Chapter 117: I’ll Drink Hot Water
After Dai Ming’s shout, everyone’s attention focused on the interrogation room. The remaining servants from the Su family’s estate all showed expressions of agreement.
The middle-aged female servant added, “The Master was merely a son of a concubine from a branch family of the Su clan. The Su family is massive, and its sons were always competing for excellence. The Master was always the most inconspicuous among them.”
“Back then, when I was young, I personally saw the Master’s fifth uncle—who was the head of the Su family then—slap the Master hard in front of a statue of Confucius because he had plagiarized an essay to curry favor.”
“After that, the Master locked himself away to study for many days.”
“Then, the He family proposed a marriage match. The entire household was astonished. The nineteenth son of the Su family was to marry the legitimate second daughter of the He family.”
“The He family provided a dowry that stretched for ten li. Because of that marriage, the Master suddenly became the most prominent figure in the residence.”
“The Eldest Young Master was born halfway through the following year.”
The servant continued, “The Eldest Young Master was said to be premature, but I have seen full-term babies. They are all thin at birth. The Eldest Young Master weighed over seven jin at birth and has been healthy ever since. He couldn’t have been premature.”
“That means the Master used… special methods to get the Madam to marry into the family.”
“They lived apart for several years after the wedding.”
“As the Master’s luck in his official career began to rise, the position of the legitimate wife was essentially left vacant. There were plenty of ‘mad butterflies and wild bees’ who wanted to take the Madam’s place. We suspected the Master had long harbored a desire to kill her.”
The official asked sternly, “Tell me more.”
“The Eldest Young Miss is only eight years old.”
“The Madam was long past the age of childbearing. Her health was poor, and the couple had lost all affection for each other. Why would there be an Eldest Young Miss later?”
The officials were men, after all, and didn’t follow the logic. They looked at each other in confusion.
The servant said, “For a woman, childbirth is like crossing the gates of hell! The Madam nearly died giving birth to the Young Miss!”
“When the Young Miss was born, the Madam was gasping for her final breath during the difficult labor. She heard the Eldest Young Master crying for his mother outside and said, ‘I cannot let my children lose their mother,’ before she managed to pull through.”
“After the birth, the Master barely saw the three of them.”
“Because the Master was then serving as Prime Minister, his power was immense. The Late… the Late…”
“Speak boldly!”
“The Master’s level was on par with the Late Emperor’s concubines. Before the fire, the couple had their final argument. The Master had his heart set on Lady Lu and wanted to elevate her to an equal wife. The Madam valued her dignity above all; she mocked him for being both power-hungry and shameless.”
“The two didn’t smash things in the room. The Master simply flicked his sleeve and left in a cold rage.”
“Afterward,” the servants chorused, “was the fire that everyone knows about.”
According to the laws of Great Qin, a conviction could not be based on witness testimony alone. The official wanted to find physical evidence, asking sharply, “Did Su Wan or Fang-fang leave any proof? Anything to prove they were acting on Su Bei’s orders?”
This was a cold case from years ago. The scene no longer existed, and the accomplices were all dead. The servants looked at each other; none could produce physical evidence. The interrogation stalled.
At that moment, a hand lifted the curtain. The owner of the hand tightened his fingers. Su Xueyi’s face was deathly pale.
Seeing the Eldest Young Master appear, the servants trembled with fear. They had thought it was just a government investigation; they hadn’t expected to see the Young Master they had known for years. They all hung their heads in guilt.
Su Xueyi’s Prime Minister’s seal was suspended, but he had not been officially dismissed by the Emperor. The two officials stood up. “Prime Minister.”
Su Xueyi asked, “Why did you never tell me?”
Su Xueyi had always been exceptionally elegant, but now his eyes were dull and his face was sallow—like a piece of fine jade covered in dust. He said in a stifled voice, “I asked you all many times.”
The servants lowered their heads even further.
The female servant’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. “Young… Young Master. The Madam’s pre-marital pregnancy, the discord in the household, the Young Miss’s origins… these were all things the Madam did not want you to know.”
“You are a hundred times better than the Master; the Madam can rest in peace.”
“We are of lowly status; it’s better to avoid trouble than to invite it. As long as we didn’t admit it, the Young Master would have no way to investigate, and we wouldn’t have to offend anyone.”
“Please spare us, Young Master! Spare our lives!”
The servants in the interrogation room begged for mercy. Su Xueyi was well-versed in the law; all the suspicious cases from the Ministry of Justice were sent to him for judgment. The two officials didn’t dare act on their own, thinking the Prime Minister was going to take over to find physical evidence.
Instead, Su Xueyi walked out of the room. The two officials stood there, at a loss.
His dragging footsteps looked as if his soul had been sucked out. He had intuitively felt his mother’s death was related to his father, but he hadn’t imagined their relationship was even worse—that his father was not only a fool but also a monster.
He didn’t need physical proof.
A son had been deceiving himself, trusting his father time and again, only to be awakened by onlookers telling him that all his worst suspicions were the truth. Su Xueyi felt like a complete idiot.
His love for his mother turned into a wave of ocean-deep hatred.
Su Xueyi stumbled through the door connecting the rooms. Light flooded in, and his vision narrowed. He couldn’t help but lock his gaze on Ying Xi—the existence he looked up to but could never possess.
He realized all his schemes were a total loss in front of Ying Xi.
The Sovereign would not be threatened. Now, he had to kneel at Ying Xi’s feet, begging the Emperor for a chance at revenge—to fight for his and his sister’s lives before the world fell into chaos.
“Your criminal subject, Su Xueyi, reports ten grave crimes committed by my biological father, Su Bei.”
“First, corruption and violation of the law. During his tenure, the National Treasury suffered countless losses.”
“Second, selling official titles and ranks. Every level of office has a set price.”
“Third, inciting servants to commit murder. Burning an estate and killing two loyal servants who had already been freed from their bonds.”
“Fourth, mistreating his wife and children. Cruelly murdering his wife and lacking all morality.”
“Fifth, deceiving the world and stealing a reputation, bringing shame to the family name.”
“Sixth, forming factions for private gain. Gathering the great aristocratic families to oppose the Imperial Court.”
“Seventh, slandering the Sovereign and committing the crime of disrespect.”
“Eighth, purchasing weapons and secretly stockpiling armor. The Su family’s private army has long exceeded the legal limits.”
“Ninth, disloyalty to the throne. Building a ‘Peach Blossom Spring’ in Mount Cuihua to flee and hide at any moment.”
As he listed the final crimes, the severity grew. The room was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Ying Xi’s face was as cold as still water.
He thought of how Su Xueyi had led his family to flee before the fall of the nation in his past life; everything finally matched up. Since Su Bei’s time, they had already decided the court was doomed and were prepared to abandon the country and betray him, waiting for the situation to stabilize before serving a new ruler.
Ying Xi questioned, “Those who secretly manufacture armor among the commoners, both the craftsmen and the owners, are to be executed by waist-chopping.”
“The Longwu Army has official documentation and only dares to cooperate with the Ironworks Bureau.”
“Does Su Bei have the gall of a leopard to manufacture armor right under the Imperial City!?”
Su Xueyi lowered his eyes, facing Ying Xi’s furious Imperial wrath, and answered hoarsely, “Even when fleeing to the ‘Peach Blossom Spring,’ one needs weapons and armor to protect oneself. They were not obtained through legal channels.”
“Therefore, the final great crime I report is that Su Bei has been colluding with the Xiongnu. He once secretly dispatched death-sworn agents beyond the borders to exchange large sums of silver for military equipment and warhorses.”
“He once won the trust of Chanyu Wuwei, believing he had found a powerful backer!”
“Little did he expect his term would end and Your Majesty would ascend the throne. The court is flourishing, and a treacherous subject like him can only retire.”
Su Xueyi suggested, “I beg Your Majesty to announce these ten crimes to the world and immediately execute the Su clan to intimidate the great families.”
“As long as blood is shed, the rest will once again obey Your Majesty’s commands.”
This core intelligence was the trump card Su Xueyi had once intended to use to threaten Ying Xi.
The second day after Chang’an ran out of salt and grain, the markets were desolate, and the people’s resentment was rising.
Ying Xi moved from the West Side Hall to his study. This morning’s court assembly had been canceled, with only the core military officers summoned for arrangements. The study was small, and the morning light was already bright. Ying Xi hadn’t even had time to change his clothes.
The study was filled with commanders of the capital’s garrisons, officials from the Ministry of War, the commander of the Longwu Army, and the Chief of the Imperial Guards.
Only at the sight of the army did Ying Xi feel a trace of peace. His soft hair draped over his shoulders as Ying Xi held his brush, calmly drafting decrees and making arrangements for those below.
“The garrison troops are to seal the city gates and conduct strict patrols. Aside from soldiers, no one is permitted to enter or exit the Imperial City.” The patrols took the order and left.
“The Imperial Guards are to immediately take control of the salt fields, restart the salt furnaces, and recall the salt workers. Anyone who resists is to be executed without mercy.” The commander of the Imperial Guards took the order.
He then said to Lian Qing, “Split the Longwu Army into two groups. Enter Mount Cuihua to find the ‘Peach Blossom Spring.’ You will surely encounter resistance in this battle. Keep witnesses and evidence alive; kill everyone else.” Lian Qing left.
“The Ministry of War is to cooperate with the Ministry of Justice. Do not wait for all the evidence to be gathered. Seal the Su family residence. Only insignificant people will remain there; if there is resistance, execute them without mercy.”
“This subject obeys.” The Minister of War also went to make arrangements.
“Write the ten great crimes into a proclamation. Post them in every district and market, and then announce them to the world via Imperial decree.” Yu Jing hurriedly noted it down to inform the Secretariat to act quickly.
“Send a message by falcon to Xie Meng. The Navy is to take over the Granary Bureau. Xie Meng is to personally escort the tribute rice into the capital to resolve the grain crisis.” Ying Xi continued methodically, “Yu Jing, go to the Secretariat and summon the head of the Ministry of Revenue to see Me.”
Presumably, this was to stabilize prices in the city and prevent merchants from profiteering from the national crisis. Yu Jing jogged out of the study.
“Lang Xun, bring Su Xueyi to the front of the hall.”
Su Xueyi was still in the interrogation room awaiting his fate. Lang Xun was gloating—whoever the Emperor liked, Guard Lang hated, with an equal-opportunity hatred. Lang Xun felt Su Xueyi was bound to fall from favor and nodded eagerly. “This subject obeys.”
The Emperor had arranged every army properly. Before the world could fall into chaos, he had essentially brought the situation under control.
Only Xie Qianli remained in the study.
The situation was tense, and Ying Xi knew clearly he shouldn’t say much. But this counterattack plan had been delegated first to the Longwu Army from the very start. The one he had contacted earliest was Ju’er.
Ju’er had handled things beautifully, completing every task. Yet Ying Xi felt a blockage in his chest. He missed the time when the lights were brilliant and Ju’er had looked down with eyes full of him. That truly felt like a dream.
He should want Ju’er to be closer to him. But the Ju’er who had been so gentle and adorable that night in the lantern market suddenly felt so far away now that he was acting so proper.
He found himself hating the other’s rigid behavior a little.
Ying Xi looked away, adjusting his mood as he said coolly, “I have one more important mission.”
“Your Majesty, please speak.”
“Su Bei is pulling the strings from behind the scenes. The place where the main culprits gather will certainly not be the remote ‘Peach Blossom Spring,'” Ying Xi said. “I order you to take Su Xueyi with you. Find Su Bei’s whereabouts and kill him. Bring the rest back alive to face Me.”
“Yes.”
So the last two missions really were for the sake of the state.
Xie Qianli laughed at himself for overthinking. His invisible tail wagged. Back at the Su family estate, why had he acted as if he were facing a great enemy?
Xie Qianli tried to show goodwill. “Is Your Majesty still cold? Let me see if you have a fever.”
His hand was about to reach Ying Xi’s forehead.
Ying Xi glanced at the palm reaching toward him. The breath he had been holding in his chest finally eased slightly. But as a punishment for the “bad Ju’er,” Ying Xi dodged and looked at him.
“I’m not cold. Don’t touch. I have hot water.”
Xie Qianli felt a strange sting. He slowly retracted his arm and said properly, “This subject has been presumptuous.”
Those phrases—”impropriety of sight,” “presumptuous,” “guilty of a thousand deaths”—the polite jargon of the court had never been more loathsome than when they came from Xie Qianli’s mouth. Ying Xi felt a surge of nameless anger again.
Ying Xi ground his teeth. “Is that all you can say?”
Xie Qianli thought about it and felt ashamed. Since he had already annoyed Xiao Xi, he shouldn’t act recklessly.
He decided to ask about the mission, but his pitch-black eyes flickered. “In what capacity should I treat Su Xueyi?”
A meritorious subject or a criminal subject—it would determine Su Xueyi’s treatment on this trip.
Ying Xi somehow managed to capture a hint of guilt in Xie Qianli’s question. This caused the Emperor a secret surge of joy.
Ying Xi deliberately spoke vaguely, “Just treat him as… an important existence for the court and for Me.”
Xie Qianli forced himself to keep a straight face, his Adam’s apple bobbing, as he slumped his head in his mind.
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