Chapter 167 Sacrificing the Pawn to Save the King
Aunt Yun, with a sword in her heart, collapsed in a pool of blood, kneeling on one knee.
Shen Yiqiu tightened her grip, staggered two steps, and almost collapsed to the ground.
She instinctively knelt down, recalling Aunt Yun's timid yet bright eyes and her always gentle and warm voice.
"Aunt Yun! Hold on! Qingzhu! Qingzhu—!"
She pressed her hand against the wound that was gushing blood in vain, and the warm blood instantly stained her hands red, mixed with the tears that kept dripping from Sanchun.
Qingzhu immediately stepped forward, extended her finger to check Aunt Yun's neck pulse, examined the wound, and shook her head with a heavy expression.
"Miss... the sword has pierced your heart, there's no hope of recovery."
Upon hearing this, Song Sanchun pushed Qingzhu aside and began shaking Aunt Yun repeatedly, calling out to her incessantly:
"I don't believe it! Mother, wake up, Mother... Mother, you can't die, Mother!"
Song Sanchun only stopped crying when Aunt Yun's fingers fell limply to the ground.
Her eyes were bloodshot. She grabbed the longsword that had fallen to the ground and charged at Zhao Jieyu without a second thought.
"I'm going to kill you! To pay for my mother's life!"
Zhao Jieyu was so frightened by her sudden outburst that she turned pale and took several steps back, screaming.
"Protect the Emperor! Quickly! Stop this madman!"
Two guards with swords immediately stepped forward, their blades drawn, and stood in front of Consort Zhao.
Just as Song Sanchun was about to run into the blade, a strong hand suddenly grabbed her arm, rendering her unable to move instantly.
Shen Yiqiu said in a low voice, "Sister Sanchun! Calm down!"
Song Sanchun was held down tightly, struggling but unable to break free. She turned her head, her face full of despair.
As if grasping at a straw, she grabbed Shen Yiqiu's sleeve tightly, tears streaming down her face like broken beads, falling onto her blood-soaked hand.
"Yiqiu! She killed my mother! She killed my mother! Please help me... please help me kill her! Please avenge my mother!"
Shen Yiqiu looked at Song Sanchun's bloodshot eyes, then looked down at Aunt Yun, who was already dead on the ground.
She nodded slightly, gently pried open Song Sanchun's fingers that were gripping the sword hilt, and took the longsword back into her own hand.
“Revenge must be avenged. But not in this way.”
She gently pushed Song Sanchun toward Qingzhu.
"Qingzhu, take good care of her."
After saying that, she took a deep breath and turned to face Zhao Jieyu again, her expression filled with murderous intent.
"Zhao Jieyu?"
Seeing Shen Yiqiu remain calm and composed under these circumstances, Zhao Jieyu felt a chill run down her spine, but she still forced herself to maintain her composure.
"It is already an overstepping of the bounds for a concubine to leave the palace without imperial decree, but now she has gone so far as to commit murder in broad daylight in the residence of a court official, killing the official's wife with her own hands."
"According to the 'Great Jin Law - Criminal Law,' what should be done to a murderer? Assassinating the family members of an official of the court is an even more serious crime. What should be done then? You have lived in the palace for a long time, so you must know better than I do."
Zhao Jieyu, with an arrogant expression, slowly and deliberately wiped her hands with a handkerchief:
"Ha, what a joke! I acted in self-defense. Concubine Yun spoke wildly and attacked with a weapon, intending to assassinate me and my niece Sangyu. In order to protect myself, I had no choice but to kill her. Everyone present witnessed this."
Song Sangyu immediately understood and spoke in a pitiful manner:
"Yes, sister... Aunt Yun was acting like a madwoman just now, it was terrifying... It's all thanks to Aunt for saving us."
Consort Zhao casually pointed at a trembling servant:
"Tell Marquis Yongjia what you just saw?"
The servants knelt and kowtowed:
"This servant...this servant saw Consort Yun rushing towards Consort Jieyu with a hairpin in her hand..."
Hearing these distorted facts, Shen Yiqiu didn't get angry but laughed instead:
“Excellent. Consort Zhao, the palace maids you brought, the servants in the Song household who have been bribed—how credible do you think their testimonies are when they reach the Dali Temple?”
"Moreover, with so many family members present today, can you guarantee that your Song and Zhao families can silence everyone?"
She watched as Zhao Jieyu's expression changed. Yes, so what if she bribed one person, or even the entire household?
How can anyone who witnessed this event guarantee 100% that they will not leak information?
She pondered how to respond, but then she saw Shen Yiqiu slowly walk forward, pressing closer step by step:
"Hysteria... Since you say I have hysteria, what is the evidence? Do you have any medical records from the Imperial Medical Academy? Do you have any diagnostic documents from famous doctors in the capital?"
"If you have no evidence and rely solely on your own words to falsely accuse the marquis conferred by the imperial court of suffering from hysteria, and then use this as a pretext to have him killed..."
"The Law of Jin Dynasty, Law of Litigation, states that false accusations are punishable by one's own actions. Whatever crime one falsely accuses, one shall be punished accordingly. Falsely accusing a marquis is an even more serious crime! Consort Zhao, do you wish to experience the taste of slandering an official of the court?"
Zhao Jieyu's face turned ashen, almost dripping with sweat. She hadn't expected Shen Yiqiu to be so knowledgeable about the law.
"you……!"
Seeing that Zhao Jieyu's momentum had faltered, Shen Yiqiu continued speaking:
"The death of Aunt Yun is a matter for investigation by the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice. The truth will eventually come to light. But right now, there is one thing that is beyond dispute!"
She turned abruptly to look at the Song family members hiding behind Zhao Jieyu:
"It is the dowry left by my grandmother, the Marquis of Yongjia. The dowry list is in triplicate and filed with the government office. It is clear in black and white."
“These are my grandmother’s private property. The law clearly stipulates that a married woman’s dowry belongs to her and her biological children, and the family cannot seize it! Your Song family has been occupying our property for seven years. It’s time to return it to its rightful owner with interest!”
Song Chenyi said urgently:
"How can this be! I am also a daughter of the Shen family, and I have always been responsible for managing the household affairs..."
The older brothers also started to get anxious:
"Mother! My ever-victorious general is still waiting for the money to ransom him!"
"No way! My dowry is gone, how am I supposed to make it back? Ziqian's family will beat me to death!"
Song Sangyu, on the verge of tears, tugged at Zhao Jieyu's sleeve:
“Aunt, I’m getting married soon, and Father said he would use some of the money to add to my dowry… If it’s all given to my sister, wouldn’t I be laughed at to death? Besides, the family really doesn’t have any money left right now.”
Looking at this group of good-for-nothing Song family members, Zhao Jieyu gritted her teeth in anger and whispered a rebuke:
"Fool! Is money more important than life? She's made her demands, and if we don't compromise on the dowry today, she'll seize on Yun's death and the law, and cause a huge scene..."
"If your Song family seizes the dowry and I commit murder in public, it won't just be money you lose, but your status and my position! Don't you understand such a simple principle as sacrificing wealth to save your life?"
Too many people witnessed Aunt Yun's death; it's all my fault for acting rashly in a fit of anger.
If Shen Yiqiu really persists, she will definitely suffer a great loss. Right now, she has no choice but to make a decision to sacrifice the pawn to save the king.
This shattered her original plan to use hysteria to seize the property.
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