199. When the King of Hell calls the roll, whoever he calls will die.
"Your Majesty!" Qu Zijin wasn't good at persuading people, so he quickly gave Wei Xiuming a wink.
Under his hopeful gaze, Xie Wenling slowly spoke: "Your Majesty is right. The premise of 'not bringing disaster upon one's family' is that the benefits should not extend to one's family."
"What?"
Wei Xiuming and Qu Zijin were both stunned for a moment.
Xie Wenling continued, “Lady Gan, the wife of the Duke of Anguo, is a member of the Gan family, and Miss Lin has the blood of both the Duke of Anguo and the Gan family flowing through her veins. They are both women of the Duke of Anguo’s mansion and the Gan family. Since they enjoy the favors, they must bear the corresponding responsibilities.”
“Therefore,” he raised his head and said righteously, “I humbly request Your Majesty to punish him severely!”
"What are you saying?!" Qu Zijin exclaimed in a huff.
Wei Xiuming was stunned: "You mean, you want to kill Gan Shi?"
“That’s right,” Xie Wenling said. “Not only that, since Miss Lin carries the blood of two evils, she will certainly not become a good person, and she must die.”
"...What about the Duke of Anguo's concubine and the second young lady?" Wei Xiuming paused for a moment and asked.
"They were favored by the Duke of Anguo and received favors from him. They too must die."
“Not only that,” Xie Wenling continued, “but also the servants of the Duke of Anguo’s mansion. They work there and receive salaries, which means they have received favors from the Duke of Anguo. They too must die.”
Qu Zijin was stunned; he didn't even know what to say.
He felt that Xie Wenling was like the King of Hell, whoever he called upon would die.
Wei Xiuming opened his mouth: "You..."
Xie Wenling went completely berserk: "And that's not all. All the cats, dogs, chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, flowers, birds, and fish in Anguogong's territory, they all ate food from Anguogong's mansion and were thus indebted to Anguogong, so they all have to die. The ant nests inside have to be filled with mercury, and the earthworms have to be split vertically."
Wei Xiuming and Qu Zijin tried to find any trace of joking on his face.
But it didn't happen.
Xie Wenling looked extremely serious and focused, with a murderous aura emanating from his beautiful eyes.
He immediately knelt down and begged Your Majesty: "Your Majesty, I implore you to punish them severely! Execute the entire Anguo Duke's family! Leave no living soul unpunished!"
“…There’s no need for that.” Wei Xiuming’s angry mind gradually calmed down, and he even felt that he was too kind compared to Xie Wenling.
"Lord Xie, you..." Qu Zijin even asked with concern, "What happened to you last night when you were imprisoned by the old prime minister? Are you alright?"
Otherwise, there's no way to explain why he suddenly had such a strong desire to kill today.
Wei Xiuming sighed: "Minister Qu, let's talk about how to handle this."
Qu Zijin came to his senses and first tried to save the person: "Your Majesty, although the Duchess of Anguo is a member of the Gan family, she was already married when the Gan family committed the crime, and she did not gain any benefit from it."
"I believe that the mistakes made by the Gan family should not implicate her."
"And Miss Lin is even more so; she deserves to be rewarded for her meritorious report."
Wei Xiuming also realized that he had gone too far. It was the fault of the Duke of Anguo and the Gan family for committing the crime, and he should not have implicated others—here he specifically named Xie Wenling.
"Your words are reasonable. What do you think should be done?"
Qu Zijin said, "The Duke of Anguo sentenced him to exile a thousand miles away, and his family members were demoted to commoners. However, Lady Gan and Miss Lin can still retain their property and noble titles."
“Too lenient,” Wei Xiuming shook his head. “Confiscate his property, demote the Duke of Anguo to a commoner, and exile him a thousand miles away. As for his family, they will also be demoted to commoners and banished from the capital, never to return. As for Miss Lin… considering her meritorious report, she will be allowed to retain her property and will be given an extra hundred taels of gold.”
Qu Zijin still felt it was a bit too much, but Wei Xiuming raised his hand, not allowing him to speak again: "Let's leave it at that, there's no need to discuss it further."
He then quickly ordered someone to draft the imperial edict and affix its seal.
"Your Majesty is wise." Xie Wenling spoke slowly after the imperial seal was placed down.
Qu Zijin and Wei Xiuming both looked at him in surprise, only to see him stand up as if nothing had happened, and ask with a smile, "May I and Grand Tutor Qu go to Duke Anguo to convey his decree?"
Wei Xiuming met his gaze in silence, suddenly feeling as if the freshly issued imperial edict in his hand weighed a ton.
He seems to have been tricked.
No, he was deceived.
This kid is pretending to be crazy and saying he wants to be severely punished, but it turns out he just wants to make himself feel that he's gone too far and get a lighter sentence?
Wei Xiuming gritted his teeth and slammed the imperial edict onto his head: "Get lost!"
Xie Wenling easily caught it, a grateful expression on his face: "Your Majesty is merciful, I am deeply grateful. Grand Tutor Qu, why aren't you leaving yet?"
"Huh?...Oh." Qu Zijin walked out, looking confused.
"Hey!" Wei Xiuming watched Xie Wenling's leisurely departing figure from behind.
-
The vermilion gates of the Duke of Anguo's mansion were tightly closed. The stone lions in front of the gate were still majestic, but the usual liveliness was gone.
A guard stepped forward and gently knocked on the door knocker. After a moment, the side door slowly opened, and an old steward poked his head out. Upon seeing Xie Wenling and Qu Zijin, his face instantly turned deathly pale, and he hurriedly bowed: "Lord Xie, Grand Tutor Qu, please come in..."
As soon as the two entered the mansion, they saw Li Yuniang standing at the entrance of the main hall.
She was dressed in a plain-colored dress, with only a silver hairpin in her hair. Her smile was gone, but her eyes held a forced composure.
Seeing the imperial edict in Xie Wenling's hand, her last shred of hope vanished.
In fact, she knew things were bad ever since she learned that the Duke of Anguo had been imprisoned that morning.
This was the second time in her short life of less than thirty years that her family had experienced such a sudden change.
Perhaps she was just unlucky.
But just like the first time, she stood alone in front of the door.
Last time, it was to protect the inheritance left by my parents.
This time, it's to protect the family behind me.
She stepped forward and asked calmly, "Lord Xie, Grand Tutor Qu, may I ask what brings you here today?"
Xie Wenling stopped and opened the imperial edict, reading aloud: "By His Majesty's decree, the Duke of Anguo has plotted rebellion, formed cliques for personal gain, and committed heinous crimes. He is sentenced to exile a thousand miles away. All his property is confiscated, and all his accomplices are to be arrested. Considering that most of his family members are innocent, he is exempted from exile but demoted to commoner status. He must leave the capital by noon tomorrow and never return!"
Qu Zijin, unable to bear it any longer, said, "This is His Majesty's grace, please..."
"Wait!" Li Yuniang suddenly spoke, interrupting Qu Zijin.
She turned and walked into the main hall. A moment later, she came out with two pieces of paper in her hand and handed them to Xie Wenling: "Lord Xie, this is the letter of divorce written by the Duke of Anguo, and also the proof that he has severed his father-daughter relationship with Miss Lin Lingrong."
Xie Wenling and Qu Zijin exchanged a glance, then took the paper and began to read it.
On the divorce agreement, Duke Anguo's handwriting was clear, and his intention to divorce his wife was firm.
The certificate of severance of ties also stated that he would sever all father-daughter relationship with Lin Lingrong and that they would have no further connection in life or death.
This was written by the Duke of Anguo long ago. He had long wanted to drive Lin Lingrong and her daughter out of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, but she had been suppressing him.
Now, it has come in handy.
"Thank you, Your Excellency," Li Yuniang said, forcing a trembling voice, "Gan Fanggui and Lin Lingrong are no longer members of the Duke of Anguo's household. In principle, they should not be implicated. I beg Your Excellency to be lenient and spare them from harm."
Xie Wenling looked at Li Yuniang with some surprise.
Unexpectedly, she was actually thinking of helping Gan Fanggui and Lin Lingrong get off the hook, rather than for her own sake.
After a moment's hesitation, Qu Zijin spoke up directly: "In that case, let's do as Auntie says. Gan Fanggui and Miss Lin Lingrong can stay in the capital and don't need to leave."
Li Yuniang breathed a sigh of relief and bowed deeply to the two men: "Thank you, sirs."
Xie Wenling glanced at Qu Zijin.
It seems he didn't agree.
...Never mind, he will find a way to persuade His Majesty.
Footsteps sounded outside the main hall, and Gan Fanggui hurried over with Lin Lingrong and Lin Fuman.
Gan Fangui was dressed in a simple dress, her face pale.
Lin Lingrong lowered her head.
Lin Fuman, her eyes red and swollen, rushed into the hall and threw herself at Li Yuniang's side, crying, "Auntie, how is Father...? People outside are saying that Father has made a terrible mistake, is it true?"
Li Yuniang patted Lin Fuman's head, fighting back tears, and whispered, "Fufu, don't ask anymore, we...we're leaving the capital tomorrow."
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