Chapter 151: Mo Zheng’s Nighttime Journey
Nightfall arrived, and Mo Zheng once again came to Duke Ding’an couple’s courtyard house.
The sound of indoor pacing and bright lamplight leaked out from the gaps in the roof.
“Should I go to the Court of Judicial Review to ask?”
“Ask what? Duke, you’ve gone mad!”
“But it involves Younger Sister’s matter. If I don’t ask, His Majesty won’t blame me, right?”
“Get a grip. That’s involving someone’s real father-in-law. For you, a former brother-in-law who amounts to nothing, to go ask—that’s what offends people.”
Duke Ding’an let out an “oh” and stopped his steps.
The indoor quieted for a moment.
Immediately after, Duke Ding’an’s muttering sounded again.
“You say, it couldn’t really be him who did it, right? Actually, as soon as I heard the news back then, I suspected… he denied it.”
“Shut your mouth! We’ll just wait. Whatever His Majesty says it is, it is.”
The indoor quieted again, then Duke Ding’an’s voice sounded once more.
“But don’t let that child hear this.”
“It’s fine. She’s shut in good at home. That maidservant, I persuaded her, threatened her, promised to find her a good marriage arrangement—she agreed not to tell her young lady the news she heard on the street.”
“Good, good like that. Next, close the doors and refuse guests.”
“Sigh, we’ve already closed the doors and refused guests, and it’s the big New Year holiday.”
Mo Zheng covered the tile and silently leaped into the night. Just as she flipped out of Duke Ding’an’s Mansion, she saw a wall of black shadows like people ahead on the street…
“Senior Brother.” Mo Zheng didn’t retreat; instead, she lowered her voice in delighted surprise and called out, her steps unstopping as she rushed toward the black wall. “I was just thinking why you hadn’t come—turns out you were waiting for me outside—”
The black wall of shadows parted, revealing a carriage behind it.
“Yeah.” Wei Jiao lifted the carriage curtain. “I knew Miss Yang was going out.”
Saying so, his eyes curved in a smile as he sized up the young girl dressed in night-traveling black clothes.
“Today, going to murder or set fire or continue stirring things up?”
Mo Zheng pretended not to understand and directly climbed onto the carriage, urgently saying: “Senior Brother, you know too, right.”
At this, her expression turned grief-stricken and furious.
“I said before, for every censor like Li Bu in the world who is upright and just, there will be civilians who see the error of their ways and bravely expose evil.”
“Duke Ding’an couple still want to hide it from me, even attempt to bribe my maidservant, but A Sheng and I escaped from death together—how could she deceive me because of their few sweet words.”
“They even long ago guessed that my mother’s death was at Marquis Yichun’s hands, yet they turned a blind eye, just because that Marquis Yichun holds high position and great power.”
After saying so, she looked at Wei Jiao, gnashing her teeth in hatred.
“I’m not holding back. I’m not afraid of anything. I’ll go kill him myself right now.”
“Senior Brother, you won’t…”
Her words unfinished, Wei Jiao spoke solemnly: “Go quickly.” Then he lifted his sleeve to cover his eyes. “Revenge for one’s mother is perfectly justified. I’ll pretend I didn’t see Miss Yang.”
Mo Zheng’s mouth twitched. This dog thing.
“Thank you, Captain.”
She said solemnly, turned, jumped off the carriage, crossed over the shadow black wall, and headed in Marquis Yichun’s direction.
……
……
“This scoundrel thing! Scoundrel thing!”
Chai Yuan paced back and forth, gnashing his teeth in fury.
“Good thing I was on guard and had people in the Court of Judicial Review watching. At the time, I immediately brought in several other servants from the Ji Family to have them testify that the man, because Ji Ying died and all of the Ji Family entered prison, while Marquis, you were only fined salary, harbored resentment and injustice, and thus spoke to frame you.”
Marquis Yichun looked at several statements on the desk: there was the one exposing him for ordering Ji Ying to slaughter White Horse Town, and also testimonies from others arranged by Chai Yuan.
He reached out and patted them: “Already sent to the Emperor, right?”
Chai Yuan affirmed, expression annoyed: “That waste Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Duan Shao says the matter is major, so even if it’s a prisoner’s ravings, regardless of verification, it must first be reported to His Majesty.”
At this, he added another sentence.
“But Father, rest assured, the other statements were submitted together. Contrasting them shows that man is talking nonsense, and on the street I also had people check—those who heard it spreading all say it’s nonsense.”
Immediately, he spat.
“This is all nonsense to begin with.”
Marquis Yichun tapped the case file on the desk: “Nonsense, this talk is nonsense. Wasn’t Ji Ying’s bloody letter also nonsense, and yet…”
And yet it still required him to go plead guilty to the Emperor, then have his salary cut.
So now, what did this nonsense want him to pay?
The Emperor’s doing again?
A place like the Court of Judicial Review isn’t somewhere anyone can enter, and servants in the Ji Family home aren’t something anyone can plant.
Actually, the White Horse Town matter was the same; he had been negligent then. If he’d sent people right away to carefully question Ji Ying, perhaps none of the subsequent series of events would have happened…
Chai Yuan was about to say something when birdsong sounded from outside the door, and immediately a secret guard flashed in.
“Marquis, someone outside.”
……
…….
Shadows rose and fell in the dark night, like night wind sweeping over houses and street markets.
The wind ahead had just passed, and the wind behind swept in from all directions.
On the dark street at night, a team of Embroidered Uniform Guards moved in a dense black mass, the front wind directly pouncing over.
“Captain—”
Mo Zheng barely stopped in front of the Embroidered Uniform Guard ranks, calling out past them to the rear.
“Miss is impressive.” Wei Jiao’s voice came from behind. “Come over quickly so I can see—”
The Embroidered Uniform Guards parted to make a path. Mo Zheng hurried through, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards closed ranks again like a wall. The winds from all directions in the night dispersed.
The originally dim carriage interior was lit by Wei Jiao. He looked with great interest at the woman who sat in, looking left and right, then let out an “oh”: “Where’s the head? Didn’t Miss go to kill Marquis Yichun?”
Mo Zheng said angrily: “That dog thief has defenses everywhere in his home. I couldn’t get close at all and was discovered just as I entered!”
Wei Jiao let out an “aiyo”: “This Marquis Yichun is actually more formidable than Miss Yang.”
“Senior Brother—” Mo Zheng suddenly leaned close, reached out to grab his sleeve, eyes sparkling with expectation as she looked at him. “But you’re definitely more formidable than Marquis Yichun. Help me—”
Wei Jiao was on guard, but this dog thing moved really fast and he still couldn’t dodge.
“Junior Sister, it should be you helping me.” He said, not pulling back his sleeve, only lifting his foot to kick. “Hurry up and scram, go kill Marquis Yichun so I can arrest you and claim great merit!”
Mo Zheng rolled with the momentum and fell, but not outward, rather toward the deeper inside of the carriage.
Wei Jiao was about to act again when the sound of horse hooves and footsteps came from outside, and simultaneously an Embroidered Uniform Guard outside called to the Captain: “Marquis Yichun has arrived.”
……
…….
Marquis Yichun watched the dense black Embroidered Uniform Guards opposite part, the ornate carriage curtain lifted, and Wei Jiao leaped down.
“Marquis.” He greeted enthusiastically. “How come you’re out at this hour? Could it be you’re sleepless at midnight like me? But you’re not like me—you haven’t done evil like murder and confiscating homes to the utmost.”
Marquis Yichun ignored his teasing, expression indifferent: “So it’s Captain Wei. No wonder—no one else in the entire capital city dares come to my home for espionage.”
This dog thing had indeed failed. So he’s not omnipotent after all.
Wei Jiao thought, but with her dog temper, she definitely wouldn’t give up just like that.
Then give her another chance, see what commotion she can stir up.
He smiled brightly and said: “Duty-bound, by the Emperor’s order—there’s no place in this capital city we Embroidered Uniform Guards can’t go.”
Marquis Yichun smiled: “This Marquis knows, so I won’t make things difficult for the Captain or trouble the Captain. I’ll go to the Imperial Palace to face His Majesty right now. Whatever His Majesty wants to ask, I’ll say it in person.”
Wei Jiao nodded: “Good, good. To be honest with Marquis, I’m very curious too. I’ll personally escort Marquis.”
Saying so, he took the horse led over by an Embroidered Uniform Guard, mounted, and walked to beside Marquis Yichun’s carriage.
Marquis Yichun said no more and dropped the carriage curtain.
The group of carriage and horses slowly headed toward the Imperial City, with both Embroidered Uniform Guards and Marquis Yichun’s markers. The patrolling soldiers and horses saw from afar and avoided. Soon they arrived before the Imperial City. After identity verification and announcement, eunuchs from the Imperial Palace hurriedly came to receive them.
Wei Jiao reached out to help Marquis Yichun, who did not refuse. The two went inside hand in hand.
Marquis Yichun’s attendants were led by eunuchs to park the carriage and horses.
The Embroidered Uniform Guards stood waiting outside the palace gate. The carriage rocked, someone came down from it, and silently vanished into the night.
The Embroidered Uniform Guards by the carriage actually saw, but they looked at each other and no one moved.
“Should we stop her?” One Embroidered Uniform Guard finally couldn’t hold back and asked in a low voice.
The Captain didn’t give orders…
“He did.” Another Embroidered Uniform Guard remembered and said in a low voice. “I heard the Captain tell her to scram quickly.”
Now that she’s scrammed, no need to mind. The Embroidered Uniform Guards breathed a sigh of relief.
……
…….
Mo Zheng stopped three streets away and looked back toward the Imperial City.
Low insect chirps came from behind. She made several responses into the night, telling Uncle Hong and them she was fine.
First chased by secret guards from Marquis Yichun’s Mansion, then fallen into the Embroidered Uniform Guards’ midst—they must be holding their breath.
Now, using Marquis Yichun to draw away Wei Jiao, everyone could relax a bit.
Posing as Miss Yang, everything was fine except being watched too closely by Wei Jiao, sometimes inconvenient—like unable to meet Uncle Hong and them, unable to personally spy on some families…
To draw away Wei Jiao, could only use a big figure like Marquis Yichun.
Mo Zheng withdrew her gaze from the Imperial City direction and turned to dash into the night.
