Chapter 67 Foresight
Li Wanzhao stood there blankly. Someone next to her gently nudged her and whispered, "Sister Li, are you... are you alright? Can you go home now?"
The soldiers handed her the official documents stamped with their seals, and without even glancing at her, they turned their horses around and quickly left this harsh, cold place.
...
When she stepped into her home, which she had left years ago, carrying a small bundle on her back, her partner, who was chopping wood in the yard, was so surprised that he dropped his axe.
The teenager ran out of the house and stared blankly at his mother, who was both unfamiliar and vaguely familiar.
"Third Sister? Is it really you?" His partner's voice trembled uncontrollably.
Li Zhaowan opened her mouth but no sound came out; only tears rolled down her cheeks without warning.
The next moment, suppressed sobs, incredulous exclamations, and children's bewildered cries mingled together, filling the courtyard with a chaotic cacophony that was hard to distinguish between joy and sorrow.
Her partner rushed over and hugged her tightly, crying like a child; the children gradually understood and gathered around, their little hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.
The compensation money and rice delivered by the local officials were piled up in the main room.
This was an astronomical sum for this impoverished family.
Li Zhaowan chased after him, grabbing the last, relatively kinder constable, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Sir, if I may be so bold as to ask, why was the old case of the seawall suddenly reopened? And why were we pardoned?"
The bailiff glanced at her in surprise. Most people who were pardoned were overjoyed, but she was the first one to chase after him to ask why.
"The imperial court has its own laws. If there are doubts about the case, what's so strange about reopening it? If you've been pardoned, you've been pardoned. Just live your life peacefully. Why ask so many questions?"
After saying that, he walked away quickly.
It was the same knowledgeable old village chief who quietly came over at dusk. Seeing Li Zhaowan's distraught appearance, he sighed and said, "Third Sister, don't ask anymore. It's a blessing in disguise. I heard that something big has happened in the capital. The case of the Crown Princess has been brought up again. There are injustices involved, and many important figures are implicated."
Li Zhaowan suddenly looked at her.
"I heard that even Prime Minister Cai... The specifics of her punishment are still unclear, but her home was ransacked, a large number of her protégés and former associates were killed, and several of our important figures were sent to the execution ground, some with their entire families..."
She patted Li Wanzhao's hand: "You must never say these things to anyone. At least you're cleared of all charges now, and the compensation is real. The girls in the family can now study and take exams with dignity. That's better than anything else! Let bygones be bygones."
When Li Wanzhao returned home, her mind was buzzing. So, those of them were only able to see the light of day again because the real culprit was found.
She was lost in thought when her youngest daughter ran over with brand-new books in her eyes, her eyes sparkling: "Mom, the village chief said that I can go to school in town and even take the imperial examinations."
Her daughter nestled close to her, her little face full of longing and earnestness: "Mother, we're innocent, aren't we? Those corrupt officials harmed Her Highness the Crown Princess, and they harmed you too. If I become an official in the future, I'll definitely be a good one, and I won't let bad people wrong good people!"
Li Zhaowan looked down at her daughter's innocent yet hopeful face, and at the rekindled light in her eyes.
She reached out her hand, her rough palm gently landing on her daughter's head, and slowly rubbed it.
A thousand words stuck in her throat, but in the end, she only responded softly:
"......Um."
Outside the window, the setting sun pierced through the thick clouds, casting a few thin rays of light.
......
The Imperial Study in the Imperial Palace.
The charcoal fire was warm, but it couldn't dispel the stagnant atmosphere. Emperor Jinghe sat behind his desk, his gaze falling on Ling Wei below him.
The young princess stood tall and straight like a pine tree, the marks left by her injuries from a year ago now gone, her brows displaying a sharper and more serene expression than before.
"What is it?" Emperor Jinghe put down the report, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger. "Do you think I punished Cai Mingshu, the Marquis of Yongchang, and the like too leniently?"
Cai Mingshu was dismissed from his post and his family property was confiscated. However, considering his years of hard work and the fact that he did not directly participate in the plot to murder the Crown Princess, his life was spared, but he was imprisoned in his residence and could not leave without an imperial edict.
The Marquis of Yongchang was stripped of his title and his family property was confiscated. His family was most deeply involved in the salt administration and seawall cases in the southeast. All the involved members were severely punished according to the law. The main branch was exiled and the collateral branches were stripped of their positions. The century-old noble family collapsed in an instant.
The two major powers that once dominated the court have both lost power, and their forces have scattered like monkeys when the tree falls.
"Your subject dares not."
It's not that we don't have the ability, but that we dare not.
Emperor Jinghe understood the subtext.
She leaned back in her chair, looked up at the ceiling, and sighed very softly: "Hua'er is gone. Do you think your mother feels any better? But sitting in this position, no matter how painful or hateful some things are, I can't just act on my feelings."
The imperial court is not a martial arts world where one can settle scores at will. If a purge storm sweeping across the two major forces is launched now because of the old case in Haining, it may seem satisfying, but what will happen next?
Those suddenly vacant positions, those abruptly halted government affairs, those newly rich who might have seized the opportunity to rise to prominence but were ultimately more incompetent...
The entire government apparatus could be paralyzed in an instant, with government orders failing to be implemented, border defenses weakened, and the people's livelihoods harmed.
While those who promote integrity may be useful, they often prioritize empty fame over practical work. The weighing of the pros and cons involved is far more complex than simply killing a few people or confiscating some property.
She looked at Ling Wei, her gaze complex: "A monarch can grieve, can be furious, but he must not allow these emotions to overwhelm his reason and disrupt the very foundation of the court."
The fate of the nation and its millions of people is sometimes heavier than the injustice suffered by a daughter.
Ling Wei remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:
“When I read history and listened to teachings in the past, I always heard that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it, and that a ruler should understand the people’s plight. I have remembered this and I believe I understand the advantages and disadvantages. When I investigated the Xishan case and saw the miserable state of those miners, I was furious. I felt that Sun Man deserved to die and that the law should not be trampled on.”
Looking back now, the anger and determination at that time may have been tinged with a bit of pity from above.
Your subject is a prince, an imperial envoy wielding power. My actions are motivated by duty and justice, not by personal suffering.
Those hardships are like a scene seen through a glass dome—clearly visible, yet untouchable.
She once resented the will of Heaven for not letting her know sooner, and for even being able to prevent her eldest sister's death.
But at this moment, she suddenly realized something even more cruel: the whip only hurts when it strikes her.
"Even without the matter of my eldest sister, I still wouldn't be truly vigilant about how terrifying it can be when factional strife and infighting reach a point where no bottom line is reached."
Ling Wei raised her eyes and looked at Emperor Jinghe, whose expression was complex. A dark fire seemed to flicker in her eyes:
"Your subject has seen the future."
A future where partisan strife is deliberately indulged in order to maintain balance and check the political situation.
A future in which everyone is scheming, yet no one is truly responsible for its long-term future.
A seemingly insignificant detail that is overlooked today for various reasons could one day consume many more people and even shake the very foundations of the nation.
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