To express gratitude to Jian Lani for the reward, an additional chapter from "The Fairy's Good Fortune" is released (5.2)
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This is how to respond to the imperial choice, Lord Huang and Lord Huang were chosen by the emperor for their usefulness to him, but they are not considered useful to the common people.
A rush of hoofbeats came from behind, interrupting the whispers of the crowd, as the people on the street scattered like a tide.
"Jinyiwei!"
"Thousand-Man Commander Lu!"
The low murmurs dispersed, only to fall into silence, except for the noise and shouts from Lord Huang's group, no other sound could be heard.
Miss Jun was pushed to the back by the surging crowd, but Lu Yunqi's gaze still found her.
Miss Jun did not avoid his look, and because of Lu Yunqi's attention, the people around also looked over, noticing Miss Jun.
The crowd stirred, but still, no one dared to speak.
Lu Yunqi did not speak either, and turned his gaze away.
Seeing Lu Yunqi approach, the Huang Family members stepped aside, revealing two people lying on the ground.
Both were surrounded by several people, bloodstained all over.
Lu Yunqi dismounted and first went to Lord Huang, who was not dead yet, wheezing with his eyes wide open, his hand still covering his throat, the dagger through his hand almost fully embedded.
It was clear how much force the assailant had used.
Blood was still pouring out, and those around Lord Huang were carefully trying to block the wound, not daring to touch the dagger.
"…you mustn't pull it out…" the Huang Family's Doctor said, "With the dagger blocking, the master still breathes, but if it's removed, there's no saving him."
Lu Yunqi withdrew his gaze and looked to the other side.
There lay a girl with her legs chopped, lying on the ground like a broken rag doll, blood staining the ground, but she was not dead, and her face bore no pain, only a smile, her large eyes fixed intently on Lord Huang, shining like stars.
She was not dead, not because the Huang Family's guards lacked the resolve to kill a defenseless woman.
"She must have accomplices!" several people pointed at the girl who was gasping for air on the ground, and upon seeing Lu Yunqi, they shouted angrily, "Lord Lu, you must torture her to find out, this is utterly lawless!"
Lu Yunqi paid no attention to their agitation, his expression impassive as he looked upon this gruesome and sudden scene, glancing at the girl.
"She is the granddaughter of Minister Wan Dachun of the Ministry of Industry." he stated.
Upon hearing this name, the Huang Family members came to a realization, as did the nearby onlookers, their expressions growing even more sympathetic.
The news spread quickly, and Miss Jun heard it as well.
Wan Dachun, that really is a tragedy.
Three years ago, Minister Wan Dachun accused Lord Huang of embezzling funds for river channel construction, leading to the flooding of three regions in Jiangnan causing countless deaths and injuries.
As the accusation came from a minister, and the disaster was severe, the dynasty initiated an investigation. However, just after the case was filed, Wan Dachun committed suicide with his family by self-immolation in his home, also burning the Ministry's ledgers meant for the dynasty.
After Wan Dachun's death, the ledgers were recollected, only to find that it was not Lord Huang who embezzled, but Wan Dachun himself had taken the funds.
The emperor was furious, and Wan Dachun was posthumously convicted.
The case seemed clear, with Wan Dachun's supposed suicide from guilt, and the submitted ledgers, but for many people, there were still numerous doubts. If it was Wan Dachun who embezzled, why did he initiate the inquiry himself, wouldn't that be shooting himself in the foot?
The feudal authority explained that Wan Dachun was playing the thief crying "catch the thief," attempting to clear his name, and trying to push the blame onto Lord Huang as an opportunity to vie for the title of the next Imperial College Scholar.
Later, several disaster victims came to the capital to express gratitude to Lord Wan, claiming Lord Wan had sold his personal assets to settle the victims. This news instantly caused an uproar among the populace already skeptical of the case.
Would a man who sold his assets to settle victims steal funds for river channels?
But these victims soon vanished in the capital, and after Jinyiwei's investigations, the matter was no longer discussed.
People's memories can be long or short. After one, two, or three years had passed, everyone had already forgotten about that affair, yet unexpectedly, Wan Dachun's granddaughter made her appearance.
And she did so with such decisive means.
"Wan Dachun actually has a granddaughter?"
"Weren't all of the Wan Family extinguished?"
A few members of the Huang Family asked in a puzzled manner.
"Before his death, Wan Dachun arranged for his granddaughter to be taken out of the mansion by an old servant and fostered elsewhere," said Lu Yunqi.
It was clear that he had known about this for some time.
The people of the Huang Family were taken aback, then immediately became enraged.
"Lord Lu, why didn't you arrest her and bring her to justice knowing this?" they shouted, "This is deceiving the emperor!"
Deceiving the emperor was not of paramount concern; what mattered was that they had been completely in the dark.
Had they known that Wan Dachun had a granddaughter, they would never have let her be until now.
Even a fool knows that when cutting weeds, one must remove the roots.
Faced with the uncourteous behavior of the Huang Family members, Lu Yunqi was not annoyed, and his expression remained impassive.
"Because the emperor only sentenced Wan Dachun for his crimes and did not implicate his kin or relatives, how could I arrest her without any legal basis?" he said, his voice dull and honest-sounding, convincingly earnest.
Are we hearing this right? How could one arrest her without a legal basis?
The members of the Huang Family widened their eyes.
The Jinyiwei's Thousand-Man Commander Lu says they can't arrest someone without a legal basis? So everyone in your Jinyiwei's prison cells isn't human? When you barged into households and searched homes in the past few days, did you do so with proper authorization?
Are you talking nonsense?
"Lu Yunqi, what do you mean by this?"
An aged voice rang out. The elderly Huang Cheng, who claimed to have mobility issues when he found out that his son was in trouble, had also decided to make an appearance.
Surrounded by a fleet of servants, the old master, who looked like the god of longevity himself with his head full of white hair, had an expression of saddened anger.
Lu Yunqi paid his respects to him.
"What I mean is that speaking of this now has no significance," he said. "It is more urgent to save Lord Huang first."
Of course, Lord Huang knew that Lu Yunqi was changing the subject, but he had no other recourse.
He had been cautious all his life and had finally obtained a high position. But because of his caution and adhering to having one wife, he only had one son, luckily a son of whom he could be proud. His son had easily navigated the officialdom, not squandering the support he had been given.
But now, if his son were in trouble, then the Huang Family would be finished.
Lord Huang, looking at his son lying on the ground, still not dead but surrounded by a group of people who were at a loss, could not hold back his tears.
"You calamitous wretch," he choked out.
If it weren't for his lust, how could he have fallen into such a trap?
"Quick, save him!" Lord Huang shakily hastened to his son's side.
The Huang Family's doctors were also near tears.
"Grand Old Master, the injury is too severe; there's nothing I can do," he said, gesturing, "The imperial physicians have already been summoned."
And as he spoke, several imperial physicians hurried over by carriage.
The personnel from the Five Cities Military Department followed suit, driving away and overseeing the people on the street.
Once again, the street become noisy.