Chapter 202: Hello Chang’an
Chapter 202: She Comes to Save Herself
Facing Chang Suining, the arriving officers showed their badges and explained their purpose. The granddaughter of Feng Family had disappeared the night before her wedding, and her whereabouts were unknown. For several days, the capital's officials had tracked suspicious traces from Feng's residence to Xingning lane.
Hearing this, Chang Ren secretly rejoiced at the foresight of the young lady in not allowing General Ah Dian to accompany them. If he had been present, hearing such words, General Dian would have immediately refuted them, saying "Impossible, you're lying," and claiming that everything was cleaned up thoroughly.
However, the officer's words were indeed a fabrication. They could not have left any suspicious traces that night, as they had taken every precaution. The officers claimed to have a solid pretext, stating that a night watchman had seen a suspicious figure near the back gate of the Chang residence.
Once the officer finished speaking, he added, "We have been ordered to search for the missing young lady of the Feng family, and we ask for your cooperation. Please do not obstruct our actions."
Chang Suining not only nodded in agreement but also instructed Steward Bai to arrange for the servants to guide the officers.
As the officers went to search, Chang Suining whispered to Chang Ren, "Keep a close watch on them, make sure they don’t try anything underhanded or set us up with false evidence."
Outside the Chang residence, everything was under the holy Emperor's control. Inside, Chang Suining would not allow any mistakes.
The officers searched through every corner of the estate, leaving no stone unturned. They even overturned the firewood piles in the kitchen for inspection.
Some of the veteran soldiers watching could barely contain their anger.
Their General had made great contributions to the Empire, yet now, his son was wrongfully imprisoned, and these officers were treating the Chang family like a den of criminals based on a single made-up rumor!
"Where is the justice?" one of the soldiers muttered.
"Get out of the way!"
When an officer kicked the guard dog in the kitchen, causing it to yelp and run away, the old soldier was infuriated. He stepped forward to intervene but was stopped by a companion.
"The young lady said… keep a close watch on them. Don’t let them use provocations to catch us off guard," the companion whispered, his brow furrowed with concern.
Xiao Duan and Xiao Wu crouched down to comfort the frightened dog, hiding in the corner, watching the officers with fearful eyes.
After half a day of searching, the scene outside the Chang residence attracted attention and sparked discussions.
"Has something happened again at the Chang residence?"
"Could it be that the Chang family’s young master implicated the Chang family lady? Did she really incite the murder of Seventh Lady Changsun?"
"But those officers don't seem like they're from the Minister of Justice; they look like they’re from the capital's local officials."
Some people discussed, some speculated, and some sighed, "General Chang is fighting on the battlefield, yet these two children are left here in the capital, helpless..."
"Your words make it sound like the Chang family young master is being wronged. The evidence is clear now, both witnesses and material evidence!"
"Who are the witnesses?"
"Did you not hear? Last night, a monk at Dayun Temple hanged himself!"
This was no rumor.
The previous night, a monk at Dayun Temple had committed suicide in the maple forest at the back of the mountain, leaving behind a blood-written letter. In it, he confessed that he had witnessed Chang Sui'an committing the crime that day, but due to fear of bringing trouble upon himself and fearing the blame of not saving Seventh Lady Changsun, he had been unable to come forward with his testimony.
For these past days, the monk had been filled with remorse and guilt, thinking himself unworthy of being a monk. He had decided to end his life to atone for his sins, hoping for redemption.
This morning, the monk’s body and the letter had been sent to the Minister of Justice.
Because of secret communication, Chang Suining had learned about this incident before the Minister of Justice did.
First, she had made Li Lu remain silent. Then, using the need to protect Yao Yi’s reputation, she had transferred full responsibility for the case to Han Shaoqing, a trusted official of the holy Emperor.
Next, she had fabricated false testimony, and the so-called "witness" had left a letter and died, leaving no possibility for cross-examination.
Now, they were using the excuse of investigating the disappearance to search for Feng Min.
Compared to the previous actions of the Chang family, the current moves, orchestrated under the authority of the holy Emperor, were like a tightly woven net, swiftly tightening with no intention of leaving any room for escape for those caught within.
The sense of entrapment hung heavily over Chang Suining.
She stood in the front hall, watching the officers as they returned. She asked Xi’er, "How many more days until the first day of the month?"
Xi’er, although unsure of the reason behind the question, quickly answered, "Miss, it will be the day after tomorrow."
The day after tomorrow.
Chang Suining repeated the words in her mind.
The officers were already in front of her.
"Have you found anything?" she asked.
"Apologies for troubling your residence today," the lead officer, returning empty-handed, said, his face betraying some embarrassment. "However, the Feng family’s daughter holds a special status as the future concubine of the Marquis of Ying's son. Until we find her, we need to leave a few officers to monitor your residence. We hope you can understand."
Chang Suining replied, "Please, go ahead."
As she watched the officers leave, Xi’er’s heart was filled with unease. "Miss, they are clearly using this as an excuse to monitor us…"
To call it guarding would be no different from house arrest!
Chang Suining replied, "Monitoring is just one part of it."
Surveillance is one thing, but the real intent is to find Feng Min, the witness, and take her away.
Although Chang Ren and the others had left no trace of their actions that night, it wouldn't affect the conclusion that Feng Min was in her hands by tomorrow or the next day.
Finding Feng Min at the Chang residence would naturally be the best outcome. It would also provide an opportunity to frame her with a crime, making it impossible for her to escape.
Even if she couldn't be found, the officers wouldn't leave empty-handed. After the disturbance caused by these officers, rumors would spread quickly. Soon, it would be said that the disappearance of the side consort, who was to marry the Ming family’s heir, was related to the Chang family.
At first glance, this might seem unrelated to her older brother’s situation, but with the "preceding cause" in place, if she stubbornly insisted on bringing Feng Min to the officials to identify Ming Jin, the authorities could easily interpret this as her having kidnapped Feng Min and forced her to frame Ming Jin.
Thus, this search by the officers served to completely eliminate any usefulness Feng Min might have as a witness in her hands. In the end, even if the officials didn’t rebut, the public would likely refuse to believe Feng Min's testimony.
The methods of the holy Emperor were always more thorough, more comprehensive, and better at cutting off threats at their root. Moreover, they understood how to quell and reduce public "dissatisfaction."
In other words, after this, Feng Min would hold no value in Chang Suining’s hands.
Chang Suining emerged from the corridor.
What she lacked here, she could still find elsewhere.
On the horizon, the cold wind tore at the dark clouds. Between their struggle, raindrops began to fall.
The rain came swiftly, and people on the long street hurried their steps.
Two carriages met head-on, with one driving particularly fast. The coachman of the slower carriage tried to avoid the collision but still couldn’t entirely escape. One side of the carriage was scraped, and the horses nearly tipped over.
Inside one of the carriages, a young boy injured his forehead and angrily threw open the carriage curtain.
The coachmen and servants on both sides were already arguing.
A person walked out from the opposite carriage, seemingly indifferent, with an air of complete disregard.
Changsun Ji recognized him. "…Young Master Cui?"
"I’m sorry, your head’s been broken," Cui Lang said with a soft hiss, "But you did the same to Sui'an brother's head the other day, so I suppose we're even!"
Changsun Ji had initially respected the fact that the other was from the Cui family, but upon hearing this, his expression immediately soured. "You did that on purpose!"
"So what if I did?" Cui Lang, holding an umbrella, walked provocatively toward Changsun Ji, relying on his few years and taller height to seem more imposing. "Maybe this bump on your head will fix things. You might even thank me later."
Changsun Ji opened his mouth to retort, but Cui Lang didn’t give him a chance: "Speaking of heads… we should get it checked."
Cui Lang glanced at the injury on the young boy’s forehead, then took off his money pouch and put it in Changsun Ji’s hand, patting it lightly. "Here’s some silver as compensation."
Not paying any attention to Changsun Ji’s angered face, he ordered Changsun Ji’s servants: "The Rejuvenation Hall is just ahead. Take your young master there quickly. If you delay and the injury worsens, it won't be good!"
This was plainly an insult!
"Young Master Cui is truly going too far!" Changsun Ji clenched the pouch tightly, about to throw it away. But when he met Cui Lang’s eyes—eyes with no real malice—he suddenly realized the pouch felt off.
"Did you just realize that I, Cui Lang, like to bully people?" Cui Lang shrugged off his damp sleeves. "Let's go, let's go, the rain is heavy. It's not the right time for a fight."
Seeing Cui Lang return to his carriage, Changsun Ji’s servants were furious. "Young master, we can’t just let them go like this!"
"I have my grandfather's orders today. I don’t have time to quarrel with him. We’ll settle this later!" Changsun Ji said darkly. "Let’s go!"
The boy returned to the carriage and immediately opened the pouch.
Sure enough, there was no silver inside, only a small bamboo tube about the size of a thumb.
He had felt something strange in his hand earlier and hadn't immediately thrown it away.
Opening the bamboo tube, he found a rolled-up note inside.
Changsun Ji quickly unrolled it, revealing just two lines of small writing:
"The truth is hidden behind the Guanyin Temple in the west of the city. You’ll understand when you see it. Be cautious in your actions, and don’t alert the enemy."
It was signed only with the character "Chang."
The young boy’s youthful brow furrowed, and after much thought, he decided not to act on his own. Instead, he returned home and gave the note to his grandfather, Changsun Yuan.
After reading it, Changsun Yuan thought for a moment, then secretly sent someone to the location mentioned in the note, repeatedly instructing them to avoid drawing attention.
Apart from other matters, the fact that the Chang family’s lady used a reckless young man like Young Master Cui to pass on such a message showed that there were likely many eyes and ears watching from the shadows.
And the eyes on the Chang family were always numerous.
As night fell, a young girl, severely injured and unconscious, was silently brought back to the Changsun residence in a sack.
Though unconscious, she was accompanied by a letter—more specifically, her confession.
Looking at the events described on the letter, Changsun Yuan’s expression changed several times.
Ming family... Ming Jin?!
"Father..." Changsun Yan, after reading the note, could hardly suppress the anger in his heart but remained doubtful. "Could it be that the Chang family woman is trying to clear her brother's name? How can we be sure it's not fabricated?"
Changsun Yuan looked at the unconscious girl with closed eyes. "First, wake her up."
Feng Min didn’t regain consciousness until late at night. As soon as she woke, she recognized the cold, gaunt face of the man before her—it was none other than the current Prime Minister, Changsun Yuan, and the father of Seventh Lady Changsun, whom she had indirectly caused to die.
The elderly man’s gaze was as sharp as a blade. "Tell me again, word for word, the details of the day when you two committed the crime."
Feng Min was terrified but dared not disobey.
Her voice trembled as she recounted the events.
Seeing the fear and regret in the girl’s tear-streaked face, Changsun Yuan’s heart ached like a knife wound. He asked slowly, "What was the last thing Xuan'er said?"
This was a test to determine the truth, and also a father's desire to hear his wrongly dead daughter’s last words in this world.
"Seventh Lady Changsun told her maid, she said..." At that time, Changsun Xuan was being choked by Ming Jin, her voice weak and fearful. Feng Min, crying as she spoke, echoed, "Shu Xin, quickly, quickly go find Xiaozao…"
Shu Xin was Changsun Xuan's maid. Xiaozao was a unique nickname Changsun Xuan used for her nephew, Changsun Ji, a name that outsiders wouldn’t know.
Changsun Ji, gripping his fists and his eyes red with emotion, froze for a moment upon hearing those words. Then, unable to hold back, he abruptly turned, flung open the door, and ran into the corridor.
The boy, disregarding his image, stood in the corridor and wept, the sound of his cries mixing with the rain.
When his little aunt had met with misfortune, he had been picking chrysanthemums in the back mountain. He hadn't seen her for a long time and had intended to look for her, but along the way, a few friends had called him over. They had made plans to play cuju after returning to the city. The conversation grew long, and so, he forgot about looking for his little aunt.
It was all his fault!
The boy cried louder, overwhelmed with grief, self-blame, and regret.
Feng Min had already been taken away.
Inside, Changsun Yan's eyes also contained sorrow and suppressed anger. "Father, what do you think? Is this credible?"
Although Feng Min’s words seemed flawless, since it concerned the Ming family, it had to be handled with great caution to avoid being manipulated or stirred up by others.
Changsun Yuan tightly gripped the armrests of his chair. "Immediately send someone to thoroughly investigate every action of the Ming family, mother and son, over the past few days... Be quick."
It would be hard to uncover hidden truths without any leads. However, if they first obtained an "answer," retracing their steps would often reveal the flaws. Even if they couldn’t find concrete evidence, determining the truth would be enough.
Changsun Yan agreed and then asked, "What if it really was Ming Jin’s doing?"
Changsun Yuan responded coldly: "He must pay with his life."
...
Chang Suining naturally wasn’t afraid of Changsun family investigating the truth—if it was real, then she wouldn’t fear the investigation.
She chose to send Feng Min to the Changsun family, not only to borrow their strength but also to preserve the value of Feng Min as a witness.
The Changsun family had their methods, and she believed they would soon confirm the matter, at which point they would take action.
The Changsun family could use Feng Min’s testimony to exert pressure on the Ming family in the court, but that alone wouldn’t be enough.
At least the Ming family still had room to argue, and this confrontation would take a long time to resolve. But her older brother didn’t have the luxury of time.
The Changsun family’s role lay in the political and power struggles, and while they would insist on justice for Seventh Lady Changsun, the justice they sought wouldn’t be as precise as saving her brother’s life.
Each party had different goals, and that was the nature of interests—no matter how wronged her brother was in prison, it wouldn’t affect the Changsun family’s pursuit of justice for Seventh Lady Changsun.
Thus, the Changsun family was merely a tool for her, not an ally in life or death, nor a partner in whom to place all her hopes.
Her family’s sons still needed her to save them.
The rain continued through the night.
The following morning, Chang Suining donned her robes, tied her cloak, and took the short sword that Cui Jing had given her at the apprenticeship banquet—its edge so sharp it could cut jade like clay.
Goodnight~
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