King's Law
Across from Kaifeng Prefecture stood the Taipingxingguo Temple, and across from it stood the Qishengyuan. From there, ascending to the Sutra Library, one could overlook the main gate of Kaifeng Prefecture. As I led Cui Jianchun up the pavilion, raindrops gently fell along the eaves.
Tai Shi Zheng sniffed the scent of incense in the air and remained silent.
Cui Jianchun, however, leaned over the railing, looked at the imposing gate of Kaifeng Mansion, and asked, "Cousin, why have we come here after all this trouble?"
Zheng gazed into the distance, her eyes always focused there.
It was not until about a quarter of an hour later, looking at the carriage approaching the corner of the street, that she said in a deep voice, "Look."
Upon hearing this, Cui Jianchun looked in the direction of Taishi Zheng's finger. The eunuch beside the empress dowager led a group of people of unknown origin and appeared not far from Kaifeng Prefecture. Judging from his expression, he was lying in wait, obviously to prevent Cui Jianchun from causing trouble in Kaifeng Prefecture.
Right now, if Cui Jianchun dares to show up, the eunuchs will follow the Empress Dowager's orders and teach her a lesson.
Cui Jianchun looked at the situation over there and couldn't help but gasp.
She was utterly shocked and said, "Did mother find out? She sent someone to inform the Empress Dowager so quickly... She didn't even think of giving me a chance to live. Cousin, what should we do? How can we resist the Chu family? How can we defeat the Empress Dowager? If the Kaifeng Prefecture, under pressure, dares not accept our case, won't we fail? If that happens, you will have to worry about me and be implicated for nothing. How can I explain this to my cousin..."
Zheng had expected Chu Fanghua to go to extremes, but she had never imagined she would go so far. It was as if, aside from herself and her own reputation, there was nothing else in the world she cared about. Even Cui Jianchun.
Cui Jianchun was worried.
Zheng stood there calmly. She had done everything she could. Everything that came and went depended on fate.
Zheng looked up and saw the swallows flying across the sky, flying forward courageously into the distance.
She said, "Chun'er, there's no need to blame yourself. I did all this willingly, and no one can celebrate victory before the end. They should be the ones to be afraid, not us. In the past, they might have been able to use the power of the Chu family and the Queen Mother to quietly suppress this matter, but today, it's absolutely impossible."
Zheng narrowed her eyes. As long as Sikou Jue wanted to be the queen and Qi Liyuan was willing to let Sikou Jue be the queen, the Chu family would not be able to escape this disaster.
Zheng went to the palace a few days ago to make plans in order to defeat Chu Fanghua.
She knew that Empress Dowager Chu would definitely interfere.
But hearing the people around her talking in riddles, Cui Jianchun didn't know why Taishi Zheng was so confident. She just asked, "So, cousin, when are we going to Kaifeng Prefecture to sound the drum?"
Zheng replied, "Wait a little longer. We won't have to play the drum."
-
Inside Kaifeng Prefecture, the judge and the prosecutor stood on either side of the courtroom, watching them pace back and forth. They both raised their eyes, shook their heads, and sighed.
Just over half an hour ago, the palace had just finished its morning court session and the government office had just opened for duty when a carriage stopped outside the office. No one paid any attention to it at first until the official poked his head out of the carriage, scaring two military patrol officers who had just gone out to patrol the streets. They ran back to the office and dragged the judge Lu Jianyuan, who had just arrived on duty, out to block the attack.
Lu Jianyuan had worked in Kaifeng Prefecture for eight years and had never seen such a scene.
Lu Jianyuan followed the official into the yamen with a trembling manner, not daring to breathe. He wondered if the official had just stopped by to take a look, or was he specifically coming to inspect and supervise? Could it be that some old man from the Censorate had submitted a memorial to Kaifeng Prefecture? But Kaifeng Prefecture was presided over by the old prince, and they were diligent in their investigations and trials, not daring to slack off. Logically, this shouldn't happen...
Besides, who would dare to challenge the old prince?
Lu Jianyuan kept guessing, but couldn't figure it out. He turned and watched as the emperor sat down in the courtroom. Lu Jianyuan and the magistrate stood at the bottom of the hall, waiting for the emperor to speak and give him instructions.
Unexpectedly, Qi Liyuan sat down on the seat and fell asleep without saying a word.
Sleep...sleep?
Lu Jianyuan was shocked.
Qi Liyuan went to Zhaiyu Pavilion last night with great joy, hoping to get close to Si Kou Jue and have dinner with him. But before he could even offer a few kind words, Si Kou Jue was supervising him, working on reviewing memorials until midnight.
But to be honest, last night wasn't a complete failure. At least because it was so late, Si Kou Jue, seeing how hard he'd worked, agreed to let him stay the night. Thus, sleeping in Si Kou Jue's bed, Qi Liyuan had achieved half of his goal.
Returning to the courtroom, Qi Liyuan was snoring with his head against his chest, while everyone in the hall was restless like ants on a hot pan.
"Judge Lu, Judge Lu."
As he was walking around, a yamen runner came running in from outside. Frightened by his gruff voice, Lu Jianyuan quickly raised his hand to silence him. As the runner approached, Lu Jianyuan dragged the man out of the courtroom and whispered, "I asked you to deliver a letter to Prince Bei's mansion. What did the old prince say?"
The yamen runner looked a little embarrassed when he heard this. He replied, "The prince said... he hasn't practiced the Five Animal Exercises yet, so he won't come."
"What?" Lu Jianyuan's eyes went dark and he almost fainted outside the court.
What time is it now?
The old prince is trying to force people to death——
"Go away, what's the use of you?" Lu Jianyuan raised his hand to send the bailiff away, and walked back to the court with a dead heart. He looked at the official in the court, who seemed to be drowsy, and didn't know what he was doing. Suddenly, Qi Liyuan banged his head on the table.
This frightened everyone present.
Qi Liyuan finally came to his senses. He shook his head, staring at the dead silence in the courtroom. After a moment, he asked, "Is the government office usually so peaceful?"
Lu Jianyuan was terrified. Qi Liyuan had only asked casually, but he had begun to presume to speculate on the emperor's intentions.
Lu Jianyuan quickly echoed the emperor's words and began to flatter him, "To reply to Your Majesty, if Yuanliang is peaceful, Bianjing will be peaceful, and if Bianjing is peaceful, our capital government will be peaceful. This is all thanks to the protection of a wise ruler like Your Majesty. With this, those who want to cause trouble and chaos will naturally not dare to do evil. Hahahaha..."
Lu Jianyuan was even complacent with his answer. He just gave a look and the others followed suit.
But who would have thought that before the awkward laughter of the few people had died down, the sound of drums beating suddenly rang out outside the door, calling for justice. Along with the drums, a woman's high-pitched cry of justice came: "I am suing the Imperial Censorate, the newly-appointed Jinshi Liu Yugeng, for being treacherous, disregarding the law, colluding with the Chu family, and intending to divorce my wife and remarry. I ask all the officials of the capital government to help me redress my grievances."
At that time, there was complete silence in the courtroom.
This slap in the face came too quickly, and the beating of drums made Lu Jianyuan tremble with fear.
Qi Liyuan couldn't help laughing at his embarrassed expression. He deliberately asked, "Mr. Lu, tell me, what's going on outside?"
Lu Jianyuan gritted his teeth and replied, "To answer your Majesty, someone is beating the drum to protest..."
Qi Liyuan snorted coldly, picked up the gavel and observed, "Oh, so Lu Qing knew - if he knew, why don't you go and call him in? I have nothing to do today, so I might as well experience being the judge for a day."
What? The government wants to be the judge?
That official is a judge. What kind of official is he?
That’s it.
He has no official position to hold...
Lu Jianyuan was stunned when he heard this. Qi Liyuan slammed the gavel and shouted, "Go quickly—"
The people in the hall scattered in panic like frightened birds.
-
The sound of the injustice drum alarmed not only the judges in the government office, but also the pious people in the Sutra Library. With Bao Nian's arrival, it seemed the matter at Xingren Prefecture was settled, and Zheng could finally rest easy. Everything was ready, only the perpetrators needed to be convicted.
Cui Jianchun looked at the thin figure outside the gate of Kaifeng Mansion in surprise, "Cousin, it's Bao Nian——"
Cui Jianchun was overjoyed, but her brief joy could not suppress her sorrow.
She turned her attention to the Chu family not far away. After hearing Bao Nian's words of injustice, the ghosts who were ready to make a move said again: "Will the Queen Mother's people harm Bao Nian? Does my cousin have any countermeasures? If not, ask me to stop them."
Zheng understood Cui Jianchun's anxiety, and she patiently answered, "We have the gods' protection today, so they dare not act recklessly."
As he was speaking, the gate of Kaifeng Mansion opened wide.
Lu Jianyuan looked down at the woman who had gone outside and shouted, "Who is here to complain?"
Bao Nian saw the official emerge and immediately knelt to repeat what he had just said. Lu Jianyuan narrowed his eyes and frowned, realizing that the situation was truly serious. The Censorate, the Chu family, my goodness, this is a major case!
This matter is of no small importance. If the emperor had not come today, they would not have dared to accept this difficult lawsuit without the old prince being here.
Lu Jianyuan secretly thanked the gods for their blessing, unaware that the eunuchs were quietly approaching. Fortunately, Lu Jianyuan didn't waste any words. Seeing him turn around, she said, "You woman are always good at choosing the time. Today, the emperor is here. The emperor is impartial and will definitely give you justice. Please come in and see him——"
"Why is the official here?"
After these words were spoken, the group of eunuchs no longer dared to move forward rashly. He stopped them halfway and turned back to order, "This matter is difficult to handle. Quick, quick, return to the palace and report to the Empress Dowager."
Outside the yamen, Bao Nian couldn't believe it when he heard the word "Your Majesty".
But she still hurriedly got up and followed Lu Jianyuan into Kaifeng Prefecture as Tai Shi Zheng had expected.
In this way, the original lawsuit filed by Kaifeng Prefecture became a royal lawsuit. Chu Fanghua and Chu Shi, those two cunning people, would never have thought that this matter would gradually evolve into a contest between them and the Sikou family and the government.
-
In the Sutra Repository, Taishi Zheng remained calm and did not move.
After several ups and downs, Cui Jianchun finally found some peace of mind from the strategic planning of those around her. She no longer hesitated, but quietly waited for her opportunity.
At that time, someone went up the stairs, which aroused Cui Jianchun's vigilance.
Only when she saw that familiar smiling face did Cui Jianchun breathe a sigh of relief. She gently patted Tai Shi Zheng and said, "Cousin, someone is here."
Zheng looked back and saw Fu Yuanzi panting with exhaustion. He waved towards her, "My lady, I'm back——"
Zheng also called out softly, "Yuanzi."
Fu Yuanzi trotted all the way to Taishi Zheng and hugged her. She hugged Taishi Zheng while crying and wailing, "My wife, Yuanzi thought he would never see you again!"
Fu Yuanzi's words frightened Tai Shi Zheng.
She quickly grabbed Fu Yuanzi's shoulders and said anxiously, "Yuanzi, what's going on? Did the Chu family send people to hunt you down? Or did the government office in Xingren Prefecture torture you? Let me see where you're hurt. And why are you alone? Where's your father? Don't cry, talk to me! I'm so worried—"
When Fu Yuanzi heard this, he stopped crying and looked at Tai Shi Zheng in confusion.
Tai Shi Zheng looked at her in confusion.
Fu Yuanzi answered naively, "Ah? That's not the case. The Chu family did send people to follow us secretly, but they weren't there to kill us. Besides, how dare the Xingren government torture us? If I hadn't stopped them, the master would have almost smashed their government office..."
"Then why are you making this noise?" Zheng became even more confused.
Unexpectedly, Fu Yuanzi returned to his crying state and complained, "My wife, I want to sue! The master doesn't know how to drive a carriage! He only knows how to ride a horse! But he didn't listen to any advice. You don't know how scared I was on this trip. My insides were almost twisted into a ball... I will never ride in a carriage driven by the master again in my life. It's too scary——"
"The master himself was injured in the waist by a horse on the way back, so he went to Baohefang to see a doctor."
“…”
Zheng was silent, was it because of this?
If she hadn't told me that she was leaving things to these two weirdos at home, she would have been a hundred percent uneasy.
Cui Jianchun was amused by Fu Yuanzi's antics, and his long-held tension finally eased. Fu Yuanzi once again hugged Zheng and complained. Zheng pinched her cheek and asked, "Yuanzi, let's get down to business first. Did you get the things? Did you follow my instructions?"
Fu Yuanzi nodded and told the truth, "I got it. My master and I followed my wife's instructions and escorted Madam Bao Nian to Xingren Mansion, then pretended to go our separate ways. We thought they wouldn't take action until the next day, but who would have thought that as soon as my master and I bought two bowls of wontons at the street corner and sat down, they were so impatient to capture Bao Nian and rush to the government office. It was truly outrageous! My master and I didn't even eat the wontons, dropped the silver, and ran to the government office."
"You said it was too early to go, but it would have been a coincidence if we hadn't gone. They had just finished arranging the affairs of the government office and were about to force Bao Nian to sign the divorce agreement with Liu Yugeng's name on it, when the master rushed in with his weapon. Seeing that the situation was not good, the man even wanted to destroy the divorce agreement, saying that we would have no evidence to prove our wrongdoing."
"The master then made a scene in the court, captured the man, and snatched the divorce letter intact. Even that jerk from the Xingren government office wanted to punish our master, but as soon as our master showed his badge, the jerk was so frightened that he dared not even breathe, and kept begging the master to show mercy!"
"Now that I think about it, the master is still as powerful as ever!"
Fu Yuanzi's description was so vivid that it was even more exciting than the storyteller in the Sang family's tile house.
Zheng understood the whole story and asked, "You said you caught someone? Where is that person?"
Fu Yuanzi replied, "The master felt it was inconvenient for us to bring him and Bao Nian with us, so he found an escort agency in Xingren Prefecture and hired two escorts to bring him back. He's outside Xingguo Temple. Madam, would you like to see him?"
Zheng shook her head and said, "No need for that. I'll send someone in to see the emperor later."
"Meet the Emperor?"
"See the Emperor!"
After the words fell, Fu Yuanzi and Cui Jianchun looked at each other, not knowing what to say...
Cui Jianchun suddenly realized, could this be the person she said she wanted to meet that day?
-
The gavel in the capital government office is loud.
Lu Jianyuan brought the complainant to the court. Bao Nian knelt in front of the hall and kowtowed. Qi Liyuan saw this and slammed the table, shouting, "Who is this person in the hall?"
Bao Nian replied, "I am a commoner from Xingren Prefecture, my name is Bao Nian."
Qi Liyuan acted as a judge in a serious manner, "What do you want to sue, woman?"
Bao Nian had already read her complaint three times, but this time, facing the emperor, she was particularly serious. Although Qi Liyuan knew the whole situation, he still had to pretend to examine the case impartially. "Oh? You want to sue the Imperial Censor Liu Yugeng. Then do you know the punishment for falsely accusing an imperial official? You must think carefully."
"I am not making a false accusation. I have evidence to prove that Liu Yugeng divorced his wife and remarried." Bao Nian's voice was loud and clear, lingering on the plaque of Kaifeng Mansion.
She took out the divorce letter that had sucked her flesh and blood and presented it with both hands.
Qi Liyuan unfolded the divorce letter and was silent for a while. At this time, Lu Jianyuan invited the registrar who was in charge of household and marriage lawsuits to come over.
After General Qin stepped forward to face His Majesty, he turned and, according to protocol, began questioning Bao Nian, "Woman, please tell His Majesty the whole story, the whole process, and His Majesty will make the decision for you. But remember, do not lie, or you will be punished with caning."
Use both kindness and severity.
After saying these words, General Qin turned around and left.
Today is the government's home court, he must not overstep his authority in the slightest.
Outside the hall, she recalled all those ups and downs, from her impoverished hometown to the bustling Bianjing. From hardship to a life of wealth. To outsiders, it all seemed absurd, but when Bao Nian uttered these words for the first time, her eyes were filled with despair for a man, not a willingness to bend her back to compromise.
Bao Nian spoke of Liu Yugeng's crimes word by word, and even General Qin, who was used to taking care of many grudges and separations, felt sorry for him.
Those who are ungrateful and unrighteous in the world should be criticized and condemned.
Tai Shi Zheng and Cui Jianchun stood on the Sutra Repository where a storm was about to come. They could not hear the lawsuits in Kaifeng Prefecture, but their eyes were firmly fixed on the towering government office. They seemed to be standing behind Bao Nian, fighting with her until the last moment invisibly.
Watch and listen.
The gavel fell resolutely in the emperor's rage.
Qi Liyuan angrily cried out, "How can this be? Then, quickly send someone to the Censorate to capture that ungrateful Liu Yugeng and bring him to me—I want to see if there's still law and order in this city of Bianjing, where the emperor sits!"
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