Chapter 86
Duan Nanqi was busy all day and it was already time for dinner when he returned home.
Jiang Lingyao did not rush to ask him about the affairs in the palace. She just asked the kitchen to serve dinner and also had someone serve two bowls of lily and mung bean soup.
The mung bean soup had just been diluted with well water. It was icy and had a hint of sweetness from rock sugar. It quenched my thirst as it slid down my throat.
Jiang Lingyao slowly drank half a bowl of wine before Duan Nanqi washed, changed his clothes and came to the dining room.
It was a hot summer day, and he was only wearing a light green crepe dress, which made him look quite elegant.
Seeing that he looked calm and not upset, Jiang Lingyao felt relieved and said, "Have a bowl of soup to whet your appetite first, then have dinner."
Duan Nanqi nodded: "Okay."
After drinking the soup, the couple began to eat.
Today's dinner includes a dish of shredded chicken cold noodles, mixed with sesame sauce, and topped with shredded chicken, shredded cucumber, shredded radish, and so on. It tastes quite refreshing.
Duan Nanqi ate the whole bowl in one gulp, then heaved a sigh of relief: "I'm so hungry."
Because of a sudden case at noon, he only ate two pieces of cakes before starting to work on the case. After the case was done, he hurried back to the palace, having been hungry for almost the entire day.
Now that he was finally half full, Duan Nanqi's brows relaxed.
When Jiang Lingyao saw him pick up the teacup and take a sip, she asked Xingyun and Wenzhu to take the servant downstairs and close the dining room door.
When there were only two people and a table of dishes left in the dining room, Jiang Lingyao finally spoke: "Have you seen my father?"
Duan Nanqi changed to a bowl of wontons and ate slowly, saying, "I saw it. I went to the palace to see His Majesty, but His Majesty was summoning the elders, so I waited for two quarters of an hour. After the elders left, I was called into the study."
"Father-in-law arrived very quickly. His Majesty seemed to know why he came, so he asked him to come into the study and listen to the progress of the case together."
When Jiang Lingyao heard this, she couldn't help but feel moved.
It seems that for Your Majesty, Duan Nanqi and my father are the people Your Majesty trusts more, while this is not the case for several other ministers.
Seeing that Jiang Lingyao understood what he meant, Duan Nanqi continued, "I first reported the case to your majesty that the fake Xue Dingshan was dead, and the real Xue Dingshan was in a coma and was being treated with all efforts."
"Your Majesty did not say much, only telling my father-in-law that he was very blessed."
Jiang Lingyao heard this and asked curiously, "What kind of blessing?"
Duan Nanqi glanced at Jiang Lingyao, and was rarely pleased with himself: "My daughter and son-in-law are both so capable, and they have solved major cases. They are lucky."
Jiang Lingyao couldn't help laughing.
Duan Nanqi looked at her frown and raised the corners of his lips, revealing a faint smile.
"In Yu's study, my father-in-law also laughed like this. You are really similar to him."
Jiang Lingyao paused slightly when she heard this, but she did not retract the smile on her face. She just raised her eyes and looked at Duan Nanqi.
The two people's eyes met in the air, creating a heart-pounding spark.
Jiang Lingyao asked softly: "Did you guess something?"
Duan Nanqi sighed: "Yes and no."
Jiang Lingyao pondered for a moment and then understood. She didn't know whether it was fate or the grace of upbringing, but she and Jiang Zhisheng had some similarities between father and daughter. No matter who saw her, they would not mistake her for not being a member of the Jiang family.
Jiang Lingyao looked towards Duan Nanqi and saw that he had a calm expression and was not anxious at all, so she gradually relaxed.
But before Jiang Lingyao could say more, Duan Nanqi spoke first: "Yaoyao, what I am about to say may be similar to yours, but my past is very complicated, and I don't know if I can solve the case."
Regarding the Qiao family case, since the real Xue Dingshan has been found and the interrogation files from that year are still there, Jiang Lingyao is so happy about solving the case today because the case can be solved and the injustice of that year can be cleared.
It doesn't get any better than this.
That's why she wanted to confide in Duan Nanxi and tell her her deepest secret.
But Duan Nanxi is different.
There are not many clues in his case so far, only Xue Dingshan is involved.
But it is true that Xue Dingshan had been imprisoned for so many years and was in a coma. Duan Nanqi didn't know whether he could wake up, and even if he did, whether he would know what happened in the past.
If you are lucky, you can get new clues, but if you are unlucky, everything will be in vain.
However, looking at Jiang Lingyao's eyes, Duan Nanqi could guess that she wanted to tell the truth. Since she trusted him so much and was ready to entrust her life to him, he could not hesitate and keep the secret to himself.
I must tell her all this and then plan our future together.
Jiang Lingyao paused after hearing what Duan Nanqi said, then she laughed: "Okay, then you go first."
Duan Nanqi put down the spoon in his hand, took a sip of tea, and looked at Jiang Lingyao seriously.
When he frowned and focused, he had an aura of majesty without even getting angry, but Jiang Lingyao was not afraid of him at all. She only felt that Duan Nanqi was handsome in a different way.
Duan Nanqi didn't hesitate for long and spoke directly: "Yaoyao, did you know that in addition to the case of Master Qiao, there was also a major treason case during the Tianyou years?"
Jiang Lingyao's eyes widened suddenly: "Are you talking about General Duan?"
As soon as these three words were spoken, Jiang Lingyao suddenly shut her mouth and guessed most of the story.
Duan Nanqiao lowered his brows, and his voice remained steady when he spoke. Only his slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed the depression in his heart.
"Is there anyone who still remembers General Duan?" Duan Nanqi sighed. "Sixteen years have passed, and to still have someone remembering him shows that his passion has not cooled down."
Duan Nanqi looked at Jiang Lingyao and said, "Sixteen years ago, General Duan Duo led the army to defend Ganzhou. When Yesen attacked, the general led a vanguard battalion of 10,000 people to fight back. Yesen also sent elite troops. The battle was so intense that it lasted for ten days without a clear winner."
"General Duan thought that this move was not feasible. If the battle was delayed, both sides would suffer losses and it would be difficult to determine the winner. So he used the tiger talisman to dispatch 50,000 troops from the central army to encircle Yesen."
Jiang Lingyao only had a vague idea of what had happened and had not heard the battle situation so clearly.
She couldn't help but sit up straight, frowning slightly, and listened more seriously.
Duan Nanqi's voice gradually deepened: "However, his tiger talisman did not bring in a large army, but he did receive an urgent imperial edict of 800 li."
"The imperial edict was written. General Duan's deputy general Du Botao wrote in his real name, saying that General Duan colluded with Yesen, framed the army, and even stole the imperial seal and wanted to hand it to Yesen in an attempt to shake the foundation of the country."
"The late emperor ordered him to withdraw his troops quickly and return to the court as soon as possible to await trial."
Jiang Lingyao was terrified when she heard this.
Duan Nanqi continued, "At that time, Yesen had already sent additional cavalry. General Duan was already at the end of his strength. He waited for reinforcements in vain, but received such an imperial edict. The result can be imagined."
"In the end..." Duan Nanqi's voice choked with sobs, "In the end, this battle was a big loss, General Duan disappeared, and Du Botao, who reported General Duan, was also killed by General Duan's angry old subordinates, completely cutting off the clues."
"In addition to Du Botao's confession and the fact that the Thousand Machine Box was indeed lost, the court believed that General Duan was colluding with foreign tribes and attempting treason. Not afraid of unrest at the border, they secretly controlled General Duan's family in Ganzhou to force General Duan to show up."
Duan Duo was a brave general. He was loyal to the emperor and loved his country and the people. He risked his life in many battles, protected countless people on the border, and firmly preserved Ganzhou.
For the people living along the border, he is their god of war and their hope for peace, stability and reproduction.
If Duan Duo's treason were exposed, the consequences would be disastrous.
Jiang Lingyao understood as soon as she heard it. She was not from the border area. She had lived in Yanjing since she was a child. She was only three years old when General Duan sacrificed his life for the country, but she had heard the people praising General Duan's deeds when she was young.
Duan Nanqi lowered his eyes and said, "But the court waited for a long time, and only waited for General Duan's body and the intact Thousand Machine Box, and also waited for the news that General Duan's family hanged themselves. This case can only become a palace secret file and be sealed in the Fengxian Hall."
"Having experienced the events of the early years and the restoration, the late emperor knew how to save face. He did not lose his mind in anger, but secretly dealt with the people involved in the case. He also gave General Duan a grand funeral, and the court was filled with weeping and the scene was extremely touching."
He clearly forced his loyal ministers and good generals to death, but in the end he saved face for himself and became a good emperor who loved his loyal ministers.
Duan Nanqi couldn't help but sneer: "I wonder if he went to the underworld to atone for his sins a hundred years later."
All the important officials in the Tianyou Dynasty knew about this case, and the court never discussed it. It was only because the previous emperor felt guilty and did not dare to discipline the people too much that Duan Duo's deeds spread throughout the country.
As for what the Emperor imprisoned in the Forbidden City felt after hearing this, no one knows.
Jiang Lingyao raised her eyes and looked towards Duan Nanqi, and Duan Nanqi's gaze also happened to fall on her.
He whispered, "I am General Duan's youngest son."
Jiang Lingyao had already guessed Duan Nanqi's identity when Duan Nanqi just started telling the case, but she did not expect that Duan Nanqi was actually Duan Duo's youngest son.
Seeing that she was not surprised at all, Duan Nanqi couldn't help but sigh with a smile: "My grandparents were from the same hometown as my father in his early years. They followed him to fight bravely against the enemy. Later, my grandparents got married, and my father sent them back to Yanjing to find a job in the Central Army. Since they seemed to have no connection with each other, no one knew about this past."
"It happened by chance that I was only three years old when the incident happened. I was born weak and could not adapt to the climate of Ganzhou. My father discussed with my mother and sent me back to Beijing to be raised for a while. When my wet nurse and several servants were sending me back to Beijing, something happened in Ganzhou. My father's personal guards got on the carriage and took me to hide all the way. It was not easy to get back to Beijing."
Duan Nanqi has no memory of his childhood. Three years old was too young. He did not witness the tragic deaths of his parents and relatives, and he has no memory of anything about the Duan family.
When he talked about this past event, he seemed calm and not at all grief-stricken.
But Jiang Lingyao still reached out and held his hand on the table, giving him the warmth that comforted his heart.
There were few sweet words between the two of them, but the sight of each other holding hands was a promise more precious than any oath made to each other.
Duan Nanqi lowered his eyes and said slowly, "I grew up in the Duan family. My grandparents told me the truth since I was a child. I also consider myself a member of the Duan family, but my father and his family cannot die unjustly like this. I have not forgotten this hatred and I will never forget it."
"The late emperor has passed away, but there are still evil spirits lurking in the dark, hiding in this brightly lit court."
Duan Nanqi looked at Jiang Lingyao steadily, enunciating each word with great clarity.
"I will pull out these evil ghosts one by one and strip them of the human skins they are wearing."
————
Jiang Lingyao squeezed Duan Nanqi's hand, giving him silent comfort.
The coldness in Duan Nanqi's eyes was gradually dispelled by the warmth in his hands. He lowered his eyes to look at the two people's clasped hands and said in a whisper: "Fortunately, the present is different from the previous emperor."
Jiang Lingyao just spoke up: "So, you joined the Jinyiwei a long time ago?"
Duan Nanqi nodded and said, "Your Majesty knows my status and asked me if I wanted to join the Jinyiwei in my early years. If I can gain a firm foothold in the Jinyiwei, I will be a loyal official in the Xuanhua Dynasty. When the court is stable, I can overturn my father's verdict."
Although the Duan family has a good reputation among the public, in history books, they will always be traitors, and Duan Nanqi cannot let his father be insulted and scolded by future generations.
Jiang Lingyao heaved a sigh of relief when she heard that His Majesty knew Duan Nanqi's identity.
Seeing that she was relieved, Duan Nanqi gradually regained a smile on his face: "Don't be afraid, His Majesty is good at selecting the right people for the right positions. He saw that I could lead the Jinyiwei, so he handed it over to me without asking anyone else. He not only wanted me to overturn my father's verdict, but also wanted to clean up the government and the flaws left over from the Tianyou Dynasty."
He only used the word "flaw", which was already very subtle.
Duan Nanqi's eyes fell on Jiang Lingyao's face: "Of course, this also includes the case of Master Qiao."
Jiang Lingyao's heart moved. She took a deep breath and said, "Did you guess it?"
Duan Nanqi nodded and said, "When you first said your last name was Qiao, I made some guesses, but then I learned that your master was Master Qiao Sheng, so I thought you borrowed Master Qiao's last name and didn't think any more about it."
Jiang Zhisheng was originally the favorite student of Tutor Qiao. Jiang Lingyao was born in the Jiang family and changed her surname to Qiao. It was difficult for Duan Nanqi not to think deeply.
However, at the beginning of their marriage, both of them were quite wary of each other. He did not ask Jiang Lingyao, nor would he casually investigate in private.
Now it is different.
They are no longer strangers testing each other, but fellow travelers who have walked together hand in hand.
Jiang Lingyao nodded, with a hint of regret between her brows: "My story is actually very simple. Everyone in Yanjing knows about the Qiao family and my grandfather's affairs. Now that I have found Xue Dingshan, I will combine the clues into one and tell you in detail."
"My grandfather was initially framed. No one knows who made the accusation. All we know is that someone accused my grandfather of plotting to destabilize the country and usurp the throne, so the court ordered the Jinyiwei to investigate," Jiang Lingyao said in a low voice. "My grandfather had many students, including the Crown Prince at the time. The court naturally did not dare to torture my grandfather."
"However, two students, one named Li Xin and the other named Zhao Zhong, suddenly changed their statements after being interrogated by an official from the Jinyi Guards, saying that my grandfather had indeed had an affair with the orphan of Emperor Jingde and was plotting to usurp the throne."
"The late emperor's attitude towards Emperor Jingde was known to the whole country. Whenever the matter of Emperor Jingde was involved, the late emperor would rarely remain calm. Even after the two students 'confessed', a servant in my family said that at the end of the sixth year of Tianyou, there was indeed an unknown child in the family, but no one in the family was allowed to say anything until they were severely tortured and confessed."
Jiang Lingyao's eyes were dark and her voice was getting colder. "My father told me that someone whispered in the late emperor's ear that my grandfather was hiding the orphan of Emperor Jingde and wanted to support the orphan to ascend to the throne. Once Emperor Jingde was involved, the case became a mess."
During the Tianyou period, because the previous emperor was restored to the throne and became emperor again, he was extremely sensitive to everything about Emperor Jingde. He would get angry on the spot whenever he heard the name of Emperor Jingde.
His prince's teacher, the Grand Tutor with many students all over the world, actually had a private relationship with Emperor Jingde and even hid Emperor Jingde's orphan. How could the late emperor tolerate this?
If Emperor Xuanhua had not knelt down and begged for mercy, and if countless upright students had not pleaded for Tutor Qiao, the Qiao family would have been spared the fate of being executed and beheaded in public.
"But my whole family still died," Jiang Lingyao said, "What's the difference between hanging and beheading?"
Yes, isn’t it the same for the Duan family?
Having said this, the two of them couldn't help but tighten their clasped hands.
Jiang Lingyao said: "I was only three years old that year. I didn't understand anything and I don't remember anything. But I will never forget the backs of my grandfather, father and mother, all dressed in mourning, as they resolutely entered the ancestral hall on that snowy night."
At that time, she was held in Jiang Zhisheng's arms. She didn't know what had happened. She only knew that tears kept falling, drop by drop, falling on the white ground like snowflakes.
That was the last time Jiang Lingyao saw her relatives in person, and for the rest of her life, she kept recalling the memories and forcing her young self to memorize the faces of every one of them.
She can't forget, and dare not forget.
"My father brought me back to the Jiang family. I fell seriously ill and it took me a year of treatment before I recovered," Jiang Lingyao said of her parents, her voice becoming a little more gentle. "Later, I became the sixth daughter of the Jiang family."
Duan Nanqi asked, "Your Majesty, do you know your identity?"
Jiang Lingyao paused for a moment, and then she said, "I have never met His Majesty, so I don't know if His Majesty knows about this, but judging from what my father said, His Majesty probably knows about this."
Duan Nanqi nodded thoughtfully: "Tell me, is it because His Majesty knows our identities that he granted us the marriage?"
Jiang Lingyao was a little surprised: "Why?"
Duan Nanqi said, "Today, I was in Yu's study, and my father-in-law happened to be there, and His Majesty mentioned it."
"His Majesty told my father-in-law that he had chosen this son-in-law carefully, who lived up to the teacher's teachings and fulfilled his promise to the teacher," Duan Nanqi said word by word. "His Majesty said that he had not expected the teacher's granddaughter to be so amazing and solve strange cases. She and Nanqi are a perfect match and will definitely clear the injustice."
Jiang Lingyao's eyes widened and she suddenly understood.
"That's why my job as a judge went so smoothly. The noble concubine has always been indifferent to the affairs of the court, but she was able to ask His Majesty to give me this sixth-rank official position."
"Your Majesty wants to see if I have the ability and determination to solve the Qiao family's injustice."
In the first few months as a judge, Jiang Lingyao showed extraordinary abilities, while Duan Nanqi had already established himself in the Jinyiwei and became its true leader.
In this way, the two sides cooperated and might be able to solve the old case.
It can also clarify the unjust cases that have accumulated over the years.
Thus, the matter of gifted marriage came into being.
Thinking of this, Jiang Lingyao took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty is really..."
What a great plan.
Duan Nanqi hummed, looked at Jiang Lingyao, and suddenly laughed.
"My lady, it seems that we are both orphans of traitors, and no one can despise the other."
His words swept away the depressing atmosphere, and Jiang Lingyao also frowned. After confessing the secret, she felt extremely happy and no longer felt depressed.
Jiang Lingyao asked with a smile: "In that case, then what my husband wanted to check at that time wasn't the Yu Yongtu?"
Duan Nanqi said: "Yes and no."
"Your Majesty really wants to open the Thousand Machine Box, so he asked the Royal Guard to search for the first few maps. However, my father was wrongly killed in the case of the map, and it even happened when the two countries were at war. If my father surrendered to the enemy out of anger, the consequences would be disastrous. Your Majesty thinks that the person who designed this plan is quite vicious, and he must track down the mastermind behind it."
Jiang Lingyao suddenly realized: "I understand."
Duan Nanqi said: "Now that the case has been investigated to this point, His Majesty has also talked about the old relationship."
Duan Nanqi waved to Jiang Lingyao, asked her to sit next to him, and whispered in her ear: "This Thousand Secret Box was made by the Yuyongjian, and was specially ordered to be made when the late emperor restored the throne. After Your Majesty was named the Crown Prince, the late emperor sealed the imperial seal and a letter left by Emperor Xuanzong before his death into the Thousand Secret Box, and left a recipe for unlocking the Thousand Secret Box in the palace."
Jiang Lingyao was so surprised that she almost lost her breath.
This Thousand Machine Box was actually made by the late emperor himself.
Duan Nanqi said: "Originally, the Thousand Machine Box was stored in the Forbidden City, in the main hall where the late emperor lived. But it disappeared into the palace without a sound, along with Jie Fang."
The loss of the Thousand Machine Box made the late emperor like a frightened bird, and he could not sleep at night.
"At this time, someone reported my father for treason and stealing the Qianji Box, which immediately angered the late emperor."
Jiang Lingyao suddenly said, "My husband, you have noticed that regardless of whether the person behind the scenes is the same person, these two cases have similarities."
"They all knew the late emperor's weaknesses, what he feared the most, what he hated the most, and what would cause him to lose his mind and become furious."
Taking advantage of these weaknesses, the people behind the scenes firmly grasped the late emperor and used him to get rid of his loyal ministers one by one.
Duan Nanqi's face was slightly cold: "That's right, so Your Majesty believes that the person behind this must be an important official of the two dynasties, and he is hiding very deeply, has many followers, and is hiding very secretly."
Jiang Lingyao felt a chill in her heart and even her palms were cold.
Duan Nanqi squeezed her hand, and without hesitation, he put his arms around her waist and held her in his arms.
His broad chest gave Jiang Lingyao strength and warmth.
"Don't be afraid. Look, His Majesty is not in a hurry," Duan Nanqi said. "Your Majesty knew that these people were eyeing the throne under him, but so what? Whether it was during the Tianyou Dynasty or now, these people have made all kinds of moves, but they still cannot prevent him from ascending the throne smoothly."
"Today, the court has become stable, and it is increasingly difficult for the other side to take action. It is time to root out the evil forces, restore peace to the world, and restore the loyalty of the loyal ministers."
Jiang Lingyao took a deep breath and said, "Yes, it's time."
The two of them sat quietly for a while before Duan Nanqi said, "Next, it depends on whether Xue Dingshan can wake up. If he wakes up, the case will be much easier to investigate. If he doesn't wake up, Your Majesty is not prepared to wait any longer."
Duan Nanqi said, "My father and your grandfather were both your majesty's teachers. The other party caused the deaths of your two teachers and many ambitious officials to become discouraged. Your majesty has decided not to be lenient."
"There are still many religious ceremonies in Guiyin Temple, and Xue Dingshan still has some good friends. If the real Xue Dingshan can't speak, let these people tell the truth."
“Someone always knows the truth.”
Jiang Lingyao made a gesture with her eyes and suddenly asked, "What about Wen Li?"
Jiang Lingyao patted her on the back and said with a smile, "The Jinyiwei has already conducted a round of interrogation. He didn't say anything. I guess he is still feeling lucky."
"But it will be soon."
Duan Nanqi lowered his head and looked at her, his eyes firm and powerful.
"Your Majesty has issued an order for my father-in-law to lead the close officials of the Ministry of Justice. I will lead the Jinyiwei and Lord Yao to review this case with you," Duan Nanqi said, with infinite expectations in his eyes, "As long as their hands are stained with blood, there will always be flaws. One by one, no one will be let go."
Jiang Lingyao took a deep breath and said, "Okay."
She paused and asked, "When did it start?"
Duan Nanqi smiled.
He patted Jiang Lingyao's back gently, as if he was comforting his deceased relative with her, or as if he was comforting each other.
"It starts tomorrow."
"Those evil ghosts will never be able to kill people again."
Jiang Lingyao smiled and said, "Okay, let's start tomorrow."
After they finished talking, they couldn't help but smile at each other. In their eyes and brows, there was not only the relief that the case was about to be solved, but also the joy of being in tune with each other.
Once the two of them were "arbitrarily matched", they ended up getting a perfect match.
It’s the time and the fate.
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