Su Wanwan sat back in her wheelchair and pretended to slowly grind the ink.
As soon as Xu Chengbi entered, he saw Su Wanwan, dressed as a palace maid, grinding ink at the imperial desk.
My heart was in my throat.
He knelt down in trepidation and performed a grand salute:
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. May Your Majesty be well!"
Lu Xingjian ignored him.
The atmosphere in the Imperial Study was quiet yet oppressive.
Su Wanwan paused, glancing at Xu Chengbi.
Xu Chengbi looked much more haggard, like a frightened bird, clearly having suffered a lot recently.
Su Wanwan felt a little pleased, and lowered her eyes nonchalantly, slowly turning the ink stick she was holding between her fingers.
Xu Chengbi became even more nervous when he heard no sound for a long time.
The voice was choked with sobs, filled with deep emotion and profound grief:
"This old minister has failed in educating his son and in disciplining his servants. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
"I only beg Your Majesty to spare my son Pengju's life for the sake of the ancestors of the Xu family!"
Su Wanwan raised an eyebrow.
Listen carefully to what is happening.
She had been in the palace for almost two months and had no idea what had happened to the Xu family.
Lu Xingjian finally looked up, his cold voice carrying a hint of nonchalance:
"I heard that the heir of the Duke of Wei recently married the Empress's sister. How did that involve a life?"
Xu Chengbi burst into tears on the spot, tears streaming down his face.
“My son Pengju was arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard on the day of his wedding, the fifteenth of August.”
"They say it's related to a murder case involving a dispute over land between the people of Wuxi County. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly; my son is innocent!"
Lu Xingjian's face gradually turned cold. He pulled out a memorial, glanced at it, and then angrily rebuked:
"You bastard!"
"Imperial Inspector Zeng Dayou, Suzhou Prefectural Judge Gan Quan, Changzhou Prefectural Judge Wu Wending, Wuxi County Magistrate Xu Hai, Ministry of War Censor Xu Chen, Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Tu Zhang, Changzhou Prefect Yang Erhe, Changzhou Vice Prefect Liu Ang, Zhenjiang Prefect Qiu Jing, Changzhou County Magistrate Li Jue, Wu County Magistrate Liu Heng, Yixing County Magistrate Wang Hong, and Wuxi County Magistrate Feng Yingkui."
"These officials are almost all graduates of the imperial examinations, and they've all colluded to frame your Duke of Wei's mansion?!"
Having said that, he threw the memorial in front of Xu Chengbi.
Xu Chengbi broke out in a cold sweat, picked up the memorial and read it through, his face turning ashen.
The inscription reads: "Xu Pengju was sentenced to death by hanging for letting his servant commit murder."
He crawled forward on his knees, crying as he went, tears streaming down his face.
"These things were done by the wicked servant Xu Lin in collusion with others outside. This old minister really knew nothing about them."
"My son Pengju was young and unaware of the gravity of the situation at the time. He did not kill the person. I beg Your Majesty to show leniency!"
Lu Xingjian was cold and aloof, his voice slow but incredibly clear:
"The prince is subject to the same law as the commoner."
"Duke of Wei, I hope you can learn from this lesson, restrain your servants, rectify your family's conduct, and never do such a disgraceful thing again!"
Xu Chengbi kept kowtowing, his forehead quickly becoming bruised and bleeding. Blood mixed with tears streamed down his face, like a stray dog, desperately pleading:
"Please, Your Majesty, calm your anger and spare my son Pengju's life!"
"He's also your brother-in-law!"
"I implore Your Majesty, for the sake of the Xu family's ancestors, to grant the Xu family some dignity!"
That sounds a bit like cheating.
Lu Xingjian simply said coldly:
"The prince is subject to the same law as the commoner."
"My brother-in-law can disregard human life and the law?"
"Duke of Wei, please kneel and take your leave."
Xu Chengbi was unwilling to leave.
She cried in a disheveled and miserable state.
The emperor was furious and executed Xu Pengju, which was certainly heartbreaking.
What's even more terrifying is the ensuing backlash and the subsequent collapse of the wall.
Their crumbling Wei State Duke's Mansion will likely never rise again.
This is what Xu Chengbi is most worried about.
Seeing how persistent he was, Su Wanwan interrupted him:
"Lord Wei, is Bangrui still well?"
Xu Bangrui was only two years old, and she had raised him on her lap, so she still missed him a little.
It should be said that Aunt Luo and Xu Bangrui were her last remaining attachments to the Duke of Wei's mansion.
Xu Chengbi then slowly stopped crying, wiped away his tears, and said:
"He's alright."
"I'll trouble you, Duke, to take good care of him. I'll visit him when I have time," Su Wanwan said calmly.
Xu Chengbi was even more heartbroken:
“Wanwan, Bangrui often cries out for you as her mother. It’s the Xu family that has wronged you.”
He knew in his heart that Xu Pengju was not foolish enough to personally participate in the murder.
Now he's being implicated and given a heavier sentence because he offended Su Wanwan badly back then.
Although Su Wanwan is now a palace maid, she accompanies the emperor even while sitting in a wheelchair, which shows the emperor's trust in her.
Being able to accompany the emperor in the Imperial Study was a privilege not everyone could enjoy.
It's more likely that the emperor deliberately targeted the Xu family to support her.
Now he wanted to plead with Su Wanwan, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
The Xu family bullied Su Wanwan too badly back then.
Fortunately, Su Wanwan still cared about Xu Bangrui.
With this bit of goodwill still intact, the Xu family can be saved.
A glimmer of hope finally appeared in his heart, and he gratefully bowed to Wanwan.
Su Wanwan remained noncommittal.
She knew perfectly well why Xu Chengbi had been so arrogant towards her before and so obsequious afterward.
In the past, because her family had fallen on hard times and she had no one to rely on, they bullied her at will.
Now that she has become a palace maid, her status has risen because she can accompany the emperor, and she has received his special treatment.
This is a typical case of "bullying the weak and fearing the strong".
Although the Xu family did not gain much from her dowry, they severely damaged her reputation.
She won't forgive easily.
Chief Steward Li had already led the eunuchs in and had them help Xu Chengbi out.
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