Watching the bailiffs leave, Sheng Qingyun was so angry that he trembled all over. He whispered to Xie Nanjia, "It's that damn golden medal of immunity from death again. Last time, it was because of it that the Qin aunt and nephew escaped. If it weren't for God's mercy and letting them be burned to death, your cousin's revenge might not have been avenged until now. In my opinion, the late emperor should not have given such a gift to Prime Minister Qin..."
"Hush!" Sheng Qingluan quickly stopped her, "You are speaking without restraint here again. How can you criticize the late emperor?"
Sheng Qingyun snorted angrily, unable to hold it back any longer, and whispered to Xie Nanjia, "Remember, when the prince ascends the throne in the future, be sure to remind him not to hand out death-free gold medals to random people, so that bad people don't use them to do evil..."
"Are you done yet?" Sheng Qingluan wanted to sew her mouth shut. "Why don't you go home and talk about it? Do you want to die?"
When Sheng Qingyun saw that his sister was really angry, he had to shut up reluctantly.
Xie Nanjia's mind was in a mess. She didn't listen to what the two mothers said at all. She was only thinking about how to make the golden medal of immunity from death not valid.
Except for that time at the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, when Madam Qin and Qin Chuan rushed to rescue the Qin aunt and nephew with the red book and iron certificate, she and Madam Qin had almost never met, let alone dealt with each other, so she didn't know what kind of person Madam Qin was, nor did she know whether she was easy to deal with.
But one thing is certain, Mrs. Qin must have done this with the determination to fight to the death. She hated Qin Wanru for killing her, but she could do nothing about her. Seeing that Qin Wanru was about to marry into the Eastern Palace, it would be even more difficult for her to take revenge in the future. So she came up with this move of destroying herself and herself, and she would do everything she could to bring her down.
What's more, with the imperial edict in hand, she might not necessarily die, so he was even more unscrupulous in making a big deal out of it. Even if he couldn't kill her, he would ruin her reputation and prevent her from marrying into the Eastern Palace.
Thinking of this, Xie Nanjia couldn't help but sneer. If Madam Qin really thought so, she might be underestimating her.
Over the past two years, all those who were sent to hell by her were those who did not take her seriously.
Anyone who underestimates his opponent will sooner or later die at the hands of his opponent. This is a painful lesson she learned with her life.
Underestimating Qin Wanru was the thing she regretted most in her two lives.
She turned her head and glanced at Zhao Jingyu who was sitting in the hall. If there was anything to be thankful for in her death in her previous life, it must be meeting Zhao Jingyu.
Zhao Jingyu felt her gaze, met her gaze through a veil, and gave her a barely noticeable wink.
Xie Nanjia's nervous mood relaxed and he looked away with a smile.
She didn't dare to continue staring at him, for fear that he would make her laugh out loud.
She didn't know why, but now whenever she saw him, she couldn't help wanting to laugh.
About an incense stick of time later, the bailiff came outside to report that Madam Qin was brought in.
The prefect ordered the person to be brought in, and everyone perked up, waiting for the truth to be revealed.
Mrs. Qin was not tall, but her facial features were very beautiful and she dressed very appropriately. She exuded the dignity of a noble lady and did not look like someone who would slander others with rumors.
Therefore, when they saw her for the first time, many people wondered if Li was framing her.
Mrs. Qin arrived in the hall, stood still calmly, bowed to the prefect, but did not kneel down.
She was a third-rank official granted by the imperial court. Not only did she have the privilege of not having to kneel when meeting officials, but she also could not be tortured during interrogation.
The prefect returned the gift and ordered someone to bring a chair for her so that she could sit next to Li to attend the trial.
Madam Qin sat down, and Li immediately crawled over to hug her legs, crying bitterly: "Madam, I didn't mean to betray you. If I didn't tell you, all my nine clans would have to lose their heads..."
Madam Qin kicked her away and said, "Where did you come from, you filthy thing? I don't even know you. Why are you accusing me?"
Seeing that the graceful and elegant lady was actually so powerful, everyone couldn't help but overturn their previous views of her.
Li fell to the ground, then climbed up again, holding her chest: "Madam, it was you who ordered me to slander the Crown Princess, how can you say you don't know me?"
"Nonsense, I have never met you, how could I instruct you to slander the Crown Princess?" Madam Qin said, "The Crown Princess is of such a noble status, how can you slander her?"
The two men each held an opinion, and before the prefect could ask any questions, they had already started arguing fiercely.
Xie Nanjia laughed silently behind Mi Li. It seemed that this Mrs. Qin was not so difficult to deal with.
The prefect slammed the gavel and said in a deep voice, "No noise or disturbance is allowed in the court. Just listen to what I have to say!"
The two of them stopped.
The prefect handled the matter impartially and explained the whole story to Madam Qin. He then said, "Madam Qin also knows that the reputation of the Crown Princess represents the dignity of the royal family. Anyone who slanders her willfully will have to pay a price. Based on the principle of leniency for those who confess, I would like to remind you that if you really ordered this, you'd better confess as soon as possible. Otherwise, it is very likely that your whole family or even the entire clan will be implicated. Madam, please think twice."
Madam Qin sneered after hearing this: "Why, the prefect wants to convict me based on this foolish woman's one-sided statement without even questioning me?"
"Of course not!" said the prefect, "I was just reminding Madam."
"I am a third-rank official granted by the court. Although I do not serve as an official in the court, I am familiar with the laws of the Great Zhou. I don't need you, a fifth-rank official, to remind me!" said Mrs. Qin.
The prefect was mocked by her and could only smile in silence.
Zhao Jingyu grabbed the gavel and slammed it down, saying sternly, "What an arrogant third-rank lady! You think that no one can do anything to you just because you have an imperial decree. You look down on the fifth-rank prefect, and you don't take me seriously either?"
This was the first time that Zhao Jingyu used such a solemn self-reference since he was named the crown prince. As he asked the question in a stern voice, everyone's heart shuddered and they held their breath unconsciously.
Madam Qin was horrified. She only then realized that due to her nervousness, she had not greeted the Crown Prince since she entered the room.
This is a great disrespect. Just for this reason, even if she is not guilty, as long as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to make trouble for her, he can charge her with disrespect.
Mrs. Qin's arrogance was almost extinguished at once. She quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed respectfully to Zhao Jingyu, claiming that she was too nervous as it was her first time in court and neglected etiquette, and asked him to forgive her mistake.
Zhao Jingyu said with a sullen face, "I see that Madam is not nervous, but arrogant. You don't just ignore me. Look up and see who among you is not as high-ranking as you, a third-rank imperial edict holder. And who did you greet with respect?"
After he reminded her, Madam Qin looked from the old Duke and his wife, the young Duke and his wife, the Wu'an General and his wife, the Dingyuan Marquis Xie Nanjia and others, and had to admit that the ranks of these people were indeed higher than hers.
But so what? Her family has the imperial seal of marriage, and she is not afraid of anyone except His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
In her opinion, these people were in cahoots with the murderer who killed her daughter. Why should she show courtesy to them
She wouldn't. Anyway, she didn't want to get away with it today. The worst that could happen was that the matter would be reported to the emperor, and he would give her a punishment that was neither too light nor too severe. If he wanted to kill her, it would depend on whether the late emperor's decree agreed to it.
"What? Mrs. Qin doesn't plan to greet you all?" Zhao Jingyu asked.
Mrs. Qin had no such intention, but Zhao Jingyu's eyes were so oppressive that she did not dare to refute for a moment. She could only reluctantly salute all the people who were of higher rank than her.
When she walked in front of Xie Nanjia, she was so angry that her teeth were about to break.
This woman caused her daughter to be killed, but she wanted to marry into the Eastern Palace and become the Crown Princess in glory. Doesn't God have eyes? Why does he let this murderer be so proud
Just as she was thinking with gritted teeth, Xie Nanjia suddenly lifted the veil in front of her, and a pair of majestic almond-shaped eyes fell straight on her face.
"Madam, do you really want to kill me right now?" Xie Nanjia leaned forward slightly and asked in a low and contemptuous voice.
Mrs. Qin was startled and her whole body couldn't help shaking. She stared at Xie Nanjia with wide eyes, but couldn't say a word.
Xie Nanjia sneered, moved closer to her, and whispered to her, "Madam, you may not know yet, but I was the one who set the fire in the ancestral hall. Before setting the fire, I stabbed Qin Wanru seven or eight times with my own hands!"
"You evil woman, I knew it was you!" Upon hearing this, Madam Qin was furious. She rushed over and grabbed Xie Nanjia's neck, screaming, "Evil woman, give me back my daughter's life, give me back my daughter's life!"
"Ah..." Everyone exclaimed in unison, stunned by this sudden change.
Zhao Jingyu was the first to react. He jumped out from the desk and ran over to save Xie Nanjia.
However, Sheng Qingluan was faster than him and grabbed Madam Qin's neck in the first moment.
"Your daughter's life is a life, but my daughter's life is not a life? Why can she harm others but others can't harm her?"
Sheng Qingyun also reacted at this time. He forcefully pried Mrs. Qin's men apart, rescued Xie Nanjia from her hands, and hugged her in his arms.
Mrs. Qin lost her balance and was grabbed by the neck by Sheng Qingluan and pressed to the ground.
Sheng Qingluan's eyes were red with hatred as she said, "It is because of an unreasonable mother like you that you raised such a vicious daughter. She caused my daughter to die in the delivery bed, and I never went to your house to ask for an explanation. How dare you blame Xiu'er? My sister and I only have this one daughter now, and you still want to plot against her, slander her, and make her marry unhappy. Do you really think our family is easy to bully?"
Sheng Qingluan's out-of-control state stunned everyone. Zhao Jingyu just stood beside her blankly, taking no further action, allowing her to vent her long-accumulated anger at Madam Qin.
Sheng Qingyun hugged Xie Nanjia, and both mother and daughter burst into tears.
Xie Zhanting and Xie Nanfeng's eyes also became red.
The people outside watching the excitement were infected by the general's wife's emotions and shed tears of sympathy for her.
Madam Qin was completely unable to fight back against Sheng Qingluan's rage and was about to die when suddenly a man rushed in from outside and snatched her away from Sheng Qingluan.
"It's Mr. Qin, Mr. Qin is here..." people shouted in a low voice.
Qin Chuan held his wife in his arms and shouted angrily to the prefect, "Li Daotong, this government office is still not yours. How can you watch someone commit murder in public and do nothing?"
Li Daotong is the prefect's name. Since he became the prefect, no one has called him by his name for a long time.
The prefect spread his hands helplessly and said with a wry smile: "I don't know why things have turned out like this. Mr. Qin, look at all these nobles in the hall. Which one of them can I control?"
Qin Chuan glanced at the people in the hall in a rage, and his momentum weakened a little. He lowered his head and patted Madam Qin's chest and back to calm her down.
After a while, Mrs. Qin finally recovered. When she saw her husband, she was overwhelmed with grief and grabbed Qin Chuan's hand and burst into tears: "Husband, you have to make the decision for me!"
"He is just a third-rank scholar. How do you want him to make decisions for you?" Xie Nanjia stood up and walked in front of her, looking down at her coldly.
"You!" Madam Qin climbed up and stood opposite Xie Nanjia. "You killed my daughter. Just now you admitted that you set the fire in the Dingyuan Marquis's ancestral hall. Even if you are the Crown Princess, you will be sent to prison for murder and arson!"
"I think you are a slanderer by nature, right?" Xie Nanjia said sarcastically, "Ask everyone, does anyone believe what you say?"
"Why don't you believe it? You said it yourself." Madam Qin turned to face everyone and said loudly, "She said it herself. You all heard it, right? Right?"
Everyone looked at her indifferently, and no one responded to her.
Mrs. Qin then remembered that Xie Nanjia had just spoken right into her ear, so how could anyone else hear it
so…
She looked at Xie Nanjia in horror and suddenly realized that she had been tricked by her.
This cunning woman was deliberately provoking her to make her lose control, to reveal her true colors, and to catch her.
So she didn't care whether she instigated Li or not, nor did she care whether she admitted it or not. She just wanted to provoke her and make her bear the crime of attacking the Crown Princess in public, and then she could use this as an excuse to deal with her at will.
"You vicious woman, you vicious woman!" she said through gritted teeth.
Xie Nanjia smiled happily and whispered in her ear again, "Yes, I am a vicious woman. It seems a little late for you to know it now."
Madam Qin couldn't help but shudder, took two steps back and said, "What do you want? I have a golden medal of immunity from death, you can't do anything to me!"
"Really? Then take out the golden medal of immunity from death!" Xie Nanjia said calmly.
Madam Qin looked at Qin Chuan and said, "Husband, did you bring it? Take it out quickly."
Qin Chuan had a complicated look on his face, and he advised her instead: "Madam, don't be so willful. Hurry up and admit your mistake to the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess is broad-minded, and will definitely not hold it against you because you missed your daughter so much that you went crazy."
Madam Qin was suddenly stunned: "What did you say? When did I become crazy about gain and loss? Hurry up and take out the red book and iron certificate."
Qin Chuan didn't listen to her and still persuaded her to confess to Xie Nanjia.
Madam Qin was immediately furious. She took the imperial edict out of his arms and said angrily, "Here is the late emperor's decree. I wonder who dares to do anything to me!"
The people around fell to their knees, and those watching outside the door also prostrated themselves on the ground, shouting "Long live the king" in unison.
"I knew it would be like this!" Sheng Qingyun knelt on the ground and gritted his teeth in anger.
However, Xie Nanjia did not kneel. She stood side by side with Zhao Jingyu and said with a smile, "Although we respect the late emperor, we cannot just kneel down to worship anyone holding a sign. Madam Qin said that this is the late emperor's decree, so we must verify its authenticity first."
"You evil woman are too arrogant. How can the late emperor's edict be false?" Mrs. Qin said.
"Whether it's fake or not is not up to you to decide. You don't dare to show it to us. Doesn't that mean it can't be true or false?" Xie Nanjia said.
"Impossible!" Madam Qin angrily handed the imperial edict to her, "Look, open your eyes and read carefully!"
Xie Nanjia didn't take it, and turned to Zhao Jingyu and said, "Since it is the late emperor's decree, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should identify it."
Zhao Jingyu didn't understand her intention at this time. Although he didn't know how to distinguish the authenticity, he still obediently took the red book and the iron certificate.
Xie Nanjia said, "What is written on it? Your Highness the Crown Prince might as well read it out for everyone to hear."
Zhao Jingyu obediently cleared his throat and read out the words one by one. When he read "You may be pardoned nine deaths, and your descendants may be pardoned three deaths. If they commit ordinary crimes, the officials shall not impose additional penalties," his eyes lit up immediately.
At the same time, Qin Chuan's face looked as pale as death.
"Come on, capture Mrs. Qin!" Zhao Jingyu ordered in a deep voice.
The yamen runners on both sides were slightly startled, and immediately stood up and stepped forward to capture Madam Qin.
"What are you doing? Do you want to rebel? I have the emperor's decree, you can't arrest me..." Mrs. Qin said loudly.
Zhao Jingyu smiled coldly: "The late emperor's decree clearly stated that you can be spared nine deaths, and your descendants can be spared three deaths. You are neither the son nor the grandson of Prime Minister Qin, so how can this gold medal protect you?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was in an uproar.
"Yes, she is not the blood descendant of Prime Minister Qin, so what does this golden medal of immunity from death have to do with her?" everyone discussed.
Sheng Qingyun was so righteous that he was immediately delighted when he heard this: "Who said it wasn't true? She is a person from another family. What relationship does she have with Prime Minister Qin?"
Mrs. Qin was probably like everyone else, she had never thought about this question seriously. At this moment, she was completely confused, her beautiful face was pale, and she called Qin Chuan in panic: "Husband, it's not like that, I'm also a member of the Qin family, this gold medal can protect me, right? Tell them quickly..."
Qin Chuan looked at her helplessly and let out a long sigh.
(End of this chapter)