Chapter 19 Punishment Five Whips
Cui Rushi greeted Liang Yuanjing and Xue Ruyue as they entered the room. As soon as they entered, he offered to pour tea for them. A higher-ranking official could crush someone, and Cui Rushi, ever the man of wit and determination, offered his unwavering support. After pouring the tea, he said, "Our Imperial Guards are actually following the rules and regulations of the imperial court. They arrested Master Xue because he had smuggled salt on his grain truck. Regardless of whether he's ultimately guilty, we can't let a suspected criminal go unpunished, can we?"
He rubbed his hands together, his smile very forced. "Sir Liang, you have also worked your way up from being a local official. You should know that it is not easy for us small officials. We all rely on the bonus at the end of the year to make a living. Could you please show some mercy and let this matter go?"
Liang Yuanjing had a hint of smile in his eyes and eyebrows. He didn't directly respond to Cui Rushi's words. He just glanced at Xue Ruyue and said, "This is the victim. Ask what the victim has to say."
Xue Ruyue had just brought Xue Congli home yesterday. Her brother was usually spoiled and had never suffered any hardship. After staying in prison for a few days, he became very sick. The maids and nannies in the mansion felt very distressed when they saw him.
Xue Ruyue didn't want Chai Heng to suffer any physical pain, but at least she wanted an apology from her. She couldn't just arrest someone and get away with it, and then continue living her life.
"It's the end of the year, and all the government offices are waiting to distribute their rewards. My father is also an official in the court, and he has a lot of people under him. He understands how difficult it is for you, sir."
"How about this? Find the clerk in charge of this matter and have him come to apologize to my brother. This matter will be resolved."
Xue Ruyue took a sip of hot tea and spoke slowly.
Cui Rushi's smile gradually disappeared. Although he was an unreliable boss, he could not do such a thing as pushing his subordinates out at the critical moment. What's more, he didn't think there was anything wrong with Chai Heng in this matter.
"This is not good. The deputy envoy under me is too young. She is also a girl. The girl is ignorant and there is no point in making trouble for her. If Miss Xue really needs someone to apologize and admit her mistake, I am her boss. I can bring the things to her door this afternoon." Cui Rushi laughed.
Liang Yuanjing teased, "Master Cui really treats his subordinates like daughters. What a pity! If this troublemaker is not punished, she will continue to cause trouble in the future. Putting aside the question of whether to apologize or not, I'm actually very curious about what this troublemaker looks like. Why not let me see her?"
"This girl is not here today, Lord Liang, please don't make things difficult for me." Cui Rushi continued to try to cover up the past.
Xue Ruyue: "But I just saw her outside."
Cui Rushi finally realized that Yang Yan was Chai Heng's former husband, and that Miss Xue was the rumored confidante of Lord Yang. The two should indeed know each other. Seeing that she couldn't get over it, Cui Rushi was caught in a dilemma.
"Sir Cui, you said it yourself. It's the end of the year and everyone is having a hard time. The brothers under you are all waiting for rewards and food. If you can handle this matter for me, I won't make it difficult for you. I will go to the Ministry of Revenue and talk to Minister Lu, and ask him to allocate the reward money to you immediately. Protecting one person will harm everyone. I guess this is not what you want to see." Liang Yuanjing continued to jokingly put pressure on Cui Rushi.
As soon as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open and it was Chai Heng.
She had no habit of eavesdropping. Old Yang had just been lying at the door listening for a while when Qian Xiaoqi came over and asked how the conversation was going. Old Yang relayed the information to her, and she heard everything.
Yang Yan's warning from a few days ago still echoed faintly in her ears. Her current situation in Shangjing was actually no different from her previous life. Whenever the Xue family was involved, he would inevitably defend Xue Ruyue. Chai Heng was no stranger to it. So, although she felt aggrieved, she had gotten used to it.
Just be patient and it will pass.
"I was the one who arrested Xue Congli." She walked in and faced Liang Yuanjing very calmly.
Liang Yuanjing had been wondering what kind of foolish person would cause trouble for his best friend's confidante, but upon closer inspection, he saw that it was indeed a young girl, just as Cui Rushi had said. She looked decent and charming, but unfortunately, she was clueless.
"You arrested the wrong person and you're still right?"
"Not sending you to jail is already our Miss Xue's kindness to you. Why don't you kneel down and admit your mistake?" Liang Yuanjing started by acting like an official.
Of course, Chai Heng would never kneel before Xue Ruyue: "I can apologize for arresting Master Xue, but I can't kneel. There is no law in the Great Qi that can force people to kneel in private."
Chai Heng glanced at Liang Yuanjing coldly and spoke slowly.
"The little girl is quite stubborn." Liang Yuanjing worked in the Ministry of Justice and had his own way of dealing with those stubborn people. It was a pity that this wasn't the Ministry of Justice's prison, otherwise he would definitely teach her who to mess with and who not to mess with. He snorted, and unable to find anything useful, he raised the teacup in his hand and poured a cup of boiling hot tea at Chai Heng.
"Lord Liang, you absolutely cannot do that!" Cui Rushi exclaimed.
Chai Heng was caught off guard. She didn't expect Liang Yuanjing to splash her. Fortunately, she dodged quickly and the tea only splashed on the back of her hand. However, the tea was scalding hot and it splashed on the back of her fair hand, causing it to become red and swollen, and a circle of blisters appeared.
Xue Ruyue was also startled.
"Forget it, Lord Liang. This girl and I are old acquaintances, and I don't want to cause such unpleasantness." He turned to look at Chai Heng, "Ah Heng, I don't want to embarrass you either. I don't need you to apologize to me. Just come to our Xue Mansion today and apologize to my brother. This matter has been very unpleasant. My father was originally going to investigate it further, but when he found out it was you, he decided to make peace with it."
Go to the door to apologize?
Chai Heng could guess what kind of humiliation that would be without even having to think about it.
She doesn't want to go.
So she looked at Xue Ruyue and asked, "Besides going to apologize in person, do you have any other choice?"
This is not a street market, you are just buying vegetables and you are still picking them.
Liang Yuanjing sneered, "The choice Miss Xue just gave you is already the most tolerant and generous one. I don't know how you two have known each other for the Xue family to let bygones be bygones and not bother with you. But if it were me, I would definitely not let you off like this. If you really don't want to agree to Miss Xue's request, that's fine. Just follow the rules and go to my Ministry of Justice jail and receive twenty lashes. And that's it."
Hearing this, Cui Rushi, who had originally wanted to bend his bones, could no longer sit still. "Master Liang, this is inappropriate. You know whether my men have arrested the wrong person or not. Twenty lashes will kill someone. Go away. Even if I use my salary to pay the reward to my brothers, I can't just drag an innocent young man to take the blame!"
He stood up suddenly and tried to drive Liang Yuanjing away immediately.
"If you can't bear twenty lashes, then ten will do. Tomorrow at noon, you will come to the prison of the Ministry of Justice by yourself." Liang Yuanjing was not going to leave, he was just bargaining.
Chai Heng didn't want to implicate the entire Jingwei Division because of her own affairs. By now, she had seen it all too clearly. Xue Ruyu's previous accusation of favoritism was actually a personal revenge against her. He wouldn't be satisfied until the person behind the scenes saw blood.
"good."
She agreed without thinking.
The Ministry of Justice whipped her with a whip that drew blood. Even ten lashes carried the risk of a high fever and infection. Xue Ruyue disliked Chai Heng, but she didn't want to torture her to death. If something did happen, she wouldn't be able to explain it to the Chai family. Furthermore, the Marquis' Mansion didn't know Liang Yuanjing had brought her here today. She still hadn't figured out Yang Yan's intentions.
"No need for so many. Just a small punishment and a serious warning. Five lashes will be enough to teach him a lesson." Xue Ruyue said.
Since the victim had asked for mercy, Liang Yuanjing was happy to do him a favor: "The life of a lowly person is nothing worth mentioning, but since someone is pleading for you, I will let you go this time. After five lashes, the matter will be written off." With that, he achieved his goal and left happily with Xue Ruyue.
After watching the two men leave, Cui Rushi sighed and said to Chai Heng, "That's just how the bastards in the Ministry of Justice are. They don't treat people under other government offices as human beings. You don't have to go tomorrow. These bastards can't be tolerated. As for the rest, I'll find a way."
Chai Heng shook his head and turned to comfort Cui Rushi, "It's okay. This matter was originally directed at me. Five lashes is not much. The person behind this is originally trying to avenge the Xue family. If I don't kill him today, I will have other troubles waiting for me tomorrow. It's better to let him get what he wants sooner rather than later."
*
As daylight faded, Liang Yuanjing chose the best time to invite Yang Yan to the Ministry of Justice for tea.
Several officers at the Ministry of War had recently been causing trouble and had been taken to the Ministry of Justice. Liang Yuanjing had invited Yang Yan to come, both to discuss the charges against the troublemakers and to enjoy the pre-Qingming rain dew he had recently sent back from Jiangnan.
"From the list I submitted to you, those people from your Ministry of War are originally from military households. They don't even know that you can't take the military equipment without permission. Even after punishing them, they act as if it's justified. Okay, what do you think I should do with them?" Liang Yuanjing asked Yang Yan's opinion as he walked.
"Just follow the law." Yang Yan coughed. It had been a cold spring day these days and his throat was feeling uncomfortable.
Liang Yuanjing knew Yang Yanyuan didn't bother with such trivial matters; once someone was brought to the Ministry of Justice, he'd basically leave them alone. Not wanting to waste Yang Yan's already limited patience, Liang Yuanjing cheerfully introduced the tea he'd sent someone to find. He began by explaining the tea's origins and the immense expense it had cost him, adding that it was good for the throat.
Yang Yan had no intention of listening. He came here just to ask Liang Yuanjing about the congestion in the southwest river and what happened to the Water Conservancy Commissioner who was imprisoned half a month ago.
The sage had ordered several young princes to participate in this case. He was the teacher of Prince Yong, who was still very young, only five years old. This wasn't a test of Prince Yong, but rather a test of his ability to be a teacher. Yang Yan had experienced many such trials and tests in his previous life, so repeating them in this one wasn't difficult for him.
He waited indifferently for Liang Yuanjing to finish his nonsense, and when he looked around casually, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.
In fact, she was not very close to him, as there was a small path and a rockery between them. At this moment, she was walking towards the Ministry of Justice prison. Just like before, she walked hurriedly and no one knew what she was in a hurry to do.
Seeing that he was absent-minded, Liang Yuanjing thought he was in a hurry to go to the prison to see the Du Shui Supervisor. "Are you in a hurry to ask the Supervisor a question? If you are, you and I can go now."
"No need, let's have some tea first." Yang Yan said lightly.
The author has something to say:
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There is still one chapter left. If the heroine continues to be miserable for one chapter, the hero will suffer from now on.
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