Chapter 157: The Matter Is Done, Yet the Heart Remains Cold

In the warm morning light, a carriage traveled along the winding ancient path of Mount Mount Qixia.

Jia Cong lifted the carriage curtain, gazing at the bleak mountain scenery outside; early winter was approaching, and last night's rain had left the air cool and damp.

Inside the carriage, however, it was soft and warm, with a faint sweet fragrance of gardenia blossoms.

Jia Cong had spent three days copying sutras at Anding Temple; today was the day to return to the city. Before dawn, Xiang Ling had risen early to pack.

The mountain road twisted and turned, the carriage swayed, and Xiang Ling, being young and naturally fond of sleep, had not rested well that morning; soon she grew drowsy.

Her snow-white, delicate face tilted, resting against Jia Cong's right shoulder; with such peace in her heart, she fell asleep at once.

Jia Cong looked down at her lips, like twin gardenia petals, coated with fresh rouge that glowed like red jade, soft and glistening.

Qing Wen had crushed gardenia blossoms from the Jia family's old mansion to make several jars of rouge, filling the entire house with a sweet floral scent.

Xiang Ling naturally received one such jar.

In truth, Jia Cong still harbored many doubts about the Zou Zou Huaiyi case.

Since coming to Jia Cong's side, she had lived far better than before—eating and sleeping soundly, free of worry; her once-thin face had softened into a gentle roundness, becoming even more lovely and delicate.

That day, Zou Zou Huaiyi, knowing he was cornered, was persuaded by Zhang Kangnian, Assistant Regional Commander of the Jin Ling Guard, to surrender; Zhang promised to plead with his superiors to ensure his wife and daughter remained unharmed, his sincerity heartfelt.

Zou Zou Huaiyi's crimes were countless; what Emperor Jia Zhao most cared about was how to make an example of him.

Not to mention the sixty-one lives taken in the Yingtian Prefecture Ya under his orders.

Since Zou Zou Huaiyi had committed suicide in the mansion that day, six or seven days had passed.

It was said that Du Heng, Regional Military Commissioner of the Guard, and Assistant Regional Commander Zhang Kangnian had indeed petitioned the throne to show mercy to his wife and daughter.

But Zou Zou Huaiyi's blood debts were too great; he had abused his official position to recruit and direct Japanese pirates to murder and plunder ships, undermining the Emperor's vigorous maritime trade policy—enough to warrant confiscation of property and extermination of his clan.

Previously, when she was with Dong Dong Laier, merely having enough to eat and wear was a luxury; she had never used rouge. Now, after being influenced by Qing Wen several times, she had naturally developed some feminine inclinations.

It was one thing for the Ministry of Justice to send subordinate officials—it was another for Emperor Jia Zhao to involve the Tribunal of Cruelty, known for its harshness; the Emperor had clearly decided on execution.

Otherwise, given the enormity of his crimes, under the Emperor's fury, even if he escaped lingchi, he would have been sentenced to beheaded and left to rot.

…

The Emperor's edict arrived in Jin Ling two days before the orders from the Five Armies Command, and Jia Zhao's wording was exceptionally severe, demanding a full investigation into Zou Zou Huaiyi of the Water Supervision Office and all accomplices, with strict punishment.

Emperor Jia Zhao was calculating and suspicious, ruling with harshness; he never showed leniency toward defiance or disobedience.

Accompanying the edict were a group of officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Tribunal of Cruelty, primarily to take over the investigation of Zou Zou Huaiyi's case and handle its final matters.

But upon later recalling that scene, Jia Cong felt a chill run through him.

Now it seemed Zou Zou Huaiyi's swift, clean slash of his throat had been a merciful exit.

Zou Zou Huaiyi, a single rotten apple, had spoiled the whole barrel; Jin Ling's officialdom was about to face a bloody storm.

At the time, it had truly been moving to hear.

He must be used to intimidate the corrupt and hidden villains of the bureaucracy; how could the Emperor grant mercy because of a few military officers' pleas?

At the time, though Zou Zou Huaiyi knew his crimes were exposed and his path to survival cut off, he had not entirely lost the will to live.

Had Zhang Kangnian not urged him to surrender and promised to protect his family, would he have been provoked into killing himself in court?

It vaguely seemed as if Zhang Kangnian had urged him to die—as a condition for saving his wife and daughter—and that Zou Zou Huaiyi's immediate suicide was an act of devotion, a death pledge to Zhang.

Afterward, Jia Cong recalled that strange scene countless times; each recollection sent a cold shiver through his entire body.

…

That day, Jia Cong accidentally learned Zou Zou Huaiyi was about to celebrate his fortieth birthday, and he proposed to Prince Ning that they seize this divine opportunity, arresting him during the birthday banquet.

For any birthday banquet, security would never be overly tight; those invited to pay respects would surely be close to Zou Zou Huaiyi, including many of his accomplices.

Moreover, news of the prisoners in Yingtian Prefecture's jail had been sealed tightly, with no leaks.

Jia Cong, inspired by the square iron token sent by Qu Qu Hongxiu, spread rumors that Prince Ning had occasionally captured important figures from the Hidden Sect and imprisoned them in Yingtian Prefecture's jail, deliberately muddying the waters.

This caused Zou Zou Huaiyi and his circle to lower their guard; until the day Jia Cong returned from Yangzhou to Jin Ling, everything remained calm—a stroke of luck.

On the day Zou Zou Huaiyi killed himself, Prince Ning arrived at the Zou mansion immediately; all guests were temporarily detained, and after interrogation, many suspicious individuals were arrested on the spot—truly a case of achieving twice the result with half the effort.

In recent days, officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Tribunal of Cruelty, based on recovered fragments of documents from the Water Supervision Office and confessions from accomplices,

had also found the twenty thousand taels of lost foreign goods at an abandoned mansion in northern Jin Ling, the day of the Longtan Port incident; thus, Zou Zou Huaiyi's full list of crimes was now complete.

Yet Zou Zou Huaiyi, under his orders, had orchestrated dozens of major crimes overseas, plundering countless foreign goods and assets, the total value of which was enormous.

Excluding the twenty thousand taels of goods and the property seized from the Zou mansion, the recovered amount was less than one or two tenths of the estimated total.

Where had the rest of those staggering assets gone? Could their beneficiaries be merely a lowly Water Supervision Office?

Zou Zou Huaiyi's hasty suicide took upon himself all blame for the Longtan Port case; many hidden truths vanished with him, beyond proof.

Perhaps this had protected the man behind Zou Zou Huaiyi—perhaps that man was Zhang Kangnian, whose rank exceeded Zou Zou Huaiyi's, or someone even greater.

Perhaps this powerful figure was Du Heng, Regional Military Commissioner of the Jin Ling Guard, the third-rank military commander who held over ten thousand troops and governed the region as a frontier lord.

But all this was merely his speculation, with no concrete evidence; given his nature, he would never speak such baseless claims to Prince Ning.

At the time, dozens of Prince Ning's personal guards had been beside him; whatever he saw, they saw too, and someone would surely recount the scene to Prince Ning—the judgment rested entirely with Prince Ning himself.

If all his speculations were true, the connections behind this matter were far too vast.

He was merely a minor scholar, who had accidentally served as Prince Ning's advisor; he had done all he could, and that was enough.

He had many paths of his own to walk; entangling himself in such treacherous affairs brought him far more harm than benefit, and the course of events was entirely beyond his control.

Withdrawing promptly and distancing himself was the wisest course.

He had been in Jin Ling for over two months, yet had known little peace; instead, he had drawn upon himself a heap of troubles.

Fortunately, just a few days after returning from the Zou mansion, the affairs related to the Longtan Port case had gradually been taken over by the Ministry of Justice and the Tribunal of Cruelty.

Jia Cong then seized the chance to withdraw, hiding at Anding Temple to Zhuanxin copy sutras, or spending time in the old mansion of Xinglong Fang with a few maids.

…

The carriage was nearly at Xinglong Fang when Xiang Ling still leaned softly against Jia Cong's shoulder, fast asleep.

Only when Jia Cong pinched her smooth earlobe did she stir drowsily: "Young Master, have we arrived?"

Once inside her courtyard, Liu Wuer stepped forward, wearing a smoky pine-green jacket embroidered with white plum blossoms at the cuffs, paired with an ai-green long skirt, graceful and charming, smiling brightly: "Cong Sanye has returned."

Liu Wuer helped him take off his outer robe, change into loose home clothes, remove his boots, slip on soft slippers, and brought warm water to wash his face.

(End of Chapter)