Didn't the Prime Minister guarantee that the Emperor would personally come to apologize?
But now it doesn't seem to be the case.
Upon arriving at the Imperial Study, Qin Yu launched into a tirade against him without a word, from which he finally understood what had happened!
It turned out to be her own eldest son, who was peeping at Consort Jing while she was bathing!
This was like a bolt from the blue, almost scaring him to death!
Jia Renyi immediately knelt on the ground and tearfully explained.
"Your Majesty, please see the truth! Zheng Jin has been diligently guarding the palace all these years, never daring to slacken his duties for a moment! There must be some misunderstanding in this matter; he must have been wronged!"
"Is Lord Jia saying that Consort Jing deliberately framed him? Or is he saying that I deliberately wronged him?"
Qin Yuhan gave him a cold glance.
Jia Renyi was speechless for a moment, and his face turned embarrassed.
Just then, Jia Zhengjin, who had been beaten beyond recognition, was carried up.
Seeing him covered in blood, Jia Renyi felt heartbroken and burst into tears.
Upon seeing Jia Renyi, Jia Zhengjin disregarded everything else and, as if grasping at a lifeline, hurriedly began to cry out.
"Father, save me! Please save me! I've been wronged! I've truly been wronged!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu immediately flew into a rage, his eyes fixed on Jia Zhengjin with a sinister glint.
"How dare you harbor such wicked intentions towards my beloved concubine! And you still have the nerve to cry foul! In my eyes, you beast, if left alive, will only bring disaster sooner or later. Throw him into the imperial prison and execute him by slow slicing in three days!"
Upon hearing this, Jia Renyi collapsed to the ground. He immediately knelt down and crawled toward Qin Yu, pleading desperately.
"Your Majesty, I'm innocent! Your Majesty, Zhengjing would never do such a thing! Your Majesty, spare my life!"
No matter how much he cried and pleaded, Qin Yu remained completely unmoved.
Just then, Anfu, who was standing to the side, lowered his head and whispered a reminder.
"Lord Jia, doesn't your household possess an iron certificate of immunity from death bestowed by the Emperor Gaozu? That's a treasure, it can absolve one of the death penalty!"
The Jia family ancestors had rendered meritorious service to the emperor and were rewarded by the emperor with an iron certificate granting them immunity from death.
If it is not a serious crime like treason, the death penalty can be avoided by paying gold or silver to atone for the crime.
Upon hearing Anfu's reminder, Jia Renyi finally remembered the matter.
His eyes lit up immediately, and with a joyful expression, he cupped his hands in gratitude to Anfu.
Then, as expected, Jia Renyi cupped his hands and brought up the matter to Qin Yu.
"Your Majesty! The Jia family possesses an iron certificate of immunity from death. Today, I will use that certificate to exchange for Zhengjin's life. I beg Your Majesty to spare Zhengjin! I am willing to pay gold and silver to atone for his sins!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu's lips curled into a smile, knowing that the fish had taken the bait.
But if he readily agrees, it will surely arouse Jia Renyi's suspicion.
His face was gloomy, as if he was unwilling, and he stared straight at Jia Renyi.
Anfu offered timely reminders.
"Your Majesty, this is a rule left by our ancestors; it cannot be broken!"
Qin Yu frowned and snorted coldly.
"Very well, since it's a rule left by our ancestors, I will naturally abide by it. Pay three million taels, and I will release him. Go back and raise the money!"
As he spoke, Qin Yu waved his hand impatiently.
Three million taels?
Upon hearing this astronomical figure, Jia Renyi was so frightened that he almost fainted.
His annual salary was only ten thousand taels of silver. No matter how greedy he was, he couldn't possibly scrape together three million taels!
Jia Renyi spread his hands, looking distressed and pleading with Qin Yu.
"Your Majesty, I truly do not have that much silver. I have served in court for many years, and although I have not rendered any great service, I have certainly worked hard. Could you please consider reducing the amount for my sake?"
Hearing him say that, Qin Yu, who was already somewhat unwilling, let out a cold snort.
"Jia Zhengjin dared to covet my woman. I'm already showing mercy by not killing him. And you still dare to bargain here? Do you think this Imperial Study is a marketplace? If you don't have money, that's fine. Just bring five taels of silver to the Ministry of Justice in three days as a body collection fee!"
"Anfu, kick them out!"
Upon hearing Qin Yu's instructions, An Fu had no choice but to immediately step forward and shoo the people away.
Jia Renyi was still craning his neck, pleading with Qin Yu for mercy.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Zhengjin is truly innocent! I am a veteran of three reigns, please have mercy on me!"
Anfu looked horrified and immediately tried to dissuade him.
"Lord Jia, please say no more. If you truly anger the Emperor, even with an ironclad pardon, my nephew may still face certain death!"
"As the saying goes, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood. What is three million taels if it can save my nephew's life? My nephew is strong and intelligent. It's only a matter of time before he earns back those three million taels!"
That makes sense, but three million taels is just too much, and he can't come up with it in a short time!
Jia Renyi sighed, his face contorted in a grimace.
"If I had it, I would hand it over without hesitation. But the total value of my land and property is probably less than three million taels. What should I do?"
Anfu's eyes darted around, and he began to patiently guide her.
"Lord Jia, don't forget, according to the rules of the Imperial Prison, all newly admitted prisoners must receive one hundred strokes of the rod as a warning!"
“But my nephew is already so badly injured. If he were to suffer another hundred blows, even if he didn’t die, he would be half-dead. Why don’t you go back and get 100,000 taels of silver first, and I’ll go to the prison to smooth things over for you and ask if my nephew can be spared the blows?”
After he said that, Jia Renyi slapped his forehead and remembered.
He nodded repeatedly, expressing his gratitude.
"Very well, I'll go get the silver notes right away. I'll trouble you with this matter, Eunuch An! I'll definitely come to thank you in person after this is done!"
"Lord Jia, you flatter me. It's just a small matter, nothing to worry about!"
Anfu smiled and bowed slightly, speaking modestly.
Watching Jia Renyi's departing figure, a sly glint flashed in Anfu's eyes as he returned to the study with a mischievous grin.
At this moment, Qin Yu was leisurely sipping tea, showing no sign of anger whatsoever.
Upon seeing Anfu, Qin Yu subconsciously raised an eyebrow and asked a question.
"Did he agree?"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, you can't escape!"
A moment later, Jia Renyi, clutching 100,000 taels of silver notes, hurriedly arrived at the Imperial Study.
Anfu was already waiting outside.
Upon seeing Anfu, Jia Renyi immediately stuffed 100,000 taels of silver into Anfu's hand, panting heavily.
"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch An!"
Anfu did not forget his mission and quickly turned around to head towards the prison.
Not long after, Anfu returned with a bitter face, and the silver notes in his hand had disappeared.
Meeting Jia Renyi's expectant gaze, Anfu shook his head in frustration and sighed.
"Lord Jia, we're too late. Commander Xue had already finished the hundred lashes on the way to the prison for my nephew!"
Upon hearing this, Jia Renyi felt his blood rush to his head and his vision went black.
Fortunately, Anfu caught him in time, preventing him from falling to the ground.
Once he regained his senses, Jia Renyi didn't care about anything else and hurriedly left the palace, heading towards the Prime Minister's residence.
Now that things have come to this, the only one who can save Jia Zhengjin is probably Sima Lie!
Rushing to the Prime Minister's residence, Jia Renyi knelt down without saying a word and began to cry.
"Your Excellency, I beg you, please save Zhengjin!"
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