Upon hearing this, all the ladies present looked up in shock, and a small gasp rippled through the pavilion.
Everyone present was shrewd. If He Yunze from the Ministry of Rites was in charge of this matter, then the unyielding demeanor of Song Ruoan and Zhao Qianlan when Song Xizhi was wronged seemed quite meaningful.
Prince Ning was somewhat surprised to hear this, and, not wanting to miss out on the fun, he fanned himself even more enthusiastically with his folding fan, making a whooshing sound.
"Oh? So it's someone from the Marquis of Anding's residence? I remember this Lord He is the husband of Song Ruo'an, who just insisted on putting righteousness before family ties and spoke with such certainty, and is also Zhao Qianlan's son-in-law..."
He deliberately lowered his brow and asked Song Xizhi with a playful tone, "May I ask, Lord Song, if you know that the official who committed the crime is your brother-in-law, do you still insist on punishing him? If you are unwilling, I am willing to help you settle the matter."
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in Song Ruoan's previously bewildered eyes. She bit her lip and looked pleadingly in Song Xizhi's direction.
It was as if he was pleading with her, begging her to accept Prince Ning's forgiveness.
After all, He Yunce was the son of the Marquis of Anding and the son-in-law of the Song family. Blood is thicker than water, and even if the bones are broken, they are still connected by tendons!
Even if Song Xizhi is something else, shouldn't she at least give him this much face? How is she going to explain this to the old Marquis when she gets back?
Thinking of this, Song Ruoan clutched her chest and slowly breathed a sigh of relief. But before she could catch her breath, she heard Song Xizhi reject the Prince of Ning's offer without hesitation:
“Your Highness is joking. Under the law, everyone is equal. Just now, I spoke with absolute certainty and impartiality in front of everyone. But if I were to beg Your Highness to show leniency simply because I now know that the official who committed the crime is my brother-in-law, wouldn’t that be contradicting myself?”
The hall fell silent instantly. Zhao Qianlan exclaimed in disbelief, and Song Ruoan felt her blood rush to her head.
If He Yunce is severely punished, then the truth about her bribing subordinates behind her husband's back and destroying Master Yuanhui's calligraphy will eventually come to light.
At that time, neither the Marquis of Anding's mansion, nor the Zhao family, nor even the Empress Dowager will let her go!
When Song Ruoan thought of this, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, chilled to the bone, and her teeth were chattering.
She jumped up from her seat, her eyes gleaming with a bloodshot glint.
"Song Xizhi! What do you mean by this?"
"The law is not without human sentiment, and besides, that's your own brother-in-law! He's also your brother-in-law, yet you insist on putting him to death. Don't you want to cause chaos in the Marquis of An Ding's household, ruin his reputation, and destroy my family before you're satisfied?"
Song Ruoan screamed almost hysterically.
But Song Xizhi just looked at her calmly: "First of all, it's not that I harmed my uncle. As an official of the Ministry of Rites, he failed to perform his duties properly. According to the law and etiquette, he should be punished. I did not use any special means."
"Secondly, as a wife, you failed to properly advise your husband, allowing him to repeatedly offend the emperor. This is your fault. I am merely He Yunce's sister-in-law, so you should not blame me."
"Thirdly, Marquis Anding, who is also my father-in-law, is the person I admire most. He was always cautious and loyal to the emperor and the country. No matter what He Yunce did wrong, I believe Her Majesty the Empress Dowager will deal with it fairly and will not implicate others."
Song Xizhi's last words were deeply meaningful; her eyes were red, and her voice was even trembling slightly:
“Sister, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but I really can’t. I originally intended to let things go, but your and stepmother’s teachings still ring in my ears. If I had spoken righteously just now, and now find out that He Yunze is the one who did wrong, I would have begged to let things go…”
"Where do you put your father-in-law, the Marquis of Anding, in terms of face? Where do you put your father's face? And where do you put the face of the entire Song family's ancestors? I really... am powerless..."
Song Xizhi spoke with such righteous indignation that he was practically saying that Song Ruoan had fabricated the story and deserved it!
If it weren't for her righteous words to Zhao Qianlan just now, how could He Yunce be sitting on the hot plate right now?
These words shocked Song Ruoan and Zhao Qianlan.
After Song Xizhi finished speaking in a sorrowful voice, he lowered his head slightly, and a crystal tear rolled down his cheek at just the right moment.
Everyone could see it clearly.
The entire hall was silent for a moment, then Prince Ning snapped his folding fan shut and began clapping with an exaggerated expression:
"Well said! Well said! Absolutely wonderful!"
Upon hearing this, the entire audience paused for a moment, and then, out of respect for Prince Ning, erupted in thunderous applause.
"Lord Song has already achieved both the greater good and the lesser good! What I just gave Lord Song was a test to see how she would choose."
His gaze shot towards Song Ruoan like a sharp arrow: "I am fair and just, and naturally I will not change the punishment because of a single sentence. This is merely a test to see who has ulterior motives..."
Prince Ning's words completely destroyed Song Ruoan's previous attempt at moral blackmail, making Song Ruoan even more embarrassed.
Song Ruoan's mind went blank at that moment, and she looked pleadingly in the direction of Consort Liang.
Consort Liang couldn't stand it anymore. It was Princess Jingyue who had caused the trouble, and Consort Liang was afraid that the trouble would fall on her. At this moment, she was busy trying to extricate Princess Jingyue from the situation.
So she simply waved her hand dismissively:
"Guards, no need for further words. With His Highness Prince Ning here, bring the offending officials directly in!"
After Prince Ning nodded, the guards below him took the order and went to carry it out.
Poor He Yunze was still unaware of what had happened and was diligently counting the birthday gifts that had been delivered in the warehouse.
The officials registering outside also followed her orders.
He asked for nothing else but to complete this matter smoothly and steadily, so that he could reward those who had contributed after the birthday gifts of Prince Yu were sent out.
This might be his last day at the Ministry of Rites... He's about to be promoted.
He Yunze thought to himself, and then carefully led his subordinates on another inspection tour, not daring to miss a single spot.
Soon, a voice came from outside, and the people below said that someone had come looking for him.
He Yunze was taken aback, then lifted his robe and stepped out of the storeroom, where he saw several palace guards with a hint of urgency in their eyes.
After much internal struggle and deliberation, he finally realized that he had done nothing except for the birthday gift from Prince Yu…
He Yunze felt a small thrill of excitement, and then cautiously stepped forward to inquire about the soldier's purpose: "May I ask if it's about the Empress Dowager?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
