Chapter 20

Chapter 20

At long last, she had spoken the words buried deep in her heart for years.

For the past three years, everyone in the Xie Family had believed that allowing her to marry Xie Yuheng was an act of charity on their part.

Even Xie Yuheng himself thought so.

That was why they naturally placed themselves above her, presuming to order her around and pass judgment on everything she did.

Madam Lin stared wide-eyed at Ji Hanyi, who stood before her.

Ji Hanyi was dressed in pale indigo. Her eyes were neither cold nor warm, and her green earrings hung perfectly still. She stood there as respectfully as she did every other day, yet the sight of her today made Madam Lin’s chest tighten again and again.

Madam Lin pointed at Ji Hanyi, but for a long moment, she could not think of anything to say.

No one else knew how this marriage had been arranged, but she knew. Master knew, and Old Madam knew as well.

Back then, Ji Hanyi’s father, Ji Jing, had been an extraordinary talent. Not only was he tall and strikingly handsome, but he had also placed as the Third-Ranked Palace Graduate in the imperial examinations and earned the high regard of Chief Grand Secretary Shen.

Despite being a poor scholar with no family background or connections, he had risen to become an Investigating Censor in a mere seven years.

An Investigating Censor might have been only a seventh-rank official, but the position wielded tremendous authority and offered ample opportunity to achieve merit. Promotion generally came within three to five years.

Sure enough, a few years later, Ji Jing was promoted to Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

That same year, Master had indeed run into trouble.

At the time, Master was serving as Assistant Commissioner of the Salt Transport Commission. After offending someone, he was falsely accused by an Investigating Censor of accepting bribes in exchange for allocating salt.

It was Ji Jing who overturned the charges brought by the Ministry of Punishments and cleared Master’s name.

Later, Master sent gifts to express his gratitude, but Ji Jing returned every last one. Feeling there was no other way to repay him, Master proposed a marriage alliance between their families.

The Ji Family initially refused. It was only after Master pleaded repeatedly and promised that there would be only one wife and no concubines that the Ji Family finally agreed.

Madam Lin had never told anyone about any of this. That person from the Gu Family had merely mentioned it earlier, yet Madam Lin already felt thoroughly embarrassed.

It had all happened so long ago that she would have forgotten it entirely if no one had brought it up.

Xie Jin, who stood nearby, knew nothing of this. After hearing Ji Hanyi’s words, she sneered.

“Given your circumstances back then, who else would have been willing to marry you besides my brother?”

“The Xie Family was willing to take you in, yet instead of being grateful, you mean to repay kindness with hostility?”

Madam Lin cut Xie Jin off and looked down at Ji Hanyi.

“There is no need to bring up the past. You and Yuheng are already married, so none of that needs to be mentioned again.”

“As for your cousin’s case, the Xie Family truly cannot help. You made that clear to your aunt long ago.”

Ji Hanyi saw through it all. She straightened slightly.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I will not trouble the Xie Family.”

With that, Ji Hanyi lowered her gaze, excused herself, and left.

Madam Lin watched Ji Hanyi’s retreating figure. After recovering from her earlier agitation, she picked up her tea again to calm herself.

Unable to hold back, Xie Jin sat down beside Madam Lin and asked, “Mother, why did you interrupt me just now?”

Madam Lin glanced at Xie Jin.

“There is no need to discuss those things. You know what your father is like. Back then, he insisted that Yuheng marry Ji Hanyi. Once he had spoken, the matter was settled, regardless of anything else.”

“There is nothing more to say. Your father is stubborn. If he found out you had said such things, he would certainly reprimand you.”

Xie Jin froze.

She recalled how, three years ago, her brother had kept stalling and refused to go propose. Mother had also suggested canceling the marriage arrangement with the Ji Family, offering Ji Hanyi some compensation, and allowing her brother and Li Mingrou to be together instead.

But Father had flown into a rage and declared that doing so would be dishonorable. After that, Mother had never dared mention it again.

And it was true. As long as Father remained determined, Ji Hanyi would have had to be married into the family no matter what. No one had dared defy him.

Even so, Xie Jin could not help protesting, “But she spoke back to Mother today…”

Madam Lin rubbed her brow. “Enough. Let it go.”

Then she looked at Xie Jin and asked, “If we did decide to help with this matter, would it be difficult?”

Xie Jin replied, “My husband said it wasn’t a particularly serious crime. But he also asked Yuheng about it, and Yuheng said the case should be handled impartially, so I didn’t pursue the matter any further.”

Madam Lin sighed. “That is just like Yuheng.”

Xie Jin said, “If you ask me, we shouldn’t help in the first place. Once we make an exception, what will we do if the requests never stop?”

“The Gu Family is already in such a state. Who knows what else might happen in the future?”

Madam Lin nodded. “You have a point.”

Ji Hanyi returned to her courtyard. The moment she reclined on the chaise longue, she coughed several times.

She clutched the hand warmer tightly. Heat from the charcoal brazier by her feet slowly rose through her body.

She looked out the window and asked Rongchun what time it was. Then she lowered her gaze and stared absently into the glowing coals.

Elsewhere, Lu Yuan hurried through the ceremonial gate of the Censorate and followed a junior clerk toward the second hall.

Standing outside the doors of the second hall, Lu Yuan’s heart pounded wildly with unease. He had no idea why Lord Censor-in-Chief had summoned him.

He had heard that the Censorate had also summoned two of the Banner Officers under his command today, and the thought left him unable to settle down.

After all, ever since Shen Si had taken office as Censor-in-Chief, he had been an Iron-Faced Yama who never showed anyone mercy.

Who in the capital would dare run afoul of him?
On top of that, Shen Si was Her Majesty the Empress’s own younger brother and enjoyed His Majesty the Emperor’s deep trust. If any wrongdoing of Lu Yuan’s came to light, he would likely lose his head.

The capital was full of the Censorate’s eyes and ears. He frantically combed through everything he had done over the years, again and again, terrified he might overlook something.

He was so tense that he did not even hear someone call him inside. Only when the man at the door gave him a push did he snap back to his senses. He hurriedly bowed and walked in.

The second hall was where official business was handled in private, so it had been elegantly furnished throughout.

This was Lu Yuan’s first time here. His nerves were on edge, and sweat soaked his entire back.

He might be an official of Secondary Fourth Rank, but that counted for nothing before Shen Si. The Censorate scrutinized every official in the realm. A single word from Shen Si could see his household’s property confiscated and Lu Yuan himself sent into exile.

As he proceeded inside, the first thing he saw was two of his Jinyiwei Banner Officer subordinates kneeling on the floor, trembling like leaves. Lu Yuan’s heart leaped into his throat. Before he could say a word, he dropped to his knees and performed a full formal bow to Shen Si, who sat behind a long desk with his head lowered, seemingly absorbed in official business.

“This humble official greets the Lord Censor-in-Chief.”

At the sound of his voice, Shen Si raised his phoenix eyes slightly and glanced at Lu Yuan on the floor. Then he lowered his gaze again and paid him no further attention.

Silence reigned in Tuisi Hall for a long time, but Lu Yuan did not dare raise his head.

The brush held between Shen Si’s slender fingers completed its final stroke. Only then did he set it aside and look at Lu Yuan.

“Pacification Commissioner Lu, you’ve arrived?”

Lu Yuan hastily acknowledged him.

Shen Si’s expression remained aloof and aristocratically cold, and his voice was cool and strictly businesslike. “There is no need for such ceremony. I called you here merely to identify two men.”

Lu Yuan immediately understood what Shen Si meant. He looked at the two men kneeling on the floor. Weren’t they the two Banner Officer subordinates from the interrogation chamber?

He hurriedly said to Shen Si, “These two are indeed this humble official’s subordinates. May I ask, Lord Censor, what crime have they committed?”

Seated in the place of honor, Shen Si looked distant and cold. Above his head hung a plaque bearing the four words, “Enforce Discipline, Uphold Order.” The invisible pressure of those words bore down so heavily that Lu Yuan could barely withstand it.

Shen Si sneered. “Pacification Commissioner Lu certainly manages his subordinates well. Every last one of them perverts the law for personal gain and accepts bribes in secret.”

“What I want to know now is whether you condoned your subordinates’ actions — or taught them by example.”

His tone was neither harsh nor forceful, yet his words made Lu Yuan flinch.

Lu Yuan hurriedly prostrated himself. “My lord, please judge this matter clearly. This humble official truly had no idea that his subordinates had committed such serious crimes, and this humble official has never accepted bribe money.”

At this point, Lu Yuan did not even attempt to dispute whether the two men had taken silver.

Since Shen Si had brought them here, he must have conclusive evidence. Trying to argue would only make matters worse.

Besides, Lu Yuan knew exactly what his subordinates were like. It was common for them to squeeze money out of the people they arrested. His men also knew to offer him a cut, so he had always turned a blind eye.

Strictly speaking, if the matter were investigated in depth, he would be implicated as well.

He simply never imagined that Shen Si would turn his attention to such low-ranking functionaries.

Shen Si even knew about the misdeeds of two mere Banner Officer subordinates. Lu Yuan’s fear of him deepened. He was usually cautious, but what if Shen Si found something he could use against him?

Just like this time — if Shen Si truly chose to pursue the matter, all he had to do was submit a memorial accusing Lu Yuan of dereliction of duty and condoning his subordinates. Lu Yuan would not even be able to keep his official post.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Shen Si walked over on long legs and stopped in front of the kneeling Lu Yuan.

“Oh? According to the information I received, the person who bribed these two Banner Officer subordinates was the Second Madam of the Gu Family.”

“As far as I know, Gu Xun was arrested by men from the Eastern Office and sent to you, yet he has refused to confess all this time.”

“You should know Gu Xun. More importantly, you should know what connections he has backing him. What? Has no one from the Xie Family interceded on his behalf?”

With Shen Si spelling it out so plainly, how could Lu Yuan fail to understand?

Shen Si was accusing his two subordinates of accepting bribes from Second Madam Gu and suggesting that Lu Yuan had deliberately gone easy on Gu Xun out of consideration for his brother-in-law. He had summoned Lu Yuan here to hold him accountable.

Lu Yuan felt terribly wronged. It was true that he had initially considered helping Gu Xun and had sent someone to ask Xie Yuheng about it. However, Xie Yuheng had told him to handle the matter strictly according to the law. Lu Yuan had understood his meaning and had not intended to spare Gu Xun after that.

The reason the case had dragged on for several days was that Gu Xun still refused to name anyone even after being beaten half to death. After all, he was a student of the Imperial Academy. They could not actually beat him to death. Besides, Lu Yuan knew his subordinates had taken silver, so he had figured there was no harm in delaying matters for a while. It was common for prisoners to be stubborn at first, but few could hold out for ten full days.

How could he have imagined that such a trivial matter would catch the Censorate’s attention — and Shen Si’s attention at that?

Was such a minor affair really worth Shen Si personally intervening?

But Lu Yuan did not dare dwell on anything else now. He absolutely could not admit that he had gone easy on Gu Xun.

Still less could he admit that he knew about his subordinates taking bribes.

He raised his head to look at Shen Si standing before him and said urgently, “Gu Xun is indeed a cousin of my brother-in-law’s wife, but my brother-in-law has never interceded for Gu Xun. He specifically instructed me to handle the case impartially.”
“The delay was because Gu Xun confessed at first, only to recant afterward. That was what held things up for several days.”

Shen Si raised an eyebrow.

He looked down at Lu Yuan’s sweat-drenched, anxious face. The man did not look as though he were lying.

Shen Si could tell as much himself. Had Ji Hanyi asked Xie Yuheng to intercede for Gu Xun, Xie Yuheng’s relationship with Lu Yuan should have made this minor matter easy to resolve. Gu Xun certainly would not have remained in the Northern Pacification Office for so long.

Instead, Ji Hanyi had gone out of her way to seek Shen Si’s help. That made no sense.

He looked down at Lu Yuan with cool disdain. “Do you expect me to believe that? Wouldn’t your brother-in-law’s wife plead on Gu Xun’s behalf?”

He gave a cold laugh. “Lu Yuan, you still dare try to deceive me?”

“You failed to keep your subordinates in line, indulged their corruption and abuse of the law, deceived your superiors, and have hardly spoken a word of truth. As for Gu Xun’s case — do you dare claim you showed no favoritism?”

The charges came one after another, terrifying Lu Yuan until his face went pale.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that an insignificant Gu Xun could land him in such dire straits. If he had known, he would have released the man from the start. At least then, he would not have drawn the Censorate’s attention.

His subordinates’ bribery was backed by irrefutable evidence, and Gu Xun’s connection to his brother-in-law was also a fact. If Shen Si truly chose to pursue the matter, Lu Yuan would not even know how to plead his innocence.

But Lu Yuan could no longer worry about anything else. He only knew that one more wrong word would leave him utterly ruined, so he blurted out in panic, “Please hear me out, Lord Censor. Although Gu Xun is the cousin of my brother-in-law’s wife, my brother-in-law, Xie Yuheng, serves at the Court of Judicial Review and has always been fair and impartial.”

“Besides, he and his wife are not actually close. He does not care for her, so he would never come to me and intercede merely for her sake.”

At this point, Lu Yuan no longer cared that he was exposing Xie Yuheng’s private family affairs. His only thought was to clear himself of blame.

When he finished, he pleaded in a trembling voice, “Please see the truth of the matter, my lord.”

Shen Si glanced sideways and met Lu Yuan’s panicked gaze.

His expression remained impassive as his eyes darkened. “Oh? I heard they were betrothed when they were young. Are you saying Xie Yuheng does not care for his principal wife?”

Lu Yuan froze. He had not expected Shen Si to know even that.

Could Shen Si have investigated his brother-in-law as well, all for the sake of convicting him?

Then again, every case Shen Si handled, from investigation to interrogation, was airtight. No one who fell into his hands ever escaped.

He was the eyes with which His Majesty the Emperor watched the entire bureaucracy. Anyone who ran afoul of him would be lucky to escape with their skin intact.

Lu Yuan no longer cared that he was discussing Xie Yuheng’s marital affairs and spilled every last detail. “What you may not know, my lord, is that precisely because their engagement was arranged when they were children, my brother-in-law has never been very satisfied with his wife.”

“However, he has always been disciplined, proper, and upright. At most, he and his wife are politely respectful toward one another. Everyone in the Xie Residence knows this, so he could never have pleaded for Gu Xun on his wife’s behalf.”

“Besides, Gu Xun did break the law. I would never dare release him merely because of our connection.”

“I swear I have not uttered a single lie. Please judge the matter wisely, my lord.”

Shen Si gave Lu Yuan’s raised hand a cool glance and pressed his lips together.

After a moment, he said, “I have my own judgment regarding this matter. But as for these two subordinates of yours, if you refuse to deal with them, do not blame me for doing it in your place.”

Lu Yuan hurriedly promised, “Rest assured, my lord. As soon as I return, I will have both men publicly punished as a warning to others, then exile them to serve in the frontier army.”

Shen Si’s face remained cold and devoid of emotion. “As for Gu Xun, I have heard of him. At the Imperial Academy, he earned top marks in both his monthly and quarterly examinations. He knows the law well, so it is unlikely he would secretly possess a heretical book. Even so, you must question him properly. Do not turn this into a miscarriage of justice. If you lose your post and implicate your family as well, the cost will far outweigh any gain.”

Lu Yuan listened blankly, sensing a hidden meaning behind Shen Si’s words. Yet he had no attention to spare for pondering it. He simply agreed over and over, terrified that the slightest hesitation might see him charged with a crime.

Shen Si waved a hand, dismissing Lu Yuan and his two subordinates.

Lu Yuan scrambled to his feet and staggered out through the gates of the Censorate. As daylight washed over him, he felt as though he had just passed through the gates of hell and somehow returned alive.

The two men with him, each a Banner Officer, immediately dropped to their knees and tearfully begged him for mercy. Lu Yuan was so furious that even kicking each of them once did nothing to ease his rage.

If not for these two men, Shen Si would never have gained such leverage over him.

Still enraged, Lu Yuan gave them another round of kicks before snarling, “You weren’t afraid when you pocketed the silver, were you?”

“You couldn’t even cover your tracks. If you still want to live, then do it in the frontier army. Stay in the capital, and neither of you will survive!”