Chapter 308
**Chapter 306: The Shaky Foundations of the Xie Family**
Not only was Xie Fanghua shocked, but every member of the Xie family kneeling to receive the imperial edict wore a look of utter disbelief.
Gonggong Deshun spoke calmly as he handed the edict to Xie Ji. “Xie Daren, please accept the decree.”
Xie Ji knelt on the ground, his hands trembling.
He accepted the edict.
With a wave of his hand, Gonggong Deshun signaled for the guards from the Ministry of Justice to enter, ready to take away the guilty Zhao Yiniang. Zhao Yiniang trembled in fear, crawling behind Xie Ji, her voice choked with tears. “My lord, please save me! I’ve been framed! Fanghua is only eighteen, unmarried—how can our daughter become a nun?”
Xie Ji felt as if his heart were being sliced open.
But the emperor’s authority was paramount. If he dared to defy the edict and protect Zhao Yiniang today, the officials opposing him would have even more excuses to attack him.
Xie Ji did not dare to resist the decree. He grasped Zhao Yiniang’s hand tightly. “Don’t be afraid. I will find a way to save you. The Xie family is known for its loyalty and valor. My elder sister is the esteemed Empress Dowager; no one dares to touch the Xie family.”
Tears streamed down Zhao Yiniang’s face as she chose to believe Xie Ji’s words.
For years, under Xie Ji’s protection, Zhao Yiniang had thought she could manipulate everyone at will. But today, with the emperor’s might looming overhead, she realized that without Xie Ji’s protection, she was just a helpless woman who sold wine.
Without Xie Ji, she was nothing.
“My lord, I’m leaving,” Zhao Yiniang said, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Xie Ji. “You must protect our child.”
Xie Ji closed his eyes. “Alright.”
“Mother, let go of my mother!” Xie Fanghua stumbled to her feet, trying to chase after Zhao Yiniang, but was blocked by two old nuns wearing gray hats.
Gonggong Deshun informed Xie Fanghua, “Miss Xie, these two are the masters from Jiguang Monastery. They are here to take you to the temple for tonsure.”
She hid behind Xie Ji, clutching his sleeve in fear. “Father! I don’t want to go to the temple! I don’t want to be a nun!”
She was the pampered daughter of the Xie family, accustomed to luxury and beauty. Her parents had always told her that she would one day enter the palace to become a consort, perhaps even an empress!
But now, she hadn’t even set foot in the palace, and a cruel edict had shattered her dreams.
Xie Ji, who cherished this daughter the most, felt a pang of heartache. He turned to Gonggong Deshun and asked, “Gonggong, when did my daughter offend the Guifei? There must be some misunderstanding.”
Gonggong Deshun’s tone was icy as he pronounced Xie Fanghua’s crimes. “Today in the Imperial Garden, Miss Xie spoke disrespectfully to Guifei Chen. After leaving the garden, Guifei Chen fell ill with a high fever and lost consciousness, alarming the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Xie Daren, your daughter is lacking in virtue and conduct. The Emperor and Empress Dowager have shown mercy by sparing her life.”
Xie Fanghua screamed, “That’s nonsense! I didn’t offend Guifei Chen! She must be jealous of me, afraid I would steal the Emperor’s favor, and is deliberately framing me!”
Gonggong Deshun’s face was as cold as ice, mocking her. “Miss Xie, you truly have excellent upbringing.”
Xie Ji felt a chill in his heart and turned to scold Xie Fanghua. “You foolish girl, stop talking nonsense!”
In front of the palace steward, how could she recklessly slander Guifei Chen? It was tantamount to courting disaster.
Xie Fanghua, feeling wronged, shed tears as she pitifully tugged at Xie Ji’s sleeve. “Father, I misspoke... but I really don’t want to be a nun.”
Xie Ji’s heart ached, and he suddenly felt a wave of regret.
For years, he had felt guilty towards Zhao Yiniang and their children, showering them with affection. But in indulging them too much, he had allowed Xie Fanghua to become arrogant and reckless.
“Take Miss Xie away,” Gonggong Deshun ordered.
Two old nuns immediately stepped forward, grabbing Xie Fanghua’s arms and pulling her out.
Xie Fanghua was truly frightened; she shook her head frantically. “I don’t want to be a nun! I want to be an empress!”
Xie Ji’s eyelids twitched violently, and he hurriedly signaled for a servant to cover Xie Fanghua’s mouth. In a fit of anger, Xie Fanghua rolled her eyes and fainted, collapsing to the ground.
The two old nuns helped her away.
Both Zhao Yiniang and Xie Fanghua were taken, and after delivering the edict, Gonggong Deshun turned and left with the imperial guards. Xie Ji rushed forward, pulling out a thick stack of silver notes from his sleeve and handing them to Gonggong Deshun.
“Gonggong, my wife and daughter are just women, speaking without thinking. Please, don’t let the noble ladies in the palace know,” Xie Ji said gently.
Gonggong Deshun did not accept the silver notes, smiling. “Xie Daren, you are too kind. I serve the royal family and share their burdens; how could I accept private gifts?”
He outright refused the bribe.
Gonggong Deshun said, “Xie Daren, take care of yourself.”
With that, he left with the imperial guards.
The autumn wind blew, leaving the courtyard desolate. Xie Ji clutched the bright yellow edict tightly, his cold eyes glaring at Gonggong Deshun’s retreating figure, muttering, “Ungrateful eunuch.”
With his beloved wife and daughter taken away, a shadow loomed over the Xie family.
Xie Ji’s steward hurried in to report, “My lord, last night, Lord Wu entered the palace to see the Emperor. It seems he is targeting the Xie family.”
Xie Ji’s face turned icy.
...
...
Shen Wei’s illness came on suddenly, and days passed without improvement.
During her illness, the court was tumultuous, with waves of unrest. The head of the Wu family submitted a petition, accusing the Xie family of mistreating and poisoning the legitimate wife while favoring the concubine.
In the Ministry of Justice’s prison, Zhao Yiniang, unable to withstand the torture, confessed the truth about her poisoning scheme against the Wu family.
But this clever woman never implicated Xie Ji, claiming instead that her jealousy had driven her to harm the mistress.
She cleared Xie Ji of any wrongdoing. Zhao Yiniang knew that as long as Xie Ji was safe, her two sons would also be out of danger.
In no time, rumors swirled through Yanjing, and the Xie family’s scandals became the talk of the town, their reputation in tatters. The current Emperor decreed the execution of the malicious Zhao Yiniang and issued an edict allowing Xie Ji to divorce Wu Shi.
As the winds of turmoil swept through the capital, a pitch-black carriage quietly rolled out of Yanjing.
Two strong steeds pulled the black carriage swiftly along the official road. The windows of the carriage were covered with black cloth, preventing any light from seeping in.
Inside the carriage, the national master of the Yue Kingdom leaned back in his chair, enveloped in a dark robe, his gaze shadowy.
He opened a silver-glimmering box, revealing a peculiar object that pulsed with a rhythmic white light.
This small item was no larger than a sandbag, encased in a layer of silver metal, adorned with strange patterns and inscriptions. It was a precious relic left behind by Princess Li Qingxun a century ago.
The national master sighed, his voice like the sound of waves lapping against the shore at night, tinged with a hint of cold bitterness. “I acted impulsively.”
He shouldn’t have come to Yanjing to see Mo Xun so recklessly.
Bringing the item from the box to Yanjing, he feared that its proximity to Mo Xun might cause her to fall ill.
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