Chapter 206: Hello Chang’an
Chapter 206: A Path to Survival
By noon, Chang Sui'an's confession had already been delivered to the palace.
He had confessed, and the next step was for the three offices to determine his punishment.
According to the Da Sheng laws, anyone who kills is to be executed by beheading.
Da Sheng also had a ban on executions during certain months, specifically before the autumn harvest in September. However, today was the last day of September, so if the death sentence was carried out, the execution would be imminent.
Thus, in the afternoon, at the Xuan Zheng Hall, Wei Shuyi spoke up regarding the matter: "… Now that General Chang is leading an army to suppress the rebels, if his son is executed, it may harm his loyalty and affect the battle situation. Therefore, I dare to request His Majesty to reconsider."
Previously, they had tried to intercede on behalf of Chang Sui'an, but now that he had "confessed," exonerating him seemed almost impossible. Therefore, they could only try to negotiate for leniency to save Chang Sui'an's life.
"Your Majesty, what Wei Shiyi says is reasonable," said Prime Minister Zhu, who rarely agreed with Wei Shuyi. But at this moment, he too spoke in support: "General Chang has worked hard and achieved great merits, and he has only this son to carry on the family line. If this son is lost, it would be as though the bloodline is severed… Wouldn't this discourage the morale of the military?"
Although Grand Tutor Zhu viewed the idea of continuing the family line as mere superstition, the situation was exceptional, and he was now using a "poison to fight poison" approach.
He spoke with increasing solemnity: "...Moreover, the young lady from the Chang family is also missing, and her life or death is unknown. If something were to happen to her, how would General Chang, with his battle wounds, return to the capital and face the court and the people?"
"Please, Your Majesty, think carefully!"
There were many who agreed with this line of argument.
But there were just as many voices opposing it.
"Are you saying that the young lady of the Changsun family should die unjustly, and the murderer should go unpunished?"
"He has confessed to his crime. If we cannot uphold the law and punish him, how can we ensure justice? Where is the authority of the law?"
These voices did not include officials from the Chang family. Changsun Yuan had been absent from court due to illness for several days.
But even without Changsun Yuan's direct involvement, there were still plenty of others applying pressure in his stead, or using his name to influence various parties.
The Emperor, watching the ongoing debate among her ministers, did not give a clear statement.
At this point, where was that girl? Had she truly encountered an accident, or was she... not the one they called Chongyue?
...
"Father, now that we know the killer is Ming Jin, why don’t we make this public immediately?"
In the Changsun household, Changsun Ji had learned of Chang Sui'an’s confession and was now urgently questioning his father.
Changsun Yan replied, "The evidence is still insufficient; the timing is not right."
"But Father, if we continue like this, that young man from the Chang family will lose his life!"
Changsun Yan looked at his son. "Ah Ji, you should understand, the one who falsely accused the Chang family’s young man was never us, the Changsun family. It was the Ming family, and it was the holy Emperor. One day, the world will know the truth."
"But... are we really just going to watch as the Chang family’s young man is unjustly killed?" The thirteen-year-old boy, though still immature, was far from foolish, and his perspective was broad. "General Chang is still in Yangzhou. If someone takes advantage of this and stirs up trouble... what if General Chang turns against the court and joins the rebels?"
Changsun Yan replied, "The battle in Yangzhou is not against the court, but against the illegitimate Ming emperor... They are trying to support the Crown Prince, the legitimate Li bloodline. How can you call it 'rebellion'?"
Changsun Ji was stunned.
After a moment, he lowered his voice and asked, "Father... is there any connection between the rise of Xu Zhengye’s rebellion and our Changsun family? Did Grandpa know about it?"
Or... was he complicit?
"You are still young, your thoughts are unsettled, and there are some matters you don’t need to worry about for now. Everything in the family is arranged by your grandfather. As for your aunt's case, we will take action when the time is right, and your grandfather and I will seek justice."
Changsun Yan didn’t want to say more to his son. "Go back now. Tomorrow, for the Confucius ritual, you and the clan members will attend."
"Yes."
Changsun Ji left the study, feeling extremely depressed.
So, Grandpa knew about Xu Zhengye’s rebellion, right? Is Grandpa using this to pressure the Empress? Just like those historical cases of military admonitions? Now, seeing the Chang family’s young master unjustly killed… was this also part of Grandpa's plan?
The intricate web of interests behind all this—layer upon layer—seems to be the "big matter" my father speaks of... but the life and death of that innocent, wronged boy, who was struck with an inkstone by him, is just a small matter, one that no one cares about?
No, at least the boy’s family must care. To them, it is a matter of utmost importance, just like how he lost his little aunt...
After much hesitation, Changsun Ji still arrived outside the Ministry of Justice dungeon and requested to see Chang Sui’an.
Recalling the incident when the young boy openly struck a prisoner, the jailer dared not make a decision on his own, but also did not want to offend the Changsun family, so he went to seek instructions from Han Shaoqing.
Han Shaoqing allowed it, but instructed the jailer to pass on his message to the Changsun family’s young master: Don’t make things difficult for the Ministry of Justice.
Of course, this was just a formal statement for the sake of disclaiming any responsibility afterward. He wasn’t afraid of any retaliatory actions from the Changsun family; in fact, he would even welcome it.
After the jailer unlocked the cell, Changsun Ji saw Chang Sui’an.
The young boy spoke coldly: "I want to speak with him alone."
Though the jailer thought that the prisoner could no longer say anything useful, he still agreed, though he didn’t dare move too far away.
"Chang Sui’an?"
"Wake up."
Changsun Ji crouched down and nudged the unconscious boy. Seeing no response, he frowned.
Instinctively, he looked at the boy’s forehead, but he could no longer see the mark from the injury he had caused that day. It wasn’t because his strike was light, but because the boy’s injuries were so numerous that it was impossible to distinguish one from another.
But soon, he noticed the most severe wound, a bleeding injury on the boy’s shoulder.
He had heard of the harsh punishment Chang Sui’an had suffered, but he didn’t expect it to be so many severe injuries...
Avoiding the jailer's gaze, Changsun Ji took out the medicine he had brought and poured it onto the wound, pressing down with his palm to stop the bleeding.
Perhaps from the intense pain, Chang Sui’an slightly furrowed his brow and made a low sound.
"What did you say?"
Changsun Ji leaned in to listen.
The boy’s cracked, pale lips emitted a mumbling voice: "Ning... Ning..."
Changsun Ji heard him this time.
After a moment, he whispered in the boy’s ear: "Don’t worry. Miss Chang is safe. She sent me to tell you. She said, you must hold on, you can’t let anything happen to you."
Hearing this, the boy’s frown slowly relaxed. After a while, he weakly muttered, "Okay..."
A moment later, he added, "Thank you..."
His mind was hazy, unable to distinguish who the visitor was, but he still expressed his gratitude.
Changsun Ji froze for a moment, then turned his head away, suddenly feeling his eyes burn.
When the bleeding had finally stopped, he removed his hand and took out medicine for internal injuries, putting a pill in the boy’s mouth.
"Sorry."
The young boy, filled with shame and guilt, said, "This is all I can do. I hope you hold on."
After Changsun Ji left, the jailer, taking advantage of the fact that the dungeon head had gone to accompany Young Master Changsun, hurriedly went to check on Chang Sui’an.
Seeing that the bleeding had stopped, the jailer quietly sighed in relief.
"Young Master Chang, please eat some..." He took out a bowl of vegetable porridge and fed it to Chang Sui’an.
The porridge also contained medicine to aid healing, as instructed by Yao Yi.
"When I was young, my father and I were saved by General Chang and His Highness the former Crown Prince during the war..." The jailer’s voice choked up as he continued, "I believe General Chang’s family’s young master could never have killed anyone. I know you’ve been wronged."
"You have to survive. Only then will you have the chance to clear your name..."
A tear slid out from the corner of Chang Sui’an's closed eyes.
The jailer tried feeding another spoonful. Chang Sui’an swallowed it down.
Soon, the jailer finished feeding the entire bowl of porridge.
The drowsy young boy opened his mouth again.
"..." The jailer looked at the empty bowl, somewhat at a loss.
Tomorrow, he would definitely bring a bigger bowl!
...
At the same time, Qiao Yang, the head of the Imperial Academy, was preparing for tomorrow’s grand ceremony at the Confucian Temple.
The ceremony on the first day of the tenth month to honor Confucius was an important event for everyone at the Imperial Academy.
The ceremony would take place at the Confucian Temple, led by the teachers and students of the Imperial Academy, with the headmaster presiding as the main officiant. Court officials would also participate, along with many esteemed scholars and literati.
"Father..." Qiao Yubai returned from outside.
"Is everything arranged?" Qiao Yang, asked in a low voice.
Qiao Yubai nodded seriously: "Father, don't worry."
Then he added, "Master Wu Jue has sent the items over; they’re in the courtyard now."
Qiao Yan immediately went to check.
A large box, unloaded from a mule cart, was placed in the courtyard. Qiao Yan stepped forward to open it, and a young monk around ten years old stood up, pressing his palms together and chanting "Amitabha Buddha."
Qiao Yan was startled: "…Why is it a person?"
He quickly asked the young monk, "Where is the crane I asked for?"
What was Wu Jue thinking at such a critical time? Couldn’t he tell the difference between a person and a crane?
"Amitabha Buddha, once I have arrived, the crane will also come."
The young monk took a short flute from his waist, put it to his lips, and blew. As the flute's sound echoed, a white crane flew over.
The crane landed beside the young monk, who lowered the flute.
Qiao Yan was astonished and quickly made a gesture of respect: "My apologies, my apologies..."
Both the crane and the divine elephant were symbols of peace and good omens. There was a year when, during a spring sacrifice at Dahuansi, a crane flew in with a peach branch in its beak and circled above the altar for a long time without leaving. This event was widely spread.
However, Qiao Yan knew that the crane had been raised by Wu Jue. This crane was skilled in performing the crane dance and could follow commands.
But today, he learned that the monk raising the crane at Dahuansi was only a ten-year-old boy.
...
At midnight, a sudden knocking on the door woke Qian Shuang, who had been sleeping restlessly: "…Who is it?"
A servant’s voice came from outside: "The young master requests Miss Qian Shuang to come serve him!"
Qian Shuang instinctively clutched her blanket and trembled, replying, "I… I’ll get up and prepare myself right away!"
"Be quick, don’t keep the young master waiting too long!"
Qian Shuang hurriedly got out of bed, lit a lamp, and after quickly dressing, sat at her vanity. She tried to shape her eyebrows but froze when she saw her face in the mirror—her skin was covered in scabs from the wounds.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn’t dare delay. She hastily drew on her eyebrows, applied powder, and put on rouge, but it did little to hide the scars, instead making her look unnatural and grotesque.
Would she really have to face that mad young master with this face?
At this hour, he suddenly summoned her; it was probably another emotional breakdown... She feared the torment that awaited her.
Fear, humiliation, and unspoken hatred overwhelmed Qian Shuang, and she broke down, crying in front of the mirror.
But no one came to comfort her.
The servant had delivered the message and left.
Though she was only a concubine, when she was in favor, there had always been little maids serving her with attentiveness. Now, however, none of the maids dared approach her, afraid of being implicated.
The small courtyard was deathly silent, with only the occasional sound of the wind. Gradually, Qian Shuang stopped crying.
Soon, the courtyard’s apricot tree was draped in satin. Qian Shuang stepped onto a stool.
Between choosing suicide or being beaten to death, she chose the former.
The stool was kicked away, her body hanging in midair, her face twisted in pain.
The next moment, someone appeared, catching her body and saving her.
Sitting on the ground, Qian Shuang coughed for a moment, her eyes full of tears. Seeing the person, she froze: "…Why are you here?"
The woman in front of her was middle-aged, dressed as a servant. Because of her rough appearance, many in the household referred to her as the "ugly servant."
However, she was skilled in embroidery and had worked as a seamstress for over ten years in the Ming family.
The woman said: "Miss Qian Shuang, are you really willing to die like this?"
"You saw it yourself, look at me now…" Qian Shuang gave a self-deprecating smile. "I used to mock and shame you for your looks, and now this is my punishment."
She had once relied on her beauty to earn the young master’s favor, but in the end, it was this very beauty that led to her downfall.
The "ugly servant" did not show a trace of resentment. Instead, she sighed and said, "My daughter is the same age as you."
Hearing those kind, gentle words, Qian Shuang’s eyes suddenly filled with tears.
She had a mother, but her mother had passed away. If it weren’t for that, she would never have been sold into the Ming family as a servant.
In the midst of despair and coldness, Qian Shuang suddenly hugged the woman in front of her, the only one who could give her a shred of warmth.
The woman gently patted her back.
Qian Shuang cried out her suffering.
"Poor child…" The woman softly asked, "I can show you a way out. Would you be willing to take it?"
"What way out do I have?" Qian Shuang spoke in a hoarse voice, murmuring, "My only way out, I’m afraid…"
She was afraid her only option was to have the person who made her life unbearable die, so that she could have a chance to live.
The woman gently held her shoulders and nodded at her.
When Qian Shuang looked into her eyes, she was suddenly startled, shaking her head: "No, I can't do it…"
"I'm not asking you to do it yourself. Why don’t you listen to me first?" The woman’s voice was soothing, and gradually, Qian Shuang calmed down.
...
The wine-soaked Ming Jin had long been waiting impatiently. As soon as Qian Shuang entered his bedroom, he grabbed her by the neck.
After a barrage of vulgar insults, he threw her roughly to the ground and grabbed a porcelain bottle to throw at her.
Qian Shuang scrambled to dodge, panic written all over her face.
The porcelain bottle shattered beside her, with shards scattering everywhere.
"You dare to dodge?" Ming Jin crouched down in front of her, grabbing her hair bun with one hand and picking up a piece of porcelain with the other. He began to test it on her face: "Let me see where to punish you..."
As he spoke, his hand paused, stopping just at the corner of Qian Shuang's eye.
He suddenly asked with great interest, "How about I gouge out one of your eyes?"
Qian Shuang shook her head and struggled to break free: "Young master, please spare me!"
Ming Jin forcefully twisted her head back to face him.
"Your servant has been truly devoted to the young master. The person who harmed you is not me!" Qian Shuang cried with her eyes closed in fear. "It was the madam of the Chang family who harmed you... You should seek revenge on her!"
Ming Jin’s expression darkened: "What did you say?"
"Your servant… Your servant heard it from the madam herself!"
Ming Jin fixed his gaze on her: "What did you hear?"
"Your servant overheard the madam saying that she had discovered that the reason the young master's horse lost control at the racetrack that day was because Chang Suining had sabotaged it!"
Ming Jin's eyes turned icy cold.
"No wonder..." He seemed to realize something. "No wonder that horse was subdued by her afterward!"
He should have realized it earlier!
"This vile woman... She has done this to me!"
"I will personally tear her apart!"
"I’ve heard that the woman is missing... I must find her!"
Qian Shuang's gaze shifted uncomfortably.
Ming Jin saw it and grabbed the back of her neck: "What’s wrong? Do you know where she is?!"
Qian Shuang hesitated before answering.
"You just said… you overheard my mother talking about this. How did you hear it? You eavesdropped, didn't you?" Ming Jin stared at her without blinking. "Tell me, is the disappearance of that woman related to my mother?"
He wasn't a fool. Yesterday, Ming Luo had suddenly returned and tried to test whether he knew his mother's whereabouts.
His mother had disappeared, and now that woman was missing too. Could it be a coincidence?
"…Yes, I overheard the madam instructing Old Lady Liao to hire someone to kill her…" Qian Shuang trembled as she spoke. "She said that once the job was done, they would take that madam to the villa in the madam's dowry!"
Ming Jin: "The job is done? Is Chang Suining dead or alive now?"
Qian Shuang shook her head, crying: "Your servant only overheard that much. What happened after, I don’t know…"
Ming Jin stared at her, scrutinizing: "You vile woman, you wouldn't be trying to deceive me, would you? Trying to escape punishment?"
"Your servant wouldn't dare!"
Ming Jin suddenly smiled. "Whether it's true or not, I’ll find out when I go."
After all, it was his mother’s place, so it wouldn’t matter if he went there.
"But you’ll accompany me," he said, dragging Qian Shuang to her feet. "If you lie to me, if I don’t find that vile woman there, I’ll slice you into pieces and feed you to the dogs!"
...
Ming Jin was under house arrest, but by late at night, when the other servants in the manor noticed, he had already left.
Even so, he was originally unable to leave, as there were guards at the back gate of the Ming residence day and night.
However, just before Ming Jin left, the two of them had already been drugged and taken down by the ugly servant.
Soon, Ming Jin successfully boarded the carriage, with his personal servant driving. The servant never dared to defy him.
Inside the carriage, at Ming Jin’s request, Qian Shuang, as usual, remained calm and made tea for him.
While he wasn't paying attention, she secretly sprinkled a small packet of powder into the teapot.
"Young master…"
When the tea was at the right temperature, Qian Shuang carefully presented the tea cup.
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