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Upon receiving the news, Xie Sui'an rushed to Minghui Hall immediately. Recently, Xie Zhongxu had been dealing with official documents until late at night, and Xie Sui'an had thought that his grandfather had simply fallen ill from exhaustion.
To his surprise, when he arrived at Minghui Hall, he was stopped by a large number of soldiers outside the hall. From a distance, he saw Xie Zhongxu sitting behind his desk, his lips and eyes tightly closed, with black blood seeping from the corners of his mouth and nostrils.
"grandfather!"
He called out, but the man didn't answer.
Only the household guards, under his father's instructions, held him up and pushed him out. He couldn't hear what they were saying to him; his head was buzzing, and he felt only self-reproach.
Did I say something wrong? Something about Grandpa getting old, or the towering tree no longer being able to provide shelter? As if it were a premonition, he really did leave suddenly.
He thought it might all be a dream; it was still so dark, and he hadn't woken up yet.
He slashed at the soldiers who tried to stop him, and they were clearly outmatched, yet wave after wave of them kept blocking his way...
He was awakened by his father's slap. After a moment of confusion, he finally realized that everything around him sounded too real. The pain on his face and body was just as real as the pain in his heart.
He burst into tears. His grandfather, who was always gentle and calm, who would rub his head and tell him he could play for a few more years, was really gone.
Soon after, the Prefect of Kyoto Prefecture, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate arrived... Everyone looked flustered and frightened. Officials in different colored robes approached Minghui Hall, some red, some purple, and Minghui Hall was quickly surrounded like an iron barrel.
Xie Sui'an received the news at the Lotus Courtyard where Qin Sang lived, which was quite remote. The news was almost the last to reach him, so when he arrived at Minghui Hall, the panicked family members of the Prime Minister's residence had already been arranged to move to a side courtyard.
There was a spacious council hall. Xie Zhongxu's two sons, Xie Tiao and Xie Zhiyuan, were there. One looked sad with red eyes, while the other looked serious with a furrowed brow.
The women were all grieving and weeping, some saddened, but mostly terrified.
"How is Minghuitang doing? Can we go see Grandpa now?" Xie Wu cried until his voice was hoarse, his nose bulging, and he grabbed Xie Suian as soon as he saw him and asked.
Xie Sui'an looked blank and shook his head.
"Why? What is it? I heard them say that Grandpa might have committed suicide out of guilt, but Grandpa was the prime minister! What crime could he have committed to commit suicide?" She turned to her father, "Father, we can't just stand here and do nothing. Isn't that just letting them talk nonsense?!"
Xie Jingze's usually gentle and calm face was now ashen: "Yesterday at court, many officials jointly impeached my grandfather for abusing his power, forming cliques and disrupting the government, disregarding human life, and embezzling disaster relief grain for personal gain, among other crimes. The Emperor was furious in court and ordered the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censors to conduct a joint investigation... Coincidentally, the incident happened that very night. The inspectors and the Ministry of Justice arrived quickly, and after a short investigation, they concluded that my grandfather might have committed suicide out of fear of punishment..."
Xie Sui'an was shocked: "Suicide out of fear of punishment? Suicide without trial? Does Grandpa seem like such a coward?"
Xie Jingze: "Therefore, this matter is suspicious. My grandfather's death must have been caused by someone. Moreover, they want to pin the crime of my grandfather committing suicide out of fear of punishment on him, and completely bring down the many officials led by my grandfather."
Xie Sui'an understood that this matter involved factional strife: "Among those who came, were there any of Grandpa's people?"
Xie Zhiyuan, pale-faced, solemnly replied, "Of course. The Censor-in-Chief is my father's protégé; he won't allow them to make arbitrary judgments."
"The news of Grandpa's accident leaked too quickly, and those people arrived too quickly. In the dead of night, they were able to arrive so well-equipped with troops and even people from the inner court... This matter must have already reached the Emperor..."
He didn't continue, nor did he dare to.
Why did the Emperor's men arrive so quickly? Several factions, as if engaged in a contest, rushed to the Prime Minister's residence...
"Outrageous! What kind of assassin is so bold as to cause trouble in the Prime Minister's residence? Are all of Xie's personal guards dead? Someone poisoned Grandpa right under his nose, and he still has the nerve to stand there!" Xie Xiao's face turned red with anger. "I think he's the most suspicious. Brother, go quickly and arrest him! Otherwise, if they destroy the evidence, Grandpa's charge of committing suicide out of guilt will be upheld!"
Xie Sui'an raised his eyes and looked at his little sister, Xie Xiao.
This girl, though young, is always very calm in the face of adversity. She has always had a serious face and likes to frown in thought. Xie Zhongxu once said that she is most like himself.
Unfortunately, it was a girl.
After a moment of silence, Xie Jingze shook his head: "You can suspect anyone, but not him. He is... Grandpa's henchman."
Qin Sang quickly slipped out of the shadows.
***
Qin Sang ran lightly and quickly, leaping back to the backyard the way she came before those people arrived.
"Miss, Miss, someone's here! They need you to come out for a moment, Miss?" As soon as I landed in the backyard, I heard a maid hurriedly knocking on the door.
She nimbly slipped into the room, where Ying'er was curled up in bed, trembling slightly.
She lifted the blanket, and Ying'er was taken aback. After seeing who it was, she was moved to tears. Her expression seemed to say, "Girl, you're finally back!"
On the other side, Lingding had already opened the door a crack and said softly, "Keep your voice down. It's the middle of the night. The young lady must be tired and just dozed off. What's wrong? Who's here?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a commotion of voices could be heard from the courtyard outside, as if many people were rushing into the small courtyard, their footsteps clattering.
Lingding turned around and saw that Qin Sang had already nimbly taken off her clothes, changed into casual pajamas, and then nodded.
Lingding then whispered to the maid outside, "Immediately, Miss, please get dressed and come over."
The small courtyard was mostly occupied by the soldiers who had stormed in, their dark heads staring menacingly at the main entrance of a row of houses. Leading them was Xie Ying, Xie Zhongxu's personal guard deputy general, followed by Pei Ying, the vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Zhao Tuo, the prefect of the capital, and officials from the Ministry of Justice.
Xie Ying was tall and broad-shouldered, standing there like a mountain, while Pei Ying was young, upright and dignified, with an air of righteousness.
The rest of the group consisted of the Prime Minister's personal guards, officials from the Dali Temple, and constables from the capital prefecture.
When Qin Sang opened the door, she saw Xie Ying with a dark expression and Pei Ying, who was squinting and waiting to watch the show.
She half-covered her lips with her hand, yawned, and her hazy eyes were full of innocence. Her gaze swept back and forth across the faces of the crowd, and she exclaimed in surprise, "My lords, what is this...?"
“Something has happened at the Prime Minister’s residence. You must know about it, young lady. These are the officials who have come to investigate. They are just asking you a few questions as a matter of routine. Just answer whatever they ask.” Xie Yingren was tall and strong, and his voice was rough but also shrewd. He was not reckless.
Qin Sang sensed something was wrong; Xie Ying's tone seemed rather impolite.
"Oh," Qin Sang said shyly, "I heard something happened last night. Is the Prime Minister... alright?"
Everyone fell silent for a moment, then Xie Ying said calmly, "The Prime Minister is dead."
"Dead?" Qin Sang's legs went weak, and she grabbed the door frame for support. "How...how could this be?"
No one answered her, but a constable stepped forward and demanded, "Where were you last night at 7 PM?"
“Yesterday… I stayed in the courtyard all day and didn’t go out. Around 7 PM, I should have gone to the First Madam’s courtyard for dinner.”
Head constable: "You went alone?"
“The maidservant stayed with her alone.”
Did you visit Ninghui Hall along the way?
"No."
Are there any witnesses?
"My maid..."
"I mean, besides your personal maid, is there anyone else who can testify that you haven't been to Ninghui Hall?"
Qin Sang chuckled, her mind racing with thoughts of why these people had come to interrogate her, but on the surface she wore a weak and sorrowful expression: "My lord, you don't believe me even if I answer you. I spent the day practicing calligraphy and martial arts in my own courtyard, and in the evening I went to your husband's courtyard to have dinner with everyone. I didn't go anywhere else in between. As for whether anyone saw me, I really didn't pay attention."
The constable frowned, about to ask another question, but seeing Pei Ying raise his hand, he had no choice but to shut his mouth and not continue.
Pei Ying, a handsome man, looked at Qin Sang with a kind smile: "I heard you are the daughter of the Prime Minister's old friend. Miss, the Prime Minister brought you here in the future, is it because of our old friendship?"
"..." Qin Sang didn't quite understand what he meant. "Of course."
"So, how are your feelings for the Prime Minister?"
Qin Sang: "Of course... naturally I am grateful and deeply respectful."
Pei Ying nodded, then looked at an elderly man with a white goatee beside him: "Your Excellency, do you think such a young girl is the type to commit violence?"
The old man with the goatee looked at Qin Sang with a cold face and said in an unfriendly tone: "Whether someone will commit murder or not is not determined by their appearance. Although Lord Pei is young, he has handled many cases. Do I have to teach you such a principle?"
Qin Sang had overheard something and knew that the man with the goatee was the censor, one of the prime minister's men. But now, this seemingly honest old man was implying in his words that she was the murderer.
And Xie Ying's attitude towards me...
In a flash, she realized something: these people representing the Prime Minister were probably in a hurry to find a scapegoat to make him the murderer in order to clear the Prime Minister of suspicion of committing suicide out of guilt!
In this vast Prime Minister's mansion, she was the only one without relatives or friends, with no one to protect her. It wouldn't be a pity to abandon her as a discarded pawn.
At this point, Xie Zhongxu could not have committed suicide out of fear of punishment; in any case, it could not have been suicide out of fear of punishment. It could only have been murder.
...She had a bit of a headache.
Of course, she was willing to make some sacrifices for the safety of the Prime Minister's residence, but she couldn't make those sacrifices now.
She couldn't let herself become a pawn; she still had so much to do, how could she become cannon fodder?
No, I need to think fast, think of a way to escape, a way to shift the blame...
Pei Ying smiled slightly and said, "Sir, this isn't how you handle cases. You just find someone and call them the murderer?"
The man with the goatee snorted, "Someone saw her last night, and you call that casual?"
"But the girl also said that she always has a maidservant with her..."
"How can the words of a personal maid be trusted?"
"..."
Amidst their heated exchange, Qin Sang had a sudden inspiration and decided to go all out: "My lord!"
Her voice was a bit high-pitched, and everyone stopped to look at her.
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