Chapter 188 Complaint before the Emperor
Madam Shen's face changed, and she hurried to the door and asked the servant who delivered the message: "Are you sure it was the old lady who went to report the Marquis?"
The servant trembled and said, "The old lady should go to the Meridian Gate and beat the drum to report the marquis to the emperor."
Old Madam Shen did not go to Shuntian Prefecture, nor to the Dali Temple or the Ministry of Justice, but to beat the drum to report the incident.
Mrs. Shen's mind was spinning. She said angrily, "What mother would denounce her son? She completely disregards family ties and is trying to add insult to injury!"
At this time, the steward came hurriedly and said, "Madam, someone is coming from the palace. I want you to come in to verify the facts."
The fire has set her on fire.
Madam Shen realized the seriousness of the situation and told Shen Shaohuai, "Huai'er, keep the longevity lock. If your father is convicted, we will be implicated. Take the longevity lock to the emperor and beg him to show mercy and spare our lives."
Shen Shaohuai clenched the longevity lock in his hand and did not respond.
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The imperial palace.
Old Madam Shen was wearing imperial robes and kneeling in the middle of the hall.
Marquis Cheng'en and Madam Shen knelt anxiously on the side, looking at Madam Shen frequently, wondering what crime she was accusing them of.
Emperor Jing'an glanced at Marquis Cheng'en with a gloomy look in his eyes. He was quite surprised when he heard Old Lady Shen knocking on the drum at the Meridian Gate today, wanting to sue him.
It was not until he saw the lawsuit submitted by Old Lady Shen that Emperor Jing'an understood why Old Lady Shen was willing to endure twenty lashes of the cane and beat the drum to sue Marquis Cheng'en.
"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, am beating the drum today to accuse my unfilial son, Shen Wenxian, of conspiring with the Shen Liu family to bribe bandits to murder his brother and sister-in-law in order to seize his title." Old Madam Shen, blessed by the Emperor's grace, was spared the twenty strokes of the cane that would have accompanied the drum. She kowtowed, "Shen Wenxian has committed numerous crimes and has failed to live up to His Majesty's grace. I, your humble servant, implore Your Majesty to strip him of his title."
Emperor Jing'an thought of Marquis Cheng'en's elder brother, who was mature at a young age and very steady in his official duties. He once heard that Shen Wenxuan had died at the hands of bandits on his way back to Beijing after being transferred, and he felt very sorry for him.
It is really unimaginable that such a loyal and kind person would die at the hands of his beloved younger brother.
"It's unfair, Your Majesty, I am being wronged." Marquis Cheng'en cried out for justice.
He broke out in a cold sweat. He never expected that an old case from many years ago would be dug up by his own mother and even brought to the emperor's attention.
Marquis Cheng'en, looking as though he had been wronged, angrily said, "If I had bribed the bandits to murder my brother and his wife, they wouldn't have taken my life. If someone hadn't happened to be passing by, I would have been killed by them long ago."
Before Mrs. Shen entered the palace, she thought that Mrs. Shen was going to expose the case of corruption and bribery of Marquis Cheng'en, but who knew that she was seeking justice for her eldest son and daughter-in-law.
"The Marquis has always been close to his eldest brother. Upon hearing the news that his eldest brother had returned to the capital to take up his post, he personally went to greet his eldest brother and his family, nearly losing his life. This act of kindness has now become evidence of his conspiracy to murder his eldest brother! Is this even fair?"
Mrs. Shen tearfully said, "As Heng'er's aunt, I pity him for losing his parents when he was still an infant, and I treat him as my own. I would rather let my own children suffer than let him suffer even the slightest injustice. I never seek credit, nor do I complain about the hard work. I only hope that this family will be harmonious and prosperous."
She talked about the sadness she had experienced over the years and almost broke down in tears.
"After all these years of hard work, in the end, all I get is a lawsuit from my own mother-in-law. It's killing me." Madam Shen pounded her chest and looked at Old Madam Shen with tears on her face. "If you want the lives of the Marquis and my daughter-in-law, just tell me. The Marquis and I will give you this life. It is a hundred times better than being charged with being unkind and unjust, killing your brother and seizing power. At least you can keep your innocence."
From the moment Old Madam Shen decided to report Marquis Cheng'en, she no longer cared about whether it was a family scandal or not.
"You flattered Heng'er to death, turning him into a useless child. You used trickery to get the girl he had his eye on, Shen Wenxian, into the mansion. You also maliciously plotted an affair between Heng'er and Concubine Mei. If Heng'er hadn't been alert and hadn't fallen into your trap, he would have been ruined by now."
Old Madam Shen sneered, "Your great kindness and virtue, not only to Heng'er and me, but even our ancestors in the underworld will not dare to forget it."
Madam Shen’s face turned pale.
"Mother, I truly did not murder my elder brother. He treated me well. If I had harmed him for the sake of my title, wouldn't I be worse than pigs and dogs?" Marquis Cheng'en, certain that Old Lady Shen had no evidence, continued to defend himself, "You believed the words of a villain and concluded that your son had killed my elder brother. By coming before the Emperor to accuse me today, you've fallen into my trap. You're causing my loved ones pain, while I'm content."
Emperor Jing'an listened to the arguments between the two sides and looked down at the lawsuit in his hand, which listed the crimes of the Marquis of Cheng'en one by one. Any single crime would result in the revocation of the title of the Marquis of Cheng'en.
Emperor Jing'an asked, "Do you have any witnesses to prove that Shen Wenxian murdered Shen Wenxuan?"
Madam Shen said, "I have a witness."
When Marquis Cheng'en and his wife heard this, their expressions suddenly changed.
Soon, they calmed down.
After the incident that year, they had already cleaned up the mess, leaving no trace.
There is no way Madam Shen would have any evidence.
Emperor Jing'an ordered Eunuch Cao: "Call the witnesses."
Eunuch Cao took the order and left.
Emperor Jing'an closed the lawsuit in his hand and looked at the elderly Madam Shen.
Her eyes were filled with sadness and the pain revealed showed her inner struggle and helplessness.
She has already lost a son, and even if she knew the truth, she couldn't bear to report it.
More importantly, in order to preserve the title of Marquis.
Now that Marquis Cheng'en has committed a crime, he is doomed to be punished. However, the severity of his crime can only be determined after the results of the investigation in Qingzhou.
After Mrs. Shen realized this, she took the initiative to report Marquis Cheng'en, right?
According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, those who report serious crimes committed by their relatives can be exempted from joint punishment.
In addition to accusing their elders of high treason and plotting rebellion, younger generations will also be held accountable if they accuse their elders of other crimes, even if the charges are true.
It is precisely because of this that Madam Shen did not bring Shen Shaoheng with her to expose the crimes of Marquis Cheng'en?
After an unknown amount of time, Eunuch Cao led the witnesses into the hall.
The man was wearing a coarse cloth and a short brown robe, with his head lowered and his back hunched, and he limped to the center of the hall.
When Marquis Cheng'en saw the person coming, his pupils shrank.
This person was his former confidant Ma Mingyuan.
When he bribed bandits to kill his brother and sister-in-law, he gave full authority to Ma Mingyuan to handle it.
After the incident was accomplished, it was Ma Mingyuan who gave the banknotes to the bandits.
Before hiring someone to kill his brother and sister-in-law, Ma Mingyuan was loyal to him.
Ever since Ma Mingyuan had the evidence against him in his hands, he had become a little carried away and started doing things behind his back that were detrimental to the interests of the Marquisate.
He secretly criticized Ma Mingyuan, and Ma Mingyuan admitted his mistake but did not know how to restrain himself.
If this continues, Ma Mingyuan will sooner or later become a serious threat.
He couldn't tolerate Ma Mingyuan and arranged for someone to silence him.
Who knew... Ma Mingyuan was still alive.
Ma Mingyuan knelt on the ground and kowtowed. He pulled out two letters from his sleeves and held them above his head with both hands. "Your Majesty, the letters in my hand can prove that Marquis Cheng'en bribed the bandits to murder his brother and sister-in-law."
When Marquis Cheng'en saw the two letters, his face turned pale and he collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud.
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