Not only was Xie Fanghua shocked, but all the members of the Xie family who were kneeling to receive the imperial edict were also stunned.
Eunuch Deshun said calmly as he handed the imperial edict to Xie Ji: "Master Xie, please accept the edict."
Xie Ji knelt on the ground with his hands trembling.
He received the imperial edict.
As soon as Eunuch Deshun raised his hand, runners from the Ministry of Justice came in and wanted to take the guilty Aunt Zhao away. Aunt Zhao was so frightened that she was shaking all over. She crawled to Xie Ji's back on her knees and cried, "Master, please save me! I've been framed! Fanghua is only eighteen and has not yet married. How can our daughter become a nun?"
Xie Ji felt heartbroken.
But imperial power is supreme. If he dares to disobey the order and protect Aunt Zhao today, hostile officials in the court will have more excuses to attack him.
Xie Ji did not dare to disobey the order. He held Aunt Zhao's hand tightly and said, "Don't be afraid. I will definitely find a way to save you. My Xie family is full of loyal and brave people. My eldest sister is the noble Queen Mother. No one dares to touch the Xie family."
Aunt Zhao shed tears and chose to believe what Xie Ji said.
For many years, under the protection of Xie Ji, Aunt Zhao thought she had the ability to change the situation and could easily control everyone. But today, the emperor's power fell on her head, and Aunt Zhao realized that without Xie Ji's protection, she was still that helpless bartender.
Without Xie Ji, she is nothing.
"Master, I am leaving." Aunt Zhao looked at Xie Ji with tears in her eyes, "You must protect our child."
Xie Ji closed his eyes and said, "Okay."
"Mother, let my mother go!" Xie Fanghua staggered to her feet and wanted to chase after Aunt Zhao who had been taken away, but was blocked by two old nuns wearing gray hats.
Eunuch Deshun told Xie Fanghua: "Second Miss Xie, these two are the monks from Jiguang Temple. Today we will take you to the temple to be ordained."
She hid behind Xie Ji and grabbed his sleeve in fear: "Father! I don't want to go to the nunnery! I don't want to be a nun!"
She was a pampered girl in the Xie family, with fine clothes and delicious food, and a stunning appearance. Her father and mother had always told her that she would enter the palace and become an imperial concubine or queen in the future!
But now, she couldn't even step into the palace. An imperial edict cruelly shattered her dream.
Xie Ji loved this daughter the most. He couldn't bear it and asked Eunuch Deshun: "Master De, when did my daughter offend the imperial concubine? I think there is some misunderstanding."
Eunuch Deshun spoke coldly, sentencing Xie Fanghua to crime word by word: "Today in the Imperial Garden, the second daughter of the Xie family spoke rudely to Concubine Chen. After Concubine Chen left the Imperial Garden, she suddenly developed a high fever and fell into a coma, alarming the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Lord Xie, your little daughter is immoral and unruly. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager have spared her life, which is already a mercy."
Xie Fanghua screamed, "Nonsense! How could I offend Concubine Chen? Concubine Chen must be jealous of me and afraid that I would steal the emperor's favor, so she deliberately framed me!"
Eunuch Deshun's face was as cold as ice, and he said sarcastically: "Second Miss Xie is really well-educated."
Xie Ji felt a chill in his heart, and turned around and angrily scolded Xie Fanghua: "You girl, stop talking nonsense!"
In front of the palace chief steward, he was so ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth that he made random accusations against Concubine Chen. He was simply courting his own death.
Xie Fanghua shed tears in grievance. She tugged at Xie Ji's sleeve pitifully: "Father, I have spoken out of turn...but I really don't want to be a nun."
Xie Ji was heartbroken and suddenly felt a little regretful.
Over the years, he has always felt that he owed Aunt Zhao and his children, so he doted on them. Being over-pampered, Xie Fanghua became arrogant and outspoken.
"Take the second young lady of the Xie family away." Grandpa Deshun said.
The two old nuns immediately stepped forward, grabbed Xie Fanghua's arm and pulled her out.
Xie Fanghua was really scared. She shook her head frantically: "I don't want to be a nun, I want to be a queen!"
Xie Ji's eyelids twitched wildly, and he quickly asked the servant to cover Xie Fanghua's mouth. Xie Fanghua got so angry that his eyelids drooped and he fainted on the ground.
Two old nuns helped the person away.
Aunt Zhao and Xie Fanghua were both taken away. After Eunuch Deshun read the imperial edict, he turned around and left with the imperial guards. Xie Ji hurried forward, took out a thick stack of silver bills from his sleeve and handed it to Deshun.
"Master De, my wife and my daughter are both women and we can speak without restraint. Please forgive us, Master De, and don't let the nobles in the palace know about it." Xie Ji said in a gentle tone.
Deshun did not take the banknote and said with a smile, "Thank you for your courtesy, sir. I enjoy the royal salary and share your worries. How can I accept private money from outsiders?"
Directly refuse to accept bribes.
Eunuch Deshun said, "Thank you, sir, please take care of yourself."
After saying this, Deshun left with the imperial guards.
The autumn wind blows, and the yard is bleak. Xie Ji tightly grasped the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand, stared at the back of Eunuch Deshun with cold eyes, and cursed: "You ungrateful eunuch."
The Xie family was shrouded in a dark cloud as their beloved wife and daughter were taken away.
Xie Ji's chief clerk hurried over to report: "Sir, Lord Wu went to the palace to pay respect to the emperor last night. I'm afraid, I'm afraid he came for the Xie family."
Xie Ji's face was full of frost.
...
...
Shen Wei's illness came suddenly and she didn't recover for several days.
During her illness, the court was in turmoil and unrest. The head of the Wu family, Wu, submitted a memorial accusing the Xie family of abusing and poisoning their legal wife and favoring their concubine over their wife.
Aunt Zhao was in the prison of the Ministry of Justice. Unable to bear the torture, she confessed the truth that she had poisoned and murdered Wu.
But this woman was very smart. She never gave Xie Ji away from the beginning to the end. She only said that she was jealous and possessed by evil spirits and that she poisoned her mistress.
She picked Xie Ji clean. Aunt Zhao knew that as long as Xie Ji's life was safe, Aunt Zhao's two sons would be safe.
For a time, rumors were rife in Yanjing City, and the Xie family's scandals became a topic of conversation among the people, making the Xie family infamous. The current emperor ordered the execution of the vicious Aunt Zhao, and issued an imperial decree allowing Xie Ji and Wu to divorce.
When the whole capital was in turmoil, a pitch-black carriage quietly left the city of Yanjing.
Two agile horses were pulling a black carriage at full speed on the official road. The windows of the carriage were sealed with black cloth so that no light could be seen coming in from inside the carriage.
Inside the carriage, the State Master of Yue was leaning back in a chair. He was shrouded in a dark robe and his eyes were gloomy.
The Imperial Master opened a box that glowed with silver light, and inside was a strangely shaped object that was flashing white light regularly.
This little thing is only the size of a sandbag, and is covered with a silver metal shell with strange patterns and text on it. This is a precious relic left behind by Princess Taihua Li Qingxun a hundred years ago.
The Imperial Master sighed, his voice like the sound of waves brushing against the beach at night, revealing a hint of coldness and bitterness: "I was impulsive."
He shouldn't have rashly come to Yanjing City to see Mo Xun.
He brought the things in the box to Yanjing City. If this thing came close to Mo Xun, it might make Mo Xun sick.
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