TFSRITA Chapter 64

“This scar is not fabricated; it looks like it was caused many years ago.”

“And this one—his build also matches the portrait.”

“Right, don’t they both share a common trait? Their skin is pale. Look at these two—both have fair skin and no facial hair.”

Chief Justice Zheng said, “Do you want to speak for yourselves, or shall I have someone else do it?”

The space was vast, and it was difficult to project one’s voice. If there was anything to be said, Chief Justice Zheng would have others announce it.

The two men shifted their eyes nervously and pressed their lips together, staying silent.

Seeing this, Chief Justice Zheng gave a subtle signal to one of his subordinates, who then announced loudly, “The man on the left was originally named Xu San. As a child, he was sold to the Jiang family and renamed Jiang San…”

“Impossible!” A middle-aged official suddenly shouted, “How could the Empress Dowager be involved in this?”

Jiang Wende’s eyes lit up as he pointed at the man, “Beat him!”

Finally, someone had broken the rules!

The emperor had ordered that no one was to speak, and anyone who did would be punished with a beating!

The courage that had briefly surged in the middle-aged official vanished instantly, leaving him pale and trembling as he glared at Jiang Wende. “Eunuch!”

Jiang Wende sneered, “Beat him hard!”

“Yes, sir!” the eunuchs replied in unison.

They dragged the man down the steps, took him to the same spot where the accused had just been judged, and made him lie on a bench for his beating. How dare he insult them by calling them eunuchs? Of course, they’d hit him with extra force!

“Ah! You’ll pay for this—ah!”

The other officials, watching the man’s miserable state, fell silent, not daring to utter another word.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Zheng gave a cold laugh and signaled for the proceedings to continue.

Jiang Wende, holding the emperor’s decree, was then instructed to arrest all members of the Jiang family involved in the case. The two main instigators were beheaded on the spot, sending a chill through the onlookers, who hadn’t expected that a mere rumor could result in executions.

Some of the more astute observers nodded in understanding, “Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys! This involves the imperial concubine, who might soon become the empress. She’s one with the emperor—slandering her is like slandering him.”

Others, more self-righteous, said, “Serves them right for doing such evil! I don’t do bad things, so I have nothing to fear!”

While some remained uncertain, others nodded in agreement. By the time the case was fully concluded, just before nightfall, the crowd dispersed with a newfound respect for the law.

…

The Dali Court had acted swiftly, gathering all the evidence and witness testimony beforehand, leaving the accused with no room to argue—confession was their only option.

With the case closed, the Jiang family was thoroughly exposed, but to avoid implicating the Empress Dowager, they were publicly distanced from her.

Whether the Empress Dowager was involved in the affair, no one knew for sure.

But everyone held their suspicions: the Empress Dowager held the Phoenix Seal, and just before the scandal erupted, the emperor had been considering elevating the concubine to the empress.

The truth behind this power struggle was murky, and only the emperor’s judgment could resolve it.

As for the emperor…

Ji Yecheng immediately ordered that all Jiang family members involved in the conspiracy be executed, while the rest of the family was demoted to commoners and stripped of all their assets.

In other words, their entire household was confiscated.

The public was stunned by the wealth the Jiang family had accumulated over the years. Not only did they own prime properties, but their hoard of gold, silver, and jewels seemed endless—even after returning a large amount during the recent disaster relief.

It wasn’t hard to imagine what the Jiang family had done in the past.

This revelation caused the court’s attitude to shift instantly. Some apologized to Prime Minister Yan, while others swore renewed loyalty to the emperor. In no time, Yan Qing’s reputation was restored.

Of course, that’s a story for another time.

…

Since Ji Yecheng had left Lingyun Palace in a fury after an argument with Yan Qing, he hadn’t returned, much to Yan Qing’s delight.

Her hand, thanks to some top-quality ointments, had healed well enough, and she secretly began writing.

Her writing drew from her memories of both ancient and modern policies and events that had amazed her in her past life.

She wrote about reforms, methods for dealing with corrupt officials, and even the legendary intelligence network under Emperor Yongzheng. There were many things…

She couldn’t possibly sort through 5,000 years of history, but she jotted down what she remembered from both her own country and others.

Her calligraphy was slow, and her hand couldn’t endure writing for long, so she kept the stories brief.

There was so much information that Yan Qing’s mind was constantly preoccupied with it, leaving her no time to focus on the current state of the world.

In her view, based on the original story, Ji Yecheng had no interest in managing state affairs. Though he had the means, he was too rigid and lacked military power to back him up. If he suddenly decided to take control, it would be difficult, which is why later on, Song Yu took the throne without bloodshed.

The outcome seemed to hinge on two possibilities: Ji Yecheng would either forcefully suppress the officials, deepening their resentment and laying the groundwork for Song Yu’s rebellion, or he would abandon her and compromise.

But Ji Yecheng was too proud to admit defeat. He would never give up voluntarily, so the latter was unlikely. The only outcome would be the former.

Yan Qing just had to stoke the fire, making the officials even more uncomfortable. Once their first grievance was suppressed, the second time around, with their growing resentment, they’d surely succeed in driving her out of the palace!

She just hoped she didn’t push things too far. If her father, the prime minister, couldn’t protect her, she wouldn’t be able to fulfill her mission to assist the emperor. That’s why she was desperately writing down anything that might prove useful. While it didn’t seem like much, she believed that if Song Yu read it, he could glean important insights.

By the time she had written down the last of her meager knowledge, quite some time had passed.