Chapter 242: Chapter 226: Your Appearance Strongly Resembles the Eldest Princess
The result of the Golden Hall trial was that Emperor Guangxi discovered there was a problem with the testimony provided by the person who struck the Petition Drum.
Originally, Su Yi really had the evidence, but it went wrong when she wanted to clear Su Yaojun and the Su Family.
But she probably didn’t expect that once she set aside Cheng Fei and Su Yaojun, no matter how she spun it, it was never the truth, and there were always gaps. Some points are hard to explain away.
As a result, the case was difficult to establish, and Lu Yanqing could not be convicted immediately.
Lu Yanqing, Cheng Fei, and Su Yaojun were identified as suspects in the case and were temporarily detained in the Heavenly Prison.
...
Dare to strike the Petition Drum with insufficient evidence?
Emperor Guangxi gazed at the commoner man kneeling below, his expression changing unpredictably.
In the luxurious and magnificent Golden Hall, the atmosphere was at a stalemate for a moment.
After a while, a minister stepped forward and said, "Since the case is real, but the truth has issues, why not have His Majesty send someone to Ningzhou to investigate thoroughly. When the truth surfaces, all who participated in the coal mine case will be revealed."
"I second this, as this involves the lives of dozens and also as it is personally presided over by His Majesty. It must be absolutely fair and just, neither letting criminals escape nor wronging the innocent."
"I second this..."
"I second this as well..."
Emperor Guangxi looked at the ministers below, "Since you all believe that I should arrange for someone to go to Ningzhou and investigate the truth, does anyone have a suitable candidate to recommend?"
"This..."
After exchanging glances, the ministers began to discuss in low voices.
To be honest, giving suggestions was fine, but to come forward openly and confront the Su Family, many would rather shrink back and pretend to be quail.
No matter if Su Yaojun was involved or not, once it was related to the Su Family, whoever volunteered to handle the case wouldn’t end well.
Someone proposed it should be the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, as they are already involved in case reviews and should have someone take charge.
The Minister of the Ministry of Justice pushed it to the Jinyi Guard, saying that they were only responsible for the Capital and couldn’t oversee Ningzhou, implying that handling major local cases should be the duty of the Jinyi Guard.
Emperor Guangxi expected this outcome and was not surprised. He looked at Su Xiang, "I notice Su Aiqing remains silent; do you perhaps have other thoughts?"
"In response to Your Majesty, I propose sending an Imperial Envoy to Ningzhou to investigate the case."
This sentence was forced out of Su Xiang reluctantly, almost gritting his teeth.
Originally, reporting Lu Yanqing was meant to avenge the secret people eliminated at the hands of the Eldest Princess, but unexpectedly, it ended up implicating the Su Family.
If the case were broken, proving Su Yaojun’s involvement, it would indeed be a case of harming a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of their own.
Thinking of Su Yaojun, that good-for-nothing scoundrel, Su Xiang was so furious his head hurt.
Emperor Guangxi looked at Su Xiang, who was holding back his anger, feeling secretly pleased, "In that case, I will assign the task of investigating the coal mine case to the Jinyi Guard."
As long as it didn’t involve oneself, it was all fine.
Except for Su Xiang, most ministers secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Not long after, they heard Emperor Guangxi say, "This case is complex, and it is the Jinyi Guard’s first time going to Ningzhou. There will inevitably be many inconveniences. I must appoint another official from Ningzhou as an Imperial Envoy to accompany them."
At this, officials not from Ningzhou were even more relieved.
However, given Ningzhou’s remote location, not many scholars from there pass the exam each year, and after the final selection through various exams, even fewer remain in the Capital as officials. Those qualified to enter the Golden Hall could be counted without even using fingers. A brief glance would show virtually none.
At the right moment, the Jinyiwei Commander said, "I have heard that last year’s new third-place scholar is from Ningzhou. Since he only recently moved to the Capital, he must be somewhat aware of past cases. If Your Majesty has no one else in mind, you might consider him."
Knowing Emperor Guangxi intended to promote Song Wei, the Jinyiwei Commander directly gave the Emperor a way out while doing Song Wei a favor.
While this difficult task could easily bring merit, it also comes with risks. For many ministers upholding a "stability above all" principle, having someone else to handle it was ideal.
— Haven’t you seen how dark Su Xiang’s old face is? It’s conceivable that Su Yaojun is very likely connected to this case. Although being an Imperial Envoy sounds prestigious, how are you going to bring back the truth alive with Su Xiang controlling the situation?
Seeing no objections from anyone, Emperor Guangxi directly approved it, immediately instructing the Imperial Chief Steward to draft an edict appointing Song Wei as the Imperial Envoy, leading the Jinyi Guard to head to Ningzhou from today to investigate the Da Huan Mountain Coal Mine case.
—
Wen Wan returned home and had Song Wei sit down. The first thing she did was find some ointment, opened the small round lid, dabbed some with her fingers, and gently applied it to Song Wei’s arm in circles.
Song Wei lowered his eyes and saw his young wife slightly bowing her head, her gaze focused on the row of not-so-deep teeth marks. The originally not-so-severe wound seemed, due to her careful treatment, to have turned into a grave injury that threatened a life.
Song Wei thought of when he saw Lu Yanqing outside the Hanlin Academy earlier; the way she disregarded everything and shielded him behind her, his lips couldn’t help but curve slightly. He extended the hand that wasn’t injured to lightly brush away the strands of her hair that had become a bit disheveled from running all the way, his voice carrying a mature warmth, "Why did you do that just now?"
Wen Wan understood what her husband was asking and didn’t want to admit that she had subconsciously considered him "the person most in need of protection," so when she encountered Lu Yanqing, she blocked in front without even thinking.
"You’re asking me, so let me ask you instead! Why did Lu Yanqing ask who I was as soon as he saw me, even though we don’t know each other?"
Wen Wan tilted her head up, easily shifting the topic, and her justifiably confident little look made the man’s heart flutter.
Song Wei chuckled, "Really want to know?"
"What else?"
Wen Wan’s attention was entirely on her husband at the time, and she hadn’t thought deeply about Lu Yanqing’s reaction. Now that she had some free time, some doubts naturally came to mind.
If there weren’t some underlying issue, it was impossible for Lu Yanqing to react that way upon seeing her for the first time.
Song Wei didn’t plan to hide it from her, but he also didn’t intend to tell her the truth, "If I told you, you might find it unbelievable; your appearance resembles the Eldest Princess."
"How much alike?"
Not seeing the expected look of shock, Song Wei rather let out a small sigh of relief, softly saying, "Roughly sixty to seventy percent alike."
Wen Wan suddenly touched her small face and asked him again, "When you first saw the Eldest Princess, were you shocked?"
Song Wei’s previously worried gaze became intrigued, watching her curious eyes, "Want to meet her?"
"No..." Wen Wan shook her head, "I was just thinking that if I look so much like the Eldest Princess, then could Lu Yanqing see my face, coupled with you being my husband, and stop making things difficult for you like before?"
Song Wei: "..."
Sometimes, he might really have underestimated his little wife’s "simplicity."
The way she thinks about things is indeed different from the usual patterns.
But this was also good, because of her simplicity, she wouldn’t overthink whether there was any inevitable connection between her and the Eldest Princess.
——
When the imperial edict arrived, Granny Song thought she had misheard. She went outside to see two rows of eunuchs standing there, the leader holding a bright yellow scroll.
Granny Song was dumbfounded. After a while, she ran back to call the old man and Yuanbao, and asked Mrs. Jin to inform the Third Son and his wife in the East Wing.
Mrs. Jin quickly delivered the message, "Master, madam, an imperial edict has arrived from the palace."
Mrs. Jin and Mrs. Cao had previously worked at the Princess Mansion and had seen some things, so their reaction to this sort of event wasn’t big.
Wen Wan and Song Wei exchanged a glance, then got up and walked out of the room.
Upon reaching the outer courtyard, they found that the one delivering the edict was the Imperial Chief Steward.
Song Wei had seen him a few times, but now, at a formal occasion like receiving an imperial edict, he didn’t say much, leading his family to kneel and receive the edict.
The intention of Emperor Guangxi was clear; the Ningzhou Great Ring Mountain Coal Mine case was of significant importance and had been handed over to the Jinyi Guard. A local official from Ningzhou was needed as the Imperial Envoy to lead the investigation. Based on the investigation, the Song family origin was close to Da Huan Mountain, making Song Wei the best candidate for the Imperial Envoy.
Song Wei had been wanting to flip this case for four years, not just a day or two, working diligently in the Hanlin Academy to earn enough credentials to rise, so that someday he could use his ability to seek justice for those dozens of lives and provide everyone with the truth.
This sudden revelation by someone beating the Petition Drum about the past caught him by surprise.
But standing from the perspective of those dozens of wrongfully buried miners, he felt grateful, hoping the Emperor could resolve the case quickly, putting his mind at ease.
But Song Wei never expected this case to eventually fall onto his shoulders.
It came earlier than expected, yet also more complicated because it was tied to his in-laws.
After receiving the imperial edict, Granny Song wisely invited the steward inside for tea.
The coal mine case implicated the Princess Mansion, and Emperor Guangxi was already overwhelmed. As a eunuch serving at the imperial court, Mr. Cui, under such urgent circumstances, dared not linger and chat as usual. He hurriedly declined, taking his people and leaving promptly.
Since hearing the content of the edict, Old Song had been a bit uneasy. Once the Imperial Chief Steward left and everyone stood up, he quickly looked at Song Wei, "Third Son, is the coal mine case mentioned in the edict the one your father-in-law and I encountered back then?"
Song Wei nodded, confirming it.
Old Song became excited, "So, those dozens of miners who were buried alive have a chance at justice?"
No one in the family knew about the Princess Mansion’s affairs, and Song Wei didn’t want his feelings to affect them, so he comforted with a smile, "Don’t worry, father, I’ll soon be able to seek justice for them."
"Since it’s an errand personally tasked by the Emperor, Third Son, do it well. I believe with your mind, you’ll be able to complete the task successfully."
Song Wei responded, moving towards the study to store the edict. Upon pushing open the door, he found his little wife standing inside already, with a look of resentment on her small face as she saw him, "Are you going to leave me again?"