Chapter 8 The Zhang family's deceased young master has returned to life through another body...
Chen Liangyu hadn't had a chance to speak since arriving at the main hall. She had assumed she was summoned to be interrogated, but instead, she had witnessed such a grand spectacle while waiting outside. After waiting for a long time, no one invited her in. It seemed that everyone standing inside, including Chen Yuanqing, had forgotten that she was standing alone outside.
Eunuch Sun went to summon Yao Chongshan and Prince Qi, Xie Xuan, before noticing Chen Liangyu still standing there, obediently. He shuffled back to Emperor Xuanyuan's side and whispered something in his ear. Then he jogged out again, saying, "His Majesty says there are state affairs today, so Commander Chen should return first."
When he said "go back," he clearly didn't mean for her to go home or return to the Southern Courtyard.
As expected, Zhang Diancheng appeared outside the hall right after him. "With national affairs at hand, let's not talk about personal grudges for now. But whether Jia'er's death is related to you or not still needs to be verified. Until the investigation is completed, please put up with this."
Chen Yuanqing looked over, his eyes filled with worry. Zhang Diancheng exchanged a glance with him, then said to Chen Liangyu, "If this matter is indeed a misunderstanding, I will personally come to apologize."
Chen Liangyu bowed to him.
She held the Right Chancellor, who assisted the Crown Prince, in high esteem. Among civil officials, few were truly capable; Zhang Diancheng was one of the rare exceptions, shrewd yet not ruthless, truly deserving of the title "devoted to the utmost." He was about the same age as the Left Chancellor, Xun Xian, but looked more than ten years older than that leisurely, talkative prime minister. Now, he was enduring the pain of losing his son, the palace was in an uproar, and many follow-up matters still awaited his attention.
As Chen Liangyu was being led away, she peeked into the hall one last time. At that moment, Yao Chongshan, dressed in a scarlet official robe and looking hurried, and Prince Qi, Xie Xuan, arrived one after the other. Consort De had already retreated to the side and was kneeling, terrified out of her wits.
With just a casual glance, Chen Liangyu clearly saw Xie Wenjun's lips curl into a gloating smile, radiating a chilling aura.
Chen Liangyu returned to that dilapidated palace. When she was taken to Chongzheng Hall, the sun was high in the sky, and it was already dusk.
She shook her head, probably trying to shake that creepy smiling face out of her mind.
She recalled that night under the frosty moonlight, Xie Wenjun's arms wrapped around her neck, his head buried in her hands, his soft, thin body trembling in her arms. The next moment, she seemed to have become a different person, holding a sharp gold hairpin, and viciously stabbing it into the soldier's chest.
Today in Chongzheng Hall, she hid in the shadows again, subtly provoking and taunting Consort De, watching a noble imperial concubine lose her composure in front of everyone at the palace.
Having succeeded in his plan, he continued to smile at her.
She lay on her back on the simple bed, unable to understand how a princess, who was not very old and had been pampered and spoiled since childhood, could be so cruel.
As the morning sun shone through the slightly ajar window, the two officials from the Ministry of Justice rushed over as if they were overjoyed, and respectfully ushered her out, telling her that she could go home.
When asked about the reason, the two officials were tight-lipped, as if they had some great unspeakable secret, and refused to say anything no matter what.
After repeated questioning, he finally revealed, somewhat coyly, that something terrible had happened at the Right Prime Minister's residence last night!
An unprecedented miracle: the Zhang family's deceased young master has been resurrected in another's body.
It is said that on the evening of the day the person was put into the coffin, the servant who performed the funeral ceremony was standing on the highest point of the roof beam, waving Zhang Jialing's outer robe and calling out to his soul. After calling out three times, his hair stood on end, his back went numb, and he felt wave after wave of chilling cold.
Although he sensed something was amiss, he dared not stop the summoning of the spirit. After he climbed down the ladder from the roof beam, everything returned to normal.
After the initial encoffining, the Zhang family moved Zhang Jialing's body to the mourning hall and placed it in a coffin, where they held a mourning ceremony.
Relatives knelt orderly on both sides of the mourning hall, while maids and servants, all dressed in mourning clothes, knelt in the main hall, wailing and lamenting. As everyone was deeply immersed in their grief, an old woman, whose neck was sore from bowing her head for so long, raised her head slightly to move it and saw a pale, white finger being pulled out of the coffin.
The old woman screamed in terror, and everyone stopped crying and looked at her.
Immediately afterwards, a strange noise came from inside the coffin. Following the old woman's terrified gaze, everyone's hearts were in their throats.
As expected, a pale face emerged from the coffin.
The mourners were terrified, and screams echoed throughout the Zhang mansion.
The dead Zhang Jialing rolled out of the coffin and fell face-first to the ground with a 'thud,' staring wide-eyed at the fleeing crowd in confusion.
"Where the hell is this? Who the hell are you?"
Several of the more timid maids fainted on the spot.
He struggled to stand up, seemingly extremely uncomfortable with his body, like a wild boar trapped inside a human form, stiffly twisting his limbs, his bones creaking. His face was ashen, completely devoid of color, like a ghost come to claim his life.
After finally managing to stand up, he looked back at the large box he had just climbed out of. Good heavens, this wasn't a box; it was a coffin! Looking further back, a large character for "funeral" hung on the wall in the very center.
Zhang Jialing only managed to utter two words, "Holy shit!" before fainting again.
That's truly a strange thing!
When Chen Liangyu inquired about Zhou Pei's case again, the two officials hesitated for a long time before finally giving her a vague answer: "We handled it with all our might."
She didn't make things difficult for the two men anymore. As for how to handle this case, only a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Justice could make a decision. The two men were of low rank and had no say in the matter.
Two officials led the way out of the imperial city. Eunuch Sun and others were waiting outside Chengtian Gate, with a carriage prepared to the side. He conveyed the emperor's message: "Commander Chen, His Majesty has decided that you have acted improperly and almost caused a great disaster. As punishment, you will be fined half a year's salary. However, considering your diligence and responsibility, His Majesty has granted you a day off. Your carriage has been prepared. Go home quickly, freshen up, and rest your energy."
"Thank you, sir."
Eunuch Sun was Emperor Xuanyuan's personal eunuch. His personal involvement in preparing the carriages and horses showed how much Emperor Xuanyuan cared about this matter. The art of governing one's subjects lies in impartiality; punishing her by cutting her salary was something the Right Chancellor couldn't leave unsaid. Knowing she had been wronged, bestowing the imperial carriage was a way of comforting her.
Chen Liangyu climbed into the carriage and rushed home to change out of her sour clothes.
Halfway through the journey, feeling stuffy in the sedan chair, she lifted the curtain to let in some fresh air. A small sedan chair adorned with red ribbons passed by, its vibrant red color adding a festive touch.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't as festive as it seemed. There were no musicians or performers accompanying the bride and groom; only an old woman wearing a wedding flower followed, making the bridal sedan chair appear rather plain.
It's more like taking a concubine than marrying a wife.
The Ministry of Justice will have to hold off on Zhou Pei's case for a while. Working together in the same court, no one wants to offend anyone. The old fox in the Ministry of Justice is used to the trick of delaying when things are inconclusive.
If things drag on and on, and things fall apart, then there's no point in doing anything. Just give a hasty confession and call it a day, enough to fill out the case file.
If we want them to handle the case honestly according to the Da-Lin Law and punish Qiu Shi-Yan, we must continue to put pressure on them and force them to handle the case as soon as possible.
She had no idea where to start, so she decided to go back and ask around about the Ministry of Justice's movements. With that in mind, she didn't bother going home to change her clothes and turned to go to the South Office.
"Married? You're saying who married whom?" Chen Liangyu's mind went blank.
Xing Rui hurriedly handed her a teacup. "Eldest sister, don't get agitated. Things have already come to this. You were taken away by the Ministry of Justice, and then Zhou Tongpan returned from his business trip and was invited to Qiu Shiyan's residence. And then... I don't know what Zhou Tongpan was thinking. How could he agree to let Miss Zhou become Qiu Shiyan's concubine? If his daughter becomes someone else's concubine, how can he hold his head high in court in the future?"
"A concubine?" Chen Liangyu felt dizzy for no reason. "These bastards are going too far!"
"There's one more thing..."
Gao Guan hurriedly pulled Xing Rui away and yelled at him to shut up, "You can't hide two ounces of sesame oil in a dog's belly. Will you die if you don't say a word?"
"Don't pull him, let him talk, what else is it?"
Xing Rui looked at Gao Guan, then at Chen Liangyu, and said, "Miss Zhou's mother, unable to bear the humiliation, hanged herself."
Chen Liangyu walked dejectedly down the long street, trying to pull herself out of the feeling of helplessness.
With an iron fist, they can cover up the truth and disregard the law. How can someone be so arrogant!
They colluded with each other, protecting one another. They didn't think it was wrong; they thought it was justified, even a favor. They didn't care about a girl's innocence, nor did they care about someone's death. They only thought, why bother damaging the harmony among colleagues and affecting their own careers over such a trivial matter? They were just using someone else's justice as a favor.
It shouldn't be like this!
A profound sense of humiliation arose within me.
Watching a living, breathing person fall into the abyss, yet being powerless to pull her up, is more despairing than suffering a defeat. That sense of guilt and helplessness will stay with you for a long time. This memory will be sealed in your mind, and in every moment of joy that follows, it may unexpectedly surface, reminding you not to forget the person still in the abyss.
She was overwhelmed with self-reproach when she suddenly heard a voice: "Beautiful lady, please wait."
It was a very familiar voice.
Chen Liangyu looked up at the sound and saw Zhang Jialing looking at her with a smirk. She frowned and took a few steps back.
After the night of the supposed resurrection, the Prime Minister's residence immediately summoned a Taoist priest to perform an exorcism, and invited the imperial physician and half the city's doctors to take turns examining the patient, but they couldn't find anything wrong. The pulse was steady, without the slightest abnormality; it was indeed... the patient had come back to life.
Although his body was fine, his temperament had completely changed. He had changed from his previous violent and domineering style to being extremely friendly. However, he, who had never been interested in women, had started to frequent brothels. Right now, he had just come out of Yifeng Pavilion after drinking with courtesans.
Seeing Chen Liangyu looking at him with disbelief, Zhang Jialing assumed he had charmed another one. He smoothed his hair with his hands and asked, "May I ask which family you are from, how old you are, and whether you are married?"
This person is insane!
Chen Liangyu turned to the side to avoid his hand that reached out to hook her chin.
If he has truly gone mad to this extent, then punishing him with half a year's salary wouldn't be a bad deal.
Chen Liangyu's brows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly. Seeing that he wasn't going to give way, she had no choice but to go around him from the side. Zhang Jialing caught up again and blocked her way, saying, "Woman, you've successfully caught my attention."
Chen Liangyu was speechless.
Zhang Jialing proved to Chen Liangyu twice that a person's patience truly has its limits. She gripped the scabbard tightly, suppressing her irritation, and said, "Get out of my way."
Zhang Jialing blocked her way again: "Hey, what's with your attitude? My father is the Right Chancellor of the current court. Watch your manners."
"Get out of here if you don't want to die again."
Zhang Jialing looked enlightened: "Oh~ so you're the one who angered that unlucky guy... to death, right? Chen Liangyu?"
Chen Liangyu hadn't misheard; it was indeed a question. She blurted out, "You don't recognize me?"
Zhang Jialing shrugged and said, "Don't even mention you, I don't know anyone here." Suddenly, Zhang Jialing looked around and said mysteriously to her, "Do you see anything different about me?"
Chen Liangyu still looked at him with the same expression as if he were an idiot. He did seem a little different. His jingling accessories were gone, because Zhang Jialing had pawned them all to spend on a life of debauchery.
Seeing that she didn't react, Zhang Jialing leaned closer to Chen Liangyu mysteriously and said, "You might not believe it, but I come from the future..."
Chen Liangyu had no interest in listening to his ramblings and said lazily, "I don't care where you come from or whether you're human or ghost. If you're human, then be a human. If you're a ghost, then go back and be reincarnated and remade. Don't block my way."
"You're so fierce. Don't you understand the principle of treating guests from afar? I came here from hundreds or thousands of years in the future, far from my homeland..." He tried to feign tears, but they didn't come out. "Saying it's from the future doesn't seem quite right either. There are no records of your dynasty in our world. You're not planning to destroy your country, are you? And then you'll just burn the historical records and everything will be gone..."
Upon hearing the words "destroy the country," Chen Liangyu raised his eyelids, his murderous intent fully revealed.
Those who have fought on the battlefield cannot bear to hear words that so insult their very nature. Following the hospitality custom of welcoming a friend from afar with a few lashes and driving him to another courtyard, the hand holding the sword delivered a punch, sending Zhang Jialing flying six feet through the air.
Zhang Jialing struggled to his feet, using both claws and hooves: "Are you fucking crazy?!"
Chen Liangyu stepped past expressionlessly, leaving Zhang Jialing behind, shouting hoarsely, "You viperous woman, this is a feudal dynasty! Don't you understand what a feudal dynasty is? Do you even know what the Three Obediences and Four Virtues are? Girls like you are wielding swords and fighting people. Be careful you won't be able to get married."
Exhausted, Chen Liangyu dragged her heavy legs into the house. After sending Chen Linjun away, she beckoned with her index finger to the person who was intently gnawing on a pig's trotter.
"Jinghe".
The square-faced man immediately put down his work and clumsily ran over. He stopped abruptly two steps away from Chen Liangyu, standing ramrod straight with gravy around his mouth: "Miss, you're back. Jingming said you were in prison. I was even planning to bring you some pig's trotters."
“There’s no need for that! Can’t you wish me well for once?” Chen Liangyu tiptoed and struggled to climb onto his sturdy back. “Go and find out something for me. Don’t tell my elder brother, and don’t let it slip.”
Jinghe was grabbed by the back of his collar, like a large cat whose fate had been seized, and he shrank his neck and nodded "mmm mmm mmm".
A note from the author:
Zhang Jialing: "Author, come out here and let's have a chat! Who's some kind soul who time-traveled and crawled out of a coffin?"
P.S.: Don't expect him to do anything earth-shattering in ancient times. In fact, he was useless and only existed as a historical observer (or half a participant).
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