Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Something similar had actually happened in the previous life.

But back then, Song Shian’s health was poor, and it was the cold winter of the twelfth lunar month. When He Shuyu came knocking, Song Shian had caught a cold and was running a fever, too delirious to focus on this issue.

The other members of the Song family were afraid of going too far, fearing that the third prince would use it against them and cause trouble for the Crown Prince. So, they didn’t dare to do anything drastic to He Shuyu, only arranging to have him transferred far away.

So, Song Shian wasn’t sure if He Shuyu had indeed harmed his late wife, Lady Lu.

After returning to the capital, there was a mountain of issues to deal with, and with limited manpower, he didn’t have the time to investigate.

But that wasn’t important.

Whether there was anything to it or not, they should take a shot first.

If they hit the mark, it would be ideal. Not only could they help Song Shichu vent her anger, but they could also seek justice for the poor Lady Lu, effectively ridding the world of a villain.

Even if He Shuyu was proven innocent in the end, it wouldn’t matter.

After such a high-profile case, his reputation as a snob would spread far and wide, and he would miss the opportunity for performance evaluation and official selection, having to wait another three years.

In three years, the situation would be entirely different.

So the next morning, Song Shian had someone find a reliable person whose ancestral home was Huang County in Dengzhou Prefecture. Through this person, they filed a complaint with the Grand Court, accusing the former Huang County magistrate, He Shuyu, of murdering his first wife.

Of course, it wouldn’t make sense for this person to suddenly come forward and accuse He Shuyu without reason.

Song Shian fabricated a touching story that He Shuyu’s wife, Lady Lu, had once saved this person’s life, and that, in gratitude, he was determined to bring He Shuyu to justice, even if it meant a commoner suing an official.

Upon receiving the report, and since it involved a life-and-death case, the Grand Court should have immediately summoned everyone involved for questioning.

But it was the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month, a day when government offices were sealing their seals for the New Year holiday, and the Grand Court would be shut until the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.

So Chief Justice Cheng Zhenian first sent people to notify He Shuyu, who was staying at a post house, to come to the Grand Court for questioning after the New Year. In the meantime, he was forbidden from leaving the capital without permission, or he would be considered to be fleeing from justice, and the Grand Court would issue a wanted notice to apprehend him.

He Shuyu wasn’t stupid and immediately realized that the Song family was targeting him.

However, he wasn’t afraid.

When his wife, Lady Lu, had died suddenly, his father-in-law, Elder Lu, had suspected him too. He had even gone so far as to invite a coroner from the neighboring Shuiwen County to conduct an autopsy.

And hadn’t they found nothing?

Now that Lady Lu had been “laid to rest” for two months, even if the Grand Court decided to exhume her body for an autopsy, not only would his father-in-law not agree, but even if he did, it would be difficult to find any clues.

Thinking of this, he smirked, visited a fabric store, and bought eight bolts of cloth, which he placed in a large chest.

He had the servants carry it and made a grand show of arriving at the Song family’s doorstep.

He Shuyu deliberately lingered by the roadside, letting the crowd gather and watch before finally stepping forward to knock loudly on the door, shouting, “Open up! I’ve brought fabric for the second young miss. They’re all colors she used to love to wear.”

In Yanjing City, it was customary to put up spring couplets on the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month. Today, the weather was clear, and the temperature was estimated to be above 10°C. Jiang Chun got into the spirit and insisted on putting up the couplets herself.

Of course, she only put them up in the main courtyard and Dangui Courtyard.

The Song family estate was too large. If she were to put them up in every courtyard, she wouldn’t finish until well after dark.

When He Shuyu arrived, she was on a tall wooden ladder, putting up the horizontal scroll above the main courtyard gate.

After finishing the couplets and taking a look, Jiang Chun smiled at Feicui and Gui Zhi, who were holding the ladder for her, and said, "Look at your young master's calligraphy. It’s truly magnificent, just like him—handsome and refined!"

Feicui smiled and said, "The young master's calligraphy isn’t just beautiful; it has developed its own unique style, known as the 'Qingzhi style.' Countless people, both in and outside the capital, are studying the Qingzhi style."

Jiang Chun laughed and said, "If my husband's calligraphy is so popular, wouldn't it be profitable to have him write a calligraphy manual, engrave it, and sell it? We'd make a fortune!"

Of course, this was just a joke.

In ancient times, these literati valued rarity.

In layman's terms, they were like mules that wouldn't move unless pushed—the harder they were to get, the more they were pursued.

If everyone could write in the Qingzhi style, what would make it special anymore?

Jiang Chun wouldn’t stoop to selling calligraphy manuals for a quick profit and risk lowering Song Shian’s reputation.

She climbed down from the wooden ladder and, without asking the maids to help carry it, single-handedly lifted the ladder and headed towards the wing room.

Just then, a maid rushed into the courtyard and quickly told Feicui, "Feicui sister, something's wrong! That Magistrate He is here again, knocking at the door and spouting nonsense, drawing quite a crowd of onlookers.

The gatekeeper sent a message asking what Madam wants to do about it."

"Bah, that shameless sycophant!" Feicui spat, then hurried off to report to Madame Zhuang.

A moment later, she returned and said to the maid, "Ziyu, you go tell the gatekeeper to take a big stick and drive him away immediately!"

There’s no point in being polite with someone so shameless. Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile.

Jiang Chun placed the ladder by the wall and smiled, "If the gatekeepers chase him away with big sticks, it might seem like we’re treating him unfairly. I’ll handle this myself, as the lady of the house."

Madam Jiang immediately headed out, clearly excited.

She hadn't had the chance to beat someone in a while, and her hands were itching for it. Finally, today, she got her opportunity.

Jade tried to stop her but failed, so she rushed back to the main house to report to Madame Zhuang.

When Madame Zhuang heard this, her lips curled slightly.

But she didn’t try to stop her.

After all, it was better for Madam Jiang to handle it herself rather than have the gatekeepers rough up He Shuyu and damage the Song family’s reputation.

As a sister-in-law, it made sense for her to teach He Shuyu a lesson, claiming she was defending her sister-in-law’s honor, which he had defamed.

Even the noblewomen, when talking about this, would have to reluctantly praise her as 'virtuous,' since few sisters-in-law would go to such lengths to defend their younger sisters-in-law.

*

Jade hurried after her.

The maids and older women who weren’t on duty in the main courtyard also rushed out after hearing the news.

While they claimed they were going to help Madam Jiang, it was obvious they just wanted to see the show.

The group marched out through the second gate and straight to the front door.

The servants guarding the gate were anxiously pacing back and forth.

Seeing Madam Jiang arrive, they immediately perked up, feeling more confident.

Cao He, the gatehouse manager, approached, bowing as he asked, "Madam Jiang, County Magistrate He has been knocking at the door. What should we do?" Jiang Chun glanced at him and asked, "Do we have rods?"

Cao He immediately turned his head and ordered, "Lu Da, give me the club."

The servant named Lu Da handed the club he was holding to Cao He.

Cao He raised both hands and presented it to Madam Jiang, a smile threatening to break across his face. "Madam Jiang, here you are."

Madam Jiang taking the club meant she was going to personally teach County Magistrate He a lesson—this was going to be good!

Madam Jiang took the club and planted it on the ground, then lifted her chin toward the side gate. "Open the door," she commanded.

The main gates of great households were rarely opened; on usual days, people entered and left through the side gates.

He Shuyu, obviously aware of this, was knocking on the Song family's side gate.

Cao He stepped forward and pulled the three door bolts one by one.

Hearing the noise from outside, He Shuyu, fearing he might be bumped into by someone coming out, quickly stepped aside.

Madam Jiang, holding the club, crossed the threshold and shouted, "What dog’s barking so early in the morning? You woke me up from my beauty sleep. I’m going to break its dog legs!"

She glanced at He Shuyu and mocked, "Oh, it’s not a dog barking! It’s a human! My bad, my bad. I mistook a human for a dog! My apologies."

Every other word was "dog," which darkened He Shuyu's face as he clenched his teeth, but eventually, he forced a smile.

He bowed and apologized, "This one, He, greets Madam Jiang. It was my fault to disturb your rest, sister-in-law."

Madam Jiang stepped aside to avoid his bow and said with a sneer, "I am the only daughter in my family; I have no sisters. My husband has three younger sisters, but they are all unmarried.

You can eat whatever you want, but you can’t just claim any old relationship. Lord He’s habit of calling just anyone his sister-in-law should change, or you might get beaten."

The crowd, amused by the phrase "calling just anyone your sister-in-law," burst into laughter.

Biting his back teeth, He Shuyu said loudly, "Sister-in-law, you’re joking, right? The second miss of your family was previously a servant in my household and was taken as a concubine.

Now that my wife has passed away, I wish to promote the second miss to be my official wife. Wouldn’t her sister-in-law also be my sister-in-law?"

Madam Jiang laughed. "I’ve seen people eat anything, but I’ve never seen anyone claim just any woman as a concubine.

The second miss of our family was indeed married, but her husband passed away early. She is now a widow, and we are looking for a suitable match for her remarriage."

Here, she looked He Shuyu up and down and said with a grin, "I see that Lord He is lively and healthy. You don’t look like you just crawled out of a grave, do you?"

Cao He eagerly added, "Exactly! Our second miss's husband has long been laid to rest. How could he possibly climb out of his grave and come to the capital to claim relatives?"

Being scolded by Madam Jiang was bad enough, but now even her servant was getting in on it. He Shuyu’s face turned ashen as he said coldly, "The second miss was previously a servant. If you check the records at the Huang County yamen, you can see that she was indeed sold to my former yamen as the county magistrate.

Madam Jiang, must you cling to such easily debunked lies? No one in the capital is a fool; would they really believe such nonsense?"

Madam Jiang snorted.

Of course, no one in the capital was a fool, but families who wanted to marry into the Song family could choose to play along.

Either way, Song Shichu had already lost her purity. Whether it was lost as a concubine or as a wife didn’t make much difference.

The families willing to marry her weren’t interested in her as a person; they were interested in the status of the Song family as the in-laws of Crown Prince Li Junxing.

As long as Crown Prince Li Junxing's position was stable, Song Shichu would not be looked down upon in her husband’s family.

It was more respectable to say she was a widow rather than admitting she had been a concubine.

Jiang Chun sneered, "Our second young miss was indeed sold to Huang County. Her deceased first husband was also from Huang County. It seems Lord He is using his former position as Huang County’s magistrate to dig up this information and come here to swindle us."

Without waiting for He Shuyu to react, she grabbed her stick and rushed forward, beating him on the back repeatedly.

As she hit him, she cursed, "What kind of nerve do you have, coming to the Song family to swindle us like this? Do you think we’re pushovers?

If I don’t teach you a lesson today, you’ll think we’re afraid to touch you.

While others in the Song family might care about appearances, I couldn’t care less.

For every cheat who comes, I’ll beat them. If they come in pairs, I’ll beat them both!

Let’s see who’s brave enough to try swindling us again!"

He Shuyu, a weak scholar with no martial skills, was soon beaten so badly that he started covering his head and running away.

He cried out in pain, "Help! She’s hitting me! The Song family’s Eldest Madam is hitting me! Is there anyone who will report this to the authorities for me?"

Jiang Chun continued to hit him on the buttocks with the stick and said with a grin, "Go ahead and report it. Anyway, you’re already guilty of murdering your first wife. Adding a charge of fraud won’t make much difference to you."

Murdering his first wife?

The crowd immediately erupted into a buzz of discussion.

Most of these people were servants from nearby wealthy families, either running errands or living outside the estate. They were the quickest to learn news and the fastest to spread it.

After witnessing this scene, word would likely spread across the entire Imperial City by nightfall.

Jiang Chun struck again, following up with disdain, "Your wife has only been gone for a month or two, and instead of staying home to mourn her, you’re here flirting with another young miss and even talking about making her your official wife. Do you think you’re doing right by your first wife?

I’ve heard long ago that Lord He, when you were poor and couldn’t even afford to hire a tutor, it was Elder Lu who generously gave you money to support you. Without him, how could you be where you are today?

So, what do you call that?

Biting the hand that feeds you? Ungrateful? Heartless?"

He Shuyu didn’t expect that the Song family’s Eldest Madam, a woman from the inner quarters, would know so much about his life.

For a moment, he panicked and even forgot to protect his head, taking two blows to his forehead.

Feeling the pain, he quickly steadied his mind and said with a bitter smile, "Some lowlife tried to falsely accuse me to get a large sum of money to pay off gambling debts.

My first wife passed away from a sudden illness, and my father-in-law even invited a coroner from the neighboring Shuiwen County to perform an autopsy, finding nothing suspicious.

Please don’t wrong me, Madam. I wouldn’t dare to take on such a serious charge."

Jiang Chun hit him on the calf with a stick and sneered, "Whether you’re guilty or not, we’ll find out once the Ministry of Justice digs up all your secrets."

This hit was heavier than before, causing He Shuyu to crouch down and hold his leg in agony. "Ah, it hurts! Did you break my leg, Madam?"

Jiang Chun immediately hit his other leg and said lightly, "Having just one leg broken would make walking with a limp so inconvenient. Now that both are broken, walking won’t be a problem anymore."

Someone in the crowd boldly interjected, "Madam is joking, of course. How can a person walk with both legs broken?"

Jiang Chun said with a smile, "It has to be really broken to count, pretending doesn't."

This was a clear hint that He Shuyu was faking his injury.

Not only did she hint at it, but she also kicked He Shuyu so hard that he landed on his back, legs flailing in the air.

Looking down at him, she sneered coldly, "You say your legs are broken? How about I really break them for you and fulfill your wish?"

With that, she raised the stick in her hand.

He Shuyu turned pale with fright.

He had heard stories about the Song family’s Eldest Madam being incredibly strong shortly after arriving in the capital, but he hadn’t believed them.

He dismissed it, thinking that even if she was strong, she wouldn’t dare to attack him.

Who would have known that Madam Song had no regard for face, and would beat him mercilessly with a stick, even threatening to break his legs.

A person with a disability could not hold an official position, that was a strict rule of the imperial court.

If his legs were broken, his official career would be over for good.

Terrified, he stopped faking it and shot up like a fish leaping out of water.

Then he quickly dashed over ten paces away, putting some distance between himself and Jiang Chun.

Jiang Chun looked at him sideways and said mockingly, "Oh, so your legs are broken? Who with broken legs can still run and jump like that?"

Ah, so Lord He, you were just pretending?

She feigned anger and humiliation, chasing after He Shuyu while cursing, "You dare pretend to my face, Lord He? Trying to scam me out of my money, huh?

The last guy who tried to scam me out of money? I broke his legs, and now he can only crawl around on all fours.

Today, I’m going to break your legs too, so you can crawl alongside that swindler!"

He Shuyu, terrified, turned and ran, his flight so disheveled that he didn’t care about maintaining his dignity or appearance anymore.

Seeing their master flee, his two servants immediately tried to grab the box and chase after him.

Jiang Chun blocked them by swinging her stick in front of them.

She twisted the truth, accusing them: "Your master came here to scam us, and now you two are trying to steal from my family?

Do you also want me to break your legs, so you can crawl around on all fours like him?"

The two servants, knowing to yield when circumstances demanded, immediately put the box on the ground and ran after He Shuyu.

One of the servants shouted, "It’s not my fault, don’t break my legs!"

The crowd couldn’t help but laugh at the servant’s blunder, erupting into laughter.

Jiang Chun looked up and surveyed the crowd, snorting coldly, "The New Year is in two days, aren’t you all busy at home? Don’t you need to put up couplets? Don’t you need to fry pastries?"

This was her way of dismissing the crowd.

The crowd, too afraid to challenge the Song family’s Eldest Madam—this sea demon—quickly scattered like frightened animals.

Jiang Chun turned to Cao He and said, "Have someone take this box to the main courtyard."

*

"I don't want his filthy things! Get rid of them, now!"

In the main courtyard, Song Shichu heard that Jiang Chun had kept the things brought by He Shuyu and immediately refused three times in a row, feeling extremely disgusted.

Jiang Chun leaned back on the armchair and said with a smile to Shanhu, "Good sister, I'm exhausted from beating people outside. Quickly brew a cup of Da Hong Pao to reward me for my efforts."

"Yes, Madam." Shanhu responded with a smile even before Madam Zhuang could speak, and went out to make the tea.

Madam Jiang spent her days in the main courtyard demanding and taking things; she and the other senior maid, Feicui, were long used to this and didn't need to wait for Madam's instructions.

After the Da Hong Pao was served, Jiang Chun took a few sips before saying to Song Shichu, "Why not take it? He Shuyu is disgusting, but what does that have to do with these fabrics bought from the fabric store?

These fabrics are worth twenty to thirty taels of silver. Just keep them as compensation for the trouble he caused today."

He Shuyu had no residence in the Imperial City and was currently staying at an inn.

As someone reporting to the Imperial City and awaiting evaluation for an official position, it would be impossible for him to bring a box of fabrics into the city. These fabrics were obviously bought from the store on short notice.

Madam Zhuang also advised, "If you still find them disgusting and don't want to use them, I'll have someone pawn them and give you the silver instead."

Jiang Chun immediately took the opportunity to say, "Although these fabrics are brand new, they will immediately depreciate by two-thirds if pawned. That would be quite a loss.

If you still find them disgusting, why not sell them to me at half price? When my fabric store opens after the New Year, I can sell them there."

Song Shichu immediately said, "Madam, if you want them, just take them. Just give me a few taels of silver, or even nothing is fine.

After all, you forced these fabrics to stay, and I didn't contribute anything."

Jiang Chun said with a smile, "I'll have my cousin calculate the price and give you half of the silver."

Song Shichu stood up, bowed to Jiang Chun, and said with red eyes, "Thank you, Madam, for teaching He Shuyu a lesson on my behalf."

Then she laughed and said, "Thinking about how he ran away in such a disheveled and embarrassed state makes me feel unspeakably happy."

Although she didn't witness the scene personally, her personal maid had gone out to watch and vividly recounted it to her.

It made her laugh out loud.

Jiang Chun said with lingering excitement, "Really, he ran faster than a rabbit. I didn't even get my fill of beating him."

Madam Zhuang gave her a sideways glance and said calmly, "That's enough. Even if he didn't run, could you really break his legs?

If you did that, we would be in the wrong even if we were in the right."

Jiang Chun certainly had no intention of breaking He Shuyu's legs; she was just scaring him.

She had that much sense.

She sighed and deliberately teased Madam Zhuang, "Why not? If I did, I did. With the Crown Prince backing me up, I could beat even a seventh-rank county magistrate, let alone a third or fourth-rank official!"

This naturally earned her a fierce glance from Madam Zhuang, who scolded, "Don't get carried away! The Crown Prince is still just the Crown Prince. The Emperor above him is unpredictable, and beside him is the third prince who is always looking for trouble. If you dare to act recklessly, you'll bear the consequences!"

Jiang Chun said with a smile, "I won't. My husband loves me so much that if I get into trouble, he will definitely take the blame for me.

Whether it's imprisonment or exile, he will bear it for me. I'm not afraid."

Madam Zhuang was a bit angry at first, but as she listened to her exaggerated remarks, she realized what she was doing and said with a sneer, "If you're so free, go help with the couplets. Stop tormenting my ears."

Jiang Chun said with a smile, "How is this tormenting your ears? When the son and daughter-in-law have a good relationship, the mother-in-law should be happy, so you can soon hold your grandchild."

It was like bringing up the one thing she didn’t want to talk about, striking right at the heart of Madame Zhuang’s concerns.

Madame Zhuang shot her a furious glare. "So, where’s my grandson?"

Jiang Chun leaned back in her chair, cool as a cucumber. "Don’t worry, there’ll be grandsons soon enough."

Even if I can’t give birth to one myself, there’s still Zhong Wenjin.

She’s expecting two sets of twins. And when those four little ones start reaching for me, I’ll have a hard time deciding which one to pick up! Not to mention, even if I can’t have kids, Zhong Wenjin’s got it covered.