Blood

"Hey! Don't go!"

General Wang stared wide-eyed as Ji Jun's figure disappeared from the tent.

He unfolded the note, read the tiny handwriting on it, remained silent for a while, then suddenly stood up and kicked the edge of the table. "When I see Old Han next time, I'm going to make him pay dearly for it."

Ji Yun returned to the Jin family home and went straight to the study.

He saw Jin Xiaoxiao sleeping on the desk, walked over, bent down and picked her up.

Jin Xiaoxiao smelled the familiar perfume scent while half-asleep, and her active mind calmed down. Her breathing gradually became steady, and by the time Ji Jun carried her into the dormitory, she had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Ji Jun placed her on the bed, pulled the brocade quilt over her, and then left the bedroom.

As soon as Bai Guo entered, she saw Ji Yun standing guard in the main hall like a door god. She glanced at the bedroom and left on her own.

The Zhou residence.

Jin Minzhi stood up and accepted the tea that Zhou Wuyai handed him with both hands. "Thank you, sir."

Zhou Wuyai smiled and pointed to the stone bench, "Sit down, don't be shy."

Jin Minzhi sat halfway on the stone bench and finished her tea with great relish.

"The sun is so scorching today, why didn't you knock on the door, young friend?"

Jin Minzhi carefully put down his teacup. "It is already presumptuous of me to come uninvited, how could I dare to disturb you any further, sir?"

"May I ask what brings you here, young friend?"

Jin Minzhi straightened his back. "Sir, are you aware of General Han's imprisonment?"

Zhou Wuyai shook his head. "I'm too old to pay attention to politics. Young friend, this book is very interesting. Let me tell you about it." Before Jin Minzhi could refuse, Zhou Wuyai began to speak.

Jin Minzhi was initially a little disappointed, but soon he became completely absorbed in the music, forgetting the task Jin Xiaoxiao had given him.

On the way back, the sunset was magnificent and the evening breeze was cool. Jin Minzhi digested what she had learned that day.

Upon arriving home, Jin Minzhi eagerly went into the study and silently wrote down every word of Zhou Wuyai's interpretation from that day.

After finishing writing, he put down his pen, and as he stood up, he finally remembered that he hadn't fulfilled his promise to Jin Xiaoxiao, so he silently sat back down.

Taking advantage of the fact that the palace gates were not closed, Wang Bijiang carried a food box to the front of the Ministry of Justice prison.

The prison guard shouted sternly, "Stop!"

He took out his token and said, "Brothers, you've worked hard. I'm a subordinate general under General Han, here to bring you some food."

The jailer glanced at the token and softened his tone considerably, “Lord Meng has ordered that no one is allowed to visit General Han.”

When Wang Bijiang heard that he still addressed Han as General, he felt reassured. "Since you have given me your orders, I will not make things difficult for you brothers. But could you please do me the favor of delivering the food box to General Han?"

After saying that, he stuffed a bulging purse into the hand of the head jailer.

The jailer weighed the purse in his hand and then turned his gaze to the food box.

Wang Bijiang took the initiative to open the food box. On the top layer was a roast chicken, in the middle was a plate of beef, and at the bottom was a pot of wine.

Seeing that the jailer was still staring at the food box, he tasted everything in the box in front of everyone.

The jailer then put the purse into his sleeve and gestured for the person next to him to take the food box.

Wang Bi waited nearby until the jailer brought out the food box before he left with peace of mind.

Inside the prison, Han Qing took out the food from the food box one by one, and his eyes darkened when he saw the exquisite wine pot at the bottom.

He looked around, quickly removed the lid of the wine jug, pressed down hard on the protruding part of the lid, and a small piece of paper fell into his hand.

After reading the contents of the note, he put it in his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.

The next morning, Jin Xiaoxiao got up after a good night's sleep.

Bai Guo came in at the appointed time and, seeing that she was up, reported to her.

"Xiaoxiao, the task you asked me to do yesterday has been completed."

Jin Xiaoxiao gave her an approving look and said meaningfully, "You've worked hard these past few days, Sister Baiguo. Take a day off today. After breakfast, Sister Baiguo, come with me to see some excitement."

A cool breeze was blowing in the early morning as Jin Xiaoxiao took Ji Jun and Bai Guo out.

After walking for a long time, Jin Xiaoxiao, who was leading the way, finally stopped.

Bai Guo looked up and saw the plaque of the Duke of Song's mansion.

"Xiaoxiao, what brings you here?"

"Sister Baiguo, please be patient, the excitement is about to begin."

As Jin Xiao finished speaking, the sound of horses' hooves came from not far away.

Bai Guo looked in the direction of the sound and saw a guard on horseback carrying a bright yellow scroll, flanked by jailers holding chains, heading straight towards them.

"Hoo."

In front of the gate of the Duke of Song's mansion, the guards dismounted.

He stepped through the main gate, holding the imperial edict high, and announced loudly, "Duke of Song and his three sons, receive the edict."

The guards quickly disappeared from Bai Guo's sight. She didn't know the contents of the imperial edict, but her heart was pounding rapidly.

Her lips trembled, her eyes filled with expectation and timidity, "Xiaoxiao?"

Jin Xiaoxiao held her hand, "Sister Baiguo, don't blink."

Bai Guo stared wide-eyed, not daring to blink. After a while, she saw the person she hated to the core being pushed out the door by the jailer.

His hands were chained, and he turned around in terror, crying out for help, "Father, Mother, save me! I don't want to go to Lingnan! I don't want to die!"

The Duke of Song was demoted and dismissed from his post by the emperor, and his three sons were exiled to Lingnan. The imperial edict clearly stated this.

Seeing his resistance, the jailer impatiently kicked him in the back of the knee. "Shut up! Get out of here!"

The kick was so heavy that he lost his balance, fell down the steps, and knelt down in front of Bai Guo.

The jailer grabbed his hair, ignoring the blood streaming from his mouth, and said, "Stop pretending to be dead, get out of here!"

A large crowd of onlookers gradually gathered around.

"Heaven has mercy! This bully, who has committed countless evil deeds of bullying men and women, has finally gotten his comeuppance."

"Pah! It would be better if he died on the road."

Having witnessed his enemy being exiled, Bai Guo wept bitterly.

Having resolved Bai Guo's inner conflict, Jin Xiaoxiao mentally crossed out a task from her to-do list.

After Bai Guo calmed down, Jin Xiaoxiao led the two to the market.

The fabric shop was still doing brisk business. Although most people had managed to snag some fabric yesterday, they were still queuing up again to buy fabric at half price, believing that if there was a bargain, they might as well take advantage of it.

The people in the back row gathered together, heads close together, talking excitedly.

Jin Xiaoxiao wanted to hear what they were saying, so she squeezed through the gap in a flash.

"Have you heard? Barbarians who know evil magic have infiltrated the capital."

"What kind of evil magic is this?"

"That evil magic can bewitch people's minds; it's incredibly sinister. My cousin's nephew was under the influence of this magic, and he gave all the family's money to the barbarians."

"Wow, this is so weird!"

"You absolutely must not pay any attention to outsiders. Don't be fooled by the fact that my cousin's nephew is alright; who knows if the next person possessed by evil spirits will even survive, right?"

That makes sense.

Jin Xiaoxiao nodded repeatedly and interjected, "I think the barbarians sneaking into the capital must be plotting a big conspiracy."

“The barbarians are thousands of miles away from the capital, so they definitely didn’t come here for sightseeing.”

"Yes, they are more likely to come and harm our country."

After successfully guiding public opinion, Jin Xiaoxiao gracefully withdrew from the scene.

At the same time, the Minister of Justice ordered the guards to take Han Qing out of the prison.

Minister Meng sat at the head of the table and said in a deep voice, "Han Qing, you bear the heavy responsibility of guarding the capital, yet you have colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. Do you know your crime?"

Han Qing's eyes were resolute. "I'm innocent!"

Minister Meng held up a letter. "This letter, addressed to the Xiongnu Chanyu and signed with your name, Han Qing, was found on you. How do you explain this?"

Han Qing firmly denied it, saying, "My grandfather was killed by the Xiongnu. I have an irreconcilable hatred for the Xiongnu. I did not write this letter."

Minister Meng put down the letter and said sternly, "Lies! This is your handwriting."

Han Qing knelt upright, saying, "I never wrote this letter."

Minister Meng said coldly, "Still dare to be stubborn? Guards, bring the caning."

Han Qing's shirt was stripped off, and two guards from the Ministry of Justice, each wielding a large cane, took turns striking his back.

Before long, Han Qing's back was beaten bloody and mangled.

After Minister Meng and the others finished their caning, he asked again, "Did you write this letter?"

Despite the excruciating pain, Han Qing straightened her back once more. "No!"

Minister Meng ordered: "Strike again!"

"Bang, bang, bang—"

Han Qing couldn't stay kneeling any longer and collapsed to the ground. He gritted his teeth and used his hands to push himself up.

Blood gushed down the corner of his mouth, and Han Qing laughed loudly, "I, Han Qing, dare to do what I do and take responsibility. Even if I'm beaten to death, I will still say that I am innocent! Cough cough..." Suddenly, Han Qing coughed violently and spat out a mouthful of blood, with a piece of flesh in the center of the blood.

The executioner stopped when he saw this. He looked up and asked Minister Meng, "Sir, if you continue beating him, he will die!"

Minister Meng looked at Han Qing, who was still standing straight below the hall, with a complicated expression, and waved for them to leave.

He turned to the official below who was taking notes and asked, "Have you written everything down?"

"Your Excellency, I have recorded it well." The official who was recording stood up and handed the testimony to Minister Meng.

Minister Meng took the testimony and got up to leave. As he stepped out the door, he remembered the imperial edict the emperor had given him the day before and instructed, "Get a doctor for Han Qing. Don't let him die."

_

Jin Minzhi did not sleep all night.

He brought with him the article he had written overnight and came to the Zhou residence again.

Upon entering the courtyard, Jin Minzhi saw that Zhou Wuyai's pavilion was full of people, and hesitated to move forward.

Zhou Wuyai waved to him and called out, "Young friend, come here."

Jin Minzhi obediently approached the pavilion and said, "Sir."

The person closest to Kim Min-ji asked, "Huh, did you write this article?"

Kim Min-ji nodded shyly.

"May I take a look?"

Jin Minzhi handed him the article.

After reading it, he clapped his hands and laughed, "Good, you have keen insight at such a young age."

Jin Minzhi's article is titled "Han Qing's Treason and Collusion with the Enemy." While the article explicitly accuses Han Qing of treason and collusion with the enemy, its central message is actually that Han Qing was loyal to the emperor and loved his country.

Jin Minzhi's article thus spread.

The following day was the day of the grand assembly.

After the ministers finished reporting on their official duties, the emperor asked, "Minister Meng, how is the trial of Han Qingyi progressing?"

Minister Meng stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, Han Qing refuses to confess. He insists that he did not write the letter of treason.”

"Oh? Bring Han Qing here, I will question him myself."

Han Qing was quickly brought into the Wuying Hall. He was pale and his cheeks were sunken, but his eyes were bright.

"Han Qing, do you know your crime?"

Han Qing knelt and performed a deep bow, saying, "Your Majesty, I was bewitched by a treacherous person and wrote letters of treason while I was out of my mind. I was framed. Please, Your Majesty, see the truth."