Chapter 43 You Have to Wait in Line to File a Complaint
As Qin Jinzhi entered the main hall, she saw Wei Xueyi kneeling on the ground, his face covered in snot and tears.
She looked at him with some disdain. "Grandfather, you were looking for me?"
The emperor cleared his throat. "What's going on?"
Qin Jinzhi waved her hand, "Grandfather, let me put my matter aside for now. You heard the petition drum, didn't you?"
The emperor's expression also turned serious. "Hong Dequan, have you brought the person who beat the drum?"
The Dengwen Drum was only sounded twice after the founding of the Jin State.
The first case was a corruption scandal that shocked the court and the public. The one beating the drum was none other than Zhao Wuji, the current Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
When the drum of petition sounds, countless lives are lost.
Eunuch Hong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the drummer has been brought and is waiting outside the palace."
Emperor Jin immediately said, "Bring the person here at once!"
"It is said that it is Zhao Ying'er."
Upon seeing this, Wei Xueyi cried out again, "Your Majesty! You must do justice for me!"
Qin Jinzhi walked up to Wei Xueyi and said, "Oh, Lord Wei, are you complaining? You look quite well."
Wei Xueyi wanted nothing more than to eat her flesh and skin her alive, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Qin Jinzhi.
Seeing his angry expression, Qin Jinzhi suddenly grinned, "The one in the back who's complaining is even more anxious, Lord Wei, wait a moment!"
Wei Xueyi immediately cursed, "You lawless scoundrel, disrupting the law, disregarding the court, and persecuting court officials, you deserve to be executed by slow slicing! How dare you be so frivolous before His Majesty! Your Majesty! Are you trying to completely chill the hearts of your court officials?"
At this moment, Zhao Ying'er walked in from outside the hall, her face pale.
As soon as she entered the hall, she lost all her strength and collapsed to the ground.
The emperor asked, "What's wrong?"
Eunuch Hong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, according to the law, striking the Dengwen Drum is punishable by thirty strokes of the rod. This girl has just been punished."
Qin Jinzhi smiled and said, "Did you hear that, Lord Wei? That young lady had to endure thirty strokes of the cane before she could stand before His Majesty. If you were to also endure thirty strokes of the cane, I would stand up for her and allow you to cut in line to file your complaint. How about that?"
Wei Xueyi wished he could strangle her right now!
His face was disfigured, he was missing a hand, and the culprit who persecuted her was still provoking him!
His Majesty then spoke: "Minister Wei, striking the Dengwen Drum is no ordinary matter. According to the law, the Emperor must handle the case immediately. This girl is willing to endure even thirty strokes of the cane, so she must have suffered a great injustice. After this girl's case is resolved, I will definitely stand up for you and will not tolerate any favoritism!"
The implication is that you should wait a moment.
The emperor looked at Zhao Ying'er, who was lying on the ground, and said, "Tell me your grievances in detail, and I will definitely seek justice for you!"
Zhao Ying'er no longer had the strength to stand up, so she slowly crawled towards His Majesty using both her hands and feet.
His voice trembled as he spoke haltingly:
"Zhao Ying'er, a commoner, lives in Yongxing Lane and makes a living by selling tofu with her elderly parents."
Shen Huan, grandson of the Duke of Shen, repeatedly made frivolous advances and harassed the young woman, eventually forcibly taking her into his mansion despite her wishes.
The woman's parents went to the mansion to demand an explanation, but were driven out by the gatekeeper. My elderly parents had no choice but to file a complaint with the capital prefecture.
To my surprise, the Prefect of Kyoto, Wei Xueyi, refused to accept the petition and even used torture to severely injure my parents!
With no recourse, my parents were driven to hang themselves in front of the Kyoto Prefecture, all for the sake of seeking justice.
Blood began to trickle from the corner of Zhao Ying'er's mouth.
Her consciousness was fading, but she couldn't fall!
Biting her tongue brought her to her senses with a sudden pain.
Zhao Ying'er finally crawled up to Emperor Jin.
With her last ounce of strength, she shouted in a resounding voice, "I accuse Shen Huan of the Duke of Shen's mansion of forcibly abducting me, and I accuse Wei Xueyi, the Prefect of the Capital, of disregarding human life. I beg Your Majesty to seek justice for my deceased parents and give me justice!"
Wei Xueyi felt increasingly uneasy as he listened, and then he realized with a start that this was the woman Shen Huan had abducted into his mansion.
A few days ago, an elderly couple came to the capital to file a complaint against the grandson of the Duke of Shen! That's a member of the imperial family, the nephew of the current Consort Shen!
He ignored them completely, beat them up, and threw them out.
He sent someone to deliver a message to the Duke's mansion, and Shen Huan even sent a beautiful woman as a thank-you gift. Unexpectedly, the old couple hanged themselves in front of the capital's mansion.
However, he dealt with it quickly.
But shouldn't this woman be at the Duke's mansion? How did she end up here, and even cause a scene before His Majesty?
The emperor's face turned ashen. "Wei Xueyi! Is what this woman said true?!"
Wei Xueyi immediately said, "Your Majesty, this is slander! I am innocent!"
Qin Jinzhi raised an eyebrow. "Which statement is slander, and which is an injustice? Lord Wei, tell His Majesty so he can discern the truth!"
Wei Xueyi hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, that old couple were nothing but scoundrels. They sold their daughter into the Shen family and then turned their backs on her. When their extortion failed, they hanged themselves in front of the capital city. I absolutely did not use any private punishment or disregard human life! I am innocent, Your Majesty!"
"Oh? This is different from what I heard. Lord Zhao of the Dali Temple is also quite interested in this matter. Last time, Lord Zhao helped me investigate the poisoning incident, and I returned the favor by finding the bodies of the elderly couple and sending them to Lord Zhao. Why don't you ask Lord Zhao, Your Majesty?"
Wei Xueyi was stunned again. How could Zhao Wuji be involved?
Zhao Wuji was known for his arrogance. Despite being promoted by the Emperor, he never paid attention to anyone. Moreover, he ordered the bodies of the elderly couple to be thrown into a mass grave, yet Qin Jinzhi actually found their bodies!
Emperor Jin's face darkened. "Guards, temporarily imprison Wei Xueyi in the imperial prison, and summon Zhao Wuji to the palace!"
Wei Xueyi immediately cried out in protest, "Your Majesty! I am innocent! It was this treacherous commoner who tried to harm me. You cannot believe her one-sided story, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Jin said coldly, "I will have someone investigate this matter thoroughly. If you have been falsely accused, you will be cleared of any wrongdoing in just a few days."
The imperial guards went up to the palace and dragged Wei Xueyi out.
"Your Majesty! I am innocent!"
When Zhao Ying'er saw Wei Xueyi being taken away, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and fainted completely.
Qin Jinzhi raised an eyebrow and looked at Emperor Jin, "What does my grandfather want with me?"
Emperor Jin was about to say that Wei Xueyi had accused her of harming court officials, but he swallowed his words. Wei Xueyi had already been imprisoned in the imperial prison, so no one had filed a complaint against him.
The emperor clicked his tongue, "Your imperial grandmother is waiting for you to dine."
Qin Jinzhi said "Oh," walked over to the unconscious Zhao Ying'er, and picked her up.
Eunuch Hong hurriedly said, "Oh dear, my little princess, please put it down. You're tiring yourself out. I'll go and call someone right away."
"No."
As Qin Jinzhi spoke, she prepared to leave the Taiji Hall.
Emperor Jin suddenly exclaimed, "Wait!"
Qin Jinzhi simply turned to look at him.
Emperor Jin stood up with a serious expression and said, "I will go with you."
Qin Jinzhi was speechless. "Why do you always make Grandmother angry?"
Emperor Jin glared at her, and the two of them walked together toward the Empress's palace.
On the way to Jiaofang Palace, a gentle breeze suddenly blew, carrying small white flowers that landed on Zhao Ying'er, whom Qin Jinzhi was holding.
She stopped and looked at the flowering tree. "Grandfather, the tree that you and Grandmother planted for me when I was little is in bloom."
Emperor Jin followed her gaze.
Among a lush, green grove of trees, there was a very thin and small tree.
The sunlight couldn't even reach it because of the other big trees.
But it grew up in the cracks, even squeezing out the branches of the big trees next to it.
Amidst the lush greenery, only that small tree blossomed.
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