Chapter 23 The Emperor's Death? What the hell? Long-distance relationships are a load of rubbish? ...
The words struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone stunned for a moment.
The parting was too sudden, and Langxi asked, "Wasn't the Xuan Ce Army supposed to be stationed in Huaiyuan for several months? Why are you in such a hurry to leave, Captain and Guard Xie?"
Xie Cheng replied, "There are indeed reasons why I have to decline. I have been very fortunate to receive your care at the temple these past few days, and I have already troubled you greatly. As the saying goes, 'When the guest leaves, the host is at peace,' and if Zijing and I were to stay any longer, we would feel bad."
Yu Nie immediately thought of He Renzhi's matter, but since they didn't say it outright, she didn't want to point it out. She simply asked, "So, are the two of you going back to the Dingbei Military Prefecture?"
She was unsure of the specific stage of He Renzhi's case and mistakenly assumed they were about to lead their troops away.
"The military affairs of Huaiyuan are not yet completed. Tomorrow at noon, the two of us will go to the government office to hear the case of He Renzhi."
"Who is the county magistrate in charge?" Langxi asked in confusion, his tone suggesting he had misheard.
Aunt Liu's eyes widened in surprise: "Oh my goodness! You two gentlemen are going to interrogate that all-powerful official? I must have heard you right?"
Now that things have come to this point, there's no need to hold anything back.
Yu Nie was someone who couldn't keep a secret, and finally couldn't hold it in any longer. She looked at the young man sitting opposite her and asked, "Can I tell you about this, young master?"
She's gotten used to calling him "Young Master" and hasn't changed it yet. She's been calling him that so often these past few days that everyone else has gotten used to it too.
Zi Jing opened his mouth and said, "Speak freely. This matter is no longer a secret. In any case, after tomorrow, the whole city will know about it."
With that, she no longer had any reservations and recounted everything she had heard about the He family to Langxi and the others.
This included their conversation on the way back to Guanyin, but she didn't mention her deductions about Xuan Ce's army's plans to come to Huaiyuan. It seems inappropriate to discuss this at this time.
It was not surprising that they heard about corruption and bribery with their left ear, but the fact that they heard about the He family selling out the country for money with their right ear startled the others.
Aunt Liu slapped her thigh and cursed, "What a worthless wretch who eats other people's food and does nothing like a human being! He actually colluded with outsiders! How can he face his ancestors with such a treacherous act of forgetting his roots?"
"Who knows who knows (He Renzhi)? In this world, there are no secrets that don't get out! Now everyone knows that he is a traitor who betrays his country."
After listening to Aunt Liu's tirade, Yu Nie couldn't help but give her a thumbs up: "Our Aunt Liu has a great tongue, her words are witty and eloquent, and she spoke so well."
Aunt Liu's round face beamed with joy: "It's all thanks to you teaching me to read; now it's finally coming in handy."
The two exchanged knowing glances, looking incredibly proud.
Upon hearing that He Ren had been imprisoned, the usually gentle and virtuous Lang Xi's face lit up with joy: "After the storm comes the calm. He Ren has committed many evils for a long time, and today he has finally been punished by heaven. It is truly a blessing from heaven." She turned to Zi Jing and the other man and thanked them, saying, "Thanks to upright officials like Commandant Huan and Guardian Xie in power, we ordinary people can live a good life. It is truly a blessing for Huaiyuan to see the light of day again."
"Your Xuan Ce Army has really done a good job," Aunt Liu chimed in from the side.
Zi Jing smiled faintly and said, "It is our duty to rid the people of harm, so you need not worry about it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Nie asked curiously, "Then tomorrow, after you finish interrogating He Renzhi at the government office, will you immediately execute him?" Although she didn't understand the case-handling procedures, she always felt that it was better to send these corrupt officials who preyed on the people to hell as soon as possible.
"I'm afraid not." Zijing lifted her eyelids to look at her.
"Why? Even with conclusive evidence, they can't kill him?" she asked, genuinely puzzled.
He picked up a piece of stir-fried tofu and put it in his bowl: "During the national mourning period following the death of the emperor, all executions and killings shall be suspended. Only after the hundred-day mourning period has passed can prisoners be sent to the execution ground."
Upon hearing of the emperor's death, the other four remained speechless for a long time.
Yu Nie was a latecomer, so he didn't have much of a reaction to the death of an emperor, and he was also the first to come to his senses.
She realized that the urgent report from the city that day was about the emperor's death.
"His Majesty has passed away. Why is there no official announcement from the government regarding such an important matter?" she asked.
On the day the emperor's edict of mourning arrives, all officials must wear plain clothes, black gauze hats, and black horn belts. After three days of fasting, the edict is publicly read aloud.
But to this day, the government has taken no action.
Xie Cheng said, "On the day the urgent report arrived, the Rouran were attacking the city, so He Renzhi naturally delayed the matter. In the following days, he was busy sending people to monitor us and clearing himself of suspicion. He had no time for the edict and his mind was not on it, so it has been delayed until now."
Lang Xi frowned and said, "He dares to neglect his duties on such a matter of national importance as the death of the emperor. He Renzhi is truly audacious. Even if he can clear himself of suspicion of collusion with the enemy this time, is he not afraid that the prefect will impeach him upon hearing the news?"
The prefectural governor is essentially the chief censor of the county magistrate, holding supreme supervisory power. Langxi's question is therefore quite reasonable.
Upon hearing this, Zi Jing laughed and said, "If the Prefect of Dingzhou were truly dedicated to his duties, how could He Renzhi be so arrogant?"
Lang Xi was taken aback. The prefect of Dingzhou had always been known for his integrity and had never made a mistake. Even though the He family was related to him by marriage, he never showed favoritism.
Two years ago, during a drought, He Renzhi failed to provide adequate disaster relief. Prefect Zhao Shuhuai personally went to the site to supervise the relief efforts, gave He Renzhi a severe dressing-down, and even paid out of his own pocket.
Such incidents are too numerous to mention...
The meaning behind Ke Zijing's words is already quite clear.
Yu Nie also sensed something was wrong and was astonished: "You mean... these two are in cahoots?"
"One plays the good cop, the other the bad cop; it's a common trope in traditional Chinese opera." Zijing's words were quite clear.
“No wonder…no wonder…” Yu Nie sighed at Zhao Shuhuai’s acting skills, which were truly admirable. He said angrily, “I originally thought that He Renzhi was good at deceiving his superiors and that the two of them were birds of a feather.”
Upon hearing this, Lang Xi and the others remained silent, their expressions shifting several times before finally refusing to speak.
Hearing this truth would chill any resident of Huaiyuan to the bone.
After dinner, everyone went about their own business.
Yu Nie felt increasingly depressed as she thought about it. Coming out of the kitchen and heading towards the front yard, she suddenly spoke up, turning to the person beside her, and asked, "I've heard the prefect is a member of the imperial family. If he breaks the law, will he be punished the same as ordinary citizens?"
The saying "If the prince breaks the law, the commoner shall be punished the same" sounds good, but even after thousands of years of changing times, it is not necessarily always fully practiced.
Zi Jing glanced at her casually: "Young lady, are you afraid he won't die?"
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
The young man stood with his hands behind his back, speaking gently: "My lady, there is no need to worry. Under my blade, there are no kings or generals, only those whose crimes are beyond redemption."
“His crime deserves death, and he will surely die.” He said this lightly, without any hint of bloodshed, as if chatting casually, but every word was as certain as nails on an iron plate, which made people feel at ease.
Upon hearing this, she smiled sweetly, completely believing what he said.
Upon hearing that those who deceive the people would receive their due punishment, she felt a sense of relief. She looked up at the crescent moon hanging high above the rooftop and sighed, "The moonlight tonight is truly beautiful."
Just moments ago, the person was filled with sorrow and resentment, but in the blink of an eye, they were admiring the moon. Zi Jing scoffed and said, "Just now you were worried about the country and its people, and now you're enjoying the flowers and the moon. Your face changes almost as fast as turning the pages of a book."
Xie Cheng followed behind them, while Lang Xi and A Hui, walking quickly, had already returned to their respective rooms.
She smiled sweetly, her eyes crinkling, and leaned closer to him: "With you here, young master, I'm not afraid of anything, even if the sky falls. What do I have to worry about?"
Zi Jing's eyes were slightly cool. He didn't move his feet, but stared at her face for a while.
He thought again of the woman beside his godfather. Two faces that had nothing in common, yet they were adept at deception.
Everyone returned to their rooms. Yu Nie walked to the table, untied the heavy bundle, took out the food inside one by one, and carefully sorted it out, intending to distribute it to the others.
As she was dividing the belongings, she felt quite sad thinking about how Zijing and the other person would be leaving the temple the next day.
It's always a little upsetting when someone you know suddenly leaves. She's always had a soft heart; even seeing a stray cat die while walking by would make her sad for days.
But all good things must come to an end. Even if they don't leave tomorrow, they will have to leave sooner or later.
It's good to get used to it early, and besides, we're not going to miss each other for the rest of the time.
She comforted herself with this thought, her hands never stopping. The things the Rong family had given her included ten boxes of pastries alone, plus all sorts of seasonal fruits; no wonder she couldn't carry them all.
She quickly packed the smaller fresh fruits, such as loquats and candied fruits, into boxes. However, the pears were too large to fit in the boxes, so she had to leave them outside.
After distributing the fruits, she moved on to distributing the pastries. After opening three pastry boxes, she had just cracked open the fourth box when she suddenly froze. Then, incredulously, she ripped open the entire lid.
Inside the box, gold gleamed and shone brightly, and quietly stacked twenty gold coins.
*
Smoke curls from the chimneys in the mountains, and early in the morning, the firewood in the stove crackles and pops.
Yu Nie stood in front of the window, washing the locust flowers that Aunt Liu had just picked from the back of the yard.
As she washed, her gaze couldn't help but drift toward the pile of firewood. A handsome young man was chopping dry wood as thick as a bowl with an axe, his movements swift and efficient.
"well……"
"well……"
She sighed twice. Aunt Liu heard her and teased, "Rong girl, you've been complaining all morning. Is there something troubling you? Or are you just reluctant to part with someone?"
She went along with it and said, "I can't bear to part with that person..."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu immediately came over like a matchmaker, urging her: "If you can't bear to part with her, then go up and keep her. Isn't she still here?"
"And look at the two of you, you're a perfect match, both handsome and beautiful, and of similar age. I think you're a match made in heaven, even the leaves of a locust tree don't match you as well."
"Do locust tree leaves need to be paired?" She looked at Aunt Liu with suspicion.
Aunt Liu almost choked on her words: "Oh my silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? What do locust tree leaves match? What I mean is, you and that young captain are both lucky people, and you're both handsome, so isn't that a perfect match?"
Yu Nie washed the locust flowers in the basin: "But I'm not going to marry him."
Aunt Liu was completely confused: "You won't marry him? Didn't you just say you couldn't bear to part with him?"
She sighed, "When I say I'm reluctant to part with him, I mean I'm reluctant to part with his labor. If someone helps me chop wood and carry water, it will save me so much effort."
"Tsk." She glanced out the window again. The young man had already chopped half a yard's worth of firewood, and after doing so much work, he wasn't even out of breath. "Such a virtuous person, gone just like that, what a pity."
Aunt Liu gave her some advice: "Why don't you keep Xianhui? He's a proper official, and although he's a soldier, he's hardworking and handsome. With that build and strength, and he chops wood so skillfully, he'll definitely be a good helper in the future."
Yu Nie blurted out what she had thought about: "Oh, Aunt Liu, you don't know, I've thought about marrying someone to be my husband after I've succeeded, but long-distance relationships have no future."
Aunt Liu looked completely bewildered, as if she hadn't heard clearly: "What the hell? What is a long-distance relationship?"
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