Confiscating property and exiling
Xie Zhuo saw the person struggling in the water and his eyes widened in horror. He immediately jumped into the river to save the person.
Wang Qianxin arrived two steps later and his heart jumped into his throat when he saw this scene. How could something have happened to Miss Fu when he hadn't seen her for a while?
"Wake up, wake up! Qiao, wake up!" Seeing that Fu Zhi Qiao had lost consciousness, Xie Zhuo immediately laid her head down on his thigh and patted her back.
"Pfft, cough cough..." Fu Zhi Qiao coughed heavily twice, vomiting up all the water in her stomach. After recovering, her complexion gradually regained some color.
"It hurts!" she cried out before falling into unconsciousness again.
Xie Zhuo only noticed the bloodstains on her shoulder after hearing her cry of pain; the bright red blood stung his eyes.
The two of them were still dripping wet after coming out of the lake, especially Fu Zhiqiao, who was soaked to the bone, revealing her curves. Xie Zhuo took off his outer robe and wrapped it around her, then picked her up and carried her towards the courtyard.
Before leaving, he glanced at Fu Yan'er with a sinister and terrifying look in his eyes.
Fu Yan'er was already under Wang Qianxin's control. Her expression was blank. When she saw Fu Zhi Qiao being rescued, she knew she had lost. It was a pity that all her efforts were in vain. If she had arrived any later, just a little bit later, Fu Zhi Qiao would have been beyond saving.
Xie Zhuo kicked open the door and carried Fu Zhi Qiao to the bed. Since her wet clothes needed to be changed immediately, he tore off her outer garment without thinking.
The light silk fabric wrapped around the girl's full figure, her jade-like neck was long and fair, her collarbones were slightly protruding, revealing her bony figure, and her alabaster skin was without any flaws, so white that it was almost transparent, and you could even see the blue veins hidden under her skin.
Xie Zhuo immediately realized that such behavior would damage her reputation, so he straightened her outer garments again and called in a maid to help her change her clothes.
In a daze, Fu Zhiqiao felt herself being fed a bowl of very bitter medicine, and then she fainted again.
As darkness fell, Xie Zhuo's face became even more somber than the night itself.
Yinxing knelt on the ground, her voice trembling with tears, and pleaded, "Fortunately, the young master appeared in time, otherwise my daughter would have been in grave danger. Your Highness, you must do justice for my daughter."
"This servant was standing behind you when I saw the second young lady stabbing you with a dagger..."
Yinxing picked up on the important points and, in the process of making excuses, she herself was shoved hard by Fu Yan'er, causing her to bump her head and get a big bruise, but fortunately, it didn't bleed.
Xie Zhuo glanced at the large bump on her head, said nothing, but the atmosphere around him was visibly heavy.
When Xie Zhuo saw Fu Zhi Qiao lying lifeless in his arms with her eyes tightly closed, he almost suffocated, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.
He was really afraid that Fu Zhi Qiao would die.
He had never been this afraid, not even when facing thousands of enemies on the battlefield.
"The ascites has been drained, and she's taken the medicine, so why hasn't she woken up yet?" Xie Zhuo had been by the bedside for an hour, and seeing that Fu Zhi Qiao still hadn't woken up, he became a little anxious: "Go find Physician Gao."
Physician Gao arrived shortly after. After paying his respects to Xie Zhuo, he took Fu Zhi Qiao's pulse and then examined her eyelids. "Boss Fu is suffering from excessive fright and the invasion of evil wind. The cold energy is trapped and cannot be dissipated. Once I prescribe some medicine to help her dispel the wind and cold, she will naturally wake up."
Drowning was not the main cause of her coma.
The stab wound on her shoulder was the real culprit; soaking in the water with the wound for quite some time led to her infection and fever.
Since Fu Zhi Qiao came here, she has hardly been sick. This time, she was frightened by falling into the water and her wound became infected, so she slept for a whole day and night.
Thanks to Ginkgo's continuous use of alcohol to reduce her fever, her high fever symptoms were prevented from worsening.
Fu Zhiqiao woke up a day later.
She opened her eyes; the wound on her shoulder had been bandaged, but a faint pain reminded her of what had happened that day.
"Girl, you're awake!" Yinxing knelt by her bedside with tears in her eyes, repeatedly saying that if she were stronger, she wouldn't have been pushed down so easily by Fu Yan'er, and the girl wouldn't have been in trouble.
Fu Zhi Qiao was unconscious and looked to be in a very dangerous condition, which terrified Yin Xing.
"Alright, I'm fine now." Fu Zhi Qiao smiled and reassured Yin Xing that she was alright. She had indeed underestimated her opponent this time; she hadn't expected Fu Yan'er to be so reckless.
"Thanks to the young master's timely arrival, he was furious when he saw the young lady unconscious and has already ordered her to be locked up in jail."
Fu Zhiqiao nodded to indicate that she understood.
*
On the other side, Fu Yan'er was immediately locked in a cell. Her hands were chained up. When she saw Xie Zhuo come in, she opened her mouth as if to say something.
Xie Zhuo walked over slowly and stabbed her in the shoulder without saying a word.
Fresh blood slowly flowed out.
Fu Yan'er gritted her teeth to suppress a scream. Her whole body was trembling and cold sweat was pouring down her forehead, but the pain in her shoulder was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.
A cold smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and she managed to utter a strained sound: "Is the young master avenging her?"
"If you dare to hurt her, I will repay you a hundredfold!"
Then he stabbed her a second time, even deeper than the first time.
When Xie Zhuo saw Fu Zhi Qiao's lifeless appearance after being rescued from the river, he wanted nothing more than to tear Fu Yan'er to pieces. He was already being merciful by only stabbing her twice.
"Do not treat her injuries; just leave her alive."
Watching Xie Zhuo's departing figure, Fu Yan'er was filled with resentment. That bitch Fu Zhi Qiao actually survived. If only her knife had gone a little deeper. Just a little bit more and Fu Zhi Qiao would have disappeared from this world.
What a pity! Fu Yan'er smiled bitterly.
Fu Zhi Qiao is fine, but their family will be in trouble. Fu Yan'er closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Yuzhou Prefecture Government Office.
"Bang!" Ding Liqun sat high at the head of the table, picked up the gavel and slammed it down. "I'm asking you a question, and you must answer truthfully, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
From the second young master of the Fu family to the second master and then to the master of the Fu family, Fu Mingjie had been living a life of glory for half his life. In the past, the officials would treat him with kindness and gentleness. But this was the first time he had to kneel in court. Fu Mingjie felt ashamed and kept his head down the whole time.
Ding Liqun waved to the yamen runners, and placed two medicine packets in front of Fu Mingjie.
"Fu Mingjie, do you plead guilty?"
"My lord, I am innocent! Someone must have framed me!"
"The evidence is right in front of you, yet you still dare to argue! Guards, give him fifty lashes as a warning to others!" Ding Liqun was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.
His body was roughly lifted up, and the paddle fell one after another, the intense pain causing Fu Mingjie to howl incessantly, "My lord, my lord, spare my life!"
After being flogged, Fu Mingjie was practically dead.
"Guards, bring the witness!"
The witness was a pharmacist who prepared medicine packets at the Fu family pharmacy. "Because the flood affected a wide area, many of the medicinal fields under the Fu family's name were destroyed, and the medicinal herb warehouses were also affected by dampness, causing a large number of medicinal herbs to become moldy and unusable. So the shopkeeper told us to substitute inferior herbs and mix in some herbs that looked similar."
"With all the witnesses and evidence, what else do you have to say?"
Fu Mingjie was dumbfounded. When did he arrange for the shopkeepers to use fake medicinal herbs? He endured the excruciating pain and retorted, "Sir, I didn't say that. It wasn't me who said it... I'm only responsible for running the business, not for managing the medicinal herbs."
Ding Liqun didn't bother with him at all. "The medicine merchant Fu Mingjie has privately replaced the medicine packs used to treat the plague, harming innocent people. The evidence is conclusive, and he has lost all conscience. In order to give the people of the city an explanation, I have petitioned His Majesty to sentence Fu Mingjie to immediate execution, confiscate his property, and exile all his family members to the Northwest."
The young master had instructed that such heinous incidents must not be tolerated, and Ding Liqun's trial of Fu Mingjie in court was merely a formality.
Upon hearing that he had been sentenced to immediate execution, Fu Mingjie turned ashen-faced.
After the verdict was announced, Xie Zhuo personally led the elite cavalry and officials to the Fu residence to confiscate its property.
The Fu family mansion stands in the middle of the street. As one of the wealthiest merchants in Yuzhou, the Fu family's mansion is naturally impressive. Two stone lions stand at the entrance, and the two characters "Fu Mansion" on the plaque shine with dazzling gold.
In the main hall of the Fu family mansion, Xie Zhuo announced the verdict in front of everyone. He looked around and said, "From now on, no one is allowed to leave the mansion without permission. Anyone who violates this rule will be punished for disobeying an imperial decree."
Fu Mingjie was sentenced to beheading, all of the Fu family's property was turned over to the national treasury, and all of Fu's direct relatives, including his second and third wives, were exiled.
Upon learning of their impending exile, the entire household erupted in mourning, especially Zhao Xialan, who cried uncontrollably, "Master! Master!"
Fu Mingjie is dead. What hope does she have left? She finally married into a wealthy family and became a rich wife, all thanks to a scholar's daughter. How could she end up like this? Zhao Xialan knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly and in despair.
Upon hearing the news that the Fu family's property had been confiscated and its members exiled, Fu Wenyang felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He had only mixed a little Lu Shang into the ginseng, so how could this have led to such a situation?
Fu Wenyang's eyes were bloodshot as he roared, "I'm innocent! It was my second brother who did it, what does it have to do with me!"
"You still dare to cry foul? The imperial decree was issued by His Majesty. Are you saying that His Majesty cannot distinguish right from wrong?" Ding Liqun coldly looked at Fu Wenyang, who kept crying foul.
Fu Wenyang was startled: "This humble one would not dare."
Ding Liqun was extremely satisfied with the result of the house raid.
The Fu family was large and wealthy, and confiscating all of their assets would amount to a huge sum. Although it was said that all of it would be turned over to the national treasury, the silver collected during his term of office would also be counted as part of his political achievements.
At Ding Liqun's command, the officials, accompanied by two accountants, quickly rushed into every courtyard and room of the Fu family, ransacking the place, meticulously recording the confiscated items, and sealing them off.
The Fu mansion was in chaos, and many servants tried to escape, but they were all surrounded by the officials. Anyone who insisted on breaking through would be killed on the spot by the officials.
Witnessing his home being ransacked, Fu Wenyang was ashen-faced. He staggered a couple of steps before regaining his balance. He had thought that his second brother taking the blame would ensure the safety of the Fu family, but he never expected that the third branch of the family would also be implicated. Tomorrow, they would all be exiled.
Now, the Fu family is completely finished.
"Why is this happening? Why is this happening?" After saying this, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
Not only the masters, but also the servants were terrified. They worried that they might be implicated and punished. Some of the maids and servants had been transferred from the first wife's house to the second wife's house, and they were filled with regret.
After the main branch of the family fell, the second branch of the family gained both face and substance, but now they are about to lose their own lives!
The Northwest is a well-known, wild and untamed land.
Heading west, the further west you go, the more desolate it becomes. Those with weaker constitutions are likely to lose their lives halfway there. The dead being transported along the road are no different from wild dogs; they are simply thrown to the side of the road, and there is not even anyone to collect the bodies.
They escaped disaster only after the government issued its decree, allowing the unrelated servants to leave.
The wailing in Jinyuyuan was deafening.
Watching the officials carrying things out, Zhao Xialan's heart bled. She muttered to herself, "Master is dead, the Fu family is gone, the Fu family is gone!" She raised her hand and pounded her chest, "Heavens, what sins did I commit in my past life to deserve such torment in this life?"
Fu Hao, who was only four or five years old, was so frightened by the officials coming and going that he burst into tears.
Hearing her son cry, Zhao Xialan quickly hugged Fu Hao, whose face was flushed from crying, and said, "Hao'er, Hao'er, Mother is here."
Once in his familiar embrace, Fu Hao gradually calmed down and asked, "Mother, where is my sister?"
Zhao Xialan suddenly realized that she hadn't seen Yan'er since yesterday. She grabbed the hem of a constable's robe and asked, "Sir, have you seen my daughter, Fu Yan'er?"
"Fu Yan'er attempted to murder someone and has been imprisoned."
"What?"
Zhao Xialan recalled Fu Yan'er's distraught appearance yesterday and guessed that she had most likely gone to see Fu Zhi Qiao. What a coincidence! Yan'er had just gone to see her yesterday, and today the Fu family's house was ransacked.
It must be that little bitch Fu Zhiqiao who's behind this.
Not only is she vying with Yan'er for the position of heir, but she also intends to bring ruin to the Fu family.
She staggered into the main hall and shouted at Ding Liqun, "Our Fu family still has the eldest branch, and there are two people in the eldest branch. They must also be exiled."
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