43 Ye Cheng Fu

 FlamingoBees 

Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)

Home    :    Novels

Ye Cheng Fu

 Chapter 43: 

 

“At that time, when your aunt wanted to move the funds, you were the military supervisor. She needed your approval to do so. So, your aunt stole your seal to redirect the funds, and the official in the Ministry of War who approved the funds was Shangguan Liucheng.”

Hearing this, I finally understood.

“So, they want to accuse me of embezzling the ten thousand taels of military funds from the first year of Yuan De and then claim that I killed Shangguan Liulan to cover up this embezzlement. This way, not only will I be accused of killing Shangguan Liulan, but they will also charge me with embezzlement. They intend for me to be executed on these grounds. If I don’t want them to succeed, I would have to expose my aunt. But... they know I won’t betray my aunt. Given her poor health, if she comes here, she will likely leave in a coffin.”

With that, I felt a sudden clarity and understood much more.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

“I will find a way outside,” my mother said with a resolute look in her eyes. “You... need to protect your aunt.”

“I understand,” I nodded. My mother put her hat back on and prepared to leave. Before she left, I couldn’t help but call out to her.

“Mother,” I said in a hoarse voice, “you’re only thirty-eight this year. The Shu family is close-knit. We could adopt a child to raise from a young age; it would be almost like having a daughter.”

My mother said nothing. I saw her grip the edge of her hat until her knuckles turned white. I sighed, leaned against the wall, and whispered, “If you can’t protect her... then let it be.”

“Shu Cheng,” my mother’s voice was hoarse as the night wind whipped her black cloak. Standing in the night, she was as tall and unyielding as the trees in my childhood memories, sheltering me from the wind and rain. I couldn’t help but smile through my tears. Finally, she cried out, “I gave birth to you and raised you, only for you to demean yourself like this! The Shu family is not in such dire straits that I would have to stoop so low. I know you’re afraid of confronting her, but if I must go to my grave with her, so be it!”

“You are my only daughter,” she said, turning to me with a determined expression. “You should cherish yourself and value your life above all else.”

With that, she hurried away. I stood there, dumbfounded, unable to find the words.

In this world, no one loves their children more than parents, and no bond can surpass this one.

But because I understand this, my mother...

I closed my eyes.

—I would rather die myself than see you suffer.

After my mother left, I sat on the stone bed, dazedly contemplating everything. The empress' scheme was indeed intricate and relentless, designed to trap me without escape. She knew I would risk everything to help Liulan and take the blame for my aunt. But I couldn’t fathom why the empress suddenly brought up my aunt’s case. Was it truly just a coincidence? It had been nine years...

I sighed and, unwilling to dwell on it further, closed my eyes and hugged myself to sleep. Despite the cold, hard stone bed and the foul, dirty surroundings, I hadn’t slept properly in days and drifted off into a deep slumber until dawn.

The next morning, I heard the sound of a lock being opened, followed by soldiers rushing in to drag me out. As they pulled me roughly, my shoulder blades ached intensely, and I couldn’t help but cry out, “Let go, let go! It hurts!”

They ignored my pleas and dragged me straight to the torture chamber. Seeing the familiar instruments of torture, my face tightened with dread.

Is there a more wretched noble than me...?

I was shockingly familiar with these torture devices!

The attendants began to expertly strap me to the torture rack. I didn’t resist; instead, I desperately tried to think of how I could avoid suffering...

My mind raced quickly, and soon I heard the sycophantic voice of a guard, “Lord Qin, this way, please. The person is already bound and waiting for you.”

Hearing this, I felt even worse. When I looked up, I indeed saw Qin Yang.

She was dressed in a deep red robe, holding a small leather whip, and walked towards me with a smiling face.

“Lord Shu, it’s been a while.”

“Lord Qin...” I forced a smile and said slowly, “What brings you here...?”

Qin Yang smiled enigmatically and sat down in a chair facing me. A nearby attendant dutifully brought a cup of chrysanthemum tea, which I knew was used to cool the fire.

I swallowed hard. Qin Yang took a sip of tea without showing any emotion. The branding iron was glowing red-hot in the brazier. An attendant pulled it out, checked it, and reported, “Lord Qin, everything is ready.”

“Hmm.” Qin Yang lazily glanced around, causing me to shiver. Seeing my reaction, Qin Yang couldn’t help but laugh, then slowly said, “Shu Cheng, I thought you were quite capable.”

“I’ve always been able to bend and adapt.”

“Hmm... I agree with that,” Qin Yang rarely nodded in agreement, but her face showed a troubled expression. “Shu Cheng, actually, I don’t want to handle this case.”

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

If you don’t want to, then don’t! Why put yourself through this? Lord Qin, just leave!

“But there’s no one else to handle it in the court. The deceased is the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court and the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and the defendant is the young master of the Shu family. Those who want to handle it either lack the qualification or ability, and those who are qualified and capable avoid it. The Empress picked me because of our previous grievances.”

Yes, I knew. From the moment Qin Yang stood in front of me, I knew it was deliberate!

This political adversary and later romantic rival who has fought with me for years, who hated me so much she would have liked to crush my bones, and whom I had oppressed for years by leveraging my family’s power—now, today, she would have her revenge, not just to avenge herself but also to fulfill the Empress' carefully planned intentions.

So, I resigned myself to my fate and stopped thinking about how to struggle. I felt that my luck had run out. The wheel of fortune had turned, and I found myself in Qin Yang’s hands.

I took a deep breath and said calmly, “Let’s settle old and new grudges together.”

“Master Shu, don’t say that,” Qin Yang said with a smiling eye, “I’m here on imperial orders, and everything is for the sake of uncovering the truth. Let’s not beat around the bush. I’ll ask straightforwardly, and you just need to answer honestly. On the 9th of April, what did you and Master Shangguan Liulan do?”

“We had drinks.”

“And then?”

“I went back to the Phoenix Tower... In the middle of the night, someone from the Shangguan family came to inform me that Lord Shangguan wanted to see me, so I went. Later, Lord Shangguan told me she wanted to find Zheng Can, and out of friendship, I set out that night to find him.”

“Did anyone from the Shangguan family know you had been there that night?”

“I don’t know.”

“Who was with Master Shangguan when you went? What did they look like? What were they doing?”

Qin Yang then had someone bring me a stack of white paper and ordered that my bindings be loosened so I could draw the appearances of those people.

As someone from a prestigious family, my drawing skills were not on par with a master’s, but I could manage a simple portrait. I tried hard to recall the people from that night and sketched each one as best as I could. After I finished and handed the drawings to Qin Yang, she reviewed them one by one and said, “They are all dead. Now, be more specific about what you and Master Shangguan talked about and did.”

“I was called out at that time, and because the situation was urgent, my husband…” I choked up a bit before continuing, “Su Rongqing and I used lightness skills to get to Shangguan’s residence. When we arrived at Shangguan Liulan’s room, there were only five people inside, and the corridor outside was unlit…”

I knew Qin Yang was examining the details of my testimony, trying to match it against the evidence to verify the truthfulness of my account. Therefore, I described everything in as much detail as possible, not omitting any aspects.

After I finished, feeling parched, Qin Yang kindly had someone bring me water, frowning as she said, “Repeat it again.”

I had no choice but to recall and recite the details once more.

Qin Yang did not look up. The person taking notes had been replaced because the previous one’s hand had become sore.

The new scribe, like the previous one, wrote swiftly, seemingly trying to capture every word.

“Shen Ye was waiting outside the door. I didn’t look back when I went out…

“There weren’t any special sounds, only breathing. When I left, Shangguan Liulan was seriously ill but still very conscious.

“I didn’t kill her…

“I don’t know…”

I repeated my memories over and over until I was mentally exhausted, my throat painfully dry from constant speaking and drinking water. Qin Yang sat patiently, listening as I recounted the details again and again. When I could no longer continue, she finally said, “Alright, take a break.”

She signaled for the recorded testimony to be brought forward. I stopped and began to wonder about Qin Yang’s intentions. It dawned on me that she was likely checking for inconsistencies between my repeated accounts.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

This realization made me uneasy. I had never handled a case before, but Shangguan Liulan once told me in jest that if a memory is genuine and not fabricated, it would never be identical in every recounting; there would always be some discrepancies. If Qin Yang was probing from this angle, I was in serious trouble.

“Master Shu,” Qin Yang said, after briefly reviewing the testimonies, “I have a general understanding of Lord Shangguan’s case. Perhaps you could tell me about the military funds from the first year of the Yuan De era?”

I fell silent upon hearing this.

I was indeed unaware of the details regarding the military funds from that year, but the only people who could have accessed those funds were either I or my aunt. If I outright denied it, they would likely imprison my aunt for questioning. Given her frail health, imprisonment would likely mean her death, leaving me with no real option but to remain silent.

“So, Master Shu is unwilling to even defend yourself?” Qin Yang asked gently.

“This matter,” I rasped, with a bitter tone, “I have nothing to say.”

Qin Yang nodded in understanding and did not press further. She had the testimonies organized and said, “It seems Master Shu is tired. I will visit again tomorrow.”

As Qin Yang stood up to leave, I found myself curious and called out, “Master Qin, I have a question.”

“I’m not trying to make things difficult for you,” Qin Yang seemed to anticipate my question, speaking first, “I just don’t want to add insult to injury. If I wanted to trouble you, I wouldn’t choose this moment.”

With that, Qin Yang walked away. Her words left me stunned, reflecting on her character. Despite the dire situation, she seemed to have a certain integrity, understanding that I was being framed and not pressing further. It was a rare and commendable quality in a time when many would exploit the situation for personal gain.

As I was led back to the prison, I sighed, feeling a mix of complicated emotions. 

Later in the night, I heard footsteps approaching. Expecting it might be my mother, I was surprised when a larger figure entered. 

He removed his hood, revealing a face marked by bloodshot eyes and exhaustion. Standing at the doorway, he gazed at me with a mix of reproach and deep sympathy. His gaze made me feel intensely guilty, and I hurried towards him.

“It’s so late—what are you doing here?” I asked.

He remained silent, simply observing me. He had always taken care of his appearance, but now he looked as though he hadn’t groomed himself in days, with stubble growing on his chin.

After a thorough examination of me, he slowly closed his eyes.

“Shu Cheng,” he said hoarsely, “if you continue like this, you’ll end up dead at Shen Ye’s hands.”

I hadn’t anticipated that Bai Shaotang would mention Shen Ye as his first point of discussion. At such a critical moment, I recognized the weight of Bai Shaotang’s words, and my expression grew serious.

“Have you discovered something?” I asked urgently.

“I only want to ask you one thing,” Bai Shaotang said. “Given your relationship with your Aunt Shu Huang and how much you care about her, have you ever mentioned this to Shen Ye?”

I immediately understood Bai Shaotang’s implication.

The incident with Shangguan Liuyan’s death was merely a pretext. While there were witnesses, the Shu family’s influence could have potentially spun it in our favor. The real challenge was the involvement of Aunt Shu Huang’s case. 

The schemers behind this knew very well about my attachment to Aunt Shu Huang. They anticipated that I would rather endure everything myself than let her suffer in prison. Hence, they exploited the case from nine years ago to frame me. They knew that even if I realized I was being framed, and even if my defense could provide a slim chance of survival, I would still never speak out.

The emotions of aristocratic families are typically restrained, and few understand the depth of my bond with Aunt Shu Huang. The planners were meticulous and would not have randomly chosen a relative to accuse. So, why was it precisely Aunt Shu Huang who was targeted?

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

•••

Prev  :  TOC :  Next

https://ko-fi.com/flamingobeestranslations

https://twitter.com/FlamingoBee2009

Thank You For Reading <3