Chapter 6: The grandmother who has no evidence of treason!
Chapter 6
Ye Xiren looked at Ye Changming almost instinctively.
The latter looked bewildered and muttered, "Bodhisattva, I cursed the person who harmed me, not myself!"
Ye Xiren: "..."
What a jinx!
She took a deep breath and stood up, her gaze shifting from the edict in Lu Qian's hand to his face, her anger and despair barely contained: "Lu Qian, what do you mean by this? What has Ye Changming done this time?!"
It's not over yet!
Lu Qian paused, coldly glaring at everyone, and subconsciously looked at Ye Xiren, who had spoken. She was just a beautiful and delicate young lady, but he didn't see any fear on her face. Instead, her eyes were full of anger, and there was even a hint of...familiarity.
Lu Qian was momentarily dazed, but then his face hardened again, and he said coldly, "Bring your men up here!"
"Bang!"
His men brought someone in and threw them in front of the group. The person was very familiar; it was Liu Xu, the maid who had lifted the curtain for Ye Xiren when she entered the Longevity Hall.
"Tell me, where is the evidence of treason hidden?" Lu Qian said slowly.
Colluding with the enemy?!
Ye Xiren's pupils contracted.
Liu Xu pointed tremblingly at the Guanyin statue, stammering, "In...inside the Guanyin statue, I saw with my own eyes...I saw the old lady stuff it in..."
"Nonsense!" Liao scolded.
Lu Qian raised his hand, and the guard standing next to him placed a long sword against Liao's neck, silencing her.
Ye Xiren reached out and pushed the long sword away, glaring fiercely at the patrolman.
Patrolman: "?"
He was pushed aside by the long sword, and seeing that Ye Xiren's eyes seemed to be spitting fire, he didn't dare to step forward for a moment, and a little bit of guilt seemed to creep out from somewhere.
Another person presented a white jade Guanyin statue to Lu Qian.
Lu Qian glanced at the maid, then at Zhao Shi, and finally fixed his gaze on Ye Xiren's face. The corners of his mouth slowly turned up in a mocking smile, and he suddenly reached out his hand.
The white jade Guanyin statue shattered on the ground, scattering porcelain shards everywhere.
Then a folded parchment was thrown out, and with the sunlight streaming in from outside, the writing on it was clear and distinct, causing Ye Xiren and the others to stare wide-eyed.
"What is this?" Ye Changming murmured.
"I was wondering what this was too." Lu Qian withdrew his gaze, picked up the parchment, and unfolded it. A clear map appeared, and a rolled-up piece of white paper fell out from inside. Before Xi Ren could see it clearly, Lu Qian's expression changed. "It really is the lost map of the Southern Capital Forbidden Garrison!"
Ye Changming was incredulous.
The Forbidden City Military Map is a map and defense deployment map of the entire Southern Capital. It was newly made last year when the imperial court moved from the Northern Capital to the Southern Capital. It is one of the most important things in the Great Liang Dynasty. How could it be in their house?!
"Within the Ye family, all, from top to bottom, await judgment!"
"It has been discovered that Zhao Lanjun, the mother of Ye Pei, the Minister of Revenue, has been found guilty of harboring evidence of treason and colluding with rebels. This is an act of heinous crime. According to the Law of Daliang, the entire Ye family shall be executed!"
Different imperial edicts, familiar decrees.
Upon hearing the words "execution of the entire family," Ye Xiren felt her breath catch in her throat and her head spin.
There was clearly no cheating in the exam, so how come there's still evidence of treason, leading to the execution of the entire family?!
Lu Qian waved his hand, and his subordinates stepped forward to grab them.
Ye Changming struggled, limping:
"Impossible! My grandmother was born into the Zhao family, a family known for its loyalty and bravery. How could they possibly betray the country and collude with the enemy? Someone must be framing us. Lu Qian, what right do you have to arrest us?! I want to see my father and the Emperor!"
He was injured and was quickly subdued by the Imperial City Guards.
Lu Qian unfolded the rolled-up note and handed it to Ye Changming, saying each word carefully, "Then tell me, how did the map of the Southern Capital Forbidden Garrison that went missing a few days ago end up in your house? And what does the writing on it mean?"
Ye Xiren immediately looked over.
"How would I know where this came from? My grandmother is old, someone must have framed her. You won't find out the truth, so why are you sentencing our entire family to death?!" Ye Changming glared fiercely at Lu Qian, refusing to back down even though he was being controlled.
Zhao finally put down her prayer beads and slowly stood up.
She turned to look at Lu Qian, her face expressionless.
"If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. Lu Ergou, now that you've changed your name to Lu Qian and become the Commander of the Imperial City, do you still remember when you were an orphan, wandering the streets, who took you in, taught you martial arts, and raised you well?"
Lu Qian's expression changed slightly, a flash of anger crossing his eyes. He then gripped the map and the note tightly and sneered, "Old Madam, there's no need to criticize me. If you have any grievances, go tell the King of Hell. You've been hiding evidence of your crimes, and the evidence is irrefutable. Your Ye family is doomed this time!"
After saying that, he shouted, "Hurry up and take it away!"
The scouts swarmed forward.
Ye Xiren shoved away the first patrolman who approached her, straightened her hairpin, and gritted her teeth: "There's no need to tie us up, we can walk by ourselves."
She looked at Zhao Shi and extended her hand: "Grandmother, let me help you."
No one expected that the calmest member of the Ye family was the youngest, Ye Xiren. Even when faced with the terrifying Imperial City Guard and the decree to execute the entire family, she could still remain calm, as if she had no fear of death and no fear of the person in front of her.
Zhao's lips trembled, and she placed her hand on Ye Xiren's hand, her body, which was struggling to support itself, was relieved of some of the pressure, and Ye Xiren supported her steadily.
Lu Qian looked at Ye Xiren, his eyes deep:
"The Ye family has raised a bold and good daughter. She used to be hidden away in her chambers, unknown to the world. I never expected her to be so calm and collected. What a pity."
Ye Xiren looked back at him expressionlessly.
The group was led into a prison van.
Ye Xiren glanced back at Liu Xu, who was also being brought along as a "witness," and clenched her fist.
Ye Changming, equally seething with anger, roared:
"What on earth is going on? Some 'evidence' that appeared out of nowhere is going to sentence our entire family to death, instead of handing us over to the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice? Who is Liu Xu working for? Why is she trying to harm us? And where is Father?"
He used a barrage of questions to mask his panic.
Unfortunately, no one else had the answers to these questions. Zhao aged instantly, her voice hoarse: "Your father is probably in dire straits himself now."
With the entire family executed, how could Ye Pei be left out?
Liao's eyes were red-rimmed as she asked again, "Mother, what about the map and the note..."
Zhao shook her head, clearly unaware.
"Grandmother," Ye Xiren leaned closer to Zhao Shi and lowered her voice, "tell me what's really going on with Lu Qian."
Ye Changming said in disbelief, "You're about to die, and you still have the mood to ask this?"
Ye Xiren took a deep breath and completely broke down: "This round is over, but we still need to prepare for the next one!"
-
Imperial City Guard, Imperial Prison.
The figure moved, and the bound hands and feet moved the chains, causing blood to flow again from the wrists and ankles. The figure seemed unaware and remained seated in the dungeon.
He stood upright, his eyes, hidden beneath his disheveled hair, fixed on the dungeon entrance, where a flickering candlelight shone.
A mouse scurried past his feet, but he ignored it, focusing only on the entrance.
Then, a shadow appeared, and a jailer came in to deliver the food, holding the food box in front of the shadow. He took out the food one by one and poured water into the chipped bowl.
The shadowy figure glanced at it, then slowly closed its eyes.
-
The executioner at Caishikou raised his hands, spat out a mouthful of strong liquor, and with a flash of cold light, his executioner's blade fell heavily. A sharp pain shot through him, and blood splattered...
Ye Xiren suddenly sat up, clutching her neck, her breathing rapid and her eyes filled with terror.
"Miss?" The maids filed in, the head maid looking anxious. She wiped the cold sweat from Ye Xiren's forehead while ordering, "Quickly bring some water!"
It was the same familiar scene, the same familiar sounds.
Ye Xiren's eyes were wet, her lips were twitching, she was both crying and laughing, and she was acting completely abnormally.
It's really back!
She had returned three times before, but each time it was on the first day of the third lunar month that Ye Changming cheated on the imperial examination. This time it was on the second day of the third lunar month again, with "Grandmother's hidden evidence of treason." Ye Xiren seemed relatively calm before she died, but only she knew how scared she was.
Fortunately, she's back, and she can still save the Ye family!
Ignoring the sweat pouring down her face and ignoring Xue Chan's worries, Ye Xiren grabbed her wrist and pressed, "What day is it today?"
Xuechan replied blankly, "The first day of the third month."
Ye Xiren was both surprised and delighted. Time had returned to the first day of March, giving her more time to prepare and find a way to save the Ye family.
She jumped up and hurriedly got out of bed: "Quickly, get me dressed and prepare the carriage."
Ye Changming took the imperial examination!
You must first survive the ordeal on the first day of the third lunar month in order to live to the second day of the third lunar month.
Xuechan looked bewildered. Following the instructions, she prepared the carriage and draped a cloak over Ye Xiren, who was in a hurry to leave. She reminded her, "Young Master has just left. You can catch up with him, Miss. Eat something and don't go hungry."
She could barely keep up with her young lady!
Why are you in such a hurry?
"It's too late." Ye Xiren tied her cloak as she walked. She was walking too fast, and her cheeks were slightly flushed, but her eyes were so bright that they were almost piercing.
After taking two steps, she suddenly stopped and turned around:
“I think the willow catkins in Grandmother’s yard are nice, so I’m going to ask for some to come to our yard.”
Xuechan was taken aback.
When she looked up again, Ye Xiren was already gone. Carrying a lantern, her shadowy figure turned around the corridor in the darkness, a blue silk brocade cloak flashing by before disappearing from sight.
The girl seems different than before?
She speaks and acts more sharply, no longer the gentle and mild-mannered person she used to be. She is clearly still the same person, yet something is different about her. She is like a burning fire, which is frightening.
The carriage clattered along and soon came to a stop in Wenlin Lane.
The familiar darkness, the familiar alley, shadows lying haphazardly inside, their clothes tattered.
"Ma Shan!"
The tone was so familiar, it couldn't be more so.
A note from the author:
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One more chapter, double update today!
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