Su Qing told Li Ke everything she had heard. "You don't know anything? Then it seems there's no point in coming to you."
Ding Yanshan plopped down in a chair and muttered, "They finally made their move?"
"What did you say?"
Ding Yanshan regained her composure and said to Su Qing, "It's nothing, I know what to do. You go back first, I'll look into it and let you know if I have any news."
After Su Qing left, Ding Yanshan hurriedly ordered a sedan chair to be prepared, and in the dead of night, she headed straight for the Yun residence.
Ding Yanxiang was upset that Yun Qingxian hadn't come home so late. She had specially prepared a nourishing soup for him because he looked exhausted. But he had promised yesterday that he would definitely come home to sleep today, yet he was still nowhere to be seen.
When Ding Yanshan arrived, the two sisters no longer chatted intimately as before. Instead, they each sat quietly at one end of the table.
After a long while, Ding Yanshan spoke. "I went to see my father today."
Ding Yanxiang lowered her eyes and remained silent.
Ding Yanshan said, "I asked him if he was the one who kidnapped me and brought me up the mountain."
Ding Yanxiang's eyebrows twitched, and she raised her head.
Ding Yanshan stared into her eyes and said, "He said no."
Ding Yanxiang looked back at her quietly, but still didn't say anything.
"I asked him again, and then I was captured by the bandit leader again. Two fake officials came and took the bandit leader away. Were those two fake officials his men?"
Ding Yanxiang sneered: "He said no again?"
Ding Yanshan nodded: "Yes, he said no."
Ding Yanxiang continued with a cold laugh: "There are some things I've never told you. Back then, you were still young, and I was only fourteen or fifteen. That day, Father was hosting a banquet at home, and one of his faction's officials, after drinking, tried to take advantage of me in the backyard. I struggled and screamed desperately, but I was just a weak woman with no strength to even kill a chicken. He beat me, and I almost succeeded. But I was rescued. I thought Father would protect me, but do you know what Father did?"
Ding Yanshan was stunned and shook her head blankly.
"He laughed and said it was nothing. He took the man to continue drinking, and after the banquet, he even sent someone to escort the man back to his residence. Then he went back to his room and fell fast asleep. He didn't even come to visit me. In the days that followed, he continued to be busy with official business and pleasure-seeking. It was as if this incident had never happened."
Ding Yanshan felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at her sister's smiling face.
“We share the same parents. If he can treat me like this, do you think he can’t treat you the same way?” Ding Yanxiang’s face hardened. “You’re too naive! Our father is the kind of wicked person who only cares about himself and doesn’t care about his own family.”
After she finished cursing, she paused and continued, "Do you know what I would be like now if my husband hadn't appeared? He saved me. Back then, he was just a lowly official, a lackey, but he had the audacity to defy authority and save me. He didn't even recognize me. I was too afraid to marry afterward. I was scared. I didn't know how disgusting the man my father would choose would be. He did indeed choose a disgusting man, someone fit to be my father. This time, it was my husband who saved me again. He came to visit me and proposed marriage to my father. At that time, he already had some reputation and a promising future. I was fortunate enough to marry him. You only see my father's current situation. Do you know how many evil deeds he has done, and how much slander has been smeared on my husband? He endured it all. If my husband hadn't exposed him this time, it would be my husband and his subordinates who would be the scapegoats in prison right now."
Ding Yanshan was speechless. She heard Ding Yanxiang say, "It's not that my sister and brother-in-law are heartless. Shan'er, Father is capable of anything. You believe him when he says he didn't do it?"
91. Many changes and troubles arise.
Hearing her sister's words, Ding Yanshan couldn't bring herself to say the word "believe." She gritted her teeth, refusing to answer, and instead asked, "Was it your brother-in-law who did it?"
Ding Yanxiang stared at her without saying a word.
Ding Yanshan continued, "Just like this time when you brought down Father, you were his accomplice during that kidnapping incident, weren't you?"
Ding Yanxiang sneered: "You feel indignant for Father, so you always think that the bad things were done by me and your brother-in-law, isn't that right?"
"Back then, Madam Long was about to marry Master Long, and my brother-in-law harbored resentment, so he bribed those mountain bandits to kidnap me. He kidnapped me to clear his name, right? When the bandits kidnapped me again to take revenge, he sent two men to pretend to be constables to arrest me, so that the authorities wouldn't be able to find out the truth. And you, my own sister, not only did you not stop him or tell me about this, but on the day you sent me home, you deliberately arranged for me to meet those two fake constables, making me think that Father did everything, didn't you?"
Ding Yanxiang had a nonchalant expression. "Say what you will. Since you've already decided that I and your brother-in-law are guilty, nothing I say will make a difference now."
“It’s no use saying anything now.” Ding Yanshan bit her lip. “I couldn’t investigate before, but now that Father is in prison, I have to manage everything inside and outside the house. So, I mobilized all the guards and asked the head steward. In the past year, there have been no guards transferred out or left the manor. In other words, those two guards I saw swaggering around in the backyard discussing how Father gave them money to shut up and let them run away, simply don’t exist.”
Ding Yanshan stared at her sister and said, "Those were outsiders! They deliberately put on an act to deceive me! And that day, you were the one who took me home. You had the opportunity to let them in, the opportunity to keep an eye on my movements, and let them finish their act and leave through the mansion gate. No one noticed, no one suspected. And I thought it was Father who did it, so I stopped investigating, stopped thinking about the reasons, and stopped wanting to know the truth."
Ding Yanxiang sneered: "You're so pitiful, being robbed and murdered. What about the daughter of a high-ranking official? Have you ever thought that if you can't investigate this matter, can't your father investigate it? You keep saying that it was your brother-in-law who did it, do you think your father can't find out? Why didn't he pursue it? You are his own daughter."
Ding Yanshan gasped.
Ding Yanxiang continued laughing: "You still firmly believe it wasn't Father who did it? If it wasn't him, why would he let the murderer go? The Minister of Justice, a high-ranking official, can't even solve a small robbery? What a joke!" She tilted her head and looked at Ding Yanshan: "Or perhaps, it really wasn't him, but he thinks the murderer is more important than you. Anyone who can bring him benefit is more important than his own daughter. He's the kind of person who wouldn't even blink if he sold his daughter. Didn't you ask him today? If it wasn't him, who was it? Why didn't he arrest him? Did you ask?"
Ding Yanshan glared at her sister's mocking face, her eyes welling up with tears.
“No matter what, he is still our father. You always think he has treated you badly, but no matter what, you caused him to go to jail and risk his life. You also ruined the Ding family. They are all your blood relatives. How can you still put on this righteous and awe-inspiring act?”
"Then what kind of act should I put on?" Ding Yanxiang said indignantly, "I've had enough. I act humble in front of Father, obedient in front of Mother, and I have to act gentle and virtuous in front of you. Let me tell you, I've had enough! Your Ding family is finished!"
"Your Ding family?" Ding Yanshan asked in disbelief. "Your Ding family? Then where did you come from?" Ding Yanshan pointed at the completely unfamiliar older sister in front of her, her hand trembling with anger.
The Ding family is finished, and Father is in deep trouble. Although he had been in officialdom for decades, the timing of Ding Sheng's exposure this time was terrible. The Emperor was inspecting major and heinous cases across the country, and various factions in the court were taking the opportunity to expose each other's shortcomings, creating a climate of fear among everyone. Ding Sheng's act of sticking out immediately gave everyone a target to attack.
Who dares to protect him? Who dares to speak up for him? Ding Sheng's crimes are not limited to one; digging deeper, there will likely be more. If this investigation continues, he may face the death penalty. In these extraordinary times, many scandals have been unearthed within Ding Sheng's faction, and now they are all hiding, hoping not to be implicated as well.
These were all things that Ding Yanshan's mother told her after making arrangements with her family.
Analyzing the entire situation, Yun Qingxian's attack on Ding Sheng was not only precise and ruthless, but also timed perfectly. It caught Ding Sheng off guard, leaving him with no way to avoid it or argue back, and even eliminated all his support and assistance.
After the incident, Ding Yanxiang immediately severed ties with her family and never appeared again. She also ignored visits from her family members. Ding Yanshan had no time to talk to her, and today she saw her in this situation.
Ding Yanshan was furious. Her once loving sister had turned out to be a murderer who destroyed their family and killed their father. And to make matters worse, she still acted so arrogantly. Ding Yanshan, being a spoiled young lady herself, couldn't hold back her anger; her words were anything but pleasant.
"Ding Yanxiang, you can be so smug. You think you're keeping Yun Qingxian as your devoted companion? Wake up! How did he climb to the position of Vice Minister of Justice? It was Father who promoted him! Putting aside his ingratitude, viciousness, and betrayal, he even tricked you into marrying him with sweet words, using you to gain Father's trust, climb to a high position, and then using you to steal secrets and commit treacherous acts. You still cherish this kind of man who deceives women for power? Are you happy that he's using you?"
"Ding Yanshan!" Ding Yanxiang slammed her hand on the table, furious. "Stop talking nonsense! How could you possibly understand how good my husband is to me?"
“I understand perfectly well,” Ding Yanshan sneered. “He’s so good to you. You have a beautiful wife at home, but your heart is set on that blind girl with extraordinary musical talent. And you were a fool to help him take a concubine. Oh, right, I didn’t understand then, but I do now. You didn’t really want to help him take a concubine, did you? You wanted Ju Mu’er to enter the Yun family so you could deal with her easily, didn’t you? You could even bring down the powerful Minister of Justice, so what’s killing a blind girl? It’s just a pity you ran into trouble. You didn’t expect Ju Mu’er to be so clever. You practically forced her into Master Long’s arms. Did Yun Qingxian like that? He’s probably furious with you a thousand times over…”
"Shut up!" Ding Yanxiang shouted, for what Ding Yanshan said hit her sore spot.
She certainly didn't have good intentions back then. Thinking that her husband was preoccupied with other women, she figured it would be better for her to bring them back. On the surface, she pleased her husband, but in reality, she could treat the woman however she wanted with her. After all, her husband was often away on business trips, and it wouldn't be unreasonable for someone in the family to fall ill and die unexpectedly.
She only made this one mistake, just this one mistake!
She never expected that blind woman would dare to refuse the marriage and even seek out another man. If it were anyone else, she could find another way to deal with them. But it had to be Long Er!
So she caused trouble, not only failing to help Yun Qingxian marry Ju Mu'er, but also making him lose face. This matter remained a thorn in Ding Yanxiang's side, causing her great pain even though it wasn't explicitly stated. She even suspected that her husband disliked her because of this, but fortunately, as time passed, he treated her as before.
At this moment, Ding Yanshan brought up the old matter again, as if striking a heavy blow to her heart. "Shut up!" she shouted again.
“Even if I shut up, it won’t change the fact that Yun Qingxian loves another woman.” Ding Yanshan shouted even louder than her. “Don’t be stupid. You’re just a ladder for him to climb up. Now that he’s climbed up, do you still have any use to him? In the past few years, has he stopped being entangled with that Ju Mu’er? He’s always been hung up on her. Even though Ju Mu’er has married twice, he still can’t forget her.”
"You're talking nonsense. I'm his wife, and he loves me."
Ding Yanshan ignored her completely and continued to yell, "The situation is unclear and chaotic right now. He took the opportunity to frame Ju Mu'er and throw her into the government jail. What was his purpose? Wasn't it to find a chance to possess her? He went to such lengths and took such risks for you? He's only being nice to you to use you to achieve his goals. Think about it, isn't that right? If he truly cared for you, he should have severed ties with Ju Mu'er long ago and stayed far away from her. But is that what he did? Whenever something happens, all he thinks about is Ju Mu'er. Has he ever done anything like that for you?"
Ding Yanxiang was taken aback: "My husband locked Ju Mu'er up in jail? Why?"
“Ask your husband who loves you so much,” Ding Yanshan said coldly. “Go ask him why he would frame a blind and weak woman for murder. Is he just bored and making up cases because he has nothing better to do, or does he want to take advantage of the chaos to put the woman he likes in jail and then create a pretext to make her submit? Go ask him.”
Ding Yanxiang sat there blankly, without saying a word.
Ding Yanshan walked over, squatted down in front of her, and took her hand. "Sister, we are the closest of sisters. Father was wrong to treat you that way. But he is already like that, so don't hold a grudge anymore. Ju Mu'er is married to Long Er, so she is no longer a threat to you. You should take this opportunity to win back your brother-in-law's heart. Who is Long Er? Can you just mess with him? Even if your brother-in-law is currently at the height of his power, fabricating a false case is not a wise move. Besides, Long Er will definitely not let it go easily. Why bother? Just do what a good deed, talk to your brother-in-law about this, and persuade him to clear Ju Mu'er's name as soon as possible. Let her and Long Er live their lives, and you and your brother-in-law can live your lives peacefully and happily. Isn't that better?"
Ding Yanxiang remained silent for a long time before finally nodding: "I will ask him, I will ask him. You are right, we can't let him continue to entangle with Ju Mu'er."
Ding Yanshan was overjoyed: "Sister, you're willing to persuade him?"
Ding Yanxiang turned to look at her sister's face and smiled slightly at her.
That very night, Ding Yanxiang went to see Yun Qingxian. Accompanied by her maid, she personally carried the nourishing soup she had prepared to the Ministry of Justice.
Yun Qingxian was surprised to see her. Ding Yanxiang assumed that since he hadn't come home, he must have some official business to attend to, but since she had already prepared the nourishing soup, she thought it would be appropriate to bring it over.
Yun Qingxian thanked him, smiled and explained that there was an urgent case today, which forced him to break his promise and not return home.
"What case is it?" Ding Yanxiang asked, ladling out the tonic soup and placing it on Yun Qingxian's desk.
"It's nothing," Yun Qingxian replied casually, reaching out to close the file. But the instant the file was closed, Ding Yanxiang saw Ju Mu'er's name. She naturally put down her bowl and handed Yun Qingxian a spoon to drink his soup. Then she reached out and moved the file aside for him.
While Yun Qingxian was looking down to drink his soup, she quickly flipped through the file. She was so fast that she didn't get a good look at the contents, but she clearly saw Ju Mu'er's name in several places.
Ding Yanxiang remained calm and composed. After serving Yun Qingxian soup and clearing away the bowls and spoons, she told him to take care of his health and to go home to rest when he had time. Then she returned home with the maid who was waiting outside the door.
It's like a fishbone stuck in my throat, like a thorn in my heart.
Those three words, "Ju Mu'er," kept Ding Yanxiang up all night.
She lay awake in the empty bed, unable to sleep, while her husband sat at his desk, looking at Ju Mu'er's name and pondering her affairs.
Ding Yanxiang felt increasingly distressed as she thought about it, clenching her teeth until they ached, and finally snapped her fingernails.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Ding Yanxiang, dressed in plain clothes, quietly arrived at the entrance of the government prison. She sat down at a breakfast stall by the roadside, pretending to eat breakfast while observing the situation.
A moment later, she saw Yun Qingxian riding over with two of his men. Ding Yanxiang's heart tightened, and she quickly lowered her head to drink her porridge, only stealing glances at the commotion out of the corner of her eye.
Actually, she didn't know why she was here so early, but when she saw Yun Qingxian, she knew. But it didn't make sense. He was an official, a judge; it was perfectly normal for him to be in this prison. She shouldn't be upset that he was in the government prison. But she was still upset. She watched Yun Qingxian dismount and quickly walk into the prison gates.
Yun Qingxian stayed inside for a long time. So long that several groups of people had come and gone while eating breakfast next to Ding Yanxiang, so long that the porridge in her bowl had gone cold, and her heart, like that bowl of porridge, had grown cold.
Just then, a carriage came clattering by. Ding Yanxiang recognized it as the carriage of the Long family. The man on horseback beside it was Li Ke, Long Er's guard.
Several people jumped out of the car. One was Old Man Ju, and another was Su Qing, whom Ding Yanxiang recognized. But the two who jumped out next surprised Ding Yanxiang slightly. They were Chen Liangze and his wife.
Old Man Ju looked haggard, clearly having slept poorly all night. Chen Liangze was also somewhat anxious. He carefully supported his father, while Su Qing and Li Ke led the way. Chen Liushi, however, moved slowly, her face showing reluctance.
They exchanged a few words with the jailer at the prison gate, and the jailer let them in. However, Chen Liushi refused to go in and ended up staying outside.
The sun was already quite high by this time, and Chen Liushi, seemingly afraid of the sun, walked over to Ding Yanxiang and stood in the shade under a tree. Ding Yanxiang saw her staring angrily at the prison, and a thought struck her. She leaned closer and asked, "Does this lady have any relatives inside?"
"No." Chen Liu didn't even look at her, and replied irritably, "They're not any of my relatives."
"I saw that Madam looked indignant, and I thought that one of her relatives had been wronged. I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help."
"Help?" Chen Liushi finally glanced at Ding Yanxiang. "No need for help. That woman is an old friend of my husband's, and things have always been ambiguous between us. I don't want to help with anything."
Ding Yanxiang nodded to indicate that she understood. She remained silent and stood beside Chen Liushi. Chen Liushi seemed to realize that her words were inappropriate and quickly added, "That's not what I meant, it's just... sigh, I'm just feeling aggrieved. Please don't take offense, Madam."
“I understand. Who doesn’t want their husband to be devoted to them? It’s frustrating to be helpless if another woman interferes.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen immediately took out her handkerchief to cover her eyes, but forced a smile and said, "In recent years, whenever I express my frustration, I am accused of being petty and narrow-minded, and everyone says that I am wrong. No one has ever been as understanding as you, Madam. I...I..." As she spoke, she could no longer smile.
Ding Yanxiang sensed that she was about to cry, so she quickly patted her back to comfort her: "Don't be sad. If you have any grievances, I'm willing to listen to you." She turned her head and saw a small teahouse nearby: "Shall we go sit there for a while?"
Chen Liushi glanced at the prison gate, thinking that those few people would be out for quite a while, and nodded.
The two women felt an instant connection and chatted amiably. During their conversation, Chen Liu realized that the woman before her was the wife of Lord Yun. She had naturally heard many rumors about Yun Qingxian and Ju Mu'er, and immediately felt indignant on Ding Yanxiang's behalf, venting all her resentment towards Ju Mu'er.
Ding Yanxiang, however, was secretly delighted, as an idea suddenly popped into her head.
She wanted to make Ju Mu'er disappear.
She couldn't use the people from the Ding family, nor the people from the Yun family; the government was cracking down hard these days, and she couldn't use people from the martial arts world either—she wasn't familiar with those people and didn't dare take the risk. But the woman in front of her was the perfect person to use.
Ju Mu'er was unaware that someone outside the cage was plotting to kill her.
She's still a bit confused, but she's much calmer than when she first entered the prison.
She had been in jail for eight days. During those eight days, Long Er had kept his promise; Feng Wu and Xiao Zhu kept her company during the day, while Long Er stayed by himself at night. He had never left her alone.
There were three court hearings over the past eight days. Although Long Er was with her each time, Ju Mu'er still felt immense pressure. Because both sides had conflicting accounts, proving the motives behind the accusations became crucial.