Chapter 060 Concealing the Truth

Chapter 060 Concealing the Truth

Pei Jin had already resumed his duties, holding a white jade tablet as he quietly watched the Yongning Marquis's wife rush into the imperial court, weeping and begging His Majesty to apprehend the murderer.

Seeing this scene, after returning to the Imperial Academy, he called Fu Jiaze over.

After briefly recounting what happened in the court, Pei Jin looked up at Fu Jiaze and asked, "Jinyuan, what do you think?"

Fu Jiaze: "The Yongning Marquis's wife has a secret relationship with the emperor. The young master carried into the court is not from the Yongning Marquis's bloodline but is the son of the emperor and Lady He."

Xue Kuan is the Vice Minister of the Supreme Court, and he relies on evidence when solving cases. This idea would only pass through his mind without being spoken aloud; instead, he would use various methods to corroborate his suspicions.

However, Fu Jiaze was different. When his teacher asked for his opinion, he did not need to beat around the bush and answered directly.

Pei Jin knew his student was very intelligent and quick-witted. By deliberately mentioning the emperor touching the corpse and leaving He Lanting behind, he had led his student to guess correctly.

With a faint smile in his eyes, Pei Jin said to Fu Jiaze, "Many ministers must have guessed this, but they won't speak of it."

Fu Jiaze replied, "I won't speak of it either. With this premise, the person who killed Yan Ji's son is clear—it must be Old Madam Zeng of the Yongning Marquis Mansion."

Pei Jin was taken aback. Guessing Yan Ji's identity was one thing, but knowing the identity of the murderer was another.

Seeing Pei Jin's expression, Fu Jiaze explained that his wife and sister went to Baifeng Temple and noticed something odd about Old Madam Zeng's behavior. "Before we knew there was an issue with Young Master Yan's identity, it wasn't clear. Now, with this premise, it's obvious."

Pei Jin nodded, "Since you've guessed it, Vice Minister Xue must know too. Jinyuan, regarding the matter of Yan Ji's lineage... you must persuade him to keep it quiet."

Fu Jiaze said, "I heard that Vice Minister Xue is fair and once fought for justice for the poor, even executing the son-in-law of Grand Chancellor Hu. Will he listen to persuasion?"

Pei Jin spoke tactfully, "Whether he listens or not, you must persuade him. That's what I want to tell you. Regardless of the emperor's actions, he is still our Great Qi's ruler. Revealing the confusion of Young Master Yan's lineage will shake the people's hearts."

Emperor Chengde ascended the throne by chance. Initially diligent, he later began to enjoy the feeling of power, which inevitably led to some missteps, slightly eroding the people's trust.

Now, the borders are not peaceful, with foreign powers eyeing Great Qi. General Jian, who holds the border, recently fell ill, prompting these foreign powers to test their luck. If even with General Jian present, they dare to test us, what will happen if he is gone? Shaking the people's trust in Great Qi could be disastrous.

People's trust is precious; we should minimize any erosion. Not all truths need to be revealed.

Pei Jin worried that Xue Kuan might reveal the truth regardless, so in the afternoon, he took leave from Tan Zhangshi and invited Xue Kuan out for tea.

This tea session included Fu Jiaze as well.

The officials of the Imperial Academy, even if they knew Fu Jiaze was Pei Jin's student, were envious of this situation.

The green-curtained carriage struggled through the snowy streets. In such weather, everyone was more lethargic, and the streets were sparsely populated.

Xue Kuan entered the private room of the teahouse, shaking off the snow from his cloak, "Who is this..."

Fu Jiaze stood up and bowed to Xue Kuan, "Student Jinyuan greets Vice Minister Xue."

Pei Jin said, "This is my disciple—Fu Jinyuan."

Xue Kuan nodded, "I know."

Xue Kuan curiously asked, "Why did you come to me? You should know how busy I am."

"Since the murderer is known, why are you so stressed?"

Xue Kuan was not surprised that Pei Jin could guess the answer. He picked up the cup and drained the tea in one gulp. "You guessed it too? Tell me, who do you think it is?"

Due to Xue Kuan's hasty drinking, Pei Jin frowned but did not say anything. Instead, he said:

"Old Madam Zeng."

Xue Kuan replied, "I was initially focused on the Weiwu Marquis Mansion, but today's events in the court saved me the trouble of investigating. However, concluding the case still gives me a headache."

The Weiwu Marquis Mansion?

Fu Jiaze lowered his eyes, thinking about Lin Baozhen's behavior. Sometimes her actions were inexplicable, no wonder Xue Kuan suspected the Weiwu Marquis Mansion.

Pei Jin said to Fu Jiaze, "See, Vice Minister Xue also understands the value of people's trust and probably doesn't want this matter to become public."

Xue Kuan laughed, "So you're here to persuade me to conceal the truth. Don't worry, on my first day as Vice Minister of the Supreme Court, someone told me about the story of Wu Heng from the previous dynasty."

Wu Heng was a renowned official in history. He once solved a case involving lecherous monks. A group of bandits fled to Fuzhou, killed the monks of Yongan Temple, donned their robes, and pretended to be monks.

Not only that, they turned Yongan Temple into a place for women seeking children, deceiving many women under the pretense of fertility blessings. In reality, they drugged the women and abused them.

The entire ordeal was a sham, and most of the children born were fathered by the monks.

Some women realized something was wrong and left silently, while others abandoned their children back at the temple. Many remained unaware, having been drugged during their sleep.

Wu Heng exposed the scandal at Yongan Temple, making it a notorious case that immortalized his name in history.

However, the aftermath was that many young women and children in Fuzhou died. Their families did not connect their deaths to the monks at Yongan Temple but murdered the women under other pretexts.

"Wu Heng made exposing the case seem simple, but it implicated thousands of women in Fuzhou. In reality, the temple was small, and there were only eight bandits. Twenty years later, most were dead or injured, and new monks arrived, causing no further harm. Yet many died because of the exposure. Wu Heng eventually committed suicide at Yongan Temple. His death was not recorded in history books, but everyone in the Supreme Court knows this story."

After telling this story, Xue Kuan smiled at Pei Jin, "So you don't need to persuade me. The criminals should be punished, but the truth cannot be revealed so crudely."

The rest of the afternoon was spent drinking tea with Xue Kuan.

/

Pei Jin and Xue Kuan discussed major political matters, while Fu Jiaze mostly listened quietly.

Initially, Fu Jiaze only knew that Pei Jin came from a good family and was highly talented. But through this conversation, he realized that the head of the Imperial Academy had a deep understanding of the court's affairs.

Pei Jin was subtle, but his ambition was not limited to being a mere scholar in the Imperial Academy.

Fu Jiaze even wondered if taking him as a disciple was solely based on his talent or perhaps partly due to his uncle's influence.

Fu Jiaze sent Pei Jin back to the Pei residence and then went to Wen Hui's place. Today, his wife had taken her sister there.

To his surprise, he also saw a little girl he didn't recognize.

The little girl had her hair in twin buns and looked nervous upon seeing him, but she still bowed and softly called out, "Brother Jinyuan."

This little girl with twin buns was Pei Qinghe. Previously, Wen Hui had agreed with Pei Qinghe that after the first snowfall, she would no longer visit the Pei residence. Unexpectedly, after two days without visiting, Pei Qinghe had mustered up the courage to ask her grandmother to take her to Wen Hui.

The old lady of the Pei family was delighted that her granddaughter was getting out more and arranged for Pei Qinghe to be brought to Wen Hui's residence.

After calling out "Brother Jinyuan," Pei Qinghe hugged Wen Hui and buried herself in her arms.

Seeing Fu Jiaze, Wen Hui knew that Pei Jin would be returning soon. She said to Pei Qinghe, "We agreed that you should go home when your father finishes work. Qinghe, it's time for you to leave."

Pei Qinghe reluctantly let go but remembered their agreement. She whispered, "Madam, please escort me."

Wen Hui agreed, "I will escort you."

Old Nurse Ou found an umbrella, and Lin Yingxue helped her mother adjust her fur coat. Wen Hui held the umbrella in one hand and took Pei Qinghe's hand with the other.

At this moment, Pei Jin was outside. He had parked the carriage at the entrance of the alley and was walking under an umbrella when he saw Wen Hui leading his daughter out.

Wen Hui was wrapped in a gray fur coat, revealing a bit of the apricot-colored cotton robe underneath. Her hands were bare, and she slightly tilted the umbrella over Pei Qinghe's head.

Seeing Pei Jin, Wen Hui said, "The carriage from the Pei residence was waiting at the entrance of the alley, but now it seems unnecessary."

Pei Jin responded, "I've already sent them back."

Pei Jin removed his hand warmer, revealing his hands, and extended them towards Pei Qinghe.

Pei Qinghe hesitated and looked up at Wen Hui.

Wen Hui had no choice but to take her hand and place it in Pei Jin's.

Her daughter's hand was warm, while Wen Hui's fingertips were slightly cold. Pei Jin instinctively clasped his hand around hers, then quickly released it.

"Sorry," Pei Jin murmured.

The brief touch did not affect Wen Hui much, and she smiled at Pei Jin, "Master Pei is too polite."

Wen Hui softly told Pei Qinghe, "Tell me what you ate tonight when you come over tomorrow."

Pei Qinghe finally smiled and tightly held her father's hand.

Since her daughter was no longer a child under seven, Pei Jin did not hold her hand for long. He quickly withdrew his hand and walked alongside her towards the carriage.

Large snowflakes gently fell as Pei Jin and Pei Qinghe boarded the carriage, while Wen Hui stood watching. Soon, Pei Jin noticed Lin Yingxue stepping out of the house and taking the umbrella from Wen Hui.

Lin Yingxue said something that made Wen Hui laugh.

Beside them, Pei Qinghe sighed.

Pei Jin looked down at his daughter, "Is Madam Wen kind?"

If Pei Jin had spoken about anything else, Pei Qinghe might not have responded, but at the mention of Madam Wen, her eyes lit up, "Yes."

Wen Hui, who spent years reciting sutras in the inner quarters of the Lin residence, exuded a serene presence. Though she spoke little, she was not particularly warm or affectionate. Yet Pei Qinghe liked her because Wen Hui had saved her from the brink of death.

"I envy Sister Yingxue for having such a good mother."

Lin Yingxue was Wen Hui's biological daughter. Did Pei Qinghe want to be Wen Hui's daughter?

Pei Jin felt a stir in his heart.

He gently turned the green sandalwood beads on his wrist, feeling somewhat unsettled.

Pei Jin did not continue talking about Wen Hui. Without his father speaking, Pei Qinghe remained silent, lifting a corner of the curtain to watch the snow outside.

After a while, Pei Jin realized his daughter's action and lowered the curtain, noticing her hands were cold.

"If you catch a cold, you won't be allowed to go out."

Pei Qinghe clutched her skirt and quietly acknowledged.

They returned to the Pei residence in silence. Old Lady Song scolded her son, who rarely interacted with his granddaughter and did not speak to her even in the carriage.

After putting her granddaughter to bed, the old lady said to her son, "Are you going to Madam Wen's place again tomorrow? I'm worried she might find it hard to refuse. If this continues, won't it bother her?"

"I will be more diligent in teaching Jinyuan," Pei Jin said. "It won't last long. Jinyuan mentioned that after the spring examinations next year, he plans to take an external posting. Madam Wen will likely leave with him."

Wen Hui thought Lin Yingxue's method of refusing matchmakers was excellent and used it whenever someone suggested a match.

Old Lady Song sighed, "She has been unlucky in marriage. Fortunately, her daughter's husband is understanding, allowing her to stay. Otherwise, the scandal would have affected her daughter's marriage."

Pei Jin had met Lin Yi before and considered using him if he ever rose to power, given Lin Yi's position as a Minister of Rites. However, due to Wen Hui's situation, he abandoned that idea.

"The Emperor should have punished Lin Yi more severely."

"Indeed," Old Lady Song sighed. "It tarnishes the integrity of scholars. By the way, has there been any conclusion regarding the young master of Yongning Marquis's residence?"

Pei Jin responded and discussed the matter with his mother.