Amidst the commotion, in an instant, Wen Shi and Zheng Xiulan were chained and shoved out of the bamboo garden.
Su Junyao stood at the courtyard gate, watching the mother and daughter stagger away under the control of the officials. He looked back at the empty courtyard, and the scenes of family happiness seemed to float before his eyes.
He raised his hand to wipe away a tear from the corner of his eye and looked ahead, his gaze meeting that of Ms. Wen, who was looking back.
Wen's gaze darted away, her mind clearer than ever before.
The cold iron handcuffs were a constant reminder of the absurdity of her life.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but someone pressed her head down and forcibly turned it back.
The only sounds that could be heard in the entire mansion were Zheng Xiulan's furious curses and rants.
The servants all hid, afraid to show their faces for fear of displeasing their master. Suddenly, a wail came from the main courtyard, followed by the old steward's terrified shout: "Something terrible has happened! The Marquis has fainted!"
The capital city has been hit by a heavy rain, with lightning and thunder. The sky seemed to be torn open, and the pouring rain was about to flood the entire city.
The people of the capital said that this was Heaven opening its eyes and speaking out for the old lady of the Wenyang Marquis's mansion.
Marquis Wenyang removed his clothes and hat, revealing only his undergarments, and braved the heavy rain to kneel and kowtow three times towards the palace. Before each bow, he cried out, "Your Majesty, I beg you to do justice for my wife!"
When they arrived at the palace gate, there were still traces of blood on their foreheads that had not been washed away by the rain. Behind them were the sons of the Su family.
The palace had already heard of this horrific tragedy, and was even more shocked to learn that the Marquis of Wenyang and his three generations had knelt all the way to the palace gates.
Emperor Jingming sent Eunuch Liu to bring the man into Zhengyang Palace. Eunuch Liu didn't even have time to open an umbrella. He led the eunuchs and ran all the way to the palace gate. He stepped forward and helped the swaying Marquis Wenyang.
If Marquis Wenyang were to fall at the palace gate today, those fearless officials would surely charge into a pillar at the slightest provocation tomorrow.
"My lord, please come to the palace with this old servant. His Majesty has already heard about this matter from Lord He. His Majesty is wise and will surely give Lady Hou justice. This wicked mother and daughter will definitely get their comeuppance!"
Marquis Wenyang's voice was hoarse as he twisted Eunuch Liu's sleeve into a ball. Throughout his life, he had been a man of unyielding integrity, kneeling before the emperor. Today, he had knelt all the way from the Marquis Guangyao's residence to the palace gates, bowing to heaven, earth, the emperor, and his wife, all for the sake of clearing his wife's name.
"This old minister kowtows in gratitude to Your Majesty!" His voice trembled but was firm and powerful, as if he were asking the heavens if they could hear that the people on earth had already sought justice for her.
Eunuch Liu was genuinely afraid that Marquis Wenyang would collapse in the palace, so he gave Su Junyao a wink, wanting to help him onto the palanquin.
Su Junyao held his father's arm on the other side and shook his head slightly: "My father...father-in-law, I'm afraid I can't persuade him either."
Su Junyao knew the old man's stubbornness all too well; once he said he wanted to kowtow and meet the Emperor, he wouldn't give up until he saw His Majesty.
Eunuch Liu was worried precisely because he knew Marquis Wenyang's temperament well. The old Marquis was getting on in years, and his health had been severely damaged by countless battles he had fought in his youth. They couldn't let a meritorious official fall.
"My lord, why don't you come in with me in the palanquin? His Majesty is waiting for us at Zhengyang Palace."
Marquis Wenyang's face was pale, but his eyes were resolute: "I thank Your Majesty on behalf of this old minister. I will trouble you, Eunuch, to help this old minister to the carriage."
Eunuch Liu, disregarding his surprise at the stubborn old marquis's sudden change of heart, immediately helped the man onto the palanquin. Fearing he might change his mind, Eunuch Liu immediately ordered the young eunuchs carrying the palanquin to head towards Zhengyang Palace.
In the past, Marquis Wenyang might have stubbornly knelt before Zhengyang Palace, but today, before dawn, Qiuqiu sent someone with servants to find him.
The little dumpling was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open, but she still managed to stay awake, hugging his neck and gently nuzzling him to comfort him silently.
Jiujiu's inner voice said that only if he was healthy could he go to Jingzhou to retrieve his grandmother's remains. His wife had suffered too much in life, and he couldn't let her be left alone in a foreign land after her death, without even a proper burial place.
He absolutely cannot collapse before he can bring peace to his wife!
Emperor Jingming stood in front of the main hall, and raindrops falling from the eaves inevitably splashed onto his dragon robe.
The little eunuchs behind him, heads bowed, saw this but dared not utter a sound, only hoping that Eunuch Liu would return quickly. Yesterday was scorching hot, today the temperature has dropped; if His Majesty's health were harmed by this sudden change in temperature, they could not afford to pay for it even with ten lives.
Inside the main hall of Zhengyang Palace, officials from the Court of Judicial Review had presented all the evidence, and the men stood silently in a row, awaiting His Majesty's instructions.
Lord He calmly walked up behind Emperor Jingming and urged him to enter the palace: "Your Majesty, please do not worry."
Emperor Jingming regained his composure: "I know that Marquis Wenyang is a man of principle. But I am thinking, if such a blatant act of deception can happen right under my nose, how many more such human tragedies are occurring in places I cannot see?"
Lord He, as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, felt this deeply. He replied in a low voice, "That is precisely why the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty have meaning, and it is also the meaning of our official duties. We will naturally share His Majesty's burdens when there are injustices in the world."
Emperor Jingming smiled slightly: "My dear minister, you are very insightful. I personally handled the case of the wife of Marquis Wenyang. Marquis Wenyang dedicated most of his life to the Great Zhou, yet he had his wife murdered right under my nose, and almost lost his entire manor."
"If I cannot severely punish these two vile women, I will not be able to eat or sleep in peace!"
The evidence was irrefutable; the heinous crimes of Zheng Xiulan and the Wen family were crystal clear. When Marquis Wenyang and Su Junyao entered the palace, the final stroke of Emperor Jingming's edict had just been written.
"Liu Debao has arrived just in time. Bring me my imperial seal, affix it, and then hand the imperial edict to the Marquis." Emperor Jingming sighed almost imperceptibly. "Marquis Wenyang, please accept my condolences."
"I have already instructed Lord He to compile the case files and personally reviewed them. The wicked woman's crimes are too numerous to count! I have already issued an edict ordering her death."
"Oh, right, what's Zheng's son's name... Qiao, Qiao... Never mind, it's not important. Like father, like son, so strip him of his official rank and never let him be employed again!"
Emperor Jingming's words severed Qiao Muyang's career path forever. This was probably more painful for someone as proud and ambitious as Qiao Muyang, who wanted to climb to the top of power, than to be killed outright.
The Su family was very dissatisfied with the verdict.
Wen and Zheng Xiulan were executed by extreme punishment; such people deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces.
Marquis Wenyang knelt and thanked Emperor Jingming: "This old minister thanks Your Majesty for your grace. In addition, this old minister has another request that I hope Your Majesty will grant."
"Lord Wenyang, please speak frankly."
"This old minister is old and grieving the loss of his wife, and his health is not what it used to be. This old minister wishes to retire and return home, and will also have time to go out of the capital to bring my wife home."
Marquis Wenyang wept bitterly, hoping to gain His Majesty's pity. Emperor Jingming, of course, was not an unfeeling person.
"I am deeply gratified that Marquis Wenyang has been loyal to the country. I am also saddened by the death of his wife. Liu Debao has drafted an edict to posthumously confer the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady upon Marquis Wenyang's wife, Lady Su Wen, and to grant her eldest son, Su Junyao, the title of Marquis."
"This old minister thanks Your Majesty for your grace!"
"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your grace!"
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