26. Seeking Justice
◎Rely on my two words ◎
Chapter 26
The long-awaited winter gale in Shengjing City blew all night before it stopped. The sun was shining brightly during the day. After Ji Ci came out of the palace, he went to the imperial prison in person.
The prison was utterly dark, making it impossible to tell the passage of time. The air was filled with the nauseating smell of decay. Torches burned on the walls, and scattered within the bars sat prisoners, their eyes vacant. As he passed them, they cried out their injustice and tried to reach through the bars.
Some of them are extremely vicious and cruel people, while others are losers in the ups and downs of officialdom and party struggles.
Ji Ci glanced at the surroundings indifferently and walked directly to the last cell at the end of the corridor, which was sealed with an iron door and had no light.
There was only one woman living there, Wang Fen, the head clerk.
"Open the door."
"Yes." The jailer immediately stepped forward and opened the three locks one by one.
After opening the iron door, the candlelight outside finally illuminated the dark cell.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Wang slowly raised her head. She had changed into thin prison clothes. Even in such a place, she had kept her hair neatly tied up, her face spotless. However, the heavy instruments of torture had rubbed into her wrists and ankles.
Manager Wang raised his hand to shield his eyes, then lowered it to observe for a moment before nodding and greeting, "Your Highness Prince Qi."
"Has there been any punishment?" Ji Ci tilted his head and asked the jailer.
"Not yet, waiting for the prince to deal with it."
"You step back first."
"yes."
Ji Ci walked into the cell and stood in front of Manager Wang. His tall figure blocked the firelight coming from outside.
Manager Wang smiled and said, "I have only one wish. When I am tortured, I beg you to retain a trace of dignity and to keep me properly clothed."
Ji Ci did not agree directly, but said: "Most of Jinpin Pavilion's assassins have been arrested. After so many years of accumulation, you should have more than just Jinpin Pavilion under your command."
Manager Wang lowered his head, unwilling to look him in the eye, and said, "Whether you believe it or not, I have only so many people under my command. I'm just a woman. How much trouble can I cause?"
"This king never dares to look down on women. Sometimes, the most fatal person is a woman."
Ji Ci paused and continued, "The three assassins who escaped from your command traveled together, galloping all night, and arrived directly in Quanzhou. In Quanzhou, the person who secretly took them in was the governor of Quanzhou. And the person who secretly helped you with your father's reputation for many years is not just the governor of Quanzhou. The Zhongshu Sheren, Lingshi, Shulingshi, Rites Shilang, and Menxia Shilang in the court were all closely associated with General Dingbei. I have found out that they were all secretly in contact with you. How many more people are there, spread all over the place? Does this huge network also involve the Li Kingdom? You should have a list of names."
Manager Wang suddenly looked up and stared fiercely at the man in front of him.
She really didn't expect that Prince Qi was so clever that he deliberately let a few people go, followed the clues, and caught a bigger fish.
What she didn't expect was that these people who had basically no contact with each other and acted cautiously could not escape Prince Qi's eyes.
No wonder there is a saying that the lifeline of the Jin Dynasty lies in its simplicity.
"You are worthy of being the Prince of Qi, but it's useless to ask me. When I chose this path, I blocked all my escape routes. It's just a punishment, just a death, even if it's a slow slicing, so what? The Ji Dynasty has been arrogant and extravagant for many years, favoring villains and alienating virtuous ministers. And no matter which emperor it was, they were all ungrateful and ruthless. These people were all sympathetic to my royal family and did not participate in my rebellion. Now I am dead, but my beliefs will be passed on to future generations."
She was not wrong.
Ji Ci saw it clearly. Over the years, he had been implementing new policies, and he knew the difficulties and obstacles better than anyone else. Even though the Ji Dynasty was now a new Jin Dynasty, the decaying flesh of the former Jin State still existed, riddled with holes.
Shengjing City was a fig leaf of the dynasty.
In the far-flung frontier areas, where the emperor is far away, there is still corruption, the people's voices are difficult to reach the emperor, and the emperor's will is difficult to convey. Local officials abuse their power for personal gain, and frontier officials collude with foreign enemies, making life difficult for the people.
He knew all of this very well.
"I understand all you've said. But my mission isn't just for the Ji Dynasty, it's for the people of the world. In troubled times, protecting oneself is innate, and protecting the people is the truest benefit of the world. Right now, our Great Jin is plagued by conflict between the Li people to the north and the barbarians to the west. The rebellion you speak of is only for your father and yourself. Don't let it lead to selfish gains."
"My Great Jin has finally enjoyed three years of peace. If civil strife breaks out, countless families will be torn apart and countless lives will be lost. If the Li Kingdom invades, how much more slaughter will be in store? The disaster that destroyed our country fifteen years ago was self-inflicted, but did you witness the countless corpses scattered across the ground in Ganyang, the rivers of blood flowing, the burning and slaughter? Your so-called service to the people is nothing more than this."
Manager Wang bit his lips tightly, as if his inner selfish desires were exposed. His face turned pale and he no longer looked directly at Ji Ci.
The flames flickered, her heart trembling with anxiety. She finally admitted, "Yes, perhaps it's selfish desire. But for the benefit of all people, what about my father's injustice? What about the injustice of my Wang family? I am the only bloodline left in the Dingbei Wang family. If I don't rise up for the thousand or so Pinghuai warriors who died, who will seek justice for them?"
"I am here to seek justice for them!"
Ji Ci's calm voice rang out. Manager Wang was stunned and silent for a while before he spoke in disbelief, "What did you say?"
"I am here to seek justice for them." Ji Ci said softly again.
"For years, I have suspected the fate of General Dingbei in the Battle of Pinghui. I admire his courage in defending the city on the 28th. You murdered over a hundred members of the Zhang family, committing a grave crime and deserve death. However, I will not punish General Dingbei's daughter. Submit your list to me, and I will vindicate General Dingbei."
Ji Ci's voice lingered in Wang Zhangshi's mind for a long time. Could she really trust him?
"Your Highness, are you aware that what you are about to do may be contrary to the Emperor's will? This action may cause you to lose the Emperor's favor."
"Wang Fen, you just need to trust me."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Just rely on my two words, Ji Ci."
Looking at Ji Ci's unchanged face, indifferent, indifferent, or perhaps more than that, but more importantly, he remains calm in the face of all kinds of situations, which makes people respect him.
"No wonder Qiu Ziye said she believed you."
"What?" Ji Ci was slightly stunned.
"She said she believed the kindness in your heart stemmed from their interactions and from the New Laws of the Great Jin Dynasty."
After hearing this, Ji Ci pursed his lips slightly, and his hand under his sleeve trembled slightly.
"It would be great if this new law could really be implemented throughout the country." Manager Wang couldn't help but sigh.
He whispered, "There will be such a day."
Maybe that day will be the day when thousands of people’s bones are buried, and it will be meaningless.
He only hoped that he could drag his sick body and realize this long-cherished wish in this life before his life was exhausted, so that he could be free from worries at the end of his life.
…
After returning to the palace, Jiang Qiuye stayed in the dormitory.
Now that she has entered the palace and is getting closer to Ji Ci, more of her exposed parts are likely to be exposed.
She sat by the window, picking out herbs she had bought from another herbal medicine shop, and sorting out what she had done these days.
Snow Owl knew his identity. After being arrested and imprisoned, he was secretly executed by people from Feiyan Pavilion.
I wonder if any information was obtained through torture before the operation.
The only worry was that she had gone to Jishun Tang many times to purchase goods, and all of this was under Ji Ci's surveillance. He might even know that the person she contacted every time to purchase goods was the old shopkeeper.
But seeing how Ji Ci reacted to her last time, she didn't have too many doubts.
Then she can put it aside for now.
Next were the three killers hired by Duke Anguo, whose bodies were found on the outskirts of the city.
But after she reported the case to Feiyan Pavilion, she found a scapegoat, who was said to be a serial killer. The case was solved in Jingzhao Prefecture, and the Jingzhao Yin would not be so nosy as to suddenly report it to Ji Ci.
After thinking about it, Jiang Qiuye was completely relieved.
There was a knock on the door. Jiang Qiuye got up and opened the door, and saw it was the maid Mingyue.
"Miss Qiu, there's someone outside the palace looking for you. She says her name is Jinhong and she's your personal maid."
Jiang Qiuye was delighted when she heard this and said, "Let her in quickly. She is a maid who has been following me all the way from Wuzhou."
"yes."
Mingyue bowed respectfully and retreated without refusing Jiang Qiuye's request.
I think Ji Ci had given the order a long time ago.
After waiting for a while, Jinhong followed Mingyue into Wutong Courtyard where Jiang Qiuye lived.
She stood up and looked at Jinhong who was carrying a bag on her back. When they met, they just looked into each other's eyes and there was a moment of silence, as if everything was said without words.
Jinhong curled the corners of her lips, bowed to Jiang Qiuye and called her "Miss".
Jiang Qiuye introduced her to Mingyue, who was also an elder in Prince Qi's mansion.
Jinhong nodded at her and said, "Sister Mingyue, I'm new to the palace, so please give me some pointers."
Mingyue extended her hand and said calmly, "It's okay. The palace only has one master, Prince Qi, so there aren't so many rules. You can go anywhere on weekdays, but you are not allowed to enter the main courtyard, especially the study, without the prince's permission."
"No need to worry about that. Thank you, Sister Mingyue." Jiang Qiuye stepped forward and hugged Mingyue's arm.
When Mingyue was first arranged by the old housekeeper to serve Jiang Qiuye, she was dissatisfied.
There is no female master in Prince Qi's Mansion, and Ji Ci himself is not interested in women and does not like maids to serve him.
But unexpectedly, a girl suddenly moved in, and it turned out to be the widow of the Zhang family. Mingyue was unsure of her master's true feelings about this woman. No matter how she thought about it, no one would think that the heavenly Prince Qi would like, or even marry, a widow.
Maybe it's just pitiful.
But in just one day, Mingyue fell in love with this sweet, beautiful and easy-going girl.
She didn't look like a widow at all, she was clearly an innocent and simple girl. As the daughter of the Duke of Anguo, she was also of noble status, but she had no airs at all, and any delicious food would be shared with her.
"Miss Qiu, I'm sorry to bother you. You and Jinhong must have not seen each other for a long time, so you must have a lot to talk about. I'll take my leave now."
After all, Jinhong was the girl's personal maid who had served her for so many years, so Mingyue was tactful enough to give the two of them some space.
After the courtyard was empty, Jiang Qiuye took Jinhong into the dormitory, closed the door, and turned to look at her.
Jinhong's expression now is very different from before, with more recognition and respect on her face.
"This time, Jinhong thanks you very much, young lady. I accept the loss of the bet. From now on, I will serve you till death, no matter what happens."
Jiang Qiuye smiled slightly and said, "Why be so reserved? Let's just keep it the same as before."
Jinhong put the bag in her hand down on the table, leaned forward and said in a low voice, "What should we do next?"
"Now that you've entered the mansion, stay put for now. Wait until the end of the month and find a way to get into Ji Ci's study. Just take some information out."
The author has something to say:
This article took me a long time to write and I revised it twice.
There's still time at noon~
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