Chapter 19: Waiting for the Result
Upon hearing that there was physical evidence, the hall fell silent.
"Bring it here."
A yamen runner presented the small box in Qiu Heng's hand to the Prefect of Jingtian Prefecture. Inside, protected by a soft cloth, was a jade pendant.
The jade is of fine quality, and the carving is even better; it's clearly the work of a master craftsman. Such a jade pendant is not something an ordinary person could possess.
The jade pendant bears the inscription: Riding the Clouds.
"This jade pendant was dropped by the person who bumped into my daughter's adoptive father. Please, sir, verify the owner's identity."
The Prefect of Jingtian Prefecture pointed to the jade pendant and asked Han Ziheng, "Young Master Han, do you recognize this jade pendant?"
Han Ziheng's expression changed.
People in Beijing value elegance, and the origins of elegant objects are even more important. Masters of incense, tea, and calligraphy... the best in each field are not unknown figures.
This jade pendant was carved by a famous jade carving master, and any influential nobles and refined scholars in the capital could recognize which master craftsman it was made by. The two characters "Cheng Yun" on the pendant were his self-chosen pseudonym.
But he couldn't swallow his anger.
Just as Han Ziheng was about to stubbornly deny it, Han Wu, the Commander of the Palace Guard, stepped forward, examined the jade pendant, and bowed with shame: "It is indeed my son's jade pendant."
"Father!" Han Ziheng exclaimed in disbelief.
Han Wu slapped Han Ziheng across the face: "You bastard, explain yourself!"
Han Ziheng was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head under his father's stern gaze: "That day we were in a hurry to return to the city and accidentally knocked someone down... but I didn't know that person was killed."
This flippant attempt to shirk responsibility made Qiu Heng look at him intently.
"Young Master Han, you knocked someone down on your horse and didn't even dismount to check on them? It's clear that the lives of ordinary people are as worthless as weeds in your eyes."
"How dare you slander me, you little brat? I have urgent business to attend to!" Han Ziheng glared at Qiu Heng, his eyes blazing with anger.
That little bitch from the countryside dared to sue him, making him the talk of the town. I'll make her wish she were dead!
"What urgent matter does Young Master Han have?" asked the Prefect of Jingtian Prefecture.
"I—" Han Ziheng received a wink from Han Wu and a thought flashed through his mind. "I'm not feeling well and I need to get back to the city for treatment."
Han Wu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
With the involvement of the Imperial City Guard and the son's personal jade pendant, denying the matter was no longer an option, so they had to try to minimize the punishment.
According to the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty, killing someone while riding a horse is considered a crime of causing injury or death while traveling by carriage. However, if someone kills a passerby in an emergency such as seeking medical treatment, the punishment is much lighter.
"I see—" the Prefect of Jingtian Prefecture pondered.
Qiu Heng saw through the Jingtian Prefecture Governor's bias towards Han Ziheng, and her heart turned cold.
If things were like this even with the Imperial City Guard involved, one can only imagine what would happen if she were alone.
“My lord, my daughter went out with her grandmother on the second day after arriving in the capital. The carriage overturned because Young Master Han was riding his horse at high speed. It is clear that Young Master Han riding his horse in the streets is a common occurrence. Seeking medical treatment when he is unwell is just an excuse.”
"I wasn't feeling well that day. What evidence do you have that I'm lying?" Han Ziheng sneered.
"When seeking medical advice, who is the doctor?"
"How would I know the name of the doctor from Suiyun County?"
"Ahem," the Prefect of Jingtian Prefecture began, "Since you two have conflicting accounts, I will send someone to Suiyun County to investigate, and then make a judgment. Do you have any objections?"
Han Ziheng didn't take it seriously: "Sir, you can investigate."
"My daughter has no objection."
Qiu Heng knew very well that at this point, the so-called investigation was just a contest between Xue Quan and Han Wu. Killing someone while traveling by carriage could be classified as intentional injury (reduced by one degree), or negligent injury (reduced by another degree), or even just a ransom.
She wanted to see for herself what the outcome would be.
After leaving the courtroom, Qiu Heng glanced at the Earl of Yongqing who was chasing after Han Wu, and then boarded the carriage that had come to pick her up from the Earl's residence.
"Sixth Miss is back."
Upon hearing the maid's report, the old lady said sternly, "Let her in."
As soon as Qiu Heng entered the room, she heard a shout: "Kneel down!"
The first wife, Zhao, the second wife, Lan, and the Qiu Xuan sisters were all in the house.
Qiu Heng knelt down silently.
"You said you were going to buy cosmetics, but you ended up going to the yamen to sue Commander Han's son? Are you trying to kill the entire Qiu family?"
Faced with the old lady's questioning, the girl said calmly, "Han Ziheng has already admitted in court that he ran over and killed my adoptive father with his horse."
"You admitted it?" The old lady was stunned.
"Yes. The authorities will continue to investigate the nature of this case."
"Then you shouldn't have gone to court without telling your family! A noble lady from a marquis's family like you, confronting someone in court, aren't you afraid of being ridiculed? Will you ever be able to get married in the future? What will people say about the marquis's family?"
"My granddaughter did nothing wrong."
The old lady slammed her hand on the table in anger: "What did you say?"
“I said I did nothing wrong. It is despicable to pretend not to know who killed my adoptive father for the sake of a bright future.”
"What about the Earl's mansion? Have you thought about the Earl's mansion at all!"
Unlike the furious old lady, the kneeling girl stood upright, like a pine tree braving the snow, calm and dignified: "It was for the sake of the Earl's mansion that I went to report to the authorities myself. Everyone knows that I was just found in the countryside, so my behavior cannot be blamed on the Earl's mansion's upbringing."
The old lady laughed in exasperation: "You're so thoughtful."
"My granddaughter only asks to have a clear conscience."
"Sharp-tongued!" The old lady was furious. "So what if you filed a complaint? Young Master Han may receive some punishment, light or heavy, but he still has a powerful father! Do you think Commander Han only resents you? He resents the Yongqing Marquis's family!"
The old lady grew increasingly angry as she spoke, and grabbed a teacup, smashing it at Qiuheng.
Qiu Heng did not dodge, letting the teacup hit her arm.
A feeling of pain came over me, and my sleeves were soaked with tea.
A girl's soft gasp echoed from inside the room, but it was impossible to tell who was making it.
Qiu Heng remained silent.
This pain was nothing to her, and the old lady's anger was even less of a concern.
"Go kneel in the ancestral hall and reflect on your mistakes. You may come out when you realize your error!"
“Grandmother—” Qiu Xuan couldn’t help but speak.
The old lady retorted with a single sentence: "You have no right to speak!"
Qiu Xuan blushed and lowered her head.
"Take Sixth Miss away now!"
As soon as the old lady spoke, two maids came forward and were about to lift Qiu Heng up when Master Qiu rushed in.
"Heng'er, I heard you went to report to the authorities. Why didn't you ask your father to go with you?"
Master Qiu heard about it while he was out shopping. He rode his donkey home, still carrying the bag of things on his arm. Because he was running so fast, the bag opened, and rouge, face powder, combs, purses... a bunch of trinkets were scattered all over the ground.
One of the black and colorful mud dogs rolled up to the old lady and looked at her with a majestic expression.
What did you buy?
Master Qiu's mind was entirely focused on his daughter, and he only spared a tiny bit of attention to answer his old mother's question: "Is this a mud dog?"
As he spoke, he picked up the mud dog and blew hard into the hole on its body.
A clear whistle rang out, its sound reverberating across the roof tiles.
The old lady's vision went black, and she had to pinch her thigh hard to keep herself from fainting.
(End of this chapter)
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