Chapter 204
Qi Yanzhou's gaze immediately fell upon the two elders of the Qi family, and he quickly walked over.
"Father, Mother, are you alright?"
The two elders stood diagonally below the magistrate's desk, with Qi Qingyu beside them.
Old Master Qi said, "Don't worry, Zhou'er. Your mother and I are fine."
Earlier, the secret passage under the bed had suddenly opened.
Before he could call for help, he was hit by a hidden weapon and fainted.
When he woke up, he and his old wife were in the back garden of the prefect's manor, their figures hidden by dense bushes.
The two of them were bewildered for a moment and wanted to return to the Qingya Courtyard.
But just as they stood up, they ran into the escorting officials and were brought to the court.
Then they saw their daughter, whom they hadn't seen in three years.
"Sister, how are you?"
Before going to the southern border, Qi Yanzhou had come to Liangzhou City to see Qi Qingyu.
At that time, although she was already a mother, she still exuded the lively cheerfulness of a young girl, showing that she lived a happy life.
But now, not only had she lost a significant amount of weight, but her expression was also left with only calm composure.
Qi Qingyu smiled and said, "I am very well. You have suffered."
After speaking, she looked at Ye Chutang.
The young woman was breathtakingly beautiful, her gaze open and wise, making people want to draw close to her.
"Sister-in-law has suffered."
"We are family, it is only right to share our joys and sorrows."
Now was not the time to catch up. After Ye Chutang finished speaking, she looked at the lifeless Cao Liang.
"Lord Cao, let us begin."
As soon as she finished speaking, Han Chong took the emperor's secret edict to Cao Liang and passed it around for everyone to read.
Ye Chutang also brought out the secret edict the emperor had previously given her, ordering her to poison the Qi family and cooperate with Han Chong's actions.
The secret edict first landed in the hands of the Inspector of Liangzhou.
The Inspector's duty was to inspect the prefectures and supervise the officials, and his rank was half a grade higher than that of the prefect.
But the person backing Cao Liang was Eunuch De, so he had the final say in Liangzhou City.
The Inspector had become a sinecure who only collected an imperial salary.
However, as a fourth-rank official adjacent to the capital, he had not only seen the emperor's handwriting but also recognized the emperor's personal seal.
After reading the secret letter, his face turned very ugly.
After hesitating for a moment, he decided to tell the truth.
"The secret edict is real."
After speaking, he handed the secret edict to his subordinate, the Vice Prefect beside him.
The Vice Prefect of Liangzhou had also had the fortune to see the emperor's genuine handwriting.
Before even reading the content, he nodded and said, "This secret edict is indeed handwritten by His Majesty."
Only after speaking did he seriously read what was written on the secret edict.
When he clearly saw the content, he wished he could take back his words.
Admitting that the secret edict was handwritten by the emperor meant admitting that the emperor framed the Qi family and wanted to wipe them out completely!
The terrified Vice Prefect of Liangzhou shoved the unfinished secret edict to his colleague beside him.
The officials read it one by one, remaining silent, and could only brace themselves to pass it on.
Next were the wealthy merchants and local gentry.
Finally, it was the well-known scholars of Liangzhou City.
The scholars were not as shrewd as the officials and merchants. After reading the secret edict, their expressions were angry, and their words were extreme.
"If it weren't for the ancestors of the Qi family conquering the realm, there would be no Beichen Kingdom today."
"For the emperor to frame loyal subjects based on groundless suspicions is not the act of a wise ruler!"
"No wonder the Qi family's reputation is growing higher and higher. The royal family's actions are truly intolerable to heaven!"
"Now that we have evidence of the emperor murdering loyal officials, we can file an imperial appeal!"
"File an imperial appeal! File an imperial appeal!"
Listening to the righteous indignation of the scholars, Qi Yanzhou raised his hand and pressed it down to quiet them.
"Everyone, do not be anxious. Let us first finish listening to Lord Cao."
While everyone was reading the secret edict, Cao Liang had been narrating how he plotted against the Qi family.
He spoke in great detail, and it all matched what the common people already knew.
Therefore, before he could finish speaking, the scholars and the common people were all enraged.
If the courtyard hadn't been packed with people, the commoners would have definitely thrown rotten eggs and vegetable leaves all over Cao Liang.
Cao Liang ignored the insults of the commoners and scholars, and clearly and methodically finished explaining all the plans.
The advisor wrote down the confession based on Cao Liang's statement.
Cao Liang's fingers were gone, so he bit the pen with his mouth to sign and make his mark.
The words were crooked, revealing his fear of death.
"Young Master Qi, please keep your word."
After speaking, he fell to the ground and stopped breathing.
Concubine Su's face turned pale with fright.
But so that her daughter could live, she opened her mouth amidst everyone's curses.
"My name is Su Ping'er. I was once a famous courtesan in Yangzhou, and an informant planted in the Prince Chen's Manor by the emperor..."
She detailed everything she had done over the years, passing messages to the emperor and the tasks the emperor had assigned her, omitting no detail.
Concubine Su also spoke of the emperor's secret edict she received after their exile.
"The secret edict was given to me by Lord Han, and it was destroyed by Lord Han after I read it. Although there is no physical evidence for what I'm saying, as long as you investigate, you will definitely find that my words are true."
After speaking, she knelt down towards Old Master Qi.
"Master, this concubine has failed your favor and is willing to apologize with death!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she got up and smashed into a pillar.
Concubine Su held a determination to die. With a dull thud, blood splattered everywhere.
By the time she fell to the ground, she was already lifeless.
The clamoring scholars and commoners immediately stopped their cursing upon seeing Concubine Su atone for her sins with death.
Qi Yanzhou stepped forward and said, "The Qi family is a subject for a day, and a subject for life. We have never had any thoughts of rebellion."
"No one knows better than the emperor that the Qi family is innocent, and I also believe that as long as we investigate, we can clear the Qi family's name."
"But the Qi family does not want to conflict with the emperor, causing internal strife and suffering for the common people, so we chose to stay far away from the capital to show our stance and set the emperor's mind at ease."
"If the emperor continues to press us aggressively and wants to exterminate the entire Qi family, then I will follow the will of heaven, rebel against my superiors, and fight for a way out for the Qi family!"
After Qi Yanzhou finished speaking calmly, he looked at the Inspector of Liangzhou.
"Lord Inspector, I ask you to truthfully write what I just said into a memorial and report it to the emperor."
The Inspector of Liangzhou nodded respectfully.
"Please rest assured, Young Master Qi, this official will definitely report it to the emperor without missing a single word."
"Thank you, Lord Inspector. Please add one more sentence: up to this point, my Qi family has no desire to claim the throne. We only want to stay away from the capital and away from disputes. If the emperor makes another move against the Qi family, the Zhao family's reign on the throne will come to an end!"
Although Qi Yanzhou's words were arrogant, they were stating a fact.
If he ignored the life and death of the common people and ignored the covetous neighboring countries, taking the throne would be very easy for him.
It was exactly because the emperor knew this that he wanted to put the Qi family to death.
The Inspector of Liangzhou agreed once again.
"This official will present Young Master Qi's words to the emperor."
Qi Yanzhou stood in the courtroom and bowed to everyone outside the courtroom.
"Thank you all for speaking up for the Qi family. As for today's matter, please do not publicize it too widely."
The implication was to leave some face for the dog emperor, but not too much face.
Song Jingning bowed to Qi Yanzhou.
"Young Master Qi, please rest assured. When scholars put pen to paper, they will certainly not put you in a difficult position."
Although he never did things like pointing at the mulberry tree and cursing the locust tree, since the emperor touched his sister, he couldn't be blamed for calling upon all the scholars in the world to write about his baseness and ruin his reputation!
Qi Yanzhou knew that Song Jingning was Ye Chutang's older brother, so he didn't dare to accept his bow and hurriedly returned one.
"I, Qi, thank Young Master Haoyue."
Seeing that the two of them were endlessly polite, Ye Chutang hurriedly interrupted.
"Young Master Haoyue, I would like to discuss with you the specifics of how to write it."
Song Jingning knew that Ye Chutang had something to say to him and nodded.
"Alright, where should we talk?"
"How about the back garden of the magistrate's manor?"
"That works."
Feeling it would be inappropriate to meet Song Jingning alone, Ye Chutang asked Qi Yanzhou to join them.
"A-Zhou, we can leave the remaining matters to the Governor. Come with me to the back garden."
"You go on ahead. I'll be right there."
Qi Yanzhou wasn't well-acquainted with the Governor of Liangzhou. He couldn't tell if the man was genuinely helping the Qi family or simply using them to reclaim his own power.
Because of this, the punishment for the officials involved in the "Substitute Scheme" needed careful deliberation.
Especially when it came to the Chen family!