The position of the prince consort
Xiao Bo's movements were both meticulous and swift.
After returning to the Dali Temple, he first settled the frightened Aunt Zhu, and then immediately interrogated the three murderers.
The documents found on the murderers were enough to prove their master-servant relationship with the powerful people in Yuzhou. At first, some people wanted to resist stubbornly, but Xiao Bo was at the scene of the murder and did not hesitate to use torture. The murderers could not bear it anymore and gave confessions one by one and signed their names.
Combined with the testimony of Aunt Zhu, the evidence was complete: Hao first forced her to marry and beat her, and then hired someone to kill her in the capital.
Pei Zhaoying was wondering whether Xiao Bo was useful or not, and was restless. The chain of evidence compiled by Xiao Bo had been copied and sent to her.
This means that the woman who had suffered countless tortures and was almost hastily sentenced to death locally has earned an irrefutable chance of survival.
Pei Zhaoying turned the last page of paper, and her fingers trembled slightly, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders and feelings were condensed at her fingertips at the same time. Seeing the words was like seeing the person, and Xiao Bo's composure and cleverness seemed to be floating on the words.
Pei Zhaoying thought for a long time.
The thing that impressed her most about Xiao Bo was not his handsome appearance, or that he was a breath of fresh air in the corrupt officialdom, but that he was always calm in his words and deeds, and that he walked so steadily and steadily, seemingly without any emotion, without being influenced by others.
While others were arguing fiercely, he made the key points clear and provided comprehensive evidence. No matter how heated the situation was, even his powerful brother from the same clan could not hinder his progress in the slightest.
Like a stone pillar that silently emerges from the raging flood, it can steadily hold up what it is supporting, with unwavering determination.
But what was his purpose in surrendering to her?
"Qiluo, go tell the three courts that the preliminary evidence is complete. We will organize another meeting in the next two days to jointly cross-examine the evidence."
The case was important. With such good progress, Pei Zhaoying took advantage of the victory and quickly assembled officials from the Grand Chancellor, the Ministry of Justice, and the Dali Temple to make a joint decision, report it to the emperor, and get the imperial seal of "not guilty"!
Coincidentally, during these two short days, the eldest princess Pei Zhaoying's arrogance and tyranny, and her notoriety of beating the legitimate son of Duke Anguo in public at the palace gate, causing the man to be seriously injured and unconscious to this day, spread throughout the capital, shocking and frightening those who heard about it.
The old-time officials in the officialdom were afraid that the emperor's only brother, who had gone through a few twists and turns, would become more and more crazy, so they did not dare to be negligent this time. They arrived at the scene in a hurry, fearing that the military stick would fall on them.
Pei Zhaoying sat alone at the top, commanding all four directions. Everyone was nervous, except Xiao Bo, whose calm and indifferent eyes had a hint of warmth.
He supported her and, without any explanation, cleared the obstacles for her ambitions with his actions.
As usual, Xiao Yucheng arrived late and wanted to sit with Pei Zhaoying.
Pei Zhaoying frowned, "I am the chief judge appointed by His Majesty himself, carrying out the emperor's orders. The Grand Marshal is the head of all the ministers."
Xiao Yucheng was naturally dissatisfied and said with a smile, "Could it be that Your Highness wants to drag me down and beat me with a military stick like Master Xu did?"
His advisor Xue Can tugged at his robe. The emperor, despite widespread condemnation, was reexamining the case, even dragging the disabled Pei Zhaoying into service. This wasn't about redressing the grievances of a commoner; it was clearly an attempt to use the case to suppress the power of the aristocratic families in the rear, benefiting rising stars like Xiao and Cheng without family roots. There was no need to argue with Pei Zhaoying over pretense.
When the gods fight, no one dares to intervene, only one person speaks out:
"How can a filthy and rebellious person like Master Xu be compared with the Grand Marshal?"
Xiao Bo was still emotionless, his dull and impartial expression making people want to get angry but unable to find any reason to complain.
This simple sentence easily left Xiao Yucheng at a loss. He held his breath and sat below Pei Zhaoying. Only after Xue Can whispered the pros and cons in his ear did he remain silent.
Pei Zhaoying presided over the evidence sorting and preliminary trial. He hoped that the people below would be in turmoil, but there was one person who was as sharp as a blade, clearing away obstacles and speaking every word with wisdom.
Witness Aunt Zhu and the criminal Aunt Qin went through the court, and every word they said was heartbreaking, as they recounted the crimes of the local tyrants, their collusion with the government, and their murder to silence them.
Xiao Bo concluded his speech: "Your Highness, the evidence is now irrefutable. Madam Qin was forced into marriage, and this marriage is invalid. She and the deceased were not married, and the crime of 'husband-killing' is truly stigmatizing. Moreover, Madam Qin only killed her husband after being forced and abused, and her life was in danger. She is therefore innocent."
When the word "not guilty" fell into the ears of the blood-stained Madam Qin, her lifeless expression like a dead tree showed a slight fluctuation.
She killed the thief who insulted her, thinking that even if she had to exchange one life for another, her revenge would be worth it.
It's a pity that the officials protected each other and put layers of dirty water on her, making her the most unethical woman who killed her husband in history. The neighbors who claimed to be righteous even cursed Qin Niangzi's ancestors for eighteen generations.
The old mother went to Beijing alone to kowtow and beg for mercy, her head was broken and bloody, and she was despised and ridiculed. When she heard this in prison, she really felt that it would be better to die immediately. The world was even more unbearable than hell.
However, there was a solemn official in white, who said she was innocent...
Madam Qin lost control of herself, tears streaming down her face, she sobbed uncontrollably.
Xiao Yucheng listened to Xue Can's advice without saying a word and went along with it.
Pei Zhaoying looked around at the officials and asked in a deep voice:
"In my opinion, he is not guilty. My Lords, do you have any objections?"
Faced with absolute evidence, even if the officials were biased towards the man, they felt ashamed and could not speak, and remained silent.
Pei Zhaoying curled her lips and pronounced a not guilty verdict. Xiao Bo stepped out again and bowed, saying:
"Your Highness, I believe that Madam Qin has been wrongly accused for so long that she should not only be found not guilty according to the law, but the details of the case should also be made public to the people of the country, to restore Madam Qin's reputation, and to clean up the Yuzhou bureaucracy. Only then can the injustice be redressed."
It coincided with what Pei Zhaoying had thought.
It is not easy for women in the world to establish themselves. From the royal family to the common people, they are all bound by the reputation and chastity established by men.
Even if we simply acknowledge that Lady Qin is not guilty according to the law, the rumors among the people can still kill people invisibly and take the life of a weak woman.
Pei Zhaoying agreed, her voice a little hoarse.
Madam Qin and Madam Zhu hugged each other and cried, kowtowing to express their gratitude, but Xiao Bo just looked up at her, wanting to become a ray of light in the filthy current with his own body, in order to ignite her heart which was as dry as a tree.
There is no need for words between wise men.
Xiao Bo is extremely meticulous and intelligent. He can see the big picture from the details and can sympathize with Lady Qin who is imprisoned. He can also see that Pei Zhaoying is in a high position and has a difficult time.
He knew her difficulties, and she knew from her sparkling eyes that he understood her.
Xiao Bo speaks for women all over the world, and Pei Zhaoying is among them.
The sword blade pointed forward, and the scabbard remained beside Pei Zhaoying.
The result of the retrial of the case was that Lady Qin was not guilty. Pei Zhaoying wrote a memorial overnight and submitted it to the palace.
This ending was in line with the young emperor Pei Heng's intention to reorganize the areas where the aristocratic families were entrenched.
Pei Heng confirmed that Lady Qin was not guilty overnight and issued an order to remove a number of Yuzhou officials and replace them with the poor children whom he had secretly supported.
Pei Heng was also happy to announce the rest of the restoration of reputation to the world to demonstrate his royal power.
The widespread dissemination of the details of the case instantly stirred up a public opinion storm that was completely different from the previous one. The people changed their tone and denounced the powerful and corrupt officials for not giving the common people a way to survive. The princess made a wise decision and the emperor made a wise judgment.
The story of Xiao Bo, the Shaoqing of Dali Temple, who defied all odds and was praised for his kindness, was also spread as a good story because of the gratitude shown by Qin Niangzi, her daughter and Aunt Zhu along the way.
The storm was over, Pei Heng suppressed the aristocratic family, Pei Zhaoying regained power, the parties involved were cleared of their grievances, and everything seemed to be calm.
And this is only the first step for Pei Zhaoying to solve his own dilemma.
She was far from relieved.
Jin Chenxiao patrolled the area strictly and sounded out Pei Zhaoying's opinion:
"Your Highness, do you think that Lord Xiao Bo is available or not?"
After a long while, Pei Zhaoying opened her lips and spoke tenderly:
"I want to use it."
That day in the court, the decision was made. Xiao Bo wrote the verdict with a flying pen. Looking at the familiar handwriting, Pei Zhaoying realized that every piece of writing sent to her house was written by Xiao Bo himself.
She has gone beyond the consideration of "can or cannot".
Her meaning is, "I want to."
Xiao Bo's surname is Xiao, which is both his disadvantage for her to exploit and his advantage that may help her solve her urgent problem.
But there is no counselor in the world who would serve his master by offering his lifelong affairs together with his own. Pei Zhaoying couldn't bring himself to say that yet. He was sorting through the case files, only smelling the lingering scent of ink and the lingering rhythm of his writing.
This task was done to Pei Heng's liking, so he summoned Pei Zhaoying into the palace. However, he also mentioned the incident in which she beat the son of Duke Anguo with a stick at the palace gate, which caused dissatisfaction among the court officials.
Sure enough, the weak and lonely boy back then, even though he still lacked help, had already mastered the art of balancing the emperor's power.
Pei Zhaoying said indifferently:
"I will accept your Majesty's punishment."
There is no need to reiterate the reason. She could not act like Xiao Yucheng and deceive her master, so she let the emperor, who was controlled by others in every way, do whatever he wanted with her.
Isn't this the biggest benefit of her being crowned the Princess to Pei Heng? If no one buys into the emperor's prestige, what kind of emperor is he?
Pei Heng knew that she had grievances, and he did not want to hurt her heart to the point of numbness and coldness, so he sneered and said:
"You are too kind, my dear sister. We have a great friendship. Those censors are just making a fuss out of nothing and causing trouble. I can stand up to them on my sister's behalf."
Pei Zhaoying lowered her head and let Pei Heng speak politely. Seeing that she was taciturn and unaware of the emperor's kindness, the empress dowager became angry and said angrily:
"Those are just minor matters! Right now, the most important thing for our country and family is your lifelong happiness. You are a woman, all alone and helpless, without a lifelong supporter. Doesn't that make me and Your Majesty feel heartbroken and unable to sleep or eat?"
Pei Zhaoying looked up at Pei Heng. Pei Heng pursed his lips under her gaze. He was used to doing things with his back to a woman, so he didn't say a word for her.
I think it was a joint decision made by the mother and son to push her to play along with Xiao in order to preserve the emperor's rest and growth.
Pei Zhaoying smiled, and mist rose in her eyes, blurring Pei Heng's face.
At first, she was entrusted with the task and formally met the young emperor for the first time. The young man was terrified and pulled her clothes, calling her "royal sister", saying that they were surrounded by wolves and she was the only person he could trust and rely on, and they were related by blood.
Judging from the current situation, she will not be able to leave the palace unless she makes the decision they want.
Qi Luo's eyes flickered with fear. Had the Queen Mother finally given up and forced a complete marriage? But Princess, if she married Xiao Yucheng, what difference would that make?
Pei Zhaoying had been at odds with Xiao and Cheng since their previous work days.
There is no one in the court who can speak for the eldest princess!
Qiluo was trembling. If the eldest princess fell into Xiao and Cheng's hands, everyone in the mansion would have no chance of survival.
At this point, Pei Zhaoying was calmer than he had expected.
The case of Lady Qin taught her that the point of despair is always beyond one's imagination, and that a seemingly dead end may also have a ray of hope.
She had to fight, to fight desperately, to cross the bottom line of the empress dowager's calculations, and to take every step towards a dead end.
Pei Zhaoying's eyes flickered for a moment, and her expression changed. Her eyes were full of spring, and she smiled delicately, performing an unspeakable shyness:
"Actually, I already have someone I love, the one who was at the Qionghua Banquet that day..."
The Queen Mother was impatient:
"That man is Xiao——"
"It's Xiao Bo!" Pei Zhaoying seized the flaw revealed by the empress dowager's anxious relaxation. "I have long been in love with Xiao Bo. Xiao Bo won the first prize at the Qionghua Banquet with all his might. He is so stunning and charming. Rumors are circulating that he and I are a perfect match, and my daughter's love affair has also contributed to this. The empress dowager took the trouble to choose him as a son-in-law for me. I am very grateful!"
The Queen Mother wanted to build momentum for the marriage between Pei Zhaoying and Xiao Yucheng, so she spread the word early on that the Qionghua Banquet was actually the eldest princess's son-in-law selection banquet, but now it was used by Pei Zhaoying.
Pei Zhaoying silently apologized to Xiao Bo in her heart.
The Queen Mother was caught off guard and was speechless. Their favorite candidates were, of course, Xiao and Cheng!
"Your Majesty, Chengzi has never been able to sleep well. After talking so much today, you must be thirsty. I will serve you some soothing tea."
Meng Jingxue served tea at the right time.
She seemed innocent and considerate, but she was actually using the tea to remind the Emperor and the Empress Dowager not to force Pei Zhaoying to perish with him.
"Xiao Bo... Xiao Bo, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, is a good minister. It's just that his official position is a bit low, and I'm afraid that he will wrong the imperial sister." Pei Heng was soft-hearted after all. He thought that Xiao Bo was Xiao Bo. He was a member of the Xiao family, and his appearance was far better than that of ordinary people. It would not be a shame for Pei Zhaoying if he was not so cruel.
Pei Zhaoying smiled and said:
"Your Majesty, when Xiao Bo becomes your brother-in-law, you will have to promote him a lot, which will also give me dignity and honor."
Letting Pei Zhaoying whisper in his ear to create opposition between the two Xiaos, thus forming a hindrance between the civil and military officials, is also an idea, and Pei Heng is already tempted.
After being reminded by Meng Jingxue, the Queen Mother suppressed her impatience and took a step back, trying to smile kindly:
"Okay, okay, Xiao Bo is a good boy. Let's decide on him as the Prince Consort today, and then come up with a selection process so that everyone in the world will be convinced."
Pei Zhaoying breathed a sigh of relief and revealed her true doubts:
"I'm just afraid that Master Xiao Bo doesn't like me, and he might be unwilling to..."
Pei Heng said:
"Xiao Bo is of course willing to accept the marriage arranged by the Heavenly Family. Lord Xiao Bo is very understanding of justice and is not someone who disrespects the Emperor."
Pei Zhaoying wanted to make things difficult for him, so she said with a smile:
"Your Majesty, your harem is now empty, completely devoid of anyone. I know Your Majesty is devoted to the people and has no interest in women, but you must have children to continue the kingdom. Oh, and the Grand Marshal has a younger sister who is the same age as Your Majesty. He has even brought her to several palace banquets. She is truly a rare beauty. How about Your Majesty taking her into the palace? It's a double blessing, isn't it?"
"You are joking, sister. The imperial physician said that my blood circulation is not smooth and my body needs nourishment. It is not suitable for me to take a concubine. I will personally issue an edict to have everyone in the palace stop other trivial matters and focus on preparing for your marriage. I will strive to make you the most honorable one. Please don't make fun of me, sister."
Pei Heng's teeth chattered.
If he married Xiao Yucheng's sister, Xiao Yucheng would become his uncle and take over all the power, which would be like handing Xiao Yucheng a pillow when he was sleepy.
"My daughter, Zhaoying, thank you quickly. By the way, the Imperial Hospital has a new medical officer who is skilled in acupuncture and qi regulation. Please summon him to take good care of the eldest princess! She is getting married soon, and her health cannot be harmed."
The Queen Mother held Pei Zhaoying's hand, and her gentle voice was full of urging.
The three of them reached an agreement after a long period of negotiation.
Of course, a set of civil and military procedures for selecting a son-in-law was also announced to the public to prevent gossip.
People just thought that the eldest princess was extremely wealthy and powerful, and that the emperor of the time personally arranged her marriage, which was unprecedented and unparalleled.
Rain beat down on the parasol trees, the yard was filled with frost and dew, and Pei Zhaoying silently shed a line of clear tears in her sleep.
Xiao Bo was willing to serve her.
Would he be willing to become her husband's son-in-law?
They had been communicating via correspondence for a long time on official matters, but when it came to personal matters, Pei Zhaoying found it difficult to put pen to paper.
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