Chang Sui'an's confession was delivered to the palace before noon.
After a person pleads guilty, the next step is to hand it over to the three judges to determine the punishment.
Those who hurt people's lives should be beheaded according to Dasheng law.
There is a month of imprisonment in Dasheng, and prisoners are not allowed to be executed before the autumn harvest in September. However, today is the last day of September. If the punishment is to be executed by beheading, then the sentence is just around the corner.
Therefore, in the afternoon, in the Xuanzheng Hall, Wei Shuyi remonstrated on this matter: "...General Chang is now outside to fight against rebellion. If his son is killed here, it may damage his loyalty and be detrimental to the war situation. Therefore, I am bold and hope that the sage will think twice." Certainly!"
They had tried to protect Chang Sui'an before, but now that he had "confessed", it was almost impossible to escape the crime, so they could only try to plead in a roundabout way to save Chang Sui'an's life.
"Your Majesty, what Minister Wei said makes sense." Normally, Taifu Chu rarely agreed with Wei Shuyi's words, but at this time he also joined in and said: "General Chang has worked hard and made great achievements. He has only one son to carry on the incense. If he loses this son, , is equivalent to the severance of bloodline... Doesn't this chill the hearts of all the generals?"
In his opinion, any talk about passing on the incense is just rubbish, but at this time, the situation is special, so he should fight fire with fire.
The old lady said, her tone becoming more and more sad: "...What's more, the whereabouts of the little girl from the Chang family is also unknown. If something really goes wrong, when General Chang returns to the capital with a battle wound, it will be very difficult. How can I have the dignity to treat you like this?"
"Your Majesty, please think again!"
There are many people who agree.
But counterarguments abound.
"According to what you guys say, does it mean that the girl from the Changsun family will have to die in vain, and the murderer will not need to take responsibility?"
"This person has already committed a crime. If he cannot treat everyone equally and punish them severely according to the law, how can he convince the public? Where is the authority of the law?"
There were no officials from the Changsun clan among these voices. Changsun Yuan had not come to court for many days, claiming to be ill.
But there is no need for Changsun Yuan to come forward, and there is no shortage of voices to replace him or use him to put pressure on everyone.
Looking at the quarreling ministers, the Holy Emperor did not make a clear stance for a while.
Now that we have reached this point, where is that girl?
Seriously, there was an accident. Seriously... isn't it her Chongyue?
…
"Father, now that the murderer is identified as Ming Jin, why don't you make this clear immediately?"
In the Changsun Mansion, Changsun Ji also found out about Chang Sui'an's confession and was anxiously questioning his father.
Changsun Yan said: "There is insufficient evidence now and the time has not come yet."
"But father, if this continues, the husband of the Chang family will lose his life!"
Changsun Yan looked at his son: "Aji, you should understand that the person who wronged Mr. Chang's husband was never our Changsun family, but the Ming family, a saint - one day, the world will know all this."
"But...are we going to watch the husband of the Chang family die unjustly like this?" Although the thirteen-year-old boy's mind is undecided, his mind is not stupid and his vision is not narrow. "General Chang is still in Yangzhou. If you are interested, Use this matter to instigate... What if General Chang switches sides with Xu Zhengye and rebels against the imperial court together with those rebels!"
Changsun Yan: "In this battle in Yangzhou, it is not the imperial court that is rebelling, but the Ming Dynasty Empress who claimed the throne for being unjust... They want to support the crown prince and the orthodox bloodline of the Li family. How can we talk about the word 'rebellion'?" "
Changsun Ji was startled for a moment.
After a moment, he lowered his voice and asked: "Father... is the matter of Xu Zhengye's rebellion related to our eldest grandson's family? Is my grandfather an insider?"
Or... a conspirator?
"You are still young and have an impetuous temperament. You don't have to worry too much about some important matters for the time being. Your grandfather will arrange everything at home. Your sister-in-law's love, just wait until the time is right. Your grandfather and I will definitely seek justice."
Changsunyan didn't want to talk to his son any more: "Go back. Tomorrow we will pay tribute to Confucius. You go with your clan members."
"yes."
Changsun Ji left the study, feeling extremely depressed.
Therefore, my grandfather knew about Xu Zhengye’s revolt.
? Does grandfather want to use this to put pressure on the empress? Just like those precedents of military remonstrance?
Now, watching the husband of the Chang family being unjustly killed...is this also part of his grandfather's plan?
The profit calculations behind this are layered one after another, and together they become what the father calls a "big deal"... Is the life and death of the young man who was wronged and injured by him with an inkstone a trivial matter that no one cares about? ?
No, at least the other person's family must care. In their eyes, that is a big deal, just like losing his sister-in-law...
After much hesitation, Changsun Ji came outside the dungeon of Dali Temple and asked to see Chang Sui'an.
Thinking of the young boy's act of openly smashing and injuring the prisoner that day, the jailer did not dare to make the decision privately, but he also did not dare to offend the eldest son's family, so he went to ask Han Shaoqing for instructions.
Han Shaoqing agreed, but asked the jailer to convey his intention and ask the husband of the Changsun family not to make it difficult for Dali Temple.
Of course, this was just a way of excusing himself afterwards. He was not afraid of revenge from the Changsun family, and he was even happy to see it.
After the jailer opened the cell door, Changsun Ji saw Chang Sui'an.
The young man's tone was cold: "I want to have a few words with him alone."
Although he felt that the prisoner could not say anything now, the jailer still agreed, but he did not dare to leave too far.
"Chang Sui'an?"
"Wake up."
Changsun Ji knelt down and pushed the unconscious young man. Seeing that there was no response, he couldn't help but frown.
He subconsciously looked at the other person's forehead, but he could no longer see the traces of the injuries he had sustained that day. It wasn't because he hit him lightly, but because the other person's injuries were so numerous that he couldn't tell them apart at all.
But he soon discovered that the most serious injury on the other party's body was the still bleeding wound on his shoulder.
He had heard about Chang Sui'an being tortured, but he didn't expect that he would receive so many severe punishments...
Changsun Ji avoided the jailer's sight, took out the wound medicine he had brought, poured it all on the wound, and at the same time pressed with his palms to stop the bleeding.
It must have been extremely painful. Changsui An frowned slightly and made a low sound.
"What did you say?"
Changsun Ji leaned closer to listen.
The boy with gray and chapped lips struggled to utter a sleepy voice: "Ning, Ning..."
Changsun Ji heard it this time.
After a moment, he said in the other person's ear: "Don't worry, Mrs. Chang is safe and sound. She asked me to come here. She also said that you must hold on and nothing will happen."
Hearing this, Chang Sui'an's frown slowly relaxed, and after a long while, he uttered a faint sound: "Okay..."
After a moment, he said again: "Thank you..."
He was unconscious at the moment and couldn't tell who the visitor was, but he still expressed his gratitude.
After Zhang Sunji was stunned for a moment, he turned his head and his eyes suddenly turned red.
After the wound on his hand stopped bleeding, he removed his hand, took out the pills for treating internal injuries, and stuffed them into Chang Sui'an's mouth.
"sorry."
The young boy felt ashamed and blamed himself: "This is all I can do. I hope you can hold on."
After Changsun Ji left, the jailer serving meals took advantage of the cell leader and others to see off Changsun Langjun, and hurried to the cell to check on Chang Sui'an's condition.
Seeing that Chang Sui'an's wound had stopped bleeding, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Tsunero-kun, eat some quickly..."
He took out a bowl of vegetable porridge and fed it to Chang Sui'an with a spoon.
There is also medicine for healing wounds in the porridge. This is Yao Yi's order.
"When I was young, my father and I were saved by General Chang and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince during the war..." Seeing that Chang Sui'an couldn't eat, the jailer's voice choked up: "I believe that the husband of General Chang's family did this. If there is no murder, the villain knows that you are unjust."
"You have to survive to have a chance to clear your name..."
A tear slipped out of the corner of Chang Sui'an's tightly closed eyes.
The jailer tried another spoonful, and Chang Suian swallowed it.
The jailer quickly finished the bowl of porridge.
feel sleepy
The boy opened his mouth again.
"..." The jailer looked at the empty porridge bowl and felt a little at a loss.
Tomorrow, he will definitely change it to a bigger bowl!
…
At the same moment, Qiao Yang, the Imperial Confucian priest, was preparing for tomorrow's ceremony to commemorate Confucius.
In previous years, worshiping Confucius Temple on the first day of October has always been a major event for the Imperial College.
The grand ceremony was held in the Confucius Temple, headed by teachers and students of the Imperial College, offering wine to the chief priest, and officials from the court and central government participated in the sacrifice. Many great Confucian scholars also attended.
"Dad..." Qiao Yubai came back from outside.
"Is everything arranged?" Qiao Jijiu asked in a low voice.
Qiao Yubai nodded seriously: "Don't worry, Dad."
Then he said: "Master Wujue asked someone to deliver the things, and they are in the courtyard right now."
Qiao Jijiu went to see it immediately.
A large box unloaded from the mule cart was placed in the courtyard. Qiao Jijiu stepped forward and opened it himself. A young monk about ten years old stood up, clasped his hands together and recited "Amitabha".
Qiao Jijiu was startled: "...Why is it a human being?"
He hurriedly asked the young monk: "Where is the crane I want?"
This is Wujue, what can you do at such a juncture? Can't you tell the difference between a human and a crane?
"Amitabha, when the little monk has arrived, the crane has arrived."
The young monk took off the piccolo from his waist and blew it to his lips. When the flute sounded, a white crane flew over.
The white crane landed next to the little monk, and the little monk put down his piccolo.
Qiao Yang was surprised and clasped her hands: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Both cranes and sacred elephants have auspicious and auspicious meanings. One year, when the saint held a spring festival at Dayun Temple, a crane once brought peach branches in its mouth and hovered above the altar for a long time without leaving. This incident was widely circulated.
But Qiao Yang knew that the crane was always kept by people. This crane was good at crane dance and knew how to listen to people's orders.
But he only found out today that the crane monk in Dayun Temple was actually a ten-year-old monk.
…
It was midnight, and there was a sudden knock on the door, which made Sushuang, who had been sleeping restlessly, suddenly wake up: "...Who?!"
A servant's shout came from outside: "Your Majesty asked Miss Guishuang to go and serve you!"
Sushuang subconsciously hugged the quilt tightly and responded with a trembling voice: "I...I'll get up and dress up right now!"
"Hurry up, don't keep the prince waiting!"
Sushuang hurriedly got up from the bed and lit the lamp. She hurriedly dressed and sat in front of the dressing table. She wanted to draw her eyebrows, but when she saw the face full of scabs and scars in the mirror, her eyes suddenly turned red.
But she didn't dare to delay, and hurriedly applied powder and rouge on her eyebrows, but it couldn't cover the scars at all, and instead looked weird and ridiculous.
Is she going to use this face to meet that crazy prince?
At this time, he suddenly asked her to serve, and he was afraid that he would be stimulated again... I don't know what kind of terrible torture was waiting for her!
For a time, the fear, humiliation, and hatred that she dared not face directly made Kushuang completely collapse, and she fell in front of the mirror and cried.
But no one came to comfort her.
The servant took the words and left.
Although she was just a roommate, when she was favored and favored, there were always little maids around to offer attentive service. But now that she is in such a situation, those little maids no longer dare to come to her, for fear of being implicated by her.
There were two other male tenants living in this courtyard, but they were both dead. One committed suicide and the other was beaten to death.
The small courtyard was deathly silent at night, and Guoshuang gradually stopped crying.
Not long after, satin was hung on the apricot tree in the courtyard, and the drum stool was stepped on by Su Shuang.
She chose suicide or being beaten to death.
The drum stool was kicked away, leaving the woman's body hanging in the air with a painful expression.
The next moment, someone suddenly appeared, hugged her body, and rescued her.
Fushuang, who was sitting on the ground, coughed for a while and burst into tears. When she saw the person coming, she couldn't help but be startled: "...Why is it you?"
In front of him was a middle-aged woman, dressed as a servant. Because of her rough appearance,
Because of her ugliness, she was called an ugly woman by many people in the house.
But she has good embroidery skills, and she has been an embroiderer in the Ming family for more than ten years with this good skills.
Woman: "Is Miss Guishuang really willing to die like this?"
"You have also seen, what I look like now..." Fushuang laughed at herself: "I ridiculed and humiliated your appearance before, so now it can be regarded as retribution."
In the past, she relied on this face to win the favor of the prince and became arrogant. However, in the end, it was this face that killed her.
The ugly woman could not bear any grudge, but sighed: "My daughter is as old as you."
Hearing these gentle and loving words, tears suddenly welled up in Sushuang's eyes.
She also had a mother-in-law, but her mother-in-law died. If not, she would not have been sold into the Ming family as a slave by her father.
In despair, helplessness and coldness, Guoshuang suddenly hugged the only woman in front of her who could give her a ray of warmth.
The woman patted her back.
Fushuang cried and told her experience.
"Poor child..." the woman asked softly, "I can show you a way to survive. I wonder if you are willing to do it?"
"What way can I survive?" Fushuang muttered in a hoarse voice: "My only way to survive, I'm afraid..."
I'm afraid she can only survive if the person who makes her life worse than death dies.
The woman held her shoulders and nodded gently to her.
Meeting those eyes, Fushuang was shocked and shook her head: "No, I don't dare..."
"I'm not asking you to take action. You might as well listen to me first." The woman's voice was infinitely comforting, which slowly calmed Sushuang down.
…
Ming Jin, who smelled of alcohol, was already impatient with waiting. As soon as Guoshuang walked into his bedroom, he grabbed his neck.
After hurling some unbearable insults, he threw the person to the ground heavily, raised his hand, grabbed a porcelain bottle, and smashed it over.
Fushuang crawled away in panic.
The porcelain bottle shattered around her, splinters flying out.
"How dare you hide?" Ming Jin knelt down in front of her, grabbed her bun, picked up a piece of broken porcelain with his other hand, and tested her face bit by bit: "Let me see where the punishment is. ..."
As he spoke, his hand paused, but it stayed at the corner of his frosty eyes.
He suddenly asked with great interest: "How about I dig out one of your eyes?"
Fushuang shook her head and struggled: "Your Majesty, spare your life!"
Ming Jin used a strong force on his hand to pull her head back.
"My maid treats the Crown Prince sincerely. The person who harmed the Crown Prince is not my maid!" Fushuang closed her eyes in fear and cried, "It was the Chang family lady who harmed you... You should seek revenge from her!"
Ming Jin's face suddenly darkened: "What did you say?"
"My maid... My maid also heard about it from the madam by chance!"
Ming Jin stared at her closely: "What did you hear?"
"My maid heard from Madam that she has found out that the reason why the prince's horse suddenly lost control at the racecourse that day was because Chang Suining had done something wrong!"
Ming Jin's eyes were extremely cold.
"No wonder..." He seemed to have figured something out: "No wonder that horse was subdued by her later!"
He should have thought of it earlier!
"This ***... actually brought me to this point!"
"I must cut her into pieces with my own hands!"
"I heard that *** is missing... I have to find her out!"
Fushuang's eyes dodge for a moment.
Ming Jin saw this and grabbed the back of her neck: "Why, do you know her whereabouts?!"
Fushuang didn't dare to answer for a while.
"You just said... you heard my mother say this. How did you hear it? You overheard it, right?" Ming Jin stared at her for a moment: "Tell me, that** *Is the disappearance related to my mother?"
He was not a fool. Mingluo suddenly came back yesterday and was testing whether he knew his mother's whereabouts.
Mother is gone, so is ***
Missing, could this be a coincidence?
"...Yes, my maid overheard Madam telling Madam Liao about hiring a murderer that day..." Fushuang said in a trembling voice: "After the matter is accomplished, I will take Mrs. Chang to the other courtyard where Madam is dowry." inside!"
Ming Jin: "It's done? Will Chang Sui Ning live or die now?"
Fushuang cried and shook her head: "My servant only heard that, I don't know what happened next..."
Ming Jin looked at her steadily: "You ***, are you lying to me and trying to escape the disaster?"
"How dare you, my maid!"
Ming Jin suddenly smiled: "I'll find out if it's true or not as soon as I go..."
It was his mother's place anyway, so it didn't hurt for him to go there.
"But you have to accompany me." He pulled Guoshuang to stand up: "If you dare to lie to me, if I can't see that *** there, then I will cut you off and feed you to the dogs! "
…
Ming Jin was also banned, but late at night, by the time the other servants in the courtyard noticed, he had already left.
But even so, he couldn't get out originally. The back door of Ming Mansion was guarded day and night.
Just a moment before Ming Jin went out, the two men had been taken away by the ugly woman in a coma.
Soon, Ming Jin got on the carriage smoothly, and the driver was his personal servant, who never dared to disobey him.
In the carriage, at Mingjin's request, Sushuang made tea for him as calmly as usual.
When Ming Jin was not prepared, she secretly sprinkled a small packet of medicinal powder into the teapot.
"Your Majesty..."
When the temperature of the tea was right, Guo Shuang handed over the teacup.
