Chapter 209 I Can Only Shamelessly Beg You (Part 1)
Chen Yi went out and rode a fast horse to the Xiayang Marquis's Mansion, but he was a step too late. The gate of the mansion had already been sealed.
Then Lord Zhang caught up with him. He felt sorry for the old man who had to ride a horse. He got off the carriage shakily and asked Shen Yi, "Lord Shen, why are you running so fast? I haven't finished what I'm saying yet."
"Master Zhang," Chen Yi asked, "Do you know who raided the house?"
"It's Duke Xin. He brought his men here early this morning, and I'm here for this very matter. This kind of thing should be handled by our Ministry of Justice, but Duke Xin didn't inform us at all. What do you think he meant? I don't know how to handle this now, and Lord Pei is not in the office, so I can only come to you to discuss it."
"Where did Master Pei go?"
"I heard he entered the palace. I guess he knows about the affairs of Marquis Xiayang's mansion." Lord Zhang sighed, "Duke Xin is going too far now. He even raided the mansion without the approval of our Ministry of Justice."
Shen Yi ignored this and immediately bowed to Master Zhang: "Master Zhang, please return to the office. I will go to the palace."
"Why......"
After Shen Yi finished speaking, he immediately jumped on his horse and quickly left the alley.
Lord Zhang opened his mouth, but had no choice but to ride back to the office to wait.
.
Here, Shen Yi was about to enter the palace, but just as he reached the palace gate, he saw Pei Xingju coming out. Seeing him, Pei Xingju winked and then got on the carriage.
Shen Yi suppressed his anxiety and followed his carriage to the teahouse.
After entering the private room, he asked directly, "What happened to the Xiayang Marquis's mansion? Duke Xin confiscated the property without authorization. Shouldn't he give an explanation to the Ministry of Justice?"
The normal process should be for the emperor to issue an order, have the document delivered to the Ministry of Justice, and then have the Ministry of Justice carry it out. However, the Ministry of Justice is clearly not under the jurisdiction of Duke Xin, and he is exceeding his authority in this way, showing complete disregard for the law.
Of course, this is not what Shen Yi cares about most. What he cares about is what crime the Xiayang Marquis Mansion was confiscated for.
Pei Xingju said, "Duke Xin has the emperor's oral instructions."
"The Emperor's oral order?" Shen Yi was surprised.
The matter must be of great importance if it can be handled directly by the emperor without going through the Ministry of Justice.
As expected, Pei Xingju continued, "Marquis Xiayang was implicated in the Lantern Festival Rebellion. He opened the Quzhou armory for the Red Wind Army without authorization. Duke Xin Guo reported this to the police, accusing him of colluding with Duan Hongyuan and being part of the rebellion."
Shen Yi was shocked when he heard this.
"How is that possible? How could Marquis Xiayang be so bold? If he had this courage, he wouldn't have been suppressed in the officialdom all these years."
"He really didn't have the courage, but it is a fact that he opened the armory without permission," said Pei Xingju.
Shen Yi sat down, knowing that this matter was probably not something he could interfere with.
After a moment, he asked, "Does the emperor believe it?"
"Whether the Emperor believes it or not is not important. What's important is that the Emperor also believes that someone must take responsibility for the Red Wind Army's affairs. Since Duan Hongyuan can't be found, it can only be Marquis Xiayang. Moreover, he can't touch Duke Xin right now."
"Why?"
"The war is still going on in Minzhou."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi understood. Marquis Xiayang had simply walked into the trap, becoming a discarded pawn in the court struggle.
"What about the women of the Marquis' Mansion? Where are they now?"
"I have already discussed this with Xin Guogong. The women of the Jiang family should have been handed over to the Ministry of Justice. If you want to see them..."
Before Pei Xingju could finish his words, Chen Yi rushed out the door.
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In the Ministry of Justice prison, Jiang Baohe, her mother, aunt and cousins were imprisoned together.
Ever since the incident happened this morning, her aunt and cousins have been complaining and scolding her mother so much that she can't even raise her head.
Third Aunt said, "In the past, the glory of the Marquis' Mansion belonged only to your eldest wife. Now that your eldest wife has fallen into sin, we have to suffer as well. All the benefits over the years have been taken away by your eldest wife. What have we gained? I am truly unlucky. How can I be a sister-in-law with people like you!"
Second Aunt also said, "Yes, what should we do now? This is a serious crime of rebellion! The Marquis is really capable. He has no other abilities, but he is good at meddling with others. He has caused our whole family to be imprisoned in a place like this. Poor Xiang'er, her marriage is to be arranged this year. She is still so young and has never suffered any hardship, but you have ruined her by your eldest wife."
Third Aunt: "I told you we should have split up the family, but the eldest branch refused, saying it would make outsiders laugh at us! If you have time to meddle in such trivial matters, why don't you take care of the Marquis? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at now? What sin have we committed to deserve being harmed like this by you?"
These two usually competed to curry favor with the eldest wife, Yu Shi, but now that the Marquis's residence was in trouble, they couldn't hide their true colors. Xiao Shi from the second wife grew increasingly angry and went straight up to pull Yu Shi's hair. The third wife saw this and also stepped forward to help.
Yu knew she was in the wrong and did not resist, allowing the two men to pin her to the ground and pull and scratch her.
Jiang Baohe jumped in shock and hurried forward to dissuade them: "What are you doing? Now that things have come to this, it's important for the family to unite and find a solution. This is in the Ministry of Justice, do you think your life is long enough?"
She turned to her cousins who were watching numbly on the side and shouted sternly, "Come and pull your mother away!"
Jiang Baohe always gave people the impression of being dignified and gentle. Seeing her lose her temper for the first time, everyone was shocked. They didn't dare to stand by and watch, and hurried over to pull the people away.
After a lot of tugging, Jiang Baohe was also pulled to stagger, and her hair was a little messy.
Just then, someone came over here, and the jailer said, "Master Shen, slow down. The person is right over here."
The torches approached, illuminating the dim dungeon.
Jiang Baohe looked up and realized that the person coming over was Shen Yi.
She was stunned for a moment, then turned around embarrassedly to fix her hair.
Shen Yi also saw it and deliberately stayed a few steps away, waiting for her to tidy up before approaching.
"Miss Jiang," he sighed in his heart. He didn't expect that the next time he would see Jiang Baohe would be in the Ministry of Justice prison.
He had been to the Ministry of Justice Prison many times, but never had he felt so complicated and heavy.
"Lord Shen." Jiang Baohe bowed.
"I've heard about your father's affairs. You..." Shen Yi moved his lips, not wanting to say too much. He only said, "Don't worry. I will help you find out. I'll tell you any news I have."
"Thank you, Lord Shen." Jiang Baohe lowered her head and didn't look at him.
Chen Yi turned to look at the women of the Jiang family. Seeing Jiang Baohe's mother being torn apart, he thought for a moment and said, "I will prepare a separate cell for you and your mother..."
He took a step closer and whispered, "I will do my best to mediate the Jiang Mansion's affairs. Although the Marquis has committed a crime, the women in his family are not guilty of capital crimes. Don't be afraid."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Baohe slowly raised her head and looked at Shen Yi seriously: "Master Shen, I know I shouldn't let anyone get involved in this matter. But since it concerns the lives of everyone in the Marquis' Mansion, I can only shamelessly ask you..."
She knelt down and said, "Please, Master Shen, do your best."
Jiang Baohe knelt in the cell. Shen Yi wanted to help her but couldn't. He stepped aside and saw that she was reluctant to get up. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "I know, Miss Jiang, there's no need to do this. I'm leaving now."
After saying that, he walked away.
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At Pei Mansion, Zhuang Wan had just finished breakfast and was about to go out when he heard that the Xiayang Marquis's mansion had been ransacked.
She no longer had the desire to go out, and immediately sent someone to inquire about the situation. She sat down in the main room and waited.
But before anyone came to inquire about the news, Pei Xingju returned first.
Pei Xingju seemed to know what she wanted to ask. As soon as he entered the main hall, he said, "Marquis Xiayang was implicated in the Lantern Festival Rebellion. The Marquis has been imprisoned, and his female relatives have been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. But don't worry, I have already made arrangements. Your friend will not suffer in prison."
Zhuang Wan was surprised: "How could it be involved in the rebellion?"
Pei Xingju explained the whole story to her, and finally said, "This matter is for the Emperor to decide. I'm afraid the Marquis of Xiayang's conviction cannot be changed."
"What about the women of the Jiang family?" Zhuang Wan asked.
"Chen Yi had already begged me before this." Pei Xingju said, "This matter is actually known to everyone. Marquis Xiayang is just a scapegoat, and his crime does not warrant the extermination of his clan. The emperor is not a monarch who kills innocent people indiscriminately. If I join forces with the court officials to petition, I think the women of the Jiang family will show some mercy."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Wan breathed a sigh of relief.
"Can I go see Sister Jiang?" she asked after a moment.
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