Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Since you are innocent, Your Majesty, in what name...
"Jinyu, don't you stay at home for a few more days?" Xuan Wenwei asked again.
Today is the day when the Su family is exiled. The Ministry of War specially allows Xuan Jinyu not to go to the death row of the Ministry of Justice with the Su family, but to be sent to Shili Pavilion outside the city by the Xuan family.
She was going to wait here for the Su family members who were coming on foot from the capital.
Xuan Jinyu was being held in Lin Qingwan's arms. Upon hearing this, she shook her head and said, "Big Brother, if I stay home for one more day, they will stay in prison for one more day."
Just as Lin Qingwan and Old Madam Su said that day, how could she feel at ease?
Xuan Zhao nodded slightly, "That's right, Madam Su is old too, she can't stay in death row any longer."
Xuan Wenwei said nothing more.
Today, everyone in Shengjing City came to Xuanfu, except Zhao An'er, who was pregnant and "not suitable for long journeys", and the young children.
The bustling family was crowded in the small pavilion, leaving the two officers and soldiers from the Ministry of War who were responsible for escorting Xuan Jinyu with nowhere to go, so they had to stay outside the pavilion.
"Brother, sister-in-law, third brother, and third brother's wife, you all go back first!"
Xuan Zhao turned to his half-brother Xuan Mai, his biological brother Xuan Lan, and their wives and said, "Old Madam Su and the children are slow walkers. I wonder how long they'll take to get here."
"The eldest brother's wife is pregnant and has difficulty keeping an eye on those naughty kids."
Xuan Mai and Xuan Lan looked at each other, then looked at the overly lively family in the pavilion, which looked more like a reunion than a separation, and nodded. "Then my second brother and I will take the people back first."
The five cousins said goodbye to Xuan Jinyu one by one, and the cousins' wives also hugged Xuan Jinyu.
The second cousin smiled slightly and said, "Jinyu, take care. If you need anything, feel free to write to your brothers."
Xuan Jinyu's eyes became hot and she responded with a choked voice.
More than ten people from the next room went back to Shengjing City, leaving only Xuan Zhao, Lin Qingwan, Xuan Wenwei and Xuan Jinyu's family in Shili Pavilion.
The two officers from the Ministry of War tactfully walked away, leaving the family alone to chat.
"Mom, how is grandpa's illness?" Xuan Jinyu asked worriedly.
After kneeling in the palace for two consecutive days, Taifu Lin felt unwell after returning home, but he forced himself not to tell anyone.
But after receiving the news that the Su family was spared the death penalty and Xuan Jinyu returned home to take care of her pregnancy, he fell ill after returning home from court.
Xuan Jinyu went to see Lin Ren at Taifu Lin's house yesterday. The old man looked very happy at the time, but she always felt that her grandfather's condition was not as mild as he told her. He had lost a lot of weight.
Lin Qingwan felt the same worry as her daughter, but she didn't show it.
Her daughter was leaving Beijing, and was being exiled. Even though she had made sufficient preparations, she could imagine how much suffering her daughter would have to endure on the way.
"Don't worry, your grandfather is fine. Your uncles and aunts at home are taking care of him! Mom will visit him often in the future." Lin Qingwan said gently.
Xuan Jinyu felt that she had implicated Master Lin. She was already feeling very uncomfortable, so there was no need to add to her burden.
"Jinyu, we are a family." Lin Qingwan touched Xuan Jinyu's face with heartache, "Family members should support each other and love each other."
Lin Qingwan also didn't understand why her daughter, who was obviously raised in pampering, had such an unexpected yet soothing warmth and consideration in her spoiled nature.
"Good boy, as long as you are well, we are willing to do anything."
Xuan Jinyu has cried too many times since the incident at the Su family.
She told herself repeatedly yesterday that she was not allowed to cry today.
But what to do? She seemed unable to help herself.
She threw herself into Lin Qingwan's arms and sobbed.
The delicate crying sound was carried by the wind to the ears of two officers and soldiers outside the pavilion. They looked at each other and noticed the discomfort in each other's heart.
Such a delicate young lady, who is said to be the emperor's beloved, yet he was willing to exile her to such a place. Isn't that forcing her to death? I heard she is pregnant with another child!
Xuan Jinyu had been resting at home for the past half month, and only went out to visit Lin Taifu's residence yesterday. She had no idea that the matter between her, Su Guanzhang and the new emperor had been widely spread in Shengjing City, but had disappeared without a trace.
Lin Qingwan had heard about this, but she knew that her daughter had never taken the new emperor seriously, so she didn't mention it to her specifically.
Xuan Zhao and Xuan Wenwei had been attending court and on duty these days, and they had heard a lot of gossip.
The two of them just found it ridiculous. Their Jinyu had never had much in common with the one sitting on the dragon throne. It was only because of the relationship with Grand Tutor Lin that the one who ascended the throne called Jinyu "Junior Sister"!
Really speaking, how could Jinyu be his junior sister? Lin Qingwan was his senior sister! The generations were all wrong.
That day, they thought that the new emperor did not care that Jinyu had disobeyed the imperial order and refused the marriage, which led to him being punished by the previous emperor to guard the imperial mausoleum, and they deliberately showed their goodwill.
But today it seems that this is not the case at all.
Don’t they know where the source of these rumors that are spreading all over Shengjing City comes from?
The father and son gathered in the study and discussed for half an hour that day, and finally decided not to let these dirty things dirty Xuan Jinyu's ears.
However, the Su family set out from the death row of the Ministry of Justice, passed through most of Shengjing City, and then left the city gate. I'm afraid they must have heard those rumors by now?
Xuan Zhao looked at the group of people who slowly appeared in his sight, thinking about something.
The Shili Pavilion outside Shengjing City is built on a hillside, overlooking the surrounding area and providing a very clear view.
Xuan Jinyu had calmed down and sat on a stone bench covered with a cushion.
"Guan Zhang and the others have already walked down the mountain." Lin Qingwan observed her daughter's expression and reminded her.
Xuan Jinyu also saw it.
As she watched Su Guanzhang slowly walk to the center of her vision, she couldn't help but recall what her mother had said to her after she cried to her mother that day.
"Mom, I think I still like him, very much, very much." She looked at Lin Qingwan expectantly with tears in her eyes.
"Mom, I can't seem to like him."
"Am I really useless?"
Lin Qingwan hugged her in her arms, "Good girl, you are very brave, you are not useless."
"What happened with the Master back then was all your fault, your father and I didn't notice it in time, causing you to get scared."
Xuan Jinyu shook her head in her arms, tears streaming down her face.
"Your teacher has fallen into a state of obsession." Lin Qingwan thought of the peerless beauty of the past and sighed. "But Jinyu, you are different from her. You are much braver than her."
"So, listen to your heart and be braver."
So, be braver and listen to your heart.
Xuan Jinyu watched Su Guanzhang holding the youngest Su Yumu in one hand and his twin brother Su Yuhuan in the other, and watched him walk up the mountain while keeping an eye on Old Madam Su who was supported by Xu Yu Niang.
My heart felt bitter, but at the same time, a sense of joy welled up in my heart.
He looked much more haggard, and although his figure was still upright, his face, which usually had no expression, was now filled with a deep gloom, as if he had not slept for a long time, which dampened his spirits a little.
But after not seeing him for many days, she still felt a flutter in her heart when she saw him.
She lowered her eyelids to hide her eyes that instantly brightened when she saw him.
The wind was quite strong in Shili Pavilion, blowing against her clothes and causing her skirt to flutter.
It was already the hour of Si, and the sun was shining brightly. The sunlight passed through the pavilion and shone obliquely on Xuan Jinyu, falling just on her lower abdomen, gentle and affectionate, like a caress.
Xuan Jinyu was still holding the handkerchief that Lin Qingwan used to wipe her tears in her right hand. She slowly bent her left hand, placed her palm on her abdomen, and slowly held the ray of sunshine.
"Child, your father is here." She said to herself.
But my child, your father has made me so sad, I will not forgive him easily.
When the Su family came out of the Ministry of Justice, the shackles and chains on their bodies had been removed.
The Minister of Military Affairs Yue Feng personally went to the Ministry of Justice to pick up the person and made the handover with Liang Fangfang.
"Minister Liang, I will take all the people away." Yue Feng was very polite.
Liang Fangfang saw that as soon as the prisoners came out of the Ministry of Justice, they were shackled by the people from the Ministry of War. His expression was indescribable - it was he who had ordered the shackles to be put on them!
"Minister Yue, we haven't even left Shengjing City yet, and you're..." In front of everyone, wasn't he being too blatant?!
Liang Fangfang knew that the Minister of War Yue Feng in front of him was an old member of the Su family. When he was young and first went to the battlefield, he was saved from the enemy's machete by Su Sheng, the current Duke of Su.
He could understand Yue Feng's gratitude towards Duke Su, but he was still in the Ministry of Justice. How could he show such courtesy to a prisoner who had committed treason and was sentenced to exile? Did he think that no one would report him?
"Minister Yue, you have to give me an explanation." Liang Fangfang frowned.
Yue Feng was still polite, as if he didn't notice Liang Fangfang's slightly dark complexion.
If you ignore his rough face, which is so fierce and serious that it can scare a lot of children to tears, you would think he is a civil servant.
"Minister Liang, the Su family has not been convicted." Yue Feng stared at Liang Fangfang. "Only the guilty should be put in shackles." He said meaningfully.
Liang Fangfang frowned, "Nonsense, why isn't there a conviction?"
Yue Feng still held the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand and waved it towards him silently.
Liang Fangfang stared at the imperial edict, and suddenly heard the usually cold and aloof Su Shaoqing Su Guanzhang sneer, and she suddenly came to her senses.
The Su family was indeed not convicted, only the direct descendants were exiled.
The charge of "collaborating with the enemy and treason" was set by His Majesty himself, and it was written in the original imperial edict ordering the commander of the imperial guards, Xi Fang, to lead his men to surround Duke Su's mansion and put him in prison.
But that’s where it ends.
After all, according to the law, anyone who collaborates with the enemy and commits treason must be tried by the three courts. The guilty will be severely punished, and the innocent will be cleared of all charges.
Liang Fangfang's brows twitched.
After the Su family was imprisoned, did anyone still mention the term "collaborating with the enemy and treason"?
It rained this morning, and the damp ground is still wet. The sunlight shines on it, bringing out a slightly acrid smell of soil.
The gate of the Ministry of Justice was eerily quiet.
The children snuggled up to the adults, their clear eyes following the adults to look at the Minister of Justice, and a drop of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Liang Fangfang reacted.
On the second day after the Su family was imprisoned in his death row in the Ministry of Justice, he was interrupted by Taifu Lin just as he stepped out to say that the Su Mansion was suspected of "collaborating with the enemy and treason."
Then the court argued for most of the day about the three-judge joint trial and whether the Su family was collaborating with the enemy and treason. On that day, Taifu Lin entered the palace and offered a golden belt in exchange for the Su family's life. The next day, His Majesty ordered the Su family to be exempted from the punishment of extermination of three clans, but exiled the entire Su family.
Indeed, the charge of treason and collaborating with the enemy was not mentioned again, and not even a single charge was written in the imperial edict!
Liang Fangfang recalled the contents of the imperial edict he had just read and suddenly opened his eyes wide. Even in late March, he broke out in a cold sweat.
If he is innocent, on what grounds did Your Majesty sentence him to exile? How could no one have noticed for half a month?
So ridiculous!
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