Chapter 67 Court
The fourth son of the Marquis of Xiping and his cousin secretly pledged their lives to each other.
If that's the case, then it makes sense that the Yongqing Marquis's family wouldn't agree.
"Even if you refuse to marry, it shouldn't lead to your death, right?" someone questioned.
Yes, if refusing marriage leads to being killed, how many people would die in the capital every year?
Qiu Xuan stared intently at Zhao Si, her voice filled with fear and even more anger, which made her voice much louder than usual: "I don't understand either. Although our family rejected this marriage proposal, we haven't said a bad word about the Xiping Marquis's mansion to anyone. Why would Young Master Zhao Si want to kill me?"
"Xuan'er!" Second Madam Lan pushed through the onlookers, rushed over and pulled Qiu Xuan into her arms, glaring angrily at Zhao Si, who was being controlled by Hu Si. "You beast! You had an affair with my cousin, got her pregnant, then tried to trick her into marriage, and now you're trying to kill my daughter! You're utterly heartless!"
What? My cousin is pregnant?
Lan's words struck the crowd like a thunderbolt, leaving everyone stunned and speechless.
While it's wrong for young people to make life commitments to each other, we've all been through that age, so it's somewhat understandable. But getting pregnant out of wedlock is just outrageous.
The murmurs grew louder, and Lan hugged her daughter even tighter, glaring angrily at Zhao Si.
Xuan'er was too embarrassed to mention that he had impregnated her cousin, showing this beast some leniency, but she had the nerve to bring it up! As for the harm this would cause to that girl, haha, he's already come to kill her daughter, and she's still thinking about those two scoundrels?
"I heard you are a high-ranking official in the Imperial City Guard?" Lady Lan asked Hu Si.
Hu Si hurriedly said, "Our Imperial Envoy, Lord Xue, is also here."
Xue Hanchong nodded slightly to Lan Shi.
Lady Lan bowed and said, "I am going to the Jingtian Prefecture to report to the authorities that the fourth young master of the Xiping Marquis's mansion attempted to murder my daughter. I beg you, sir, to help me send this beast to the Jingtian Prefecture."
Xue Han said solemnly, "The Imperial City Guard has the responsibility to maintain the stability of the capital. Since we have run into this, we will naturally not stand idly by."
"Thank you, Lord Xue." Madam Lan bowed deeply again, then took Qiu Xuan's hand. "Xuan'er, don't be afraid. This matter won't end like this. Mother will definitely get justice for you!"
"Mother—" Qiu Xuan's tense heartstrings relaxed, and tears streamed down her face.
A group of people left Ganquan Temple and headed to Jingtian Prefecture in a grand procession.
Zhao Si went to Ganquan Temple alone to kill Qiu Xuan, and for a time no one went to the Xiping Marquis's residence to inform him. With her last remaining rationality, Lan sent a maidservant who accompanied her back to the Yongqing Earl's residence to deliver the message.
Inside Qiansong Hall, the old lady was leisurely eating chilled fruit.
The glutinous rice-skinned preserved fruits come with hawthorn and red bean paste fillings; one is sweet and sour, the other is sweet and fragrant, and they taste even better than those bought from famous pastry shops.
As the old lady ate the chewy, chilled fruit, she couldn't help but think of the person who had brought the snacks.
The snacks were brought to her by her sixth daughter-in-law before she left home with her second daughter-in-law early in the morning. This sudden act of filial piety made her unable to resist eating more.
"Madam, glutinous rice is hard to digest, so you should eat less of it."
The old lady gave the old woman who was trying to persuade her a deep look, thinking to herself, "What do you know? If Sixth Sister causes any more trouble, I won't be in the mood to eat."
At this moment, the head maid Chuncao walked in: "Madam, Fang Mama, who serves the Second Madam, has arrived."
The old lady's heart sank: "Let her in."
Fang's mother went out with Lan's family, so her sudden return alone must be bad news.
As soon as Fang's mother came in, she knelt down, which startled the old lady.
"Get to the point, why are you kneeling!"
Are you trying to scare her to death?
"The fourth young master of the Marquis of Xiping's mansion attempted to murder the second young lady at Ganquan Temple, but was caught in the act by everyone. The second mistress took the second young lady to report to the authorities and sent me back to inform you..."
As Fang's mother recounted the story, the old lady's expression changed several times, eventually turning as black as the bottom of a pot.
"Go find the Second Master and tell him to hurry to Jingtian Prefecture!"
In court, after listening to Lan's account, the Prefect of Jingtian asked Zhao Si, "Why did you harm Miss Qiu?"
With so many witnesses present, there is no doubt that Zhao Si injured someone, but his motive needs to be clarified.
Whether it's premeditated murder, impulsive act, or simply intentional injury, the verdict will differ.
"Miss Qiu has changed her mind and betrayed me..." Zhao Si brought up those words again.
Madam Lan was furious: "This beast is spouting nonsense! My daughter is the most virtuous and quiet person. Whenever she goes out, she is always with her elders or sisters. She has never gone out alone!"
Zhao Si, in a fit of despair, laughed loudly: "That's because you don't know. If elders could know everything about the younger generation, there wouldn't be so many couples eloping."
"Isn't Young Master Zhao judging others by his own standards?" Qiu Heng suddenly spoke up.
Zhao Si's scalp was still aching, and he couldn't help but take a step back whenever he heard Qiu Heng speak.
“The truth will out, and falsehood will out, and you can’t just spout nonsense.” Qiu Heng looked at the Prefect of Jingtian, who was sitting high in the hall. “Zhao Si is a son of a noble family, with a good background and a bright future. There must be a reason why he would go so far as to commit murder. I implore Your Excellency to investigate thoroughly.”
The Prefect of Jingtian stroked his beard.
This girl has a sharp tongue, and she especially loves to report things to the authorities. It's only been two months since I last saw her in court.
Looking at the expression on the face of the Prefect of Jingtian, Hu Si thought to himself, "You have absolutely no idea how powerful the red bean cake is. He's still worried about Zhao Si."
"The Imperial City Guard can help investigate this matter," Xue Han said to the Prefect of Jingtian Prefecture.
The Prefect of Jingtian Prefecture was eager for someone to share the burden, so he appointed a subordinate to accompany Hu Si and others to investigate, while Zhao Si was temporarily detained.
By the time Master Qiu arrived, Madam Lan and the others were already heading back.
On the way back to the Earl's residence, Master Qiu couldn't help but say, "Such a big thing happened, why didn't you discuss it first?"
"It's precisely because such a big thing has happened that we can't delay. We need to send that beast to jail first," Lan said angrily.
With so many witnesses and the Imperial City Guard, who clearly favors the Qiu family, involved, she must have been foolish to go home and discuss it first.
Master Qiu said sullenly, "I'm just worried that you women will suffer."
Back at the Marquis's residence, the old lady first scolded Lan Shi, then berated Qiu Xuan and Qiu Heng: "What did I tell you? I told you to stay home this month and not go out, not go out, but you wouldn't listen! Now look what happened, you almost lost your lives!"
Qiu Xuan knelt down: "It's my granddaughter who has caused trouble for the family."
The old lady paused.
Second Sister is so honest, she'll suffer when the court reopens.
"You did cause trouble, that's true, but you can't blame yourself for running into a mad dog like Zhao Si. Blindly reflecting on your actions at a time like this will only harm the Earl's family, understand?"
Qiu Xuan felt a warmth in her heart and choked up as she said, "Granddaughter knows."
"And you—" The old lady turned to scold Qiu Heng.
Qiu Heng quickly stretched out her hands, revealing the red marks on her palms, and said pitifully, "My hands were almost blistered while saving my second sister. Does Grandmother have any medicine?"
The old lady took a deep breath and instructed her head maid, Chuncao, to fetch some high-quality ointment for Qiuheng: "You two should go back and wait for news."
After seeing her granddaughters off, the old lady glanced at Madam Lan and said, "I was thinking that I would feel more at ease with you taking care of things."
"I am ashamed," said Madam Lan, her eyes reddening as she lowered her head.
The old lady suddenly remembered: "By the way, Heng'er is so weak, how did she manage to save Xuan'er?"
Lan's expression turned strange: "I heard they grabbed that beast's hair and pulled out a huge handful..."
The old lady's vision went black.
So that's how that girl got the red marks on her palms!
"You should go back and pack your things too," the old lady sighed wearily.
Although I'm glad that Sixth Sister saved Second Sister, where did she learn that fighting and hair-pulling style from?
An old woman whispered a reminder: "Madam, the old master doesn't know about this yet."
"Oh, I was in such a hurry I forgot." The old lady raised her eyelids slightly. "Have someone go out and look for them."
If the old man had known too early, he might have simply brought the person back, and the case would have been dropped.
She couldn't swallow this insult!
When Yongqing Earl received the news and rushed back, he was indeed furious, jumping up and down: "Lan Shi, who told you to make this decision on your own!"
Lan said in a low voice, "When my daughter-in-law heard that Xuan'er was almost harmed, her mind went blank and she only thought about punishing the beast who harmed Xuan'er."
"What can't be discussed in private? What good will it do for Xuan'er to make a scene in court? You ignorant and stupid woman!" Yongqingbo was so disgusted he almost vomited.
Having such a huge handle on the Xiping Marquis's mansion, how many benefits could we gain? What's the point of tearing off the mask like this except offending people?
“Grandfather,” Qiu Heng said.
"you say."
"Zhao Si attempted to murder my second sister, but Lord Xue caught him red-handed. Lord Xue said that the Imperial City Guard has the responsibility to maintain the stability of the capital, and even if my second aunt didn't report it to the authorities, he would have arranged for someone to investigate. Hmm, maybe they've already found out why Zhao Si went mad."
At this point, Hu Si did indeed return with the information he had easily obtained.
It's understandable to feel relaxed, since we already investigated this. This investigation is simply a matter of openly presenting what we already know.
Soon the Yongqing Marquis's Mansion received news of the reopening of the court, and the Xiping Marquis and his wife appeared in the court of Jingtian Prefecture.
(End of this chapter)
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