However, Wei Tingyu's original intention was not to clean up Li Ruoshui's mess. He wanted to completely remove her and her family and let him bear the possible risks. Is there such a good thing? Don't dream. Wei Tingyu shifted the blame a little and dragged Li Ruoshui's maternal family, the Xiangguo Mansion, which had problems in itself, into the water.
Wei Tingyu worked for Emperor Xuanren for only one year, so the information he had was limited. For example, even if he found some clues a few years earlier, it would not be easy to investigate.
Li Ruoshui's grandfather, the current Duke of Xiangguo, resigned from the post of Left General of the Central Army three years ago. However, Wei Tingyu discovered that something might have gone wrong when the Duke of Xiangguo was guarding a border of Qi Dynasty for the last time. It was a coastal area, and pirates had landed, burned, killed and looted. This kind of thing was actually quite common, but the situation seemed particularly serious that time. The Duke of Xiangguo was old, but he was also fearless. With a few thousand people against an enemy that was several times their number, they managed to save the coastal city and wait for reinforcements to arrive, killing most of the pirates.
It was also in that battle that the two sons who followed him to take office made great contributions, received praise from the court, and were promoted rapidly. However, from some statistical data, Wei Tingyu smelled a different scent. But things without evidence should not be exposed rashly, otherwise, if things go wrong, he himself will be deeply involved in it, and once exposed, he will most likely be bitten back.
It was not convenient for Wei Tingyu to leave the imperial city, nor could he send anyone to investigate the matter. As the saying goes, one should do one's job according to one's position. Since he had discovered a problem, he certainly could not ignore it. When he was thinking about this matter, Li Ruoshui's notebook came into his hands.
She probably knew that her handwriting was not very nice, and she was not sure whether the storybook would bring her a better reputation, or make people think that she was not using her talent in the right way and was writing some unorthodox things. So she handed the storybook out secretly, perhaps to test the waters. If she saw any benefits, she would definitely come forward to claim it. If there were no benefits, she would just give up.
I couldn't bear to offend someone I shouldn't have offended, and was being watched by a group of mysterious people. No matter what it was, it would be discovered.
In fact, it was very simple to drag the Duke of Xiangguo's Mansion into the water. Wei Tingyu just had to copy the book and send it to one of Li Ruoshui's cousins. Anyway, they all trusted and doted on Li Ruoshui blindly, so it was really easy to take advantage of them.
If you want to help Li Ruoshui become famous as quickly as possible, you naturally have to choose the right method.
Then, Li Ruoshui's cousin who loved her the best and doted on her the most and gave her everything unconditionally, chose a teahouse owned by the Zhang family and also prepared a storyteller on his own. The storyteller was not from the imperial city, but was from a small town near the imperial city. He couldn't make it anymore, so he came to the imperial city to take a look. By luck, he met a noble man.
After getting the storybook, he was deeply attracted by the story. He also found some inaccuracies in it. However, when he talked about it with the young master of the Duke of Xiangguo's Mansion, the other party waved his hand and said, "Just say what it says and don't change it without permission."
The storyteller, in fact, had not read many books and had little experience, so he thought that since the people in the Duke's Mansion said it was okay, then it must be okay, so he went ahead with courage. However, he did not expect that this so-called noble person would directly ruin his life.
The owner of the teahouse, seeing that the people were brought by the Xiangguo Mansion and were just borrowing the place, agreed without much thought.
Then, naturally, the following incident occurred.
Wei Tingyu just handed the storybook to the young master of the Duke of Xiangguo's mansion and did nothing afterwards, but the effect was unexpectedly good. And the matter on the surface was very simple, and it could be traced back to the Duke of Xiangguo's mansion with a simple investigation.
While other families were happily preparing for the festival, the Xiangguo Mansion was filled with gloom. Not only was Li Ruoshui's cousin imprisoned immediately, but the Xiangguo Mansion and his sons in the imperial city were all thrown into jail. The Xiangguo Mansion was temporarily sealed off, and the rest of the people in the Xiangguo Mansion were imprisoned in it. They were allowed to enter but not leave. Even the servants had to undergo strict inspection for their daily shopping. In just two short days, the once glorious Xiangguo Mansion showed signs of immediate decline.
How many people used to flock to it, but now they really want to stay as far away from it as possible. Let alone anything else, just based on that one sentence, whoever gets involved will be dead.
Even the best in-laws had to keep their tails between their legs at this time. After all, the closer the relationship, the less they could say anything casually. This matter was too big, and in the end it was really concluded that it was a "rebellion". If you get involved, your entire family will be involved, and even the most selfless people have to think carefully.
Madam Li is the daughter of the Duke of Xiangguo Mansion. The Duke of Xiangguo Mansion is her greatest confidence and reliance. Although, based on the personalities of her husband and father-in-law, even if something happens to the Duke of Xiangguo Mansion, her status in the Li family will not be greatly affected.
"Will not be affected too much" does not mean that she will not be affected. After all, her shortcoming is that she has no son. However, because of her high birth and the sudden rise of her daughter Li Ruoshui in the past three years, her weakness has been almost eliminated. But her daughter will eventually get married, and the one who will inherit the Li family will eventually be a bastard. No matter how stupid he is, he is the only son of the Li family. Even if he is a bastard, as long as he inherits the Li family, she, the legal mother, must give way. If she no longer has her natal family, it will not be as simple as giving way.
Moreover, without the Xiangguo Mansion, she would be affected more by the outside world.
Compared with Madam Zhen and Mrs. Han, Madam Li's ability is not that prominent. She can barely control the inner house. Once she leaves the Li family's gate, her weakness is very obvious. Due to the dual background of the Li family and the Xiangguo Mansion, she seems to be able to thrive. Now that one of her two backers has collapsed, the other one has been affected, and the support it can give her has been weakened. Then, how will the other noble ladies view her
She was used to the good life, so whenever she thought about the possible future, she felt as if the sky was falling and the earth was collapsing.
She begged her husband and father-in-law to help the Xiangguo Mansion, but it was of no use. Her father-in-law was a good man, but he also knew how to seek benefits and avoid harm. Not to mention her husband. Normally, he would expose any mistakes made by the Xiangguo Mansion. Now that something that might be a conspiracy had happened in the Xiangguo Mansion, how could he possibly intervene
Mrs. Li only felt that she could get whatever she wanted in the past, but at this moment, she realized how useless and powerless she was. She could do nothing but wipe her tears. Not only did she cry, she also hugged Li Ruoshui and cried together.
"Ruoshui, think of a way. Can you help your grandfather and the others? You are so smart, you must have a way, right? If you can help mom, you can definitely help your grandfather and the others, Ruoshui, Ruoshui..."
Li Ruoshui's face was frozen, and he almost cursed. Can helping you deal with the concubine in the back house be compared with the crime of treason? If she was really that capable, could she still hook up with a few men who were so cautious and restrained
After learning how the Xiangguo Mansion got into trouble, Li Ruoshui was almost scared to death. When she first received the news, she huddled in her room alone, trembling, fearing that the Kaiping guards would suddenly rush into the Li family's home and take her away.
From the day before yesterday when the incident happened until last night, she narrowed her eyes slightly, realizing that the investigation probably had not been traced back to her, and then today she mustered up the courage to find out the details of what happened.
The only information she could get was the part in the teahouse. She knew that her cousin was involved, but she knew nothing about other situations. Li Ruoshui almost collapsed. She didn't tell anyone about what she wrote because she was not sure what consequences it would bring. Even if she gave it away, she sent someone who was illiterate around her so as not to attract attention. She could just find a small teahouse and sell it. It was only the first part anyway. She would see the effect before making any follow-up plans.
The maid came back and handled the situation well. What went wrong? How did it get related to the cousin from my maternal grandparents' family? Li Ruoshui's memory has always been good. Even if it is a thick book, she can remember most of it after reading it several times. When she came to this world, the things in her previous life did not fade away, but became clearer. This is obviously the benefit of her time travel. If she doesn't make good use of it, wouldn't it be a shame for the cheat God gave her
Therefore, she did not pay much attention to many things when writing them. Only when there were obvious problems would she make appropriate modifications. "The emperor takes turns, it will be my turn next year." It sounds so exciting, but now when she thinks back on it, she wants to slap herself twice. The imperial power is supreme, why didn't she think about it a bit
There is absolutely no conspiracy. My cousin might not have even looked at it carefully. He was so happy and complacent in the past because of their unconditional trust in him, but now he feels how stupid they are.
In fact, it is not impossible to save her grandfather's family, as long as she stands up, admits the crime, and exposes her cousin. However, it is impossible. Even if the world believes that she would not have any intention of treason, it would be a huge mistake to write it down. Even if the death penalty can be avoided, she will be punished alive. She is only a teenager now. She is the most talented woman before and after, the most beautiful woman now. How can she ruin her bright life like this
And, and, she admitted that it would involve the Li family, yes, it would involve the Li family, she couldn't hurt her own family just to save her grandparents' family, right? She couldn't be so selfish, right, she couldn't be so selfish.
She did it all for the Li family. That's right, it was all for the Li family. She did nothing wrong. It was not her fault.
The only thing I'm worried about now is whether my cousin knows that it was written by her. He probably doesn't know, because the original owner of this body didn't write very well, but he was also very proud and strong-willed, so he burned most of what he wrote. According to my memory, basically nothing was lost. This made it convenient for her. She kept a part for herself to practice. After she had learned it about 70% well, she burned the previous ones and those used for practice, so she didn't have to worry about any problems with it.
Her handwriting was not good enough, so in order to prevent her reputation as a talented woman from being tarnished, she never wrote when she was writing poems outside. Even if someone talked about it, she didn't dare to show off. As long as she didn't write it down, others wouldn't know what was going on and would think she was being modest. The original owner of this body had no contact with her cousins from her maternal grandfather's family, so it was very likely that she had never seen her handwriting. She had never exposed herself, so even if she got the book, her cousins wouldn't know that she wrote it.
Even if he knew, even if he knew, he probably wouldn't give her up, right
If it were something else, Li Ruoshui would be very confident, but it’s hard to say now.
Li Ruoshui tried to calm herself down, thinking whether she could go meet her cousin and expose herself completely, whether he knew about it or not. At this time, everyone was estranged from the Duke of Xiangguo's Mansion. If she could show something different, maybe she could win some favor. This reputation of deep affection sounded good.
Besides, she is just a little girl and her coming-of-age ceremony is still being prepared. It will be held in the middle of this month, so no one will suspect anything.
Li Ruoshui has made up his mind, but he is not sure what to do. Should he go directly to his grandfather to explain, or go by himself
Before Li Ruoshui could make up her mind, Mrs. Li, who was crying, hugged her and asked her to think of a solution.
Li Ruoshui's eyes flashed with gloom. Although her stepmother treated her very well and obeyed her in everything, she also earned enough face for her because she was valuable. That's why she treated her well. What if she was not valuable? According to her memory, the original owner's elder sister and younger sister were both better than the original owner. The original owner was like a little transparent person. Therefore, no matter how good this woman was to her, Li Ruoshui pretended to be a gentle and lovable daughter, but she didn't take this stepmother seriously in her heart.
However, apart from anything else, this woman is very easy to use. If you need something, you just need to look at her with grievance, express your wishes vaguely, and she will get you what you want.
Li Ruoshui warned himself not to do anything inappropriate in front of her, as it would not do him any good.
Li Ruoshui leaned gently against Madam Li, sobbing softly, "Mother, it's not that I don't want to help, but this matter is different from other things. Even if I want to help, I can't do anything. Mother, tell me, Grandfather, uncles, and cousin are in the prison now. Will they be tortured? How can Grandfather bear it? Mother..."
After hearing what she said, Mrs. Li also became worried and afraid, "What should I do? What should I do?"
"Mother, mother, don't worry." Li Ruoshui wiped her tears carefully, bit her lip, and her eyes showed some determination. "Mother, I can't help with other things, but I can go to the prison to take a look. I'm a girl, so it shouldn't be a problem, right? I'll ask grandfather to let me go to the prison to take a look."
Madam Li held Li Ruoshui's face with both hands, "As expected, my Ruoshui is the most caring and considerate. Your grandfather and his family loved you so much. But the prison is not a good place. I heard that it is dark and damp, with a heavy smell of blood and resentment. The timid will be scared and cry if they go in. Ruoshui, you..."
"Mom, I'm not afraid. I want to see how grandpa and the others are doing. I don't want you to worry." Li Ruoshui said firmly, even though his hands couldn't help shaking.
"Good child, good child..." Mrs. Li hugged her and cried for a while.
The clothes she wore were too thin, and Mrs. Li's tears soaked her clothes. Li Ruoshui couldn't help but feel disgusted. She carefully supported her and said, "Mother, there is no time to lose. I will go find my grandfather now."
"Your grandfather is probably still in the government office right now."
"It's okay, I'll go to the government office to find him." Li Ruoshui wiped her tears and said seriously, "Mother, now you prepare some things and send them to the vicinity of the prison. I will go to the prison after I find my grandfather."
"Okay." Mrs. Li stopped crying this time, as if she had found her backbone.
The six ministries, the Censorate, the Five Military Governors' Office and other places were all located on both sides of the street in front of the main gate of the imperial palace. This made it convenient for ministers to enter and exit the palace and do their work in the ministries, and it also made it easier for the emperor to control these places.
Of course, behind these government offices, there are also imperial guards stationed, but there are four garrison points in total, and overall, they are almost located at the four corners corresponding to the imperial palace.
Unless in very special circumstances, ordinary people are strictly prohibited from entering these places.
Correspondingly, it was common to see servants coming and going; after all, officials needed them to run errands when they needed something personal.
As a woman, it is very rare to appear in this place.
The carriage stopped outside the gate of the Ministry of Justice. The officials and attendants who came in and out all unconsciously cast their eyes on Li Ruoshui. Li Ruoshui's eyes and expression were a little timid, and he lowered his head unconsciously, but then raised his head again...
This gesture was done very well.
Of course, she couldn't just enter this place casually; she needed to report it.
After she explained her purpose, the gatekeeper was a little curious, but he still went in with her to report.
Li Ruoshui thought he would go in, but he didn't expect that his grandfather would come out in person.
“Grandfather…” It seemed that because of what happened next, no one dared to look him in the eye.
The Minister of War looked at his granddaughter, her uneasiness caught his eye, "Why did you come to see me now?"
"Grandfather, I want to go see my grandfather, can I?"
There was a flash of surprise in the eyes of the Minister of Justice. To be honest, he was a little surprised, "You are thoughtful." There is nothing wrong with being loyal and righteous. It is better than being ungrateful.
"Well, is that okay?" Li Ruoshui looked at him cautiously.
"Let's go, I'll go with you to sort things out." Although not much can be done, doing nothing seems too heartless. It's just right that the granddaughter has stepped forward now.
When it comes to assessing the situation, these people are very smart.