Hearing the door open, the person on the ground turned around and looked at her, their eyes meeting, and their pupils contracted slightly.
Su Wanwan opened her eyes wide in surprise and asked Lu Xingjian:
Why did the Emperor arrest him?
Lu Xingjian, expressionless, handed a confession to Su Wanwan.
“Zhang Yong has been smeared, and he has to prove himself. It is reasonable to arrest him.”
It turned out that Zhang Yong had arrested Liu Qi.
Su Wanwan's heart tightened, and after reading the testimony, Wenyan frowned.
"So, that outcast eunuch deliberately lied and identified Zhang Daban, while Liu Qi was unaware of it?"
Lu Xingjian glanced at Liu Qi with disdain.
"He reported it without verifying the facts, and you're still going to speak up for him?"
Liu Qi chuckled softly, "Your Majesty is beautiful and kind-hearted. You would always feel sorry for me if you saw me being bullied."
Lu Xingjian's eyes instantly turned cold: "Feeling sorry for him?"
He stared at Su Wanwan, his eyes full of warning and scrutiny, as if she and Liu Qi were having an affair.
Su Wanwan remained silent, glancing indifferently at Liu Qi.
Unexpectedly, Liu Qi was still recklessly courting death at this point.
Liu Qi remained calm and smiled brightly at her: "I have always served Your Majesty with utmost loyalty and have never had any disloyal intentions. Your Majesty will naturally take pity on me."
Su Wanwan's tone was cold:
“Loyalty is certainly commendable, but if you insist on courting death, I cannot protect you.”
Lu Xingjian's expression softened a bit. He had no desire to see this scoundrel again, so he had him taken away.
Once the door to the Imperial Study closed again, Lu Xingjian began to question him.
"Can't you tell this bastard is after you? You still dare to hire someone like that?"
"Otherwise what? I don't have anyone else to use." Su Wanwan said calmly, "At least he's obedient."
"no."
Lu Xingjian's face turned ashen, his temper rising rapidly, and he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I'll help you with anything, but you're not allowed to see him again."
“I never met him in the first place; it was Heying who relayed the message. Is there a problem with that?” Su Wanwan felt he was being too domineering, and her tone became somewhat impatient.
She paused, then added, "He is Heying's sweetheart. Would I possibly compete with Heying for a man?"
Lu Xingjian's anger subsided slightly, and he raised an eyebrow, saying, "Then isn't the heir of the Marquis of Wuding going to have his hopes dashed?"
Su Wanwan didn't want to go too far afield, so she recounted the story of her uncle, Mr. Yang.
Lu Xingjian didn't think it was a big deal and quickly made a decision:
"Since people are so persistent in pursuing this matter, I will have someone decide the case as soon as possible, so that no one will bring it up again."
He acted immediately, summoning the Minister of Justice to discuss the matter at hand and demanding that the case be closed that day.
Su Wanwan returned to Kunning Palace to wait for his news, and also invited Madam Yang to lunch.
Madam Yang was preoccupied with something on her mind and couldn't concentrate on her meal.
However, things are not going very smoothly for Lu Xingjian.
The Minister of Justice made various excuses, saying that the case involved more than a hundred officials, so how could it be closed in a day?
After listening to his explanation for a long time, Lu Xingjian finally just said coldly:
"Can you close the case by tomorrow?"
Seeing the emperor's expression, which left no room for negotiation, the Minister of Justice felt a pang of unease and had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree.
As for Yang Yiqing, the maternal uncle of the Yang family, the punishment was to fine him 600 shi of rice and transport it to Ningxia.
Meng Yue quickly reported the matter to Su Wanwan.
Su Wanwan was surprised by Lu Xingjian's decisive action and the relatively good outcome, which did not show too much favoritism and avoid causing gossip.
Six hundred shi (a unit of dry measure) is manageable, but transporting it to Ningxia is costly, and it must be delivered within three months.
It is winter now, and the weather is freezing cold, making the journey difficult and impassable.
Su Wanwan gave Madam Yang two thousand taels of silver and wrote her a letter, asking her to find a way to contact Xiao Bin, who was far away in Ningxia.
If Xiao Bin helps to buy rice in Ningxia to make up the difference, then the matter will be resolved satisfactorily.
Madam Yang was moved to tears and kowtowed deeply, saying, "Your Majesty is kind and benevolent; you are a great benefactor to our family!"
She went to the palace several times to plead for mercy, and the Empress always helped her without hesitation.
This friendship is truly deeply appreciated.
Su Wanwan escorted Madam Yang to the entrance of Shenwu Gate, only to find Zhang Yong standing outside.
Su Wanwan paused for a moment, then greeted him generously, "Zhang Daban."
Zhang Yong glanced at Madam Yang, whose eyes were red-rimmed, and asked Su Wanwan:
"Is Your Majesty facing any difficulties? Your humble servant is willing to lend a helping hand."
Su Wanwan hadn't expected Zhang Yong to be so easy to talk to, and naturally didn't want to miss this opportunity:
"This is my maternal aunt from the Yang family. My uncle has been imprisoned, but he will be released in the next few days. However..."
She looked slightly embarrassed, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Yang Yiqing's case is clearly being deliberately targeted.
If something were to happen to someone in the imperial prison these days and they were to die, their family would have nowhere to seek justice.
Therefore, the matter is not over until the other person is released from the imperial prison.
Zhang Yong replied earnestly, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will take care of this matter."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Zhang Daban," Su Wanwan said with a grateful smile.
Zhang Yong paused for a moment, then said, “Your Majesty is too kind. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just let the Imperial Workshop know.”
Although Zhang Yong was in charge of the Twelve Battalions, he was in charge of them as a eunuch of the Imperial Household Department.
The Imperial Workshop was his territory.
Su Wanwan was overjoyed, and the corners of her lips curled up:
That would be wonderful.
All the effort I put in over the past few days has paid off.
For a moment, Zhang Yong was stunned by her smile, and his heart skipped a beat.
The throbbing sensation in the snow that night seems to return to my heart.
Madam Yang, being an experienced woman with keen insight, glanced at them, then lowered her eyes and remained silent.
...
Liu Jin scrutinized Zhang Cai from head to toe, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes.
"Yang Yiqing is completely unharmed. Shang Zhi, your plan is not going to work."
Since Yang Yiqing had a past relationship with Zhang Cai, he couldn't help but doubt Zhang Cai's loyalty.
Sometimes, a traitor can be far more dangerous than an enemy.
Yang Yiqing's life was originally a pledge of loyalty that he forced Zhang Cai to hand over.
Unexpectedly, the Yang family reacted quickly and even asked Zhang Yong for help, managing to save the person.
Zhang Cai remained calm and asked in return:
"Is the Ninth Prince targeting Yang Yiqing, this despicable person, or is he trying to undermine the Su family's power?"
“Su Jian’s son-in-law, Cheng Wen, is still serving as the Right Vice Minister of the Nanjing Court of State Affairs. Why not force him to retire and dampen the Su family’s arrogance?”
Liu Jin's expression turned even more unpleasant.
He remembered the two characters "Cheng Wen" on the secret letter he had seen in the Imperial Study.
He snorted coldly.
This Cheng Wen was originally Su Jian's son-in-law and Empress Su's uncle.
Empress Su, don't blame me for being ruthless.
The emperor had been neglecting state affairs for no apparent reason, but it turned out that Empress Su had influenced him through her pillow talk, which made him start working diligently again.
“Cheng Wen must be forced to retire. And also,”
Liu Jin gritted his teeth, "Have someone thoroughly investigate Su Jian's illegal activities, and we must crack down on the Su family's arrogance!"
Zhang Cai secretly breathed a sigh of relief and naturally obeyed the order.
Liu Jin is inherently suspicious, so gaining his trust is extremely difficult.
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