#87: The Galaxy Overflows (Part 6)

The moment she said this, before the accompanying guards could even react, the crowd that had gathered in front of the drum court was immediately startled and started discussing the matter animatedly.

“Didn’t the masterminds of the Assassin-Begonia case already get punished? How can it be...”

“Brother Zhao, I just came to the capital for the imperial examination, so I’ve heard some things but don’t know the details. What was the situation back then?”

“You can’t say it. You can’t say it. It was such a big case, involving a lot of people. The capital was in a state of panic back then. In the end, they found out that the five princes had rebelled. The executions at the market went on for a full half-month. I heard that during that time, even the water in the Bian River was red.”

“The late Crown Prince was very much loved, so a thorough investigation was only proper.”

“Since the verdict has already been decided and so many people were killed, how could the imperial court be wrong? Besides, the current emperor is benevolent and had a very close relationship with the late Crown Prince. If the evidence weren’t conclusive, he wouldn’t have killed so many people.”

“That’s not right. Brother Liu, haven’t you heard the ‘False Dragon’s Roar’ from a few days ago? Are there any innocent people among the imperial family?”

At this point, the crowd became even more agitated, and the few people who were speaking lowered their voices.

“When the current emperor had not yet taken power, he was just a young man. But as soon as he ascended the throne, he first executed the Grand Tutor and then imprisoned the Empress. Who doesn’t privately exclaim that his methods are excellent? As for the matter of killing the cicada and shattering the jade, although it was a very minor incident, it still showed a little of his character. If you ask me...”

“‘The lotus has been gone from the country for a thousand years.’ If the current emperor truly had deep affection for the late Crown Prince, then who orchestrated the Bronze and Drum case? These things didn’t seem like much at the time, but when you consider them today, they are worth pondering.”

In the midst of the noisy discussion, Qiu Xueyu slowly stood up and put down the drumstick in her hand.

The censor next to Pei Xi shouted, “Stop your nonsense! Do you know that if you speak lies, you will be punished? Regardless of whether this is true or false, when the Dengwen Drum is struck, you must first be tortured with the finger-press!”

Qiu Xueyu was not afraid at all. “If I can meet the Son of Heaven, I am willing to accept this punishment.”

She looked around and said calmly, “The drum court on the imperial street was originally a place to be heard by the Son of Heaven. If striking the drum requires punishment, it is the duty of the Capital Prefect. This place has been idle for a long time, so there must be no torture instruments here. I will have to trouble the officials to invite the prefect and reopen the drum court. It is fine for me to lodge my complaint after I have been punished. However, the morning court is about to end. If we do this, we will have to ask the Holy Son of Heaven to wait a little longer.”

Pei Xi took the opportunity to tug at his colleague’s sleeve and whispered, “If we invite the Capital Prefect and delay the matter, not only will His Majesty have to wait, but it will inevitably cause an even bigger stir. His Majesty originally sent the two of us to find out what the person who struck the drum wanted to complain about. Now that this matter involves a major case of the nation, how can we possibly handle it? In my opinion, we should just take this woman back to court to report back, and then we’re done with it!”

The censor thought for a moment and acquiesced to his suggestion. So Pei Xi quickly spoke up. “Although striking the drum has strict punishments, our dynasty also has a law that for major cases involving rebellion, the imperial family, or cases that have gone through the three judicial offices, the punishment is waived. Please follow us into court to meet the Son of Heaven.”

Qiu Xueyu bowed in thanks, followed the guards, and walked gracefully out of the drum court towards the imperial city. The crowd on the imperial street heard that the person who struck the drum was seeking justice for the masterminds of the Assassin-Begonia case. They followed for a few miles and only stopped at a point one arrow’s shot away from the Mingguang Gate, still wanting more.

“If this person can produce evidence, will the imperial court admit that they made a mistake in the case four years ago?”

“I don’t think so. I’m afraid she won’t even be able to leave this imperial city.”

“That’s a strange thing to say. The Assassin-Begonia case was a major national case. How could there be a mistake in the verdict?”

“If she really has evidence, it will be handed over to the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Punishments to be dealt with together. How could she not be able to leave the imperial city?”

“We can’t comment on the affairs of these big shots... We’ll find out what the situation of this accusation is at noon today. After the case is transferred, there will probably be a lot of excitement to watch.”

After Qiu Xueyu’s figure disappeared behind the layers of crimson palace walls, the crowd on the imperial street gradually dispersed. Some men dressed as scholars found a teahouse nearby to sit and discuss the matter further.

A young scholar, who had been squeezed in the crowd and speaking a moment ago, walked with familiar ease into a tall tavern nearby. The tavern had not yet opened. He walked up the empty stairs to the highest floor and bowed to the woman who had been looking out the window for a long time. “My Lady.”

Luo Wei closed the fan in her hand with a smile. “You stirred up the interest of a group of scholars with just a few words. You did very well.”

The man thanked her again, turned, and took his leave.

Luo Wei propped her chin on her hand and looked at the imperial city shrouded in a layer of morning fog in the distance. There was a hint of worry on her face, and she finally let out a soft sigh.

Song Lan was also very surprised when he suddenly heard the sound of the drum during the morning court. He had thought it was not a major matter, so he sent two low-ranking censors to question the person.

There weren’t many memorials today, and it was about time to dismiss the court. But the Son of Heaven was required to hold court upon hearing the sound of the drum. To avoid trouble, everyone waited below the court for the censors to bring in the first person to strike the drum for justice in this dynasty.

Song Lan, bored, played with the tassels on his robe. He turned his head and happened to see the place where Luo Wei used to sit behind the imperial screen.

He remembered that there were twelve strings of crystal beads hanging there. Luo Wei, wearing a deep blue robe with five-colored pheasant patterns, sat behind the screen. He could only vaguely see her serene and beautiful profile. He sat on the imperial throne. Whenever he and Yu Qiushi disagreed, he would look over as if seeking help. Luo Wei would turn her head, her eyes swallowed by the crystal’s brilliance, making them seem hazy and unclear.

This glance suddenly sobered him up for a moment.

In court, the only two people who knew that Luo Wei was not actually on Mount Guyou were Ye Tingyan and Chang Zhao. For the past three or four months, she had not shown a single trace of herself. From Mount Guyou to Luoyang, Jinling, Lin’an, and Youzhou, his guards had searched every official road but had not found her.

Song Lan had not considered the possibility that Luo Wei might still be in the capital. But the household registration checks in the city were very strict, and Zhuque had searched again and again. He really couldn’t think of anywhere else she could be hiding.

He knew she was going to make a move. So, was the sound of the drum today her declaration of war?

This thought reached its peak after the person who struck the drum was brought into the morning court.

Qiu Xueyu had lost a lot of weight. She had removed the disguise from her face and walked into the hall with her original face.

Song Lan, from behind the imperial screen, stared intently at her. As if he couldn’t see her clearly, he left his seat and walked down a few steps.

Some of the old ministers in the court also seemed to find this face familiar, and they all frowned.

Song Lan subconsciously looked at Ye Tingyan. Ye Tingyan also looked at him, using his tablet to partially cover his face, and shook his head slightly, signaling him not to act rashly.

The two censors who had been sent out knelt on one side to report back. When he heard the three words “Qiu Xueyu,” his mind went blank.

Qiu Xueyu? Didn’t she die long ago...

Song Lan suddenly remembered that back then, in order to make Luo Wei show her loyalty, “Feng Yanluo” was executed by her own hands.

Everyone only vaguely knew that the Empress had been assassinated in the inner palace and that the assassin was a palace attendant named “Feng.” He had intentionally used this opportunity to get rid of Song Zhiyu, but he didn’t want to make it public, so he announced that Song Zhiyu had died of an illness. This palace attendant surnamed Feng naturally had no connection to the Assassin-Begonia case.

He was not unaware that this matter was full of loopholes. For example, when it came to hatred, the hatred of the Qiu family’s daughter for Song Zhiyu was naturally much greater than Luo Wei’s. So when she turned on Song Zhiyu in front of Zhuque, he was not surprised. He just thought that forcing Luo Wei to execute her with her own hands afterward would resolve the matter smoothly, regardless of what their relationship was.

Now, it seemed that Luo Wei had set a trap for him back then. The palace attendant Feng, who assassinated the Empress, had already been executed by the Empress herself. This daughter of the Qiu family, who had returned from the border, naturally had no connection to the Empress. And even if he knew everything, how could he say a single word in the grand hall?

Qiu Xueyu knelt in front of the hall, her hands trembling as she held up her petition, as if she had never known him and was sincerely begging the Holy Son of Heaven to seek justice for her today.

“Your Majesty, this commoner wishes to...”

A cold sweat dripped from his forehead. Song Lan closed his eyes but was still not dissuaded by that glance from Ye Tingyan a moment ago.

Before Qiu Xueyu could finish her first sentence, Song Lan suddenly said, “The Ministry of Punishments and the Capital Prefect’s Office, take this person down and review the petition and hear the case together. If there is nothing else, the court is dismissed.”

Everyone was astonished and tried to stop him. “Your Majesty!”

Qiu Xueyu acted as if she hadn’t heard his words and said loudly and urgently, “Your Majesty, I have been so bold as to strike the drum today to seek justice for the Assassin-Begonia case of the third year of Tianshou! The masterminds of that case, Liu Fuliang, Zuo Chenjian, and Yang Zhong, were not the real culprits in the assassination of the late Crown Prince! I have personally investigated for many years. Although their families have been wiped out, there are still relatives, fellow villagers, and former classmates who can testify for the three of them. There is also physical evidence, the late Crown Prince’s personal letters. I humbly beg Your Majesty to carefully review them and give these three men and the late Crown Prince, who died unjustly, a fair judgment!”

She had managed to say it all after all.

Song Lan slapped the gilded eagle on his armrest, about to speak, when Ye Tingyan suddenly shouted to reprimand her. “Since ancient times, there has never been a reason to seek justice for a stranger you meet on the road. What is your relationship with these three men?”

Qiu Xueyu’s gaze quickly swept over him. “My father was the late Censor-in-Chief Qiu Fang. Liu Fuliang, who died unjustly and has a statue erected on Tinghua Terrace, was my fiancé. Although we never had time to register our marriage with the government, the betrothal and dowry lists are all here and can be verified by the officials.”

“Oh,” Ye Tingyan said flatly. “Then you are part of Liu Fuliang’s family, so why weren’t you executed along with your father?”

What he said was the key point. Song Lan temporarily breathed a sigh of relief, and the whispering in the hall gradually subsided. Qiu Xueyu smiled slightly and admitted without changing her expression, “I was saved by a noble person’s grace and escaped with my life. My claim in the drum court that I was sent to a courtesan house is a baseless lie. There is no way for me to repay the favor of saving my life. I cannot reveal the identity of that noble person even if I were to die. When I struck the drum today, I never expected to walk out of here alive!”

She suddenly pushed Ye Tingyan aside, ran a few steps forward, and knelt down in front of the steps. The imperial guards in the hall all drew their swords. Seeing that she did not go directly to the golden hall, they backed down. Qiu Xueyu knelt before the steps and continued, “I only ask for the grace of the Holy Son of Heaven. After you have seen the evidence, please re-examine this case! On the day this case is cleared, I will willingly accept the punishment of being cut into a thousand pieces for the great sin of my escape back then!”

She heavily kowtowed on the golden steps, and blood immediately stained them. The palace attendants and eunuchs were panicked and had the guards drag her back a few steps.

What Ye Tingyan said was originally very important. If the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Punishments were to find out about this after taking this woman into custody, Song Lan could easily find a reason to execute her in prison.

But today, she had admitted it in court with a sorrowful expression. It would be difficult to punish her using this matter.

After Qiu Xueyu’s words, some of the ministers who had received kindness from Song Ling in the past and were dissatisfied with the handling of the Remonstrance of Jinghe Autumn also knelt down. “Your Majesty, what this woman said is shocking and involves a major national case. This subject humbly begs Your Majesty to consider and reconsider and to thoroughly investigate this matter to avoid leaving any room for gossip!”

Someone else chimed in. “That’s right. Your Majesty and the late Crown Prince had a deep affection. How can we not be cautious when it comes to the Assassin-Begonia case?”

Others, however, retorted, “The Assassin-Begonia case was investigated thoroughly for over four months. How can we simply re-examine it based on an anonymous person? This subject believes that we should first verify this woman’s identity and investigate whether she is a spy sent by the Ezhen tribe to cause chaos in the court! I heard that the Ezhen tribe has sent many spies to infiltrate our dynasty, waiting for...”

Everyone chattered excitedly, but Song Lan, sitting on the imperial throne, only understood one thing.

Regardless of whether he wanted to re-examine the Assassin-Begonia case or whether she was an “Ezhen spy,” with the drum struck first and the court meeting second, he absolutely could not kill this person today.

The ministers below had already knelt down. Some advocated for re-examining the case, and some agreed with the spy theory. The newly appointed prime minister was a very slippery man. He usually only acted according to the emperor’s wishes, allowing Chang Zhao and Ye Tingyan to compete without taking sides.

Today, even he couldn’t stay out of it and was dragged down to his knees.

Song Lan thought to himself that Qiu Xueyu’s striking of the drum must have shocked the people, and public opinion would be in an uproar. He could only deal with it perfunctorily and then find an opportunity to act later.

After all, who told him that he was a person with a “deep affection” for Song Ling?

He composed himself, thought for a moment, and came up with a few ways to handle the situation. Then he spoke. “Since Miss Qiu has struck the drum, we must investigate. The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Punishments, and the Censorate will each perform their duties, collect evidence, and hear the case. In addition—”

His gaze shifted between Ye Tingyan and Chang Zhao, but he did not make an immediate decision. He just said vaguely, “This matter is important. I will definitely send someone to jointly hear the case to show fairness. Everyone inside and outside the court must act cautiously and not be negligent. The sun is already high. All you ministers... may now leave the court.”