Chapter 244 Crushed to Ashes
They said there should be a result in five or six days, but Shang Ruyi waited for more than half a month.
During this time, no more news came from the palace, and she had no chance to enter the palace again. Since Yuwen Yuan and Yuwen Ye were not around, she gradually stopped hearing news from the court.
Her initial composure gradually faded with each passing day of waiting, and anxiety began to slowly engulf her.
Why are there still no results?
That day in the palace, she gave that answer. Whether it matched Yuwen Ye's testimony or not, the Dali Temple should have made a response, either finding Yuwen Ye guilty or convicting Shang Ruyi of deceiving the emperor. This is not a difficult thing to do, so why has it been delayed for so long without any movement?
What does Wang Shaoji want to do?
Chu Yang, what do you want now?
Although she had already sent clothes once before, more than half a month later, Shang Ruyi took out some things, packed them into a bundle, and gave them to Chang Wan. She also gave her a bag of silver and instructed her to deliver it to the Dali Temple and hand it over to Yuwen Ye.
Chang Wan said somewhat awkwardly, "Young Madam, I wasn't able to get in to see the Second Young Master last time, and I'm afraid I won't be able to this time either—"
Shang Ruyi said, "There's no need to force it."
"yes."
"Your trip this time is mainly about observing how the people at the Dali Temple treat you."
Chang Wan, seemingly understanding but not quite, replied, "Yes."
After saying that, he turned and left.
This trip took up most of the day, and by the time she returned, the sun was almost setting. Shang Ruyi couldn't eat the food on the table, but as soon as she saw her hurried return, she immediately asked, "How was it?"
Chang Wan's breathing was uneven and her expression was strange, but she still bowed respectfully to her as she entered: "Young Madam."
Shang Ruyi asked, "Did you see him?"
Changwan shook her head: "The people from the Dali Temple still won't let me in. Just like last time, I had to bribe someone to get the things in."
"So, how does the other party treat you?"
"It's better than the last time I went, but it's still easier to talk to people if you have money."
Chang Wan hurriedly finished speaking, and then she was eager to say something, but she was panting heavily and could hardly catch her breath. Shang Ruyi noticed her abnormality, so she asked Tu She'er to pour her a glass of water and said, "Take your time to say what you have to say."
Changwan thanked him, took the cup, and drank a couple of sips before she recovered.
Then she whispered, "Young Madam, this time, when that person was passing the bundle inside, I overheard a conversation among some people in the Dali Temple and heard something."
"What is it?"
"That man named Kou—Kou Yunliang—was the military supervisor who was killed by the Second Young Master this time."
"he?"
Upon hearing the name, Shang Ruyi immediately frowned. Although the focus of this case was his death, he was already dead and an unimportant symbol. Why was he suddenly brought up again?
So he asked, "What have you heard about him?"
Chang Wan said softly, "I heard that this person was ordered by His Majesty the Emperor to be utterly destroyed—his bones were crushed and his ashes scattered!"
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's eyes widened in surprise.
Crushed to ashes?
Kou Yunliang?!
She could hardly believe her ears. She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then looked at Chang Wan: "It really is him? He was reduced to ashes? You didn't hear wrong?"
Chang Wan said, "Although I was waiting outside the wall, those people weren't very careful when they talked about this, as if it wasn't a secret. So, I heard it very clearly, and I definitely didn't mishear Kou Yunliang's name."
"..."
"Moreover, they themselves are wondering why, since Kou Yunliang has been reduced to ashes, they haven't released the Second Young Master."
"..."
"Young mistress, everything I said is true."
"..."
Shang Ruyi looked at her with a serious expression for a while, then thought for a moment and said, "You did a good job. Go and rest now."
Chang Wan said, "Yes."
She turned and left.
As soon as she left, Shang Ruyi's brows furrowed again. Although she wasn't frightened, a heavy worry weighed on her brow and heart like a mountain. Looking down at the rather exquisite dishes on the table, she had no appetite at all. She waved her hand and said, "Take them away."
Tu She'er, who had just returned from Changwan, initially looked displeased, then surprised, and then incredulous. At this point, she was just as somber as Shang Ruyi. However, unlike usual, she didn't talk much. Instead, she led people to clear the dishes off the table and brought water and towels to help Shang Ruyi wash her hands.
After finishing everything, he brewed a cup of tea and handed it to Shang Ruyi.
Only then did she say, "Miss, I don't understand."
Shang Ruyi looked up at her and saw that the wrinkles between her brows had taken shape. It was clear that she had been frowning while doing this, probably thinking about this matter. She couldn't help but find it a little funny.
He asked, "What don't you understand?"
Tushe'er then asked her, "Miss, do you understand?"
"..."
"Kou Yunliang was appointed by the Emperor, which is why his son-in-law was imprisoned and interrogated after he was killed. Why then do you want to have him—crushed to pieces and scattered to the winds?"
"..."
"Could it be that His Majesty already knows that he is wrong?"
Although she had thought of this, her knowledge was limited and she couldn't express anything more profound, but Shang Ruyi had already grasped her meaning.
That was exactly what shocked her just now.
Since the court imprisoned and interrogated Yuwen Ye because of Kou Yunliang's death, it means that the court's premise was that Kou Yunliang was right, that he represented the dignity of the court and the emperor, and that the murderer needed to be held responsible for his death.
But to grind him to dust would overturn this premise.
Moreover, it was ordered by the emperor.
But what caused the emperor's attitude towards him to change so drastically?
As Shang Ruyi thought about it, she subconsciously turned her head to look at her shoulder—the arrow wound had healed after she returned due to proper care. Moreover, she had used the scar-removing cream that Chu Yang had given her, and those ugly scars had really begun to fade and flatten slowly. Perhaps after a while, there would be no more marks of being shot on her body.
However, the fact that he was shot with an arrow is a real event.
She was indeed shot by an arrow in Xingluo Warehouse, and it was Kou Yunliang who surrounded her, allowing his men to shoot her.
Shang Ruyi subconsciously reached out and touched her somewhat thin shoulder. Although it was still far from her heart, at this moment, an uncontrollable heartbeat suddenly appeared.
Yes, for her?
It wasn't until she entered the palace that day and answered Zhai Ying's question that Chu Yang learned she had been injured in Xingluo Warehouse. Afterwards, he immediately left the palace to deliver medicine to her. Clearly, he valued her injury by an arrow very much.
Empress Jiang once said, "Your injuries cannot have been suffered in vain."
When she said that, she seemed certain that someone would stand up for her and avenge her.
Therefore, although Kou Yunliang died, his bones were still crushed and his ashes scattered.
Shang Ruyi suddenly felt her heart pounding so hard it hurt. She slowly moved her hand from her shoulder, which had just been lightly touched, to her chest and pressed it firmly.
It was as if I was trying to suppress that unwanted flutter of emotion.
Tushe'er, standing to the side, became anxious: "Miss, you look terrible. Is your wound hurting again?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi remained silent for a long time before finally taking a deep breath and forcefully suppressing her unusual heartbeat before saying, "It's nothing."
"Miss, what about that Kou Yunliang—"
"To grind the bones to ashes would represent His Majesty the Emperor's attitude toward this matter."
"manner?"
"Since Kou Yunliang has been dealt with, it means that the fault has been acknowledged to be his."
Tushe'er's eyes widened in surprise: "Really?"
Shang Ruyi nodded.
Although for a moment she thought that Chu Yang might be doing this for her sake, upon further reflection, Chu Yang had dealt with Kou Yunliang, and not in private, nor by hiding it from the people of the Dali Temple. In other words, he had already determined that Kou Yunliang was at fault, which was why he took action against him.
What he was settling was not a personal grudge.
However, the method of scattering bones to ashes carries a certain degree of selfishness.
Regardless of personal grudges or selfish motives, now that Kou Yunliang has been dealt with, the outcome of this case is quite simple: the fault lies with Kou Yunliang, so there is no problem with Yuwen Ye executing him, nor is there any crime of treason.
Hearing Shang Ruyi say this, Tushe'er breathed a sigh of relief and said with great joy, "That's wonderful!"
Shang Ruyi, however, was not as happy as she was.
Instead, the gloom between his brows deepened.
Seeing her like this, Tushe'er became puzzled and asked, "Miss, why are you unhappy? Didn't you say that the Emperor has already determined that the fault lies with Kou Yunliang, and that the son-in-law is innocent?"
Shang Ruyi looked up at her and said, "I was interrogated in the palace more than half a month ago."
"..."
"And Kou Yunliang being reduced to ashes certainly didn't happen in the last couple of days."
"..."
"Since the Emperor has already determined that Kou Yunliang was wrong and has punished him, then Yuwen Ye should be released. But so far, the Dali Temple has not made a move."
Upon hearing this, Tushe'er suddenly came to his senses.
It should be noted that Yuwen Ye was a great general who had just recaptured Xingluo Granary and made great contributions. He was highly respected among the people. This time, instead of being rewarded upon returning to the capital, he was taken to the Dali Temple for trial. This caused quite a stir among the people. Many people were dissatisfied with the court and believed that the court's actions were harming loyal officials and destroying its own Great Wall.
In this situation, the imperial court should indeed release the person immediately.
Tushe'er immediately felt a pang of worry and whispered, "Miss, why hasn't the court released them yet?"
Shang Ruyi said, "The Emperor already knows the truth, but for more than half a month, there has been no news and he hasn't released anyone. This situation seems like he's waiting for something."
"Wait for what?"
Shang Ruyi shook her head and remained silent.
Just as she was deep in thought, a rider galloped through the snowstorm and finally entered the Eastern Capital at the last moment before the city gates closed.
The person on horseback had a pair of resolute and decisive eyes, yet they also showed signs of having experienced many hardships.
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