Chapter 81 Birds Trapped Overturn Car, People’s Grievances Hard to Articulate

Chapter 81: A Desperate Bird Overturns the Cart, The People's Grievances Are Hard to Voice

"A mother worries for her child for a hundred years; she is anxious for ninety-nine. Now that I'm old, I can't help you much, but I will never allow others to bully you... A desperate bird overturns the cart, a cornered beast still fights—they cannot force us to death."

As the old woman spoke, cloudy tears spilled from the corners of her eyes. The big yellow dog also wearily licked her hand.

"It's a pity for Ah Huang, suffering alongside us."

The old woman grabbed a handful of crushed peanuts from her pocket and fed them to the big yellow dog, but the knife wound on its neck was too severe—it had nearly severed half its throat. Now, it had no strength left to eat, only hoping to spend its final moments with its owner.

"Mother, Ah Huang, Mother... wuwuwu."

Luo Yiqi sobbed in grief, calling out for his mother one moment and Ah Huang the next, his mind nearly dazed. The gathered onlookers were moved by the sight, and Qin Jiao also turned his face away, unable to bear watching any longer.

"Enough. Take them both back to the Dali Temple to await sentencing."

Finally, Shen Fuqing delivered the final verdict, bringing the investigation of this case to a close.

Luo Yiqi and his mother were taken away, and the Luo family courtyard was sealed. The neighbors who had gathered sighed with emotion before being dismissed by the officers.

"Woof woof woof!" As the officers sealed the courtyard, a faint puppy's bark sounded.

Qin Jiao turned to look and saw an officer holding a small white dog approaching. "Lord Shen, there's another puppy here."

The puppy was pure white all over, its eyes moist, looking no more than a month old. It was barking loudly at the old yellow dog bleeding on the ground.

"Let it go over. It's getting on my nerves."

Shen Fuqing gestured for the officer to release the puppy. A nearby official remarked with a sigh, "I've heard that a mother dog's single pup is left for its owner. It gave birth to this one and is about to die—this is its successor dog."

"With the owner's fate uncertain, where can it go to succeed?" another officer sighed as well.

"So fond of being sentimental?" Shen Fuqing's sinister voice sounded. "Why don't you both transfer to the Music and Entertainment Bureau instead?"

"Forgive us, Lord Shen! We wouldn't dare!"

"We'll go do our job!"

Shen Fuqing's subordinates scurried away in fear. He turned to look at Qin Jiao and Xie Nai.

Qin Jiao was not intimidated by him, but he didn't want to talk to him either. Xie Nai could sense Qin Jiao's frustration and shot a glance at Shen Fuqing, who was itching to speak.

Shen Fuqing spread his hands and gave a look that said, "Alright, I won't speak," before walking away.

Qin Jiao looked at Ah Huang on the ground and the little puppy still nuzzling into its belly, his heart was a mix of emotions.

So, what is love?

Is it clearing obstacles for one's children, doing what one knows is impossible?

Is it a willingness etched into the bones, a sweetness permeating the blood?

...

Qin Jiao felt he really didn't understand.

—

"Let's call it Ah Bai."

Qin Jiao took out the little puppy in his arms and handed it to Cong Shuang.

The old yellow dog from Luo Yiqi's family had eventually bled to death, and Qin Jiao had taken in the successor dog it left behind. Cong Shuang had also heard the story from Qin Jiao and sighed.

Qin Jiao took out a small white goose pendant from a box—the one Luo Yiqi had given him earlier. He tied the pendant around Ah Bai's neck and smiled. "Ah Bai, be safe."

Cong Shuang patted Ah Bai's head, smiled, and carried it out for a bath.

For the next few days, Qin Jiao stayed indoors, spending his days at Twilight Mountain Lodge playing with the dog and idling. During this time, Qin Han came to visit him once, bringing spicy grilled lamb skewers from Qiaohui Tower and some other local specialties, asking him to pass them on to Jiang Qingrong.

Qin Jiao had a good impression of Qin Han—she was sensible, polite, and gentle in temperament. Last time at Eastern Shao Temple, she had even saved pastries for him. This time, the food she brought for Jiang Qingrong also included a portion for him.

Qin Han was very shy when she came. When she saw the crescent-shaped scar on Qin Jiao's palm, her eyes reddened with guilt. Qin Jiao didn't say much; he just gave her a box of Yugu tea he had brought back from Nanzhou and sent her on her way.

The day after Qin Han left, the atmosphere in the Qin residence inexplicably grew heavy. The serving maids and attendants were all on edge, afraid of making a misstep that would displease the master.

Qin Jiao had Cong Shuang look into it. It turned out that the day before in court, Lin Wen had submitted a memorial impeaching the Second Prince for dereliction of duty while temporarily overseeing the Ministry of Revenue, allowing Market Inspectorate officials to disrupt the market, exploit the people, and incite such public outrage that life became unbearable for the common folk.

This impeachment caused a split in the court. One faction, led by Lin Wen and Wu Xianyi—scholars from prestigious families—demanded a thorough investigation of Xie Chengyi and the removal of his authority to temporarily manage the Ministry of Revenue. The other faction, led by Consort Dowager Ying and Grand Tutor Li—the Second Prince's supporters—claimed this was a false accusation—that the Second Prince had been deceived by traitors!

The court erupted in debate for two or three days. Many officials pleaded for the Second Prince, and it was said that Qin Yuanshan had also said a few words in defense of Xie Chengyi, only to be harshly reprimanded by His Majesty the Emperor and the Prince of Lingnan.

After being humiliated in court, Qin Yuanshan returned home and vented his anger on his family. However, when Qin Jiao heard that Qin Yuanshan had been rebuked, he avoided him by claiming his wound wasn't healing and he needed rest.

The heavy atmosphere wasn't limited to the Qin residence. During this period, all the noble families and powerful ministers in the capital were walking on thin ice. When Luo Yue came to deliver some drunken crabs to Qin Jiao one day, he mentioned that Consort Dowager Ying had tried to plead for Xie Chengyi but was blocked by Xie Nai's remark, "The harem shall not interfere in state affairs." Li Ying's expression had been especially ugly at the time.

Understandably so. In the past, she had been overshadowed by Imperial Noble Consort Li in the harem. Now that Imperial Noble Consort Li was dead, her son was being overshadowed by Xie Nai—how could she not be furious?

But fury was useless. The Prince of Lingnan held military merit and commanded a heavy army; a mere Consort Dowager, she couldn't criticize him.

Moreover, Xie Chengyi had indeed mishandled this matter. On New Year's Eve, Zhu Geyong had harassed Qin Han and beaten up Luo Yiqi. According to the law, he should have been dismissed and imprisoned. Instead, Xie Chengyi had him privately released and allowed him to return home to recuperate. Although Zhu Geyong ultimately died in a kiln, Xie Chengyi's abuse of power and protection of a subordinate were irrefutable facts.

Lin Wen used this to impeach Xie Chengyi for bending the law for personal gain, acting in private interest. Coupled with the case of Luo Yiqi and his mother, which had spread throughout the capital like wildfire, public anger was fierce. Day after day, commoners knelt at Chaoyang Gate, pleading:

"Pedlars and hawkers, cart-pullers and street vendors—these are our humble but legitimate ways of making a living. Why must those in power drive us to such extremes? Does the law of the Tianyuan Dynasty and the regulations of the capital's market serve to make the people happier, or to make us suffer more? We want justice!"

Faced with such immense public outcry, even the supporters of the Second Prince, led by Grand Tutor Li and others, found it hard to bear. Just then, Shen Fuqing produced a blood petition signed by ten thousand people in the capital, testifying to the Market Inspectorate's abuse of power and corruption, pushing the matter to a climax.

In the end, Xie Chengyi had no choice but to come forward and claim that he had indeed been deceived by a treacherous person. The unlucky scapegoat was Peng Liqi, the Vice Minister of Revenue who had assisted him in temporarily managing the ministry.

It was said that although Peng Liqi shook like a leaf as he knelt, he did not dare to deny that he had deceived the Second Prince. Eventually, the impeachment concluded with Peng Liqi being thrown into the Heavenly Prison to await punishment. Xie Chengyi, for his poor judgment in personnel, as well as his bending of the law and protection of a guilty official, was stripped of his power to temporarily manage the Ministry of Revenue.

When Luo Yue came to deliver goat's milk for Ah Bai again, he mentioned that the Second Prince's faction had suffered a severe blow from this incident. After Lin Wen and the Young Emperor discussed, it was decided that the Fifth Prince and Lin Wen would jointly manage the Ministry of Revenue temporarily, with Imperial Tutor Wu Xianyi supervising. Once the capital's markets were reorganized and old, entrenched problems cleared away, the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, who was about to finish his mourning period and return, could take over.

After the "Market Abuse Case" gradually subsided, the final verdict for Luo Yiqi and his mother was announced: Luo Yiqi's mother, for killing a capital official—though with cause—had committed a serious crime and was sentenced to be beheaded in the autumn of the following year. Luo Yiqi himself was not implicated but was ordered to compensate the families of the deceased Liu Yao and Zhu Geyong with two hundred silver taels each.

Luo Yiqi was to be released from prison the day after tomorrow. Qin Jiao wanted to go see him, but unexpectedly, Qin Yuanshan sent word that, hearing that Qin Jiao's wound had not healed since he was injured in the mansion, he had arranged for a physician from the Imperial Medical Academy to treat him. However, the physician had a difficult temperament and disliked house calls, so Qin Jiao needed to visit his residence in person during the physician's New Year break to seek medical treatment.

Qin Jiao didn't want to go. His health was currently managed by Military Doctor Hou, and the medicine he took daily was prepared outside the mansion by Cong Shuang. However, he heard from the old servants in the mansion that the physician Qin Yuanshan had found for him was skilled not only in healing but also in using poisons, earning him the nickname "Divine Poison Doctor."

It was even said that this poison doctor had treated Qin Jiao years ago. Wanting to investigate the source of the "Blood Withering" poison he had been poisoned with, Qin Jiao decided to err on the side of caution and agreed to Qin Yuanshan's arrangement for him to visit the physician the day after tomorrow.

On the appointed day, Qin Jiao was accompanied by Qin Ji, who claimed to have "splitting headaches."

Qin Jiao glanced at Qin Ji, who had a rosy complexion and seemed full of energy—hardly like someone sick. However, Qin Jiao didn't say much.

When the two arrived at the residence of the "Divine Poison Doctor," Qin Chaole unexpectedly appeared as well, having arrived quite early. By that time, this poison doctor was already having tea with him.

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