Chapter 576 We All Need to Become Stronger
Dozens of citizens jointly signed a complaint. Although Ye Lingbo had committed numerous crimes, there were only witnesses but no physical evidence, making the case difficult to judge.
“Fortunately, Second Aunt had foreseen this. Just when the case reached a dead end, Deputy Chief Xiao came with physical evidence,” Cheng Zhao said. “Over the past year, Ye Lingbo has committed numerous evils. Deputy Chief Xiao did not participate because he has a shrewish wife, but he helped keep watch on many occasions. Therefore, he has a large amount of physical evidence in his hands. After the evidence is handed over to the Prefect, the case will be closed.”
Deputy Chief Xiao kept the evidence as a backup plan. If Ye Lingbo didn't help him get promoted, he would use the evidence to threaten Ye Lingbo. But in the end, the evidence still came in handy.
The Ministry of War is a system where every position is filled. With Ye Lingbo's downfall, the position of a sixth-rank official became vacant. Someone below him would fill the vacancy, and Deputy Chief Clerk Xiao had a great chance of being promoted. Because of the lure of benefits, Deputy Chief Clerk Xiao did not hesitate to cooperate with Cheng Zhao.
Shen Zheng scoffed: "That prefect is a fence-sitter. Even though the case is so clear, he didn't dare to easily punish Ye Lingbo. It wasn't until the news of Consort Yun's demotion came out that Ye Lingbo was finally imprisoned and sentenced to eighteen years."
Cheng Wanwan had long anticipated that Ye Lingbo wouldn't be sentenced to beheading, because he hadn't personally killed anyone; all the victims died indirectly. Even in modern times, the judge would most likely not sentence him to death...
Now that the Ye family has lost power, even if Ye Lingbo were to reappear eighteen years later, he wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble.
Zhao Sidan said with a worried look, "But the Emperor has issued a confinement order for Mother, forbidding her from leaving this courtyard. What should we do?"
"You little fool." Shen Zheng tapped his forehead. "The Emperor wants his godmother to stay in the courtyard and not go out because he wants her to recover properly. After the envoy Asab arrives in the capital, the Emperor will have many things for her to do. He can't just kill her before she's even done her job, can he?"
Zhao Sanniu immediately complained, "Hey, who are you calling a donkey?"
"I was just using an analogy, just an analogy, why are you so anxious?" Shen Zheng was speechless. "San Niu, your injuries are almost healed, hurry back to the military camp to serve."
Zhao Sanniu shook his head: "No, no, no, I want to stay with my mother."
"I don't need you to accompany me," Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. "You and Cheng Bing left the military camp without permission this time. When you go back, take the initiative to apologize and accept punishment. Don't think you have special privileges just because your mother is from Sui'an. Continue to do what you're supposed to do, don't cause trouble, but don't be afraid of trouble either..."
Zhao San Niu didn't want to go back to the army camp. His mother had been so badly injured because of him, and he just wanted to stay and help her recover.
He wanted to argue a bit more, but Cheng Zhao said calmly, "San Niu, you chose this path yourself, so you have to go on without hesitation. Your second aunt has done a lot for you, and you should make yourself stronger as soon as possible to repay your second aunt... I'm saying this to you, but also to myself. We all need to become stronger so that we can protect the people we want to protect."
Zhao Sidan clenched his fists: "Mother, wait for me for three years. After three years, I will definitely become strong."
“You guys…” Cheng Wanwan chuckled, “Stop talking about this, I’m hungry.”
Granny Qi hurriedly had her maid set out the meal. After a lively lunch, Zhao Sanniu and Cheng Bing set off for the military camp to receive their punishment.
After finishing their own business, Cheng Zhao and Shen Zheng spent all their time at the reading pavilion. After seven or eight days of work, the details were almost ready, and the pavilion would open smoothly in two more days.
The two of them meant to wait until Cheng Wanwan's house arrest order was lifted before reopening the business.
“There’s no need for that.” Cheng Wanwan shook her head. “The Ye family’s affairs have made me too famous. Wherever I go, I will cause controversy, which will overshadow the brilliance of the Reading Pavilion. You two can handle this matter.”
After she finished speaking, she continued to lie on the tatami mat and read.
The weather was getting hotter and hotter, so she asked Granny Qi to buy an automatic fan. These things were selling like hotcakes in the capital. A fan cost five or six taels of silver and was a rare item that only truly wealthy families could afford. She put a bowl of ice in front of the fan, and the coolness spread, making her feel refreshed.
Although the lockdown was forced, I must say that these past few days have been the most comfortable I've had since arriving in Beijing.
Every day I eat and sleep, sleep and eat, and then read various geography books. My life is very carefree.
Because she couldn't go out, Situ Man came over every day to talk to her. This girl was a talkative person, chattering away all day long.
"A few days ago, my eldest sister came home crying. It turned out that her mother-in-law had found another maid to be her husband's concubine." Situ Man peeled a grape and placed it on a plate, sighing, "When my eldest sister got married, everyone said they were a match made in heaven, a match made in heaven. I thought my eldest sister would be happy forever, but I didn't expect her mother-in-law to always stuff other people into her husband's room... Let me count, this is the eighth concubine since they got married. My eldest sister has been pissed off to death eight times..."
Cheng Wanwan didn't know what to say about this matter.
In ancient times, it was common for men to have multiple wives and concubines. As long as a man had money, he could take as many concubines as he wanted, and outsiders had no right to judge.
"I deliberately told this to my mother-in-law." Situ Man lowered her voice and said, "Second Aunt, do you know what my mother-in-law said?"
Cheng Wanwan shook her head. She really couldn't understand Mrs. Cheng's train of thought.
“My mother-in-law gave my brother-in-law a good scolding.” Situ Man’s expression visibly relaxed. “My mother-in-law said that people in their village don’t take concubines. Even if you have money, you can’t do something that will make people gossip about you. My husband is not the kind of person who would take a concubine, and my mother-in-law doesn’t mean it either. Does that mean that my husband will always belong to me alone?”
Cheng Wanwan chuckled: "You girl, you never know how to keep your mouth shut."
Situ Man hugged Cheng Wanwan's arm: "You're my second aunt, the one my husband likes the most. Why do you have to be so secretive when you talk to your own second aunt?"
In this way, Situ Man brought a new piece of gossip to chat with Cheng Wanwan every day, and soon, it was time for the reading pavilion to open.
There is a plaque hanging at the entrance of De'an Lane, which serves as a guide. Walking into the lane and reaching the end, there is a courtyard with two entrances.
The main gate of the courtyard has been renovated, and the main gate and the side gate have been combined to form a wide entrance. Red silk is hung on both sides of the gate, and a plaque is hung above it, but the plaque is temporarily covered by red cloth, so it is impossible to see what is written on it.
Early in the morning, a lot of people came to this alley. Carriages were parked at the entrance of the alley, and people walked in. The alley was full of scholars.
At about the same time, Cheng Zhao, Shen Zheng and Zhao Sidan walked out of the Reading Pavilion. They did not invite any respected officials to unveil the plaque, nor did they invite any people of status to support the occasion. They firmly believed that the Reading Pavilion had its own brilliance and did not need to rely on anyone to enhance it.
After the firecrackers went off, the red silk was torn down.
A plaque hung above with five large characters written on it: Beijing Reading Pavilion.
Below these five characters to the right are four smaller characters, which are the signature of the person who wrote the plaque: Dongliu Jushi.
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