FID – Chapter 1056

Chapter 1056 — The Accusation

The two leaned their heads together again, letting out soft laughter. The small room was filled with a gentle warmth that made one feel relaxed and content.

Nestling into a comfortable position in the man’s arms, Liu Yusheng said, “We came all the way from the border, almost two months on the road. Do you think Wei Zi has already returned to Nanling by now?”

“Timing should line up. He should’ve landed ashore already.”

“You told him to send a message home for us, right?”

“Of course I did. Don’t you trust your man?” the man teased.

The woman immediately wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. “If it’s you handling it, I’m at ease. Let’s sleep.”

Knowing that Wei Zi would deliver a message home settled her heart.

When they had first headed northwest, none of them expected they would end up in Xiliang, let alone infiltrate the imperial palace.

They had stayed far longer than planned. Without any news returning home, she feared her family would worry.

At this time, just as Feng Qingbai predicted, Wei Zi had already landed at Yunzhou Pier.

He then personally delivered the message to the prefecture office and handed it to Liu Zhixia.

After reading the letters Wei Zi brought back, Liu Zhixia lifted his head and looked at the two faces in front of him: his little sister and brother-in-law. He rubbed his forehead. He still wasn’t used to it.

Especially when looking at ‘little sister,’ he very much wanted Liu Ya to take off the mask.

Their Nannan would never have such frightened little-animal eyes.

Feeling too uncomfortable, he simply fixed his gaze on Wei Zi instead. “So you’re saying they’ll have to keep up this disguise for quite some time?”

Wei Zi nodded. “We’ll need the disguise until His Highness and Her Highness return.”

His task was to stay in the capital of Nanling and mislead anyone who might be watching. That way if anything unusual happened in Xiliang, no one would immediately associate it with the prince. Otherwise, it would greatly hinder his movements in Xiliang.

“In that case,” Liu Zhixia said, “rest at the yamen for the night. Tomorrow, return to Xinghua Village once, and then head back to the capital.”

Wei Zi agreed. If the King and King’s Consort returned to Yunzhou but did not visit Xinghua Village, it would look suspicious. If they were putting on an act, they had to commit to it fully.

“Also, when you return to the capital, bring a message to Elder Yuan for me. Thank him for understanding the bigger picture.”

Although Wei Zi didn’t quite understand what Liu Zhixia meant or what it was referring to, he did not ask further and nodded again.

The next day, Liu Zhixia sent the ‘King’ and ‘King’s consort’ back to Xinghua Village by carriage. Afterward, he returned to the yamen and began preparing to interrogate Madam Ding.

It had been two months since she was first thrown into the prison. She was still being held there—he had never questioned her.

He had been waiting to see how Elder Yuan would respond. As for Madam Ding, keeping her locked up longer would help her fully realize that she did not have the status or power to behave so arrogantly.

Just yesterday, he finally received Elder Yuan’s letter—arriving only slightly earlier than Wei Zi.

The entire city was watching the matter regarding Madam Ding, waiting for the outcome.

Dragging the matter out for two months had already put enough psychological pressure on Madam Ding and everyone watching.

It was time to open the trial.

The moment news spread that the prefect would finally hold court to judge Madam Ding, the entire city stirred. Crowds surged toward the yamen.

The Ding family was also summoned to attend the hearing.

Madam Ding was brought out shortly afterward. She no longer had even a trace of her former prestige. Her hair was disheveled, her face gaunt, her eyes flickering nervously. Only when she saw the masses gathered outside the hall did she try to force some semblance of arrogance.

Which only made her look more ridiculous.

As for the Ding family members standing stiffly to the side, Madam Ding hadn’t so much as glanced at them since being brought into the hall.

Standing in the courtroom, she didn’t wait for Liu Zhixia to speak. She seized the initiative and shouted, “As prefect, you’ve abused your power for personal grudges, using public office to avenge private hatred! And they call you a parent official of the people? Ptooey! Liu Zhixia, I’m telling you, I’ve committed no crime! Even if there were misunderstandings between me and Matriarch Liu, the Empress Dowager punished me before everyone. That was punishment enough! But you locked me in prison for two months. I will appeal to the Ministry of Justice! Even if I must cry out my grievances at the Meridian Gate itself, I will shout it for all to hear!”

Liu Zhixia did not scold her for disrespecting the court. He simply asked, “What grievance are you crying about?”

“How is it not a grievance? You imprisoned me and accused me of privately keeping guards! Those guards were a gift from my great-uncle! There is no law in Nanling that forbids transferring guards to another person! If you convict me over this, then you are slandering a senior minister of three reigns! My great-uncle served three emperors with great merit. And now, in his old age, you throw mud on him like this! You’re clearly jealous of his accomplishments and using this matter to eliminate those who stand in your way!”

“If a meritorious elder is wronged, then I will go to the palace gates myself and ask His Majesty what kind of world this is! Does having the King of Nanling behind you mean you can run wild on imperial soil? Or are you simply looking for trouble so you can pave the way for the people behind you?!”

Her words were clearly alluded to the King.

She was insinuating that in order to help the King of Nanling consolidate his power, Liu Zhixia intended to eliminate a senior minister of three reigns who remained neutral and could not be won over!

Outside the yamen, the crowd erupted. People began whispering and debating in shock.

Liu Zhixia merely smiled, pulled out a stack of papers from the bench, and had the clerk distribute them among the gathered townsfolk. He kept one copy in his hand, which the clerk read aloud:

“Year 22 of the previous reign: While returning to the capital, Madam Ding ordered her coachman to repeatedly run over an elderly pedestrian with her carriage until he died. The victim’s family, threatened with death, remained silent for twenty years.”

“Year 28 of the previous reign: In a dispute with a noblewoman over a jade hairpin, she beat the woman to the point of disfigurement, driving her insane. The woman has never recovered.”

“Year 4 of Emperor Huijing’s reign: While traveling, she stayed overnight at a host family’s home. Displeased with the housewife’s service, she beat the woman to death.”

……

“Year 15 of Emperor Huijing’s reign: Disliking the sight of refugees lingering and begging near the gates of the Ding residence, she ordered over a dozen refugees to have their limbs broken and be thrown out of Yunzhou City.”

“Year 16 of Emperor Huijing’s reign: Suspecting a seamstress under the Ding’s residence of having an affair with the master, she poisoned the woman and tossed her body into a dry well.”

“Year 17 of Emperor Huijing’s reign: Nearly colliding with the Matriarch Liu, she ordered her nursemaid to slap her and commanded her guards to kill the old lady on the spot.”

Crime after crime, each more horrifying than the last, left the entire crowd chilled to the bone.

Those who listened closely realized that the more time passed, the shorter the intervals between Madam Ding’s heinous acts became. Eventually, nearly every year someone fell victim to her cruelty.

It was clear that after committing evil deeds without ever being punished, she had tasted the sweetness of doing as she pleased. Emboldened, she escalated her actions and no longer held back.

A wicked woman!

Even the Ding family members present in the courtroom were shocked by the list of crimes.

They lived under the same roof for so many years, so they were aware of Madam Ding’s behavior and some of her misdeeds. However, they had never imagined there were so many others they didn’t know about.

Madam Ding’s eyes widened as she glared furiously at Liu Zhixia, screaming, “Nonsense! You corrupt official, you lie! I never did any of those things! I never killed anyone! You’re fabricating lies to convict me, to attack my late grandfather’s honor, and to wrongfully accuse me!”

*Meridian Gate – is the main entrance of the imperial palace