Chapter 99 The Crime of Deceiving the Emperor: My Hands Are So Cold
As night deepened, pigeons carrying replies flew across the sky, and a troop of guards, having departed from the palace, rushed out of the palace gates and headed into the distant darkness.
As dawn broke, the gates of the Qin Prince's mansion were opened again, waking the Princess and her old servant from their sleep. They got out of bed and put on their clothes.
"Why so fast?" Princess Qin watched as the old servant carried the child away before opening the door to leave the room.
She wanted to make a decision quickly, but she didn't expect things to come knocking on her door so fast, perhaps leaving her no time to make a decision at all.
The mentally challenged child in the other room was also awakened. He wrapped himself in a blanket, ran out of bed, and hid behind the door to peek.
He never spoke again from that day on, only staring blankly at people.
Princess Qin had another old servant take him away. The events of that year still affected Zhong Heng, and he was terrified of the sound of horses' hooves.
The former Qin King's mansion has become a place where people can trample on it at will, and even palace guards dare to ride in on horseback.
What surprised the Queen Consort of Qin the most was that there were two children accompanying her, dressed like celestial children in a painting, with identical faces, one of whom had a red mole on his ear.
"You are from the Yang family?"
Princess Qin's original surname was Yang. She came from a scholarly family with elders serving as officials in the court. However, in recent years, she had been neglected and distanced from the central government because of the King of Qin's affairs.
The distant horizon was tinged with the pale light of dawn.
Princess Qin nodded: "Yes, what brings you here?"
The lead guard raised his hand and, without further explanation, ordered, "Search the residence!"
The guards were poised to attack, each with a sword at their waist, their momentum unstoppable.
At this very moment, just like at that very moment, he had somehow managed to sneak up to the door again to peek out. Upon seeing the familiar tall horse and the guards with swords, he trembled all over and cried out.
Yang instinctively tried to stop them, having no idea why they were there: "Wait for me..."
Just as things were about to descend into chaos, someone spoke up and stopped everything.
"No need to search anymore, I've already found the person."
Another person chimed in, "They really know how to hide; they've gone into a secret room."
Yang turned around abruptly, her pupils contracting. The two children dressed as fairies had slipped inside at some point, found a secret room, opened the door, and discovered the person hiding inside.
An elderly servant woman held a thin, delicate-looking child in her arms. She covered her mouth with both hands, staring at the guards who had surrounded the area with a mixture of curiosity and fear.
The boy in red said, "Master is right, there is indeed a child here."
The green-clad child showed no fear in the face of Madam Yang's gaze. She calmly said, "I obtained her birth date and time from the servants, and it matches. I will take her to the palace to meet the Emperor."
Finally, she looked at the nervous woman in the gray dress: "The child is too young to be left alone. Please, Lady Yang, come to the palace with me."
The person who entered the palace in the morning light never imagined that he would return one day.
Yang Niangzi lifted the curtain and looked outside. For some reason, the morning sun quietly disappeared, and dark clouds slowly drifted in from the horizon.
It's going to rain.
Before noon, Yongdu was drenched in a light, gentle rain, as supple as silk and as thin as gauze, enveloping the world.
Several days passed, and Emperor Jianxing did not summon anyone to the palace again, but good news kept coming from the palace, saying that Emperor Jianxing was gradually recovering.
Side hall of Changsheng Palace.
Madam Yang sat to one side, holding her child. She raised her hand to cover the child's eyes, and saw the boy in red grab a rooster from the cage and slash it to draw blood.
The bowl was filled with blood, and the once proud and majestic rooster had fallen silent.
The boy in green said to Madam Yang, "Lift up the child's arm."
Madam Yang did as she was told, helping the boy in green to tie the gauze stained with chicken blood to his arm and then lower his sleeve.
The boy in red at the table hid the rooster under the table, then hesitated before taking out the medicine bottle hidden in his sleeve, as he didn't need it for the time being.
She carried half a bowl of chicken blood outside.
She thought to herself that this half bowl would last a long time, and one chicken blood pill a day would ward off evil spirits and replenish blood.
Half an hour later, the bowl of chicken blood was delivered to Taoist Minzhen. He lifted the red cloth covering the bowl and poured the blood into the boiling medicine pot.
He then turned to the young Taoist priest beside him and said, "We've run out of cinnabar. Go and get some more."
For several days in a row, it was raining and the whole of Yongdu was damp, making people feel weak and muscular.
"When will the rain stop?" Hongdou looked out from under the eaves, and when she heard a cough coming from inside the house, she suddenly stood up straight, turned around and ran inside.
Even faster than her was the Second Hall Master, who pushed open Xi Congshuang's study door and asked anxiously, "Is the Sect Master alright? Has the poison flared up again?"
"The antidote, where is the antidote? It seems the sect leader always carries it with him."
Xi Congshuang, who choked on her tea because she was distracted, was speechless.
She placed the teacup on the table: "I didn't..."
Before he could finish speaking, a commotion came from next door. With a loud crash, something heavy was knocked open, followed by the sound of horses' hooves mixed into the rain.
Next door is the Zhenwei General's mansion; who would dare to break down the door?
A bad premonition instantly overwhelmed Xi Congshuang's mind. She looked at the Second Master and said, "Send someone to the Pingding Marquis's residence to find the Marquis and tell him not to stay there."
The second master, without suspecting anything, obeyed and carried out the order: "Yes."
Hongdou reacted quickly. Before Xi Congshuang could give the order, she turned and rushed into the rain, stepped onto the courtyard wall, and carefully peeked out half of her head to look at the neighboring mansion.
Unfortunately, the Xi residence and the Zhenwei General's mansion were only back to back, so Hongdou had to be careful not to be discovered by anyone who broke into the mansion, and there wasn't much she could see.
Soon, the mansion calmed down, and the yamen runners with swords on horseback came and went like the wind.
In a place unseen by Hongdou, the Zhenwei General's Mansion, which faced the main street, was sealed off, and they left without a word.
The streets were eerily quiet; having witnessed the spectacle, no one dared to linger and dispersed.
"Sect Master, I saw clearly, those are people from the Dali Temple." Hongdou returned, soaking wet, and closed the door.
Xi Congshuang got up from behind the table, walked around to the door and said, "If it were an ordinary case, the person who would come to the door would be the Prefect of Yongdu. General Zhenwei is, after all, a fourth-rank general, backed by the Marquis of Pingding who holds military power."
"The Prefect of Yongdu is old and about to retire. She is a person who is easygoing and doesn't want to offend anyone. She will try her best to push things to the Ministry of Justice."
The two women were puzzled. They didn't care about matters of the court and didn't understand the difference: "But it was people from the Dali Temple who broke into the General's Mansion."
It has absolutely nothing to do with the Ministry of Justice that the sect leader mentioned.
Not only were they completely unrelated, but the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice were also frequently at odds, with the Court of Judicial Review always taking advantage of its direct access to the emperor's ears to keep the Ministry of Justice in check.
“The problem is that the people who appeared were from the Dali Temple. Instead of filing a case first at the Ministry of Justice, they were arrested directly through the Dali Temple. This could only be due to an order from the Emperor…” Xi Congshuang said, sounding a little anxious, “Why haven’t the people who went out returned yet?”
The rain outside intensified, and just as the words were spoken, a dark shadow pierced through the even whiter curtain of rain.
The person who came was soaking wet. He took the cloth handed to him by the servant and wiped his face.
"Reporting to the Sect Master and Second Hall Master, the people from the Pingding Marquis's residence say that today is the Grand Court Assembly, and the Pingding Marquis is not at his residence."
Second Master: "Not here? Why today of all days?"
What she said was the sentiment of everyone inside and outside the study.
Xi Congshuang took off her thin fur coat: "Someone prepare the carriage, I need to go out."
Hongdou responded and gave the order to prepare things for going out.
Only the Second Master, who hadn't been in Yongdu for long, was still confused. After quickly assessing her position, she turned and caught up with Xi Congshuang.
"Why is the sect leader in such a hurry to leave? I understand that you like Marquis Pingding, but she went to court. Why do you have this expression?" the second hall master said as he chased after her.
She never knew that the sect leader could walk so fast. It had been a long time since she had seen the sect leader so healthy. Since being poisoned, her body had become weak, and sometimes she couldn't do without a charcoal brazier even in the sweltering summer.
The carriage was prepared quickly, and servants with umbrellas were waiting at the end.
Xi Congshuang spoke quickly: "The small court assembly is held every three days. The rule that officials of the fourth rank and above in the capital must attend court was passed down from the Holy Ancestor Emperor and is still in use today. Marquis Pingding is a super-rank nobleman. Although he holds a sinecure, he is still among the officials who attend court."
Second Master: "That's right, she's a high-ranking official, so she's here too. Wait, General Gu is also a fourth-rank official, why didn't he go to court?"
Xi Congshuang had to explain more clearly: "Gu Daifang is only a fourth-rank official. Unless it's a grand court assembly, she doesn't need to attend court. The emperor has been ill for many days and has suspended court for many days. This month is almost over, and this is the first small court assembly of the month."
"But on this very day of the small court assembly, the Dali Temple was ordered to take General Gu away, and there has been no news of him since."
"Everyone knows that Vice General Gu was the vice general of the Marquis of Pingding. The two of them went from Yongdu to Fuzhou and eventually returned in triumph. Do you think this is really a coincidence?"
As the event drew to a close, a servant moved the umbrella over Xi Congshuang's head. Under the umbrella, she turned back to the Second Master and said, "There is something I need Yiyun to do for me."
He Yiyun: "Please give your instructions, Sect Master."
*
Inside the palace, officials had arrived at the council hall an hour earlier to wait.
They chatted idly, occasionally glancing at the empty throne high above them. Everyone knew that after waiting so long, the emperor still hadn't come, and it was probably no different from the previous times.
Wait a little longer, and the chief eunuch will come out to announce the end of the court session.
Xun Suihuang was among them; she had been keeping an eye on the plum trees being planted in the yard these past few days to ensure they would bloom this winter.
She had already made an appointment and given her assurances; she couldn't let things go wrong because of a plum tree that refused to bloom.
As expected, Xun Suihuang overheard their sarcastic remarks, witnessed three arguments, and mediated three times, succeeding each time.
Because everyone felt that if they continued arguing, the Marquis of Pingding's iron fist would fall on their faces, they immediately quieted down, which was more effective than Emperor Jianxing personally mediating the fight.
After muttering to himself for the tenth time that "wherever there are people, there is a jianghu (martial arts world)," Xun Suihuang waited until the eunuch walked in front of everyone.
With a flick of his whisk, the eunuch announced in a shrill voice, "His Majesty has decreed that court is adjourned today."
After exclaiming "Long live the Emperor!" along with everyone else, Xun Suihuang left the court and followed the crowd outside, thinking that she wanted to borrow an umbrella from an official of the Ministry of War to go out.
Before she could even step out of the council hall, a soft, high-pitched shout came from behind her.
"Marquis Pingding, please wait a moment, His Majesty has summoned you."
Upon hearing this, the officials who had not yet finished their walk quickened their pace and left.
Some people hadn't even received an umbrella yet, so they either squeezed under their colleagues' umbrellas to walk together, or they rushed straight into the rain.
"..."
Xun Suihuang stopped and looked back. The first thing she saw was not the eunuch with a forced smile, but the Dali Temple yamen runner who looked like a plague god.
The Dali Temple was established by the Holy Ancestor Emperor to counter the regents and to consolidate his power; it was a trusted confidant of the monarch.
This is no exception today.
*
"Why are you only arriving now? Have you heard?"
"My mother's back pain flared up this morning, and I went to get her medicine but she didn't come back. What did I hear?"
"Two rare guests have arrived at the Dali Temple today; they are both renowned generals."
The registrar, who had taken off his raincoat, exclaimed in shock, "What? Who?"
The other person lowered their voice as if to make it sound serious: "The Marquis of Pingding and her deputy general."
The registrar was utterly stunned: "What? Marquis Pingding? Then, then the person now..."
The man pointed inside: "It's inside."
Deep inside the prison, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who was in charge of interrogating the case, bent over deeply and tilted his head to earnestly persuade the person inside.
"Marquis Pingding, how could you be so foolish? Just tell the truth about your position as deputy general. Why bother to hide it and displease His Majesty?"
Xun Suihuang used the straw stalks beneath her to weave a round little ball. After the other person had talked until their mouth was dry, she finished weaving it and tossed it around in her hand to play.
After listening, she asked again, "I was just at home repairing the house, and today I was supposed to go home to supervise the last plum tree being put into the dug pit. How did I displease His Majesty?"
"Your Majesty..." Xun Suihuang's expression suddenly hardened, and she lowered her voice, "Could it be that Your Majesty..."
The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review thought the matter was plausible, and nodded repeatedly regardless of what the other party said: "Yes, yes."
Xun Suihuang finished speaking, "Are people not allowed to plant trees lately?"
Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review: "..."
Stubborn and obstinate.
If someone is determined to die, there's no stopping them.
“Marquis Pingding, have you thought this through? If His Majesty punishes you, you cannot escape the crime of deceiving the emperor.” The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review stood up straight and looked down at him. “If you insist on not admitting that your deputy general is a descendant of the disgraced official Fang, you will be in for His Majesty’s wrath.
Xun Suihuang lowered her eyes and ignored her: "My teacher... Grand Tutor Fang has been gone for many years, how could he have any descendants?"
The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was also furious: "If it's not true, I'll have someone take General Gu to Fang's grave, dig up the grave and whip the corpse, and see if she'll admit it."
Xun Suihuang grasped the small ball in her hand: "The entire Fang family was executed, Grand Tutor Fang was given a red-crowned crane as a reward, and the whole family's bodies were left to rot in the wilderness. Where are their graves now?"
"I think it's because the general and nobleman have a bad memory and have forgotten who is buried on Mingfeng Mountain." In a moment of swiftness, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review uttered his most treasured words.
He felt a mixture of regret and satisfaction.
Everyone knows that Xun Suihuang is a virtuous disciple. He risked being disliked by the Emperor to plead for Grand Tutor Fang and was forbidden from leaving Yongdu without an imperial edict.
For so many years, he has been out of favor with the emperor, and people say that it is inseparable from that plea for mercy.
Xun Suihuang stopped smiling. After a long while, she sneered, "There are so many nameless and faceless graves on the mountain, overgrown with weeds and no one to worship them. You ask me who is buried there? They are just nameless and faceless corpses."
She was so confident and fearless that the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was so angry that he almost fell over backwards and stormed off.
"What a terrible temper. He gets angry after just a few words." Xun Suihuang sat back on the hard wooden bed, her back to the cell door, and muttered a few words to herself.
He took it very seriously, initially making the passing jailers listen attentively. He not only listened himself, but also called the registrar to listen as well.
Perhaps the Marquis of Pingding has a habit of talking in his sleep and has spilled all the things he has done.
Then they have done a great service!
After piecing together the vague words carefully, the two finally understood that it was all nonsense like "eating ice on an empty stomach will cause stomach pain."
So no one paid any more attention to the stubborn Marquis of Pingding, and everyone went about their own business.
Suddenly, Xun Suihuang, who was on the bed, heard a noise. She sat up and said, "Hey, little mouse, wanna play ball? I see your belly is quite big, you might be pregnant."
As she spoke, the person on the bed fell silent, because someone was standing in front of the door, watching her play with the mouse on the bed.
The newcomer's thin lips moved slightly, revealing a beauty mark under his eye: "Rat Girl?"
Xun Suihuang could easily charm the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, but she felt a bit pressured facing Xi Congshuang. However, now was not the time for reminiscing. She got out of bed, stomped her feet to scare away the rat girl's family, and walked to the door: "Why are you here?"
Xi Congshuang quickly glanced at the person inside the door. He was all right, with no serious injuries. "If I had known this would happen, I would have forced you to do it no matter what when I was in Fuzhou."
After she finished speaking, she agreed. It was only the first day since she arrived, and it wasn't time to resort to torture yet.
Xun Suihuang didn't understand: "What?"
Xi Congshuang couldn't stand seeing people act foolishly, and without considering whether she was still pretending to be foolish, she reached her hand through the railing, around the back of her neck, and pressed it against her as she moved closer to herself.
If a third person were present, they would think that the two fugitives were saying their final goodbyes and that they were still being affectionate in their prison cell.
Xun Suihuang felt a chill on the back of her neck. Something had fallen into the fabric behind her neck, slid down her neck, and got stuck above her waistband.
The icy cold temperature made her shiver. At this moment, Xun Suihuang still had the mind to think about how cold Xi Congshuang's hands must have been on her way here, that she couldn't even warm them up with the keys.
"What about the crime of deceiving the emperor committed by the Marquis of Pingding, the descendant of Gu Daifang, a disgraced official?" At this moment, Xi Congshuang asked her in her ear.
————————
I am guilty.
Tempted by allergy medication, and craving the feeling that it wouldn't cause a full-body allergic reaction and make me as red as a crayfish, and that I could fall asleep within half an hour and stop having insomnia, I took allergy medication for more than half a month. It wasn't until I finished taking ebastine, then zolpidem, and started feeling weak in my limbs, constantly sleepy, and my mind went blank when I faced the computer that I finally woke up to the truth.
I hate you, Raita.
My perfect attendance record is in jeopardy.
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