Yin Yichen looked at Song Wanning and chuckled softly, "Whether it's troublesome or not, it has to be done. I'm afraid this matter can't be rushed. I'll go and take a look first. I won't stand idly by if I can get him out of jail. He is Madam's lifesaver. I said before that I would repay his kindness with Madam."
Song Wanning said softly, "Then I'll wait for you at home."
Yin Yichen responded and said immediately, "I'll go take a look inside the cell. You can just rest well at home. The business in the shop will naturally be taken care of by the servants. You don't have to worry too much."
"I understand." Song Wanning said, and watched Yin Yichen get off the carriage, then got on his own carriage and went to the Ministry of War.
Song Wanning understood that Yin Yichen was always cautious in his actions, and she finally felt relieved. It was finally dark when Song Wanning saw Yin Yichen coming back from outside, but his face was not looking good.
Seeing this, Song Wanning hurried forward and asked Yin Yichen, "What happened? Why do you look so grim?"
Yin Yichen sighed, "The grain administration has never been my responsibility, although I used to have the right to inquire about it. But now, the emperor has given all the grain administration to Gu Jie. Because of this, Gu Jie can be so arrogant and domineering, and he doesn't take the court officials seriously. I went there to ask about it, but the officials under him all evaded the question, saying that Gu Jie is in charge of the grain administration now. So I had to use my power to pressure them, so I went in to take a look. Pei Xuanzhi didn't seem to be tortured much in there, and he didn't seem to be beaten. I specifically instructed the jailers not to beat or insult him."
Seeing Yin Yichen say this, Song Wanning didn't understand in her heart. Now she was afraid that Pei Xuanzhi's life was in danger. The emperor was incompetent and treacherous ministers were in power. She didn't expect that the first people to become cannon fodder would be the Pei family.
"Is there no room for maneuver?" Song Wanning sighed inwardly as she looked at Yin Yichen's expression. "The Pei family only has this one son. If he were to die, I'm afraid my uncle and aunt would be heartbroken."
Pei Xuanzhi and Song Wanning had known each other since childhood, and Pei Xuanzhi had saved her life. It was impossible for Song Wanning to watch Pei Xuanzhi fall into an irretrievable situation.
Seeing this, Yin Yichen looked helpless and said slowly to Song Wanning, "Nine out of ten things in this world don't go as planned. I went to the grain department and asked around, and they found some evidence of corruption and abuse of power. They said it was collected from a distant relative of the Pei family. Now if we want to overturn the verdict, we have no choice but to start from here."
Seeing this, Song Wanning looked at Yin Yichen and said, "You have a lot of official business to attend to, and you've been running around a lot today. You should rest early. Only when you have rested well will you be able to work with energy."
Yin Yichen nodded slightly after hearing this and specifically reminded him, "I have to go to the palace first tomorrow. You should rest well at home and don't walk around. Everything will be settled after I come back."
Song Wanning smiled faintly and responded.
The next morning, Song Wanning did not stay in the Prime Minister's Mansion as Yin Yichen wanted, but went to the Pei family.
Song Wanning met with Madam Pei and Master Pei and asked about her doubts. "I heard yesterday that Xuanzhi's situation was caused by a distant relative of the Pei family who worked in the grain department and had connections with the Pei family's business, which implicated Xuanzhi. I just don't know what this person's background is. Uncle and aunt, please think about it carefully."
Upon hearing this, Master Pei's expression suddenly turned sour. Madam Pei, standing beside him, burst into tears and blamed Master Pei, "I told you from the beginning not to bring all your aunt's relatives into your family. You actually brought such relatives back and gave them such a lucrative job as the grain director. Look at you now. You've brought our son into trouble."
Master Pei sighed and explained the whole story to Song Wanning. "This man is actually the son of my eldest brother's sister-in-law's younger sister, named Sun Ming. My eldest brother's sister-in-law wanted him to come to the capital to work, and she wrote to me asking for help. I thought it would be a good idea to arrange for him to work in the grain department. My sister-in-law would be happy when she found out, and our family has the ability to do that. But who could have known that something like this would go wrong? This child usually looks honest and well-behaved, but who could have thought that he would do something like this? I guess it's all my fault, but now, is there any way I can save Xuanzhi..."
Song Wanning lowered her head in thought, then spoke to Master Pei and Madam Pei, "Uncle and Aunt, do you know if this Sun Mingyuan who committed the crime has any other relatives in the capital?"
Mrs. Pei quickly replied, "His wife and son are still in the capital. They haven't left yet."
"Send someone to keep a close eye on them and don't let them get away. If we need a confession later, even if Sun Ming denies it, he'll still admit it for the sake of the child." Song Wanning's face turned slightly cold as she spoke, "This man has committed a crime now, and I'm afraid he's trying to shift the blame onto Xuanzhi. Although the Pei family has connections, they're ultimately a business family. They can't compare to officials in Liangdao. I do know someone in Liangdao, so I'm going on this trip to find out more about the situation."
Mrs. Pei and Master Pei were both moved upon seeing this and came forward, "Wan Ning, our Xuan Zhi is truly blessed to have known you. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid we would have nowhere to turn to."
"Aunt and uncle, don't worry too much. There is still room for maneuver." Song Wanning looked at the two of them, smiled slightly, and then went out.
The place she went to was none other than the Pingyuan Marquis Mansion. Fang Sui, the husband of Liu Yuyuan from the Pingyuan Marquis Mansion, was the current grain inspector. It would be good if she could find him to understand the situation.
Song Wanning got off the carriage and asked the servant at the door to inform him. Liu Yuyuan's mother came out quickly and took Song Wanning into the house.
Song Wanning entered the mansion from the west door and finally met Liu Yuyuan in the backyard.
"I was just thinking about you, I didn't expect you to come." Liu Yuyuan and Song Wanning were close friends, so Liu Yuyuan naturally didn't hesitate to greet Song Wanning. She smiled at her and said, "But you didn't come here to chat with me today. I'm afraid you have something important to tell me."
"Your husband is an official in the grain department. Does he know what's going on with Pei Xuanzhi from the Pei Mansion?" Song Wanning said anxiously, "Now Pei Xuanzhi is in jail, and his parents are almost dying of worry."
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