The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 36

You’re spraying blood from your mouth!¹

Long Lang had just heard that his wife and children had been taken away by Qu Jinian, and his heart sank. When he then heard that his son and daughter were unconscious, his anxious words came out without thinking, and he voiced his question in direct suspicion.

Hearing Long Lang’s words, the crowd followed his gaze and all looked toward the Noble Consort. At that moment, Long Lang also realized he had misspoken and fallen into Qu Jinian’s trap.

Qu Jinian raised an eyebrow slightly. The hall had just fallen silent for a moment when the Noble Consort was heard saying, “Insolence! What are you looking at This Palace for? Could it be that This Palace had someone abduct your family?”

When the Emperor heard the Noble Consort’s words, his eyes moved slightly. He glanced sideways at her, and a moment later, he heard Long Lang say in a panic, “Your Majesty, this matter was done by this subject alone and has nothing to do with anyone else. This guilty subject is willing to atone for my crime with my death.”

Long Lang’s words made Qu Jinian laugh with delight inwardly. They hadn’t even started questioning him, yet Long Lang had confessed to everything. As expected, being skilled in martial arts didn’t mean having a sharp mind. This move in his game of chess was the right one.

However, this was far from enough.

“This Emperor hasn’t even questioned you yet, but you’ve already confessed.” The Emperor now realized that the portrait Qu Jinian had presented was not fake; the words he had spoken to Marquis Yongshen earlier were merely a motive for the murder.

“Someone, come! Lock Imperial Bodyguard Long in the Sky Prison.”²

“Your Majesty, the details of this case have not yet been fully investigated. Please allow this humble subject to take him to the Jingzhao Prefecture Yamen for continued interrogation.” Qu Jinian would naturally not let the Emperor take the man away. He knew what the Tiansheng Emperor was planning.

“My dear Minister Qu³, This Emperor will send people to continue the trial. You need not concern yourself with this matter any longer.” As the Tiansheng Emperor spoke, his cold gaze fell upon Long Lang.

“Your Majesty——”

“This Emperor has spoken. This case will be tried by specialists. Does Minister Qu not understand words?” The Tiansheng Emperor interrupted Qu Jinian, feigning annoyance.

Qu Jinian had only taken the first step; he didn’t know where the second chess piece would land. He needed to stall for time.

“Your Majesty, the victim in this case is the deceased wife of Prime Minister Lin. This humble subject implores Your Majesty to allow Prime Minister Lin to preside over this case.”

Lin Jianhai was the family member of the victim in this case, but officials were expected to avoid conflicts of interest when trying cases. Qu Jinian had also originally intended to avoid it; the reason the Tiansheng Emperor had agreed at the time was to do him a favor. Now that the case involved someone he cared about, he wanted to intervene and minimize the powerful interests involved, ideally to protect the Noble Consort.

“You also know that the victim in this case is Lin Jianhai’s deceased wife. Do you not know the laws of our dynasty, that officials who are relatives involved in a case must avoid suspicion?” The Emperor directly rejected Qu Jinian’s suggestion.

“Your Majesty, since Prime Minister Lin must avoid suspicion, then this humble subject implores Your Majesty to try the case personally.”

“Did This Emperor say I would not try it?” Hearing Qu Jinian’s persistence, the Tiansheng Emperor began to accumulate anger, and an impatient look crossed his face.

“Your Majesty, the murderer has already confessed. If not tried today, when will it be? This case not only involves Prime Minister Lin’s deceased wife, but also the matter of my goddaughter and youngest daughter being drugged by Marquis Yongshen in collusion with others. This subject implores Your Majesty to grant this subject justice.” Qu Jinian was simply blocking the Emperor from taking away the murderer he had just tricked into confessing, otherwise he would be collecting the bodyguard’s corpse tomorrow.

“Qu Jinian, what is wrong with you today? Did This Emperor not say I would find someone to try the case, and that This Emperor would personally oversee it? Yet you are still so relentless. Do you want This Emperor to kill him on the spot to be satisfied? Men!”

The Tiansheng Emperor stood up and angrily summoned the Imperial Guard from outside the hall.

The Imperial Guard entered the hall and drew their long sabers. Qu Jinian frowned. It seemed he would not be able to protect this man today.

“Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager and State Uncle Cheng have arrived.” A eunuch official from outside hurried into the hall and relayed the message to the chief eunuch official beside him.

Two shichen⁴ ago, at the Prime Minister Lin Estate.

Lin Jianhai was still in the palace at this moment, his path blocked by other colleagues and ministers asking about political affairs the Emperor had asked them to discuss. Even his midday meal was provided by the palace.

The Jingzhao Prefecture Yamen had dispatched four teams of yachai⁵ to enter the Prime Minister Lin Estate and control all the entrance and exit gates.

The Jingzhao Prefect, holding the Empress’s edict, requested the presence of Prime Minister Lin’s wife for questioning. He also temporarily restricted the entry and exit of everyone else in the estate.

Yu-shi had fallen into the water the day before and had been frightened. She had developed a high fever last night and was now lying on the couch with her hair disheveled, awakened by the clamor outside.

She held a hand to her forehead, her heart filled with resentment and anger. Yesterday, she had said that Lin Xizhao and Qu Sheng had pushed her into the water, but Lin Jianhai had only said he was aware of it and had punished Lin Xizhao. But when she asked the servants today, Lin Jianhai hadn’t punished Lin Xizhao at all. This morning, Lin Xizhao was perfectly fine and had even been called away by people from the Liang family.

Now, when leaving the estate, he didn’t even bother to send someone to inform her. It was obvious that he now had a backer because the Liang family had come.

Hearing the commotion outside, Yu-shi snapped, “What is going on outside? Why is it so noisy?”

A maidservant heard her, curtsied, and said, “This servant will go and see at once.”

After the maidservant left, she returned in a panic not long after. “Madam, the Jingzhao Prefecture Yamen has brought people. They say they want to summon you to the yamen for questioning.”

Hearing this, Yu-shi sat up abruptly, the cloth on her forehead falling off. Her eyes wide with panic, she asked, “Did you find out what it’s about?”

“This servant doesn’t know. Those men are very fierce. They said if you don’t come out, they will have people come into the room,” the maidservant said, flustered.

Yu-shi looked at the maidservant’s timid expression, her eyes darting around unfocused for a few moments before saying, “Has the Master returned? Go and call the Master here, quickly.”

The maidservant heard this and said, “The Master went to the morning court session and has not yet returned.”

Hearing that Lin Jianhai was still in the palace, Yu-shi sat on the couch and pondered for a few moments, then said, “Go and summon all the estate guards. Be quick.”

“Madam…” Although the maidservant was in the Prime Minister’s estate, she had never seen such a spectacle. The Jingzhao Prefecture Yamen had brought so many people; how could the people in their estate possibly fight them?

“Go!” Yu-shi roared when she saw the maidservant wasn’t moving.

The people outside seemed to have heard this roar, and each of them placed a hand on the hilt of the saber at their waist.

Because it was the Empress’s edict and involved the Prime Minister’s wife, the Jingzhao Prefect had come in person today. Hearing the movement inside, he called out, “This official, under the order of the Empress’s edict, invites the Prime Minister’s wife to the Jingzhao Prefecture Yamen to answer a few questions. I urge Madam to be quick.”

From inside the room, Yu-shi heard the buzzing sound from outside, but she clearly made out the content of the shout. A short while later, a maidservant came out of the room but was blocked by several yachai.

The Jingzhao Prefect walked over and said, “Miss, please go back inside and urge your esteemed mistress to hurry.”

The maidservant’s path was blocked. The men didn’t touch her, but they all had long sabers at their waists, which was quite terrifying. She could only timidly return to the room.

After a long time, the Jingzhao Prefect looked up at the sun. Estimating that the time was about right, just as he was about to lead his men into the room, he saw Yu-shi emerge, properly dressed.

“I wonder what Lord Prefect has summoned me to ask about? Does Her Majesty the Empress have any instructions?” Yu-shi wanted to stall for time, but the Jingzhao Prefect was running short on it. He didn’t mince words and said directly, “Today, the fifth young master of the Liang family went to the imperial palace and sought an audience with Her Majesty the Empress, stating that you are suspected of drugging the Liang clan’s daughter, Lin Xizhao. Please come with us, Madam.”

When Yu-shi heard that the Liang family had gone to the Empress to complain about her drugging Lin Xizhao, she quickly opened her mouth to say it was baseless nonsense, but was startled into silence by the Jingzhao Prefect’s stern expression.

“Let’s go.” There was not a trace of a smile on the Jingzhao Prefect’s face. Today, he had received instructions from Marquis Qu, and it was also an Empress’s edict. Since the Empress herself had issued the order, the matter was likely already a nail on a board⁶. In the past, even if he had all the courage in the world, he would not have dared to summon the Prime Minister’s wife for questioning like this.

Looking at the yachai, each holding a saber, Yu-shi could only lower her flag and bow her head⁷. Flanked by the yachai, she left the estate and was taken to the Jingzhao Prefecture Yamen in a carriage.

Upon arriving at the yamen, Yu-shi saw several of the Liang brothers as soon as she stepped inside.

The Prefect sat at the head of the main hall and struck his gavel⁸. The yachai on both sides began to strike the ground with their shuihuo staves⁹, shouting “Might!”

After silence fell inside and outside the hall, the eldest Liang uncle stepped forward and submitted the complaint petition. The Liang family members were all officials, so they did not need to kneel. Yu-shi was merely an official’s wife, without a gaoming¹⁰ title of her own, and today it was the Empress who had issued the order. In the hall, she was the only one kneeling on the ground.

The Prefect took the petition, opened it, and read it carefully. Then he looked down at Yu-shi in the hall and said, “Lin Yu-shi, the Liang family accuses you of colluding with others to drug their niece, Lin Xizhao, and the daughter of Marquis Zhengyi, Qu Sheng, in your estate. Do you confess to this crime?”

Hearing the matter of the drugging, Yu-shi hurriedly said, “Your Excellency, there has been some misunderstanding.” As she spoke, Yu-shi looked up at the Prefect.

“Speak.” The Prefect was not denying her a chance to speak.

Hearing this, Yu-shi continued, “As for the drugging, this humble woman does not admit to it. It was not medicine at all, just some tonics. After consumption, it would make one feel a bit drowsy, but it is only beneficial to the body, with no harm. My own two sons also consumed the same food. Would this humble woman harm her own sons? Moreover, the kitchen staff did not know that Zhao’er was going out as a guest, so there was some misunderstanding.”

Yu-shi refused to admit it, even bringing up her two sons.

The Prefect heard this and raised his chin slightly. “Bring the cook from the Lin Estate up.”

When Yu-shi heard “the cook from the Lin Estate,” she subconsciously looked back. It was indeed the cook who had prepared the meal for Lin Xizhao that day. But hadn’t she sent this cook away back to his village? How could he be here?

Yu-shi’s heart was pounding, but even if the drugging was confirmed, it wouldn’t be enough to send her to prison, so she wasn’t afraid. She just didn’t understand why the Liang family would alarm the Empress over such a trivial matter.

While Yu-shi was pondering, the Prefect began to question the kitchen cook.

“Yu-shi claims that what you made that day were tonics. What medicinal ingredients were used?”

The kitchen cook replied, “Replying to Your Excellency, that day, Madam sought me out, saying she had been having trouble sleeping lately. So I added some ingredients like lily bulb, lotus seed, jujube, and longan pulp. These are all nourishing medicinal foods for calming the mind and nourishing the brain. They are beneficial for sleep after consumption, but they would never cause a state of deep slumber. Your Excellency, every word I have spoken is true.”

As the Prefect questioned him, he glanced sideways at the Liang family members, then said to Yu-shi, “Lin Yu-shi, what else do you have to say?” The Prefect was letting her prove her own innocence.

“Lord Prefect.” The eldest Liang uncle took a step forward.

The Prefect looked at him and said, “Liang Zhizhuo¹¹ please speak.” Officials had to be polite to one another.

The eldest Liang uncle nodded and continued, “This subordinate has two witnesses. I request Lord Prefect to summon them to the hall for questioning.”

Upon hearing the eldest Liang uncle’s words and the Prefect’s approval, Vice Minister Zheng brought his wife into the hall.

When the Prefect saw the high-ranking third-rank official from the Ministry of Revenue, who was his equal in status, he was about to rise. But Vice Minister Zheng cupped his hands in a salute first and said, “Lord Prefect, today, this Zheng is only here to be a witness.” Not only that, but he also had to implicate himself. If he didn’t, the Qu family wouldn’t let him off.

The moment Yu-shi saw the Zheng family enter the hall, she knew she could not escape the drugging accusation. She simply knelt on the ground without a word, only listening as Vice Minister Zheng confessed everything—how she had previously communicated with them and Marquis Yongshen, the matter of drugging Lin Xizhao, and even presented the type of drug that was used.

“Lin Yu-shi, what else do you have to say?” the Prefect asked, looking down. With both human and material evidence present, Yu-shi could not escape.

“I want to wait for my husband, the Prime Minister, to return.” Yu-shi wanted to wait for Lin Jianhai to save her.

That day, Lin Jianhai had clearly been suspicious of her, but he had still suppressed the matter. Lin Jianhai was the prime minister of the nation and valued his reputation above all else. He would surely find a way to keep her out of prison.

“I’d advise you to save your breath. You won’t be seeing my brother-in-law today.” The fifth Liang uncle was now gnashing his teeth¹² in hatred of Yu-shi. He had disliked this Yu-shi for a long time and now wished he could just snap her in two.

After this matter was essentially settled, the eldest Liang uncle once again presented another complaint petition. It accused Yu-shi of colluding with Marquis Yongshen and being suspected of murdering Lady Liang.

The Prefect took the petition and, after examining it carefully again, showed no surprise, because the Empress’s edict he had received today included this content.

“Lin Yu-shi, the Liang family accuses you of colluding with Marquis Yongshen and being suspected of murdering Lady Liang. Do you confess?”

When Yu-shi heard that she was accused of murdering Lady Liang, her gaze faltered slightly. After slowly composing herself to hide her evident shock, she said, “Your Excellency cannot make such wild accusations. Elder Sister Liang treated me extremely well over the years, and we got along harmoniously in the estate. What reason would I have to kill her?”

The Prefect looked down at the petition again and said, “The petition states that Lady Liang was already pregnant at the time. You were afraid that your sons would forever be mere shuzi¹³, so you secretly colluded with Marquis Yongshen, who coveted the Prime Minister’s dinu¹⁴, Lin Xizhao. In the outskirts, you used an ice pick coated with a drug to shoot at the horse, causing it to go mad and throw her off, leading to her death. How do you explain this?”

Hearing this, Yu-shi’s face once again showed shock. As she opened her mouth to argue, the eldest Liang uncle spoke again, “Lord Prefect, the witness is just outside. Please permit him to come forward and speak.”

The Prefect nodded and gestured for the yachai to bring the person in.

“Your Excellency, this man is Shopkeeper Xu from Dehou Hall¹⁵. He was the one who diagnosed my sister back then. This man left the capital when Marquis Zhengyi began investigating this case, and we went to great lengths to find him. According to him, when he was invited to the Prime Minister Lin Estate back then, Yu-shi gave him one hundred taels of gold and told him that no matter what pulse he diagnosed, he was not to say it was a joyful pulse¹⁶.” The eldest Liang uncle brought forth the witness the Qu family had found for them, reciting the prepared statement without missing a single word.

“Shopkeeper Xu, did this happen?” the Prefect asked, looking at the shopkeeper of Dehou Hall.

The kneeling Shopkeeper Xu looked up and said, “Replying to Lord Prefect, it is true. I have also brought the gold, not a single tael is missing.” As he spoke, he took out a cloth bundle containing the gold and had someone present it.

The Prefect opened the gold bundle, glanced at it, and asked, “Why did you not use it?”

Shopkeeper Xu hurriedly replied, “This humble one did not dare to use it. Back then, Lady Liang was always tired and fatigued, so I was invited to diagnose her. Who knew that as soon as I entered the courtyard, someone led me to another place, prepared gold, and told me not to say Lady Liang’s pulse was a joyful pulse. At the time, I didn’t know it would lead to a death, so I kept it and never dared to use it.”

“Do you know who gave it to you?” the Prefect continued to ask.

Shopkeeper Xu replied, “Replying to Lord Prefect, I didn’t ask for details when I received the gold at the time. But after the incident, I made a special effort to inquire and found out it was the concubine of the Prime Minister Lin Estate at the time, Yu-shi.”

“You’re spraying blood from your mouth!” Yu-shi turned her head and roared at Shopkeeper Xu.

The maidservant from back then had long been sold by her to a group of traveling merchants entering the capital. There were no witnesses now, so Shopkeeper Xu’s words could not be fully trusted.

“Since I married into the Lin family as a concubine, I never cared about the distinction between the main wife’s children and a concubine’s. My children have always been shuzi, and the Master treats all children equally. Even if Elder Sister Liang had given birth to a son, it would not have affected the Master’s affection for my two sons. Why would I need to dash into danger and commit murder?”

Yu-shi now seized upon the illogicality of her motive for murder, arguing forcefully based on her reasoning. With her family background, it would have been easy for her to become the official wife of a high-ranking official.

“Well said.” Qu Yu was standing outside the main hall. After entering, he first bowed to the Prefect, and then to the several Liang uncles.

Seeing the young master of the Qu family enter, the Prefect asked, “Young Master Qu, is there any new evidence?”

Qu Yu replied, “Replying to Lord Prefect, it is not new evidence, but I just wish to speak about Yu-shi’s motive for murder.”

“Speak.”

“A few days ago, I, Qu Yu, learned that His Majesty wishes to enfeoff several ministers in the court as princes, and Prime Minister Lin is among them. Your Excellency also knows that the titles of princes and marquises in our dynasty can be hereditary. But the hereditary title can only be passed to one son, and that is the eldest son born of the official wife.” As Qu Yu spoke, he glanced down at the kneeling Yu-shi, a slight smile on his lips, and asked in a low voice, “Now tell me, why did you need to dash into danger?”

The Tiansheng Emperor had begun planning this more than two years ago. At the time, the ministers who had supported his ascension interfered too much and held too much power. Compared to a powerful minister like Qu Jinian, those people were even harder to deal with. Thus, he wanted to promote in name but demote in reality¹⁷, to sideline them.

But because preparations were not sufficient, the matter had been building momentum. Prime Minister Lin, as the Emperor’s most trusted confidant who did not abuse power or form cliques, would naturally be the first to bear the brunt of it¹⁸, serving as an example for the others. Furthermore, the position of Prime Minister would be abolished afterward. In this way, even if those powerful ministers wanted to say something, he could use Lin Jianhai to shut their mouths.

“You’re talking nonsense! How would a woman like me know about matters of the court? The Master never told me. Do I have the ability to divine and know in advance?”¹⁹ Yu-shi retorted again.

Qu Yu smiled, then his expression turned serious, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. “Didn’t the Noble Consort send someone to inform you?”

The one who could obtain such confidential information was naturally the person by the Emperor’s pillow²⁰. And the Qu family had only recently heard whispers of it themselves.

Hearing the words “Noble Consort,” Yu-shi’s heart seemed to skip a beat, and a chill began to spread through her body. But before she could think of a defense, the third young master of the Qu family, Qu Ting, rushed into the public hall.

“Qu Ting greets the various lords.” After bowing to everyone, Qu Ting faced the Prefect and said, “Your Excellency, word has come from the palace. The case of Prime Minister Lin’s deceased wife, Lady Liang, has been clarified. The Noble Consort and Marquis Yongshen have confessed to everything.”

The moment Qu Ting’s words fell, Yu-shi froze, her eyes wide with shock. Her kneeling body collapsed to the side.

At this moment, Lin Xizhao was standing outside the hall, watching the scene unfold, her eyes already moist. After hearing Qu Ting’s message, her hand holding Qu Sheng’s unconsciously tightened again.

Her mother had been carrying another child? She had never even known.

Qu Sheng felt the pressure on her fingers and looked up. A tear that had been welling in Lin Xizhao’s eye rolled down her cheek.

Qu Sheng knew the message from the palace wasn’t true. The Noble Consort and Marquis Yongshen would not have confessed so easily, and the Emperor would not allow the Noble Consort to be dragged down. They were also dashing into danger, starting their attack with Yu-shi.

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The author has something to say:

Lin Xizhao: “Want a hug.”

Qu Sheng: “A hug for a lifetime.”

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