At this moment, the Zhuang family was in a mess.
When County Magistrate Zhuang came to the capital, his uncle Zhuang Zixian had arranged everything for him and transferred him to Jiangling as the prefect. He came to Dingjing to participate in the performance evaluation of the Ministry of Personnel just for the sake of formality. After leaving, he would go to Jiangling to take up his post. Therefore, he packed up the 100,000 taels he had made in Huaizhou, as well as his wife, concubines, mother, and servants, and came to Dingjing with his family.
Zhuang Zixian had a manor outside Dingjing, so he settled County Magistrate Zhuang's family there. Only County Magistrate Zhuang himself was preparing to participate in the performance evaluation of the Ministry of Personnel with his favorite concubine, but he did not expect to encounter such a disaster. Mrs. Zhuang was widowed at a young age and raised such an only son. She placed all her hopes on her son. When she heard that County Magistrate Zhuang had offended Prince Ding and was thrown into prison, she fainted immediately. After waking up, she cried and made a fuss. She asked the servants to prepare a carriage and took the whole family to Zhuang Zixian's house to cry and make a fuss.
Madam Zhuang sat on the ground like a tantrum, beating her chest and stamping her feet, crying and wailing: "Second uncle, Wenfeng is the only son of your eldest brother, you can't just stand by and watch him die! Have you forgotten who promoted you to your current position?"
Wenfeng is the courtesy name of Magistrate Zhuang.
Zhuang Zixian was ruthlessly rejected by Liu Yan at the morning court today, and his face was gloomy at the moment. After hearing what Madam Zhuang said, his anger immediately burst out. He sneered and waved his sleeves, saying: "I am in my current position naturally because I have been loyal to my duties and abided by the law. What did your good son do to make Prince Ding take action personally to arrest him!"
Zhuang Zixian was also an official through the imperial examination, but he did not rank well in the metropolitan examination and the palace examination, so he was exiled for many years. He was transferred back to the capital with the support of the father of Zhuang County Magistrate. He acted cautiously and studied hard for so many years before he could get the position of Chief Censor. He has always been low-key and kind to others. Although he has not made great achievements, he has never made big mistakes. But today, he has inexplicably offended Prince Ding because of the matter of Zhuang County Magistrate, which made him feel uneasy and angry.
Old Madam Zhuang rolled up from the ground and cursed: "What bad things can my son do when he first came to Beijing? I heard that Prince Ding is powerful and arrogant. Is it my son's fault that he bullies people? I think you are afraid of other people's power and dare not stand out. You, you don't care about family affection! My husband took care of you so much when he was alive, but now you are gone and you are forgotten!"
She cried again.
Zhuang Zixian was so angry that his temples throbbed. He wanted to drive this ignorant shrew out, but he had to call her sister-in-law because of his seniority. The Zhuang family has always been of the same blood and advances and retreats together. In the past, he and his wife had done him a favor. If he doesn't help and drives her away now, not only will the Zhuang family not tolerate him, but even the officials in the court will laugh at him behind his back.
He is now riding a tiger and it is difficult to get off!
County Magistrate Zhuang took two deep breaths, calmed down and said slowly: "Sister-in-law, the most urgent thing is to find out why Wenfeng offended Prince Ding."
Old Lady Zhuang said angrily: "The people of Jingzhao Yin don't allow people to visit the prison, how can I know what happened!" Based on Zhuang Zixian's understanding of Prince Ding, he is not a person who will make trouble unreasonably and oppress innocent people. Although Zhuang Wenfeng is far away in Huaizhou, he has some understanding of his nephew's character. Zhuang Wenfeng's father was a third-rank official at the highest level, and later died of illness in office. According to the system of favor and yin of the State of Chen, his only son was able to study in the Imperial Academy and then serve as an official in the court. Zhuang Wenfeng is not a person who can study quietly, and he relied on Zhuang Zixian's maneuvers to seek an official position as a county magistrate. Huaizhou is a rich place, and being a county magistrate there is a good job. Over the years, Zhuang Wenfeng would send a batch of gifts to Zhuang Zixian's mansion during festivals, ranging from three to five hundred taels to more than a thousand taels. How much salary can a county magistrate get in a year? It is conceivable how much money he has taken from the people privately.
But Zhuang Wenfeng is certainly not a good official, and what relationship does he have with Prince Ding? If Prince Ding has evidence of his exploitation of the people, why did he just imprison him instead of holding a trial?
Zhuang Zixian instinctively did not want to get involved in the muddy water. He is now over fifty years old and feels that his energy is not as good as before. He plans to retire during the Beijing inspection at the beginning of next year. According to the system of favoritism, one of his sons can be an official. He has already established a good relationship with the Ministry of Personnel, and he will find a good job for his eldest son. If he offends Prince Ding at this time, his own, his son's, and his entire family's wealth and glory will be ruined.
Zhuang Zixian's triangular eyes swept over the old lady Zhuang who was throwing a tantrum in front of him, and he forced a smile and said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. Even the King of State cannot put the court official into jail for no reason. You and I will wait patiently for a few days, and Jingzhao Yin will definitely have a reply."
"Bah! It turns out that it's not your son who was arrested! My son is still suffering in prison. How can he endure it if he has never suffered! What if the King of State has people torture him in prison..." Old lady Zhuang shuddered and cried even more sharply.
Zhuang Zixian took a step back in disgust, and said with anger, "Sister-in-law, you are making a fuss here, which is not a solution. This matter is of great importance. I need a few days to find out clearly before I can think of a foolproof plan."
How could old lady Zhuang not hear his evasion? After cursing for a long time, she let her daughter-in-law Guo help her get on the carriage and return to the manor outside the city. Guo was a sickly and thin woman. She was always afraid of her mother-in-law. She let her scold her all the way without saying a word.
When the group returned to the manor, they saw Mu Minghua standing in the yard with a haggard face. Mrs. Zhuang was furious and immediately ran forward two steps and slapped Mu Minghua in the face. Mu Minghua was knocked to the ground, her hair was messed up, and her left face suddenly became red and swollen, and five finger marks slowly appeared.
"Bitch! You still have the face to come back!" Mrs. Zhuang pointed at Mu Minghua who was lying on the ground and cursed, "Wenfeng took you out, why did he get caught and you came back!"
Mu Minghua's face was dull, and there was a buzzing in her ears. She looked at Mrs. Zhuang pointing and cursing, and she couldn't hear what she said for a while. Mrs. Zhuang was angry and anxious, and kicked her in the heart.
Guo was startled and instinctively wanted to run, but she didn't dare to run. She took two steps back to avoid Mrs. Zhuang's anger, fearing that the fire would burn herself. The servants also hid nearby and lowered their heads, wanting to escape but not daring to escape.
Mu Minghua was kicked in the heart and his vision went dark due to the pain. He was kicked several more times on his back and it took him a long time to recover.
"My humble concubine... I don't know... cough cough..." Mu Minghua coughed a few times, her voice dry and hoarse, and she fell to the ground and said slowly, "When the master was arrested... I was in the room..."
Madam Zhuang asked sternly: "Then you and Wenfeng were locked up together, didn't he tell you the reason? Why was he locked up, but you were released!"
Mu Minghua said weakly: "The master was beaten by Prince Ding and couldn't speak..."
Hearing this, Madam Zhuang grabbed her heart and staggered two steps, shouting: "He, he beat my son into this state! Under the feet of the emperor, he oppressed the court officials. Does Prince Ding still have the law in his eyes!"
The wife of Magistrate Zhuang whispered: "Mother-in-law, take care of yourself, don't get angry..."
Madam Zhuang pushed away the daughter-in-law who wanted to help her, her face flushed with anger: "You are also useless. If you can tie Wenfeng's heart, why would he favor this unlucky star and end up in jail himself!"
Mrs. Zhuang was widowed at a young age and depended on her only son for life. She couldn't stand those seductive women who seduced her son. She didn't like Mu Minghua since she came into the family. Although she was not seductive, she was a scheming man. Mrs. Zhuang had given her a lot of trouble. County Magistrate Zhuang was also very respectful of his widowed mother. He never stood up for Mu Minghua. Instead, he would beat and scold Mu Minghua to please his mother.
Magistrate Zhuang was bringing Mu Minghua to the capital. Old Madam Zhuang was against it in the first place. Now that something had happened, she blamed everything on Mu Minghua, kicking and scolding her, and shaking her head and saying, "No, no... I have to think of a way to save my son. That old thief Zhuang Zixian is greedy for life and afraid of death. He doesn't remember the old friendship and can't be relied on. Who else can we rely on in Dingjing? Who can control the Prince of Ding?"
Guo said hesitantly, "The Prince of Ding is in a high position and has great power. The only one who can control him is the current emperor."
She just said it casually, but Old Madam Zhuang seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw. Her cloudy old eyes lit up and she shouted, "Yes! Let's go find His Majesty! Ask His Majesty to uphold justice!"
The servants next to her thought she was crazy, but she sneered, "I will go and beat the drum to report to the emperor tomorrow morning!"
When everyone heard this, they were stunned. If you think you have a great injustice, you can beat the Dengwen drum. Once the Dengwen drum is beaten, it will reach the ears of the emperor, and His Majesty will personally inquire about the case.
But Dengwen drum is not easy to beat. In order to prevent rogues from beating it for no reason and disturbing the emperor, the law of the State of Chen stipulates that those who beat the Dengwen drum will first be punished with thirty strokes of the cane!
Guo trembled and said, "Mother-in-law, beating the Dengwen drum will result in thirty strokes of the cane. How can you bear it!"
Madam Zhuang sneered and her eyes slowly fell on Mu Minghua.
"Let her go!" Mu Minghua raised her head in shock, looking at Madam Zhuang's cruel face, the light in her eyes slowly dimmed.
Madam Zhuang said, "If you can save the master, it will be a great achievement. In the future, the position of the mistress of the Zhuang family will be handed over to you!"
Mu Minghua's eyes moved, and she looked at the pale Guo on the side. The corners of her bleeding lips slowly curled up, and she said in a hoarse voice, "I will do my best."
The winter day dawns very late, and it was still dark when the morning court began. It suddenly snowed in the middle of the night. I don't know when it started and when it ended. I only know that when I went out, a heavy layer of snow had already piled up on the branches.
There was a floor heating stove burning in the hall, but it didn't feel cold. Shen Jinghong, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was reporting the preliminary results of the performance evaluation of the foreign officials when he heard a dull thumping sound from afar. Everyone in the hall was startled and looked at each other in disbelief.
"That's... the Dengwen Drum?"
"Who beat the Dengwen Drum?"
"If it wasn't a great injustice, who would be willing to endure thirty court sticks to beat the drum?"
The prince was discussing in a low voice. Liu Chen frowned and looked at the chief eunuch: "Go and see who beat the drum, and bring the person."
An eunuch took the order and hurried out.
The Dengwen Drum had not been beaten for decades, but it woke up most of Dingjing on this cold winter day when the sky was slightly bright. People who got up early to do business spread the news by word of mouth, and people in the East and West Markets knew about it, and all of Dingjing knew about it.
"It was a young woman who beat the Dengwen Drum!"
"It is said that it was the concubine of the Zhuang County Magistrate in Huaizhou!"
"Is it the Zhuang County Magistrate who was beaten and locked up by Prince Ding?"
"His concubine is... going to sue Prince Ding!"
Mu Minghua grabbed the drumstick with his slender hands and beat the drum again and again with an expressionless face. The drum sounded like thunder in his ears and heart. There was a layer of snow on her shoulders and black hair, but her face was three times whiter than the snow.
The people in the yamen had not heard the sound of the Dengwen drum for a long time. The cold weather made them unwilling to move. It took them a moment to react to the sound outside, and they jumped up from their chairs.
The door opened, and a team of soldiers rushed out and surrounded Mu Minghua.
"You are so bold and unruly people. You dare to beat the Dengwen drum to disturb the emperor. Do you know your crime!"
Mu Minghua's drumstick was snatched away, and her thin shoulders were grabbed hard. She was forced to bend down and kneel in the snow, but she raised her neck to look at the people in front of her.
"I have grievances to appeal!"
"Whether you have grievances or not, anyone who beats the drum must first be beaten with thirty sticks in the court!" The leader saw the people not far away pointing and talking, so he winked and shouted, "Take him in for execution!"
Mu Minghua was dragged into the yamen, and the discussion outside became louder.
"Such a frail young lady will be beaten to death after thirty strokes of the cane. What is she complaining about?"
"She is here to sue Prince Ding. Isn't that courting death?"
"Prince Ding is committing a crime in the street. He is too lawless..."
Mu Minghua was pressed to the ground. The wooden stick fell hard on her buttocks. Her already pale face suddenly became even uglier. She couldn't help but let out a scream. Beads of sweat fell down.
How could the people of Jingzhao Yin not know where Mu Minghua came from? She had walked out from here. Since she had left, why did she come back to beat the drum to report?
The yamen runners were anxiously carrying out the execution, not knowing whether to cripple or kill the man.
Halfway through the caning, a shrill voice suddenly came from afar: "Your Majesty has ordered that the person beating the drum be brought to the palace immediately!"
The people of Jingzhao Yin were shocked and put down the instruments in their hands and knelt on the ground.
Mu Minghua lay on the ground, dying, and it seemed that he could not get up. The eunuch who delivered the message took a look and said, "Find a stretcher to send him to the palace. Your Majesty and the ministers are still waiting!"
The people gathered outside the government office had not yet dispersed. They saw a eunuch rushing in. Not long after, they saw a stretcher carrying the woman who had previously beaten the drum and leaving in a hurry.
"What's going on? Your Majesty summoned... Doesn't Your Majesty trust Prince Chongding the most?"
"Don't you know that the person beating the drum wants to sue Prince Ding?"
"If Your Majesty knew that the person was suing Prince Ding, why did you still summon him..."
There was silence in the hall. No one was discussing it anymore. Everyone's eyes were focused on the woman with half of her body covered in blood. She couldn't stand up, let alone kneel. She could only lie on the ground, holding up her upper body with difficulty, knocking her forehead on the ground, making a cold and dull sound.
The eunuch screamed, "Who is kneeling?"
Mu Minghua said weakly, "The concubine Mu of Zhuang Wenfeng, the county magistrate of Yongding County, Huaizhou, pays homage to Your Majesty."
As soon as these words came out, half of the people's eyes secretly drifted to Prince Ding, and the other half fell on Zhuang Zixian.
Zhuang Zixian's face suddenly turned pale, and he cursed Madam Zhuang for being ignorant and reckless. With the relationship between Your Majesty and Prince Ding, let alone Prince Ding just arrested a county magistrate, even if he killed Zhuang Zixian, Your Majesty would not say anything! She actually let a concubine sue Prince Ding. Isn't this courting death?
Zhuang Zixian's eyes went black and his hands and feet began to shake.
Liu Chen had naturally heard about the dispute between Liu Yan and County Magistrate Zhuang, but he had not yet found a chance to ask Liu Yan. Besides, the arrest of a county magistrate was just a small matter. He believed that his uncle was fair and would never do anything that would harm the world.
But he did not expect that the concubine of County Magistrate Zhuang would dare to beat the drum to complain. He secretly looked at Liu Yan's side. Liu Yan sat on the rosewood carved unicorn throne, looking at the scene indifferently, as if it had nothing to do with him. But the usually gentle and amiable man suddenly became silent and cold in the past two days, which was not an ordinary thing. He did not stop the woman from speaking, and did not seem to care about her complaint...
Liu Chen looked at Mu Minghua and said in a deep voice: "You risked your life to beat the drum, what grievance do you want to complain about?"
Mu Minghua kowtowed and said in a hoarse voice: "I want to sue someone. That person is corrupt, abuses the law, allows slaves to commit crimes, oppresses innocent people, and does all kinds of evil!"
Everyone's heart was lifted up little by little with Mu Minghua's words. They held their breath and widened their eyes, looking at Prince Ding in disbelief.
Mu Minghua said hoarsely: "That person is - the magistrate of Yongding County, Zhuang Wenfeng!"
Liu Yan's eyebrows moved, and his eyes fell on Mu Minghua.
A "huh" sounded in the hall, and then many people breathed a sigh of relief, Liu Chen was one of them, but he was even more curious.
"You are his concubine, but you want to sue him?"
Mu Minghua said, "It is precisely because I am his concubine that I know how many shameful things he has done in private and how many people he has harmed. Although I have not been educated, I have a conscience and cannot watch him continue to do evil and bring disaster to the country and the people..."
Liu Chen said, "Do you have any evidence?"
Mu Minghua trembled and pulled out a booklet from her arms. An eunuch immediately took it and checked it to make sure there was no danger before submitting it.
"This account book records Zhuang Wenfeng's bribery and corruption. In addition, he also colluded with wealthy businessmen, lent money at high interest rates, destroyed families, occupied people's land, killed people and set fires..." Mu Minghua finally couldn't hold on at this point, and her head sank and she fainted on the ground.
Liu Chen flipped through the account book in his hand, his face became more and more ugly, and the knuckles of his ten fingers holding the account book turned white. Finally, he shouted angrily and threw the account book at the prince's man.
"Zhuang Zixian! You old thief!"
The account book fell at Zhuang Zixian's feet, but he didn't have the courage to pick it up. He fell to the ground and fainted.
There were more than just Zhuang Zixian involved in the account book of County Magistrate Zhuang. Liu Chen immediately read out several names with a cold face and ordered the guards in front of the palace to take them away for strict investigation by the Dali Temple.
As an important witness, the dying Mu Minghua was taken to the Imperial Hospital for treatment. Liu Chen ordered the Imperial Hospital to save her life.
"It turned out to be like this..."
"Why did Mu betray her husband?"
"Could it be that Prince Ding forced..."
Several officials lowered their voices to discuss, and suddenly saw Shen Jinghong coming from afar, and immediately stopped talking and smiled: "Sir Shen, looking at the direction you are going, is it that His Majesty summoned you again?"
Shen Jinghong smiled and nodded to several officials: "That's right."
Shen Jinghong was young and promising, and was deeply trusted by Liu Chen. The officials in the court wanted to make friends with him so that they could find out His Majesty's intentions from him.
"Your Majesty summoned you, is it because of the bribery of the Chief Censor?" Someone whispered, "The drum for hearing the news has only been sounded for decades, and your Majesty is furious. I'm afraid this matter can't be resolved peacefully."
Shen Jinghong had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, but his smile was gentle and humble: "Your Majesty is diligent in government and loves the people. Zhuang Wenfeng bullied the court and oppressed the people. Even a woman like Mu knew that he would sacrifice her relatives for the sake of justice, let alone your Majesty? We, the ministers, only need to be loyal to the emperor and love the country and have a clear conscience. There is no need to worry about other things."
Shen Jinghong said, clasped his hands, turned around and left, and the remaining officials looked at each other in bewilderment.
Zhuang Wenfeng was just a county magistrate. Even if he was corrupt and perverted the law, it would only affect the area of one county. Who would have thought that Mu would be so bold and make the matter known to the whole city, implicating several senior officials in the court. Now, not only the officials who were arrested, but also the other officials who had connections with Zhuang Zixian were all worried, fearing that Zhuang Zixian would say something he shouldn't say in prison.
Mu Minghua woke up to the bitter and strong smell of medicine. She lay on the bed with several layers of mattresses underneath. There were two big stoves burning in the room, and the wind and snow outside could not invade at all. The wound on her hip had been carefully applied with medicine by the female doctor, but the waves of severe pain still made her groan uncontrollably. She bit her sleeve tightly and took deep breaths in pain.
A white and soft hand held a pill and put it to her mouth.
"This medicine can relieve some pain."
A familiar voice came from behind. Mu Minghua froze suddenly, without turning her head to look, nor opening her mouth.
"I didn't expect you to be injured like this." Mu Zhuohua sighed softly and sat down next to Mu Minghua on the bed. "I just asked you to go back and get the account book. You just need to hand it over to the Ministry of Personnel. Why do you have to beat the drum?"
Mu Minghua lowered his eyes and stared at the blue veins on the back of his hand. After a long while, he said in a hoarse voice: "Three thousand taels, too little."
Mu Minghua was injured when she was taken away by the guards of Prince Ding's Mansion. Zhuang Wenfeng always beat her without mercy. Her face was swollen, but the injuries on her body were more painful.
Zhuang Wenfeng was locked up in the prison next to her and thrown into the corner like a dead dog. Mu Minghua hugged her knees and curled up on the cold stone bed, staring blankly at the dim lights on the bridge. This weak light could not illuminate the prison of Jingzhao Yin, nor did it bring any warmth.
Zhuang Wenfeng woke up once in the middle of the night, but he was mute. He kicked the cell door frantically at first, screaming with fear and anger, but he knelt down on the ground again after a while, holding his head and crying and laughing, like a madman. Mu Minghua frowned and watched for a long time, and Zhuang Wenfeng realized that there was someone in the cell next to him. He rushed
over, stared at Mu Minghua fiercely, and slapped the wooden fence. Mu Minghua subconsciously shrank a little, and suddenly thought that he couldn't run over to beat him, so she slowly relaxed. Zhuang Wenfeng's movement alarmed the prison boss, and a fierce-looking officer came with a thick and long stick in his hand. He opened the cell door and beat Zhuang Wenfeng, beating him until he fainted again, and then left cursing.
Mu Zhuohua entered the cell at this time. Mu Minghua
stared at the figure standing at the door of the cell with wide eyes. The two sisters had lived together for more than ten years. Even after a year of separation, she could still recognize the outline under the cloak at a glance.
"Seventh sister..." Mu Minghua shouted hoarsely, "Why are you here?"
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