Chapter 0165: Grace or Punishment

Chapter 0165: Grace or Punishment

Under such circumstances, how could Lady Li bear to see him? Better he die quickly.

By this point, Qi Xiaohu knew there was no salvation for him, regretting only the trouble he brought upon the Noble Consort and his family.

No one from the Qi family came to see him.

At his final moment, not a soul was there to send him off.

As his head fell, he wondered why he had sent Qi Yunli to the palace.

No one from the Qi family claimed his body.

Following the death of the once-celebrated Qi family scion, Qi Tongxi submitted another petition, asking the Emperor to mete out punishment.

All of Beijing awaited the outcome.

What arrived was not a decree for punishment, but one of grace.

A decree of special pardon.

"The main culprit of the Qi family has been executed. Qi, a loyal minister serving two dynasties and a pillar of the state, whose contributions are immense, I cannot bear to blame harshly. I hope you grieve properly and continue to serve the court..."

The Qi family was at fault, hence their nobility is revoked.

Qi Tonglu and Qi Tongkang, for their meritorious reporting yet failure to detect earlier, find their merits and demerits offset. Neither rewarded nor punished.

……

Qi Tongxi listened, the rest of the words blurring together.

He solemnly kowtowed, voicing his thanks to the Emperor, wishing him thousands of years of life.

The imperial guards withdrew, and the Qi household remained.

Without the marquisate, there still were official positions. Qi Tongxi remained as the Imperial Secretary, a first-rank official.

It seemed... nothing had changed, except for the loss of a son.

In Yùqú Palace, Yunli smiled upon hearing the news: "Such is the art of the Emperor, the majesty of the sovereign. Zhuding, go to Zhengyang Palace, and regardless of seeing His Majesty or not, express my gratitude on my behalf."

Zhuding complied and set off to fulfill the task.

Zhuyu asked, "My lady, this... should be all settled now, right?"

Yunli nodded: "It's settled, no need to worry."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Who wouldn't be afraid?

Yunli closed her eyes and took a slow breath.

He Jinli, oh He Jinli, truly an extraordinary emperor.

The Qi family once was a prominent and distinguished clan. Even if the current generation lacked notable achievers, there were still collateral branches.

Would raising a few high officials be difficult?

But now, the title is gone, and the heir is dead.

Yet, Qi Tongxi remains a first-rank official in the court.

Most critically, after offending the Xie and Li families, along with other ministers, the Qi family is practically besieged on all sides.

Other than diligently serving to repay the emperor's grace, what other choice is there?

In the imperial harem, a Jieyu and a Beauty now cannot be relied upon.

More importantly, Qi Tongxi... has only one adult son.

The child of his concubine, not even ten years old this year.

For this child, he must serve the court and be utterly loyal to the emperor.

But an official position, unlike a noble title, cannot be inherited.

To elevate your son to your own status is virtually impossible.

Thus, the glory of the Qi family exists only as long as Qi Tongxi lives.

For his son, for his family, he must dedicate himself fully.

The emperor essentially forces powerful ministers to become pure servants. He must work tirelessly for the royal family, all the while being profoundly grateful.

It seems only Qi Xiaohu died, but the Qi family will forever bear the stain of infamy.

Qi Tongxi faced impeachments and retaliations from all directions. His only recourse was to serve the Emperor with even greater dedication, his sole reliance.

Yun Li sighed softly, her great uncle must have understood as well.

She had always known that her great uncle, though prideful, was a competent man.

Unfortunately, the children born to Mrs. Jiang, raised in the prosperous Qi family, turned out to be arrogant yet ineffectual.

The Noble Consort had a reputation for wisdom and talent, but her methods and abilities failed to match up.

As for Qi Xiaohe, despite his fame throughout the capital, he was a petty man who only knew how to employ schemes.

Just follow along, then.

Before the old lady passed away, when Yun Li was a child, Mrs. Jiang used those unspeakable, sinister methods in the inner court, making life difficult for the stepmother old lady who couldn't voice her suffering.

If Mrs. Jiang had switched places with her daughter and entered the harem, she surely wouldn't have ended up like she is now.

Upon hearing of this incident, Lady Qi also breathed a sigh of relief.

She couldn't care less about the loss of nobility titles; it was enough that her father's official position remained.

The Qi family would gradually recover.

But her brother...

Since the Qi family was 'alright' now, someone took care of Qi Xiaohe's remains.

Mrs. Li had already left the Qi family; she couldn't possibly observe mourning for Qi Xiaohe.

Qi Xiaohe's concubines were all sent to a temple outside the city, leaving behind only one who was four months pregnant.

Mrs. Jiang, still seriously ill, found some comfort and hope in the pregnancy of Qi Xiaohe's concubine, preventing her from losing all hope.

Yun Li had a dream, but upon waking, she had forgotten all about it.

Only a multitude of emotions seemed to linger from the dream.

A sense of melancholy persisted for a long time.

"My lady, please drink some water," Zhi Fu said, holding a cup of hot water.

Yun Li took it and drank a few sips.

"My lady, there's news from the Empress. They say she's getting better. With half a month more of medication, she should recover. Those serving the Empress are faring much better than her."

Yun Li nodded: "The Empress's well-being is good news."

Zhi Fu bit her lip: "My lady, I... I'm worried that after the Empress recovers, she might..."

"The Emperor will decide, and she can't openly do anything to me. Qi Qingluan is there to bear the brunt," Yun Li said.

Zhi Fu responded, clearly still worried.

Yun Li smiled: "Without destruction, there's no construction. How the Emperor treated me before was always somewhat influenced by the Qi family. From now on, I rely on myself."

Losing that layer of support might not necessarily be a bad thing.

"Moreover, from the beginning, I never fully depended on the Qi family. If the Empress goes too far, the Emperor will intervene. I have served the Emperor for years; it wasn't without gaining some affection. Don't worry too much. Tell the others, this beauty hasn't fallen, I'm fine. If they start getting ideas, they'll have to test Yuqu Palace's rules first," Yun Li said calmly.

"Yes, my lady, rest assured, we will keep a close watch on everyone below."

It's only been a short while since the incident; indeed, no one has dared to bully her yet, but now her own master is reflecting in seclusion.

But on second thought, the Qi family seems to have only lost their noble titles.

At least, the servants in the harem wouldn't dare to bully her outright.

But the hatred in the Empress's heart couldn't have lessened.

While the Emperor granted the Qi family grace, he also bestowed benefits on the Xie family.

The Xie family's eldest son passed away, and the son of the eldest son was established as the heir.

The second son was given the title of an earl.

Thus, the Xie family now holds two titles.

Although the Xie family is currently noble as a Duke and a first-rank general, they are still based in the provinces.

They still cannot compare to the deeply rooted Qi family.

But hatred has been sown. General Xie will definitely not pretend this incident never happened.

However, keeping the Qi family around, requiring Qi Tongxi to serve loyally, may well continue to restrain the Xie family.

So, openly, the Empress still cannot act against the Xie sisters, but what happens behind the scenes is another matter.

Even without this incident, the Empress has not refrained from acting in secret.

Yun Li is not worried, however.

By March, the Empress finally recovered.