Chapter 58 A commoner, daughter of former Imperial Censor Song Wei…
Huiyin walked out in the moonlight. Yanniang was already waiting for her in the courtyard with a bundle in her hand. As she stepped out of the courtyard gate, she heard a whisper behind her, "Song Huiyin, once you step out of this door, there will be no more future between us."
Huiyin glanced back at the courtyard one last time before leaving without looking back.
She led Yan Niang away from the Pei residence in silence, but they didn't go far. Instead, they stopped on a haystack not far from the side gate of the Pei residence, and pulled Yan Niang to sit down. "There's a curfew tonight, so we can't wander around. Let's wait here for the night."
Yan Niang took out a cloak from her bundle and draped it over Huiyin's shoulders, saying, "The autumn night is chilly, don't catch a cold."
Huiyin held Yanniang's hand and nodded wearily, then leaned her head back against the gray wall. The moon was so round tonight.
Yan Niang was getting old and couldn't stand staying up all night. She soon fell asleep against the wall. Huiyin took off her cloak and covered her with it. Suddenly, the side door of the Pei residence opened, and a familiar maid came out and said to Huiyin, "Madam, please come in and rest for the night."
Huiyin looked behind her; there was no one there. She shook her head. "No need."
The maidservant added, "We have rooms to rest in here, so our masters won't know."
Huiyin glanced at Yanniang's curled-up body and agreed, "Thank you for your trouble."
She woke Yan Niang and followed the maid into the Pei residence. They stopped in front of a three-room house. The maid stepped forward and opened the door. "Madam, please rest here tonight. You can leave through the side door early tomorrow morning."
Huiyin: "Thank you."
The maid smiled, bowed her head, and left. Yan Niang had already entered the room and was making the bed. Huiyin looked around the room; it was fully furnished with furniture and screens. Although the furnishings weren't particularly luxurious, it was definitely not a place for maids to rest or take turns on duty in the mansion.
Yan Niang laid out a bed with soft and delicate bedding made of the finest silk fabric. She knew exactly what it was made of. She looked up and saw Huiyin sitting blankly by the window, her eyes lifeless.
She sighed softly, walked over, and said, "It's getting late, let's rest."
Huiyin nodded. As she got up, she caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of her eye. She paused in her turn, closed the window, and went to bed to rest.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Huiyin left the Pei residence with Yanniang. With nowhere to go for the time being, she found a nearby inn to settle down and wrote to Feng Cheng to inform him of her whereabouts.
When Feng Cheng arrived after receiving the news, Huiyin was organizing the evidence she had collected. He hurriedly asked, "What exactly happened? Why are you living here? How did Pei Yu manage to kick you out of his house?"
Huiyin smiled and comforted him, "It was my own choice to leave. Last night I went into Tianlu Library, saw the case file of Father's case, and found a breakthrough in the case."
Feng Cheng was overjoyed. "Great! Let me think carefully about how to bring down the Su family."
Huiyin stood up, walked to Feng Cheng's side, and gave him a deep bow. Feng Cheng looked puzzled and asked, "Huiyin, what's going on?"
Huiyin smiled and said, "Brother has helped me a lot. Let me overcome this last hurdle on my own."
Feng Cheng gasped, "What are you going to do?"
"I intend to follow the example of Pingzhen and appeal my case at the palace gate."
"Are you crazy!" Feng Cheng exclaimed in shock. "Do you know what the price is for a commoner to sue an official? Even Pingzhen, who was an official, was punished for suing someone above his level. How much more so for you!"
Huiyin lowered her eyes and said, "My mind is made up, brother, there's no need to persuade me any further."
Feng Cheng grabbed Huiyin's arms and urged her anxiously, "Why do you have to do this? Let me take my time and figure out a way to resolve this!"
Huiyin's face was pale, and she shook her head slightly. "Brother, things can change in the long run. The Su family may already know that I have something on him. I must act quickly."
"Can......"
Huiyin raised her hand to stop him from persuading her further, "As long as I can overturn my father's case, I will not regret dying in court."
Feng Cheng had nothing to say. He lowered his head sadly, covered his face, and hurriedly left.
After Feng Cheng left, Huiyin called Yan Niang over and instructed her to leave the city early the next morning, as the gold and silver they brought from the Pei residence would ensure Yan Niang's lifelong well-being.
Yan Niang refused to leave, saying, "Young lady, I know I was wrong. I will never act on my own again. Please don't send me away."
Huiyin helped Yanniang up, wiped away her tears, and said softly, "It's not that I'm trying to drive you away. My fate tomorrow is uncertain, and I may not be able to come back alive. I'm worried about the Su family's retaliation afterward, so I wanted you to leave."
"I am not afraid, what is there to fear in death? Let me stay with you."
Huiyin, with tears welling in her eyes, hugged Yanniang tightly. "But I'm afraid, Mother Fu. If I really can't come back, you have to help me burn incense for my parents and Jingchuan during festivals."
Yan Niang held Huiyin in her arms, tears streaming down her face, unable to speak for a long time. She wanted to tell Huiyin not to go, to ask her to leave with her, to escape this place of trouble. But she also knew that Huiyin wouldn't listen to her.
The moon was bright and the stars were shining. Yan Niang slept beside Hui Yin, her breathing even. Hui Yin was not sleepy. She gripped the jade bottle tightly in her hand, pondering her testimony in court the next day. She had waited for this day for far too long.
She heard the watchman's drum coming from the street; it was already midnight. Huiyin rested her head on her arm, forcibly banishing the thoughts from her mind, and closed her eyes to prepare for sleep.
"Thump—"
She heard a faint clanging sound, like fine iron clashing violently. Huiyin, already unusually tense, couldn't sleep at all after hearing this. She got up and moved closer to the window, but the sound grew louder and more frequent.
She slowly pushed open the window, and the stench of blood rushed in. Dozens of men in black, armed with knives, appeared on the once quiet and deserted street. Strangely, these men in black were fighting in one place, with blood splattering everywhere.
Huiyin's pupils contracted as an arrow shot rapidly from the opposite rooftop toward her face; she could even hear the sound of the arrow piercing the air.
"Zheng—"
A slanted curved blade struck down the arrow from below. Huiyin snapped out of her daze and hurriedly closed the window. She then moved a wardrobe over to block the window shut. She fell to the ground, still shaken.
The group of people below are there to kill her; they are assassins sent by the Su family.
She quickly pulled out the evidence she was to present the next day, clutched it tightly to her chest, and listened to the sounds below.
She froze, her breathing slowed, and she stared intently at the door, wondering how she could escape and protect Yan Niang if the assassins broke in.
After a long time, Huiyin's legs went numb. She heard the sounds outside gradually disappear and return to calm. No one broke into the inn.
She pushed open the window, her body weak. The street below was deserted, and even the blood splattered on the ground had been cleaned up. It was as if everything had happened, as if it were a dream.
Huiyin stared at the gleaming silver scimitar on the tile. It was the scimitar that someone had thrown to save her and knock down the feathered arrow. This scimitar proved that everything that had just happened was real.
She leaned out and carefully took the curved knife and put it away.
She could no longer fall asleep, so she simply held the curved knife all night until dawn.
——
On August 17th, the city of Chang'an emerged from the clouds and mist. The morning fog had not yet dissipated, and dew still clung to the bluestone slabs of the streets. Huiyin, dressed in a moon-white robe with disheveled hair, knelt beneath the walls of Weiyang Palace.
"I am Song Huiyin, daughter of the former Imperial Censor Song Wei. I humbly beg Your Majesty to hear my story. My father, Song Wei, was wronged and framed by a villain, and died unjustly in prison. The person I am accusing is none other than the current Minister of Justice, Su Wenyi. I implore Your Majesty to investigate the truth and restore the innocence of this loyal minister!"
Huiyin slammed her head heavily against the blue brick floor, each thud louder than the last. She could feel the stinging pain in her forehead, and warm beads of blood trickled down between her eyebrows, dripping onto the blue bricks.
She shouted for an unknown amount of time, until her throat was so dry she could barely speak, before the sound of the Imperial Guards' armor clanking rang out, surrounding her in the center.
A solemn-looking Imperial Guard general emerged, holding the imperial insignia. He knelt on the ground, his black and crimson robes fluttering in the wind.
The Imperial Guard General stared at Huiyin, whose forehead was bleeding and whose face was deathly pale, and said, "Song Huiyin, do you know what price you pay for suing an official, bypassing your proper channels?"
Huiyin knelt down, holding up her blood-written petition expressing her grievances. "I am willing to endure torture, only asking Your Majesty to read this petition! If I have falsely accused the Minister of Justice, I am willing to die to plead guilty!"
The entire audience was horrified. Suddenly, from the depths of the palace, bells and drums resounded. The Imperial Guard General sighed silently and bowed as he accepted the neatly written blood-written scroll.
As the morning mist dissipated, a ray of sunlight slowly rose, casting a slanting glow on Huiyin's slender back. Before the majestic palace gates, she walked alone.
At the third quarter of the hour of Chen (7:45 AM), the bells and drums resounded. Emperor Xuan sat upright atop the main palace of the Northern Palace, the twelve white jade tassels hanging before him swaying slightly, obscuring his face. Civil and military officials stood solemnly on either side, while imperial censors held tablets to record events; the atmosphere in the hall was oppressive.
Directly below, the Minister of Justice, Su Wenyi, knelt upright in the hall.
On the table before Emperor Xuan lay a blood-written letter, its words neat and clear, each sentence filled with grievance. He threw the letter down in front of Su Wenyi, his voice devoid of emotion, "You tell me, what happened here?"
Su Wenyi squinted at it and said, “Your Majesty, everything in this book is untrue; it is a false accusation.”
Emperor Xuan glanced around, his gaze settling on Pei Yu, who stood expressionless to his right, and asked, "What do you all think?"
The officials below all turned their gazes toward Pei Yu, signaling him to speak. After all, the person who filed the complaint was his concubine, and the person she was complaining about was the future father-in-law of the Crown Prince. Logically, this was a family matter between the Pei family and the Eastern Palace, and they didn't know why it had escalated to the main hall.
Marquis Pingyang stepped forward, twirling his beard. “Your Majesty, I believe this blood-written letter to be credible.”
Emperor Xuan: "Why?"
“Our dynasty has a strict class system. It is a serious crime for a commoner to sue an official, or to sue an official who is above the proper level. Even if what she said is true, she still cannot escape the crime and will be punished according to the law. Even a strong man may not be able to withstand this punishment, let alone a weak woman. She dares to take her life as proof that what she said in blood is credible.”
Seeing this, an official from the Eastern Palace said, "Your Majesty, the state established prefectures and counties so that the people could have officials to appeal to. But this woman bypassed the Prefect of the Capital and went straight to the Emperor's ears. This is an act of treason. If everyone followed suit, who would abide by the law?"
Marquis Pingyang was in a good mood. He stroked his long beard and said slowly, "Lord Zhao, you are mistaken. His Majesty asked whether the blood letter was credible. Why are you beating around the bush?"
He was quite pleased to see the Crown Prince and the Pei family fighting like dogs. These days, because of his secret plot with the Xiongnu Chanyu to arrange the marriage in Suiyang, Pei Yu had gone mad in his attacks on the Zheng family, using a method that killed a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of his own, which was really taking a toll on him.
Now that the Crown Prince's future father-in-law is in trouble, he naturally wants to stir things up.
For a time, the two sides in the court were arguing endlessly. The Crown Prince believed that Song Huiyin should be thrown into prison immediately for false accusation and conviction, while the King of Wu believed that it was not too late to hear whether Song Huiyin's words were true before judging her.
Emperor Xuan, impatient with the bickering among his men, directly addressed the neutral Grand Secretary Wang Heng, saying, "Grand Secretary, please state your opinion."
Wang Heng glanced at Wang Huan, who had a pleading look on his face, sighed slightly, and stepped forward to reply, "Your Majesty, appealing to higher authorities is a rule established by our ancestors, and there have been many precedents. I believe that Song's actions in seeking justice for her father are not a crime. If she is willing to accept the punishment for appealing to higher authorities, then Your Majesty should accept this petition."
Emperor Xuan nodded. “I have known Song Wei for decades. I cannot say for sure what kind of person he is, but I know him quite well. When it was discovered that he had embezzled military supplies, I did not believe it at first. But later he committed suicide in prison out of fear of punishment, which pained me. Today, his daughter has come to appeal, and I would like to hear about the injustice.”
What do you all think?
The ministers said, "Your Majesty is wise." What else can be done after you've said that?
Emperor Xuan nodded in satisfaction and raised his hand in acknowledgment.
"Bring the Song family along." The Yellow Gate Attendant's voice echoed through the main hall.
Huiyin's hands were shackled, her plain clothes stained with blood, and her long hair was disheveled. She was forced into the hall by two eunuchs, knelt one step behind Su Wenyi, and kowtowed, "This commoner pays respects to Your Majesty."
Emperor Xuan waved his hand, ordering her to kneel down, and said in a deep voice, "Raise your head."
Huiyin straightened her knees and raised her head. The wound on her forehead had been treated; it was red and swollen but no longer bleeding.
Emperor Xuan: "You have submitted a memorial accusing the Minister of Justice, Su Wenyi, of falsely accusing your father of causing his death. Do you know the crime of false accusation?"
Huiyin: "I know, I have no regrets."
Emperor Xuan nodded and addressed the assembled officials: "Song, you have bypassed your proper channels to file a complaint. According to the law, anyone who files a complaint beyond their jurisdiction shall be punished with fifty strokes of the cane. Do you agree to this?"
Huiyin kowtowed, saying, "This humble woman acknowledges."
“Your Majesty,” Su Wenyi, who had been quiet all along, finally raised his head, “In the past, Pingzhen was an official, and his appeal to higher authorities was considered a crime punishable by fifty counts. But Song is just a commoner, and his crime should be doubled.”
Ignoring his uncle, the Grand Secretary, Wang Huan knelt in the hall and pleaded earnestly, "Your Majesty, Lady Song is merely a woman, and frail in health. If she were to be executed one hundred times..."
Su Wenyi interrupted him, "Wang Langguan, you have a past with the Song family, but this is a courtroom. How can you be biased because of personal feelings?"
Wang Huan then said, "In the past, Pingzhen was also physically weak, and during the trial, he was allowed to be executed afterward. I beg Your Majesty to consider the Song family's fatherly intentions and also allow them to be executed afterward."
Su Wenyi sneered: "Pingzhen is an official, and also a close nephew of the Empress Dowager. He is fulfilling his filial duty to the Empress Dowager on behalf of His Majesty. But what about Song Shi? Does she expect to be favored because she is General Pei's concubine?"
Huiyin slowly raised her head upon hearing this. She had seen him when she entered the hall. Since then, he had not turned around once, remaining a cold bystander, indifferent to everything.
She raised her voice and said, "I have left the Pei family and have no further connection with them. Lord Su, please be careful with your words."
Su Wenyi remained silent, his fox-like eyes fixed on Pei Yu. He already knew about Song Huiyin's falling out with Pei Yu, but who knew what men were really thinking when they said it was okay?
If Pei Yu really didn't care about Song Huiyin, then why did none of the assassins he sent to kill her return, and why was Song Huiyin unharmed?
Su Wenyi couldn't grasp Pei Yu's thoughts. He only knew that if Pei Yu didn't interfere today, he was sure to win. The Crown Prince alone might not be able to restrain him. Su Wenyi wanted to find out Pei Yu's true thoughts.
"General Pei, what do you think?"
Pei Yu turned his head coldly, his eyes filled with indifference, "Just handle it according to the law."
Su Wenyi felt relieved and concealed the smug look in his eyes. According to his plan, he only needed to have Song Huiyin executed in court. He didn't even need to use fifty strokes to kill her on the execution board and shut her up forever. No one could find fault with him.
Huiyin thought she would no longer be affected by Pei Yu's emotions, but at this moment, hearing his merciless words, her heart still ached.
Anger surfaced on Wang Huan's usually refined face as he clenched his fists and glared at Pei Yu. How could he do this?
Pei Yu shifted his gaze from Huiyin, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wang Huan kneeling beside her. His expression grew even colder.
The Crown Prince felt a pang of pity. He secretly glanced at Pei Yu beside him. Pei Yu exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay, and he hadn't spoken a single word to him since the palace banquet. All the gifts he had sent as an apology had been returned.
The Crown Prince felt a pang of panic. Looking at Huiyin, who was alone in the hall confronting the powerful, he felt a surge of resentment. He secretly tugged at Pei Yu's sleeve and whispered in his ear, "Cousin, are you really not going to do anything about it?"
Pei Yu glanced at the Crown Prince expressionlessly, then pulled back his sleeve.
The Crown Prince was stunned by that indifferent gaze, a chill running from the soles of his feet to his chest. Pei Yu had never looked at him like that. They had grown up together, and Pei Yu had never treated him as a prince, but as a younger brother. From childhood to adulthood, no matter what mistakes he made, Pei Yu would always cover for him; no matter what he wanted to do, Pei Yu would always support him.
The Crown Prince had thought that things would continue like this, but now he realized that Pei Yu was not simply angry with him, but disappointed. He was very disappointed that, as the Crown Prince, he had been taught the way of a gentleman since childhood, yet he knew that the Su family was guilty and still protected them.
The Crown Prince, his face grim, spoke up loudly just as Emperor Xuan was about to pronounce the sentence, "Father, your son agrees with Minister Wang. Lady Song risked her life to seek justice for my father; her character is truly noble. I believe the punishment should not be moss, but rather..."
He glanced at Pei Yu furtively and noticed that his expression was indeed slightly gentler than before. "Fifty... no, it should be thirty!"
Su Wenyi's expression froze, and he looked up in disbelief. What was the Crown Prince doing? Had he helped the wrong person?
"Your Highness?" Su Wenyi called out tremblingly.
The Crown Prince did not turn around, remaining in the same bowing posture, awaiting His Majesty's decision.
Emperor Xuan was pleased to hear the Crown Prince's words; it was commendable that the Crown Prince could speak impartially without personal bias. However, the Crown Prince's next sentence made Emperor Xuan's expression froze, and he glared at him fiercely before ordering, "Since that's the case, then take him away and execute him!"
The Crown Prince hesitated, wanting to continue the discussion, but Pei Yu, quick-witted and agile, pulled him back, signaling him to shut up. Fifty zhang was already the maximum they could negotiate; anything lower would be unacceptable.
The crown prince looked at Pei Yu with shining eyes, tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Cousin, are you not angry with me anymore?"
He didn't hear Pei Yu's reply. The Crown Prince followed his gaze and saw that Huiyin had already stood up and was walking outside with two eunuchs. She was dressed in plain clothes and had a slender figure. Let alone fifty, she probably wouldn't even make it past thirty.
The others in the hall shared the same thought as the Crown Prince, and they all sighed in unison. Such a beautiful woman was about to perish here today; how pitiful and lamentable.
The prince whispered, "Cousin, you must think of something quickly, they're about to leave."
Pei Yu turned his head back with one hand and said impatiently, "Be quiet."
The prince obediently shut his mouth and stood back down, content that his cousin was willing to talk to him.
Huiyin walked out of the main hall, squinted and looked up at the sky. The sky was azure and the sun was shining brightly; it was a beautiful day.
Two eunuchs led her down the steps. At the bottom of the steps, a long wooden bench, as tall as a person and as wide as an arm, was already placed there. On both sides, four guards with swords and two executioners with wooden canes stood guard.
She walked silently to the instruments of torture, raised her hands so that the person behind her could remove the shackles. Perhaps out of pity, the person asked softly, "Do you have anything to say?"
Huiyin smiled and said, "Could I have a sugar pill before my execution?"
The man sighed, unable to bear it any longer, and said, "Eat it."
Huiyin took out the jade bottle from her waist and swallowed the pill in her mouth. When the Song family was destroyed, she had only hidden this pill. It was a precious medicine given to her father by a wandering immortal master, which could prolong the life of a seriously injured person by one day.
In the past, when her mother had no other medical help, she considered giving the medicine as a last resort. However, the doctor said that one of the ingredients in the medicine was incompatible with a certain medicine that her mother had been taking for a long time, and that giving it to her mother would only accelerate her mother's decline.
Huiyin gave up and kept the medicine until now, never expecting it to actually come in handy. As long as she has a breath left, one more day is enough.
Huiyin lay face down on the torture device, her hands bound to either side of her head, and her legs tightly tied to the stool, completely unable to struggle.
Someone handed her a clean handkerchief and instructed her, "Keep it in your mouth and never let go."
Huiyin nodded, bit her handkerchief tightly, closed her eyes, and waited anxiously.
She heard the two executioners begin to move, stopping beside her. The wooden canes tapped lightly on the ground, striking her heart as well.
The wooden cane was raised high and struck her back heavily. Huiyin groaned and bit down hard on her handkerchief. A burning sensation ran down her back, and the pain made her nails dig deep into her palms.
Another blow struck, and she could no longer bite down on the handkerchief in her mouth. Sweat soaked her forehead, and she lay pale-faced on the instrument of torture. Her plain white dress behind her was already torn.
Huiyin could no longer hear anything. This was the first time she had ever been in so much pain, even more so than when she had her period. The pain was so intense that she wanted to just faint and sleep soundly.
Whether it was the effect of the medicine or not, Huiyin felt a little itchy at the wound site, and her body was not as painful as before. When the third blow came, she didn't even cry out in pain, but blood involuntarily spilled from the corner of her mouth.
Huiyin lay there with her head down, waiting for the next stroke of the cane. After a while, she noticed someone untying the ropes binding her hands and loosening the restraints on her legs. Someone whispered gently in her ear, "Miss Song, His Majesty has spared you the caning. Please come with this old servant into the palace."
Huiyin raised her head, her pale lips now stained vivid with blood. The person speaking in her ear was the Emperor's close attendant, Attendant Wang. She asked in confusion, "Attendant Wang, why have you suddenly pardoned my punishment?"
Huiyin's voice was very soft, and Wang Changshi did not hear it clearly, thinking that she was talking nonsense in pain. He picked up the brocade handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of Huiyin's mouth, ordered the two eunuchs behind him to help Huiyin up, and hurriedly rushed into the palace.
Huiyin was hit with three lashes. Apart from looking a little weak, she was fine. The wound on her back was also not very painful because of the medicine, and she could still bear it.
She walked unsteadily, waiting to follow Attendant Wang up the steps, when she bumped into Pei Yu, who was coming out of the main hall. Pei Yu had a sword at his waist and walked out with a cold expression.
Huiyin slowed her pace upon seeing him. Why had Pei Yu left the palace?
Attendant Wang also saw Pei Yu, stopped in his tracks, and respectfully bowed to him, "General Pei, you..."
Pei Yu didn't stop walking. He raised one hand to interrupt Wang Changshi's words, paused slightly when his gaze swept over Huiyin, and then strode away as if he hadn't seen anything.
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