Extra 5: House Raid
Qingyuan Hou staggered and fell to the ground in a mess, his palm pressing squarely on the broken porcelain pieces on the ground, and the sharp porcelain pieces scratched his palm, making it bleed.
But at this moment, he no longer felt any pain.
His head was buzzing like a tangled mess, and he was completely sober.
Marquis Qingyuan finally realized the seriousness of the matter.
"Move, move, I move..."
Qingyuan Hou's breathing became rapid, and he shouted, "It was the Emperor! The Emperor ordered me to do this!"
"It's the Emperor who wants to abolish the East Factory..."
"beat."
Gu Zhizhuo slapped the armrest of the armchair. "If you don't want to talk, it means it doesn't hurt. If it hurts, you'll naturally be willing to talk."
Sheng Jiang glanced at her. If he didn't know her background well, he would have thought that Miss Gu wanted to silence her.
Marquis Qingyuan gritted his teeth and shouted, "It's the Emperor! It's..."
Sheng Jiang rushed over and started punching and kicking him, each punch hitting the flesh.
Qingyuan Hou had no power to fight back. He held his head with his hands and screamed miserably.
After the beating, Shen Xu calmly ordered, "Go call Feng Zheng over."
After Sheng Jiang was transferred to the Five Military Commandery, Feng Zheng replaced him and was promoted to the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
He had just sent someone to pass on the message when he opened the door and saw Feng Zheng standing outside.
He was over forty years old and had a strong build.
He bowed to Sheng Jiang, squeezed past him and went in, saluting, "Master."
"You took people to raid the Qingyuan Marquis's Mansion."
Marquis Qingyuan suddenly raised his head, his purple-stained face full of disbelief.
He shouted hoarsely, "I want to see the emperor! Let me see the emperor!"
Shen Xu made a gesture and asked Feng Zheng to do it.
He was able to rise from an exiled orphan to his current high position, and he has never been a kind-hearted person.
I had some concerns before.
Now, there is no need to worry about this.
So, just like Gu Zhizhuo said, copy what needs to be copied and seal what needs to be sealed.
"yes!"
Feng Zheng responded loudly and went out.
When passing by Sheng Jiang, she gave him a provocative look.
Sheng Jiang sneered inwardly. This Feng guy was truly cunning. He took advantage of his transfer to get closer to his master. Just wait and see how he dealt with him!
Feng Zheng took the factory guards and went straight to the Qingyuan Marquis Mansion.
That day.
The Qingyuan Marquis Mansion was sealed off.
The factory guards surrounded half of the street in front of the marquis's mansion.
Wen Anbo, who lived next door to the Marquis of Qingyuan, was the first to discover it. He was so frightened that he dared not leave the house.
When the emperor was deposed, Shen Xu was a poisoned knife in the hands of the deposed emperor. It was not uncommon for families to be confiscated and their homes to be destroyed. Everyone was frightened of the East Factory.
However, since the new emperor ascended the throne, no property has been confiscated. With the exception of the Duke of Cheng'en and the Prince of Jin, who colluded with the deposed emperor in the rebellion, that happened before the current emperor ascended the throne.
For more than two years, the new emperor has been implementing benevolent policies. Apart from the fact that there are too many errands, which are like a life-threatening task and have made them unable to even go to the concubines' rooms, no blood has been seen in the court.
This is the first time!
The house they raided was actually the home of the new emperor's biological uncle.
"Hurry, go and hang up all the lanterns in the mansion."
He shouted anxiously, "Light them all. What if the Jinyiwei can't see clearly and takes the wrong road!"
“Hang hang hang!”
All night long, almost everyone was staring at the Qingyuan Marquis Mansion, and the lights were on in the homes of many court officials.
No one could sleep that night.
The same thing happened to Gu Zhizhuo. She strolled around until almost dawn before returning to the palace and sneaking back to the inner room.
She quietly lifted the bed curtain to see if the person was awake. Seeing that Xie Yingchen's eyes were closed and his breathing was steady, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, fortunately...
When she turned around, an arm wrapped around her waist from behind. Gu Zhizhuo was caught off guard and fell on her back onto the soft quilt with her center of gravity unstable.
It's over, he's pretending to be asleep!
"What time is it?" Xie Yingchen rested his hands on the quilt beside her, his voice a little hoarse and with a sense of laziness.
"Um?"
The slightly rising ending tone made Gu Zhizhuo feel that something was wrong. Her black eyes rolled around, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him towards her, and kissed him.
Her lips rested on the corner of his, and she could feel his breathing quicken. Gu Zhizhuo leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Qingyuan Hou..."
The warm breath touched his earlobe, causing a slight tingle.
What are you talking about in Qingyuan Marquis Mansion during such a good time? Xie Yingchen deepened the kiss, carefully tracing her plump lips, and gently stroked her back with his palm.
The breaths intertwined.
Having not slept well the previous night, Gu Zhizhuo slept until noon.
She ate her brunch slowly.
The wife of the Marquis of Qingyuan handed in a sign and entered the palace to request an audience.
When Feng arrived at the mansion, Feng Zheng came to report that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the Marquis of Qingyuan had taken the two young girls from the mansion to a temple outside the city to listen to Buddhist teachings, and would be staying there for three days and two nights before returning.
Human affairs have no business with outsiders.
Gu Zhizhuo told them not to go to the temple to arrest people and disturb them, and let them return to Beijing on their own.
It came as expected.
No matter what the reason is, if the young master takes action against his uncle's family, it will inevitably cause some idle people to comment and cause controversy, and impeachment memorials alone will be flying everywhere.
You have to press it down hard in one breath.
"When did they arrive?"
"I've been kneeling for two hours." Qingmei picked up the chopsticks and started to serve the meal.
Gu Zhizhuo just nodded and continued eating. After a full stick of incense, he stood up and said, "Let's go out and take a look."
Qingmei wrapped a cloak around her.
The Purple Palace is located in the front hall, not far from the palace gate.
Gu Zhizhuo walks to help digest his food.
Hearing the sound of the palace gate opening, several people kneeling outside looked up at the same time. What caught their eyes was a young woman wrapped in a red cloak, surrounded by pearl hairpins, but also heroic. There was no contradiction between dignity and heroism in her.
The Qingyuan Marquisate is a noble family, and even if its relationship with the palace is very weak, it has met the queen.
What's more, who doesn't recognize Miss Gu?
When Miss Gu held her coming-of-age banquet, the deposed emperor and his men set fire to the capital, and it was she who saved the situation.
"Empress!"
The wife of the Marquis of Qingyuan was already sixty years old, with a head full of silver hair. She was shivering in the wind. When she saw Gu Zhizhuo, tears started streaming down her face before she could even open her mouth.
"Empress, please have mercy."
She cried bitterly, touched her forehead to his, and kowtowed deeply.
The Dowager Lady of Qingyuan Marquis was the young master's biological grandmother. As it was not the right time, Gu Zhizhuo moved aside.
She winked and Qingmei went forward to help her up, but she cried so hard and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Empress, please, for the sake of the late queen, have mercy on our family."
The late queen she mentioned was Xie Yingchen's biological mother.
"My poor daughter, the late queen, died young. Her mother and brother were bullied to death, and there was no one to take charge."
She cried and beat her chest, and the wife of the Marquis of Qingyuan was also wiping her tears with a handkerchief.
"If my poor daughter were still alive, how could she watch helplessly as her daughter-in-law, in order to assert her authority, was willing to kill her brother and mother. Your Majesty, the Rong family will never again dare to persuade the Emperor to take a concubine to compete for your favor. Please ask the East Factory to release my son."
These seemingly plausible words made Qingmei frown.
It has become a normal thing for students to discuss classics and politics in the Meridian Gate. As the special examination is approaching, more students gather together. They are also talking about the confiscation of the Qingyuan Marquis's mansion, and some of them do not agree with it.
Lord Rong is the emperor's uncle.
Even considering that the late queen only had this one biological brother, we should be a little more tolerant.
"So it's because Lord Rong persuaded the Emperor to take a concubine?"
Someone whispered.
"The Emperor is reluctant to dismantle the East Depot. Could it be that the East Depot is the Empress's control?"
"Alas, Lord Rong, what a pity."
They were talking in a flurry.
The wife of the Marquis of Qingyuan curled her lips, lowered her head, and felt relieved. This Queen Gu was very petty and irritable. She had only accidentally pushed her sister down at her coming-of-age banquet, and she had been holding a grudge until now.
Madam Rong touched her forehead to the ground and cried out, "Empress, please have mercy on us and spare our family."
"Empress," someone among the students said loudly, "There's an old saying: 'Sages value leniency, while ordinary people despise the masses.' As the Empress, you should be tolerant."
Someone else echoed: "If a person in a high position is not generous, if he is not respectful in performing rituals, if he is not sad in the face of death, how can he be a role model for the country..."
Before he could finish his words, a brush dipped in ink was thrown hard on his forehead, and the black ink flowed down his forehead.
"you!"
"Your Majesty's merits are unparalleled. Hundreds of thousands of Qingzhou citizens were saved by your help. If anyone continues to speak foul language, don't blame me for being rude."
"That's right. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law spoke vaguely. I'm afraid they didn't say anything. How can we trust them?"
"No matter what the reason, our Daqi governs the country with filial piety. Your Majesty, seeing the Emperor's grandmother kneeling here and not paying any attention to her is unfilial! How can an unfilial person be the mother of the country?"
Gu Zhizhuo smiled slightly and spoke amid the clamor, "Madam Rong, do you know why the Qingyuan Marquis's Mansion was sealed off?"
Madam Jiang of the Marquis of Qingyuan quickly said, "Our Lord is trying to persuade the Emperor to take a concubine. The Emperor has been on the throne for almost three years, but he has no children and his harem is empty..."
“To sell the question.”
Gu Zhizhuo interrupted her chatter.
Sell, sell the question? Jiang's eyes widened. The master had clearly told her that the emperor was controlled by the East Factory, and Chen Xu of the East Factory was on the side of the queen. The emperor didn't even dare to take a concubine, and even the inner court was controlled by the East Factory.
As long as the Rong family can find a reason for the emperor to disband the East Factory with justification, it will be a great achievement. At that time, the Rong family will be able to prosper like the Sun family of Cheng'en Mansion in the past.
When she and her mother-in-law were in the temple, she heard that the Marquis had the East Factory arresting the people and even the Marquis's Mansion was sealed off. She was very anxious and rushed over as soon as she returned to Beijing, trying to force the Queen to release the people.
Gu Zhizhuo took out a red envelope, which was sealed with wax and stamped with a jade seal.
"This is the Enke test paper."
Enke test questions?!
No matter whose side the students were arguing for, when they heard the words "Enke test questions", their eyes suddenly lit up, and their burning gazes stared straight at the red envelope in Gu Zhizhuo's hand, as if they wanted to see through the red envelope to see what was written inside.
Gu Zhizhuo took out another piece of silk paper.
"It's the title sold by the Marquis of Qingyuan."
She pinched the silk paper between her fingers and shook it gently.
"Some of you just said that I should be lenient and show some leniency, right?"
Gu Zhizhuo stepped out of the palace gate and walked forward without looking around. He did not stop when he passed the women of the Rong family kneeling on the ground.
There was a faint smile on her lips.
"I've thought it over carefully and feel that what you say makes a lot of sense. I'll grant your decision and pardon the Marquis of Qingyuan." Her eyes swept over them, taking in each of their bewildered faces. "As for the special examination, please follow this paper. This will demonstrate your magnanimity."
Who would agree to such a thing? They're not stupid. They studied so hard for decades just to get a good score!
Those students who had just advised Gu Zhizhuo to be tolerant and filial were almost torn apart by the eyes of the people around them.
"Absolutely not!"
"Empress, the crime committed by Marquis Qingyuan is unforgivable."
"Your Majesty, this is a very kind act."
Seeing that Gu Zhizhuo was unmoved, they were about to cry and wished they could slap themselves.
"Mother, what should we do with the Marquis?"
Jiang's face turned pale with fear. "Mother, we have to save the Marquis."
Madam Rong's face turned pale.
When she came, she thought that as the emperor's grandmother, she had to rescue her son.
I also thought that if I pushed her hard enough, she would compromise. If she refused to compromise, the censors and the students would impeach her. By then, the queen herself would be in danger.
However, the students did not rush forward and attack her as she wished.
Now, the queen has made them turn their attention away with just a few words.
As a woman, she is not virtuous, disrespectful and unfilial, and only knows how to sow discord. How can such a person be worthy of being the queen!
"Her Majesty the Queen."
The wife of the Marquis of Qingyuan shouted sternly, "Since this is the case, I am willing to die to atone for my son's sin. I beg the Queen to consider the late Queen's mother-in-law's face..."
Gu Zhizhuo interrupted her calmly, "The law cannot be abolished. Otherwise, it would chill the hearts of these students who have studied so hard."
Yes, yes, yes.
Gu Zhizhuo flicked his sleeves and said calmly, "If Madam Tai wants to threaten me with death, then..."
"During the reign of Emperor Taizu, Wang Juzhi sacrificed his life for the law, establishing the Criminal Law of our dynasty. This is truly a commendable achievement. Since Madam Rong is willing to sacrifice her life for the law, I will certainly help her."
She clapped her hands twice: "Someone come here."
Jinwu Guard Commander Zhou Mu bowed and obeyed the order.
"Give Madam Rong a ride."
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