Qin Mang was a few years older than Qin Qianyuan. His hatred for the Marquis of Jinyang was the most common trope in storybooks—a handsome渣男 (scumbag) abandoning his wife and child for the sake of marrying a noble lady.
The only difference was that Qin Mang's mother was not the Marquis of Jinyang's lawfully wedded wife, but a清倌儿 (virtuous courtesan) from a pleasure house.
Having married the Empress Dowager's own sister, the Marquis of Jinyang naturally wanted no stain on his reputation. He almost tricked Qin Mang and his mother out of the city and forced his mother to jump off a cliff with him in her arms.
Fortunately, they did not fall to the bottom of the cliff but landed on a protruding stone platform halfway down. Behind the platform was a cave.
Passing through the cave, they returned to the heart of the mountain range.
His mother, to protect him, suffered internal injuries. Without money for treatment, the injuries lingered, and for those few years, she did anything and everything to support him.
Meanwhile, the Marquis of Jinyang, leveraging his wife's family connections, thrived. Before long, he became a first-rank marquis.
The winter his mother passed away, the weather was especially cold. Qin Mang, clad in rags, stood on a street corner and watched as the Marquis of Jinyang, holding a delicately carved little girl, entered the opulent Dongbo Tower.
It was then that Qin Mang vowed to exact his bloody revenge at any cost!
He changed his name and entered the Qin manor. Within a few years, he became the Marquis of Jinyang's confidant and was bestowed the Qin surname. What he didn't know was that his original surname was Qin Mang!
Qin Mang's thoughts drifted, and he felt like weeping and laughing at the same time.
Mother, do you see?
Mother, I have finally avenged you!
"Marquis of Jinyang!"
Ji Hong's voice was low, the end of his words carrying a hoarse, breathy sound. Although his tone was not high and his voice not loud, it instilled an oppressive fear, like dark clouds pressing down, about to shatter the city.
The Marquis of Jinyang trembled like a sieve, his fear so great he was on the verge of incontinence.
"Your, Your Majesty!"
His words were jumbled, his voice so shaky it was barely audible.
"I have greatly favored you all these years, and this is how you repay me?"
"Instigating your own brother to seize civilian land, allowing servants in your manor to bully common girls, framing imperial ministers for personal gain, and now, you have murdered a first-rank imperial official and colluded with the Empress Dowager…"
Mentioning the Empress Dowager, Ji Hong's voice faltered. Even though all evidence pointed to her, she was, after all, his mother. No matter her faults, he could not point out her transgressions in front of the assembled ministers.
But the moment he thought of her schemes, Ji Hong felt as if his heart were being sliced by a knife.
The pain in his eyes was unconcealable. The ministers exchanged glances, their eyes darting about, their thoughts unknown.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am wronged, I am truly wronged!"
The Marquis of Jinyang dared not argue further, only crying out his innocence. He kowtowed, his peripheral vision fixed on the direction of the inner palace, as if waiting for someone to save him.
"Heh, wronged!"
Ji Hong let out a laugh of extreme anger. Seeing the direction he was looking, he added, "Stop looking. The Empress Dowager cannot come."
Indeed, the Empress Dowager could not come.
Xuan Lin, with the Xuanjia Army, had surrounded the Empress Dowager's palace. Not a single person, not even a fly, could escape.
Jingren Palace.
The Empress Dowager twirled her prayer beads, reclining on a soft couch, her eyes closed in repose.
"Empress Dowager!"
Cuiping knelt beside the Empress Dowager, massaging her legs. She spoke with indignant frustration, "Those scoundrels have surrounded our Jingren Palace, forbidding entry and exit. Even the sisters from the imperial kitchen who bring you pastries are being stopped outside."
"Your Majesty, what are they doing?"
The Empress Dowager slightly raised her eyelids and glanced at Cuiping. The young maid's pretty face was full of resentment, and her dark eyes seemed to be spewing fire. Though a bit noisy, she was young. The Empress Dowager found her amusing and, instead of getting angry, calmly said, "There was a problem with the year-end ritual. The Emperor fears intruders entering Jingren Palace. It's only for a day. I am not angered, so why should you be so upset?"
Cuiping lowered her head and admitted her mistake, "Your Majesty is right to reprimand me. This servant has made a mountain out of a molehill."
The Empress Dowager said nothing more and slowly closed her eyes. Her hand, however, did not stop its motion, continuously twirling the beads. The crisp sound of the beads colliding echoed within Jingren Palace, mingling with the fragrant scent from the brazier, inducing drowsiness.
Cuiping unconsciously yawned several times.
The Empress Dowager said, "You didn't sleep well last night? Go and rest!"
"But Your Majesty…"
"Go down!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Cuiping expressed her gratitude and left the main hall. Outside, she felt much more awake. She turned to look back into the palace. Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the soft couch where the Empress Dowager reclined. However, the sunlight illuminated the space beside the Empress Dowager, creating a play of light and shadow that cast her figure in a somewhat sinister light.
Like a venomous snake hidden in the dark.
The thought sent a shiver down Cuiping's spine. She vigorously patted her head, turned, and hurried to her own room.
As she passed the grassy area by the stone path, Cuiping thought she heard a hissing sound, like a snake flicking its tongue.
Cuiping shivered again, pulling her outer garment tighter, and quickened her pace.
...
"Guards, escort the Marquis of Jinyang to the imperial prison."
Ji Hong gave the Marquis of Jinyang no further opportunity to辯解 (defend himself) and immediately had him confined to the inner imperial prison. He then said to Zhang Heng, "Send all those in the Marquis of Jinyang's manor to prison."
"Yes!"
Zhang Heng accepted the order.
After the Marquis of Jinyang was dragged away, the ministers still dared not speak. Everyone knew that today's events were far from being resolved by dealing with just the Marquis of Jinyang and his manor.
The crucial issue was the Empress Dowager!
Ji Hong turned and looked at Ji Jinmo, "Imperial Uncle, the hour is late. I will not keep you and Feng Luan."
Ji Jinmo smiled, stood up, and brushed the dust off his clothes. He picked up the Wentian Sword that had been thrown aside and looked down at Ji Hong, "If that is the case, your subject shall take his leave."
Nan Shiying, momentarily lost in thought, felt as if these two were toying with the assembled ministers. She slowly stood up and walked to Ji Jinmo's side, bowing to Ji Hong, "This commoner takes his leave."
Ji Hong did not look up. Ji Jinmo and Nan Chaoyin paid it no mind and walked side-by-side towards the palace gates.
Wherever they went, the crowd parted on its own.
Everyone almost watched the two depart until their figures disappeared into the distance. Only then did they withdraw their gazes and look at Ji Hong.
Ji Hong stood up and, without a word, turned and walked towards the imperial study.
The eunuchs, seeing this, quickly said, "His Majesty returns to the palace. All officials are dismissed."
Upon their words, they hurried to follow.
"Your subjects respectfully see off His Majesty."
What could the ministers say? They could only respectfully see Ji Hong off until his figure also vanished from sight. Only then did everyone let out a deep sigh of relief, feeling as if they had narrowly escaped death.