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墨書 Inktalez
The news about the Chancellor spread throughout Jingjing City that very day, igniting public outrage. After all, over a decade ago, more than ten prominent families had perished, and the perpetrator had been incredibly arrogant, boasting at times, "My father is the Chancellor," and at other times, "My grandfather is the Imperial Teacher."
Some onlookers, unable to contain their anger, confronted him, only to be severely reprimanded by the young master's servants. Initially, people thought that this Little Master would be released without charges due to the protection of officials. However, it wasn't long before they saw him on the Execution Ground.
On the day Little Master was brought to the Execution Ground, he was silent. His demeanor was so composed that everyone assumed he had been frightened into silence. Upon reflection, it seemed as if he had become a different person; otherwise, how could such a delicate young master not have cried out?
If only everyone had kept their eyes wide open back then, perhaps he would not have lived for another four years.
Not long after Little Master’s death, the Chancellor went door to door apologizing to the victims' families with sincere remorse and generous compensation. Gradually, the uproar began to subside.
Who would have thought that four years later, another Little Master would die?
The Office of Censors was unusually crowded with people; some even boldly demanded to see Little Master’s body, suspecting it might be a ruse of faking death again. The Office of Censors refused their requests, but the crowd persisted.
In short, the city was in disarray.
Even I could see that those causing trouble had someone backing them. The Chancellor's position was indeed tempting. Lian Baoying kicked Shi Yuan, who was engrossed in his meal. "Look at you, so carefree while your grandfather is struggling in court."
At first, I was worried and had lost quite a bit of weight. But he kept reassuring me and appeared confident and composed, which put my mind at ease.
A few windows were open; it was rare for us to have a break, and we were sitting in the courtyard of a small tavern chatting idly.
Lian Baoying asked with concern, "Will there be any changes in your grandfather's position as Chancellor?"
"Probably not," I replied. "After all, he wasn’t directly responsible for what happened; he only shares some indirect responsibility. The Emperor has already hinted privately that he intends to protect him."
The likely outcome would be a few years' salary reduction and some power taken away. If things got stricter, he might receive some lashes or be sidelined for a while.
"Lashes? Once that starts, losing face is minor; can your grandfather endure it?"
His health truly couldn't take it anymore; he had faced repeated setbacks over the years and had already suffered damage due to his excessive diligence. If it came down to it, I could take his place.
Honestly speaking, I thought this incident could serve as an opportunity to redistribute power and allow him some rest so that he could live longer and accomplish more.
Lian Baoying continued asking about the Cui Family and Cui Lan. "I heard that old man has knelt in front of the Emperor again but didn’t get an audience."
Shi Yuan replied thoughtfully, "The Office of Censors is formidable; they uncovered the prisoner exchange from four years ago. Both Cui Family and Cui Lan were considered masterminds behind it. The Emperor spared the Cui Family from public scrutiny but forced them to sacrifice one of their sons—the least favored one—who lost his position and ended up in prison, nearly facing exile."
"But just at this critical moment, Cui Lan died."
"What? Cui Lan died? I hadn’t heard any rumors about that."
"She was initially held in the Office of Censors but was transferred to the Ministry of Justice Prison through connections made by the Cui Family. Just two days later, she died in prison and left behind a handwritten note expressing her shame towards everyone and stating she could no longer live on—apologizing with her death."
That elderly man from the Cui Family fell ill shortly after; he became gravely ill and summoned physician after physician. The Emperor soon learned of this and finally agreed to speak with him for a few moments.
Unbeknownst to anyone about what was said, the son of the Cui Family, who was imprisoned, was conscripted into military service.
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