Chapter 4 Rebirth Was he just dreaming? What...?
"It wasn't me! I didn't!"
Qi Jingxuan stood in the main hall, trying his best to explain himself.
In the afternoon, several guests from the Cheng'an Marquis's residence saw him and Shen Yan in a room together in the side courtyard. At that time, Shen Yan was lying on the bed with her clothes disheveled, a hairpin deeply stuck in her neck, and blood was still gushing from the wound.
He sat on the edge of the bed, his clothes disheveled, clearly having just gotten up from the bed.
Blood splattered everywhere, and the room was filled with a strong stench of blood. People present gasped in horror, and some of the more timid ones even fainted.
The news that Prince Jin had raped the daughter of the Shen family while drunk, leading to Shen Yan's suicide, spread like wildfire throughout the Cheng'an Marquis's residence. Within half an hour, everyone in the entire household knew about it.
Some people didn't want to get involved and immediately took their leave, while others, being of high status and bold, stayed to watch the spectacle.
As the host, the Cheng'an Marquis's mansion had nowhere to hide and had no choice but to step forward and take charge of the situation.
Given the magnitude of this event, no matter how noble the Prince of Jin's status was, the people of the Marquis's residence dared not let him leave and immediately sent someone to the palace to consult His Majesty.
The emperor only knew that Prince Jin had attended a banquet at the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence today, never expecting such a thing to happen.
He immediately summoned the Prince of Jin back to the palace. Also entering the palace at the same time were the Marquis of Cheng'an and his wife, several witnesses present at the time, and Shen Yan's father, Shen Mingshan.
Today, Su Shi accompanied Shen Yan to the banquet. Logically, Su Shi should also be in the palace, but she fainted on the spot after seeing her daughter's body and has not woken up yet. She is still being cared for by the family doctor at the Cheng'an Marquis's residence, so she naturally cannot come.
The emperor originally intended to clarify the matter before deciding whether to hand it over to the Dali Temple for investigation. However, several ministers of the cabinet acted on the news, stating that the emperor had always protected Prince Jin and that summoning witnesses and the deceased's family members without authorization was suspected of threatening and intimidating. They stood outside the palace and strongly demanded a joint investigation and an immediate joint trial by the three judicial departments. Otherwise, they would not accept any results obtained by the emperor today.
The emperor had no choice but to let them in and also ordered that several important officials from the Three Judicial Offices be invited over.
Left Censor-in-Chief Lin Chengfeng had long disliked Prince Jin and questioned him, "Since you say you didn't force Miss Shen to her death, do you have any witnesses?"
Just as Prince Jin was about to say the name of his attendant, Lin Chengfeng said again, "If Your Highness wants to say Lin Ping, then there is no need."
"Even if he is one of your men, his testimony is not credible. Even if it were, he could not testify for you."
Lin Ping was Prince Jin's personal attendant. Having spent a long time with him, he didn't learn much else, but he thoroughly mastered his master's cunning and treacherous skills.
He and the servants of the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence escorted Prince Jin to the side courtyard to rest. Afterwards, seeing that Prince Jin was sleeping soundly and thinking that he would not wake up for a while, he went to find someone to drink with. At this moment, he is "sobering up" in the Shenxing Division.
Qi Jingxuan was taken aback, then added, "The servants of the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence can also testify for me!"
"I was completely drunk at the time, and I could barely walk. They were the ones who helped me to that courtyard. I had just woken up when Prince Xu and his men came looking for me; I didn't have time to kidnap Miss Shen."
Lin Chengfeng said with a stern face, "We have already questioned the servants that Your Highness mentioned. Their testimonies are consistent. They said that after helping you to the side courtyard, they left and never came back."
"Lin Ping should have stayed by your side all along, but he went out drinking instead."
"In other words, no one can prove that you have been in that courtyard the whole time and never left, no one can prove that you have never been to the backyard, and no one can even prove that you were really drunk or pretending, or whether Lin Ping ran away on his own or you intentionally sent him away."
Qi Jingxuan knew that Lin Chengfeng, that old scoundrel, was at odds with him and would definitely target him, but he never expected that the dignified Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate would say such things without any evidence.
He jumped up and down in anger, shouting, "You, surnamed Lin, don't you dare slander me!"
"The Marquis of Cheng'an's residence is filled with guests today, and servants are constantly moving around serving tea and water. If I were to secretly sneak into the inner courtyard and kidnap someone, how could I possibly go unnoticed? Do you think I can fly over rooftops or scale walls?"
Lin Chengfeng sneered: "According to Your Highness, Miss Shen is a frail woman, and this is her first time visiting the Cheng'an Marquis's residence. Isn't it even less likely that she would sneak into the front yard alone, avoiding the servants' sight?"
"But Your Highness, you are a close friend of Prince Xu, and you frequently visit the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence. You are very familiar with the terrain there."
"Lin Chengfeng!"
Qi Jingxuan shouted.
"You, as the Left Censor-in-Chief, dare to slander me with vile words based on your personal likes and dislikes! All that legal knowledge you've learned has been wasted!"
"Your Highness, please be careful with your words," Lin Chengfeng replied fearlessly. "I was merely making a reasonable guess based on the circumstances at the time; how could that be considered slander?"
"Moreover, it is precisely because I am the Left Censor-in-Chief that I have the responsibility to investigate all officials, and therefore I must question them thoroughly."
"Miss Shen went to the banquet with her mother, but inexplicably appeared in the courtyard where you were resting, and shared a room with you. You said that when Prince Xu and the others found you, you had just woken up, and you never did anything to her, you only exchanged two or three sentences, and it was all you who spoke, she didn't reply at all. If that's the case, why did she so decisively commit suicide?"
"It's certainly humiliating for a young woman to lose her chastity, but if nothing really happened between you and her, shouldn't he have argued back after hearing your words? Why did she commit suicide without saying a word? Do you think that makes sense?"
A normal person would defend themselves if falsely accused of breaking a cup or stealing something. How could Shen Yan remain completely silent when it came to something as important as her reputation?
The Prince of Jin accused her of seducing him; even if she wanted to commit suicide, she would at least say "I didn't" before doing so.
However, she didn't utter a single word about the events recounted by the Prince of Jin.
Therefore, no matter how you look at it, the Prince of Jin has been hiding something in this matter.
If he is upright and honest, and truly has a clear conscience as he claims, why would he need to hide it?
This question left Qi Jingxuan speechless, unable to answer it.
Lin Chengfeng added, "According to the coroner, the hairpin Miss Shen used to commit suicide was nearly two inches deep into her neck, with almost no part of it protruding except where she held it. If she hadn't been determined to die, how could she have been so cruel to herself?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingshan swayed, his bloodshot eyes looking as if he were about to shed tears of blood.
He was like a clay sculpture from the moment he entered the hall; though his body was there, his soul seemed to remain in the Cheng'an Marquis's mansion, before his daughter's corpse.
Qi Jingxuan also recalled the scene, remembering how the woman had plunged the hairpin into her neck without hesitation, and how hot blood had splattered all over his face...
His lips twitched, and after a long while, a sudden thought struck him: "It's her..."
He muttered to himself, then suddenly pointed at Shen Mingshan kneeling on the ground: "It's them! They were bribed to frame me! That woman from the Shen family never wanted to live from the start, she..."
"shut up!"
"You're talking nonsense!"
This time, it wasn't Lin Chengfeng who spoke, but the emperor on the throne and Shen Mingshan, whose eyes were bloodshot and bulging with rage.
Shen Mingshan was promoted by the emperor himself. He had only been in the capital for half a year, and was known for his upright character, incorruptibility, and only one daughter. How could he have done such a thing?
Even if the emperor wanted to protect his son, he couldn't blatantly lie and falsely accuse Shen Mingshan of such a crime.
“Father, I am not lying,” Qi Jingxuan said. “When Prince Xu and the others came looking for me, I had just woken up. If that woman Shen did not intend to frame me, why would she commit suicide without saying a word?”
"My daughter wouldn't do that!"
With tears in his eyes, Chen Mingshan spoke loudly.
“We have only been in the capital for a short time and are unaware of the situation there, so we have been very careful with our words and actions. Aci and her mother are afraid of causing me trouble, so they rarely even leave the house. They have only attended banquets like those at the Cheng’an Marquis’s residence twice.”
"They're asking what motives we have for plotting against the Prince, and with whom we would be able to move freely within the Cheng'an Marquis's residence as if it were our own backyard."
The Marquis of Cheng'an's family is a prominent and influential family that has never interfered in the factional struggles of the court. To frame someone in his residence, one would either need to bribe someone in the family or be someone who frequently visits the residence and is extremely familiar with the layout of the Marquis's residence and the arrangements for today's banquet.
The Shen family could never accomplish these things on their own, and there's no reason for them not to ask someone else, but to ask Shen Mingshan, a sixth-rank scholar from a poor family who had only recently arrived in the capital.
"Then...that means someone used your daughter to harm me. Your daughter herself was weak-willed and committed suicide when she saw her reputation ruined."
Qi Jingxuan said.
Anyway, he definitely didn't go to the backyard. If Miss Shen didn't come and climb into his bed on her own, then she must have been knocked unconscious and carried here.
"impossible!"
Shen Mingshan remained resolute, as if he wanted to tear a piece of flesh from the Prince of Jin.
“I raised Aci myself, and I know her better than anyone. She may seem gentle, but she is actually very strong-willed. Today’s incident is not her fault. Even if her reputation is ruined, she will never destroy herself!”
"It must be you!" he said, pointing at Qi Jingxuan. "You must have done something else that she absolutely could not tolerate, which is why she refused to even see me and her mother, and committed suicide without leaving a single word..."
"What...what did you do to her that she's done this to you!"
Thinking of his daughter's gruesome death, Shen Mingshan was heartbroken and couldn't help but cry out. He crawled two steps on his knees and kowtowed heavily to the emperor on the throne: "Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter, to seek justice for my daughter, and to restore her innocence!"
Qi Jingxuan was furious. He was about to say, "If your daughter were really that strong-willed, why would she take her own life?" when he heard footsteps outside the hall. A eunuch bowed and walked in, saying, "Your Majesty, someone from the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence has arrived. They say that the injured and unconscious maid has woken up."
The emperor, who was at his wit's end, suddenly perked up and said, "Let him in."
Before entering the palace, Marquis Cheng'an had briefly questioned his family members about when Shen Yan had disappeared from their sight.
As the host, Miss Xu remembered clearly that Shen Yan went to change her clothes while they were playing pitch-pot and admiring flowers in the garden.
As a renowned noble family in the capital, the Marquis's mansion naturally arranged the banquet meticulously. There were maids in the garden to guide the way, and Shen Yan was led there by one of the maids named Cui Ling.
The two didn't return for a long time, and Miss Xu was worried, so she sent someone to look for them. But as soon as she gave the order, news came from the front yard that Prince Jin had forced Shen Yan to her death.
Upon hearing this, Marquis Cheng'an immediately ordered his men to fetch Cui Ling. They found her in the lotus pond in the garden, but she was barely alive when they pulled her out.
Cui Ling not only choked on water, but also suffered a head injury. The doctor said she should not be moved, otherwise she might die immediately.
In order to find out what had happened from her, no one dared to carry her into the palace. They waited for the imperial physician to revive her and then question her.
The person entering the palace at this time was Xu Jinning, the second son of the Marquis of Cheng'an. He first bowed to the emperor upon entering the hall, and then turned around to bow to Lin Chengfeng and other officials.
Marquis Cheng'an was already extremely anxious and urged, "How did it go? What did Cuiling say?"
Xu Jinning looked unwell and lowered her eyes, blaming herself, "My son is incompetent. Cuiling... she committed suicide."
"Suicide"
Marquis Cheng'an stared wide-eyed in disbelief, while Lin Chengfeng frowned and asked, "If it was suicide, then it means it wasn't from drowning injuries that led to death; you must have woken up during the process."
Xu Jinning nodded, and Lin Chengfeng asked again, "What did she say after she woke up, and why did she attempt suicide even after being saved?"
Xu Jinning's expression grew increasingly grim. She glanced at the Emperor and then at Marquis Cheng'an, hesitating greatly.
Seeing this, Lin Chengfeng said with a straight face, "Young Master Xu, just speak your mind. There's no need to beat around the bush. Although that maid is dead, our Censorate and the Ministry of Justice will definitely still go to your house to investigate. Even if you don't speak now, we will find out by tomorrow or the day after at the latest."
This matter involves the Prince of Jin, and it's a joint trial by the three judicial departments. Surely they can get a confession from a mere maidservant in the Marquis of Cheng'an's household?
Marquis Cheng'an knew from Xu Jinning's expression that it was definitely not a good thing, but he really had no other choice but to nod and let him tell the truth.
Xu Jinning glanced at Prince Jin out of the corner of her eye before saying, "After Cuiling woke up, she asked how Miss Chen was. When she learned that Miss Chen had committed suicide, she started crying, saying that it was all her fault and that she was the one who could not stop her."
“We asked her what had happened, but she couldn’t stop anyone. She shook her head and refused to say anything no matter what.”
"Seeing that we couldn't get anything out of her, and since she was injured and we didn't dare to be too forceful, we thought we should send her directly to the palace for His Majesty to interrogate."
"Who knew...who knew that Cui Ling initially followed along obediently, but when she was about to get into the carriage, she bumped her head into the carriage."
"She already had a serious head injury, and with that collision, she died on the spot."
Therefore, in the end, only Xu Jinning herself entered the palace.
Qi Jingxuan sensed something was wrong as soon as he heard the beginning, and his brows furrowed deeply as he heard the end. Seeing that everyone in the hall was intentionally or unintentionally glancing at him, he angrily said, "What do you mean? What are you looking at me for? What does it have to do with me? I've never even seen that maid! The person she's talking about can't be me!"
But few in the hall believed him. Lin Chengfeng coldly stated, "The Cheng'an Marquis's family is a century-old, prestigious family. Who would dare commit violence in their residence, and who would their maids dare not even mention?"
"Even though he had been revived, he crashed into the carriage and died upon hearing that he was to enter the palace. He clearly knew that he would die if he entered the palace, and that he would not have a good ending whether he told the truth or not."
After he finished speaking, he ignored Lin Chengfeng and raised his voice to the emperor: "Your Majesty, Lord Shen is an official appointed by the court. His daughter died unjustly today. Only Prince Jin was present at the scene."
"Your Majesty, I request that the Prince of Jin be temporarily detained in the Imperial Clan Court for a thorough investigation!"
"Your Majesty, I request that the Prince of Jin be temporarily detained in the Imperial Clan Court for a thorough investigation!"
Several officials in the hall followed closely behind.
………………
In the end, the emperor did not have the heart to confine Prince Jin to the Imperial Clan Court, but only allowed him to return to his palace and stay there, not to leave without his permission.
The Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review took over the case and jointly tried it, but all direct leads had been cut off, and there was little progress for the time being.
The matter spread too widely and caused too much of a stir. Some poor students took to the streets to defend Shen Jiaming, clashed with the Imperial Guards, and died under their blades.
Upon learning of this, several major academies went on strike and gathered on Imperial Street to demand justice for the deceased student.
Public resentment was boiling over, and every day people would spontaneously gather around the Prince of Jin's mansion and throw rotten eggs and vegetable leaves at the mansion when the guards were not paying attention.
In the capital, discontent with the emperor and the court spread like wildfire, causing a great uproar.
As more and more students and civilians gathered on the streets each day, and the situation became increasingly serious, a number of officials submitted memorials to the emperor, demanding that the Prince of Jin be severely punished to appease public anger.
No matter how much the emperor favored Prince Jin, he had no choice but to concede under these circumstances.
However, Prince Jin was his most beloved prince. On the grounds that the matter had not yet been investigated and a conclusion had not been reached, he simply demoted Prince Jin to a county prince and sent him out of the capital to his fief.
The fiefdom of the Prince of Jin was chosen by the emperor long ago; it was a first-rate, prosperous region. Now that he has been demoted to a county prince, his fiefdom naturally cannot be the same size as before, but it is still the same place, just smaller. Once the matter is investigated and clarified in the future, the emperor plans to grant him these fiefdoms again.
Although Qi Jingxuan retained his status as a prince, leaving the capital in this way was still a great humiliation for him.
He was filled with resentment. As he left the city, he looked back at the city gate and gritted his teeth, saying, "You villain who betrayed me, don't let me find you, or else..."
He scoffed and flung off the carriage curtain, heading towards his fiefdom with a burning rage.
………………
Qi Jingxuan grew up in the palace from a young age and never suffered any hardship. The farthest place he had ever been was the mountains and rivers near the capital, and he had traveled there in a luxurious carriage, enjoying fragrant tea and snacks. He had never traveled by long and arduous journey.
Now that he was heading to his fiefdom, the emperor didn't specify when he should arrive, so he wasn't in a hurry and traveled slowly, taking two months to cover less than half the distance.
That day he stopped again, stretched and looked at the scenery of the lake and mountains, wondering if he should take a detour to visit a nearby city.
Just then, a series of rustling sounds suddenly came from the woods on both sides of the official road, followed by his accompanying guards shouting loudly: "Your Highness, be careful! There are assassins!"
Qi Jingxuan turned around, and before he could think further, he saw an arrow flying towards him with a sharp whistling sound...
………………
My head hurts, it hurts so much.
Qi Jingxuan frowned and reached up to touch his forehead.
He remembered being assassinated. An arrow flew out of the forest at great speed, and he didn't even have time to react before it pierced his head.
It pierced through...the head.
Half-asleep, Qi Jingxuan touched his forehead again, then suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.
No, his head wasn't shot through! He... he's still alive.
Qi Jingxuan was initially overjoyed, but then he realized something was wrong.
A light gauze curtain, a brocade quilt, and a woman beside him, tears streaming down her face, her expression one of utter despair.
This is no forest at all; it's clearly the courtyard of the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence!
Was he just dreaming? Was all that wrongful departure from Beijing and assassination attempt just a hallucination?
Qi Jingxuan was still in shock when he saw the woman pull out the hairpin from her hair and suddenly stab it towards her neck.
Qi Jingxuan was startled and rushed over to stop her. He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the hairpin had not pierced the woman's neck or even scratched her skin.
"You can't die," he said to Shen Yan, who was still crying. "If you die, I won't be able to explain myself even if I have eight hundred mouths."
Just as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open, and Prince Xu walked in with several people. They were all stunned by the scene in the room.
Qi Jingxuan snatched the hairpin from Shen Yan's hand and said to them, "Don't misunderstand, I didn't do anything to her..."
Before she could finish speaking, a loud thud was heard beside her. Turning her head, she saw that Shen Yan had crashed into the bedpost, blood gushing from her forehead, instantly staining the bed curtains red.
It's over.
For a moment, only these two words remained in Qi Jingxuan's mind.
A note from the author:
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