half-dead companion beside her. In such a desperate situation, what kind of belief did she hold on to?

She must be trembling with fear, right?

But in order to save herself, her companions, and even other strangers, she forced herself to be brave.

Tears welled up in Li He's eyes. She remembered the day when she walked out of the dark prison. Song Jinyi hugged her in the warm sunshine and told her that she would be her family from now on.

Over the years, Song Jinyi is not a relative to her, but better than a relative.

As she thought about this, her breathing felt like it was being tightened with pain. How could she just watch Sister Jinyi die?

She has to be strong, she has to prepare the medicinal food, and save Sister Jinyi!

Li He took a deep breath, forcing herself to stop overthinking and stop being impetuous. Gradually, her trembling stopped and her eyes became focused.

She decisively poured out the failed pot of soup with a clean and neat motion, and then said to Zhang Yao, "Ayao, help me prepare the ingredients again, quickly!"

Zhang Yao was unable to react to such a drastic change in her for a while, but she acted faster than her brain and immediately went to prepare things.

This time, Li He's movements became steady and smooth. She no longer lifted the lid frequently, but concentrated on feeling the dancing of the flame and listening to the subtle sound of the soup boiling.

She controls the heat just right, simmering it slowly, allowing the essence of the ingredients to slowly blend over time.

There is less than half an hour left.

The kitchen was so quiet that only the gurgling sound of the soup could be heard. She was like a general commanding a general, or a devout believer. All her fears and distractions were put aside, leaving only the pot of soup in front of her.

When the eunuch's shrill voice sounded outside the door: "The time has come! Masters, present the meal--" At that moment, Li He took a deep breath and opened the lid of the casserole.

The tea soup is as clear and translucent as the finest amber, without a trace of oil or impurities. The freshness of black-bone chicken, the sweetness of ginseng, the sweetness of red dates, and the moisture of wolfberry are perfectly blended together.

Done!

******

Deep within the Jingzhao Prefecture prison, the air was damp and cold, its walls covered in copper-green mold and emitting a pungent odor. The narrow stone chamber had only a single, palm-sized window, perched high in the air, which meagerly let in a few rays of dim light.

Song Jinyi curled up on the thin straw, still wearing the plain jacket and skirt she was wearing when she was taken away. It was now stained and wrinkled around her thin body.

A voice came from the cell opposite. It was an old woman imprisoned for murdering her husband. Her cloudy eyes looked at Song Jinyi through the wooden bars, "My lady, I heard that the new emperor has ascended the throne and issued a general amnesty. I, an old woman, have only ten days left. It would be a great pleasure to kill my evil husband with my own hands."

"But my lady, you are so gentle and kind, how could you possibly commit such a heinous crime? You must have been wrongly accused, right? Alas, what a pity... at such a prime age..."

Song Jinyi seemed not to hear, staring at the cold stone wall, without even the strength to respond. This prison was dark and gloomy, and she didn't know how long she had been there, and she even began to feel numb.

Footsteps approached from afar, accompanied by the clanking of chains, and stopped in front of her cell. A key was inserted into the lock, making a sharp friction sound.

"Song," the jailer's hoarse voice sounded, "You can go out now."

“…” Song Jinyi’s body moved slightly, and she looked up blankly, as if she didn’t understand these simple words.

"Get up! What are you dawdling for? His Majesty has shown mercy and pardoned you!" The jailer impatiently opened the cell door, roughly pulled her up from the stone bed, and untied the heavy shackles on her ankles.

…

The heavy black lacquered door was pushed open in front of him with a creaky sound.

The long-lost sunshine poured down like a surging tide without reservation. Song Jinyi subconsciously raised her hands to block her eyes. The strong light made her eyes blind with white light.

"Sister Jinyi!"

"master!"

"Shopkeeper!"

Various familiar and urgent calls instantly flooded into her buzzing ears. She blinked and looked through her fingers—Li He, Zhang Yao, Cui Xiuxiu, Wang Zhi...

Everyone, everyone is here.

Zhang Yao put an indigo cloak on her, and Cui Xiuxiu handed over a water bag filled with warm pear water.

Everyone escorted her back to Zhang's residence, leaving only Zhang Yao and Li He.

After taking a bath, Song Jinyi changed into a clean dress and had a meal, but she still looked a little haggard.

Zhang Yao helped her lie down, her eyes red and her voice choked with sobs: "Master, you've suffered, it's all my fault! It's all my fault! If I hadn't been so impulsive back then..."

Song Jinyi reached out her hand, wiped away the tears from the corners of Zhang Yao's eyes, and gently patted the back of Zhang Yao's hand, "What nonsense are you talking about?" She didn't want Zhang Yao to talk about the past anymore, so she changed the subject and asked about the pardon.

Zhang Yao's eyes were red, but her lips were slightly raised. "Master, it's Ah He and the refugees outside the city. Ah He came to the palace to prepare medicinal food, which suited the Empress Dowager's appetite and she got the opportunity to meet her.

"At first, the Empress Dowager wanted to reward us with something else, but we only asked for your release. She said that the Jingzhao Prefecture had already made a judgment on the case, and how could they change their orders every day for the sake of others' selfishness, disrupting the court's laws.

“So we came up with a petition…”

"Petition?" Song Jinyi was stunned.

Li He told Song Jinyi that just yesterday, the imperial court ordered the refugees gathered outside the city to prepare to move to Hexi. Before they left, many people wanted to come to Juxing Tower to visit Song Jinyi and thank her for her continued support.

When they finally arrived, they discovered she had been thrown into prison, her fate uncertain. Speaking of this, Li He's voice choked for a moment, "Everyone was very indignant, saying how could such a good person like you be thrown into prison without any reason.

"I don't know who took the lead, but everyone signed a petition together! To clear your name!"

Zhang Yao took over, "Yes, Master! There are hundreds of people here. Those who can read signed, and those who can't read put their fingerprints. It says you are a very good person and would never hurt anyone for no reason. You must be being wrongly accused!"

Li He recalled, "The Empress Dowager was reluctant to help at first, so I presented the petition written by the refugees..." Her heart was pounding so hard that it was about to jump out of her chest.

Almost a gamble—

"The Empress Dowager read the petition and was silent for a long time." Li He continued, "Then, the Empress Dowager presented the petition to His Majesty...

“Then the decree of pardon came down!”

Song Jinyi listened quietly, her eyes scanning back and forth between Li He and Zhang Yao's faces. As she listened to them casually talk about the efforts they had made, a soft and warm feeling came over her heart.

She gently stroked Li He's hair and patted Zhang Yao's shoulder. "It's great to have you here."

The spring rain that had been falling for several days finally stopped, and the treetops outside the window were dripping with water droplets from the branches and leaves.

******

Since Song Jinyi returned to Zhang's house, she was persuaded by Zhang Yao and others to rest for a few days.

She was concerned about the restaurant's business and whether Zhang Yao could run the theater on her own...

After finally getting enough rest, I couldn't stay any longer and went to the restaurant.

As soon as she entered the first floor, merchants on the first floor who were familiar with her came up to greet her. After a while of greeting, she went up to the second floor. At the stairs, she saw Wang Zhi keeping accounts and assigning delivery people, Li He, Cui Xiuxiu and others preparing food, and the waiters shouting while bringing dishes to the table.

Everything is so well organized.

She stopped and went to the theater.

In the back kitchen of the theater, one could hear Zhang Yao instructing the kitchen helpers to prepare dishes and talking about the various matters that needed to be prepared for the day, busy but orderly.

It's like an adult who returns home from a trip and suddenly finds that their child has grown up and can stand on his own without the care of his parents. She should be relieved.

Why is there a subtle sense of loss deep in my heart?

Zhang Yao returned home in the evening and saw that her master was in low spirits. She remembered Ru'er saying that her master had come to the theater this afternoon but did not come to see her. She thought that he must have something on his mind.

He urged her to go out and relax, "It's not summer yet, the weather is pleasant, why not go out and relax? I heard there's a crabapple garden outside the city where you can enjoy the flowers and go boating on the lake."

Song Jinyi knew her good intentions. Firstly, she didn't want to refuse her kindness, and secondly, she really wanted to go out and get some fresh air.

It was a beautiful spring day.

Song Jinyi rarely changed into a brand new goose yellow spring dress, which made her thinner face look a little brighter. She slightly adjusted her hair in front of the bronze mirror and prepared to go out.

As she walked out of the door, the bright sunlight was a little dazzling. She remembered that the sun was brighter on the lake, so she turned back and wanted to go back to get the sunshade hat.

As soon as I reached the gate of the courtyard, I heard an argument coming from inside. It was Zhang Yao and Manager Zhang.

"...Dad! You were clearly the one who agreed to this because you were drunk and couldn't save face! You agreed to it yourself, so you should figure it out yourself. Why bother Master now?

"Master has finally had a chance to breathe and relax for a few days. Can't you let her relax and enjoy herself for a few days? Why do you have to drag her into all these tiring and exhausting things?"