Thunder and rain are both acts of kindness (Part 5)
"Upon investigation, the affair has been found to be false. I understand that Consort Wan was frightened, and hereby bestow upon her ten chests of gold and silver jewels..."
Pinghai's voice echoed in the Chuxiu Palace.
Pinghai held the bright yellow imperial edict, his voice booming. The list of bestowed treasures filled an entire scroll. The palace servants couldn't help but show envious expressions, but Wan Zhen'er didn't even lift her eyelids.
Wan Zhen'er leaned against the soft pillow, her lips completely bloodless.
"Your Majesty, this is His Majesty's gift. Please accept it." Before leaving, Pinghai handed the list of rewards to the bedside. Seeing that Wan Zhen'er did not move, he added, "His Majesty wants you to rest and recuperate. You are exempt from paying your respects to the Empress these next few days. You don't need to worry about what happened before."
Wan Zhen'er finally nodded, only turning her head to look at Yan Zhiwei standing to the side, her voice as light as a feather: "Everyone, go out, I have something to say to Yan Shangshi."
The palace servants had all left, leaving only the two of them in the hall.
Wan Zhen'er gripped Zhiwei's hand, her fingertips icy cold: "How is he? When he was dragged out, he was almost drained of blood..."
Zhiwei knew who Wan Zhen'er was referring to. It was truly a pity for Wan Zhen'er, having grown up so rapidly in just a few days, even learning to suppress her true feelings.
Zhiwei recalled that night, which felt like a nightmare, and the scene in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Sun Wei lay in a pool of blood, his lower abdomen soaking through his robes and staining the brick floor red. His breathing was so weak it was like a candle flickering in the wind.
Zhu Liji stared at the pool of blood without even frowning, and simply ordered Pinghai to drag him away and find a place to settle him.
As for the rest, Zhu Liji said that since Sun had castrated himself, it was enough to prove his innocence, and there was no need to mention this matter again.
Zhu Hua stood to the side, her fingertips gripping the fur of the fox fur tightly. Her smile froze, and her eyes were filled with resentment. She wanted to say something, but Zhu Liji glared at her, and she didn't dare to say anything more.
Zhiwei silently observed all of this.
She then guessed that Zhu Liji had probably heard about Wan Zhen'er's affair long ago. After all, he was the emperor and had a keen eye, and Wan Zhen'er had never bothered to hide it.
Originally, Wan Zhen'er and Sun Wei hadn't done anything substantial; one pretended to be blind, and the other pretended to be mute, and the matter would have been over. Who could have predicted that the Eldest Princess would interfere? Now, they had to deal with it cleanly.
Zhiwei thought that Zhu Liji's expression showed more annoyance than anger.
Zhu Liji didn't care whether Wan Zhen'er had fallen for someone else; he only cared about the Wan family's military power.
The love and romance within the harem, for him, was perhaps always part of his calculations.
She still couldn't help but wonder occasionally if Zhu Liji, such a cold-blooded person, would meet a woman in the future who would make him stop pretending and instead truly get angry and jealous?
She could hardly have imagined this day.
"I've already made arrangements." Coming back to her senses, Zhiwei grasped Wan Zhen'er's hand. "The imperial physician said he's out of danger, but there are still risks involved in the castration, so he still needs to rest for a while. I've found a secluded courtyard, and everything is arranged so no one will disturb him."
"That's good...that's good...I can rest assured now." Wan Zhen'er's eyes finally showed some relief upon hearing the news.
Zhiwei didn't say anything more. Shao Zhao volunteered to take care of Sun Weiwei, and Zhiwei didn't stop him.
When he returned to the palace to report, it was already dusk.
As the lights on the palace road came on, Zhiwei was walking towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation when she saw a familiar figure leaning against the palace wall in the distance. It was Li Mingjing.
Li Mingjing was wearing a worn-out black casual outfit, his hair was messy, and the dark circles under his eyes were so heavy they looked like ink had been splashed on them. He was also holding a wine gourd in his hand, with wine dripping down between his fingers.
Since Zhu Mingyu's death, Li Mingjing has been like a lost soul. He used to be talkative and cheerful, but now he has neglected even his official duties. He hides in his house every day and never comes out. When asked, he always says he is drunk again.
Zhiwei sighed inwardly, stepped forward, and wanted to offer him a few words of comfort.
"General Li, why are you still drinking here so late?"
Li Mingjing raised his head, his eyes unfocused for a moment, before he recognized Zhiwei.
“...It’s you.” Li Mingjing paused, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Zhiwei asked him when it happened, but he didn't answer, only clenched his fist. Zhiwei asked again, and perhaps he was drunk, Li Mingjing suddenly took out a scroll of portraits from his pocket and stuffed it into Zhiwei's hand.
The smell of alcohol hit Zhiwei's face.
"Take a look at this. Do you recognize this person?"
Zhiwei unfolded the portrait, which depicted a man with sharp eyes and brows, one eyebrow broken off, and a shallow scar at the corner of his mouth.
Zhiwei searched her mind repeatedly, and suddenly, her breathing became rapid.
Broken eyebrow...
She suddenly remembered the bandits in Lingnan who had ambushed and killed the wedding procession. The leader, a man with "broken eyebrows," looked exactly like that! At that time, the bandit was holding a musket, and the bullet grazed her scalp, almost killing her.
“This man is called Wang Miaoxiao.” Li Mingjing’s voice trembled. “He is the third-rank commander newly promoted by the Emperor, who wears a silver mask. He is said to have made great contributions in the Siam-Ying rebellion case. But I have investigated and found that no one had ever heard of him before. He is not a member of the mission, and the border guards do not know him. He seems to have appeared out of thin air.”
Zhiwei then realized that Li Mingjing's alcoholism was just a pretext; in fact, he was more clear-headed than anyone else and had been secretly investigating the truth behind Zhu Mingyu's murder.
But wouldn't it be more efficient to investigate this matter and report it to higher authorities? Zhu Liji also dotes on Zhu Mingyu, so he would probably take this matter to heart himself.
Li Mingjing shook his head: "This person is now a favorite of His Majesty, so he must have a way to deceive His Majesty. Acting rashly will only increase His Majesty's suspicion of me."
Zhiwei asked, "What should we do then?"
“We need to wait a little longer. I have already collected evidence of his strange behavior. A few days ago, I sent someone to infiltrate Siam and find a witness who saw him traveling with the Siamese army. Once the witness arrives in the capital, I will report to His Majesty and confront Wang Miaoxiao face to face, proposing to reinvestigate Mingyu’s case.” Li Mingjing grabbed Zhiwei’s arm, his eyes full of pleading.
“Since you’ve seen him, you can testify! I may be a rough man, but I know there aren’t that many coincidences in the world.”
"You have to help me. We can't let Mingyu die for no reason!" Li Mingjing said firmly.
Zhiwei looked at his red eyes and remembered that Zhu Mingyu used to always mention "Uncle Li, Uncle Li" in front of her. He said that Li Mingjing was the person he respected most in the army camp, his sworn brother, who taught him riding and archery and protected him.
Thinking of Zhu Mingyu, Zhiwei's heart ached again. Without the slightest hesitation, she nodded vigorously: "I'll help you."
——
After discussing things with Li Mingjing, she returned to Jingfang Garden. It was already late at night. Shao Yang was waiting for her at the entrance, and upon hearing about Zhiwei's encounter with Li Mingjing, he couldn't help but sigh.
Zhiwei returned to her dormitory, walked to the window, and fiddled with the potted orchid. She had been caring for it for three years, and tiny flower buds were still sprouting, but the flowers just wouldn't bloom, as if they were waiting for their owner to return.
But will its owner ever return? Its owner is so cold-hearted; for so long, he hasn't even dared to appear in his fiancée's dreams to see her.
Zhiwei squatted down and began sorting through Zhu Mingyu's belongings left behind. Actually, there wasn't much left, just a few old clothes and a wooden sword he used for sword practice, all of which Zhiwei had been caressing for far too long.
Zhiwei put down what she was holding and noticed a small wooden box in the corner. Opening the box, she found the silver hairpin she had always worn inside. It was the one she had designed herself in Lingnan, which she had put away when she entered the palace. She didn't know when, but Zhu Mingyu had put it in the box for safekeeping.
Zhiwei touched the hairpin, her eyes burning.
"Mingyu, please bless General Li." Zhiwei prayed softly to the hairpin.
——
The atmosphere in the Hall of Mental Cultivation was solemn after the morning court session on the second day.
Holding the evidence, Li Mingjing knelt in the hall, pointing at Wang Miaoxiao's nose and cursing, "You traitor! You brought the Siamese rebels here, and you killed Mingyu! You still dare to put on airs in front of the Emperor!"
Wang Miaoxiao, however, did not take it seriously, as if he had expected this day. He slowly took out a scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Zhu Liji.
“Your Majesty, General Li has accused me, but I am innocent. However, I happen to have some evidence here concerning General Li’s abuse of power and improper investigation of the Second Prince’s case.”
Wang Miaoxiao cupped his hands and said, "As far as I know, during his time off duty, General Li secretly contacted the former Mingjing Army troops, ostensibly to investigate the Second Prince's death, but in reality, he was embezzling military funds to win people's hearts. In my opinion, he was probably plotting something sinister and planning a rebellion!"
An uproar erupted inside the hall.
Li Mingjing trembled with rage: "You're lying! I didn't! That military pay was used to provide relief to the families of Mingjing soldiers who died in battle during their journey to Siam and Ying!"
"Whether it is or not, Your Majesty will know at a glance." Wang Miaoxiao bowed and took out several silver notes from his pocket. "These were found by your subject in General Li's residence. The seal on them is the special military seal of the Mingjing Army!"
"General Li, you have been out of office for some time now. According to regulations, the Mingjing Army's military seal has long been revoked. You are no longer qualified to act in the name of the Mingjing Army. Furthermore, if you said it was a pension, you could have provided it privately. Why did you use the name of the Mingjing Army?"
"Is it because you can only achieve your goal by using the Mirror Army?"
Wang Miaoxiao picked up the silver note and approached Li Mingjing step by step.
The situation changed instantly. Zhu Liji took the silver note from Wang Miaoxiao's hand, his face dark.
Li Mingjing panicked and couldn't find any strong words to refute him, so he could only kowtow to Zhu Liji: "Your Majesty! I am loyal to the Great Zhao and have no intention of rebelling! You cannot believe the words of this traitor!"
Seeing that Li Mingjing was in a predicament, Zhiwei suddenly stepped forward.
"No!" Her voice trembled. "The Mingjing Army was trained by Ming Yu and General Li together. They are the most loyal army of the Great Zhao. How can they be slandered like this!"
"Besides, Wang Miaoxiao, you're not a commander at all, you're a bandit from Lingnan! You robbed and killed me back then, do you think you can cover up your crimes by changing your name?"
Zhiwei stepped forward and snatched Wang Miaoxiao's mask. His broken eyebrow was revealed, and Zhiwei bowed to the ground: "Your Majesty, I can testify that even if General Li's actions were inappropriate, Wang Miaoxiao is by no means a good person."
Zhiwei was going all out. In other people's eyes, Li Mingjing was a capable and powerful minister, but to Zhiwei, those were just his words. The fact that Li Mingjing was Zhu Mingyu's sworn brother, whom he treated like a brother, was enough for her to risk everything to protect him.
For many days, Zhiwei had thought more than once that if she had been more patient and understanding with Zhu Mingyu back then, would the final outcome have been different?
Their story was like an apple tree that had just sprouted fruit, only to have the core removed before it was ripe. So this time, she didn't want to have any regrets.
Whether it's too late or not, someone will always do their best. Whether it works or not, we'll only know after the fact. If Zhu Mingyu were here, he would surely have told Li Mingjing and stood up for the Mingjing Army.
“Your Majesty, do you remember when we were in Shu County? I told you so much, and I dare to swear on my life that every word I said back then was true!” Zhiwei’s head slammed to the ground. “Even if you don’t believe me, what about Mingyu? Isn’t his judgment more trustworthy than mine?”
Given Zhu Liji's cunning, and with Wang Miaoxiao's problems on the surface, it's impossible for him not to investigate anything.
Zhiwei thought Zhu Liji would believe her. Back in Lingnan, she had helped him solve a salt case; in the caves of Shu County, she had helped him escape assassination and even treated his arrow wound.
They had been through life and death together. He trusted Zhiwei's character, which was why he dared to entrust her with such an important matter as meals. The scenes of past kindness resurfaced in his mind. For so long, Zhiwei had never insisted on anything or asked anything of Zhu Liji.
Just this once, he should believe her.
But Zhu Liji looked at her coldly, his eyes full of scrutiny.
"Yan Shangshi, you and General Li have a close relationship. If it is possible that the two of you are colluding to frame Wang Qing, I may not know the answer."
"In the end, it's just your side of the story." Zhu Liji put his hands behind his back and walked to Zhiwei's drooping head.
"Did you say this yourself, or was someone instructing you to say it?" Zhu Liji lifted Zhiwei's head.
The two looked at each other.
Zhiwei felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water, chilled to the bone.
"Does Your Majesty mean you don't trust me?" Zhiwei rolled her eyes, her phoenix eyes trembling with tears. "You doubt me."
Zhiwei's throat felt like it was filled with boiling water, both dry and swollen. She inexplicably recalled the words Zhu Liji had whispered in her ear at the lantern festival that year.
—You're smart and ruthless enough, but unfortunately, your vision is too narrow. Focusing only on the small space around the stove is ultimately a waste.
—Once a commoner in the marketplace, always a fish on someone else's chopping board.
—Is it better to be an ant that can be crushed at will for the rest of your life, or... seize the opportunity and climb up?
She chose the latter, so she entered the palace, so she restrained her temper, so she gave up her freedom, and so she ended up being questioned like this.
Oh.
Yes, she only became a minor female official after all, so her words carried little weight, but it was the person in front of her who should have said those words.
He was the one who extended an olive branch to her, and now he's the one mocking her.
Zhiwei slowly rose from the ground and patted her skirt.
"How could you doubt me?" she murmured, her breath coming in short gasps as she grabbed Zhu Liji's collar tightly. "General Li is loyal and devoted, how could he be accused of treason? He only wanted a reinvestigation, but you listened to slander and appointed relatives and friends. Could it be that you have something to hide about Mingyu's death?"
Zhiwei pressed her head against Zhu Liji's, then suddenly revealed a strange smile. Countless coded messages intertwined in her heart at this moment, controlling her lips.
"You are not fit to be an emperor. No wonder everyone dislikes you."
"Everyone has abandoned you!" Zhiwei uttered the sentence she regretted most in her life.
In response, Zhu Liji shouted to stop him.
"Enough!" Zhu Liji slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
"Guards! Drag these two away. Li Mingjing is plotting a rebellion and has been demoted to a commoner. As for Yan Zhiwei..." Zhu Liji glanced at Zhiwei's extremely straight arms, his eyes as red and sharp as a venomous snake.
“Yan Zhiwei has spoken rudely and shown no respect for the emperor. He shall be exiled to the Xin Zhe Ku and never be allowed to leave the palace again!” Zhu Liji said through gritted teeth.
The guards rushed forward and restrained Li Mingjing.
Li Mingjing was still shouting, "Your Majesty! You can't treat Miss Yan like this. If Mingyu were alive, he would be heartbroken..."
But no one paid him any attention.
Zhiwei stood rooted to the spot, crushed and trampled by the force of gravity. She tried with all her might to grab Zhu Liji's body again, only to be slapped by someone else.
.
The case against Li Mingjing has now come to an end.
Li Mingjing was demoted to guard the border and was not allowed to return to the capital without an imperial edict. The Mingjing Army was reorganized from then on and later came under the command of Wang Miaoxiao. The palace lost its head chef, Yan, and gained an unnamed laundry maid.
On the same day, Jingfang Garden was sealed off, and all the servants were dismissed.
A few days later, a maid broke into the Imperial Medical Bureau at night. During the scuffle, she bumped into a guard's knife and died on the spot.
Later, a long and tragic love story circulated in the palace about a devoted palace maid and her seriously injured lover who both died.
The female lead during this period is named Shao Zhao, while the male lead is a newly appointed eunuch who has lost his manhood and has not yet been given a name.
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