Chapter 90: "My wife always loves others more than she loves me..."
When a court official knowingly breaks the law and secretly conspires with a border general, the emperor will thoroughly investigate whoever it is to dispel any suspicions.
Ji Jinghe was already suspected for secretly exchanging messages with Xin Yanqing, and this time he was caught red-handed, leaving him with almost no chance to refute the allegations.
That night, he was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail, causing a disturbance throughout the entire court.
"What!?"
Upon hearing this, Yu An sat up in shock, and after a moment of surprise, she figured out what had happened.
It was her letter; it was that letter that caused all the trouble.
Yu An: "He went to Songshan Temple, but he didn't run into the Yan family or Cao Bowei. Instead, he bumped into Xin Yanqing..."
"That letter is fake; there's something wrong with it."
Qingque blushed with anxiety, "Even if we know there's a problem now, it's useless. His Majesty won't believe us."
Before she knew it, her chest tightened, especially when she thought about how she had personally delivered that letter to Ji Jinghe, the guilt in her heart became even more indescribable.
How could Ji Jing, who is usually so intelligent, actually listen to her...?
Qingque: "When the old man went there, he didn't bring anyone with him. He went alone just to find out what was going on. He didn't expect the Yan family to act so quickly."
Holding onto the table, Yu An slowly sat down. In just a few moments, she thought of Zhang Yanche, who had just returned to Beijing.
This matter originated with her, and she wants to get involved.
As long as she clears herself of all responsibility, she doesn't care whether Ji Jinghe lives or dies.
Immediately, he took the letter that Qingque had brought and went to the Zhang residence by carriage.
When Zhang Yanche heard that she had arrived, he quickly ordered his men to welcome her. Unfortunately, Wang Jie was also there.
Yu An got straight to the point: "I've come today to tell you about Ji Jinghe."
Zhang Yanche had heard about it, and his expression turned ugly. His tone towards Yu An was also unfriendly, and the usual respectful address was gone. He said in a harsh voice, "Why are you here?"
She handed them the letter. "I gave him the news yesterday, and I got it from Xu Jingshu. I also called Qi Shi to test him. Cao Bowei is indeed in Beijing, but he is secretive and rarely shows his face."
After looking at it, Zhang Yanche handed the item to Wang Jie, turned his back, and all that could be heard was a long, helpless sigh from him.
Yu-An: "I must have received false information."
Zhang Yanche placed his hands on the table and said helplessly, "I really don't understand him. Is it really worth him going there in person for something like this?"
Ji Jinghe could have simply sent his men to investigate; why did he have to go himself and cause trouble?
He had already been dismissed from his post for inappropriate contact, and now that he has been caught red-handed, he cannot escape the charges.
Wang Jie looked at her and asked, "Where did Miss Xu come from?"
"Lu Yunshu".
Yu An shook her head. "I guess Lu Yunshu must have discovered that Xu Jingshu and I were exchanging messages, so she used me and her to harm Ji Jinghe."
Zhang Yanche: "We agreed to never see each other again, so why did you send him the message? You might as well have given it to the two of us. You don't know how he treated you..."
Yu An lowered her eyes, unsure of what to say. She really hadn't expected Ji Jinghe to go in person.
He was cautious and shouldn't have done something so reckless, but he did, and got arrested.
“I’ll take responsibility for what I’ve done. The only solution right now is to go and talk to Xu Jingshu. She’s never been in this situation before, so I need to find out the truth.” Yu An remained remarkably calm.
She continued, "Before I came, I had already sent someone to the Lu residence in my name. If Xu Jingshu sees this, she will understand."
Based on her understanding of Xu Jingshu, she knew she wouldn't do anything to harm Ji Jinghe, so the problem must lie with Lu Yunshu.
Zhang Yanche slammed his fist on the table. "But even if we find out the truth, what's the use? Will Ji Jinghe come back? Or should we have Xu Jingshu personally expose her husband and make the Emperor believe her..."
“But right now, this is the best way,” Yu’an interrupted.
If they had a way, they wouldn't have listened to her for so long today.
The atmosphere in the study was tense; no one could find a way to think, which was why they hesitated to speak.
Yu An: "Based on my guess, Lu Yunshu's allegiance to the Yan family is mostly because she knows what the Yan family has done to the Xu family. So it's not unreasonable to use Xu Jingshu as a breakthrough. As long as what she said is true, what's wrong with reporting her own husband?"
Zhang Yanche remained silent for a long time, so Wang Jie had no choice but to take over.
"Alright, give it a try first. If there are any results, send someone to let us know. If you need any help, just let us know. We must not let Jinghe suffer an injustice."
She nodded, said goodbye and left. She had just closed the door and taken two steps when she heard Zhang Yanche's dissatisfaction from inside.
"You know perfectly well why Ji Jinghe was framed and is now like this, yet you still allowed her to get involved. If Ji Jinghe hadn't been trying to find medicine for her, would the Yan family have been able to seize on this?"
“Their horoscopes don’t match, so Chu Yu’an should know nothing and not interfere in anything. The best outcome would be for them to completely sever ties.”
Yu An wanted to continue listening, but was reminded by the servant next to her, so she had to leave.
The two people inside the room were unaware of the situation. Wang Jie replied, "But Jinghe likes it, Jinghe is willing. One is willing to hit and the other is willing to be hit. What do you and I care? They just want to be entangled together in life and death."
Suppressing the emotions welling up in his chest, Zhang Yanche's thoughts gradually cleared. He took a breath and said, "Normally, Lu Yunshu doesn't seem to be entirely like the Yan faction. He rarely speaks in court, but I've heard people say that he's a good person and does things well. I thought that his promotion was because he caught the Emperor's eye, but now it seems that's not necessarily the case."
“They deliberately avoided it on the surface, but colluded in secret…” Wang Jie patted his shoulder. “At first, I didn’t know about this either. It was Chu Yu’an who told me.”
"You know?" Zhang Yanche asked in surprise.
Wang Jie: "It was when the Qiang princess went missing that she brought the news, but the situation was special at the time, so I didn't make a fuss."
"This Lu Yunshu, you really can know a person's face but not their heart."
There's no good solution right now, so we can only wait and see.
The Lu family's life suddenly became difficult, and everyone became tense. The servants, unaware of what had happened between Lu Yunshu and Xu Jingshu, started arguing.
Xu Jingshu, who was more than seven months pregnant, began a hunger strike.
Not drinking a drop of water for a whole day, I'm afraid things aren't going well.
Lu Yunshu looked at the two handkerchiefs and some food that had been brought from the door. After searching them inside and out and finding nothing unusual, she did not agree to return the items to Xu Jingshu.
With Ji Jinghe imprisoned, the inevitable downfall of the dynasty was already a foregone conclusion.
What is there to worry about?
Lu Yunshu ordered the items to be destroyed, then got up and went to the backyard.
Xu Jingshu was lying in bed when she heard a noise outside the door. She opened her eyes and saw Lu Yunshu, then immediately closed them again.
She turned over to avoid talking to him, and a moment later, she felt someone sit down behind her.
"I have already had the meal prepared. Please get up and have some, Madam."
Xu Jingshu acted as if she hadn't heard him.
Lu Yunshu wasn't in a hurry. "Yesterday, Ji Jinghe was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice for the crime of colluding with foreign generals."
Xu Jingshu immediately opened her eyes, her heart no longer at peace.
"Did you do this?"
Lu Yunshu sighed inwardly, "Madam always loves others more than she loves me."
Xu Jingshu straightened up. "When do you plan to release me?"
The man before her was dressed in casual clothes, his face gentle and smiling, but his eyes held an unfathomable ruthlessness and coldness. He was like a porcelain Buddha, devoid of joy or sorrow, and it was impossible to tell whether he was utterly disappointed or completely heartbroken. Everything she said seemed to be within his expectations.
In his eyes, there was only forbearance, and more forbearance.
Lu Yunshu: "Isn't the manor good enough? Why do you want to go out?"
Xu Jingshu: "I'm going to expose you and reveal all the shameful things you and the Yan family have done."
Lu Yunshu remained unmoved. "Does Madam really want me to get into trouble so much that she'd even abandon her husband for Ji Jinghe?"
Xu Jingshu: "It's not just for Ji Jinghe, but also for myself. Lu Yunshu, you will be punished for harming loyal and virtuous people."
Xu Jia was loyal his whole life, but in the end, he was framed because of these controversies.
Therefore, she went from being the most noble lady in the capital to the daughter of a disgraced official, a situation that everyone lamented. She knew all too well the suffering and grievances involved.
“Lu Yunshu, if you still have any knowledge of Confucian classics and a conscience, I advise you to turn back before it's too late. You have talent and ability; even without those, you will still find a way out…”
"A way out?"
Lu Yunshu sneered, "Is the way out to toil away in one position for decades and then get promoted to the next rank? Jingshu, you're too naive. I'm not Ji Jinghe. I can't gain the Emperor's attention and favor, and I don't want to be looked down upon by you."
His last words were spoken very lightly.
"Once this is over, I will let you out. If there is anything you want, just tell the butler. I will try my best to satisfy you, except for going out."
He gently stroked Xu Jingshu's hand, trying to draw out the last bit of warmth from her, even though he knew she was unwilling.
"I did all this for you. You have to believe me, and you should... side with me."
“Dream on,” Xu Jingshu said without hesitation.
The palm on the back of my hand suddenly paused.
Lu Yunshu didn't argue. After a brief moment of adjusting her breathing, she said in the gentle tone she always loved to use with her, "Rest well, have a good meal later, I'm leaving now."
The door opened, and the room was silent and empty. Xu Jingshu, coming back to her senses, realized that her back was already soaked with sweat.
The maid pushed open the door and entered. Seeing the figure frozen on the bed, she couldn't help but step forward and ask.
Xu Jingshu shook her head: "Could you help me send a letter out?"
"My lord has already secured the gates of the mansion, so I'm afraid it's not possible for me to go."
Xu Jingshu gripped her hand tightly, "No, you can..."
...
After waiting for two days, Yu'an still hadn't received any news. Now she was certain that those things wouldn't reach Xu Jingshu's hands.
The secret plot between Ji Jinghe and Xin Yanqing caused a great uproar. Despite Zhang Yanche and Wang Jie's efforts to suppress it in the court, the Emperor still ordered the Three Departments to conduct a joint trial and thorough investigation.
Waiting indefinitely wasn't a solution, so after much thought, Yu'an decided to go to the Xu residence to find Xu's mother.
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