Chapter 277: Blocked At The Door
Grand Tutor Ling paused and said, “Go beat the Drum for reporting grievances to file a petition to His Majesty.”
Jiang Ruanxi was greatly startled.
The Drum for reporting grievances is at the Dali Temple entrance. Generally, only when there is a major grievance and one has reached a dead end will they risk beating it.
But it’s not just anyone who can beat it. If it’s found not to be true, and it’s slandering others, the beater will be directly executed, and their entire clan will be implicated.
So the Drum for reporting grievances is not so easy to beat.
After beating it, the matter may pass through the Dali Temple and reach Emperor Qin’s hands, with Emperor Qin responsible for the interrogation.
And this matter was originally ordered by Emperor Qin.
“Will it really work?” Jiang Ruanxi hesitated a bit.
The Empress temporarily does not know if it was Wei Chang who killed her, but Emperor Qin is a witness; it’s just a matter of his word.
“I don’t know either. But currently, this is the only way. If it blows up big, His Majesty will consider public opinion and release the Crown Prince or dispose of him leniently.” Grand Tutor Ling analyzed.
Jiang Ruanxi was now at a complete loss and had no other methods, so she nodded.
After Grand Tutor Ling left, Wei Qing hurriedly arrived. “Crown Princess, I heard that the Crown Prince was directly thrown into the heavenly prison for killing the Empress, is that right?”
After speaking, she panted heavily, clearly having run over.
“How do you know?” Jiang Ruanxi’s gaze shot toward her.
She had people in the palace giving her information, so she knew, but Wan Qing was just a concubine’s daughter with no connections, except for Wu Lin.
Wan Qing didn’t hide it and directly said, “I just went to see Wu Lin, and he told me. And now it’s spread all over the capital…”
Wan Qing told everything she had heard on the road.
Now people in the capital were all saying that Wei Chang was unrighteous and unjust, personally committing matricide; such a person deserved to die, and even dismemberment by a thousand cuts would not be excessive, and other bad reputations like that.
Listening to Wan Qing’s words, Jiang Ruanxi felt an impulse to argue with those people for Wei Chang, but she held back.
“These people are going too far.” Jiang Ruanxi said angrily.
“Yeah.” Wan Qing agreed.
Although Wei Chang was usually a bit cold, he didn’t seem like someone who would do such a thing.
Moreover, the Empress was such a vicious person; even killing her would be letting her off easy.
Jiang Ruanxi also steeled her resolve to do something.
The next day early in the morning.
After a night of heavy snow, the snow on the ground was very thick; when people walked on it, it came up past their ankles. Jiang Ruanxi, pale-faced, came out of the Crown Prince’s Manor.
As soon as she went out the gate, the area outside was surrounded by Imperial Guards, no one knew when.
“Crown Princess, please stop. His Majesty said no one from the Crown Prince’s Manor can go out now.”
The Imperial Guards were a bit surprised to see Jiang Ruanxi, who had been in a coma from poisoning for many days, but still blocked her.
Although Wei Chang had been thrown into the heavenly prison, Emperor Qin had not stripped him of his Crown Prince position, so he was still the Crown Prince.
Jiang Ruanxi took out a handkerchief and coughed a few times, weakly pleading, “Sir, I heard the Crown Prince committed a grave crime against heaven. I want to go see him. Please let me go see him?”
The Imperial Guard repeated expressionlessly, “His Majesty said people from the Crown Princess have no decree and cannot go out.”
Jiang Ruanxi stepped forward and secretly handed several gold bars to the Imperial Guard. “Sir, please make an exception.”
The Imperial Guard dodged to the side directly and said coldly in a loud voice, “Crown Princess.”
Jiang Ruanxi smiled without disappointment and stepped forward to whisper, “Suppose I say you were disrespectful to me; how would they look at you, and how would His Majesty punish you?”
As she spoke, she stretched her hand toward the Imperial Guard and leaned her body toward him, startling the Imperial Guard into dodging to the side again.
“Crown Princess, please behave yourself.” The Imperial Guard’s face was as black as a pot.
“His Majesty only told you to guard; people inside are not allowed out, but he didn’t say they definitely cannot go out, right?”
The Imperial Guard was stunned for a few seconds. Isn’t that the same meaning?
“Look, I’ve been sick for so long and want to go see the Crown Prince; I can’t do anything. My husband is still the Crown Prince now. If you treat me like this, and if he is released innocent, what do you think he would do when he finds out I suffered such grievance?”
The Imperial Guard shuddered.
He knew about the changes in Wei Chang recently and the things he had done.
He was no longer the sickly, hands-off person from before.
According to past precedents, people thrown into the heavenly prison would generally have their titles stripped and become commoners, but Wei Chang’s matter was so big, and His Majesty only threw Wei Chang into the heavenly prison without other actions.
If it were vindicated later, and now he was blocking the Crown Princess, he would be in big trouble.
The Imperial Guard wavered a bit.
“Sir, just let me go out for a bit. I guarantee I’ll come back soon.”
The Imperial Guard thought of His Majesty’s order, and reason returned; he directly refused, “No.”
“Imperial decree arrives.” Eunuch Li personally came to the Crown Princess. Seeing Jiang Ruanxi at the door, he was a bit surprised.
But he was someone who had seen great storms, so he quickly composed himself, nodded to Jiang Ruanxi as a greeting, then looked at the Imperial Guards and said loudly, “His Majesty’s oral decree: Imperial Guards leave five men, the rest return to the palace. As for people from the Crown Prince’s Manor, there is no restriction on entry.”
“Yes.” The Imperial Guards replied in unison.
Jiang Ruanxi blinked. Why leave five men?
This oral decree was truly strange.
Soon, the Imperial Guards who were not staying withdrew.
Eunuch Li stepped forward and looked at the haggard-faced Jiang Ruanxi with care. “Is the Crown Princess well?”
Jiang Ruanxi was not familiar with Eunuch Li; she only knew he was Emperor Qin’s close eunuch.
Now that Wei Chang was in the heavenly prison, everyone avoided the Crown Prince’s Manor like the plague, yet Eunuch Li’s attitude toward her was so good.
Jiang Ruanxi didn’t show it and just said faintly, “Thank you for your care, Eunuch Li. This palace just woke up this morning and heard the Crown Prince was taken to the heavenly prison, so I wanted to go see him, but unexpectedly…”
Jiang Ruanxi didn’t finish, but Eunuch Li understood she meant the Imperial Guards blocking her.
“They were just acting on His Majesty’s will. I hope the Crown Princess understands.”
“I understand.” Jiang Ruanxi said understandingly.
He didn’t know Jiang Ruanxi well and thought since she came from the countryside, facing such a thing, she would act like a shrew, but unexpectedly she handled it calmly, so he felt a bit more favorably toward her.
He also knew about the Empress’s character; he was present that day, so he couldn’t help comforting her, “Crown Princess, don’t worry. Some things might not necessarily be bad.”
After speaking, he left directly.
These ambiguous words left Jiang Ruanxi puzzled.
But she had no time to think more now and immediately left the manor to go first to the heavenly prison.
But as expected, she couldn’t even enter the heavenly prison.
Although worried about Wei Chang, Jiang Ruanxi also knew that without Emperor Qin’s decree now, she couldn’t see Wei Chang.
