Chapter 167: He Is Not a Criminal
The sky had darkened.
Xie Jingyu slowly regained consciousness. As he tried to push himself up with his right hand, he discovered it felt limp and weak, barely able to exert any force.
When he attempted to move his legs, he realized only his right leg still had strength.
A profound sense of panic enveloped him.
Yet he knew this was no time to lie idle and recuperate.
"Help me up," he instructed Concubine Jiang, who was keeping watch by his bedside.
"Sir, the physician just said you need rest," Concubine Jiang urged gently. "Please drink this bowl of medicine first."
Xie Jingyu allowed her to feed him the medicine.
After finishing the bowl, he insisted, "Help me up."
Concubine Jiang had no choice but to assist him in rising.
When he reached the doorway, he saw the courtyard was devoid of servants, with fallen leaves scattered everywhere, left unswept.
"The servants have all left..." Concubine Jiang murmured with bowed head. "Madam negotiated with them, exchanging their Indentured Contracts for their final monthly stipend."
Xie Jingyu's expression darkened considerably.
A servant's monthly stipend amounted to merely five or six hundred copper coins, while an Indentured Contract was worth at least two taels of silver. How could Yun Chu simply let them go like this...
But he had no energy to dwell on such trivial matters now.
Two major challenges lay before him: first, how to secure An Ge'er's release, and second, how to regain his official position.
"Take me to Sheng Residence," Xie Jingyu commanded.
Concubine Jiang looked hesitant. "When I went to pay respects this morning, Madam claimed she was unwell and refused to see anyone."
Xie Jingyu suddenly erupted, "How could she possibly be more unwell than I am! Look at me—in this state! Still worrying about the Xie family! How dare she shut her doors and ignore her duties!"
Concubine Jiang lowered her head without responding.
She wondered: if she were the madam, how would she handle the Xie family's current predicament?
Would she devote herself fully to resolving the family's troubles?
Or would she seek divorce from the master to avoid being implicated?
"Jingyu, I've been making inquiries," Xie Zhongcheng said as he entered through the doorway. "Shi'an has been imprisoned in the death row cell reserved for capital offenders. The Emperor clearly intends to take his life. He hasn't committed any grave offense—why must he pay with his life..."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Shi could no longer contain herself and burst into loud sobs.
Xie Jingyu felt dizzy spells washing over him. Were it not for Concubine Jiang supporting him, he would have collapsed to the ground.
"Now, our only option is to seek the Yun family's intervention," Xie Zhongcheng decided, ready to swallow his pride. "Although General Yun isn't in the capital, the Yun family still holds considerable influence at court. If Yun Ze is willing to step forward, Shi'an might escape the death penalty, though he'll likely face other severe punishments."
Xie Jingyu pressed his lips tightly together, their pale surfaces peeling, his entire appearance sickly.
He had already discerned the Yun family's stance from Yun Chu's behavior.
If the Xie family went begging at their doorstep, they would undoubtedly face blunt rejection.
Why subject themselves to such humiliation?
He finally spoke slowly, "We won't beg the Yun family. We'll seek Prince Pingxi's help instead."
Xie Zhongcheng stared in astonishment. "Since when have you had connections with Prince Pingxi?"
Xie Jingyu didn't answer, lacking the strength to explain.
The Prince had long known about him taking the He family daughter as a concubine, yet hadn't reported the Xie family to authorities. Instead, he had arranged a lucrative post for him.
The Prince valued his capabilities as the Number One Scholar and had drawn him aboard the Prince of Pacifying the West Manor's vessel. He belonged to Prince Pingxi's faction now.
The Prince would never stand by and watch the Xie family meet ruin.
"Prepare the carriage. We're going to Prince of Pacifying the West Manor."Xie Jingyu struggled to utter these words.
Xie Zhongcheng nodded and instructed his only servant boy to prepare the carriage, then helped Xie Jingyu board.
Concubine Jiang and Yuan Shi hurried to open the main gate of the Xie residence. The carriage slowly moved toward the exit, but just as it reached the entrance, a troop of officers suddenly surrounded the Xie family's gate.
At the sight of the officers, Xie Zhongcheng's heart pounded with fear—the Xie family truly couldn't withstand any more turmoil.
He quickly descended from the carriage and bowed respectfully, asking, "Might I ask what brings you all to the Xie residence?"
The leading officer declared sternly, "Where is Xie Jingyu!"
Xie Jingyu was seated inside the carriage. Hearing this, his heart felt as if gripped by a giant hand, a foreboding dread washing over him from head to toe. He sat rigidly in place.
The officer had already spotted him and said coldly, "An official has reported to the Court of Judicial Review that Xie Jingyu, a secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, has exploited his position to embezzle treasury funds…"
A metallic taste rose in Xie Jingyu's throat.
Blood gushed from his mouth, staining the carriage.
"…The Emperor is enraged and has ordered a thorough investigation of the Ministry of Revenue… During this period, Xie Jingyu is forbidden to leave the Xie residence. Once all witnesses and evidence are gathered, he will be dealt with immediately!"
As the officer finished speaking, the guards behind him swiftly secured all entrances to the Xie residence.
Xie Jingyu was seized by two guards and thrown back into the Xie household.
With a loud bang, the main gate of the Xie residence slammed shut.
"This is too much, absolutely too much!" Xie Zhongcheng raged. "Someone must have seen our family in trouble and deliberately reported Jingyu for embezzlement! Those who kick us when we're down deserve to die horribly!"
Yuan Shi could only try to look on the bright side: "Innocence will prevail. As long as Jingyu hasn't done such a thing, he'll be fine. Staying home might even help him recuperate."
Xie Jingyu's face was ghastly pale.
Xie Zhongcheng tentatively asked, "Jingyu, tell your father you didn't embezzle the Ministry of Revenue's funds…"
But he received no answer.
Xie Zhongcheng's heart sank bit by bit, plunging into a dark, bottomless abyss.
He suddenly burst into bitter laughter: "Hahaha… Our Xie family struggled so hard to reach the capital, to gain a foothold in the court, to come this far… It's over, all over… Xie Jingyu, you are the greatest sinner of our Xie family! I failed as a father—I am a sinner too. How can I face the ancestors of the Xie family…"
Xie Jingyu kept coughing up blood, his lips completely stained crimson.
He hadn't embezzled anything, he hadn't!
The accounts in the Ministry of Revenue were already flawed!
Why wouldn't he take the money that appeared out of nowhere?
He wasn't wrong!
He wasn't a sinner!
He wasn't!!
"Jingyu, oh Jingyu…" Yuan Shi panicked. "Concubine Jiang, quickly help me support Jingyu inside to lie down. Someone, prepare his medicine, hurry!"
"No, I don't need to lie down, cough cough cough…" Xie Jingyu said weakly. "Go… to Sheng Residence, find Yun Chu, go find Yun Chu!"
Yuan Shi was both angry and anxious: "You're in this state—just rest properly. I'll go find Yun Chu, I'll beg her…"
Without another word, Xie Jingyu was carried into the room.
After watching him take his medicine and fall asleep, Yuan Shi finally headed toward Sheng Residence.
Yun Chu sat sipping tea, countless thoughts flashing through her mind like a revolving lantern.
It had been less than half a year since her rebirth, yet the prosperous Xie family from her previous life was already crumbling bit by bit.The Xie family had fallen, and as the matriarch of the Xie household, she was inevitably affected.
She was a woman gradually decaying, with little reputation left to protect, but she had to consider the honor of the other young ladies in the Yun family.
She had already determined the most suitable timing for the separation.
As she pondered this, Ting Feng came to report: "Madam, the mistress has arrived."
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