Chapter 30 The Top Scholar Who Murdered His Wife and Daughter (Final Chapter) A Farmer's Son's Rebellion...
Xiao Chen's private treasury was very large. Liu Shi led Xie Lin to the platform where the daggers were placed and said, "Guard Xie, please."
"Thank you, Eunuch Liu." Xie Lin said gratefully, carefully selecting the daggers on the stage. Liu Shi shook his head at Xie Lin's fanatical and absorbed expression, then turned to look for the jade pendant that His Highness intended to bestow upon Xie Lin.
Xie Lin held two daggers in his hands, but his gaze began to wander through Xiao Chen's private vault until... he vaguely saw a set of exquisite armor placed at the innermost part of the treasure shelf.
The armor looked like something a young man would wear. Xie Lin recognized it; Xiao Chen had only worn it for six months before discarding it and getting a new one. However, the armor was so exquisitely crafted that even someone as noble as Xiao Chen couldn't bear to throw it away. He simply hid it deep in his private treasury, but over time, he forgot about it.
"Eunuch Liu! What is that? Such exquisite armor! May I come forward and take a look?" Xie Lin looked completely unsophisticated, which Liu Shi found rather amusing.
"That was just a set of armor that His Highness wore when he was young. It looks a bit old now," Liu Shi said with a smile.
"Eunuch Liu is truly knowledgeable and experienced. No wonder he is always by His Highness's side. Now he is a top-notch figure. I admire him greatly," Xie Lin said sincerely.
Liu Shi was flattered by Xie Lin's few words and became quite arrogant. In reality, he had no real ability and could only rely on the friendship he had shared with His Highness since childhood. Of course, he would not say such things himself and expose his shortcomings. "Guard Xie can take a look, but you must be careful."
Xie Lin nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, then gripped the dagger he had chosen and walked step by step toward the exquisite armor. He carefully circled the armor once, then his eyes were fixed on the lower back of the armor.
There was indeed a small piece of nail plate missing there; it was barely noticeable unless you looked closely.
Suppressing his grief and anger, Xie Lin said in a trembling voice, "Eunuch Liu, I've made my choice. I've also selected a dagger that suits my taste. Let's go out now."
Liu Shi nodded, completely oblivious to Xie Lin's change in mood, and said, "Guard Xie, let's go then."
Because Xie Lin had handled the matter efficiently, Xiao Chen generously granted him two days off. When Xie Lin returned to work on the third day, he was carrying a jug of wine.
"Your Highness, I remember that the Fifth Prince drank all of your Willow Grove Wine last time. I have searched all over the capital these past two days and finally found a pot of Willow Grove Aged Wine for you. Please try it and see if it suits your taste," Xie Lin said.
"Good!" Xiao Chen had relaxed considerably these past few days. On the advice of an advisor, he wrote a long letter of apology, detailing all his dealings with Xia Changlin. This was a strategic retreat to demonstrate his loyalty. After finishing, Xiao Chen laid it out on the table, preparing to have it presented to Emperor Shunyuan at a suitable time.
Xiao Chen took out two wine cups from behind his back. Although he valued Xie Lin at this moment, he could not be too careful. After watching Xie Lin pour two cups of wine from the wine pot and seeing him drink them down in one gulp, he smiled and finished his own cup of aged wine.
Seeing that Xiao Chen had drunk it all, Xie Lin smiled slightly and asked, "What does Your Highness think of this wine?"
"Good wine! It must be at least ten years old," Xiao Chen said with a smile.
"As expected of Your Highness, this Willow Grove Wine is nearly eleven years old. I am deeply gratified that Your Highness can taste it." After saying this, Xie Lin leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
Xiao Chen frowned upon seeing this.
"Does Your Highness still remember Princess Yuanying?" Xie Lin asked with a smile.
Upon hearing the name, Xiao Chen suddenly stood up, drew his long sword from behind him, and held it against Xie Lin's neck.
"Your Highness, years ago, while traveling incognito, you met Princess Yuanying, who was also out for a stroll. You two fell in love at first sight, and when your love deepened, everything naturally followed. However, fate played a cruel trick. The princess was chosen to enter the palace, and upon entering, it was discovered that she was already pregnant with Your Highness's child. Your Highness was terrified, and to protect the greater good, Princess Yuanying was forced to 'accidentally' drown. His Majesty, mindful of her untimely death, specially granted her the honors of a concubine to show his favor. Your Highness, am I correct?"
Xiao Chen's eyes were bloodshot as he gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "How did you find out? Tell the truth, and I will spare your life."
"Your Highness, do you know? I was poor when I was young. In order to make a future, I learned martial arts and became a soldier. When I was twenty-eight, I met Cui Niang. Cui Niang did not mind my poverty and was willing to marry me. She did her best to give birth to a son for me. Before she passed away, she named her son Yan. Our family of three was reunited for only half an hour when Cui Niang suffered a hemorrhage and died."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen's face instantly turned pale.
"I am almost thirty years old and only have this one son. I raised him all by myself. When Yan Ge'er turned five, I was appreciated by His Highness and was able to join His Highness's guard. I thought that when Yan Ge'er was a little older, I would let him serve by His Highness's side and he would have a future. Of course, I did just that."
"Shut up! I don't want to hear it!" Xiao Chen roared.
“Yan-ge’er followed Your Highness wholeheartedly and was utterly loyal to you. How could you bear to use him as a shield? I don’t understand.” Xie Lin opened his mouth, ignoring the slight cramping pain that was beginning to spread through his abdomen, and continued, “Just because Your Highness was in danger, you chose to sacrifice Yan-ge’er without hesitation, didn’t you?”
Xiao Chen pressed his hand against his throbbing abdomen, then abruptly turned his head and stared intently at the two wine glasses on the desk: "You...you put something in these wines?" Xiao Chen's hand seemed to lose its strength, and his sword clattered to the ground.
"What honor has Your Highness bestowed upon your son? He was buried with the same standards as a crown prince. What more could you want?"
"I only want my son! I want the person who harmed my son to pay with his life! What honor and glory, I don't care!" Xie Lin's lips tinged with blood as he laughed: "The fairest thing in this world is that even someone as noble as Your Highness is just as flesh and blood as us ants, and you only have one life."
"You...you hand over the antidote, and I...I, Your Highness, will spare your life!" Xiao Chen coughed up a mouthful of blood, speaking incoherently.
“Your Highness, it’s too late. You have already personally written a letter of apology. Even if His Majesty were to investigate, he could only find out that Your Highness committed suicide out of shame. I used all the savings Your Highness had bestowed upon me to give to that strategist. He’s probably already out of the capital!”
Hearing Xie Lin's intermittent words, Xiao Chen felt a surge of hatred. But when he opened his mouth, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Looking at Xie Lin, whose eyes were unfocused and whose face was bluish-purple, Xiao Chen trembled as he touched the side of Xie Lin's neck.
Xie Lin is dead.
Xiao Chen leaned on the desk, intending to call someone in, but after taking only one step, he collapsed in the study with a thud. His hand was still stretched out in front of him as he died, and an expression of disbelief remained on his face.
...
The Second Prince Xiao Chen, having lost the Emperor's favor, wrote a letter of apology and then committed suicide by poisoning himself. His bodyguard, who had served him for ten years, was overcome with grief and followed him in death. This incident caused a huge uproar in the court and among the people.
Emperor Shunyuan's hands trembled as he looked at the letter of apology written earnestly by Xiao Chen. In the brocade box beside him were secret letters exchanged with Xia Changlin. The letter specifically stated that after he lost the emperor's favor, Xia Changlin turned his back on him and used trickery to scheme against the second prince.
"Guards!" Emperor Shunyuan's eyes reddened slightly, overwhelmed by the immense grief of losing his son. Unable to think for a moment, he relied solely on his instincts and shouted at the kneeling head guard, "Go! Bring Xia Changlin here! Seal off all entrances and exits of the Prime Minister's residence and await his fate!"
"Yes! I will obey Your Majesty's decree!" The head guard bowed and withdrew to gather his men.
Xia Changlin had also received the news early that morning. When he learned that the Second Prince had committed suicide by poison, he still couldn't believe it, muttering to himself, "Impossible, impossible! This must be fake! It's fake!!"
It wasn't until he was bound and brought to the imperial court that Xia Changlin realized it was all real. He listened blankly as the eunuch on the high platform read out the Second Prince Xiao Chen's letter of apology. His knees buckled, and he knelt directly on the ground.
After the eunuch finished reading, Emperor Shunyuan roared, "Xia Changlin! I have relied on you for so many years and treated you well, yet you... you dare to play tricks on Chen'er and cause his death! Chen'er is my son! The dignified Second Prince of the court! How dare you! How dare you!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This humble subject dares not!" Xia Changlin, his face streaked with tears, crawled forward a few steps, kowtowing forcefully before the palace, utterly disregarding decorum: "It was all because this humble subject was blinded by greed. Seeing that Your Majesty disliked the Second Prince, I thought... I should stop associating with the Second Prince for now, lest... lest Your Majesty take your anger out on me, and I would also lose Your Majesty's favor! Even if Your Majesty gave me ten thousand lives, I would not dare to use any tricks to harm the Second Prince!"
"The evidence is here, what else can you deny!" Emperor Shunyuan slammed the box of correspondence on the ground and roared.
Xia Changlin picked up the restored letters, almost collapsing to the ground, his face ashen. His hands trembled as he read through them page by page, trying to say something, but in the end, only his lips moved.
Today, he's finished.
Seeing Xia Changlin collapse to the ground and weep bitterly, a trace of pity flashed across Emperor Shunyuan's face, but what followed was the anger of a middle-aged man who had lost his son, which instantly overwhelmed him.
"Guards!" Emperor Shunyuan's face was ashen. He pressed his right hand forcefully against the Second Prince Xiao Chen's letter of apology, managing to squeeze out a few words: "Drag Xia Changlin away... execute him in ten days!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I deserve to die, but my daughter knows nothing! Please spare her life, Your Majesty, for the sake of my loyalty to Your Majesty and the Great Li Dynasty all these years!" Xia Changlin cried.
"My son died because of you, yet you want me to spare your daughter's life?" Emperor Shunyuan smiled, but the smile looked incredibly terrifying: "Daughter Xia is implicated in her father's death and will be subjected to the death penalty of slow slicing!"
Upon hearing this, Xia Changlin immediately fainted in the court. Emperor Shunyuan waved his hand, and guards came forward to drag him away.
The most heartbreaking events in the capital these past few days have been the death of the Second Prince Xiao Chen and the downfall of Prime Minister Xia. As the saying goes, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. Overnight, Xia Miaozhen went from being the pampered only daughter of the Prime Minister to a prisoner in the highest death row.
She acted as if she had gone mad, still unable to believe it: "My father, how could my father have killed the Second Prince! Impossible! Impossible!" But no one was willing to listen to her mad ramblings, and they simply locked Xia Miaozhen up and roughly threw her into the deepest part of the prison.
Upon hearing all this at home, Du Ningwan was so shocked that she ate less rice. Before going to bed, she sighed to Song Ce, "So the girl who came to our house to deliver the message that day was actually the prime minister's daughter."
Song Ce smiled slightly: "Now, she's nothing more than a prisoner. Wan'er, go to sleep quickly."
Now that Du Ningwan's belly is starting to show, Song Ce has been extremely busy since he was promoted to Vice Minister. He feels very guilty towards Du Ningwan, who is pregnant and not feeling well. It is Du Ningwan who comforts him and tells him to focus on serving His Majesty and not to worry.
Song Ce was busy for seven or eight days. On the eve of Xia Changlin's execution, he was ordered by the emperor to send Xia Changlin a pot of new Longjing tea.
Emperor Shunyuan eventually softened his heart and secretly ordered his close advisor Song Ce to personally see off this minister who had accompanied him for many years.
When Xia Changlin saw that it was Song Ce, he only raised his eyes and remained seated in the prison without making any move. Song Ce was not surprised by this and ordered the jailers to open the prison door.
“Minister Song, if this criminal suddenly attacks and injures you, we will be guilty of a crime that can never be atoned by death,” the jailer said hesitantly.
"It's alright, this is the Emperor's decree, and this criminal's hands are chained, he can't break free easily, so you can rest assured!" Song Ce said gently.
Upon hearing this, the jailer immediately bowed and opened the cell door, and Song Ce stepped inside.
"Lord Xia, this is a gift of new Longjing tea bestowed upon you by His Majesty. He specially ordered me to deliver it to you. Please, Lord Xia," Song Ce said.
"I am a convicted criminal, yet I am honored that the most influential and powerful official in the capital, Minister Song, would personally serve me tea," Xia Changlin said calmly.
Song Ce chose a clean spot, placed the tea in front of Xia Changlin, bowed to the disheveled Xia Changlin, and then prepared to leave.
"I will die tomorrow, no, today. I would like to trouble Minister Song to answer my questions," Xia Changlin said.
"Okay." Song Ce smiled slightly and stopped in his tracks.
"I've been pondering this carefully in prison these past two days, and I've suddenly realized that from the very beginning, every single thing has the shadow of Minister Song." Xia Changlin looked at the new Longjing tea in front of him. "From the moment you arrived in the capital in such glory, I've been eyeing you and trying to win you over. My son even fell for you when you were showing off your official position on the Imperial Street, and you seemed completely unsurprised. When people asked, you simply said that you weren't fortunate enough to have that. Then there was the Second Prince. It was as if you knew from the start that Young Master Qin was working for the Second Prince. When my son went to your house to see your wife, Young Master Qin wanted to harm you, and the Second Prince wanted to recruit you. But what was the result? My son was used, Young Master Qin and the Second Prince were both mired in trouble, while you remained untouched. I'm just wondering, the letter was clearly specially made, and the medicine in my house wasn't lost either. How did the Second Prince recover so completely? With the Second Prince's death, the guard's death, and my Xia family being implicated and brought down, what did you do? Minister Song, please enlighten me."
Upon hearing this, Song Ce stood up, looked down at the dejected Xia Changlin, and said, "This humble official does not understand what Lord Xia means."
Xia Changlin asked coldly, "Don't you understand? Minister Song, I've already reached this point, yet you're still so cautious. You truly have great composure."
Song Ce remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Lord Xia, you don't need to overthink it. You can't blame anyone else for how you've ended up like this. Perhaps you offended too many people in your past life, and they've come to take revenge on you in this one!"
"Hahahaha!" Xia Changlin laughed loudly upon hearing this, then picked up the cup of new Longjing tea in front of him and said, "Minister Song, I'll wait for you ahead. Do you think your fate will be much better than mine?"
After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the cup of new Longjing tea in one gulp.
"I still remember that year, His Majesty was still a prince, and I had just entered officialdom. I was framed by someone, and it was His Highness who saved me. He punished that person and... cleared my name. At that time, I... I..." At this point, Xia Changlin vomited a mouthful of black blood.
“I…I was so grateful, I kowtowed to Your Highness with all my might, saying I was willing to serve Your Highness for the rest of my life. Your Highness smiled when you heard this, pulled me up, and handed me…given me a cup of new Longjing tea, comforting me. I…I forgot my original intention, I am ashamed…I have failed Your Highness!”
After saying that, Xia Changlin vomited another mouthful of black blood and collapsed, dead.
Song Ce stood silently with his back to Xia Changlin's corpse for a long time before slowly walking out of the prison.
...
In later years, during an ordinary history class, the history teacher's excited voice rang in the ears of the students:
Song Ce, a native of Chenjia Village, Qingzhou County, was a famous politician and financial expert during the Dali Dynasty. He was one of the most trusted first-rank ministers during the reign of Emperor Shunyuan and rose to the position of prime minister.
Song Ce was born into a peasant family. He passed the imperial examination at the age of nineteen and achieved the highest rank in all three levels of the imperial examination at the age of twenty. He first served as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy and was promoted to Vice Minister of the Chancellery three months later. After the successful implementation of the state sale of salt and iron and the equalization of salt and iron prices during the Dali Dynasty, he was directly promoted to Prime Minister by Emperor Shunyuan and became a first-rank official.
From the 25th year of the Shunyuan reign (1626), with the full support of Emperor Shunyuan, a series of new economic policies were implemented over eight years. These included currency reform, taxes on alcohol and tobacco, and the opening of trade routes, which lifted the Dali Dynasty out of its previous state of abject poverty. Simultaneously, he improved the treatment of the army, recruiting nearly 300,000 troops to guard the borders. All these new policies were remarkably successful, not only increasing the Dali Dynasty's treasury revenue but also laying the material foundation for Emperor Shunyuan's continued efforts in both civil and military affairs. However, his "Decree of Grace" also brought significant negative consequences, which remains the most controversial aspect of his legacy.
In the second year of the reign of Emperor Shunyuan, Emperor Shunyuan abdicated, and his fifth son, Emperor Zhaozheng, ascended the throne. After the court situation stabilized, Song Ce submitted a memorial to resign his official post three years later. Emperor Zhaozheng wept bitterly and tried to persuade him to stay, but to no avail. As a sign of imperial favor, Emperor Zhaozheng bestowed the title of Princess Pingle upon Song Ce's only daughter, Song Jinyao.
Song Ce had worked diligently in the Dali court for eighteen years. He jokingly said that he had made enough money for His Majesty all his life and now he only wanted to take his wife and daughters back to their hometown to live in seclusion, support their elders, and take care of their family in order to fulfill his filial duty.
In the twenty-ninth year of the Later Rong reign, Du Ningwan passed away peacefully, holding Song Ce's hand. Three days later, Song Ce followed her. Upon hearing the news, Princess Pingle fainted. Emperor Zhaozheng, upon receiving the news, personally ordered the entire nation to observe mourning for him. In the emperor's eyes, Song Ce was both a mentor and a friend. Whenever there were disputes in the court, he would inevitably recall the time when Emperor Shunyuan was on the throne, and with Song Ce's assistance, the court was clear and peaceful, and there were no unnecessary conflicts.
People from Song Ce's hometown of Qingzhou County spontaneously came to the funeral site to weep and bid farewell to the Prime Minister Song and his wife, who had served the country and its people. This became a beautiful story for later generations.
The students, who had been somewhat drowsy, now opened their eyes wide and listened attentively to the history teacher's lecture. Even after a class period had passed, the students were still eager to continue and began to chat in small groups.
...
"Ding—All beginner quests have been completed. Quest participant: Song Ce. Quest completion rate: 100%."
After the fifth prince, Emperor Zhaozheng, ascended the throne, the notification sound from System 702 appeared. Song Ce rejected System 702's suggestion to use a clone to leave this world, choosing instead to remain in this world at the cost of losing one-fifth of his rewarded soul energy.
His first love and first child were here. He never treated it as a game, but as a real life experience.
"Alright, your soul energy has been deducted. The day the mission taker dies will be the day I come to take you away." 702 left after saying this.
******
Mini-Theater 1:
A year later, Song Ce's first child from his two lifetimes was born—a lovely little girl. He trembled as he took the tightly wrapped baby from the midwife, clumsily trying not to hurt her. After carefully holding the child in his arms, he hurriedly asked the midwife, "How is my wife?" Song Ce asked the midwife with considerable anxiety.
It's no wonder he was so worried. This was ancient times with very poor medical conditions. Even though he was in the capital, he couldn't help his wife during childbirth and could only watch helplessly as she faced death.
The midwife was an old servant of the Du family. Seeing how much Lord Song valued his young lady, she couldn't help but smile and reassure him, "Don't worry, sir. The lady is fine. She just exhausted herself during childbirth and is asleep now. She should wake up in a little while."
Song Ce handed his daughter to the midwife, said, "I'm going in to see my wife," and then went into the delivery room.
"My lord! My lord! The women's delivery room is a filthy place..." The midwife realized that before she could finish speaking, Song Ce had already lifted the curtain and gone in.
Alright, alright. Since the master values the lady so much, she should refrain from going forward and causing trouble.
After Du Ning gave birth, Song Ce named his daughter: Song Jinyao as her formal name and Chan'er as her nickname.
******
Mini-Theater 2:
After Song Ce became an official in the capital, the Zhou family, who moved to the county town, were visited by matchmakers who almost wore out the threshold of their door. Among them were the eldest son of a prefectural governor, the second son of a scholarly family, the eldest son of a third-rank military officer who had been transferred to a post outside the capital, and even a young fourth-rank academic official.
To everyone's astonishment, Song Ce's younger sister, Zhou Yunhui, chose the son of a merchant surnamed Shen in Qingzhou County, named Shen Jin. Although Shen Jin was handsome, his health was rather poor. At the time, the two elders of the Shen family were dumbfounded, unable to understand how such a promising daughter of an official could choose their weak and sickly son.
However, the two young people were mutually attracted to each other, and after Fang wrote a letter to her son in the capital, she immediately began to prepare for Zhou Yunhui's marriage.
Upon receiving this news, Song Ce in the capital smiled slightly. Indeed, the word "fate" was truly wondrous. He immediately summoned a renowned physician from the capital to send his reply to Qingzhou County.
After marriage, her relationship with Shen Jin was just as good as in her previous life. The two elders of the Shen family were also kind and gentle people. Shen Jin's illness gradually recovered under the care of famous doctors. Of course, this was also due to Song Ce constantly sending back various precious tonics from the capital.
Because of Song Ce's connection, no one dared to underestimate the Shen family. Their deliveries were entrusted to trusted people. Song Ce was worried that the two elders of the Shen family would repeat the mistakes of their previous life, so he specially ordered people to deal with all the thieves around the capital. For a time, the people of the capital praised him, and the security of the capital improved even further.
After Zhou Yunhui and Shen Jin's child was born, Song Ce personally named him Shen Jingfu. The two elders of the Shen family, Shen Jin, Zhou Yunhui, and Shen Jingfu also changed their fate from their previous lives and lived out their lives peacefully.
******
Mini-theater 3:
Song Jinyao liked her name very much, but for some reason, after her maternal grandfather resigned, he always called her "Chan'er, Chan'er" at home.
When she returned to her home in the capital from her maternal grandfather's house, the family talked about this during dinner. Her mother gently stroked the top of her head and said with a smile, "Silly Yao'er, your maternal grandfather didn't call you wrong. Your nickname is Chan'er."
Song Jinyao asked, "Is this the nickname my maternal grandfather gave me?"
Mother said, "No, this was the name your father gave you."
Hearing this, Song Jinyao turned her head and asked, "Then why doesn't Father name his daughter Song Chan?"
Upon hearing this, Father laughed heartily: "Chan'er, do you know the origin of your name?"
“I know!” Song Jinyao said loudly, “The character Jin represents beautiful silk, symbolizing nobility; the character Yao represents precious jewels, and cheerful and sunny. Father, am I right?”
"Yes." Her father gently patted her head. "You are my precious daughter, so I named you Jinyao. The name Chan'er comes from a dream your maternal grandfather had..."
"What dream? Father, I don't understand," Song Jinyao asked, puzzled.
"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. You just need to know that you are your father and mother's most precious treasure."
"Um!"
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Author's Note: The "Top Scholar" chapter is finally over! Hooray QAQ, thank you all so much for your support! Next up is chapter two: My Daughter is My Own (Modern), featuring a car and various ways to pamper your daughter. If you like it, please add it to your favorites. Thanks for the comments and for adding it to your favorites TAT
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