Chapter 14
Chapter 14
By the time I rushed to Tai Prison with the evidence, the Shen Family’s white silk and poisoned wine had already arrived.
Not a single word of explanation followed.
The poisoned wine, delivered by his own kin, represented the attitude of the entire clan.
The Shen Family was a century-old lineage of scholars, having reached the pinnacle of glory a hundred years ago. They had produced an Imperial Tutor and two Grand Secretaries; for such a family, reputation was more important than life or death.
The mere association of a Shen descendant with a corruption case was a greater concern than the truth itself.
For the Shen Family, having Shen Ci prove his integrity through death was the best choice.
“A disciple of the Shen Family would rather die than be disgraced.”
Shen Ci sat in his cell, his posture impeccable.
Dressed in an iris-blue plain robe, his collar and sleeves were meticulously aligned without a hint of disarray. He looked entirely out of place in the dark, cramped, and filthy prison.
He was like a stalk of elegant bamboo, transplanted without cause into muddy soil.
He suddenly wondered if, when his grandfather was framed and chose to prove his integrity through death, that cup of wine had also been sent by the family.
Now, the same scene was repeating itself.
His grandmother’s stern face appeared in his mind.
When he was a child, his cousin had snatched his toy at a banquet and quarreled with him.
His grandmother had punished him by making him kneel in the ancestral hall for a day and a night. No matter how he explained that it was his cousin who had been disrespectful first, it was useless.
“Does the reason matter? Because of your nonsense, the Shen Family became a laughingstock at the banquet. People are saying the younger generation of the Shen Family has no virtue.”
From then on, he strictly observed every etiquette. He became a master of poetry, classics, chess, and martial arts. In his youth, his talent stunned the world; his essays and policy papers were circulated throughout the land, and he was his mentor’s most prized pupil.
At a Qingliu Poetry Gathering hosted by a highly respected elder, Shen Ci and several other disciples were asked to compose poems for a competition. While the poems were being passed around for review, his competitor spilled ink onto his work, causing Shen Ci to lose the top spot.
That competitor, however, was ranked first by the noble scholars in attendance.
His grandmother punished him by making him copy the Classic of Rites a hundred times. When he tried to explain, she struck him with a whip in a fit of rage.
“Do you have evidence? Speaking of it will only make people laugh at the Shen Family for being sore losers. The winner is Second Young Master Zhao. From now on, people will only remember that the Zhao Family’s poem surpassed the Shen Family’s. Who will bother to ask you for the reason?”
“Frivolous and careless in the face of matters, leading to the damage of the family’s reputation.”
“The world never looks at the reason, only at success or failure. A son of the Shen Family either wins without a speck of dust on him, or dies with his innocence intact.”
It turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Shen Ci lowered his eyes and took the poisoned wine.
White silk leaves marks; his grandmother would not want the Shen Family to leave behind an unsightly corpse.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the distance of the prison corridor. The person was running fast and urgently.
Who would come?
It certainly wouldn’t be his parents, who were completely submissive to his grandmother.
And it certainly wouldn’t be his political enemies, who wished for nothing more than his death.
It was a woman with a face devoid of color and dark circles under her eyes.
Holding an armful of dossiers, she charged into the cell with all her might, accidentally knocking the poisoned wine out of his hand in the process.
“Where did this uncouth woman come from…”
The family’s old servant grew anxious and stepped forward with a frown.
“I am Jiang Rui, Hanlin Academy Editor and the Imperial Commissioner personally appointed by His Majesty for the Canal Transport Case.”
Her face was cold and her aura was imposing, instantly causing the old servant’s voice to falter.
“Lord Jiang, this is what the Old Madam ordered…”
“Shut up. You have no right to speak here.”
It was that Compiler Jiang-the one who usually spoke so informally, yet whose work, investigations, and reports were so flawless he couldn’t find a single fault.
She wasn’t particularly tall, but at this moment, she stood before him like a giant, blocking the old servant’s prying eyes.
“Shen Ci, I found the evidence that proves your innocence.”
I got straight to the point, spreading out the pile of papers in my arms. “These are your manuscripts and draft memorials I requested from the Censorate Bureau. I compared them with the handwriting in the secret letters. Although they are highly similar, the characters in the secret letters often have a distinct sharp finish, whereas yours do not.”
“Furthermore, I checked the origin and batches of that letter paper. This specific batch of paper only entered the capital for use after the Canal Transport Case broke out.”
“Shen Ci, just give me a little more time. I will find the ironclad proof that proves your innocence.”
I was about to pull out the next chapter when Shen Ci interrupted me.
“Compiler Jiang, you should present these to His Majesty. There is no need to come here specifically for this.”
He took the wine cup handed to him by the old servant.
I gripped his wrist, my gaze sharp and piercing.
“So, you intend to die regardless of whether you are innocent or not?”
“My Lord, this was ordered by our Old Madam…” the old servant said with heavy-hearted earnestness.
Without turning my head, I said coldly, “Was I asking you?”
Seeing that she had finally shut her mouth, I looked at Shen Ci.
“Shen Ci, I only ask you this: are you willing to die like this?”
“Are you willing to die when you are clearly innocent?”
Shen Ci did not give a direct answer. “Jiang Rui, every day I remain alive, the difficulty of your investigation increases, and the humiliation the Shen Family suffers lasts another day. Everyone in the Shen Family, and everyone in the imperial court, is waiting for me to die.”
I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in days due to the back-to-back investigations. I couldn’t believe that such a massive error could occur at this stage with Shen Ci.
“If they want you to die, you just obediently go and die?” I pressed him, step by step.
“Then I don’t want you to die. Will you listen to me?”
Shen Ci’s eyes flickered. Knowing my words were having an effect, I struck while the iron was hot.
“Shen Ci, you once said in court: ‘Do not conceal errors, stand upright and just.’ Yet here you are, fueling a mistake and crushing the spirit of those who seek justice. Your way of being an official and your family’s precepts are in conflict. Shen Ci, what will you do?”
With that, I gripped his wrist and forced him to tip the cup, splashing the poisoned wine away.
The old servant behind us finally lost her patience and stepped forward. “Lord Jiang, who in this world cares about the reasons? They only look at the results. The fact is that our master’s conduct was improper, which is why he was implicated in this corruption case.”
With trembling hands, she offered a length of white silk to Shen Ci. “Please, Young Master, preserve the Shen Family’s reputation.”
I snatched the white silk and threw it aside. “I care about the reasons! Plenty of people in this world care about the reasons and want the truth!”
“Only ignorant, life-destroying people like you are blind and heartless, pushing others to the brink.”
The old servant was so angry she could hardly breathe, but I unceremoniously kicked her out of the cell anyway.
I summoned the jailer and displayed the Emperor’s Golden Edict. “No one from the Shen Family is allowed to visit. If anything happens to Shen Ci before the case is cleared, I will hold you personally responsible.”
After giving the orders, I saw Shen Ci still standing in the same spot, eyes downcast, his expression unreadable.
I walked up to him. “Shen Ci, you are an upright official. I don’t believe you haven’t questioned whether the Shen Family’s actions were wrong.”
His hand was still raised, his wrist stained with the spilled poisoned wine.
I offered him a handkerchief, but he was lost in thought and didn’t take it. I could only sigh and take his hand myself.
I used the cloth to slowly wipe away the poison.
“Shen Ci, those things you doubted-they were indeed wrong.”
“Those people waiting for you to die are a bunch of decaying old men and women, a group of parasites in the bureaucracy who can’t tell right from wrong and only care about profit.”
“To require you to die to prove your innocence is a fallacy in itself.”
“If everyone in the world had to use death to prove their innocence and maintain their reputation, then what would be the point of me, you, or the people at the Dali Temple? Even commoners know to go to the magistrate when they are wronged. For a century-old clan like the Shen Family to use death to prove innocence is simply foolish.”
“As a Censor, you should be standing with people like me to question injustice and tear off the masks in the shadows. We were both born for the sake of fairness.”
Having said my piece, I stuffed the handkerchief into his palm.
Suddenly, I realized something was wrong with the cloth. I had been in such a hurry when leaving that I seemed to have grabbed the one Yun Jian gave me.
Just as I was about to take it back discreetly, this fellow Shen Ci gripped it tightly and refused to let go.
I had no choice but to let it be, thinking I’d find an opportunity to get it back next time.
Before leaving, I patted his shoulder.
“Shen Ci, wait for me.”
“Within seven days, I will uncover the truth of the case and clear your name.”
After walking a long distance, I turned back and saw Shen Ci still watching me. I waved at him and finally stepped out of the Tai Prison.