Yan Tongshu declared without hesitation: "I wish to impeach Wang Tuwei, the Commander of the Divine Strategy Army, Cao Jian, the Deputy Commander of the Divine Strategy Army, and Xiao Jun, the Commanding General of the Divine Strategy Army."
These three men rarely attended court sessions, so none of them were present in the hall.
Yan Tongshu continued without a care: "Xiao Jun and Cao Jian, as the highest-ranking commanders of the Divine Strategy Army, have neglected their duties and mismanaged the forces, allowing Wang Tuwei to privately mobilize the army with ease, nearly triggering a mutiny. I request that Your Majesty fine Xiao Jun and Cao Jian one year's salary each and bar them from promotion for three years as a warning to others. I also request that Your Majesty remove Wang Tuwei from his post as Commander in order to uphold the majesty of the law."
The Minister of Justice stammered: "You... you... don't talk nonsense."
Is this Lord Yan insane?
Wang Tuwei had already been beaten with thirty strokes of the rod, and she was still hounding him to death?
The Minister of Justice said: "Your Majesty, in all fairness, Wang Tuwei did commit a crime by privately mobilizing the Divine Strategy Army, but he did so to protect the princess. His crime can be forgiven."
Yan Tongshu didn't even bother listening to what the Minister of Justice said, and pressed on: "I have further impeachments to make."
More?
You're going to keep hounding him to death, aren't you?
The Minister of Justice felt a pang in his chest.
Yan Tongshu said: "I wish to impeach the Empress Dowager."
The Minister of Justice: "..."
The entire court: "..."
Is this so-called Lord Yan a reckless fool? Does her brain not know how to turn?
Qin Yi stroked the dragon head on his throne, his gaze at Yan Tongshu inscrutable.
Interesting.
Yan Tongshu: "Your Majesty, I wish to impeach the Empress Dowager for overstepping her authority and interfering with the administration of justice. The Empress Dowager's duties lie within the inner palace, just as the Ministry of Personnel's duties lie in personnel matters—the Ministry of Personnel cannot interfere in criminal law. The Empress Dowager, relying on her high position, overstepped her bounds by interfering in the Kaifeng Prefecture trial, and before the case had reached a verdict, without going through the central government, she privately issued an imperial edict, convicting Chen Sizhen and unlawfully imposing punishment. Her actions are a contempt for the law and a disregard for imperial authority. I request that Your Majesty withhold three years' worth of allowances from the Celebration Longevity Palace and order the Empress Dowager to reflect on her actions behind closed doors for six months."
The Minister of Justice fell completely silent.
She's truly insane, isn't she?
We said you're hounding him to death, and you really are aiming straight for the kill!
For a moment, the Minister of Justice didn't know whose defense to take up first.
And the moment Yan Tongshu's words fell, all the civil and military officials shared the same thought: Lord Yan, please go back to the Scholar's Pavilion and stop coming out to plague people.
After speaking, Yan Tongshu lowered her head and pretended to doze off, letting a wave of ministers rush forward to oppose her one after another.
When the late emperor was still alive, the Empress Dowager had always conspired with Prince Ming to depose Crown Prince Qin Yi and install her own biological son as heir apparent.
Now, the new emperor had just ascended the throne and was not yet secure in his position. He used her to deal with the Empress Dowager and Prince Ming—she had agreed to it, but that didn't mean she had to swallow all this nonsense from that damned emperor.
Now that she'd tossed the hot potato back to the emperor, it was his problem to handle.
Anyway, she was only responsible for dodging the responsibility, not for cleaning up the mess.
Most of the ministers opposing her were from Prince Ming's faction, while a smaller number were simply stunned by Yan Tongshu's outrageous moves.
Most of the emperor's own people stayed silent.
It wasn't that they wanted to stay silent—it was that they simply couldn't bring themselves to like Lord Yan.
Only a very small portion of the emperor's people spoke up in support of Yan Tongshu.
Yan Tongshu dozed off for a while, then opened her eyes. They were still arguing.
The left side argued, then the right side argued.
The right side finished, the front side argued.
The front side finished, the back side argued.
Yan Tongshu let her mind wander, thinking: These people talk so much—aren't they thirsty?
Finally, after Yan Tongshu woke from her second round of dozing, a conclusion was reached. Qin Yi approved every single one of Yan Tongshu's demands, including sending Princess Tijia to the gravel works.
"Court is adjourned."
Those two words fell from Lu Xi's lips, sounding like the most heavenly music.
Yan Tongshu spun around and bolted. She had slept well last night and was in a fine mood today — she was off to Aunt Yang's for noodles.
Yan Tongshu might have run off, but many ministers still refused to accept Qin Yi's decision, kneeling in place and pleading bitterly, as if they would not rise unless Qin Yi relented.
Lu Xi reported these ministers' behavior. Qin Yi only gave a faint, dismissive smile: "Let them kneel. There are plenty of waiting degree-holders for any vacancies. If they fall, those posts will open right up."
Naturally, it would be best if every last one of Prince Ming's people knelt themselves to death, freeing all their positions for him.
Lu Xi felt his heart tremble at Qin Yi's words. He answered with a simple "Yes," and stood respectfully to one side.
"But..." Qin Yi set down the memorial in his hand, a faint hint of amusement flickering in his eyes, like someone catching sight of an entertaining oddity: "Yan Tongshu..."
He murmured under his breath: "That silly goose... when she freezes up... she's rather amusing..."
Lu Xi kept his head low and dared not respond.
Yan Tongshu hurried over with Pearl and Jinbao to Aunt Yang's noodle stall.
"Aunt Yang, three bowls, the usual."
She had gotten off work early yesterday and slept early, so now she felt especially energized, her voice bright and clear.
Aunt Yang, seeing Yan Tongshu in such good spirits, was happy too. She scooped up a heaping ladleful of toppings and piled it on the steaming white noodles.
The noodles arrived at the table.
Yan Tongshu, Pearl, and Jinbao each held their bowls, lowered their heads simultaneously, and savored the aroma with their noses. When they finished, all three picked up their chopsticks at the same time and began eating without a word.
Meng Zheng picked up his own bowl, turned around, and sat down across from Yan Tongshu: "You three master and servants are perfectly in sync — even your noodle-eating movements are identical."
Yan Tongshu, Pearl, and Jinbao did not look up. They kept eating.
They were famished. They had gotten up at three or four in the morning for the court session, and all three had only eaten a little something to tide them over.
Meng Zheng shot the trio a look, then lowered his head and tucked into his noodles with big mouthfuls too.
Finally, the noodles were gone. Yan Tongshu lifted her bowl and drained the soup as well.
The hot, spicy, savory broth slid down her throat — sheer bliss.
She set the bowl down with a satisfied sigh: "Perfect."
By now Meng Zheng had long finished his noodles and was propping his chin on his hand, watching Yan Tongshu: "Don't you ever get tired of it?"
Yan Tongshu looked at him, puzzled: "Why would you get tired of something delicious?"
Meng Zheng thought for a moment: "Besides Aunt Yang's noodles, what else do you like to eat?"
Yan Tongshu counted on her fingers: "Oh, plenty — the crispy sesame cakes from East Well Lane, Liu's mung bean cakes, Granny Wang's candied hawthorns, beef jerky from the frontier, Xue's roasted nuts, milk tea, little cakes..."
Meng Zheng nodded: "Good. Starting tomorrow, I'll sample them one by one. Anything Lord Yan likes to eat — the flavor can't possibly miss."
Yan Tongshu shot him a sideways glare: "Are you using me as a food guide?"
With that, she raised her hand: "Lady Qing!"
Lady Qing, leading her two children, saw Yan Tongshu and immediately broke into a smile: "Lord Yan."
Yan Tongshu greeted her: "You're here for noodles too?"
Lady Qing nodded and said with a smile: "Yes. I used to run a stall around here, and I had to pinch every penny, so I never dared treat myself to a bowl of these noodles. I could only smell how good they were, but never taste them. Now, you returned those two hundred taels of silver to us. We have money now, and with the case closed and us about to leave the capital, I figured I'd bring the children to try these noodles that smell good enough to make your teeth fall out."
Pearl called Jinbao over to squeeze in beside her, then pointed to the empty spot and said, "Lady Qing, come sit here. We're finished eating and about to leave."
Lady Qing led her two children over and sat down, then called to Aunt Yang to order three bowls of noodles.
Lady Qing's lawsuit against the imperial son-in-law had shaken all of Beijing. Three rounds of trials, full of twists and turns, had even been turned into a story by the storytellers and spread through every street and alley.
Aunt Yang felt sorry for Lady Qing and piled on the toppings without restraint. By the time the noodles arrived, the small three-wen bowl had more toppings than even the large size.
Yan Tongshu mulled it over and said, "Actually, you could stay in Beijing for a few more days."
Lady Qing shook her head. "Beijing is too expensive—everything, from food to daily necessities, costs a fortune. And we can't keep staying at the Kaifeng Prefecture. I'd feel too awkward about it."
Yan Tongshu said, "No, what I mean is—you haven't collected the rewards from the Empress Dowager's edict yet. That's a lot of money. Better to wait a few more days until I can go to the Ministry of Rites and have the Empress Dowager's grant cashed out. Then you can take the money and the house, and go home in full glory."
Lady Qing's eyes went wide. "Huh? That edict can actually be redeemed? I thought it was just the Empress Dowager trying to buy me off to get Chen the son-in-law acquitted!"
Yan Tongshu said with utter confidence, "But she issued the edict. A golden word from the Empress Dowager—she can't just go back on it, can she?"
Everyone fell silent.
Meng Zheng's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
This was too much.
Even he, an outsider, thought it was too much.
The Empress Dowager had issued an edict giving Lady Qing a thousand taels of silver and a mansion in Jiangzhou, all as a way to trade money for a reduced sentence. Now the princess and her husband had been sentenced by Yan Tongshu, the sentence had not been reduced at all, and the Empress Dowager herself was under house arrest—and Yan Tongshu still wanted the Empress Dowager to honor the edict!!!
Meng Zheng's face was a mixture of horror and disbelief as he stared at Yan Tongshu with a complicated expression. "Lord Yan, you are so upright, you're practically inhuman."
That face, that attitude—taking none of the downsides and grabbing all the benefits.
Yan Tongshu took offense at that. She stood up, hands on her hips, and glared at Meng Zheng in a huff. "What do you mean, inhuman? The Empress Dowager issued the edict herself! She said it herself. Does that mean the Empress Dowager can just break her word?"
Meng Zheng gave Yan Tongshu a thumbs-up. Then, as if one wasn't enough, he raised the other thumb too.
With both thumbs held up at Yan Tongshu, he sighed and said, "Lord Yan, that confidence of yours—the ability to fool even yourself—earns my deep admiration."
Yan Tongshu grew even angrier.
This military lout was mocking her.
Hmph!
Yan Tongshu puffed steam through her nostrils, stomped her foot on Meng Zheng's instep, and snorted again. "Come on, Pearl, Jinbao—we're taking the edict to the Ministry of Rites right now to make them cash it out."
Pearl and Jinbao both said, "Yes, Master!"
Pearl and Jinbao followed Yan Tongshu in united front. They both shot an exaggeratedly fierce glare at Meng Zheng, snorted, and tromped off.
As soon as Yan Tongshu left, Meng Zheng immediately winced and sucked in air through his teeth. That stingy little thing—she really stomped hard. It hurt like hell.
Chen Yingge and Chen Jiangge watched Yan Tongshu's receding figure and marveled, "Lord Yan is so formidable and impressive! Mother, when we grow up, we want to be just like Lord Yan."
Their mother said that once they returned to Jiangzhou, she would send them to school.
They would study hard, learn right from wrong, distinguish black from white, and become as extraordinary a person as Lord Yan.
Meng Zheng: "Kids... that's not something you should aspire to."
Chen Yingge exchanged a glance with Chen Jiangge, then snorted at Meng Zheng in displeasure. "We will learn from him."
Lord Yan is the best official, the best person.
Meng Zheng: "..."
Meng Zheng laughed helplessly for a moment, then looked up at the sky. It was hazy and grey, not bright, but it would clear soon.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly: if the next generation of this dynasty all followed Lord Yan's example, heaven itself might soon be turned upside down.
...
Yan Tongshu took Pearl and Jinbao back to Kaifeng Prefecture to retrieve the imperial edict, then rode in a carriage to the Ministry of Rites.
When the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites heard Yan Tongshu's purpose, he was silent for a long time before going to report to the Minister of Rites.
The Minister of Rites, who had just returned from the morning court and hadn't yet recovered from the shock of the proceedings, looked at Yan Tongshu standing before him with an utterly self-righteous expression, and his face twitched violently.
The Minister of Rites took a deep breath and said, "Lord Yan, when it comes to conducting oneself in officialdom, one ought to observe at least the most basic principles of reason."
Yan Tongshu argued, "But the Empress Dowager hasn't retracted her edict."
The Minister of Rites clutched his chest.
You could at least give the Empress Dowager a chance to retract the edict.
Yan Tongshu struck again: "Besides, what kind of precedent would it set for an edict to be issued and then withdrawn? Changing orders at will is nothing short of child's play. In the future, how would the Empress Dowager maintain any credibility?"
The Minister of Rites: "..."
I really want to beat this little wretch to death.
Yan Tongshu delivered the final blow: "If you refuse to acknowledge the Empress Dowager's edict, I will impeach you at tomorrow's morning court."
Get out!
Go back to your Xianlin Hall and stop coming out to torment people!
Even though the Minister of Rites was not a partisan of either the Empress Dowager or Prince Ming, he was still so irritated by Yan Tongshu's twisted logic that his heart ached.
The Minister of Rites waved his hand, summoning an attendant to take the edict and fetch a thousand taels of silver.
Once the silver was handed to Yan Tongshu, the Minister of Rites hurriedly tried to dismiss him: "Lord Yan, here is the thousand taels of silver specified in the Empress Dowager's edict. As for the three-courtyard residence in Jiangzhou, once we contact the local government office there and confirm the property rights, the deed will be delivered to Kaifeng Prefecture."
Yan Tongshu had Pearl and Jinbao put away the silver, and only then did he leave in satisfaction.
After he departed, the Left Vice Minister said indignantly, "This Lord Yan is simply too..."
The Minister of Rites shot him a look, and the Left Vice Minister fell silent of his own accord.
Yan Tongshu held the post of Prefect of Kaifeng, a rank three official. Grumbling in one's heart was one thing, but voicing criticism of a court-appointed official openly was another matter entirely.
The Minister of Rites handed the edict to the Vice Minister: "You go to the Inner Court Bureau and have them make up the deficit for that thousand taels of silver and the three-courtyard residence in Jiangzhou."
The Empress Dowager's edict, the Empress Dowager's reward—naturally it should come out of the Empress Dowager's own coffers. The Ministry of Rites was merely a middleman.
The Left Vice Minister bowed: "Yes."
He lowered his eyes. Soon enough, when the Empress Dowager saw the edict and learned she had to cover the deficit, she would probably be furious enough to burst.
In the Hall of Celebrating Longevity, wisps of blue smoke rose from the gilt incense burner.
The Empress Dowager quickly received word from the Inner Court Bureau.
After hearing it, the Empress Dowager smashed the teacup in her hand on the spot. "This is going too far!"
The female officials of the Hall of Celebrating Longevity knelt on the ground, holding their breath with heads bowed, not daring to move.
The Empress Dowager lifted her gaze to the doorway, where guards stood in tight formation—all the Emperor's men. The Emperor was using this Yan Tongshu to place her under house arrest.
Aunt Suzhou, her consort, tried to console her: "Empress Dowager, the Emperor has the upper hand for now, but that doesn't mean he'll prevail forever. Let us take the long view."
The Empress Dowager's chest heaved, her fingertips digging deep into her palms, each word grinding out from between her teeth: "I will not swallow this insult."
Aunt Su Xiu lowered her voice even further: "There will be other days. As long as Prince Ming remains in power and the court officials stand with us, this house arrest won't last long."
Despite Aunt Su Xiu's repeated reassurances, the Empress Dowager could not suppress the raging fury in her chest: "Sooner or later, I will have Yan Tongshu's life!"
...
A thousand taels of silver weighed dozens of kilograms. Pearl and Jinbao, panting under the weight, carried the chests one by one onto the carriage. The carriage clattered to the Huian Money House, where Yan Tongshu deposited all the silver before returning to the Kaifeng Prefecture.
As it happened, Lady Qing had also returned.
In the courtyard, Lady Qing shielded her two children, standing guard against Granny Chen: "Mother... no, Granny Chen..."
Granny Chen's withered, gnarled hands reached out toward the children. At the sound of the name "Granny Chen," her body swayed. "Qingniang."
Granny Chen gazed at Lady Qing with tear-filled eyes, her voice trembling: "I am your mother-in-law."
Lady Qing shook her head, her tone resolute: "In the courtroom, you were the one who cast me aside first. I, Feng Qingniang, am a woman of my word. I will not take it back."
From her bosom, Lady Qing produced a banknote: "This is the two hundred taels your son gave us as compensation. Now... now that he's in prison and won't be out for ten years, I won't take advantage of the Chen family. I'll raise the two children, and you'll live alone. This two hundred taels—we split it half and half."
Granny Chen did not take the money. Murky tears streamed down her aged face as she wept: "Qingniang, you and Ashi were husband and wife. He made mistakes, I admit that. But are you without blame? Your temper is fierce; you curse and hit. Ordinary men can't stand you, let alone Ashi with his proud nature."
Granny Chen's pallid lips quivered: "Since we all bear some fault, let's both take a step back. Forget the past and return to how things were—wouldn't that be better? Yingge and Jiangge are still so young. You can't manage alone—I can help you take care of them."
Lady Qing had already lost all faith in Granny Chen and Chen Sizhen. She shook her head: "No need. I have a craft, I can earn money. Yingge and Jiangge can help too. We have hands and feet, we can survive. After everything we've been through, I see clearly now—the Chen family has no heart."
As if a thought struck her, Lady Qing shifted the conversation: "No, it's not that the Chen family has no heart. It's that I was too foolish, too naive—I didn't know how to love myself. I only listened to my mother's teachings: obey your husband after marriage, serve your in-laws dutifully. But you never gave birth to me or raised me—why should I treat you like my own mother?
The Chen family married me just so I could work, bear children, and lighten the household's burden. From the very start, it was all use, never affection. When needed, I was the family's mule, your good daughter-in-law. When not needed, I was a shrew, a violent woman, a mad nuisance everyone despised."
Lady Qing wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, her voice firm: "That won't happen anymore. I'll send Yingge and Jiangge to school. I'll teach them to be good people who can tell right from wrong. I'll tell Yingge that no matter which man she marries, the most important thing will always be herself. The one she should love most, the only one, is herself."
Lady Qing looked at Granny Chen, her words clear and precise: “I was foolish all my life, but now it’s time I opened my eyes. When your son had wealth and glory and didn’t want you, you came with me to file a complaint against him, forcing him to acknowledge you. Once he acknowledged you, you no longer wanted me, because he was the imperial consort’s husband, rich enough to support you in your old age. And now, when he has fallen low, ended up in prison, unable to come out for ten years, you suddenly remember me again, thinking I can wait on you hand and foot.”
Lady Qing placed the banknote on the stone bench beside Granny Chen. “The hundred taels of silver your son left you is enough for you to live on. As for the money not buying someone to bring you tea and water or tend to you when you’re sick in bed—that’s your own problem.”
Lady Qing had always been a straight-speaking woman, saying whatever was on her mind.
This time was no different. She thought it, so she said it.
Her mind couldn’t foresee what impact her words would have, nor did she know what a storm they would stir up in Granny Chen’s heart.
But those words were like a dull knife, cutting straight through to the darkest, most unspoken secret in Granny Chen’s soul.
Granny Chen’s face turned pale and red by turns, and she struggled to say, “But… we have so many years of feelings between us…”
Lady Qing had no desire to reminisce. Toward the Chen family, she truly had nothing left to cling to.
Holding a child with each hand, she walked toward the house.
Granny Chen chased after her, calling out in a mournful voice, “Jiangge, Yingge… I’m your grandmother… your grandmother… turn around, look at me…”
The two children turned back and gave her a deep, prolonged look. Then they tightened their grip on Lady Qing’s hands and walked away without turning back again.
Granny Chen’s legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the ground, beating her chest and wailing loudly.
Yan Tongshu passed by Granny Chen with Pearl and Jinbao. Pearl and Jinbao, unable to hold back their anger, turned to Granny Chen and snorted, “Heartless.”
The three of them entered Lady Qing’s bedroom, where Lady Qing had already finished packing her things.
Clearly, her determination to return to Jiangzhou was set in stone.
Yan Tongshu gave Pearl a look, and Pearl took out a thousand taels’ worth of banknotes.
Yan Tongshu said, “Lady Qing, this is the thousand taels of silver bestowed upon you by the Empress Dowager’s edict. When I passed by the Hui’an Exchange House, I had them converted into notes of a hundred taels, fifty taels, ten taels, and one tael each. Keep the large ones carefully hidden and don’t tell anyone on the road. The small ones can go in your coin purse, to buy things along the way.”
The banknotes that Chen Sizhen had given were exactly two notes of a hundred taels each. Lady Qing had given Granny Chen one, and she still had one of a hundred taels left.
A hundred taels was too large a sum; she would have to go to the exchange house to convert it into silver anyway. Yan Tongshu figured Lady Qing wouldn’t want to spend it, so he took the liberty of breaking the thousand taels into smaller denominations.
Lady Qing held the thick stack of banknotes and thanked him repeatedly.
She had already calculated that once she returned to Jiangzhou, she would go back to selling sesame crisps. The hundred taels from Chen Sizhen would be set aside for the two children’s schooling. If the children studied frugally and she supplemented the rest, it would last ten years.
She never expected that the thousand taels from the Empress Dowager’s edict could actually be cashed, let alone that Lord Yan would personally bring it back to her.
She immediately ordered Chen Yingge and Chen Jiangge to kneel and kowtow to Yan Tongshu.
Yan Tongshu hurriedly urged her to rise: “No kowtowing, whatever you do, don’t kowtow.”
Kowtowing in the courtroom was one thing, but in everyday life, Yan Tongshu was truly not accustomed to people bowing to her like that.
Yan Tongshu held her hand and said, “There is also a residence in Jiangzhou. It will take some time to contact the Jiangzhou authorities, select a good location, and draw up the property deed. You may stay in Kaifeng during that time. However, I would advise that once you receive the deed, you immediately find a pawnshop or a buyer in Kaifeng and sell the house, converting it into banknotes. If you return to Jiangzhou alone with two half-grown children, such a large residence would easily invite the envy of others and bring danger.”
Lady Qing nodded repeatedly. “I understand. Thank you for your advice, Lord Yan. When I go back, I won’t return to the village. I’ll find a new place and buy a small house to live in. On holidays and from time to time, I’ll go back home for visits, bring some food, and I definitely won’t flaunt any wealth.”
Hearing Lady Qing say this, Yan Tongshu felt relieved. He reached out to Jinbao, who took the bundle from his back and handed it to Chen Yingge and Chen Jiangge.
Jinbao patted both children on the head and, in the manner of an older brother, said, “These are gifts from the young master. There are nine volumes in total—all the Four Books and Five Classics are included. When you go back, remember to study hard, understand?”
The two children answered crisply, “Mm, thank you, Brother Jinbao, Sister Pearl, and thank you, Lord Yan.”
With all that settled, Yan Tongshu told Lady Qing not to rush moving out of Kaifeng Prefecture and to stay for a while longer. Only then did he return to his study with Pearl and Jinbao to resume official work.
Around midday, Xu Qiu suddenly stumbled in, gasping, “L-Lord Yan, f-found it.”
He had run so fast he was out of breath, yet his face was drained of all color, as if he had seen something horrifying.
Yan Tongshu set down his brush. “What did you find?”
Xu Qiu’s expression twisted as his voice trembled. “Feng—Feng Rang, Lady Qing’s younger brother.”
Yan Tongshu frowned. “Wasn’t it said that a year ago, while lodging at Hongwen Temple, he fled because he couldn’t pay the rent?”
Xu Qiu swallowed hard. “He didn’t—didn’t flee…”
Yan Tongshu: “Then where is he?”
The moment Xu Qiu recalled what he had seen, his face contorted even more. “He’s dead. But the body… the body…”
He shook his head violently, his face a mixture of terror and revulsion. “This lowly one has never seen such a sight—it looked like some kind of demon! Even the coroner was scared out of his wits!”
Yan Tongshu let out a puzzled “Ah?” “What’s wrong with the body?”
“Aiyo!” Xu Qiu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. “Lord Yan, you’d better go see it with your own eyes. The entire yamen is terrified—no one dares get close. It took this lowly one a great deal of effort just to carry the corpse back.”
