FID – Chapter 1035

Chapter 1035 – Someone Must Take the Fall

Ding Jiahua instantly felt a chill run through his whole body.

In Nanling, aside from the royal family, no one was allowed to maintain private guards. Anyone found doing so would be severely punished without exception.

For example, Liu Zhixia had been Yunzhou’s prefect for over two years, and even now he had no personal bodyguards. On official trips, the most he could do was have the court assign him some escorts.

The Ding family was merely a prominent merchant household, ranked at the bottom among the four social classes. Yet their matriarch went out with twenty guards and even openly ordered commoners to be executed on the street. How arrogant and tyrannical!

As Liu Zhixia had said, how many innocent souls had perished under Madam Ding’s hands even he didn’t know. There had been previous incidents, but they had been suppressed. 

After Liu Zhixia took office, his wife’s mischief mostly stayed within the estate and didn’t spill outward, so it hadn’t caused conflict with the new prefect.

This time, however, she didn’t avoid trouble and directly ran into the highest authority.

Faced with Liu Zhixia’s questioning, he didn’t even know how to respond. Bringing private guards, disregarding lives, rampaging in the countryside: any one of these charges was serious.

If it affected only an individual, it might be forgivable. Once it implicated the Ding family, however, it could get them removed entirely from Yunzhou’s four great families.

Seeing his younger brother’s dazed expression, Ding Jianian looked ashamed. “Prefect Liu, this matter truly reflects my brother’s failure in governance. As the head of the family, he cannot control a matriarch in his own household. It is extremely shameful. Since this incident, our whole family has been unable to sleep, and we resolved to come at the first opportunity to apologize and explain to Your Excellency. I shamelessly beg Prefect Liu to show leniency and grant some leniency. If Your Excellency consents, I promise that such an incident will never happen again.”

“Lord Ding has served in the court for many years. Though we both hold fourth-rank official positions, your seniority in the court far surpasses mine. You must know that Nanling’s laws are strict. Bringing private guards into the streets, acting recklessly, and killing commoners openly are complete disregard to the law! Such evil deeds, once discovered, are to be severely punished without exception. If today I were to show leniency because of your pleas or past acquaintanceship, it would be favoritism and a miscarriage of justice. How, then, could I still serve as a proper prefect?”

Liu Zhixia’s words left them speechless and without recourse.

After a long silence, Ding Jiahua hoarsely asked, “Prefect Liu, is there truly no room for leniency?”

“I always speak and act with clarity and principle. Since assuming office as Yunzhou’s prefect, I have never shown favoritism nor wronged the innocent. Madam Ding’s matter will be handled as it should. If your visit is solely for this issue, I suggest you take your leave.”

Hearing Liu Zhixia begin to dismiss them, Ding Jiahua grew anxious. He gritted his teeth and said, “Your Excellency, could you grant me a little time? Let me explain further. This matter arose because of my wife, but it truly has nothing to do with the entire Ding family. We all know that Your Excellency is fair and incorruptible, and you would never implicate the innocent!”

Liu Zhixia lowered his gaze and remained silent. When the visitors had already brought their hearts to a state of extreme anxiety, he finally spoke, “These past two years in Yunzhou, I have heard much about the Ding family’s reputation. The people still speak highly of your household. I trust in Patriarch Ding’s character. If it is ultimately confirmed that the Ding family truly had no involvement, I will naturally not implicate the family.”

Ding Jianian and Ding Jiahua exchanged a glance, both understanding the meaning behind Liu Zhixia’s words.

Whether the Ding family was truly innocent, everyone already knew in their hearts. Madam Ding, as the head matriarch, had been running the household for many years, and the family could not have been unaware of her actions. Even now, she remained in her position as matriarch, which showed that the family had done nothing about her misdeeds. In fact, they had likely been complicit.

Now that trouble had arisen, if they wanted to shield the family, Liu Zhixia would not stop them, but that meant someone had to be made the scapegoat. And there was no doubt who that person would be.

How could Liu Zhixia, as the prefect, really swallow the insult inflicted to an elderly member of his family? Many of his words sounded dignified and proper on the surface, but everyone understood what he really meant between the lines.

Once Ding Jiahua had thought it through, he gritted his teeth, ready to go all out. Ding Jianian did not stop him. They shared the same thought: Madam Ding could take the fall, but the Ding family as a whole must remain intact. Once a major family falls, it is nearly impossible to rise again. They could not sacrifice their entire household.

No matter how powerful her background was, could it surpass Liu Zhixia?

If Yunzhou’s prefect had been anyone else, the Ding family might have found a way to continue shielding her. But the person sitting in that seat was Liu Zhixia.

His influence was so deep that even the Emperor could not touch him. If anything, the Emperor was one part of his backing.

Taking a deep breath, Ding Jiahua began to explain, while Ding Jianian and Ding Wenxuan remained unusually silent.

“I said this matter has nothing to do with the Ding family because the guards my wife brought that day were not employed by the Ding family. They were her personal guards, gifts from her natal family. I honestly do not know everything my wife has done over the years, because her social background far exceeds that of the Ding family. Since joining the Ding household, she has always held herself above others. Out of fear for her background, even my mother had to yield to her, so how could I dare to restrain her? That is why things ended up this way. Of course, I also bear some fault, but it was truly unavoidable.”

“Madam Ding’s social standing far exceeds the Ding family?” Liu Zhixia raised his eyes, his gaze cold and steady. “May I ask, what is your wife’s identity?”

During his time in Yunzhou, he was mostly busy with official duties. On rare occasions when he socialized with the city’s elites, he only interacted with family patriarchs. He had never inquired much about the matriarchs or other women of status in each household, so he did not know in detail.

Before this incident, Liu Zhixia had never heard of Madam Ding’s reputation.

Ding Jianian replied, “My wife’s natal family background isn’t particularly high. She is the daughter of an ordinary merchant family in the capital, so her marriage into the Ding family could already be considered a good match. However, she has relatives in the court holding very high positions, which in turn elevated her status. That is why, after marrying into the Ding family, she had the confidence to act so arrogantly.”

Because the family always treated her with the utmost respect and deference, she grew increasingly overbearing, which ultimately led to the disaster today.

Everything has its cause and effect.

“She is the great-grandniece of Lord Yuan, a minister who has served three reigns.”

Liu Zhixia’s eyes flickered, and a frail, elderly figure surfaced in his mind.

Lord Yuan, a three-reign veteran, was highly esteemed, maintaining neutrality amidst the swirling power struggles and earning immense prestige. Liu Zhixia had not expected Madam Ding to be so closely connected to him.