Old Madam Zhuang died, and Master Zhuang kept mentioning the Princess of Jin. The government officials took these two points into consideration and did not forcefully arrest Zhuang Jike.
Jiang Changning was pregnant and did not go to the palace to pay her respects in person. She also did not ask the palace's chief historian to go, and only asked Xiulan to go.
This has caused the guests who came to pay their respects to whisper among themselves.
The prefect of Jingzhao went to visit the King of Jin and mentioned Zhuang Jike's case. The King of Jin said, "Handle it impartially and judge the case according to the law."
This means that the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture does not have to consider the face of the Prince of Jin's Mansion.
On the day of Mrs. Zhuang's funeral, Zhuang Jike was arrested by the police from Jingzhao Prefecture. No matter how much Mrs. Zhuang cried and wailed, it was of no use.
She even complained about Jiang Changning in front of Master Zhuang, "I raised her for six years, but he showed her no mercy at all. He's an ungrateful person."
Mr. Zhuang, who had been running around for his son but had been rejected everywhere, said impatiently, "Okay, stop talking."
"I just said one sentence." Mrs. Zhuang said aggrievedly.
"Don't say a word. You know how you treated her when she lived in your house. What's more, the one who was close to her was mother, and mother was angered to death by those two little beasts. She didn't take action to discipline the Zhuang family, which was already a mercy on her part."
The sudden passing of his mother, coupled with the cold stares he had received in the past few days, made Master Zhuang's mind clearer. He realized that he could not rely on the Prince Jin's Mansion.
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhuang stopped scolding Jiang Changning and asked, "When can Zico be brought back?"
"The court will be held tomorrow." Master Zhuang also wanted to take his son back, but Zhuang Jike had killed someone in public, so there was no way to make a big deal out of a small matter.
"Does it still need to be tried?" Mrs. Zhuang looked worried. "Will they torture Zico?"
"Zico is an official, he won't be tortured at will."
"That's good. When Zico comes back, we have to go to the temple to pray and get rid of the bad luck." Mrs. Zhuang thought that her son would be able to come back after the trial tomorrow.
She completely forgot that it was a murder case and that the Baling Palace had intervened. The possibility of Zhuang Jike being released was very slim and he would most likely pay with his life.
The next day, Jingzhao Prefecture held a public trial on the case in which Zhuang Jike, in a jealous dispute with someone, beat someone to death in the street.
The Baling Palace sent a chief historian to observe the trial, while Jiang Changning asked Ban Qin to mingle with the ordinary people and watch the fun.
Just as the prefect of Jingzhao was trying the case, news of victory came from the border that General Fan had inflicted a heavy defeat on the Di army, killing 3,000 enemies and forcing the Di army to flee towards Xining.
After winning the battle, Prince Qing immediately said, "Send people to negotiate and rescue Prince Jiujiang."
The King of Changshan disagreed, "We should seize the opportunity to pursue the victory, recover the lost territory, and then negotiate peace."
"No, if we give chase, the Di people will most likely kill King Jiujiang to vent their anger," said King Yu.
The two factions held different opinions and argued endlessly in the hall.
Seeing that the Prince of Jin had remained silent, the young emperor waited until the argument came to an end before asking, "Uncle Prince of Jin, what is your opinion?"
The King of Jin smiled faintly, "We have just won a small victory, and now we are negotiating. I am afraid that the Di people will be arrogant and ask for too much, and even threaten the King of Jiujiang. General Fan will be restrained by then, unable to fight, and unable to be rescued. The King of Jiujiang's life will be in real danger."
Prince Changshan and others immediately agreed, "Prince Jin's words make sense."
One of the ministers said loudly: "We cannot allow these foreign races to do whatever they want. The Qin Empire is a great country with great power and prestige spread all over the world. We cannot allow these foreign races to be so arrogant."
"They are not of our race, so their hearts must be different. We should take advantage of the victory to scare these foreign races and make them dare not invade again, so as to enhance the prestige of our Great Qin."
Since the power of the Qin Dynasty was involved, it was difficult for Prince Qing, Prince Yu and others to negotiate peace. The young emperor issued an edict, ordering General Fan and others to continue the pursuit and make sure to recapture the two cities of Xining.
As for the King of Jiujiang, the young emperor issued another secret order: send special troops to rescue him privately.
Mr. Zhuang, who came to listen to the trial, was stunned, while Mrs. Zhuang shouted, "My son," and fainted on the spot.
Zhuang Zike could not accept this result at all and shouted: "Father, save me, mother, save me."
The Jingzhao prefect patted the wake-up stick and said, "Take the prisoner away."
Ban Qin also brought the news back to the palace. Jiang Changning frowned, "Isn't this sentence a bit too heavy?"
It is true that murder should be punished with death, but Zhuang Jike killed the person accidentally, and the other party was not completely without fault either.
"Three more victims came to sue Mr. Zhuang Si for abusing his power for personal gain and causing the death of people. He was punished for multiple crimes and was beheaded in the autumn," said Ban Qin.
Jiang Changning was stunned. He never expected that the self-righteous Zhuang Jike would become such a person. "He is indeed not suitable to be an official."
There are still a few months until the beginning of autumn. Jiang Changning knows that Mrs. Zhuang will never give up on Zhuang Jike just like that. She will definitely find a way to rescue Zhuang Jike.
And Prince Jin's Mansion is definitely her best choice for seeking help.
At 5 p.m., Mrs. Zhuang arrived at the Prince of Jin's mansion and rushed in crying, "I want to see the princess, I want to see the princess."
The doorman asked two servants to stop her, "Madam Zhuang, the princess won't see you, go back."
Mrs. Zhuang refused, for she knew that if Jiang Changning did not come forward, her son would be dead.
She had only two sons, and one was already dead. If this one were to die, she would not want to live anymore.
"Princess, you should give the old lady the benefit of the doubt. Zico is the old lady's most beloved grandson. For the old lady's sake, you should save him."
"Ning girl, you have lived in the Zhuang family for six years and grew up with my son Zico. He took care of you like his own sister, played with you, and comforted you. How could you not remember our friendship at all? Watching him being... "
The two servants finally stuffed a hand towel into Mrs. Zhuang's mouth, stopping her from saying anything.
At this time, Xiulan also hurried over. Seeing Mrs. Zhuang struggling in the hands of the servant, she said coldly, "Tie him up and send him back to the Zhuang family. Tell Master Zhuang to keep him under control. The Jin Palace is not a place that anyone can barge in."
The four guards of the palace and two servants sent Mrs. Zhuang back to the Zhuang family.
Although the Prince of Jin's Mansion had not paid any attention to the Zhuang family since the incident, Master Zhuang was still hoping for the best.
Knowing that Madam Zhuang went to Prince Jin's Mansion, he did not try to stop her. He hoped that Madam Zhuang would make Jiang Changning soften his heart and rescue Zhuang Jike.
But no one expected that Jiang Changning didn't even show up, but ordered the guards and maids to tie up Mrs. Zhuang and send her back.
"That damn girl is so cruel." Mrs. Zhuang said this when the handkerchief in her mouth was taken out.
Master Zhuang sighed, "We can't count on the Prince Jin's Mansion anymore, so let's see if the Duke Dai Jian's Mansion can help."
"As soon as Zico got into trouble, the two bitches from the Wen family packed up their things and went back to their parents' home. I'm afraid the Dai Jian County Duke's Mansion will sever ties with our family."
Master Zhuang looked even more depressed. At this moment, he didn't know that he would be even more depressed tomorrow.
I still felt weak all over. I was out of breath when I walked to the entrance of the community. I felt like I was eighty years old.
(End of this chapter)