The New Year was approaching, but in truth, there wasn’t much festive atmosphere in any household.
As for the reason—well, there wasn’t just one. It was simply that too much had happened at the end of the year.
In past years, every family would hire an opera troupe during the New Year to perform some plays in the main hall. It was a way to entertain guests and also symbolized a lively, prosperous year ahead.
But this year, even the opera troupes had been skipped.
Who had time to watch actors put on a show?
There were more than enough real-life dramas being performed by noble families and high-ranking officials for the people of the capital to enjoy.
First, the emperor’s original Wangfei returned in grand fashion. Then came the huge scandal involving the emperor’s father-in-law—murdering his wife to promote an outside mistress to the primary wife.
And that wasn’t even the end of it. Things only escalated further.
That very same Jiang family—yes, the emperor’s former brother-in-law—sent men to assassinate the younger brother of Duchess Chu’s former fiancé.
Honestly, no opera script could match this level of drama!
Who in the capital still had the mood to celebrate the New Year?
Everyone was glued to the unfolding spectacle.
The Shuntian Prefecture’s yamen was packed to the brim, even during the New Year. People stood on their toes just trying to get a better look at what was going on inside.
The Prefect of Shuntian was full of resentment.
The New Year was supposed to be time off—typically, offices wouldn’t reopen until the Lantern Festival.
But somehow, he’d managed to run into a string of once-in-a-century events.
The emperor’s own brother-in-law—how was he supposed to handle the trial? Be lenient? Be strict?
It was enough to make his blood boil.
He sat there fuming, unsure what to do.
Xing Min quietly reminded him, “My lord, why be so angry? Think about it—how has His Majesty treated Lord Jiang all these years? All the loyal retainers who followed from Min territory to the capital—haven’t they all been rewarded handsomely, honored and wealthy? But Lord Jiang…”
Lord Jiang got absolutely nothing.
Emperor Yongchang missed and adored Liu Wangfei so much that over the years he had sent many people to search for her, sparing no effort and spending massive resources.
That aside, her maiden family—Duke Chu’s household—had been elevated to an entirely new level of prestige.
But Lord Jiang’s household? Not a single real benefit.
These years, they had survived mostly thanks to aid from Duke Chu’s family.
The Prefect of Shuntian wasn’t a fool. After that little nudge from Xing Min, he immediately understood what she was implying.
“You mean… handle it impartially?” he asked.
Xing Min immediately smiled. “My lord, just look—layers upon layers of people outside, and not a single person has come forward to speak on Lord Jiang’s behalf. That alone tells you: Lord Jiang is dispensable. Of course you should do what you’re supposed to do.”
The prefect took a deep breath.
Yes—of course!
He understood instantly.
When he resumed the trial, he cut straight to the point—showing no mercy whatsoever.
Jiang Yanzhen was in a complete panic. Before Xing Min had brought him here, he had already warned him that Lu Mingan would soon be returning from the outskirts of the capital.
And yet the prefect’s attitude remained this cold and firm.
The prefect tossed a stack of confession statements at Jiang Yanzhen.
They were all testimonies from the assassins he had hired.
Every statement clearly recorded how they had been instructed by him, the time, the place, and exactly how much silver they received—everything written out in black and white.
And they were all signed and sealed.
Jiang Yanzhen was like an ant on a hot pan—utterly frantic.
D*mn it, what did he do wrong?
It wasn’t them who chased after Liu Wangfei back then. After she disappeared, they never participated in any pursuit either.
Even now that she had returned and her identity was being twisted and misrepresented—that was all orchestrated by Duke Chu’s household.
They had merely obeyed orders.
As for the assassination of Hu Yichuan—that wasn’t his idea! It was Duke Chu who threatened and bribed him!
Why was everything suddenly being blamed on him now?
If the crime of assassinating Hu Yichuan were pinned entirely on him, who would still believe that he had nothing to do with the earlier attempt on Liu Wangfei’s life?
If Duke Chu’s household were at least willing to share the burden with him, to stand or fall together, that would be one thing.
But the problem was—they were treating him like a rag, using him and then tossing him aside.
Why?!
He didn’t even enjoy one-hundredth of the benefits that Duke Chu’s household did.
And yet, he was being made into their scapegoat?
Why?!
Jiang Yanzhen clenched his teeth, torn with hesitation, conflict, humiliation, and anguish.
When the Prefect of Shuntian finally questioned him, “Jiang Yanzhen, do you still have anything to say?!”
Jiang Yanzhen fell to his knees with a thud, unable to hold out any longer. “No, no, no! It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me! These men do work for me, but—it was Duke Chu who ordered me to do it!”
The Prefect of Shuntian nearly slammed the gavel right off the bench.
Heavens above!
All he wanted was to properly conduct a trial.
Just digging up Jiang Yanzhen had already taken all his courage. It had been painful enough to proceed with that.
And now Jiang Yanzhen was dragging out an even bigger backer?!
The Prefect nearly fainted on the spot.
But with so many eyes watching—he didn’t even dare pass out.
So many people! So many people!
Countless citizens were staring straight at him, watching Jiang Yanzhen openly say the name of Duke Chu.
Even if he wanted to cover it up, even if he wanted to send word to Duke Chu first—he had no way of doing so!
Truly…
His hands trembled uncontrollably. He wanted to say the trial would be postponed, but he couldn’t summon the courage to get the words out—because if he did, the crowd would leap at him and curse him as a corrupt official shielding the guilty.
Sure enough, an uproar broke out among the people. Everyone began to shout and curse:
“Of course! It was Ximen Qing deliberately killing to silence witnesses!”
“So what if he’s the emperor’s father-in-law? The emperor’s father-in-law can just take lives as he pleases?”
“There are so many people living in the slums! He destroyed their homes just like that—he treats the lives of the people like nothing!”
“Corrupt official!”
The commoners shouted in fury, each more outraged than the last.
The Prefect of Shuntian was swept up in the wave of public anger—there was no escape.
Instinctively, he looked at Xing Min.
Xing Min sighed and said in a low voice, “My lord, the public outrage is already boiling over. What choice do you have? You’re riding a tiger now—you can either act like a just official and be remembered for generations like Justice Bao, or you can worry about personal ties, endure the people’s spitting curses, and live with that. It’s your call.”
What choice?
The Prefect closed his eyes and, gritting his teeth, shouted: “Guards! Summon Duke Chu’s household!”
Jiang Yanzhen took a deep breath. His expression still held a trace of defiance.
Think you can just wash your hands of him? Not that easy!
If they didn’t want to let him live, then he might as well drag everyone down with him!
While Jiang Yanzhen remained composed, Duke Chu’s residence was thrown into complete chaos.
Madam Liu was on the verge of collapse.
Her husband was dead, her brother-in-law was dead, her mother-in-law was dead—and now her father-in-law had just regained consciousness after a fall—only for the authorities to come knocking at their door.
Had the Liu family committed some heavenly crime? Why were they being tortured like this—tormented like this?
She was just a woman—why did she have to deal with all of this?
She broke down and burst into tears, running straight to Duke Chu’s room and dragging everyone over.
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