Lord Li cursed inwardly: I thank your ancestors for eight generations!
Lord Li produced another confiscation inventory. "These items were seized from Yan Shaoting's courtyard—clear evidence of the Yan family's illicit gains. The Lu family is harboring stolen goods with irrefutable proof, yet you still dare to deny it?"
Meeting soldiers with spears and floods with earthworks, Wang Daxia produced a crimson dowry list. "The assets in Yan Shaoting's courtyard weren't brought from the Yan family—they're all the original dowry of the Second Miss Lu. This is the wedding dowry list, every item matches precisely. According to the Great Ming Law, a dowry is the private property of the bride. Even during a husband's family confiscation, the wife's dowry remains untouched. When the Yan family was purged, Second Miss Lu brought her dowry back to her maternal home—what's improper about that? Or has the Great Ming Law changed without my knowledge?"
Lu Ying and her allies had anticipated every possible slander Gao Gong might concoct—whether accusations of harboring contraband or concealing illicit goods—and prepared countermeasures in advance.
Lord Li stared at the dowry list, speechless. Under the Great Ming Law, Second Miss Lu was indeed entitled to retain her dowry.
Yan Shaoting had left the Yan family empty-handed when seeking refuge with his in-laws. Being principled and courteous, he feared burdening the Lu family and brought nothing but the clothes on his back. The generous and affluent Lu family didn't mind his penniless state, treating him as an honored guest regardless. Beyond that, they even supported his two nephews who'd been expelled from the Duke Yansheng's household, providing them with living standards equal to the Lu children's, never stinting.
Yan Shaoting's prudence and the Lu family's magnanimity saved the day, leaving their opponents no opening for false accusations.
Lord Li snatched the dowry list and tore it to shreds. "This dowry is fabricated! Who knows what Second Miss Lu originally brought as dowry? Without proof or official seals, you're just listing the Yan family's illicit goods as dowry items to deceive us."
"Tear it up all you want—it's not the original. I have plenty more copies." Wang Daxia produced an identical list, grinning impudently. "I had my clerk make numerous transcriptions. The original is safely stored at my home. When the Ministry of Justice holds trials, I'll present it then. When Second Miss Lu married Yan Shaoting with her lavish dowry procession stretching ten li, the spectacular wedding drew crowds that emptied the streets. Countless people witnessed her dowry—from street vendors to noble scions. I could gather witnesses as numerous as grains of millet."
Cornered at every turn, Lord Li abandoned false charges and switched to psychological tactics. "Commissioner Wang, might we speak in private?"
Wang Daxia rubbed his hands like a fly, feigning flattery. "Lord Li wishes to share confidential words with me? What an honor."
After ushering Wang Daxia indoors, Lord Li said, "Let's speak plainly. You surely know who backs me. Not just you—even Commander Zhu of your Embroidered Uniform Guard must bow and scrape before Grand Secretary Gao, showing deference. If you insist on shielding the Lu family, have you considered incurring Grand Secretary Gao's thunderous wrath? Crushing you would be trivial for him."
Wang Daxia replied, "If I'm a trivial dish, I'm a plate of mouth-scorching chili peppers. If Grand Secretary Gao tries to swallow me, his stomach and backside will suffer for it. He's over seventy—I wonder if he can endure such discomfort."
"You—!" Lord Li's eyes bulged. "You are utterly uncouth!""Just the two of us, Lord Li. No need to pretend." Wang Daxia smiled meaningfully and recited an address: "Erlitun outside Chaoyang Gate, Maple Leaf Manor."
Lord Li's expression instantly changed.
Wang Daxia moved closer, circling around Lord Li. "What a splendid golden house for your mistress. At Maple Leaf Manor, there's a pair of twin sisters - absolute beauties. Lord Li sleeps with both sisters under one quilt, one dragon with two phoenixes, living the life of an immortal."
"One of the sisters even gave birth to a child. I can't tell whether it was the elder or younger sister - they look too much alike. But—" Wang Daxia leaned in to whisper: "Setting aside how your wife has always refused to let you take concubines, and how Maple Leaf Manor is your secret love nest... Let's just talk about the child's age. Nearly four years old, right? That means Lord Li planted this seed during both his father's mourning period and the late emperor's mourning period. Tsk tsk, violating both state and family mourning obligations. Yet Lord Li could still sleep with women. I truly want to applaud your courage."
Clap clap clap. Wang Daxia began applauding again. "Grand Secretary Gao doesn't know about this, does he? If he knew you had such a fatal weakness, he would never have entrusted you with confiscating the Lu family's property."
Despite the autumn heat, Lord Li felt a chill run down his spine: The Embroidered Uniform Guard was truly terrifying! No secret could escape their notice!
"Are you threatening me?" Lord Li asked.
Wang Daxia quickly waved his hands. "Not at all! I just want to make a deal with you. You've been ordered to handle this case and need to give Grand Secretary Gao results. As someone who also works for others, I understand your position - you want to please your superior for promotions and honors. But Lord Li should consider his future. You're only in your forties, a palace graduate in your prime. Grand Secretary Gao is over seventy - who knows how many more years he can remain chief grand secretary? But your career still has a long way to go."
"You probably know who my wife is - the favorite of Consort Li in the palace. The crown prince was born by Consort Li, and all five imperial children are hers. My wife even cut the crown prince's hair before."
Wang Daxia made no attempt to hide his stance. "To be frank, I don't want to work hard anymore. I plan to live off my wife's connections. If you take the long view, Lord Li - punish the Lu family as deserved, imprison as needed, confiscate as required to satisfy Grand Secretary Gao. Consort Li will remember your name, and I won't make things difficult for you. I only have two requests: no deaths, and take care of the women and children. Don't exile them to bitter cold places like Tieling. They're delicate people raised in greenhouses - they wouldn't survive there."
Lord Li held up two fingers. "Those are already two demands."
Wang Daxia familiarly threw an arm around Lord Li's shoulders. "Take their wealth but spare their lives. Leave some room for future encounters. If anyone dies... well, I'd have to expose your secret mistress and child. Sleeping with beauties during state and family mourning periods - first unfilial, second disloyal, third immoral. With these three charges, Lord Li's fate would be worse than the Lu family's."Wang Daxia pulled out a child's rattle drum. "Take this, your child used to play with it. Don't even think about relocating your mistress and her family—my people are watching."
Lord Li, who had intended to threaten Wang Daxia, found himself on the receiving end instead. After they exited the building, Lord Li ordered his men to escort Lu Yi and the two other male family members to the prison wagon—this time without shackles.
As for the women and children, Lord Li expelled them from the Lu residence. The estate itself was subject to confiscation, so they were sent to the Lu family's Sacrificial House in Sanlitun outside Chaoyang Gate, where they were placed under house arrest.
According to the Great Ming Law, sacrificial houses and fields used for ancestral worship were exempt from confiscation—unless the tomb owner was posthumously convicted of crimes warranting exhumation and desecration, in which case the burial site would be leveled and all sacrificial properties seized.
Since Lu Bing had not yet received such a sentence, the Sacrificial House in Sanlitun remained with the Lu family. They could sustain themselves from the harvest of the sacrificial fields. With the golden autumn harvest season underway, they would be self-sufficient and not go hungry under confinement.
While counting the women and children, Lord Li noticed one person missing. "Where is the Fourth Miss of the Lu family? She never married and has always lived in the estate. Why isn't she here?"
No one answered Lord Li.
Having been warned by Wang Daxia, Lord Li shed his earlier arrogance and spoke in a conciliatory tone: "Don't make this difficult for me. I'm just following orders. The list shows three adult women in the Lu family: Li Shi (Li Yiren, who had been stripped of her honorary title), the Second Miss Lu (wife of Yan Shaoting, who had returned to her maiden home), and the unwed Fourth Miss Lu. How can I report back with one missing?"
"If you refuse to speak up, I'll have to report that the Fourth Miss has fled. The Ministry of Justice will then issue a warrant for her arrest. Once captured, she'll be taken to the ministry's prison for interrogation. Think carefully: would you rather she end up in prison or join her family at the Sacrificial House to await the court's judgment?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Ying—who had quickly changed into women's clothing with Wang Daxia's help—emerged from around the corner. "My apologies, nature called. I was just using the privy."
Lord Li stared intently: This Fourth Miss Lu looked strikingly similar to Lu Bing's illegitimate son, Lu Ying! They could be twins!
It seemed that while Lu Bing had acknowledged his illegitimate daughter, he had kept his son hidden away.
No wonder the Fourth Miss had remained unmarried and was still a spinster—she was an illegitimate child unfit for proper society.
Lord Li instructed his subordinates, "Take them away and confine them at the Sanlitun Sacrificial House."
Lu Ying and her second sister supported their ashen-faced mother, Li Shi, onto the carriage. Just as Li Shi boarded, another commotion erupted ahead—someone else was barging into the confiscation scene.
Lord Li's face turned pale with anger. He whispered to Wang Daxia, who was craning his neck to watch the excitement, "What is the meaning of this? Disrupting the proceedings again and again, humiliating me—how am I supposed to answer to Senior Grand Secretary Gao? This performance isn't even convincing anymore."
Wang Daxia feigned innocence, "I swear it's not our people this time."
The intruder was none other than Ding Wu!
Ding Wu charged forward on horseback, "Wait! Don't take away my wife!"
He wasn't alone; his father, Ding Rukui, followed close behind. Ding Rukui had been exonerated and reinstated to his official position.Ding Rukui was the former Minister of War, a high-ranking official who nearly entered the Grand Secretariat. Lord Li dared not offend him and hastily ordered his men to clear the path.
"Wife?" Lord Li thought he had misheard, "Who is Eldest Young Master Ding's wife? There are only three female prisoners here."
"It's her." Ding Wu pointed at Lu Ying, whose face was filled with surprise and excitement, her lips trembling slightly, "The Fourth Miss of the Lu family is my wife."
"Impossible!" Lord Li repeatedly checked the confiscation list, "Fourth Miss Lu has clearly remained unmarried."
"Fourth Miss Lu and I have always been secretly married." Ding Wu explained, "My wife and I were secretly married ten years ago. At that time, I was going to the Khanate Court to infiltrate the White Lotus Sect as an undercover agent, so it was inconvenient to make it public. Only our parents knew about this matter."
Ding Rukui slowly dismounted from his horse. Advanced in years, he had been traveling tirelessly with his son recently, looking haggard with dust covering his beard.
Ding Wu hurried over to support his elderly father, fearing Ding Rukui might fall.
Ding Rukui said, "Fourth Miss Lu is indeed our Ding family's daughter-in-law. Ten years ago, I drank the bride's tea she served."
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