Chapter 54 "How can I be sure that you won't..."
The carriage stopped just outside Chang'an Gate. Yu An got out of the carriage and immediately saw the Dengwen Drum, which was guarded below the city gate.
"Go back, we don't need you here anymore."
"Girl, I'm worried about you."
Yu An smiled, and seeing the worry on her face, the tension in her heart could no longer be suppressed, and it raged in her chest like a flood.
From today onwards, there may be no more peaceful days.
She couldn't even guarantee whether he would live or die.
“Miss, why don’t we stall a little longer? Maybe the Xia family will collapse on its own without us even having to lift a finger. Wasn’t the son-in-law sent to Jingzhou for investigation?”
Baozhu took her hand and held it tightly, "Let's not go today."
Yu An sighed and reached out to touch her face. “Silly girl, what I want is not just the downfall of the Xia family. What I want is to help my father turn things around and restore the Chu family’s reputation.”
She didn't know what would become of the Xia family, but perhaps, all they needed was her to ignite a spark...
"The Pei family has sued them for what they wanted, and today I will sue them too, even if it costs me my life."
Yu An grasped her hand and said, "Remember my words: if I fail, go back to Jiangling and never come back to the capital. Take good care of yourself and Zhuo'er."
Yu'an took the box from her hand and immediately put it down.
Soldiers guarded the area, and Yu An was stopped as soon as he approached.
Yu An took out the imperial edict from her bosom. "I know what I'm doing. You don't need to stop me."
The guards looked at each other, clasped their hands in greeting, and then stepped back to make way.
The bluestone bricks outside Chang'an Gate were still covered with thick morning dew. A gentle breeze blew by, and suddenly, "thump—", a muffled sound exploded, followed by a second, a third... a total of ten sounds.
Yu An knelt on the ground and raised her hand to present the appeal.
"This commoner accuses the current Grand Secretary Xia Zhao of persecuting loyal officials and forming cliques for personal gain. I beg Your Majesty to make a wise judgment and restore justice to the Chu family."
...
Having just finished the morning court session, the eunuch jogged along, carrying things, oblivious to the sweat dripping into his eyes, and hurried towards the Qianqing Palace without daring to delay.
"What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and in such a state!"
The eunuch hurriedly bent down, panting heavily, and said, "Godfather, something's happened..."
Upon hearing what it was about, the eunuch quickly took the items and entered the palace.
"Your Majesty, the drum for petitioning has sounded."
"Oh?" The emperor frowned, just about to put down his pen, when he heard the eunuch's words.
"It is Madam Ji who is seeking justice for her father and has filed a lawsuit against Grand Secretary Xia Zhao." The eunuch knelt on the ground, holding a box high in his hands.
The emperor opened the box and examined everything. His brow furrowed even more deeply, and his breathing became heavy. "This Xia Zhao is truly audacious!"
The eunuch prostrated himself on the ground, his head bowed low, not daring to utter a sound.
Where are they?
"He has been taken into custody by the Censorate," the eunuch replied cautiously. "The Left Vice Censor-in-Chief is still waiting outside the palace gates."
The things he has now must have been reviewed by someone before being handed to him. No wonder his subordinates are so flustered; this is even more complete than the evidence presented by the Pei family.
"Did your men take action?" The emperor casually tossed the items onto the table.
The eunuch reported truthfully: "No one has informed us yet, and this servant does not know, but given the young mistress's status, it is unlikely that she will do so at present."
The rule after the establishment of the court is that anyone who appeals without authorization will be punished with fifty strokes of the cane.
The Censorate's beatings are notoriously severe; if fifty strokes were to be delivered, one might lose their life.
No matter what, the emperor couldn't speak up because he had to consider the face of the Empress Dowager and Ji Jinghe.
"Take these things away and tell the Censorate to investigate them thoroughly. They must find out the truth, and no official, regardless of rank, will be spared!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." The eunuch straightened up. "Your Majesty, that young mistress of the Ji family..."
"They were transferred to the Ministry of Justice for imprisonment and heavily guarded. They were not allowed to make a move or cause any other problems."
After receiving the imperial decree, the eunuch immediately withdrew.
Ji Jinghe was originally the Left Censor-in-Chief, and now he is the emperor's most trusted official. The officials of the Censorate are not stupid either; they know what is important without the emperor's permission.
The emperor ordered the man to be sent to the Ministry of Justice, both to avoid suspicion for Ji Jinghe and to make life easier for his underlings.
The news of her beating the drum to appeal for justice spread throughout the capital in no time. Baozhu had just finished packing some things at Banmu Courtyard when she was summoned by the people from Rongshou Hall.
Ji Shu was extremely anxious and almost yelled, "Why didn't you stop your sister-in-law? Even if you want to sue, you have to wait until my brother comes back! What if something happens? If something happens, he won't be able to come back..."
Ji's mother's face remained completely expressionless, her lips slightly pursed. Though her expression was calm, it made people hesitant to speak.
Baozhu knelt on the ground. "Grandma, my daughter wrote the divorce papers before she left. As long as the master returns and signs them, she will have no connection with the Ji family. Even if the Emperor is angry, he will not be implicated."
Mrs. Ji lowered her eyelids. "Does she think a letter of divorce can clear things up?"
"She's mistaken; Jinghe won't sign."
Baozhu was already worried, and after hearing these words, she couldn't help but tear up. "Grandma, you know my daughter's temperament. I tried to stop her, but I couldn't... My husband's death has become a deep sorrow for her, and she won't let this opportunity slip by easily."
"She left the letter of divorce, and the date was written as half a month ago. As long as she instructs the servants in the mansion to change their wording, the Emperor will not disbelieve her."
Ji Shu: "Is my sister-in-law planning to abandon us all..."
Throughout the hall, everyone was on tenterhooks. Even Granny Li couldn't help but worry: "Why did the young mistress have to go and file a complaint with the emperor herself? Putting aside everything else, she'll be punished. Can her body handle it?"
Thinking of this, Madam Ji waved her hand, "Quickly, quickly send someone to Jingzhou to tell Jinghe to hurry back."
"Young Master went there on the Emperor's orders. If he returns now, wouldn't that be disobeying orders?"
"If you don't come back soon, you'll lose your wife. What's the point of worrying about these things now?!"
As soon as Granny Li stepped out the door after receiving her orders, she saw a figure rushing in through the courtyard gate.
"Young Master is back..."
Ji Shu got up to greet him. Ji Jinghe had just rushed back from Jingzhou and heard about the matter on his way to the palace, so he turned back and went home first.
He went to the half-acre courtyard, but no one was there.
Where are they?
His tone was clearly urgent. Looking at Baozhu kneeling on the ground, he knew the outcome of the matter and wanted to find out the cause and effect.
Baozhu knelt on the ground without saying a word. Madam Ji tapped the table, and Granny Li handed him the letter of divorce.
"The young mistress only left this, and didn't say anything else."
The words "letter of divorce" on the envelope pierced his eyes, leaving him with a tightness in his chest, unable to go up or down.
He didn't even need to open it to look at it; he could already guess what she would write on it...
His knuckles tightened unconsciously, leaving deep creases on the letter, which was instantly crumpled beyond recognition.
She's made up her mind; she doesn't intend to want anyone.
Despite all that I said, she didn't listen to a single word.
Madam Ji: "You don't need to linger at home. Why don't you go to the palace first and sound out the Emperor's opinion?"
It all comes down to the emperor's heart; whoever he favors is the winner.
Without saying another word, the figure vanished again.
He was anxious before because he was afraid that the King of Chu would destroy the useful evidence. He had planned to go back as soon as possible to resolve the matter that was already settled. But he did not expect that she would become the only uncertain thing.
Inside the Qianqing Palace, the emperor was listening to reports from his court officials.
Xia Zhao has been staying in the manor for the past few days. The situation is hopeless, and even if things turn around, she will not get through this safely.
With overwhelming evidence presented, he will have no place in the cabinet.
When the emperor heard that Ji Jinghe was requesting an audience, he immediately dismissed everyone else.
In just ten days, he had made progress. He couldn't believe how fast his capable assistant had worked.
"How is the situation?" The emperor assumed that the emperor was unaware of what had happened that day.
Ji Jinghe presented the letters and account books that had been seized one by one. "A large number of letters and account books were found in the study of the Chu Prince's residence. Your Majesty may take a look at a few of them that are closely related to the Xia family."
"Its scope ranged from taxes to the people's fertile land. When I arrived, the King of Chu had already destroyed a portion of it, turning it to ashes, with no possibility of restoration."
The emperor casually opened one or two letters, sighing with resentment: "When the late emperor was alive, he valued them the most, but who could have imagined that they would behave like this behind the scenes."
Ji Jinghe: "As for the rest of the evidence, I have sent people to the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review. I would like to ask Your Majesty to make a decision."
"A thorough investigation was launched, Xia Zhao was imprisoned, his residence was sealed off, and the embezzled funds were recovered."
Ji Jinghe bowed and accepted the greeting, but remained standing inside the hall.
"Your Majesty, I have another question to ask."
The emperor knew what he was going to ask.
"You already knew?"
"I just went home and heard what my family told me."
The emperor chuckled; judging from his reaction, he must not have known beforehand.
"Your wife has quite the nerve to beat the petition drum with Xia Zhao and Li Yan's handwritten secret letter."
"I have already ordered someone to transfer him to the Ministry of Justice."
Ji Jinghe lifted his robe and knelt on the ground, saying, "Those who appeal for justice through the Dengwen Drum should be handed over to the Censorate for escort. I implore Your Majesty to entrust this matter to the Censorate."
"Jinghe".
The emperor's tone turned cold. "I specifically ordered her to be transferred to the Ministry of Justice. Don't you know why?"
"Your Majesty has considered my feelings and helped me avoid suspicion," he replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.
The Emperor said, "Knowing this already, why do you still ask? Do you still remember why you were demoted to the Censorate in the first place?"
"Your Majesty, I remember it all and I will never forget it. It was Your Majesty who protected me."
"Now that you know about this, you shouldn't interfere. Your task is simply to investigate the matter at hand. Everyone knows about your relationship with the Chu family. How can I be sure that you won't let personal matters interfere with your official duties?"
Of all the crimes committed by the Xia family that can be investigated now, none are related to Chu Xingjian, except for those that Yu An brought today.
If we want to exonerate the Chu family, we still need to investigate.
"This matter is not for you to interfere with. When the time comes to a conclusion, there will be a joint trial by the three courts, and no one will be wrongly accused."
"His Majesty……"
Ji Jinghe was about to say something when the emperor immediately stopped him.
"Jinghe".
She doesn't need you.
"Fate is predetermined; you can't control that."
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Author's Note: Ji Jinghe: Please protect my wife!
Mother Ji: Please protect my granddaughter-in-law!
Ji Shu: Please protect my sister-in-law!
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