Chapter 54 What's with these bite marks from the mad dog?
The Dahuang Dynasty had tens of thousands of officials, and these officials came in many forms: loyal ministers, virtuous ministers, good ministers, sycophantic ministers, upright officials, honest officials, corrupt officials... An official in office may possess two or more of these qualities at the same time, after all, it is difficult for anyone to avoid the desires of sensual pleasures and the appetite.
Zhen Yongming was shrewd and worldly in his dealings with officials, yet he retained the pure heart he had when he first entered officialdom: a sage has no fixed mind, but takes the people's heart as his own. Gao Yu was too corrupt and scheming; it was already quite remarkable that he could retain even a trace of his original intention while working under such a high-ranking official for so many years.
Feng Tan nodded to him, then turned and stepped onto the stairs again. The two of them went up and down, each heading to their respective execution grounds to hunt down their prey.
The seventeenth and eighteenth floors are the high-crime areas. Eight years ago, these two floors held prisoners involved in the female riot case. Liang Baoquan and others were the first to be directly detained here.
The prison window was wide open, and the light reached right up to Liang Baoquan's bare feet. He watched Feng Tan slowly approach, his voice hoarse as he spoke, "Lord Feng, what tricks are you up to today?"
For the past two months since being escorted back from the Linzhang sea area, he has been subjected to daily torture by the prison guards. Feng Tan is the presiding judge on the seventeenth floor, and it's easy to guess who authorized this. Liang Baoquan is a man of great backbone; even after being tortured until he's just skin and bones, he never gives in.
Today was the first time Feng Tan had seen Liang Baoquan since returning from the Linzhang sea area. Two months had passed, and Liang Baoquan had been tortured beyond recognition by the guards of the Futu Prison, leaving him emaciated and covered in wounds. She casually picked up a branding iron and placed it on the stove, looking at Liang Baoquan with a half-smile, and said, "Doesn't Lord Liang like to drip wax on girls? Today, let Lord Liang taste what it's like?"
Liang Baoquan's pupils contracted sharply, and he sneered, "Whatever."
Feng Tan put down the branding iron and slowly approached him, his insightful eyes fixed on his expression. "Liang Baoquan, born in the twenty-third year of Jianming (1644) in Yiqing Village, Kangjiang County, you lost both your parents when you were five and relied on your grandmother's embroidery to make a living. When you were ten, your grandmother died after being bullied by villagers and disappeared without a trace until the second year of Chongming (1646), when she returned to her hometown and passed the imperial examination. Where did you study during those five years? In other words, who provided you with connections?"
Liang Baoquan's eyes flickered, his emotions unreadable, and he remained silent.
Feng Tan wasn't annoyed. She curled her lips and continued, "After passing the imperial examination, you served as the magistrate of Kangjiang County for several years. During that time, you married and had children. But according to my investigation, your wife and children are fake and have no relation to you whatsoever... In other words, you have no relatives or friends and were prepared to die if things went wrong. Therefore, you refused to actually marry and have children. Your current wife and children are just a facade."
Feng Tan asked again, "Since you knew that failure would lead to death, why did you still do something that goes against the natural order?"
Liang Baoquan looked at the young man in official robes whose face was still quite youthful, scoffed, and said coldly, "What do you know? Have you ever been poor? Have you ever seen people eat each other? Have you ever seen a wealthy tycoon beat his parents to death with a single blow?"
"Are there any officials in the Great Huang Dynasty willing to take responsibility? No, no! What kind of world is this? What kind of world is this? The Great Huang Dynasty is so corrupt, and you still want to blame me for cannibalism? No one in the Great Huang Dynasty can judge me, so what right do you have?" He became more and more agitated as he spoke, the chains clanging loudly, tears streaming down his face, and he raved, "What right do you have?! I will recount every bit of the suffering I have endured! They killed my parents, so I will become their parent official! Hahahaha, look how well I've done, lying low in Kangjiang for years refusing to be promoted, they are under my control, and they still praise me for being diligent and loving the people... Hahahahaha!"
He was in the darkness, completely immersed in it.
After a long while, Liang Baoquan finally calmed down and said, "I will not reveal the mastermind behind this. I am all alone and have nothing to miss. But, Lord Feng, I want more people to suffer the same pain I have endured. I also demand justice."
Golden threads intertwined above Feng Tan's head, the light gradually shifting backward. She stood in the dim light, her pupils constricted sharply, her eyes trembling incessantly. She could not judge him.
She cannot stand on the moral high ground to judge him.
Feng Youming knew that the world was heartless, so he wanted to seek justice for those who had not defied the world.
Having endured countless hardships and experienced the wickedness of the world, Liang Baoquan wanted to return all the evil to the people. He became a destroyer of the world, seeking justice for himself.
The root of all problems lies in the darkness of the government and the rampant bureaucracy.
Feng Tan remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Liang Baoquan, you have committed a crime punishable by the extermination of your entire family. I will guarantee that your wife and children will not die. You can implicate someone and say that he is the mastermind. Don't worry, this person will not be the King of Chu."
The boy's eyes were clear and bright, and he didn't point at him and curse him as a shameless villain, which surprised Liang Baoquan. He said coldly, "Lord Feng, you just said that my wife and children are fake. What use would I have for them if they didn't die? I wish they would go to hell with me."
Feng Tan said, "It's simple. I bet you still have a shred of humanity left."
Liang Baoquan was slightly taken aback. After a long silence, he asked, "Since you know that the Silver-Masked Venerable is the King of Chu, why don't you directly identify him? Also, why do you want me to falsely accuse someone else?"
“I cannot shake him, not even His Majesty can easily shake him. Provoking the lion will only backfire. As for why you should frame others,” Feng Tan walked completely into the shadows in front of him, as if stepping into an abyss, his sparse eyebrows and eyes seemed to be stained with dark ink, “I will repay an eye with an eye.”
***
Despite the treacherous political situation and intense public resentment, the palace banquet proceeded as usual.
Today is Consort Su's thirty-second birthday. The six departments of the inner palace have been busy preparing for this birthday banquet for half a month. Consort Su is someone the emperor cherishes, and no one dares to slack off and offend her on her birthday. Moreover, His Majesty has instructed that the banquet must be held in a grand manner.
The palace maids in the Imperial Kitchen began preparing tonight's meal last night. The head maid, Xing Wu, personally supervised her subordinates, not daring to delegate any task from purchasing ingredients to cooking.
She was on good terms with Yun Jingxun of the Palace Secretariat, and now that she had finally found some free time, she wiped the sweat from her face, walked to the corridor, greeted him, and waved away the servants before saying, "I was busy today and kept you waiting, but how did you manage to come?"
The two had entered the palace together since childhood and were truly inseparable. Yun Jingxun only trusted Xing Wu in the palace. She looked into Xing Wu's eyes and said, "If anything happens to me one day, please give this letter to Princess Yongle. I don't cause trouble, but if anyone harms me, I will make them pay the price."
Xing Wu's eyes widened, and she suddenly reached out and covered her mouth with her hand, scolding, "Watch your words! Be careful what you say, or it might come true!"
Yun Jingxun's eyes were calm as he said, "It's just a precaution. You're busy today, so keep this letter safe and go."
She came and went quickly, leaving Xing Wu completely bewildered. She carefully tucked the letter into her sleeve before turning back to the kitchen.
The food served at the palace banquet could not be taken lightly. After checking it several times to make sure it was correct, Xing Wu slowly exhaled and said, "It's about time. Serve it."
The palace cuisine is exquisite, a collection of delicacies from across the land, each dish meticulously crafted and irresistibly colorful. Tonight, the palace paths are bathed in floral light, the Twin Palaces are ablaze with lanterns, pearl curtains and brocade lintels reflect each other, a scene of unparalleled splendor. Royal princes and nobles clink glasses, attended by palace maids and eunuchs, a scene of imperial grandeur.
Emperor Chongming and Consort Su sat high in the Mingtang Hall, with Princes Chu and Jing seated on either side below. Princess Yongle sat beside Prince Chu. Feng Qinghuang suppressed her thoughts, wondering who had arranged the seating today.
On the stage, Consort Su's kind gaze fell on Feng Qinghuang, and she said to Emperor Chongming beside her, "Yongle is seventeen years old, it's time to find a consort."
Emperor Chongming looked at Feng Qinghuang with loving eyes and sighed, "I also have the same idea, but I just don't like the young men in the capital."
Consort Su glanced at Emperor Chongming with a smile and said, "Your Majesty is like a father-in-law looking at his son-in-law, but none of them meet your expectations. There are plenty of fine young men in the capital. When I have time, I will summon the ladies of the court to the palace and give the princess a good opinion."
Emperor Chongming looked at her face, which bore an eighty percent resemblance to his old friend, and his heart ached even more. He tilted his head back and poured down a cup of wine, saying, "The Imperial Concubine means well, but the princess has only been back in the palace for less than a year. I am not in a hurry to marry her off. Let's build the princess's residence first."
Consort Su responded with a "yes," lowered her eyelids, her eyes dark and unfathomable. She drank a cup of wine and looked down at the audience.
Feng Tingxiao, standing below the stage, raised his arm, poured a glass of wine, and handed it to Feng Qinghuang, his voice magnetic, "Yongle, you and I, uncle and niece, haven't seen each other for many years. We should have a drink together."
Feng Qinghuang accepted the wine cup and smiled, "Uncle, it's been many years since we last met, but your demeanor remains as elegant as ever."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the King of Chu poured himself another cup of wine. As he drank it, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he chuckled, "When you were seven, you insisted on drinking with me. I was soft-hearted and let you have a few cups. As a result, you got completely drunk, which made my elder brother angry with me for several days. Does Yongle still remember what happened after you got drunk?"
Feng Qinghuang said, "I accidentally vomited all over my royal uncle, and his cleanliness disorder flared up, causing him to faint on the spot."
Feng Tingxiao suffered from a severe case of celibacy, a fact little known to most. This is why he refused Emperor Chongming's repeated requests for him to marry. For him, matters of sexual relations were tantamount to a form of slow slicing.
Seeing that Feng Qinghuang answered fluently, Feng Tingxiao raised his eyebrows and said, "Yongle has a good memory. My clothes were eventually thrown away by Hu Shu. By the way, you and that little palace maid have been inseparable since childhood. Since you left the palace together, why didn't you come back together? You only brought back Shang Chunxiang?"
Feng Qinghuang felt a chill run down her spine, concealing the wariness in her eyes, and said with a forced smile, "Uncle, you have such a good memory. You remember the names of all the palace maids around me so clearly."
“Of course,” Feng Tingxiao chuckled, raising his superior chin to drink another cup. “Yongle is my little niece. She’s my only niece, how could I not be close to her?”
He emphasized the word "relative" heavily, making Hu Shu feel nauseous. But then he heard the man say, "When I went to the banquet today, I found a rat running out of the underground palace, so I sent people to block the secret passage. Alas, your imperial grandfather, who was sitting on the throne with nothing to worry about, why did he have to build a secret passage?"
Feng Qinghuang knew that she would not be able to leave the palace as planned tonight.
......
Feng Tan waited for a long time at the northwest corner of the palace gate, but Hu Shu still hadn't come out. She felt a little anxious. After waiting for a while longer, she slowly breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted Qing Cang's figure in the air. It seemed that the plan had changed, and she would not leave the palace tonight.
Having been busy all day and standing here waiting for a long time, plus not sleeping well last night, Feng Tan twisted her neck and shook her stiff limbs as she was doing stretching exercises when the messenger she had just sent out returned, panting heavily, and said, "Lord Feng, I have delivered your letter to the Censorate. Lord Xiao said he wants to meet with you to talk."
Feng Tan nodded her thanks, then turned and walked towards the official road outside the palace gate. It was already dark, and the officials of the Censorate should have finished their shifts. She didn't know when Xiao Yinshi would finish his work each day. She had been busy lately, and she had to go to the Ministry of Justice to write case reports tomorrow. She might as well go down and see if he was still on duty.
Zheng Qingru once said that most of the case files of the female perpetrator case were in the Censorate, and a small part were in the Ministry of Justice. With the case about to be overturned, she had to get the case files from the original trial.
Feng Tan walked very cautiously on the road. Today she deliberately angered Gao Yu. Based on Gao Yu's modus operandi, there is a high probability that he will ambush her with assassins.
The journey was peaceful until Feng Tan reached the official road where the Censorate was located. Suddenly, a cold glint flashed before his eyes, and more than a dozen assassins appeared out of nowhere, carrying long swords and aiming precisely at Feng Tan.
Feng Tan swiftly dodged, shouting loudly, "Yu Ruxi!"
Like a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, Yu Ruxi led a hundred members of the Yu family army who had been lying in ambush. Upon hearing Feng Tan's voice, she quickly led her men down from the high eaves and engaged the assassins in battle.
Feng Tan knew that her rudimentary skills were not even good enough to participate in the battle, so she quietly retreated from the battlefield and calmly watched the fighting.
The clanging of swords and spears clashing was incessant, and blood splattered continuously on the official road in front of the Censorate. The Yu family army had many skilled fighters and a certain numerical advantage. After three breaths, the assassins were already in a losing position.
Feng Tan said to Yu Ruxi, who was fighting fiercely, "General Yu, please spare one life!"
"Why does Lord Feng want to keep them alive?" Feng Tingxiao appeared behind Feng Tan at some point, leaning slightly forward, his thin lips almost touching Feng Tan's ear.
Feng Tan was startled. The King of Chu was indeed a seventh or eighth-rank cultivator, appearing so silently. She turned around, gave an official salute, and slightly increased the distance between them, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."
While the two were talking, Yu Ruxi, following Feng Tan's instructions, captured an assassin alive and gagged him with a rope to prevent him from committing suicide.
The battle raged on, and the Imperial Guards arrived late. Their leader, Mu Long, signaled to the guards to capture the assassin. After bowing and paying his respects, he took a lantern from a soldier and approached the Prince of Chu, asking, "Is Your Highness injured?"
"You'll have to ask Lord Feng about that," the lantern light cast a warm yellow glow, making Feng Tan's skin appear smooth and jade-like. Feng Tingxiao's gaze fell on Feng Tan's cheek, then gradually moved to her neck. His expression suddenly changed, and he said sternly, "What happened to these bite marks?"
Feng Tan met his eyes, said "Oh," and said calmly, "It's alright, we just ran into a mad dog."
Xiao Yinshi walked steadily out of the Censorate, casually snapping the neck of the assassin who had lunged at him with a sword. His dark eyes fell on Feng Tan's face, and he said in a deep voice, "Mad dog?"
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-08-18 22:20:48 and 2024-08-19 20:16:02!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Ice and 64290666 (10 bottles);
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