64 Fengfu
◎If she knew you were imprisoned, would she risk her life to save you?◎
"Your Highness, Yu Sugong, the Minister of Justice, requests to see you."
Pan Shi, the current Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was in charge of guarding several officials who were imprisoned today. Among them, Wu Minglu and Yu Subong were his old superiors after all. They asked him to deliver a message to the King of Liao. He hesitated for a while but finally went ahead and delivered the letter.
Fortunately, this action did not anger that person. In fact, he actually came to the prison in person. Pan Shi hurriedly and respectfully led the way for him.
Earlier, the higher-ups had specifically instructed that the Ministry of Justice officials and the Yan father and son, as serious criminals, should be held separately. The Deputy Minister led the King of Liao past the Yan father and son, along Wuming Road, and then to Yu Sugong's cell.
Li Youxi glanced at them as he passed by. The three of them just sat quietly, ignoring his presence. When they reached the last cell, the person inside immediately pounced on him.
"Your Highness, I have something to tell you." Yu Sugong grabbed the cage with both hands, his expression and tone were very anxious, as if he was afraid that if he spoke too late, he would lose his life.
Li Youxi sneered softly: "Go ahead."
"My words... can only be spoken privately to Prince Yu."
Li Youxu had been marching and fighting for ten years and had seen many traitors' faces. He could tell what they were worried about just by looking at them.
"Take him to the interrogation room."
"Yes." Pan Shi responded and ordered two jailers to open the door and take the people in.
Li Youxi turned and walked out, his eyes fixed on Wu Minglu, who looked like an old monk in meditation. His eyes suddenly narrowed, "Bring out all three of them."
In the interrogation room, Li Youxi sat at the head of the table, flanked by six imperial guards. Also standing beside him, with his hands folded, was the Minister of Personnel, Fang Jikai.
After a while, the jailer brought in four people with their hands tied behind their backs and pushed them to the ground.
Even though he had to kneel on the ground, his spine remained stubbornly straight. Li Youxi's gaze involuntarily fell towards Yan Qizhen.
When this man had faced him in the military camp, he had also acted neither humble nor arrogant. But at that time, he had the Crown Prince's backing, so now he wanted to see how much backbone he really had.
"You can speak now." Li Youxi turned to look at Yu Sugong, "In front of them, I can hear more clearly."
Yu Sugong looked a little embarrassed, but he finally raised his head and said decisively: "I am willing to serve you at my whim!"
Li Youxu was not surprised at all.
"What skills do you have to serve this king?"
"I have the secrets of what the Ministry of Justice did for the Crown Prince."
"Heh." Li Youxi raised his voice, "Wu Minglu treated you well, and you betrayed him just to survive?"
"I want to save my family and keep my position." Yu Sugong no longer cared about his reputation. "I don't care what others say. I am willing to serve the prince and share his worries."
"Your Highness is just about to gain power, and there are many people to examine and investigate, which I am good at. Furthermore, this is a good time for Your Highness to employ someone. Employing an old friend like me will be enough to show the officials your wisdom, and will encourage them to forgive you and willingly follow you."
Li Youxi looked at him with interest: "What you said is not unreasonable, but it is not enough to convince this king."
"Your Highness, don't forget that the Wu family still has a Second Young Master Wu." Yu Sugong swallowed hard. "Although he is not a big deal in front of Your Highness, it will only lead to more trouble if he is kept out in the open. I am willing to help Your Highness get rid of this trouble!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Qizheng cursed him angrily: "Yu Sugong, you despicable and shameless villain!"
It is not shameful to be afraid of death, but selling out others in order to survive is shameless and despised by the world!
"Hahahaha..." Li Youxi laughed a few times, "Sir, did you hear that?"
Then, he stared at Yan Qizheng, who had just scolded him, and said, "You, too, must show your loyalty to me?"
"Captain of the Crown Prince's Personal Guard..." Seeing the other party's expression tense and indifferent, Li Youxi paused intriguingly. "I heard you got married not long ago. Are you willing to abandon your beloved wife?"
"Tell me, if she knew you were imprisoned, would she risk her life to save you?"
"Ah—" Yan Qizheng roared, and when he tried to rush forward, he was pinned to the ground by two jailers. He raised his chin and glared at the King of Liao, his eyes bloodshot.
Li Youxi could see that this man had a strong backbone.
But he has plenty of ways to deal with someone who is not afraid of death.
"Yuanwailang."
"yes."
"Captain Yan is so clean, how can he look like a prisoner in jail? He looks more like a guest invited by the official."
When Pan Shi heard this, he was immediately horrified: "It was my fault. Your Highness, please forgive me. I will torture you immediately."
"Prepare a clean official uniform for Lord Yu."
Li Youxi stood up and left the interrogation room. Fang Jikai followed him and asked in a low voice, "Does the prince really want to use him?"
"Isn't it interesting to have someone like him supporting me in the court? I'll find someone to keep an eye on him so he can't do anything."
"When will the others deal with it?"
"Don't worry, the fun has just begun." Li Youxi smiled, his eyes gleaming coldly. "Killing someone is easy, but making them suffer a fate worse than death is more interesting."
The rain was still falling, and the sudden arrival of soldiers sealed off all the entrances and exits of the Yan Mansion, causing panic among the people. The old lady, concubines, and younger generations all came out upon hearing the noise and gathered in the inner hall of Jingsi Courtyard.
Originally, tonight should have been a happy day for family reunion, but now not only can't we be together, but we're almost gone...
"Madam, what should we do?" Concubine Hui, always impatient, couldn't sit still at all, pacing back and forth in the hall. "Will the master and the eldest son ever come back? Will we also be confiscated and exiled?"
"Pooh, pooh, pooh!" Before Madam Yan could say anything, the old lady scolded her in a deep voice, "No bad thing has happened to you yet, but you've scared yourself first!"
"No, old lady..."
"Okay, stop talking for now." Madam Yan interrupted Aunt Hui with a sullen look on her face. "What can we do? This is unavoidable. Even if you ask me, I can't help you."
When Aunt Hui heard the words "This is unavoidable disaster," she burst into tears. Madam Yan and the old lady were already exhausted, and seeing this, they could only lower their eyes and sigh silently, not even having the energy to scold.
Everyone in the hall was on edge. When Concubine Hui started crying, Qing'er, the maidservant clinging to Yuhuan, also sobbed in fear: "If I had known this would happen, I should have returned home a few days ago..."
Yuhuan regretted it after hearing this!
She even regretted coming to the capital. She had thought that the capital was home to many children of officials, and with her aunt's help, she would be able to find a good husband. In the end, not only did her dream fall through, but she also lost her life and property.
Why bother?
Yuhuan was heartbroken and shed tears for herself.
The old lady was annoyed by the crying of several people and stamped her feet vigorously: "It's not time for you to cry yet!"
Wei Ziyan nudged Qizhu and Qifeng, signaling them to go and comfort Xiaoniang. She then walked over to Madam Yan and advised, "We still have to take care of household affairs early tomorrow morning. Mother, please go inside and rest."
Yuhuan's maid's words had made Madam Yan regret her accusations. If she had sent the old lady and her nephew away earlier, they wouldn't have been burdened with such troubles. It was precisely because she feared she would feel even worse that Wei Ziyan wanted her to return home earlier.
"Anyway, nothing will happen tonight, don't worry, mother."
After saying that, Wei Ziyan also persuaded the old lady and others.
"Grandma, everyone should go back and rest first, and we'll wait for the right opportunity tomorrow."
"I can't sleep even if I go back!" Aunt Ru was also very panicked. "I feel uneasy. I'm even more scared to go back and stay alone. It's better to be with everyone."
"It's useless for everyone to stay here," Wei Ziyan advised her. "We still have to find a way to save Father and Qi Zheng tomorrow. We can't panic, and we can't let ourselves get sick. It's cold tonight, and if we get sick, there's no guarantee a doctor will be here."
Ru Niang opened her mouth to say something, but Yan Qikuan spoke in a deep voice: "Mother, don't be afraid, your child will protect you."
Seeing her son's furrowed brow, Runiang felt even more distressed. Ever since hearing that the Wu family had been confiscated and exiled, her son had remained silent. She hadn't dared to speak up and provoke her son's pain, but now she couldn't hold it back.
"Will Miss Wu Er also be exiled?"
Runiang looked at Wei Ziyan, hoping that someone who understood would give her a definite answer, so that she might be able to persuade her son not to hold the young lady's hand anymore.
Hui Niang, who had finally stopped crying after being persuaded by her children, couldn't help but get anxious when she heard this: "It's already this late, and you're still thinking about marrying into the Wu family? Do you think our lives aren't short enough?"
Yan Qikuan glared at her coldly: "Auntie, if you are so afraid of death, you should think carefully about how to get out of here tomorrow and not let my Yan family get involved."
After saying this, he helped his mother and left without caring about Aunt Hui scolding him behind his back for being disrespectful to his elders.
"When people's hearts are scattered, the family will be scattered." The old lady muttered to herself, slowly stood up, and led Yuhuan and others away.
"Zi Yan," Madam Yan held her hand before leaving, "You just said you'd find a way to save Master and Qi Zheng tomorrow. Have you figured out a plan?"
Her eyes were red, tears glistening in them. Wei Ziyan wanted to give her a reassurance that she could rest in peace, but she was helpless. She simply felt that the King of Liao hadn't confiscated both the Yan and Wu families, perhaps he had other plans.
"Don't worry, mother. My father will find out the situation tomorrow, and then we can think of a solution together."
Wei Ziyan shook her hand back, her tone firm: "In short, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, I will not give up. Mother, please take care of yourself and wait for Father and Qi Zheng to come back."
"Okay... okay..." Mrs. Yan nodded with tears in her eyes, grabbed her hand tightly, and was helped by Xing'er to go to the inner room.
Concubine Hui and her two children were nowhere to be seen. The room, once packed with people, was completely empty. Wei Ziyan paused for a moment, lost in thought, before heading out.
Leng Xiang and Qiu Luo were waiting under the eaves. When they saw her come out, Leng Xiang shook out the cloak hanging on her arm and went forward to put it on her.
Qiu Luo then gave one of the lanterns in his hand to Leng Xiang. The two of them each held a lantern and walked through the corridor with Wei Zi Yan, one in front and one on the left.
The heavy rain that had lasted for most of the day finally died down, turning into fine hairs that fluttered and danced outside the lanterns in the corridor.
At the end of the corridor, Yan Qizhu stopped there, looking up at the dark night sky.
"Why didn't you leave?" Wei Ziyan approached.
Yan Qizhu turned towards her, his eyes, which had been vacant just now, gleaming with light: "If we can rescue father and eldest brother, can we also rescue him?"
He? Wei Ziyan understood.
It turned out that she was waiting here because she was worried about Yu Sugong.
"We don't know the situation over there yet, so don't let your imagination run wild." Wei Ziyan couldn't answer such a question, so she continued with the same excuse. "We'll discuss it tomorrow when we have news."
Wei Ziyan turned around and told Minlan beside her: "Take good care of the young lady and take her back."
Back at Fuxi Hall, her cloak was already drenched with drizzle. Wei Ziyan removed her veil and cloak. Ping'er and Dujuan, waiting inside, hurriedly brought her hot tea and a hand warmer. Looking at the delicate, small hand warmer, Wei Ziyan felt a pang of soreness in her throat...
This is the one Yan Qizhen gave her.
"Every time you come to my house on New Year's Eve, you always have a hand warmer in your hand, and there's always an extra charcoal fire in the house."
"I'm not saying you're not squeamish now."
“No!”
"Really?"
She seemed to see Yan Qizheng again, smiling and holding the box in front of her to tease her...
"Young Madam..."
Wei Ziyan came back to her senses upon hearing the voice, her eyes already filled with tears.
"What time is it?" She wiped her eyes and heard it was midnight. "You all should go and rest. No need to wait on me."
Qiu Luo and Leng Xiang looked at each other and wanted to follow in, but were stopped by her words.
"Don't worry, I just want to be alone."
Wei Ziyan walked into the bedroom, carrying a hand warmer. The charcoal basin warmed the room comfortably. She walked to the window and pried it a crack. A damp, cool breeze streamed in from outside. She muttered to herself, "Look, this little gap is about right, isn't it? I remember you left it this wide."
Turning around and seeing the charcoal basin, she walked over again, bent down on the ground and picked up the tongs...
But the action stopped here because he couldn't remember how he did it.
"Look..." The suppressed pain rose up her throat again, and she cried, "I don't remember everything, you can't just ignore me..."
After squatting for an unknown amount of time, Wei Ziyan slowly stood up after her eyes stopped shedding tears. Even so, she was still dizzy and her eyes were blacking out. Her legs were numb and she paused for a moment, then slowly moved to the edge of the bed.
In the bedside chest, the purse she had cut in two had been sewn up, the stitches crooked and uneven. He had been eager to see the purse she had embroidered the day before, when he came back from riding, and after seeing it, he had insisted on having her mend it.
She said she would embroider a new one for him, but he refused. He wanted the new one and this one too.
"Even if it's repaired, it can't be used. What's the point of it?"
"I'm going to keep it and take it out and look at it from time to time to remind myself not to do stupid things again."
After saying that, he leaned over and hugged her, his face pressed against hers: "We agreed, on my birthday, I will take two purses from you, and I won't give up if you take one less."
She smiled and curved her lips: "Then what do you think?"
"I'll just... be rude to you..."
He pinched her waist and tickled her, without a trace of politeness. Unable to resist his attack, she could only dodge and laugh, and finally he pushed her down on the bed and did whatever he wanted...
Wei Ziyan wiped the moisture off her face, picked up the needle and thread, and began to embroider a new purse.
The candlelight in the room flickered silently through midnight and the early morning hours, finally burning out at the fifth watch. Wei Ziyan sat in the pitch-black room, doing nothing, waiting woodenly for the first ray of daylight to filter through the window...
Although it didn't rain today, the sky was still gloomy.
The ministers lined up inside the palace, waiting to enter the throne room, all bowed their heads in solemn silence, their usual inclination to chat and gossip gone. The shadow of the dramatic changes in the palace yesterday weighed heavily on their hearts.
The group of people who had been released from the palace late last night were especially terrified and hadn't slept a sound sleep for half the night. They rose before dawn and went to their own incense halls where they worshipped the Buddha or the ancestral halls where they held the tablets of their ancestors, burning incense and bowing devoutly, praying for the protection of the gods and their ancestors, and keeping them safe from any unforeseen disasters.
When the hour arrived, the palace servants began to sing, and the ministers quietly entered the Golden Throne Hall. After everyone had taken their places, a man walked in from outside, his steps calm and composed.
The officials standing in the aisle inadvertently turned their heads to take a look. If they hadn't looked, it would have been fine. But when they did, they were all shocked!
It’s Yu Sugong, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Lord Yu!
But wasn’t he thrown into jail together with the Minister yesterday?
The officials followed the figure with surprised eyes and saw that he was indeed standing in his former position as a minister. However, the position in front of him, that of Wu Shangshu, was vacant.
Wei Jizhi, like everyone else, was still pondering the matter in his heart when the palace servants sang "The Fourth Prince has arrived."
Everyone immediately put their thoughts aside, bowed solemnly, and chanted in unison, "Long live the prince!" As the echoes lingered, the King of Liao emerged from the inner hall and stepped step by step onto the empty throne on the high platform.
"Everyone, please stand up."
As the powerful voice fell, the ministers looked up and gasped at the sight of the Fourth Prince seated on the Dragon Throne. Even during the Emperor's illness, the Crown Prince had never sat on the throne while acting as deputies.
"I'm sure you've all heard what happened in the palace yesterday. My father is ill and has ordered me to rule on his behalf. I hope you will serve me wholeheartedly as usual."
How could the officials dare to say no to the Liao King's order? They all said in unison that they would do their utmost and not slack off.
Li Youxi's eyes were solemn, as if he was scanning the faces of the ministers in the hall one by one.
"The former Crown Prince murdered the Emperor and has been imprisoned in the cold palace. Those who have become accomplices to the evil and aided the tyrant must not be forgiven."
"The Minister of Justice Wu Minglu committed a heinous crime. He was dismissed from office and his property confiscated. Wu Minglu was imprisoned and will be executed in the autumn. His entire family was exiled."
"Yan Sunwei, the Imperial Court Minister, was found guilty of treason and incompetence, and was imprisoned to await his fate. His son, Commandant Yan Qizheng, led an army in rebellion, and was also dismissed from his post and imprisoned to await his fate."
…
Listening to the King of Liao announcing the consequences of dealing with the ministers involved one by one, the Minister of War Lu Qi couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
On the way to the palace yesterday, he encountered a petty thief, which delayed him for some time. Unexpectedly, this happened to help him escape a disaster and avoid being involved in the rebellion.
All the ministers were silent, knowing full well that this was a purge of the prince's party and the prince's supporters in the court, to completely clip their wings and prevent these people from causing trouble again.
The King of Liao was indeed ruthless, confiscating the property of the entire Shangshu family and exiling them with just one sentence. However, they still didn't understand that the father and son of the Yan family were also dismissed from their official positions, but their property was not immediately confiscated and exiled, and they had to wait for the next sentence.
What was the outcome? Was he to be executed later?
Wei Jizhi shared this suspicion, and he couldn't help but feel anxious. Given the current situation, if he wanted to save the Yan family father and son, he had to do it sooner rather than later!
"Your Highness," Wei Jizhi stepped out, "I would like to ask Minister Yan to—"
"There's no need to waste your breath, Wei Taizhong."
Before Wei Jizhi could even begin to plead for mercy, Li Youxi cut him off. Just as he was about to speak again, the man on the high seat sternly said, "Those who plead for mercy will be punished with the same crime!"
This left no room for negotiation, so Wei Jizhi had no choice but to shut up and retreat.
"This king has always been clear about rewards and punishments. Those who commit crimes will be severely punished, and likewise, ministers who have made meritorious contributions will be generously rewarded." Li Youxi continued slowly, "Officials Yu Sugong has made a meritorious report and has been promoted to Minister of Justice."
"Your humble servant thanks His Majesty for his thousand years of service."
Yu Sugong stepped out and knelt, and then everyone understood what was happening.
The prince's words "meritorious reporting" were vague, and he did not elaborate on what he had done. However, Minister Yu not only escaped the crime of association, but was also entrusted with an important task. It goes without saying that he must have defected to the King of Liao.
The prince lost power and his superiors suffered. In order to protect himself, he changed his stance, but he didn't know how he betrayed his conscience behind the scenes.
Some ministers despised it, while others sighed with emotion. Most saw the King of Liao's move as a way to teach the court officials that "those who obey him will prosper, and those who disobey him will perish!"
After finally waiting for the court to be dismissed, Wei Taizhong was already impatient. Just as he was about to take a step, he was stopped by a voice saying, "Wei Taizhong, please wait." Seeing the King of Liao descending the platform and approaching him, Wei Jizhi was panicked and hurriedly raised his hands and folded them, bowing, "I wonder what your Highness wants me to do?"
"Don't worry, Wei Taizhong. I know you and Minister Yan are relatives, so I wanted to help him intercede. But the laws of the court cannot be abolished. Wei Taizhong, please don't act on impulse."
The Liao King spoke in a calm tone, but each word was powerful. Wei Jizhi broke out in a cold sweat and responded with a melody: "Your Highness is absolutely right. I was reckless."
"Fortunately, Wei Taizhong was not involved in this, so I won't attack the Wei family without reason. However..." The Liao King changed the subject, speaking word by word: "He who knows the current situation is a hero. It would be best for Wei Taizhong to draw a clear line with him as soon as possible."
This last heavy blow made Wei Jizhi feel very uneasy. He hurried out of the palace during lunch.
But as soon as he got on the carriage, a servant handed him a letter, saying that someone had asked him to give it to Wei Taizhong. Wei Jizhi quickly opened it and saw only one word written on the paper inside - "escape".
Wei Jizhiwei widened his eyes, looked around for a moment, and quickly asked the servant to go back home.
"Then Master Yan and Qi Zheng cannot be saved? What about Zi Yan?" The master came back in a hurry and told Madam Wei what happened in the palace today. Madam Wei's face changed drastically.
"What do you mean by drawing a line? Are you asking us to sever our ties with the Yan family?" She was so anxious she lost her composure. "Zi Yan will definitely not leave the Yan family."
Wei Jizhi was also anxious.
This letter, sent without a beginning or an end, seemed to tell him that there was no hope and he should escape if he could. But the Yan family was trapped in the mansion, so where could they escape to?
Judging from the Liao King's attitude today, the Yan family's father and son are in great danger, and the entire Yan family will inevitably suffer. If he obeys the Liao King's wishes and cuts ties with the Yan family, perhaps he can still save his daughter.
But as his wife worried, his daughter might not be willing to abandon her family and husband and escape alone...
The two of them could not come to a conclusion, so Wei Jizhi did not delay any longer. He took the silver note that his wife had cashed in advance, got on a carriage and hurried to Yan's house.
The carriage was still parked at the back door, and the soldiers guarding it had accepted bribes from him the previous night. Wei Jizhi slipped the banknotes he had drawn into one of their hands and asked them to make it easier.
The Taizhong doctor was very polite and courteous, so those people thought that if they let him in alone, they would definitely not be able to bring anyone out, so they allowed him half an incense stick of time.
Wei Jizhi was able to enter, and Xu Ji, who had been waiting there, immediately came to meet him and led him straight to Fuxi Hall.
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