Shiqiao Town is not big. When the servant came over, Chen Tingjian was comforting the people in the deepest flooded area in the south of the town.
Knowing that something had happened at home, even the most stable eldest son wanted him to go back at this critical moment. Chen Tingjian had no choice but to say to the head of the village: "I'll leave this to you first. I'll go back."
The head of the village bowed and smiled apologetically: "Don't worry, sir. The people in our town are used to this kind of small battle."
Chen Tingjian nodded, took his servant and hurried home. On the way, whenever he met common people who saluted him, he would return the greeting humbly without any official authority.
The people were too enthusiastic and Chen Tingjian wasted some time. When he returned to the Chen residence, he saw his third son waiting at the door.
Chen Tingjian's expression was stern: "What happened?"
Chen Xiaozong's eyes were red as he briefly told the story of his fourth brother accidentally picking up Qi's account book and discovering that Qi was secretly amassing wealth, with the focus being on the two old ginsengs.
Chen Tingjian had no expression at first, as if he was not surprised that Qi would do such a thing, but after hearing the following, he clenched his fists.
"go in."
Without looking at his son, Chen Tingjian raised his head and walked forward into the yard.
In the center of the second courtyard of the main house is the Chen Family Ancestral Hall.
As it was related to the old lady's death, Mrs. Sun decided to bring all the family members in the East Courtyard to the ancestral hall, including their eldest family. Except for Huayang, the daughter-in-law with noble status, and grandchildren such as Dalang, everyone else was there.
As soon as Chen Tingjian appeared, Sun stood up from her chair. Chen Tingshi, who had been kneeling in front of the ancestral tablet and sobbing, moved out on his knees and faced his brother with tears streaming down his face: "Brother, I'm useless. I'm sorry for you, and even more sorry for our mother!"
Chen Tingjian first saw the swollen half of his face and frowned, "Who hit you?"
Chen Tingshi cried so hard that he couldn't open his eyes: "I deserve to be beaten, big brother, you should beat me too!"
Chen Tingjian scolded: "It's not proper to cry so much, you should stand up and speak first!"
With the pressure from his brother and the power from the official weighing on him, Chen Tingshi trembled all over. He wiped his face with his sleeve, then stood up with his head lowered.
Chen Tingjian walked to the main seat next to Sun, turned around and sat down, his eyes swept through the people in the two clearly separated families one by one, and after pausing slightly on the disheveled Qi and the expressionless Sizi, Chen Tingjian looked at Chen Tingshi again: "Who hit you in the face?"
Chen Tingshi refused to say.
"he… "
"I did it."
Just as Chen Jizong raised his finger to identify the person angrily, Chen Jingzong also stepped forward and took the initiative to claim the "credit".
Chen Tingjian's face darkened and he shouted angrily: "As a nephew, you dare to beat your uncle? Kneel down!"
Chen Jingzong sneered in response.
On the contrary, Chen Tingshi, who couldn't stand straight, knelt down and said in tears: "Brother, don't blame Jingzong, it was me who killed mother, I deserve to be beaten!"
Chen Tingjian: "You killed my mother, do you have evidence? Even if there is evidence, you are the elder, and I, as the brother, should be punished. Who is he?"
Chen Tingshi didn't dare to talk back and lowered his head dejectedly.
Seeing his son still standing there, Chen Tingjian raised his hand and slapped the table: "You..."
"Master, Madam, the princess is here."
The steward guarding the gate of the ancestral hall saw the princess being helped into the courtyard by a maid, and hurriedly spread the news inside.
Under the intimidation of the elder, the ancestral hall, which had been overly quiet, finally heard the sound of rustling clothes, and everyone turned around and looked outside the door at the same time.
Chen Tingjian quickly got up from his seat and went outside to greet the princess.
Chen Jingzong did not move, but turned his body sideways, his eyes passing over the tall and short family members in front of him, and fell on Huayang who was walking on the water.
At this time, most of the courtyard of Chen's house was still flooded, but fortunately the water was not deep. Huayang was wearing a pair of foot-high rain clogs and walked slowly. Chaoyun held her hand and walked on the left, while Chaoyue held up her skirt from behind.
Many people outside were running around in the mud, but she, the princess, was still graceful and noble. Even the rain clogs on her feet were made of precious fox fur uppers and tangerine wood bottoms.
Her cold eyes were filled with natural arrogance.
Chen Jingzong looked at her straight.
Huayang just walked slowly towards me without looking at anyone.
"It's my fault that I didn't manage my household well, which led to the scandal and disturbed the princess." Chen Tingjian bowed and apologized.
Although Huayang respected her father-in-law, she still had to put on airs when necessary, and said calmly: "Father, please don't be polite. If it was just a matter within the Chen family, your daughter-in-law wouldn't have to come, but the second branch family used your reputation to embezzle and accept bribes. If there is solid evidence, it would be a violation of the law. As a princess of the royal family, I have to supervise on behalf of my father."
Chen Tingjian lowered his shoulders even more: "Princess, you are right. I am just about to review this matter. Please take a seat, Princess."
Huayang nodded, walked past his father-in-law and mother-in-law, and entered the ancestral hall first.
Sun gave her seat to her daughter-in-law and stood next to her husband.
Everyone returned to their seats. Huayang said to Chen Tingjian, "My daughter-in-law doesn't know how to judge a case. Your father is a minister. You can continue to judge the case."
Chen Tingjian nodded and his gaze fell back on the fourth son who was standing straighter than a bamboo.
When the princess was not around, his son was just his son, so he should punish him. But when the princess was around, if he insisted on making his son kneel down, the princess would lose face.
Chen Tingjian changed the subject and asked, "Where is the account book?"
Sun had been keeping it and immediately handed it to him.
Chen Jingzong was too lazy to answer such nonsense.
Chen Bozong respectfully explained what had happened on behalf of his father.
The top scholar had a clear, low and restrained voice, and he still retained respect for his uncle and aunt in his address. He was a handsome man, and he was so dignified and serious that it was hard not to admire him.
Huayang looked at them twice more, because the two brothers were standing too close, her peripheral vision inevitably swept over Chen Jingzong.
Chen Jingzong faced the old man with disdain.
Huayang: …
Chen Tingjian asked Qi again: "Sister-in-law, do you admit that this account book belongs to you?"
Qi's long hair was disheveled, revealing only half of her face covered in mud. Just as she was wondering if there was still hope, Chen Tingjian said in a cold voice, "It's not yours. You can deny it, but even if you deny it, I will send people to confront the people involved one by one according to the accounts, including the two old ginsengs. If they can be sold, they will definitely find buyers."
The little bit of extravagant hope in Qi's heart was immediately poured out by this basin of cold water.
She looked like a dead person who was ready to be killed and chopped at will. Chen Tingshi was filled with remorse and cried, "Brother, why are you still trying me? She did it all. You should punish her according to the law! And me, I am guilty too. I wrongly trusted this poisonous woman and killed my mother. You should punish me too!"
Chen Tingjian: "She has to plead guilty."
At this time, the guards who were sent to search the East Courtyard came back carrying a box and placed it in the middle of the ancestral hall.
The head of the guard said, "Master, this box was found in Qi's small storeroom. It was locked. I asked the maid there and she said that Qi had the key and only she could open the box."
Upon hearing this, Chen Tingshi immediately pounced on Qi, and regardless of the fact that everyone was watching, he forcibly grabbed a red rope from Qi's collar.
Some people like to wear jade Buddha, some like to wear jade Guanyin, but Qi wears a copper key!
"I didn't even know she had this box. The first time I saw her wearing the key, she told me it was a lucky item she got from a temple and that it had been blessed by a master. I actually believed her!"
Holding the key, Chen Tingshi cried and laughed, full of self-mockery.
The guard leader took the key and opened the cage.
Luo Yuyan was really curious, so she followed her husband and walked a few steps forward while holding her belly. She leaned over and took a look. She was immediately dazzled by the gold, silver, jade and a stack of banknotes inside!
There are bank marks on the silver notes, and jade and other artifacts can also be matched to certain items in the account books.
In this way, Qi’s crime of accepting bribes privately has been confirmed!
Chen Tingjian no longer needed to give his second brother any face, and solemnly ordered the guards: "Take all the managers and servants of the East Courtyard to the woodshed. Bo Zong, you go and interrogate them. You will definitely find out all of Qi's accomplices."
Chen Bochong previously worked at the Dali Temple in the capital, so it was most appropriate for him to conduct the interrogation.
After Chen Bochong left, Chen Tingjian looked at his younger brother who was kneeling in front of him and constantly apologizing. His eyes reddened, and he suddenly stood up, lifted up his clothes, and knelt down in front of him.
Chen Tingshi was stunned!
Chen Xiaozong even rushed over to help his father up.
Chen Tingjian waved his hand away, not allowing anyone else to help him, and just watched his brother cry: "Our father passed away early. They say that an elder brother is like a father, but I only cared about my own studies and didn't pay enough attention to you. When I left my hometown to serve as an official for thirty years, I entrusted mother to you to take care of. Second brother, in terms of filial piety to mother, I am far inferior to you. If I could take care of mother a little more, mother would not have to..."
"Brother, don't say that. It's all my fault that I was seduced by her beauty and insisted on marrying her despite mother's objection. She is a disaster!"
Chen Tingshi hugged his brother who was choking with sobs, and did not dare to blame himself anymore. He vented all his resentment on Qi!
Qi, who seemed to have accepted her fate, suddenly laughed when she heard her cowardly husband who had always only tried to please her say such words. The low laugh gradually turned into a loud laugh, and she laughed until tears came out of the corners of her eyes: "Are you attracted by my beauty? Well, I married you because of my beauty, but didn't you take advantage of me? Didn't I sleep with you or give birth to a son for you? You said it as if you were wronged to marry me. Don't you take a piss and look at yourself? Your own brother passed the imperial examination and became a high-ranking official, but you only know how to farm and can't even pass the examination to become a scholar. If it wasn't for the fact that someone in your Chen family became an official, would I have fallen in love with you?"
Previously, the two brothers Chen Tingjian hugged each other and cried bitterly, which was considered a beautiful story of deep brotherly love. However, when Qi started scolding, the atmosphere in the ancestral hall suddenly changed.
Sun winked at the maid.
Two maids rushed over and stuffed Qi's mouth with a rag.
Qi whimpered in resistance and looked at her only son Chen Jizong in despair.
Qi acted cautiously. After accepting more than 20,000 taels of filial piety from others, she hid it from even her own son, because she knew that her son was a playboy and would easily get into trouble for money.
Now that the eldest wife wanted to punish her, Qi finally became afraid, fearing that she would never live again.
Chen Jizong had been with his mother since he was a child. He knew that his mother could no longer argue about corruption, so he crawled to Chen Tingjian crying and kowtowed repeatedly: "Uncle, my mother should never have been greedy, and she should not have exchanged my grandmother's ginseng. She is guilty. You can use any family law, but I beg you not to report to the police. Please give my mother some face for the sake of your nephew!"
Chen Tingshi spat at his son and said, "How dare she have such a face? She killed your grandmother, and you are still protecting her!"
Chen Tingjian helped Chen Tingshi stand up and looked at his nephew and said, "If she had made other mistakes, I could let it go, but she violated the law by accepting bribes and was unfilial to your grandmother. I cannot let her off lightly, both for the sake of public and private interests."
After saying this, Chen Tingjian turned to Huayang, who was still sitting steadily in the chair, and said with a cupped hand: "Princess, please understand. When I have found out all of Qi's accomplices, I will report the matter to the emperor in detail. Please make the final decision on all charges."
Chen Jizong, who had lost all hope, brightened up when he heard this. He knelt down and tried to crawl towards Huayang: "Princess, please..."
Chen Jingzong directly lifted his collar and gave the guard a cold look: "Take him away!"
This kind of person is not even qualified to pollute her eyes and ears.
The guards took Chen Jizong and Qi away.
The ancestral hall was quiet, and Huayang's expression eased a little. She left the table and returned a salute to Chen Tingjian, saying, "Father, I admire your impartiality. Don't worry, I will write a letter to you to clarify that Qi's corruption had nothing to do with you. It was all her audacity that made her act on her own. Father is wise and will understand your helplessness and difficulty."
Although my father is lustful, he is always kind to his wise ministers. Not only will he not vent his anger on my father-in-law, he may even praise him for sacrificing his own relatives for the sake of justice.
(End of this chapter)