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墨書 Inktalez
During the interrogation of Liu Mama, she hesitated and was vague on several key points. This raised the suspicions of the interrogators, who quietly began to investigate her husband and children as well.
It turned out that her family had been living under the protection of the Third Branch for the past few years.
The Third Branch had arranged for them to work on a farm they had recently acquired in the Suburbs of Beijing. This family, having offended Liu Fangyi's faction, was afraid of being found by them, so they worked especially hard under the supervision of the Third Branch. They only listened to the orders from the Third Branch and ignored any requests from others. Seeing their reliability, Liu Fangshi gradually began to employ them more.
When they saw the officials from Jingzhao Prefecture, her husband and daughter remained calm, but her son, being younger, appeared nervous and fidgety. While it was common for a young child to be scared, he kept glancing in one direction, which raised suspicion. Thus, they started questioning him first and nearly turned the farm upside down in their search, ultimately discovering something unexpected.
Beneath that farm, there was actually a hidden warehouse storing ironware. Upon closer inspection, these iron pieces were components for weapons.
Liu Mama and her husband and daughter were aware of this place and had helped conceal it for the Third Branch. Their son was too young to have been involved.
At that age, he was curious and playful. Seeing his family hiding something from him naturally made him want to sneak around. He accidentally discovered that his father and a few friends would come here secretly, bringing items from their food boxes and bookcases to stash away. It was then that he realized what was happening. Afterward, he would watch them do this every time they came. As time went on, more items accumulated.
Now that he saw officials arriving, he thought it might be related to those secretive actions and feared that his curiosity would be discovered. In his panic, he inadvertently revealed their secret.
Even after the hidden warehouse was uncovered, the family could not comprehend why just a child's unusual behavior led to their downfall.
Could it be that someone had already set a trap for them?
However, they would never have the chance to find out. The entire family was thrown into the Ministry of Justice's prison for severe interrogation.
Possessing weapons privately is a serious crime and would certainly be investigated thoroughly.
The Censorate, Ministry of Justice, and Dali Temple jointly pursued this case further down the line until they eventually traced it back to the Zheng Family.
In the end, it was Zheng Shou, the Second Master of the Zheng Family and son of the Imperial Teacher's stepmother, who confessed and took full responsibility.
After learning the truth, the Imperial Teacher became furious. He issued a document publicly denouncing his brother for several major crimes. His righteous indignation was quite severe. His attitude of prioritizing legal principles over familial ties won him the support of the people, and the citizens of the Capital City praised him.
This case dragged on for nearly half a year. By the time it came to a conclusion, it was already spring of the Second year. The ice had thawed, and the trees were full of tender buds.
Compared to this major case, other incidents seemed less noteworthy.
For instance, the family of Liu, who had a thriving snack business, faced tragedy when the head of the household was beheaded, and both his daughter and son were imprisoned. Such events were merely gossip among others during their meals. If it weren't for the connection between that gentleman and the weapon case, people might not have even bothered to mention it.
As for those young masters and ladies...
It was heard that they were imprisoned for abusing their maidservants to death. Although they had not yet been sentenced, with a murder charge against them, their guilt was inevitable.
After Liu Fangshi's incident, Third Madam was also arrested for failing to report what she knew.
Lady Liu realized that her son's case could not be turned around. Although she wept daily in deep sorrow, she could only endure it. Later, when Liu Anmeng, Liu Anwen, and Liu Anwu encountered trouble, the elderly lady suddenly understood that she could no longer sit idly by. If things continued like this, her family would likely collapse entirely.
After much thought, Matriarch decided to take matters into her own hands and seek help from acquaintances.
However, those who had previously treated them kindly now avoided them like the plague. If she visited too often, even the servants in those households would mock her with cold words.
Having lived in comfort for many years, Matriarch was unaccustomed to such treatment. She became furious and cursed for a while. Though she had concealed much of her rural background in recent years, once her true nature surfaced, she dared to utter all sorts of foul language. As a result, both parties grew increasingly hostile toward each other; they disregarded even the last bit of face-saving and directly had the Doorman's people chase her out with brooms.
After several attempts, Matriarch found herself with no other options. Calculating the day when Qing Wu would return to the palace after her day off, she sent a maid early in the morning to wait at the street corner. As soon as she saw that Doorman's people beginning to remove the threshold and Qing Wu was about to leave the residence, she hurried over to block her way.
The wealth of Liu Family's Third Branch had long been confiscated. Now Matriarch relied on First Branch for survival.
Although Master had passed away early on, fortunately, her son Liu Anyang was diligent. Despite repeatedly failing in the Autumn Examination, his practical nature and some talent caught the attention of a merchant family who invited him to become a teacher at their home. He earned some salary each month to support his family. Madam Meng Family also did some embroidery work from time to time; mother and son managed to have enough food and clothing all along.
After the Third Branch fell into disrepair, the mother and son brought the Matriarch home. The Matriarch looked around the impoverished house and found everything displeasing, complaining about the lack of servants. Liu Anyang, feeling helpless, saved some money to buy a girl to serve his grandmother.
The girl was exceptionally quick on her feet. As soon as she saw the Doorman of the Liu Residence starting to move, she dashed away. Turning a corner, she called over the Matriarch, who was looking up at Yanghua under the poplar tree.
The Matriarch waited at the street corner. When Qing Wu's sedan chair approached, she knelt down with a thud. Tears streamed down her face as she began to lament.
After a long while, Qing Wu finally moved to the side of the carriage and lifted the curtain to look down.
There lay an old woman in tattered clothes, her arms covered in patches, hair disheveled, trembling as she knelt on the ground.
Qing Wu couldn't help but smile.
She knew well what kind of person Madam and Yang Ge'er from the First Branch were.
They treated the Matriarch very well. Even though the Matriarch had many unreasonable demands, they tried their best to meet them. She had never been short of food or clothing. Even if her clothes weren't made of silk or the latest styles, they were always clean and tidy.
The Matriarch's appearance was clearly a deliberate act for her benefit.
Azalea had been following Qing Wu for a long time and naturally knew some details about the Liu Family. Over the years, she had become quite eloquent while busy in the palace. Seeing this scene, she laughed and asked, "Oh my, where did this beggar come from? How dare she block our sedan chair? Someone, drag her out and beat..."
"Don't! Don't!" the Matriarch hurriedly said. "I am Mistress Wu's grandmother."
"Grandmother?" Azalea gasped in surprise. "Lady Zhenyuan has been dead for many years. You didn't know?" With that, Willow Brows raised her eyebrows and pinched her handkerchief to call over the accompanying guards. "Go, capture this old woman and send her to the Ministry of Justice! Tell Lord Qin that this old hag dares to claim she is Lord Liu's grandmother!"
Since something happened to the Liu Family's Third Branch, Huo Yun'ai was worried about Qing Wu's safety and sent guards to follow her.
Eight young men armed with weapons stepped forward, causing cold sweat to break out on the Matriarch's forehead. She spoke without thinking: "I am her grandmother! If she doesn't recognize me, then she is unfilial!"
As soon as she spoke, a light laugh came from beside her.
Accompanied by this laughter, the young man on the white horse dismounted and walked up to her.
The Matriarch, upon seeing him, truly felt as if she were trembling like a leaf in the wind.
Even though the young man was handsome and charming, and even though he smiled gracefully, the Matriarch could tell from his eyes that he was actually furious. Her voice trembled as she bowed in greeting.
"Your Highness... the Heir Apparent..."
Wen Qingyue, holding the Silver Whip, bent down and lightly tapped the whip against the Matriarch's shoulder, asking with a smile, "What did you call me?"
"Heir Apparent..."
"That sounds somewhat acceptable. But do you know what you should call her?" Wen Qingyue pointed at Qing Wu with the whip. "Come on, say it again."
"Fog..."
"Wrong! It's Miss Wen!" Wen Qingyue scolded, snapping the whip fiercely against the ground, raising a cloud of dust. "The Wen Family Genealogy clearly states that she is the daughter of the late Marquis and the Heir Apparent's Wife, Wen Qing Wu!"
The Matriarch immediately knelt down in shock and fear.
It suddenly dawned on her that although Qing Wu was raised by the Liu Family, she was indeed a legitimate daughter of the Marquisate. Calling the parents of Liu Residence "father" and "mother" was an expression of her deep affection and unbreakable familial ties over many years. If she truly turned her back on them, Liu Residence would merely be a place where she had stayed for a few years.
And to the Matriarch, she clearly meant nothing at all.
As she trembled and was about to say something further, someone in the carriage exclaimed "Oh," lifted the curtain, and stepped out. Dou Mama's voice rang in her ears.
"Matriarch, in this state, I must go ask Young Master Liu. How can one be so harsh to an elderly person? Barely clothed and disheveled. If this gets reported to the authorities, it would be considered 'unfilial' and lead to a lawsuit."
Dou Mama is now managing the Department of Craftsmanship, once again as Dou Mama.
Her words were a sarcastic twist on Matriarch's earlier accusation of 'unfilial'.
Matriarch is now reliant on the people from First Branch. If anything happens to First Branch, she will have no way out.
She hurriedly raised her hand to cover the patch on her elbow, shaking her head desperately, "No, no, that was my own..." Halfway through, she felt too embarrassed to continue.
Wen Qingyue felt disgusted at the sight of the old woman taking advantage of her age. The Silver Whip danced like a dragon, striking in front of her more than ten times. Startled, she fell to the ground, screaming and retreating over ten feet before it finally stopped.
"Get lost." Refined Young Man said coldly: "This time my sister is here, and I don't want to dirty her eyes, so I'll spare your life."
Thinking of her grandchildren in prison, Matriarch dared not run away immediately.
She hurriedly took a few steps while the surrounding people weren't paying attention. But before she could grab onto the carriage, she was blocked by the guards with their swords drawn.
Matriarch knew that Liu Anwen and Liu Anwu had deep grievances with Second House, so she cried out hoarsely: "Please save your Third Sister! She is also your father's and mother's niece; you can't just stand by and do nothing!"
"Can't just stand by and do nothing? Matriarch, that's an interesting statement."
A soft voice came from nearby. Qing Wu sat sideways by the carriage, quietly watching Matriarch, and said: "If it weren't for your deliberate delay, my sister's illness would have been cured long ago. There was no chance for Liu Anmeng to worsen her condition, was there? Does this count as standing by and doing nothing?"
Matriarch quickly looked up, "I was just..."
"You simply don't care about our family. If my sister were the child of Liu San Ye, you would cherish her dearly; how could you act this way? I previously refrained from mentioning my sister's passing because I didn't want to see Father and mother sad. Do you really think that what Liu Anmeng did went unnoticed?"
Qing Wu smiled gently, her delicate hands tightly gripping the wall of the carriage, her fingertips turning white from the pressure. Her gaze was sharp as a blade, fiercely piercing towards the old matriarch kneeling on the ground.
"Matriarch, you have always been biased, believing your own children to be perfect while dismissing others as unworthy. That would be fine if you simply cut ties and had nothing more to do with us. However, you should never have sought help from those you have always looked down upon after your own child made a mistake. Isn't that just slapping your own face and making yourself look foolish? It seems you were blind in the past, mistaking what was good for what is now worthless, while those you once scorned have turned into treasures. Yet, no matter how much you kneel or plead, our deceased loved ones cannot come back to life. If I were to say 'forgive,' who would give my sister and my parents a fair deal? Moreover, Liu Anmeng and her two brothers are involved in numerous cases of murder. We don't even need to lift a finger; there are many waiting for them to pay with their lives, eager to see her suffer a thousand cuts. Are you overly confident that you can persuade each one of them?"
Those who know Qing Wu understand that she is usually soft-spoken and rarely speaks harshly.
Now, every word she uttered was like a sword, fierce and merciless, driven by the desire to protect her parents and the sister she had never met.
The Matriarch trembled at her words, feeling dizzy with anger but dared not retaliate.
Liu Anmeng was indeed violent; she had killed several beautiful maids in fits of rage. She had also severely injured a remarkably beautiful peasant girl, leaving her unable to stand again. And those two brothers...
The two brothers had peculiar tastes and had abducted many pretty girls into their household, most of whom they had tormented until they lost their lives.
Some of these incidents had been quietly covered up; others had been temporarily silenced with money. If everything were to come to light...
If everything were revealed, wouldn't there be no child left from the Third Branch?
The Matriarch grew increasingly frightened as she thought about it; a blockage formed in her chest, and she fainted from the shock.
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