Chapter 118
The first family to be compensated was the shopkeeper Qian, who had made meritorious contributions despite his crimes.
Firstly, Shopkeeper Qian had made the greatest contribution and should be the first to receive compensation. Secondly, Song Qingyuan also wanted to take this opportunity to personally visit the family of this key figure who turned the tide and see how they were doing now.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of a slightly dated alley. Song Qingyuan and Shen Yanzhi changed into casual clothes and walked into the alley with only Lin Xiaoshu and a few guards, accompanied by the steward of the Duke of Wei's mansion and officials from the Ministry of Revenue.
Manager Qian's home is a small two-courtyard house. It doesn't look wealthy, but it is quite clean.
However, when the steward of Duke Wei's mansion came forward and knocked on the door, something unexpected happened.
The door creaked open a crack, and a skinny woman poked her head out. When she saw the large group of people outside, especially the iconic clothes of the Wei Mansion's housekeeper who was leading the group, there was no joy on her face. Instead, the blood color faded away in an instant, and her eyes were filled with extreme fear.
"You...what are you doing here?" Her voice was shaking, as if she had seen some evil ghost that was taking her life.
The Ministry of Revenue official hurried forward and stated his purpose in a friendly manner, "Madam Qian, right? We are here on the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to provide compensation to your family. Manager Qian has made meritorious contributions despite his crimes, and Your Majesty has granted you this compensation. This is the imperial court's compensation for your family, a full five hundred taels!"
As he spoke, he signaled the people behind him to lift up a heavy wooden box.
Five hundred taels! For an ordinary family, this is a huge sum of money.
However, Mrs. Qian didn't even look at the box, but just stared at the housekeeper of the Wei Mansion. Her body trembled even more violently, and she was about to close the door with a slam.
"We don't want it! We don't want anything! Please, let us go! Please!" Her suppressed cries of fear came from the crack in the door.
This sudden change left everyone stunned.
Song Qingyuan and Shen Yanzhi looked at each other and saw seriousness in each other's eyes.
Something is wrong.
Something is very wrong.
A family member, having made meritorious contributions while serving their sentence, was not only pardoned but also awarded a substantial reward. This was supposed to be a truly joyous occasion. But why did Madam Qian react this way? She wasn't afraid of the officials representing the imperial court, nor the imperial family, but she was terrified the moment she saw the steward of the Duke of Wei's mansion.
Could it be that the power of the Duke of Wei's Mansion has made the family of a meritorious official who has received the emperor's favor so frightened that they dare not even ask for rewards?
Shen Yanzhi frowned, took a step forward, and said in a deep voice: "Open the door! We are from the East Palace. We are here on the orders of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. We have no ill intentions."
His voice was filled with unquestionable authority, and the crying inside the door paused for a moment.
At this moment, a boy, about seven or eight years old, squeezed out from behind the woman. Tear marks were on his face, but he mustered up the courage to shout towards the door: "My father is not a hero! He is a traitor! You are all bad people! My father was killed by you! Get out! Get out!"
The child's voice was shrill and full of hatred.
As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, causing huge waves.
The Wei Mansion's housekeeper's face turned pale in an instant, and cold sweat dripped down.
Song Qingyuan's heart sank suddenly.
Traitor? Killed by them?
What exactly is going on? Wasn't Shopkeeper Qian coerced by the King of Wei, and then came to his senses? Why does his son tell the opposite story?
Who exactly was the "you" the child was referring to? Was it the East Palace, or... someone else?
A chill quietly spread along Song Qingyuan's spine. She suddenly realized that the King of Wei's rebellion might be much more complicated than they had imagined.
This so-called "compensation" is probably not only heartbreaking, but also a stubborn stone for exploring the way forward, which will create a bottomless vortex.
The Qian family's door was slammed shut from the inside, leaving the group of people outside looking at each other in confusion. The atmosphere was awkward and weird.
The child's shrill cry seemed to still echo in the alley.
"Traitor", "killed by you"... these words are like sharp thorns, piercing everyone's heart.
The head steward of the Duke of Wei's residence was trembling like a sieve. He fell to his knees before Shen Yanzhi with a plop, kowtowed repeatedly, "Your Highness, Your Majesty, this is unjust! This... this has nothing to do with the Duke's residence! We are only following orders and have no intention of harming anyone. Please understand, Your Highness!"
He was truly terrified now. He had originally thought he was just here to play along with the Crown Prince, and that a little humiliation would be fine. Who could have imagined that such a huge mess would arise? The family of the meritorious official, far from appreciating his kindness, instead accused them of being the murderer. If word got to the Emperor, wouldn't the Duke of Wei's family, who had just tried to clear themselves of the connection, be firmly entangled once again?
Shen Yanzhi glanced at him coldly without saying anything. His eyes were deep, and he was obviously thinking about the strangeness of this.
Song Qingyuan stepped forward and calmly addressed the official from the Ministry of Revenue, "Sir Wang, there are many strange things going on today. The pension will be temporarily withdrawn, and no one should be informed. Simply tell the public that the Qian family is grateful for the emperor's grace, is closing its doors to visitors, and does not wish to be disturbed."
"Yes, yes, I understand." The official nodded repeatedly, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He also realized that this matter was probably very complicated and not something he could get involved in at his level.
"As for you..." Song Qingyuan turned her gaze to the kneeling Wei Mansion steward, her tone indifferent, "Stand up. This matter has not yet been fully investigated, and I will not arbitrarily convict anyone. You just need to remember to think clearly about the consequences of your next words and actions."
The butler stood up as if he had been pardoned, and stood aside with his hands hanging down, not daring to say another word.
Shen Yanzhi whispered a few words to the guard leader behind him. The leader immediately obeyed the order and quietly led his men to disperse and blend into the surrounding houses.
"Let's go back." Shen Yanzhi took Song Qingyuan's hand, her hand was a little cold.
After returning to the East Palace and dismissing their attendants, they were the only two left in the study.
"You also feel something is wrong, don't you?" Song Qingyuan spoke first, her eyebrows furrowed. "Mrs. Qian's fear doesn't seem fake. Especially the moment she saw the Wei Mansion's housekeeper, she felt a trembling from the bone marrow. But to say she's afraid of retaliation from the Duke of Wei's Mansion doesn't make sense. The Duke of Wei's Mansion is currently preoccupied with its own affairs and is eager to distance itself from the Prince of Wei case. How dare they, at this critical moment, threaten the family of a meritorious official?"
"That's right." Shen Yanzhi walked over to the map, his eyes fixed on the layout of the capital, his gaze sharp. "To intimidate the families of meritorious officials is tantamount to openly defying imperial power and the Eastern Palace. No matter how foolish Zhou Kun is, he wouldn't issue such an order. Therefore, Madam Qian's fear isn't due to 'revenge' from the Duke of Wei's Mansion."
"What could that be?" Song Qingyuan walked to his side and looked in the direction he was looking.
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