Chapter 94

Chapter 94: Mad Dog A few days later, Xie Yunting impeached Qian Jin during the morning court session. The Duke of Dingguo and Xie Yunting had a fierce argument. But the Emperor trusted Xie Yunting deeply and immediately ordered him to lead men to investigate the Qian family. Qian Jin never expected that even the Duke of Dingguo couldn't stop Xie Yunting. Watching Xie Yunting surround the Qian residence with his men, Qian Jin finally felt fear. "General Xie, Lord Xie, let's talk this through properly!" "When I tried to talk properly with you, why didn't you think about that?" Xie Yunting raised an eyebrow at Qian Jin arrogantly. "As for today's matter, I'll give you two quarters of an hour to think carefully about what you should do!" Xie Yunting slapped Qian Jin's shoulder heavily. "The drought in the northwest three years ago, and the Cloud Mist Gauze tribute from the northern deserts seven years ago—do I need to spell out every single one of these matters for you?" In truth, Xie Yunting had no evidence for these matters. What he had were witnesses to Qian Jin accepting bribes from merchants two years prior. A single charge wouldn't warrant the death penalty—at most, demotion or exile. But when the charges piled up one after another, Qian Jin's head would no longer be safe. Xie Yunting deliberately frightened Qian Jin, but from Qian Jin's perspective, he had no way of knowing that Xie Yunting lacked evidence. Seeing the Duke of Dingguo arrive, Qian Jin hurriedly pleaded for help. "Duke of Guo, please speak to General Xie on my behalf!" But before the Duke of Dingguo could say a word, Xie Yunting spoke first. "Duke of Guo, I am carrying out the Emperor's decree. Lord Qian's corruption and bribery are backed by solid evidence. You are a pillar of the court—surely you wouldn't think of bending the law for personal favor?" The Duke of Dingguo swallowed the words he was about to say. Indeed, only because Xie Yunting had evidence would the Emperor issue a decree for him to handle the matter. If he now told Xie Yunting to let it go, Xie Yunting would have leverage over him too. "Yunting, we are all colleagues. Must you bite down so hard?" the Duke of Dingguo said helplessly. "Those who devote themselves wholeheartedly to the country and the people are true colleagues. But those who engage in corruption and bribery deserve to meet the King of Hell. Duke of Guo, if you continue to obstruct my duties, I will report back to the Emperor and have your Dingguo Mansion investigated as well." Xie Yunting had originally thought the Duke of Dingguo was straightforward and distinguished in military merit—one of the few people he could genuinely respect. But it turned out the Duke of Dingguo and Qian Jin were birds of a feather! The Duke of Dingguo's face flushed red. Xie Yunting's tongue was truly sharp, and he couldn't think of a retort. Xie Yunting turned back to Qian Jin. "Only a quarter of an hour remains. If Lord Qian wastes more time, don't blame me for being discourteous." Qian Jin was truly panicked now. He was shoved into the mansion by Xie Yunting, and the front hall was in chaos. His wife, Mrs. He, pulled him behind a screen. "How much longer will you stay blind? Your sister has been causing trouble following Princess Rongjia around, and now you've offended someone you shouldn't have. Will you still not repent?" In the past, Mrs. He had advised Qian Jin not to indulge his sister-in-law. But Qian Jin never listened—no matter what happened, he would always clean up after her. Now Xie Yunting had surrounded the entire Qian residence with his men, and both of them knew perfectly well whether the Qian family's affairs over the years had been clean. "But... but I can't betray my sister to save myself!" Qian Jin said, torn. "Then do you want to watch our entire family die?" Seeing that Qian Jin was beyond reason, Mrs. He rushed out from behind the screen. Ignoring propriety between men and women, she went straight to Xie Yunting. "General Xie, I can testify that Cui Zeyu is innocent. Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you. I only beg you to spare the Qian family." Mrs. He lowered her posture completely. She had sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters—she couldn't let one sister-in-law ruin the entire family. Even if Qian Jin divorced her over this, she would still step forward today to resolve it. She knew that the reason Xie Yunting was giving them time was because his target wasn't the Qian family—it was Princess Rongjia. Qian Jin rushed over and, upon hearing what Mrs. He said, flew into a rage and slapped her across the face. "You mad woman! Do you have any idea what you're saying?!" Mrs. He stumbled from the blow, and the taste of blood immediately filled her mouth. But she ignored Qian Jin's threats and continued, "General Xie, as for Cui Zeyu's matter, it was Princess Rongjia who begged my sister-in-law for help. If you want me to testify at the government office, I'll say exactly this!" Xie Yunting got the answer he wanted and grabbed Qian Jin by the collar. "Lord Qian, hitting a woman isn't a skill. Your wife is far smarter than you. Since that's the case, the two of you will come with me to the government office." At the same time, at the Rong Prince Mansion, Madam Qian learned that her natal family had been surrounded. She hurriedly summoned Princess Rongjia. "How did Song Shulan, that first wife, get connected with Xie Yunting?" Madam Qian asked frantically. "Xie Yunting actually surrounded the Qian residence with his men! I went to find Father and Mother, but they told me to look after my own interests. But I did all of this for you—you can't just watch my Qian family fall!" They had grown up together, and after Madam Qian married into the Rong Prince Mansion, their bond had only grown stronger. That was why when Madam Qian said she disliked Lady Wu, Princess Rongjia joined her in ostracizing Lady Wu—the two were like sisters. So when Madam Qian learned that Princess Rongjia merely wanted to teach a merchant a lesson, she agreed without a second thought. Unexpectedly, they had capsized in a ditch—and managed to provoke Xie Yunting, that unruly devil. Madam Qian was frantic, nearly in tears. Princess Rongjia said she would go find her father to intervene, and the two of them hurried to Prince Rong's study. When Prince Rong saw his daughter enter, he was both exasperated and angry. "I know what the two of you are going to say. Your mother has already gone to the palace to see the Empress. Both of you come from great aristocratic families, yet you've been reduced to this state by the daughter of a minor official. How do you have the face to come begging us?" With matters concerning his daughter and daughter-in-law, Prince Rong had no choice but to act. "Father, I truly never imagined Xie Yunting would go this far for Cui Zeyu," Princess Rongjia said, utterly bewildered. The two had only known each other for a short time, yet Xie Yunting was acting as if he had nothing to lose, clinging relentlessly to the Qian family. Madam Qian was equally baffled. "I have no idea where Xie Yunting learned about my elder brother's affairs. I only asked my brother for help after hearing Rongjia's grievances—I never imagined it would bring disaster upon my brother's entire family. I beg you, Father, please help the Qian family. Our family will be eternally grateful." "Hmph, that Xie Yunting is a rabid dog!" Prince Rong looked at the two women before him with disdain. "Whoever he sinks his teeth into, he tears out a chunk of flesh. Since Xie Yunting has already gotten his hands on evidence, your brother will just have to endure some hardship. And you need to think about yourself—you are the Second Madam of the Rong Prince Mansion. If you get dragged into this, where will the Rong Prince Mansion's face go?" Prince Rong's meaning was clear: Qian Jin should take the fall and keep the Rong Prince Mansion out of it. Madam Qian said, "But—" "No more 'buts.' If either of you had been even slightly clever and schemed to destroy Cui Lingrong and Cui Zeyu completely, you wouldn't be in this predicament now!" Prince Rong took a deep breath. "As for the Qian family, once this blows over, I'll find a way to help your brother get his position restored." Prince Rong waved his hand, unwilling to say more to Madam Qian. Madam Qian was escorted out, and Prince Rong kept only his daughter. He walked up to her, his tone disappointed. "Do you know what price your mother and I paid to clean up the Du family's mess for you?" Princess Rongjia pressed her lips together in silence. She was the Commandery Princess of the Rong Prince Mansion—it was only natural that her father and mother did things for her. "I'm warning you seriously: since you can't defeat Lady Cui, learn to be a docile cat. After all, you were the one who insisted on marrying Song Shulan as his Equal Wife. You said Lady Cui was just the daughter of a minor official and no match for you—and look what happened." Prince Rong looked at his daughter, more and more impatience welling up inside him. "Don't let anything like the Du family incident happen again, do you understand?" He emphasized his words: "If you can't win, then admit defeat!" "Father, I—" "I don't want to hear your excuses. The plain truth is that you cannot defeat Lady Cui." Prince Rong had cleaned up after his daughter too many times; even the deepest affection eventually grew tiresome. But Princess Rongjia refused to accept it. It was simply that she hadn't been at the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion long enough—once she became more familiar with the household, she would surely defeat Cui Lingrong! Seeing that his daughter remained silent, Prince Rong knew she still hadn't figured it out. But before he could continue admonishing her, a servant came to deliver a message: Xie Yunting had brought officials from the prefectural office and was requesting that Princess Rongjia and Madam Qian come in for questioning. Princess Rongjia's face went white as a sheet. She was a noble lady of Bianjing—if she had to go to the prefectural office, wouldn't that be a complete loss of face?!