The main gates of Duke Chu’s estate slowly closed. The guards, having received orders, kicked Hu Yichuan away like a stray dog, spat on him a few times, and then stormed off viciously.
Xing Min, watching these arrogant estate lackeys act so lawlessly, narrowed his eyes slightly and instinctively turned to glance at Qi Yuan in the crowd.
Qi Yuan gave him a subtle nod.
Xing Min understood and stepped forward, sighing at Hu Yichuan: “Duke Chu’s household holds high rank and great power. The fact that our lord was even willing to issue an order to summon the Duchess for questioning was already the greatest act of benevolence. But you’ve seen for yourself now how the Duke’s estate has responded.”
All the commoners had their eyes fixed on Xing Min.
Hu Yichuan, throat tight with rage, lifted his head and cried out, “Lord Xing! Ye Jinxiu is a murderer!”
Xing Min sighed even more deeply. “Just now, the Duchess herself said that she had no intention of harming your brother. It was your brother who couldn’t bear the emotional blow and died of grief.”
In truth, it would be difficult to legally convict someone in such a case.
But the situation now was different.
What do common people hate the most?
Of course—it’s someone like Pan Jinlian: unfaithful, scheming, and murderous.
A woman who kills her husband and marries her lover.
A husband and mistress who murder their spouses for each other—it hits a nerve with the crowd.
People immediately began shouting: “No intent? Like h*ll! Could Pan Jinlian ever be a good person?!”
Hu Yichuan was equally overcome with grief and rage. Whether it was from the beatings or pure fury, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, splattering the ground, and roared: “She says she didn’t mean it, and that’s enough?!”
He stood up, faced the crowd, and pointed to the sky, each word biting: “My brother gave up everything to marry her! He spent his fortune to buy freedom for her exiled parents! He arranged housing for her whole family! Even went into debt so her brother could study!”
“And what did he get in return?!”
The crowd exploded.
D*mn. That’s worse than Pan Jinlian.
Even Pan Jinlian didn’t bleed Wu Dalang dry before finishing him off!
A wasp’s sting pales in comparison—nothing is more poisonous than a woman’s heart!
Hu Yichuan couldn’t hold back anymore—he burst into tears. This iron-blooded man, hoarse and choked with grief, shouted: “She climbed the social ladder, slept with another man even though she was engaged to my brother—and it killed him! And you call that unintentional?!”
“If that’s what you call unintentional, then is every unintentional crime not a crime at all?”
“There are gods three feet above our heads! So what about my brother? Was he not someone’s child? Didn’t he have family too? My parents are in the grave, waiting for their son who died young. When they hear he died tragically, buried alone in a forgotten grave—how can they rest in peace?!”
“They can’t!” Baizhi shouted first.
The people roared with her: “They can’t! Make the adulterers pay! Let the adulterers atone for their sins!”
Those adulterers, now the emperor’s in-laws, were living in luxury, holding high office, basking in wealth and glory.
What—are commoners’ lives not lives?
Does having power and status mean you can do whatever you want?
Outside the Duke’s estate, the crowd boiled over in fury. Inside, the house was deathly silent.
Even through the thick walls, the shouting and cursing from the people could be clearly heard.
This grand, deep-walled estate had, for the first time, become chaotic and unsettling—utterly out of control.
Just across the way was Duke Cheng’s estate.
The two families were close, and such a scandal naturally didn’t go unnoticed. The Cheng estate sent someone over to ask if help was needed.
Help?
Madam Liu sat in a daze, her expression vacant as she watched the steward waiting for instructions. For a moment, she didn’t respond.
It was Liu Mingzhu who shook her urgently, shouting in frustration, “Mother! Say something! Tell them to drive those unruly commoners away!”
Only then did Madam Liu come back to her senses. She gave her daughter a complicated look, then shook her head and instructed the steward to go out and respond politely—thank Duke Cheng’s household for their kindness, but decline the offer.
Liu Mingzhu was baffled. “Mother! Those commoners made Grandmother so angry she got hurt. Now Duke Cheng’s estate is offering to help—why are you sending them away?”
“What do you know?” Madam Liu rubbed her aching forehead. “Do you know how many people are outside right now? The law does not punish the masses. What, do you plan to arrest them all and beat them?”
The crowd outside was massive and already fired up. If they dared to arrest anyone now, it could spark a full-blown riot.
And if that happened, the scandal would only grow worse.
As if the household didn’t already have enough problems, as if their reputation wasn’t already in tatters?
At the thought of Duchess Chu, Madam Liu let out a long, heavy sigh.
She never would’ve guessed that her mother-in-law had once been that kind of person. It was completely unexpected.
And she wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Everyone living near the imperial city—nobles, ministers—had heard of the scandal by now.
After all, it had escalated so much that the city patrol and military police had to be deployed to maintain order.
At the same time, Censor Tie also heard of the incident.
Censor Tie was never one to mince words and had always held a very poor opinion of the Liu family.
As soon as he heard what had happened, he immediately requested an audience with Emperor Yongchang.
The emperor had just met with envoys from the Oirats and was preparing to discuss border trade with his cabinet ministers. He also wanted to raise the matter of Liu Wangfei’s return and how to formalize her title—when he was informed that Censor Tie was requesting an urgent audience.
The mere mention of Tie made the emperor’s head hurt.
This man truly lived up to his name—Tie, meaning iron, for his hard-headed stubbornness.
But he couldn’t ignore him. The emperor cleared his throat and gave the order to summon him.
The moment Censor Tie stepped in, he knelt and called on the emperor to act with righteousness, even against his own kin.
Yongchang Emperor paused, frowning. “Righteousness above kin?”
What kin? What was he referring to?
Censor Tie did not flinch. He cupped his hands and declared loudly: “Your Majesty! That’s right! Duke Chu’s household has repeatedly disgraced itself. First, there was the scandal with Second Master Liu and Cheng Wang at the longevity banquet—engaging in indecency and killing a servant girl. It caused a huge stir across the capital!”
At the mention of that incident, the emperor’s expression also darkened.
Censor Tie pressed on, frowning. “Now Duke Chu’s household is caught in yet another disgrace! The Duchess is involved in a murder case, and when the Shuntian Prefecture sent men to summon her for questioning, they were driven out like dogs!”
The emperor’s face turned ashen.
He hadn’t even heard of this yet.
Censor Tie didn’t hold back: “May I ask, Your Majesty—does this realm belong to the emperor, or to the Liu family? Duke Chu may hold high status, but does that mean he can abuse his power, interfere with the laws of the land, ignore court decrees, and humiliate officials and magistrates as he pleases?”
The emperor was seething. He forced himself to remain composed as he cast a grim look at Censor Tie. “I have heard you. I will send the Embroidered Guard to investigate the matter. There is no need for you to be so agitated, Beloved Minister Tie.”
Censor Tie cupped his hands once more. “Your Majesty is wise! This old minister trusts that Your Majesty will judge fairly and uphold justice, so that scholars and officials across the land do not lose faith in the imperial court.”
Now he would wait and see how the emperor dealt with this.
The Liu family had completely lost control—what an utter disgrace to proper conduct!
Emperor Yongchang, choked with frustration by Censor Tie’s words, furiously gave the order: “Summon Duke Chu!”
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