Chapter 79 Funeral He stood in the courtyard, the bamboo stalks and pines slender and graceful.
Jin Lingxi had been secretly looking for an opportunity. She held the secrets of the Jin family and a lot of evidence, but she couldn't hand these things over herself because she was still the eldest daughter of the Jin family on the surface, and she didn't want to cause any trouble. Nor could she let Jiang Hairong hand them over because Jiang Hairong was weak and powerless, and she was afraid that if she failed to file a lawsuit, she would also bring disaster upon herself.
She needs to choose someone with a strong background and ability who has no vested interests with the Jin family and whom she can trust, and then guide that person to uncover the truth behind the many cases in Suyang City.
Before this, she had made many efforts. She secretly won people's hearts, and most of the servants in the Jin family obeyed her. She also ordered Jiang Hairong to spread nursery rhymes about lead coins in the city, so that children going through the streets and alleys could sing them and go to the families of the infants who were killed because of lead coins, and tell them the true cause of the infants' deaths.
The two of them did a lot of things, but these measures had little effect.
Fortunately, a year later, Jin Lingxi got this excellent opportunity.
Yue Yining: "On my first day in Suyang, I heard children in the city singing a strange nursery rhyme. It turns out that it was also your doing."
Jiang Hairong was a little embarrassed. "That was my idea. Xiaoxi said that it would probably be a waste of effort, since there are no officials in Suyang City who can uphold justice for the people anymore. But even though she said that, she still spent three nights writing a nursery rhyme for me."
Jin Lingxi's words were not wrong. Most of the officials in Suyang City either came from the Jin family or were affiliated with the Jin family. No one would oppose the Jin family, nor would anyone dare to oppose the Jin family.
Now that Jin Yuanxiu and others have been apprehended, as the Dali Temple takes over the investigation, the number of officials involved—those dismissed, demoted, and executed—is estimated to be enough to circle the Suyang government office twice.
“Ms. Jin, I admire you very much. You did something that many people wouldn’t do,” Yue Yining said.
After all, the downfall of the Jin family meant that all the wealth and glory that had come from their family background and status would vanish into thin air.
“As a member of the Kim family, you are bound to be implicated. This is a method that hurts the enemy a thousand while harming eight hundred of your own. Let me apply for a pardon for you. You and your father are not the same kind of people, and you should not bear his guilt.”
Having already spoken the truth to this extent, Jin Lingxi did not refuse Yue Yining's kindness any further. "Lingxi thanks Lord Yue in advance."
"However, I have a question I'd like to ask Miss Jin," Yue Yining said, looking at her. "Why did you choose me?"
Jin Lingxi was stunned for a moment, "...What did you say?"
Yue Yining repeated: "There were three officials who came to investigate the Green Ghost case. Why did you choose me?"
"Or were you actually just wandering around outside that day, planning to choose whoever you bumped into as a partner?"
Yue Yining said this with a smile, as if teasing her. Jin Lingxi subconsciously retorted, "No, of course not."
Why is that?
"..." Jin Lingxi pursed her lips, her face slightly embarrassed. "If I said it was intuition, would the Yue Lord laugh at me?"
Jin Lingxi first met Yue Yining not at night, but in the main hall where the Jin family was holding a banquet. She sneaked into the front courtyard and, through the screen, quietly looked at the people sitting inside, recognizing the three investigating officials from Yanjing based on the seating arrangement.
She spotted Yue Yining at a glance. The female official in her blue robe and white skirt looked like a bamboo shoot growing out of place in front of the magnificent hall.
But Jin Lingxi's gaze was involuntarily drawn to that figure.
Those memories, indistinguishable between past and future, were like long-buried dust suddenly blown away by the wind. She couldn't understand the reason for the inexplicable tremor in her heart; she just suddenly felt that she shouldn't have seen this person here. She should have never met her in her entire life, never known her name, and then walked the path she hadn't finished walking in her place.
Even though we've never met, we feel like we've known each other before; we're the most familiar strangers.
“I always felt that I was destined to meet Lord Yue,” Jin Lingxi said frankly. “That night, I heard from the servants that you had left the banquet and gone back to your room first, so I went to wander outside your courtyard. I didn’t expect to run into you leaving the mansion.”
Yue Yining smiled and said, "I see. Maybe it's true. I had some connection with Miss Jin and Miss Jiang in my past life, which is why I feel a sense of closeness with them in this life."
"The Heavenly Ancestor also said this: 'In the past life, cloud traces lingered in the sleeves; in this life, the moon reflected in the water adorns the eyebrows.'"
Who knew that we once shared the moon, but whose eyes are now reflected in the ripples of water? The temple bell tolls, shattering the snow of three lifetimes; the lotus throne burns out a single thread of incense.
The clear moon hung above the blossoming branches. Yue Yining and her entourage then took their leave. In front of the Jin residence's gate, she waved goodbye to Jin Lingxi and Jiang Hairong before turning and boarding her carriage.
Wei Yihua, sitting gracefully on a gilded cushion, instructed Suyue to pour her tea as she entered.
"You handled this case brilliantly. When you return to Yanjing, you'll be famous again."
Yue Yining laughed it off, "Again? When was I ever famous before? How come I didn't know?"
"It's all because of what Wei Jing did last time..." Wei Yihua got angry as she spoke, sighing and speechless. She changed the subject and said, "By the way, what about Lord Ye, whom he sent to investigate the case with you? Is he also leaving tonight?"
Yue Yining: "Yes, he might leave after us. He received the news quite late, and the people in the courtyard are still packing their bags."
"As for the other Lord Zhao Xu, I just received news that he has been taken out of prison by the Zhao family. He is still alive, but he was tortured and is now paralyzed on one side. He will probably spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair." Yue Yining remembered something. "Your Highness is not aware of Zhao Xu's situation, is he? Xie Qingyu suddenly returned to the capital due to urgent matters, so Zhao Xu was temporarily assigned to take over his duties."
"It's strange, Xie Qingyu left in a hurry. I heard that even the person to take over was decided later."
Upon hearing this, Wei Yihua slowly sat up straighter, her expression becoming serious. "I was just about to tell you this."
Do you know why Xie Qingyu hurriedly left Suyang and returned to the capital two days ago?
Wei Yihua's expression was too serious, and Yue Yining was taken aback before saying, "I don't know."
Has something major happened in the capital?
"This is indeed a major event," Wei Yihua said solemnly. "Prime Minister Xie is dead."
Yue Yining was stunned: "What did you say?"
"You heard me right. What else could be so important that Xie Qingyu would abandon the case he was working on in Suyang and rush back to the capital immediately? After the news of Xie Zhi and Wang Shi's deaths reached Yanjing, the Xie family was in chaos, all waiting for their adopted son to come back and take charge."
Yue Yining was shocked and could hardly believe it. It took her a long time to find her voice: "How could they suddenly die? Weren't Xie Zhi and his wife on their way back to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors? Could they have been attacked by thieves on the way and met with this misfortune?"
"In early April, Xie Zhi and his wife, Wang, were traveling by boat to Luoshui when, for reasons unknown, the boat suddenly capsized and everyone on board perished. All the people on board were lost in the river, except for two maids who were good swimmers. They were rescued by a passing boat. The two maids then reported the incident to the authorities, which alerted the Luoshui government, who dispatched people to retrieve the boat and the people from the vicinity."
"But the spring rains lasted a long time, and the fog on the water never dissipated, so the salvage boats made slow progress. It took almost seven more days to retrieve Xie Zhi and Wang's bodies." Wei Yihua also sighed, "Human life is so cheap in the face of disaster; it can be gone in an instant."
"Whether it was an accidental drowning or a murder, the truth is probably only known to the two maids who escaped death. The Xie family will probably interrogate the two of them and then request a trial, but they probably won't be able to get any useful clues. Even if there is a mastermind behind it, it will be very difficult to find out."
Yue Yining stared blankly at Wei Yihua, recalling the last time she saw Xie Zhi was in the council hall of the Prime Minister's residence. Amidst the rising smoke, she turned a bronze disc, divining the fortune of Xie Zhi's journey home.
She clearly told Xie Zhi that if he wanted to ensure a smooth and safe journey, he should travel by water before March 25th, and by land after the 25th. Why did Xie Zhi do the opposite?
Yue Yining couldn't figure it out either. But almost immediately, she thought of Xie Qingyu.
She, an outsider, was so shocked; how must he, as a son, have felt when he heard the news?
Seeing her furrowed brows and deep gaze, Wei Yihua thought she was too shocked to recover, so she pushed a cup of hot tea to her and said softly, "I only heard about this when I was preparing to leave the capital. I didn't have time to ask too many questions before I came to Suyang. I heard that the Xie family is already preparing for the funeral."
"After we return, the situation in Yanjing will likely change again. You should know that the death of a high-ranking official is enough to shake the court."
Without Wei Yihua needing to say more, Yue Yining understood her unspoken meaning.
In the imperial court, the two factions, the commoners and the powerful families, are at odds. The powerful families already have the influence of the Wang family's decline, and now that Prime Minister Xie has suddenly passed away, they are probably in a state of leaderlessness.
On the surface, this seemed like a good thing to them, since most of the officials they had won over were from poor families. However, Yue Yining could not relax; instead, she had a vague feeling that a storm was brewing.
The journey was delayed by a sudden rainstorm, and it was three days later when the princess's carriage arrived in the capital to return home.
After returning to her residence, Yue Yining first organized the case files and evidence of the Green Ghost case and handed them over to the Dali Temple. She had personally investigated the case, and many details needed to be drafted and supplemented by her. After finishing everything, she rested for a day before she had time to think about Xie Qingyu.
She realized that she was still worried and wanted to see Xie Qingyu for herself.
However, she is now an advisor to the princess's household and cannot act on her own.
After thinking for a moment, Yue Yining decided to go find Wei Yihua first.
As soon as Wei Yihua saw her, before she could even speak, she brought up the matter: "You've come at the right time. I was just about to send someone to invite you, but Madam Xie sent a condolence letter to your residence today."
“Princes and princesses generally do not personally attend the condolences of foreign officials, especially since I have no connection with the Xie family. Since the invitation has already been sent to the princess’s residence, you may go in my name, as if I am inviting a close minister to offer condolences on my behalf.”
Yue Yining took the invitation card and found that the purpose written on it was indeed to invite the Princess.
She moved her lips and murmured softly, "...I thought he would send me a calling card."
Wei Yihua happened to be reviewing official documents and didn't hear clearly: "What did you say?"
Yue Yining had already come to her senses and realized she had spoken out of turn, so she shook her head and said, "It's nothing."
"Since the Princess has urged me, I will gladly oblige."
Yue Yining changed into plain clothes and drove to the Prime Minister's residence. From a distance of a hundred meters, she could vaguely see the white canopy set up outside the residence.
The bluestone steps were covered with daylily mats, the lanterns were draped in white gauze, and the door studs were covered with hemp. Although the body had been lying in state for five days, the number of officials coming to pay their respects remained unchanged; the place was filled with visitors.
When Yue Yining arrived at the hanging flower gate, Fu Yao handed her her a name card and a list of funeral gifts from the princess's residence.
The Master of Ceremonies loudly proclaimed: "Her Highness the Princess has bestowed upon us twenty bolts of imperial-made brocade, a pair of imperial kiln blue candles, and ordered the creation of twelve volumes of the 'Rebirth Mantra' in gold—"
The mourning hall was set up in the courtyard of the main hall, with bronze and gold incense burners placed on both sides, from which wisps of smoke rose.
Yue Yining entered the mourning hall through the outer door and finally saw Xie Qingyu's figure in the distance.
Xie Qingyu, dressed in a white linen outfit, appeared even thinner than before.
The ground was covered with white flowers and paper money, as if it were the first snowfall of early winter last night; and he stood alone in the courtyard, the trees buried in ice and snow, the bamboo clear and the pines slender.
A sandalwood screen was set up on the east side of the mourning hall, and offerings were placed on the table. Behind it was the coffin where the body lay.
As the eldest son of the Xie family, Xie Qingyu had to stand guard before the coffin and return the greetings to each guest who came to pay their respects on behalf of his father. Therefore, whenever an additional incense stick was offered on the altar, he had to bow deeply, clasp his hands together, and raise them to his brow.
Amidst the bustling crowd, Yue Yining was initially too far away to see more than his profile, which appeared like a delicate paper-cut on the screen. As he drew closer, his face was finally visible through the gaps between the passing officials.
He seemed thinner than he had been seven days ago; his gentle, jade-like face was more angular, and the corners of his drooping eyes were slightly red.
Yue Yining stared blankly for a long time before she came back to her senses.
Ah, he's cried. It looks like it's been more than once.
The officials ahead of her were whispering amongst themselves, not loudly, but loud enough for her to hear clearly.
"Young Master Xie hasn't changed much, but Young Master Xie looks much thinner."
"Who in the capital doesn't know about the filial piety of the eldest son of the Xie family? At that time, everyone envied Prime Minister Xie for having such an obedient and promising eldest son. Father and son were kind and filial, and their family was happy and harmonious."
"Although Prime Minister Xie does not have many children, most of his children are very outstanding. The eldest son of Xie goes without saying, the second son of Xie also passed the imperial examination with flying colors, the eldest daughter of Xie is outstanding in terms of literary virtue among the noble ladies of the capital, and the second daughter of Xie... cough cough, is also quite straightforward and lovely."
"What's this talk about Young Master Xie? With Xie Cheng gone, his eldest son will naturally inherit his title. Young Master Xie will be Duke Xie from now on."
She had almost forgotten how famous the eldest son of the Xie family was in the capital.
Being born into a noble family and striving for perfection in every aspect is no easy feat.
She assumed he must be living a very difficult life, perhaps not happy. Seeing how dependent he was on her during his illness, she thought he was estranged from his family. Now, she realized she was probably just being presumptuous.
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