Chapter 23: Complaint
This is the imperial palace, how can anyone come and go as they please? Don't the guards at the door stop them?
Wu Wenxiu hurriedly took a half step back and was about to call for help when she saw a flash before her eyes. Somehow, the man moved in front of her in an instant.
The candlelight flickered, and now Wu Wenxiu could finally see her appearance clearly.
A face with cold and hard lines, three-dimensional features, and gray-brown eyes staring straight at her, which made people feel scared.
The other party raised his chin towards her and said, "Headmaster of the Wuyi Guard, Liushenai, I'm looking for Captain Yuzhao."
Wu Wenxiu was so frightened that her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She covered her chest and took several deep breaths before regaining her composure.
"It's Liu, Coach Liu. Sister Yuzhao is resting in the next room. You're looking for her so late, is there something important?"
Liu Shen Ai thought for a moment, "It's not a big deal, I just have a task I need to teach her to do."
Wu Wenxiu subconsciously asked, "What mission?"
As soon as she said that, she found that Liu Shenai's gaze at her became strange. There was no emotion in his gray eyes, which were cold and inanimate.
Wu Wenxiu's scalp tingled, and he hurriedly explained, "I was just asking casually. If it's something I shouldn't know, you don't have to tell me."
Liu Shen Ai extended his hand towards her, "Shake hands and I'll tell you."
"Ah?" Wu Wenxiu was stunned. What kind of strange request was this?
But since this person said so, it seems that this mission is not a secret, and she is really curious.
Wu Wenxiu tentatively reached out his hand and held Liu Shen'ai's hand, his palms pressed tightly together. The touch felt slightly cool, with a kind of coldness and hardness that was different from that of ordinary people.
Could this person be a ghost? She was filled with doubts.
After shaking hands, Liu Shen'ai pulled the corners of his stiff mouth, and said with a half-smile: "The Queen wants Yuzhao and me to kill a man named Cao Guogong. It's a dark and windy night, perfect for killing and arson."
Wu Wenxiu widened his eyes. Kill, kill someone?
Wait, how can such a thing be said so easily!
Before she could recover from the shock, Liu Shen'ai said "I'm leaving" and disappeared in front of her. The sound of wind blew past her ears and he went straight out of the hall.
Wu Wenxiu looked puzzled. However, speaking of Duke Cao, it seemed as if he had seen this person's name somewhere before.
She turned around and searched through the files piled on the desk, and finally found a case related to this person.
The case of Li causing the drowning of Xiao Shen, the son of her husband, Duke Cao.
Two months ago, Xiao Shen and his friends came home late after drinking. Because Li had an old illness and was unable to get up to greet them, Xiao Shen started to insult Li. Li had a hot temper and retorted.
During the dispute, Li pushed Xiao Shen several times. Xiao Shen was drunk and unconscious, and fell into the urinal and was unable to get up by himself. Li watched coldly, and eventually caused Xiao Shen to drown.
Li has confessed to his crimes and should be sentenced to death by slicing according to the law. I respectfully request your approval.
Wu Wenxiu was very dissatisfied with the verdict. Li did not intend to kill anyone. Who knew that a chamber pot could suffocate a person to death?
No matter what, she wouldn't be subjected to the punishment of slow slicing.
However, she had consulted the Queen before, and her Majesty meant that these death penalty files should not be approved until after the state funeral.
Perhaps there is still hope for a turnaround, but the most important thing right now is to draft the memorial.
Wu Wenxiu put the files in order, took a deep breath, sat down, and continued to bite the pen.
Little did she know that while she was writing official documents by candlelight over here, Chi Qi was leisurely eating melon slices over there.
————
Qingning Palace.
Chi Qi lazily leaned on the couch, eating melon slices while listening to Dan Ying's report.
"Master, this is the list of female officials from the Six Shang Bureaus that I have sorted out. There are twenty-four of them in total. Each of them is knowledgeable, talented, and well-qualified for the position of Shishu."
Chi Li never doubted Dan Ying's judgment of people. Although this person had a little problem of being greedy for money, he knew his priorities very well and completed everything he asked her to do properly.
She threw the remaining melon rind into the plate, wiped her fingers with a handkerchief, and then took the list handed to her by Danying.
Glancing casually, his sight happened to fall on a line of words: "Shangyi Bureau Secretary, Sixth Rank, Xue Qi".
Chi Li's eyes flashed with interest, and she tapped the booklet with her fingers, "What does this Xue Siji do?"
Danying replied, "The Siji is in charge of teaching classics and history, and keeping records of paper, pens, and desks. Besides recording the daily lives of the imperial concubines, Siji Xue also teaches the palace maids how to read and write. She's known as Xue Jiaoshi in the palace, and she usually sets the questions for the female officials' exams."
"Well, he should be quite eloquent." Chi Lan said, throwing the booklet on the coffee table.
The candlelight was dim, and the densely packed words gave her a headache.
"Since the ladies-in-waiting are all good at taking exams, I'll give them a test as well."
"What topic did the master come up with?"
"Women, how to take power."
Dan Ying stood there in a daze, his eyes full of surprise. After a long while, he regained his composure and said, "Yes." Then he took his leave.
Chi Qi sat up and looked at her leaving back, a cold smile on her lips. This is really an interesting question.
What kind of answers will they give as they are in charge of the affairs of the imperial palace? Well, it should be very exciting.
However, in just a moment, Chi Li put away her smile. Expression was unnecessary to her.
It's just a false mask. There's no need to wear it if there are no outsiders around.
He turned his head and looked at the dark night outside the window, a cold murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
The six gods love them, so they should have taken action already.
It’s a pity that she can’t experience the joy of cleaning up the clutter this time.
Li Mian wanted to use the card of Duke Cao to deal with her, but he didn't expect that she would cut off the source of the problem.
Six departments, it’s time to reshuffle the cards.
————
Li Jiying's painful and desperate howl spread throughout the cell, waking up the prisoners who were sleeping in a daze.
But that was all. No matter how loudly she shouted, her voice would not reach outside this prison, and even if it did, no one would care.
When she was sentenced to slow slicing, it wasn't that she wasn't afraid, but she was more worried that after she died, there would be no one to take care of her mother until her death.
She knew that her mother had a terrible temper, her father ignored her, the servants of the Li family didn't like her either, and none of her maternal relatives were reliable. Now that her daughter had murdered her husband, her future life would definitely be even more difficult.
But now, she no longer has to worry.
Because her mother died, killed by Li Xiaoci.
Tears silently flowed from Li Jiying's eyes. She gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with hatred. "Li Xiaoci, I'm going to sue you! I'm going to sue you for murdering my wife and concubines. I want you to pay for my mother's life!"
Li Xiaoci looked at her and found it ridiculous. "I'm your father. According to the laws of this dynasty, it's considered unfilial for a son to sue his father. If you want to sue me, you'll have to roll on the nail board. If you roll on the nail board, you'll either die or be crippled!"
Li Jiying tried to get up, but her stomach suddenly spasmed with pain. Her expression twisted, tears welled up in her eyes, and she fell to the ground, cursing:
"Law? A wife who kills her husband will be punished by slicing him to pieces, and a husband who kills his wife or concubine will just pay money and be done with it. What kind of bullshit law is this!"
Killing a husband is unvirtuous, and suing a father is unfilial? Fine, she accepted it.
She was not afraid of the rolling pin or the frying pan, but she was afraid that even if she went to the eighteen levels of hell, she would not be able to make the murderer of her mother pay the price he deserved.
Li Xiaoci's eyes turned cold. "No wonder Confucius said that only women and villains are difficult to raise. You really are unreasonable! I was thinking of rescuing you, but now it seems that's not necessary."
"Save me? Stop pretending to be a kind father in front of me. I think you wish I could die right now!" Li Jiying sneered.
Li Xiaoci bent down, suppressing his anger and said, "I'm telling you, when the new emperor ascends the throne, there will definitely be a general amnesty. Although the serious crimes of a son killing his father and a wife killing her husband are not among those pardoned, as long as Duke Cao is willing to give in, everything will be easy."
"But with your current attitude, I would rather save a dog than an unfilial daughter like you!"
After saying this, Li Xiaoci looked at Li Jiying coldly, waiting to see her regret and tearfully beg him to save her.
Of course he would definitely not save her, he just coaxed her to get rid of the evil spirit that was haunting him.
Li Jiying lay on the ground, unable to get up due to the pain, and felt extremely angry.
Even though she had long recognized the shameless face of her so-called father, she never expected him to be so cold-blooded and ruthless.
If she could turn into a ghost after death, she could die now, turn into a ghost and tear him to pieces to avenge her mother.
Seeing that she was silent, Li Xiaoci stood up straight, calmly straightened his collar, and said earnestly, "Ji Ying, don't be so stubborn. Your aunt must want you to live well. This time, I can forgive you for your aunt's sake."
Li Jiying angrily said, "Don't mention my mother!"
Unfortunately, her anger could no longer arouse Li Xiaoci's anger. He was sure that she just couldn't accept the fact for the time being, and when she figured it out, she would definitely bow to him.
At that time, Li Jiying would definitely volunteer to burn incense at Liu Ruiyun's grave, and he would be able to get rid of the entanglement of this evil spirit.
"I'll come see you in a few days. Don't worry, as long as you're willing to admit your mistakes, Dad will definitely find a way to get you out. Think about it carefully."
After saying that, Li Xiaoci walked out of the cell.
With a click, the cell door was locked again.
Li Jiying listened to the footsteps outside the prison door gradually fading away, and dug his fingers into the ground so hard that they bled.
Why? Why had fate been so cruel to her?
In Li Xiaoci's eyes, is her mother's life so insignificant?
Even if you raise a dog, after so many years, you should have feelings for it, right?
The warden stood in front of the prison door. Seeing her like this, he couldn't help but persuade her, "Madam Li, you should be content with having such a magnanimous father. If it were someone else, if they dared to contradict Master Li like this, they would have been beaten to death long ago!"
In the cell, Li Jiying said nothing and lay on the ground without moving.
The prison warden felt bored and cursed himself for meddling in other people's business. He turned to leave when a sinister laugh suddenly sounded behind him, which frightened him and made him stumble.
"Help me get a petition."
The prison officer turned around and saw Li Jiying raising her head. Her face was dirty, with tears and blood mixed together, which was shocking.
Her eyes were filled with hatred and madness. "I'm going to sue Li Xiaoci for killing my wife and concubine."
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