Chapter 27 My cousin likes you now...
Dozens of eyes on them were staring from the third floor. Liu Tong was still there, relentlessly mocking them, while He Jiaying blushed crimson.
Huiyin swore she had never fought such a humiliating battle in her life. Thanks to He Jiaying, she had completely lost face and dignity.
"If you can't afford it, take the hairpin off right now. What doesn't belong to you will never be yours no matter how hard you try to steal it!"
The whispers around her reached Huiyin's ears. She tried to control her expression and reached up to remove her hairpin.
He Jiaying grabbed her arm and tried to stop her, saying, "Don't take it off, we stole it from you."
Huiyin glanced at her and asked, "Do you have money?"
He Jiaying shook her head.
Huiyin said expressionlessly, "I have even less money."
This was the poorest time of her life.
He Jiaying still clung to her arm, refusing to let go. Huiyin sighed helplessly, "If we delay any longer, Liu Tong will call the whole street to come and laugh at us."
"I've already sent someone back to get the money!" He Jiaying exclaimed, jumping up and down.
Huiyin suppressed her anger and said, "It takes an hour to go back and forth, and you want to stand here and let her ridicule you for an hour?"
Liu Tong's words became increasingly outrageous, and even Huiyin, with her thick skin, couldn't withstand her barrage of criticism. All she wanted now was to leave as quickly as possible.
He Jiaying was extremely unwilling, but she had no choice. She slowly released Huiyin's arm and saw a group of people driving by on the city street outside the window out of the corner of her eye.
She recognized the leader immediately; he had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and looked imposing. Overjoyed, she rushed to the window and shouted, "Cousin, come quickly and rescue me and Huiyin!"
Huiyin: "..."
There was only one person He Jiaying could call her cousin. At this moment, Huiyin really wanted to beat He Jiaying up. She would rather lose face in front of outsiders than cause trouble in front of Pei Yu, let alone such an embarrassing thing as not being able to pay for something.
Huiyin could only secretly pray that Pei Yu had important matters to attend to and had no time to deal with He Jiaying.
Then, seeing He Jiaying turn around with a joyful expression, she said to her, "My cousin is coming up. We're saved."
Huiyin nodded stiffly. Liu Tong noticed the commotion and asked suspiciously, "Are you trying to intimidate people by using General Pei's name?"
Before He Jiaying could answer, the crisp sound of armor moving and sword hilts clashing could be heard from the stairwell.
Everyone turned to look, and Pei Yu was dressed in the attire of a Tiger General, with a crimson blouse and a belt with animal patterns and gold hooks. He had upturned eyes and a high nose bridge, exuding a natural charm.
Behind Pei Yu followed dozens of imposing and fierce-looking generals, all carrying swords. This display immediately caught the attention of Agu, the owner of the Linlang Pavilion, who rushed over to greet Pei Yu.
Upon seeing Pei Yu's figure, the other ladies on the third floor all curtsied and entered the private room with their maids and attendants, not daring to look any further.
Agu respectfully said, "I was unaware of General Pei's presence. I have failed to greet you properly. General Pei, what brings you here?"
Pei Yu nodded to Agu, a smile playing on his lips: "Come and redeem the people."
Agu was completely baffled. "Redeem people? General Pei is joking. Our shop is a legitimate business."
Pei Yu's gaze moved forward, from He Jiaying's smug face to Huiyin's. Huiyin lowered her head slightly, stood sideways beside He Jiaying, and her earlobes were red as if they were about to drip blood.
Agu followed his gaze and saw three wealthy young ladies standing there. One of them was exceptionally beautiful, and she was wearing the Azure Phoenix Chasing the Moon hairpin that he had just acquired from the Linglang Pavilion. She truly outshone all the other beauties.
The maid who witnessed the whole farce came out and told Pei Yu and Agu the whole story.
Pei Yu chuckled upon hearing this, "So you can't afford to buy things."
Agu quickly chimed in, "If I had known they were distinguished guests from the Pei family, I would have personally greeted and escorted them back to their residence. Otherwise, things would have escalated to this point."
Pei Yu stared at the figure feigning death and said, "Aren't you coming over?"
He Jiaying obediently pulled Huiyin's hand and stood behind Pei Yu. From beginning to end, Huiyin could feel the sharp and teasing look on He Jiaying's face, which made her dare not look up at Pei Yu.
She remained silent the entire time, but the man wouldn't let her off the hook, staring intently at her and asking, "Do you like this hairpin?"
Huiyin nodded stiffly. She didn't like it at all; she wished she had never been here today.
Pei Yu's lips curled into a smile, his eyes filled with laughter, and his eyebrows were brimming with a nonchalant and arrogant air. Huiyin looked at his irritating smile, clenched her fist, and really wanted to slap him.
"Take my token and go to the Pei residence to collect the money." Pei Yu took the jade token from his waist and tossed it to Agu, then turned and left with Huiyin and He Jiaying.
Liu Tong stared at Pei Yu's handsome face for a few moments, and realizing she was being completely ignored, she spoke up indignantly, "Brother Yuanxi, I was the one who took a liking to that hairpin first!"
Pei Yu paused, then turned around and realized that Liu Tong was also there.
He Jiaying retorted, "What do you mean you saw it first? It was clearly given to us first."
Liu Tong ignored He Jiaying and stared at the two figures standing together with fiery eyes. Why did Song Huiyin have the right to stand next to Pei Yu? The position next to Pei Yu should belong to her elder sister!
She spoke again: "Brother Yuanxi, I was planning to buy this Azure Phoenix Chasing the Moon hairpin as a birthday gift for my elder sister. She loves this jade the most."
He Jiaying inwardly cursed. That damned Liu Tong, actually using Liu Tan as a shield, how shameless! She secretly glanced at Huiyin and noticed that Huiyin was looking up at her cousin, who was looking in Liu Tong's direction.
She silently felt indignant for Huiyin. In He Jiaying's eyes, Liu Tan was far inferior to Huiyin, but her cousin admired Liu Tan.
He Jiaying recalled what Shuying had said, and it seemed that she should put the matter of bringing her cousin and Huiyin together on her agenda.
Pei Yu turned his face to the side, so Huiyin couldn't see his expression, but she was already prepared to let him put the hairpin down.
She raised her hand to remove the hairpin, and Liu Tong, seeing Huiyin's movement, was delighted and walked forward triumphantly, about to thank Pei Yu.
Unexpectedly, Pei Yu suddenly raised his hand to stop Huiyin's hand, tidied the stray hairs by her ear, and said, "Why did you take them off? They look quite nice."
Huiyin blinked, not understanding what he was going to do.
Pei Yu glanced at the dazed Huiyin, a smile playing on his lips, then turned to Liu Tong and said, "I can't let you have this hairpin. Go pick out something else, and I'll put it on my tab."
After saying this, Pei Yu didn't linger, and turned to leave with Huiyin in his arms.
He Jiaying followed behind the two, passing by Liu Tong with a triumphant air, and mocked her.
Huiyin and He Jiaying boarded the carriage, while Pei Yu stood outside, instructing the two elite guards behind him to escort them back to the manor. After the two had gone some distance, he beckoned to the guards who had followed them out of the manor earlier to inquire.
"Where did the two of them go today, and who did they meet?"
The guard bowed and replied, "Besides this place, we ate in Wutong Lane and didn't go anywhere else, nor did we see anyone else."
Pei Yu nodded, withdrew his gaze, mounted his horse, and rode away.
——
At noon, when the sun is blazing, it is the busiest time of day. Taverns and restaurants are packed with people, and food stalls on both sides of the street are surrounded by pedestrians. The smoke from roasting meat mixed with the spicy aroma of salt and pepper wafts through the streets.
Thump—
The sound of gongs echoed through the streets.
"Heaven above, I have suffered a tremendous injustice!"
Everyone on the street turned to look at him, and even the diners in the second-floor restaurant stopped and peered out the window.
A thin, barefoot man dressed in white, with disheveled hair, pounded on a gong and shouted hoarsely, "My wife, Xiao, was forced by Su Xin and then murdered by villains! I have suffered a great injustice!"
Pingzhen was followed by a string of onlookers. After he called out Su Xin's name, many more onlookers joined in, asking him all sorts of questions about the truth.
He then loudly revealed the truth: "Su Xin repeatedly forced my wife. After the incident, in order to cover up for him, the Su family smeared all the blame on my wife! In order to escape punishment, they even drowned my wife alive in the pond!"
"Heavens above, why are you so unfair! Are we common folk destined to be cheap and to be played with by these noble children?!"
Pingzhen said sorrowfully, "I originally did not want to pursue this matter and wanted to take my wife away from Xijing and live in anonymity. However, those powerful and influential people would not let us go and chased us all the way out of the capital, killing my wife!"
"We have nowhere left to retreat, why do you insist on pressing us so hard and leaving us no way out!"
"Today, even if it costs me my life, I will fight for justice for my wife Xiao Fen'er and clear her name."
"She is not the scoundrel you speak of. She is an excellent woman. It's just a pity that she married a useless husband who couldn't protect her, causing her a miserable life and leaving her with a bad reputation even in death..."
"Is Su Xin the one who was rumored to have raped his stepmother a couple of days ago?"
"It's him! I never imagined he would take someone's life just to escape punishment."
"Hmph, in the eyes of those big shots, we are nothing but lowly people, not even as good as the livestock they raise. If we die, we die."
"We can't let them get away with this; they must be given justice!"
"How pitiful."
Pingzhen cried out in a hoarse voice, his eyes reddening, and tears streamed down his face. The onlookers bowed their heads and wiped away their tears, moved by his plight.
The crowd gathered around Pingzhen, surrounding him as they walked towards Sima Gate, their presence overwhelming and spreading rapidly. Those who sensed something amiss immediately ran to spread the word, and soon the entire city of Chang'an knew that Pingzhen had taken a desperate gamble and was appealing his case at the palace gates.
As they approached the palace, they were stopped by the Imperial Guards. The leading officer glared at them and said, "How dare you! Are you plotting a rebellion? How dare you gather a crowd to cause trouble!"
The crowd panicked when they saw the Imperial Guards with swords. Pingzhen raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, and held up a bamboo slip, shouting, "Pingzhen, the Gentleman of the Palace, has a grievance to appeal to Your Majesty!"
Zhang Lang frowned. He naturally recognized Ping Zhen. Ping Zhen frequently entered and exited the palace to serve the Emperor and Empress Dowager, making him a close advisor to the Emperor. Without the Emperor's order, he could not arbitrarily harm Ping Zhen. However, he had received orders to prevent Ping Zhen from going to Sima Gate; he had to stop him.
"Pingzhen, if you have a grievance, just write a petition. Why make such a fuss? Don't you want to live anymore?"
Pingzhen looked up and smiled bitterly, tears welling in his eyes: "You don't understand. Only in this way can we break through this sky and get justice for me and my wife!"
Zhang Lang's eyes showed pity. The common people were unaware, but the civil and military officials all knew the truth. However, pity was one thing, but he also had his own family to take care of, and he could only feel sorry for Pingzhen.
He waved his hand, and dozens of guards behind him stepped forward, trying to restrain Pingzhen and take him away.
Pingzhen pulled a dagger from his sleeve and held it to his neck. "You won't be able to take me away. If you dare to come forward, I will kill myself right here!"
Seeing that he was so stubborn, Zhang Lang was furious and drew his sword to threaten him: "What you have done today, I would rather execute you on the spot and no one would care."
Pingzhen laughed loudly twice and charged straight at General Zhang's sword. General Zhang was terrified and hurriedly withdrew his sword to retreat, but he still injured Pingzhen's arm, and blood instantly stained his white clothes.
Pingzhen clutched his arm and cried out in anguish, "You officials are protecting each other, leaving us common people no way to survive!"
The people witnessed bloodshed, and their anger, which had subsided, was reignited. They recalled the injustices they had suffered in the past, and disregarded the Imperial Guards wielding swords. They helped Pingzhen up and surged forward, breaking through the encirclement.
In no time, the swarming crowd, like locusts swarming into the city, swept through the Sima Gate. They knelt down and shouted with Pingzhen, "We have grievances to plead, Your Majesty, please hear our plea!"
Seeing this, General Zhang was filled with mixed emotions. His guards came to ask if he should stop them. General Zhang shook them, "How can we stop him? Pingzhen is resolute in his death; we can't stop him."
That day, he was going to poke a huge hole in the ground.
Upon seeing this, the generals and soldiers stationed at Sima Gate immediately stepped forward to drive them away, but the crowd was large and their shouts were ineffective. He dared not delay and quickly ordered someone to rush into the palace to report.
Meanwhile, officials from the Court of Justice, the Censorate, and the Imperial Guard were on their way after receiving the news.
Four figures knelt upright on the dark blue-green floor tiles of the Xuan Shi Hall, their knees not covered with prayer mats, heads bowed as they listened to the instructions.
Further on, on an ebony table sat a fish-shaped lamp, its light casting a dim glow on Emperor Xuan's face. Beneath the lamp base lay a bloodstained bamboo slip.
A moment later, the sound of armor being removed came from outside the hall. Pei Yu strode into the Xuan Shi Hall and knelt down to pay his respects.
Emperor Xuan then raised his face, his brows furrowed, and said, "Get up, everyone."
Emperor Xuan asked Pei Yu, "How is the situation outside?"
Pei Yu: "The place is bustling with noise. Thousands of people have gathered in front of Sima Gate, and the Tiger Guard has already gone to maintain order."
Emperor Xuan was furious: "Fine, a trivial case of adultery has become the talk of the town. Are they trying to force me to abdicate?"
Marquis Pingxianzhang and Minister of Justice Su Wenyi exchanged a glance, then quickly knelt down again and kowtowed to beg for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, we are guilty and beg for your punishment."
Emperor Xuan placed his hands on the table, his tone filled with anger: "You are both guilty. One of you failed to properly educate your son, and the other couldn't even keep an eye on his own people!"
He was about to continue his tirade when he caught a glimpse of Wang Tuo pacing back and forth outside the hall. Emperor Xuan called out loudly, "Wang Tuo, what are you doing?"
Wang Tuo knelt down and shouted, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager...she has arrived!"
"What?" Emperor Xuan was startled. He stood up and quickly walked past the group to the outside of the palace. Sure enough, he saw a phoenix palanquin carried by four eunuchs on the palace road, with twelve eunuchs in crimson robes leading the way, followed by two rows of female officials.
This was the first time Empress Dowager Ping had left the palace since she went into seclusion five years ago. As the imperial carriage drew nearer, everyone could see that it was empty except for a colorful pheasant-patterned robe and the Empress Dowager's golden seal.
Emperor Xuan asked in bewilderment, "What is this?"
The female official at the head of the imperial carriage replied, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager instructed me to bring her golden seal and imperial robes. The Empress Dowager has already heard about what happened at the palace gate. She said that she will not interfere in Pingzhen's matter, but the third branch of the Ping family only has this one bloodline left, so please handle it carefully, Your Majesty."
Emperor Xuan nodded. After the imperial carriage left, Emperor Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking in the direction of Sima Gate and sighing, "This is the first time in five years that the Empress Dowager has spoken to me on her own initiative."
Su Wenyi was startled. Empress Dowager Ping was clearly trying to protect Pingzhen. In order to repair the relationship between mother and son, His Majesty might severely punish the Su family. He secretly glanced at Ping Xianzhang beside him, signaling him to speak up.
Ping Xianzhang understood, stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, Pingzhen's actions are truly audacious. If we treat him lightly, I fear..."
The rest of his words came to an abrupt halt. Ping Xianzhang saw the chilling look in Emperor Xuan's eyes, and the words he was about to utter could no longer be uttered.
Emperor Xuan glanced displeasedly at Ping Xianzhang and Su Wenyi, knowing perfectly well what they were up to.
"Pingzhen is also your nephew, so why do you want him dead?"
With his questioning and angry words suppressed, Ping Xianzhang dared not say another word and hurriedly begged for mercy and withdrew.
As fellow members of the Ping family, Ping Xianzhang was not intolerant of Ping Zhen. He also wanted to get closer to his nephew and ask Ping Zhen to help persuade the Empress Dowager not to quarrel with the Emperor anymore.
Unfortunately, Pingzhen was utterly incompetent, repeatedly disobeying him and now causing such a major incident. It would be best if he could distance himself from the matter, but he never expected to anger His Majesty. Ping Xianzhang wiped his sweat, daring not to speak further.
Emperor Xuan snorted coldly, glancing over the Imperial Censor, Su Wenyi, and the Constitutional Law, before finally settling on the handsome Pei Yu. His mood improved somewhat.
Emperor Xuan instructed: "Yuanxi, things have escalated to this point, and we must give the people an explanation. Tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), the trial will be held in the courtroom of the Court of Justice. You will be the chief judge, and the Chief Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office and the Vice Censor-in-Chief will be the deputy judges. Give this matter a thorough hearing for me!"
Let's see who's right and who's wrong in this matter!
Pei Yu accepted the order: "Yes, sir."
——
Pei Residence, Linshui Pavilion.
Laughter and cheerful voices filled the air in the main room on the first floor. Yan Niang was busy working under the earthen stove. Madam Pei had just sent over some high-quality venison, a good thing for replenishing blood and nourishing the body. She and her people set up a grill and began to smoke the venison.
Hearing the laughter from inside the room, Yan Niang felt happy. She no longer disliked He Jiaying for coming to Linshui Pavilion so often. At least when she came, she could chat and laugh with Huiyin, which was better than Huiyin sitting alone in a daze.
Sometimes, when she saw Huiyin's lonely figure, she felt a pang of sadness in her heart. The Huiyin of the past loved to laugh and loved to be beautiful. When she had nothing to do, she would always mix perfumes with her maids or discuss the latest makeup and clothes with them.
Upon arriving at the Pei residence, although Huiyin was still Huiyin, Yanniang could clearly sense that she had changed. She no longer smiled, and she no longer touched any of the things she used to like. She buried all her worries deep inside, silently bearing them alone, only revealing a few things after Yanniang's persistent questioning.
Yan Niang didn't want to see Huiyin like this; she wished she could still be the same cheerful and lively young girl she used to be. Sitting outside the kitchen, she wiped away her tears and looked at the happy Huiyin in the main room, for the first time feeling grateful to He Jiaying.
Inside the main room, the table was filled with dressing cases, and countless gold and jade ornaments were piled up on it, all of which He Jiaying had ordered to be brought here. She placed each piece on Huiyin's head to compare them, seemingly without getting tired.
He Jiaying: "Don't look down on me, these are all useless to me."
Huiyin took off the gold hairpin with intertwined branches from her hair and put it back in her dressing case, refusing, "It's not that I'm disgusted, but these were given to you by Madam Pei. What would it look like if I took them?"
He Jiaying pouted: "I wanted to give it to you."
Huiyin instructed the maid to pack up the things, and replied, "I have enough, you can use these yourself. Didn't you just give me a jade hairpin?"
When the jade hairpin was mentioned, He Jiaying immediately became embarrassed and muttered, "I didn't give it to you; my cousin gave it to you."
After saying that, she rolled her eyes, leaned close to Huiyin, and laughed heartily, "Did you see how Liu Tong looked? It was so satisfying. Humph, she really thought she could get away with anything by bringing up her older sister. Now my cousin likes you!"
Huiyin paused in her tidying up, speechless, and said, "Where did you see that he likes me?"
He Jiaying leaned against the lacquered wooden armchair and said with a smile, "I saw it with both eyes. When I called my cousin today, he was impatient, but he smiled after hearing your name and came right away."
Huiyin didn't respond. Pei Yu didn't seem to like her; he was probably just amused. She straightened up and tidied the scattered bamboo slips on the table. Footsteps came from outside, and Shuying rushed in, panting, shouting, "Big news! Pingzhen went to the palace gate to plead his case! His Majesty has decreed that a joint trial will be held at the Court of Justice tomorrow at Chenshi!"
He Jiaying asked in surprise, "Really?"
Shuying replied, "Absolutely true!"
"So, the Xiao family is truly innocent?" He Jiaying looked puzzled and turned to ask Huiyin, "Have you ever met the Xiao family?"
Huiyin nodded.
He Jiaying pressed further, "So what kind of person do you think she is?"
"Gentle and delicate, pitiful, she is an excellent woman."
Huiyin recalled the sorrowful woman, her fragility, her pain, her resentment. Even in hell, she remained kind, never blaming Huiyin, but instead offering understanding and comfort. What was she thinking before she died?
Suddenly the light in the main room dimmed. Huiyin looked at the sky outside and saw that the once clear sky was suddenly covered by dark clouds, as if it was about to rain.
He Jiaying and Shuying were still whispering together, unaware that Huiyin had left.
Huiyin walked out of the main room. Yanniang was directing the maids to collect the clothes that were drying in the courtyard. Smoke billowed from the stove, and the aroma of roasting venison filled the air.
She stood under the big locust tree in the courtyard, gazing at its tall canopy. Tomorrow, everything would be settled.
There are essentially two possible outcomes to this case. First, Pingzhen wins. According to the law, a nobleman's son who coerces an official's wife is sentenced to exile to the frontier. The difference in this case is that, in order to cover up Su Xin's crimes, they forcibly drowned Xiao Fen'er. Pingzhen, the aggrieved party, could have petitioned for a death sentence.
However, the death penalty can be redeemed with money. According to the law, given Su Xin's status, he would need to pay ten million coins to redeem himself from the death penalty. The Su family does not have the financial resources to raise that amount of money to redeem him, unless they go bankrupt and use all the resources of the entire clan.
Huiyin raised her hand and plucked the rotten leaves from the locust tree branch. Aristocratic families are like this lush locust tree; if a branch rots, it can simply be pruned.
The second ending is Su Xinsheng.
Huiyin thought and thought, but she couldn't figure out how he could get away. Even if the Su family had extraordinary abilities, His Majesty had to consider the voices of the people and disregard the grievances.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
