Chapter 465 The End of the Xuanping Marquis's Mansion
"Mrs. Qinghe accepts the order."
Qiao Qinghe immediately knelt down.
The others followed suit and knelt down.
The imperial edict contained exactly what Emperor Xiaozhao had promised Qiao Qinghe: first, a divorce; second, the establishment of her own household; third, permission for the descendants of the Min family to change their surname, thus separating her from the Min family, and pardon her crimes.
Qiao Qinghe expressed her gratitude and accepted the imperial edict.
Just as they were about to leave, the eunuch who delivered the decree produced another imperial edict.
However, before the decree was read aloud, the eunuch delivering the decree looked at Madam Wu and the others behind Qiao Qinghe and asked, "Madam, are these the masters of the Xuanping Marquis's residence?"
“Exactly.” Qiao Qinghe nodded in response.
"Then, may I ask, Madam, who are those who are willing to change their surname and leave the Min family?"
Qiao Qinghe pointed to everyone, including Princess Min Yuexi, saying, "They are all going to leave with me."
The eunuch delivering the decree twitched at the corner of his mouth, but before he could speak, Qiao Qinghe added, "Oh, by the way, the Feng family from the third branch, along with her twin children, will also take my surname, Qiao."
The imperial eunuch who delivered the decree truly didn't know what to say this time.
After a long pause, he stammered as he held up the imperial edict, looking embarrassed as he asked Qiao Qinghe, "Madam, who do you think should receive this edict?"
Although Qiao Qinghe did not know the specific contents of the imperial edict, she had some guesses in her mind.
He then glanced at the Wu family members behind him and said with a smile, "Although they are all willing to change their surnames and leave with me, they are still masters of the Xuanping Marquis's residence. How about we let them receive the imperial decree on our behalf?"
The imperial eunuch nodded hurriedly and quickly began to read the imperial edict aloud.
As Qiao Qinghe expected, this was an imperial edict of punishment.
The above details the numerous crimes committed by the ancestors of the Marquis of Xuanping, and also lists several unforgivable crimes committed by Min Ji and Min Rong.
Finally, the Marquis of Xuanping's family was stripped of their title, their property confiscated, and their entire clan exterminated.
All male members of the Min clan aged twelve and above were beheaded.
Several key female relatives involved in the case were also sentenced to death. Among them were Old Madam Min from the Min family in Huizhou and her daughters-in-law, as well as several elderly women from a collateral branch in Beijing.
All others, regardless of whether they are women, children, or young, shall be exiled three thousand li away.
After the imperial edict was read, everyone except Qiao Qinghe collapsed to the ground.
Even Min Yuexi was quite frightened.
If they hadn't changed their surnames with Qiao Qinghe, whether it was Min Yuexi, or Wu Shi, Xiao Wu Shi, Min Changzhong, or Min Changli, none of them would have escaped! They would all have been executed!
"Lady Xuanping, please receive the imperial decree on my behalf," the eunuch delivering the decree reminded her.
But Wu was so frightened that she had no strength left to receive the imperial decree.
Helpless, Qiao Qinghe had no choice but to accept the imperial edict herself, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch."
As he was saying this, he was about to give a tip, as is customary.
But then he discovered that there wasn't a single person around him he could rely on.
Seemingly sensing Qiao Qinghe's intention, Madam He quickly took out a fifty-tael silver note from her bundle and handed it to Qiao Qinghe.
Qiao Qinghe took it and quietly handed it to the eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree.
The imperial eunuch, who was delivering the imperial decree, smiled as he accepted the silver note and whispered a reminder: "Madam, the Imperial Guards are about to enter the mansion and confiscate your property. You'd better leave with your men quickly."
"Thank you for the reminder, Father-in-law."
After expressing her gratitude, Qiao Qinghe quickly led her people into the carriage.
Qiao Qinghe's carriage was driven by Zhu Xi. Besides her, He Shi and her daughter, as well as Cao Yimei, also got into the carriage with her.
When Min Yuexi arrived, she also came in a carriage, and this time she picked up Wu and the others.
Once everyone was on board, the two carriages quickly drove away from the Xuanping Marquis's residence.
Watching the carriage drive away, the imperial eunuch who delivered the decree and Yu Lei, the commander of the imperial guards in charge of confiscating the property, sighed, "These people from the Marquis of Xuanping's mansion are really lucky to have such a life-saving matriarch as Lady Qinghe!"
“What my father-in-law says is true,” Yu Lei echoed.
To be honest, if it weren't for Madam Qinghe, his little sister would never have been found!
Yes, Yu Lei, the eldest son of the Marquis of Yongning's mansion, is indeed his own elder brother.
***
When the Xuanping Marquis's residence received the imperial edict, several branches of the Min family also received it.
The property was ransacked, people were arrested...
Shouts, smashing, crying, and pleas for mercy filled the various residences of the Min family.
On the second branch of the Min family, Min Yao and his eldest son Min Changyi were also among those sentenced to death.
Everyone else was exiled.
It wasn't until she was taken away by the soldiers that Lin truly felt fear, and it was at this moment that she finally began to regret her actions.
Is integrity really more important than life?
Is preserving a surname really more important than the lives of her son and grandson?
Lin knew that once it was missed, it was missed; she had chosen this path, and she would continue on it even if she had to cry.
***
Min Pan'er, who was staying at a branch of the Min family, had already moved to an inn with Jiang Hongling after leaving the palace yesterday.
At this moment, standing in a private room on the second floor of the inn, watching the Min family members being led away by soldiers in a long line, Min Pan'er's eyes glistened with tears, but her heart remained calm.
"Pan'er, are you alright?" Jiang Hongling asked softly.
Min Pan'er snapped out of her daze and hugged Jiang Hongling, tears streaming down her face. "Sister Jiang, the Min family is gone. From now on, I only have you and Auntie."
"It's okay, I'll always stay by your side." Jiang Hongling hugged Min Pan'er back.
After crying for a while, Min Pan'er finally let go of Jiang Hongling and asked worriedly, "I wonder when Auntie will be able to arrive in the capital."
Jiang Hongling reassured her, "It should be soon. Don't worry."
"Oh, by the way, didn't they say His Majesty bestowed a house upon us? When are we going to move in?"
"Should we prepare some things before your aunt goes to the capital?"
Min Pan'er smiled and shook her head, "No need. His Highness the Prince of Chu said he would arrange for someone to help me tidy up the house. In a couple of days, once his people have finished, he will send someone to inform me. Then we can move in."
Jiang Hongling frowned slightly, "You and the King of Chu..."
“I know what I'm doing. Don’t worry,” Min Pan’er interrupted Jiang Hongling.
Jiang Hongling knew that Min Pan'er didn't want her to interfere too much, so she had no choice but to shut up.
***
After leaving the East City, the two carriages headed straight for the Qiao residence in the South City.
That was where Qiao Qinghe lived before she left the capital.
The residence was built in the style of a garden in Jiangnan, covering a large area with many courtyards, enough to house all the people from the Xuanping Marquis's mansion.
When she left, Qiao Qinghe left someone to guard the house and entrusted it to Yang An.
Ever since Qiao Qinghe returned to the capital, Yang An has arranged for people to renovate the house.
Therefore, Qiao Qinghe can move in as soon as she returns.
However, to Qiao Qinghe's surprise, when she got off the carriage, in addition to the Yang family, several head maids, including Ashuang and Asi, who should have been in Huizhou, were also waiting for her at the door.
Even more surprisingly, the original plaque of the Qiao residence has now been changed to that of the Qinghe Lady's Residence.
Perhaps noticing that Qiao Qinghe was staring at the plaque, A Shuang smiled and came up to greet her, explaining, "The Ministry of Rites sent someone to hang it up an hour ago."
Qiao Qinghe nodded, calculating the time; it was roughly the same time she received the imperial edict outside the Xuanping Marquis's residence.
After everyone disembarked from the carriage, A Shuang and her maids came up to greet them, and Yang An and Granny Fang also greeted them with smiles.
Because the southern part of the city was a gathering place for merchants, with a lot of people coming and going, the crowds had already surrounded the gate of the mansion three or four layers deep when the plaque was hung up.
Therefore, the group did not linger at the entrance. After exchanging greetings, they entered the mansion in a grand procession.
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