Chapter 75 Hoping Your Excellency will handle this matter impartially.
Gu Nanxiao listened to his mother's twisted and accusatory questions, feeling utterly exhausted. He had long since stopped trying to reason with his father, knowing he was unreasonable. But now he realized he couldn't communicate with his mother either.
Yunxi is clearly the victim, yet the blame for disrupting the family is arbitrarily pinned on her. Shen Yujiao is clearly the wicked woman who caused the harm, but because of her status, she is protected by her mother and the Empress Dowager. All of this is so unfair to Yunxi.
But it was precisely because of this that he became even more determined to marry Yunxi with the respect due to a principal wife, and to give her all the dignity she deserved.
So what if she's a noble lady? She's still foolish, vicious, and ruthless, not even a fraction as good as Yunxi. His little girl deserves the best of everything in this world.
Based on Yunxi's talent alone, he deserves the respect of the world, just as he did when he was at the border. There, no one cares about your background, whether you are a prince or a farmer. When it comes to fighting on the battlefield, it's all about strength.
Ignoring his mother's warning, Gu Nanxiao strode over to Shen Yujiao, grabbed her hair, and lifted her up, his eyes fierce as he said:
"I remember warning you not to provoke Yunxi. Since you won't listen, I'll teach you a lesson."
Before she could finish speaking, a slap imbued with internal force struck Shen Yujiao's left cheek. The impact sent her flying, landing five meters away, whimpering as she coughed up blood and three fallen teeth.
Seeing her miserable state, Gu Nanxiao showed no pity whatsoever. Instead, he disgustedly shook off the hair he had pulled out and ordered Mo Yu, "Take her with you and escort her to the Dali Temple along with the imperial physician!"
It wasn't until everyone inside the house had left that the princess recovered from her shock. She chased after Gu Nanxiao into the courtyard in a fit of rage and yelled, "Xiao'er, your mother orders you to release Jiaojiao immediately!"
Seeing that her son completely ignored her, not even turning his head, she angrily ordered the guards in the courtyard, "Go and stop him! Go now!"
The guards looked at each other, but all lowered their heads. Not one of them dared to step forward to stop them. The princess was so angry that her eyes reddened. She could only watch helplessly as her son took the man away.
Shen Yujiao panicked when she heard her cousin say he was going to send her to the Dali Temple. Ignoring her throbbing left cheek, she mumbled a plea for mercy:
"Cousin, please forgive Jiaojiao. I really know I was wrong this time. I will never dare to lay a hand on Miss Zhao again."
But Shen Yujiao's pleas didn't even elicit a glance from Gu Nanxiao; instead, they attracted the attention of the servants and maids in the mansion, who gathered around and whispered among themselves.
All the way, Shen Yujiao was lifted up and dragged around like a chick. When they arrived at the gate of the mansion, she was violently shoved into the carriage by the guards.
The people sitting in the carriage together included Gu Nanxiao, Yunxi, the physician, and Moyu. Gu Nanxiao's fury and the cramped space inside the carriage made everyone feel very oppressed.
Yunxi glanced at the physician who was nearly fainting, and then at Shen Yujiao, whose hair was disheveled and whose left cheek was so swollen that her eye was almost blocked by her throat. She was somewhat satisfied with Gu Nanxiao's handling of the situation.
However, she didn't believe the Court of Judicial Review would handle the matter impartially, and even if they did, Shen Yujiao probably wouldn't receive a severe punishment. After all, in this world, she was merely a lowly maid, while Shen Yujiao was a true member of the royal family.
But Yunxi had long since given up hope that the world would not be fair to people, because she could personally seek justice for herself.
Shen Yujiao wants to die without an heir, right? Then she should suffer the same pain; that's only fair. After all, in Yunxi's creed, every act of kindness or evil should be repaid with sincerity.
As Yunxi had predicted, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, upon learning Shen Yujiao's identity, began to smooth things over, smiling obsequiously as he spoke to Gu Nanxiao:
"In the end, this matter is a family affair of the Marquis. Why don't we resolve it behind closed doors and not file a case with the authorities?"
Gu Nanxiao had anticipated the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review's attitude. He tightened his grip on Yunxi's hand, and a cold glint flashed in his narrowed peach blossom eyes, making the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review feel a chill run down his spine. He hurriedly changed his words:
"Since Your Excellency insists on pursuing this matter, why not punish him as a warning and give him... ten strokes of the cane?"
Seeing Gu Nanxiao's face darken even more, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review changed his mind again and said, "Give him twenty strokes of the cane! If that's not enough, give him thirty."
Yunxi, no longer wanting to witness this farce, began to struggle free from Gu Nanxiao's grasp, trying to leave. But Gu Nanxiao held her tightly, refusing to let go. He turned and warned the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review:
“Lord Li, if you cannot give me a satisfactory answer today, the person you keep in Wenqing Alley and the child she gave birth to will appear in your mansion tonight.”
Upon hearing this, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review turned deathly pale. He abandoned his previous joking manner and cautiously asked, "What kind of outcome would satisfy you, Lord Marquis?"
Upon hearing his question, Gu Nanxiao did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Yunxi beside him and, changing his previous cold attitude, asked in a gentle voice, "What do you think should be done to appease her?"
Yunxi hadn't expected Gu Nanxiao to ask her this. Did he really think that if she told him to kill Shen Yujiao, he would do it? But at this moment, Yunxi was more curious about how Gu Nanxiao would handle this matter.
Is it just a pretense of gentle handling to make her happy, or is it genuinely hating what she hates and truly seeking revenge for her?
So Yunxi shook her head and said, "I can't give an answer. After all, this person is your cousin. How you want to handle it is entirely up to you, her cousin."
Gu Nanxiao knew that Yunxi would not give up. Now that she said this, she was clearly testing him. It seemed that this matter had not only damaged their relationship, but also the trust between them.
Gu Nanxiao pinched Yunxi's cheek with a wry smile, then turned to the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review with a cold face and said, "Lord Li, you can handle this according to the maximum penalty."
Furthermore, when the Shen family sends people, no favoritism or abuse of power should be tolerated; otherwise, our Imperial Guard will thoroughly investigate whether Lord Li has also engaged in corrupt practices in the past.”
Despite it being the hottest time of June or July, Lord Li was startled and broke out in a cold sweat. It was also the first time he had directly faced the oppressive aura of Marquis Gu.
Thinking to himself, "No wonder he's royalty; at only twenty-two, he already possesses such a powerful aura." He awkwardly wiped the cold sweat from his brow and quickly replied:
"Rest assured, my lord, I will handle this matter impartially and will never dare to bend the law for personal gain, nor will I release prisoners privately."
After speaking, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review returned to his seat in the high hall and ordered the yamen runners to bring two chairs. After Gu Nanxiao led Yunxi to sit down, he slammed the curtain and began to seriously hear the case.
Shen Yujiao was completely uncooperative throughout, either making baseless accusations or using family matters to pressure people. Under normal circumstances, this might have had some effect.
Having just been reprimanded by Gu Nanxiao, how could the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review possibly take her petty tricks seriously? He had already made up his mind.
Based solely on the testimony of the imperial physician and the physical evidence of the ten-thousand-tael silver note, Shen Yujiao was convicted of poisoning and murder, sentenced to thirty strokes of the cane in court, imprisoned for three months, and then exiled to the northern frontier.
Gu Nanxiao nodded with satisfaction upon hearing the result and reiterated, "I will have people keep an eye on the execution by the Dali Temple. I hope Lord Li will keep his word."
As he turned to leave the hall with Yunxi in his hand, Shen Yujiao suddenly lunged at him and grabbed his robe by the hem.
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