Lord Ma's sharp gaze swept coldly over Huang Liang, Wang Qiang, Li Yan, and the other three. Dressed in plain clothes, they could not conceal the murderous aura emanating from them. Their eyes were calm, their attitude arrogant, as if they feared nothing.
If he couldn't tell the truth from Li Fan and the middle-aged woman's conflicting accounts earlier, he was now almost certain that these five men had raped his innocent daughter and were shamelessly blaming her for seducing them. It was a complete distortion of the truth and utterly lawless: "I would like to trouble you five to come with me to the Ministry of Justice."
The Ministry of Justice is where serious criminals, death row inmates, and wanted criminals are imprisoned. Very few people who enter the Ministry of Justice come out alive. Does Lord Ma intend to convict these five people by sending them to the Ministry of Justice?
Li Yan's gaze sharpened as he realized the seriousness of the matter, and his smile faded: "My lord, the Ministry of Justice is in charge of important affairs of the court. A prostitute seducing a man is just a minor matter. Isn't it a waste of the Ministry of Justice's talents to handle this? Besides, she was the one who actively seduced us. Even if someone is to go to the Ministry of Justice, it should be her who goes."
"The Ministry of Justice is established in the imperial court for the sake of the country and the people. I have encountered injustice, how can I sit idly by? Whether you five are perpetrators or victims, you are all involved in the case. Come with me to the Ministry of Justice so that we can investigate the case thoroughly. It will be good for everyone. Please."
Lord Ma's routine words carried a forceful, commanding tone, causing the five men to change their expressions slightly: "Sir, to be honest, we still have to keep watch at midnight. If we go back to the Ministry of Justice to handle the case now, we're afraid we won't be able to make it to midnight."
In the pitch-black night, anything can happen. The guards cannot afford to make the slightest mistake. Lord Ma, who is in charge of the Ministry of Justice, is well aware of this. Li Yan is trying to use this to threaten Lord Ma into letting him pass.
Unexpectedly, Lord Ma didn't buy into their act at all: "You all serve in the capital, representing the morale of the soldiers there. This matter must be clarified, otherwise, if someone with ulterior motives spreads rumors that you raped innocent women, it will tarnish the entire Qingyan Army. Where do you all serve? I will send someone to inform your leader so that he can temporarily replace you with others. It will only be for one night, and there won't be any mistakes."
Li Yan and the other four men's faces instantly darkened. Lord Ma's attitude was tough and unyielding, which meant he suspected them. If they really entered the Ministry of Justice, would they be able to come out alive?
Lord Ma was accompanied by five or six guards, all of whom were highly skilled in martial arts. Even if they managed to escape with all their might, they still had families in the capital and positions in the army. They could run away like monks, but they couldn't hide their true identities. Their crime of raping innocent women would still be confirmed.
Lord Ma was unmoved by either soft or hard tactics, determined to bring them to justice. They were in the prime of their lives and did not want to become prisoners without freedom. They wanted to leave unharmed, so they had no choice but to resort to their last trump card.
“Lord Ma, it’s not that I’m unwilling to go back to the Ministry of Justice with you, but it’s just that we were all born in the year, month, day and hour of Yang, and Lord Yu Xin specifically instructed us to be on guard every night after midnight and not to leave our posts without permission.”
Born in a year, month, day, and hour of Yang (positive energy), what a coincidence! Lord Ma frowned deeply.
Soldiers who rape innocent women will be sentenced to prison, which means they can no longer guard the capital and the palace. People born in the year, month, day and hour of Yang are already rare. The emperor specially arranged for Yu Xin to be in charge of the transfer, and five of them were imprisoned at once. This will definitely have an impact on the capital. If they are not imprisoned, how will this case be resolved?
Looking at Lord Ma's unpredictable expression, Li Yan and the other four exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with smugness. They knew that this reason would definitely be enough to suppress Lord Ma; people born in the year, month, day, and hour of Yang (positive energy) had great privileges.
“Lord Ma, these five guards have special identities, but the common people’s cases cannot be ignored. The matter is complicated and it is difficult to distinguish the truth from the falsehood in a short time. There is still some time before midnight. Why don’t you take them to the palace to meet the Emperor and see what he thinks?”
Shen Lixue's clear and gentle words were like a bucket of ice water, chilling Li Yan and his group to the bone. Their smug expressions instantly turned gloomy. The woman kneeling on the ground was delicate and pitiful, while the five of them were majestic and domineering, inspiring awe. With such an obvious contrast, it was easy to guess the truth of the matter. If they went to the palace to see the emperor, how could they possibly get away with it?
“The Princess Consort is right. All five of you, please come with me to the palace.” Lord Ma stroked his beard, his smile amiable. The case involved special people, and he was unsure of what to do. He could ask the Emperor for a decision.
Li Yan, Wang Qiang, and the other three exchanged glances, a hint of anxiety flashing in their eyes. What should they do? If they entered the palace, their chances of survival would be slim, but if they didn't enter and tried to escape, they would be killed right now.
The guards from the Ministry of Justice stood on both sides, blocking all the way out. They couldn't escape, nor could they. They had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow Lord Ma into the palace. After leaving the alley, they glared hatefully at the carriage. The one who had come up with the idea to put them in such an awkward situation was the woman in the carriage. She was utterly despicable.
Shen Lixue was unconvinced, a strange smile curving her lips. These five people had special birth dates and special identities, and the mastermind behind them was no ordinary person. Why didn't she use their special positions to her advantage and suppress the arrogance of the mastermind behind them?
It was still early, and the emperor was reading memorials in his study when he heard that Lord Ma had something urgent to report, so he summoned him in.
Five strong, burly men and a petite, delicate woman stood in a row behind Lord Ma. The emperor was puzzled: "Minister Ma, what's going on here?"
Lord Ma stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “Your Majesty, on my way back to my residence after my term of office, I saw these five men abusing this woman in a carriage. They were born in a year, month, day, and hour of Yang, and their identities are special. I do not know how to judge them, so I have come to ask Your Majesty for instructions.”
The emperor's sharp gaze, like a blade, shot towards Wang Qiang, Li Yan, and the other four: "Such a thing actually happened?" As Qingyan guards, their duty is to protect order and allow the people to live and work in peace. Instead, they are abusing their power to oppress the people and act lawlessly.
Li Yan stepped forward and said urgently, "Your Majesty, please investigate! She seduced the five of us, not the five of us who raped her..."
The young woman, timid by nature, entered the palace and, upon seeing the emperor, was too terrified to speak. Hearing Li Yan's insults, she was overcome with shame and indignation, and suddenly knelt on the ground, gritting her teeth as she said, "Your Majesty, I am a pure and innocent farmer's daughter, who strictly adheres to propriety and would never seduce anyone. An hour ago, on my way home, I passed through an alley and was dragged into a carriage by these five men, who attempted to rape me..."
"She's talking nonsense, Your Majesty. The five of us went out for drinks together, and she stopped our carriage, trying to seduce us." Li Yan glared at the woman, interrupting her and shifting all the blame onto her.
"If I were seducing you, I would be throwing myself into your arms. Why would you be so eager to tear my clothes apart?" The woman's face was pale, her eyes were red-rimmed, and her eyes were glistening with tears. She was both angry and resentful, glaring at the five men with a slight tremor in her body.
Her small hands clutched tightly at her chest, the coarse cloth clothes were almost tattered and in a mess, barely covering her body, which showed how cruel the five men had been to her.
Li Yan glanced at her and said arrogantly, "You tore those clothes yourself. We didn't touch them. When you sat down among us, Lord Ma came and happened to see that scene. He misunderstood us."
Lord Ma only saw their ambiguous relationship with the woman, but not what happened before. His words cannot be considered conclusive evidence. The woman only has one mouth, but they have five. No matter how clever or reasonable she is, she cannot refute them.
"You're just making excuses and twisting the truth! You forced me and tore my clothes!" The woman glared at Li Yan, her beautiful eyes blazing with anger. She was a peasant woman, clumsy with words, and couldn't win against the shrewd and opportunistic Li Yan. She sobbed, heartbroken and desperate.
“Girl, speak honestly. You want five hundred taels of silver, but we can’t come up with that. You can hit us or curse us, but there’s no need to be so desperate as to accuse us of rape and send us to jail.”
Li Yan sighed helplessly, leaving the woman stunned: "When did I ask you for money?"
“Girl, don’t play dumb. We brothers remember clearly what you asked us for five hundred taels of silver back then. It’s not that we didn’t want to give it to you, but our annual salary is only a few dozen taels. We really don’t have a hundred taels of silver to give you.”
Li Yan shook his head and sighed, looking like he had been forced into a corner. The woman's eyes turned red with anger, and she shouted angrily, "I never said that! You're framing me!"
"Only the five of us heard that. If you don't admit it, there's nothing we can do." Li Yan sighed again, his eyes listless, as if he had been framed, struggled in vain, and was at the mercy of others.
The young woman gritted her teeth in anger, tears welling up in her eyes again: "Not only did you bully me, but you also framed me. Do you have any conscience at all?"
"Young lady, the fault lies with you, not us..."
The emperor's majestic gaze swept over the arguing Li Yan and the young woman. Li Yan and his four companions were strong and robust, and could easily deal with a weak woman. If the five of them were simply sharing a carriage with the woman, the truth would immediately come to light.
But now, Li Yan says that the young woman deliberately seduced them and extorted money from them, which makes things a bit complicated. Both sides have their own version of events, and it's hard to tell the truth. Without more concrete evidence, it's difficult to make a judgment: "Minister Li, were there any other evidence or witnesses at the time of the incident?"
"Your Majesty, that alley is dark and secluded, with few people around. They haven't had any business with the woman, and there's no evidence. However..." Lord Ma glanced at Li Yan and the other four, then hesitated.
"Whatever it is, Minister Ma, please speak freely." The emperor's deep voice carried an indescribable air of authority.
"Your Majesty, I would like to invite two people to the palace, a man and a woman. Once they arrive, the truth about Li Yan and this woman will be revealed." Lord Ma spoke slowly and deliberately, his gaze solemn.
The emperor pondered for a moment, then gave the order: "Zhao Ji!"
"Your servant obeys." Eunuch Zhao, holding a whisk, took the order and left.
Li Yan, Wang Qiang, and the other three exchanged glances, their hearts skipping a beat. Who was Lord Ma who he had invited? Could they really uncover the truth? Their slightly clenched hands slowly tightened, their hearts inexplicably tense.
Half an incense stick later, a man entered the Imperial Study under the guidance of Eunuch Zhao. Looking at the man's familiar face, Li Yan, Wang Qiang, and the others wondered to themselves, "What did Lord Ma invite Li Fan for? And who is the other person?"
Amidst the confusion, a thin figure came into view. She wore simple, coarse clothes, and her dry, yellow hair, though carefully combed, still had a few strands that drifted loosely, adding to her sorrow and desolation. Upon closer inspection of the woman's face, her pupils suddenly contracted. How could it be her!