Proud Feather

Chapter 116 Taking Away
An Guo Gongfu.

The Feng family was unaware of what had happened in the palace, yet they were filled with joy.

"Ah Ling!" Her third cousin, Feng Lingwei, asked as soon as she saw her, "I heard the case is closed, right? The murderer was my cousin's close aide, who was bribed for a pittance and even gave false testimony to tarnish my cousin's reputation. He's despicable! He should be executed immediately!"

Seeing her loud and boisterous manner, Madam Du, the third aunt, quickly said, "You're just a child, so take it with a grain of salt. His Majesty will decide the verdict."

The eldest cousin, Feng Lingzhen, wanted to join in the scolding, but she had to stop when the elder spoke up.

Chu Ling didn't take it seriously and said, "Weiwei is right. This man is an evil servant who bullies his master and is insubordinate. Father will not let him off."

"And that Minister Lin!" With her leading the charge, Feng Lingzhen could finally speak her mind freely. "He acts all respectable all the time, but he's actually a beast in human clothing! The Minister of Justice is protecting a villain—is there no justice left?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Feng Lingwei agreed with her elder sister, "They should all be killed!"

Second cousin Feng Lingyi said realistically, "He is a civil official. He probably won't be killed unless there is direct evidence of treason. However, he has squandered the reputation that the Lin family has accumulated over generations. Living under the condemnation of thousands is worse than death."

Feng Lingzhen was displeased: "Can't this law be changed? Although he didn't do it himself, he was one of the masterminds! His cousin was killed, what right does he have to live!"

Feng Lingwei continued nodding: "Exactly! Those who harm my cousin should be punished!"

The young girls were spouting nonsense, which made the ladies secretly shake their heads. Although their words were unpleasant, their reasoning was sound; those people truly deserved to die!
The usually fiery old lady, however, quietly held her prayer beads and sighed.

……

After lunch, everyone else took their leave, and then the old lady asked Chu Ling, "Ah Ling, you don't seem very happy. Is something not simple?"

"Grandmother..." Chu Ling felt a pang of sadness as her innermost thoughts were seen through, and finally revealed a hint of her true emotions.

The old lady felt sorry for her and hugged her, patting her gently to comfort her: "It's okay, you've done very well. Even if there are any shortcomings, we can work on them slowly."

Insufficient? This is more than just insufficient! She has completely misjudged her opponent from beginning to end! She thought that by collecting evidence, she could nip everything in the bud, but now it has all become wishful thinking.

Fang Wu is definitely going to die. Minister Lin and his cronies will be stripped of their posts, imprisoned, and likely exiled. Jing Hui and Manager Cai are in the hands of the Imperial City Guard; their chances of survival are slim. Those spies at Xianle Tower will certainly be thoroughly dealt with afterward.

In other words, once the case is closed, all the clues and witnesses will be buried. How easy would it be for her to overturn the case?
Chu Ling didn't say anything about these things. She couldn't help anyway, so why make her grandmother suffer along with her? She simply asked, "Grandmother, what do you think of Father's treatment of Second Brother?"

The old lady looked at her, her gaze becoming meaningful: "Why are you asking this?"

Chu Ling said, "Once the case is closed, there will naturally be a new crown prince..."

The old lady was silent.

Chu Ling continued, "I used to think that Father Emperor treated my second brother very indifferently. With my eldest brother being so outstanding, my second brother was like an inconspicuous shadow, only occasionally receiving a few words of praise. Now that I think about it, how could that be? Consort Shu is the most favored concubine in the harem, and as her only son, Father Emperor would definitely love her as well."

The old lady didn't say yes or no, but only said, "Ah Ling, you're much more thoughtful now."

Chu Ling gave a bitter laugh; as expected, the old man was very perceptive.

"Does everyone else know that I'm the only fool?" The old lady said softly, "You're young and caught up in this situation, who would dare tell you?"

Chu Ling understood; it was indeed a case of being blinded by a leaf. Those outside might be deceived, but those at the top weren't fools; they just wouldn't say it.

"Actually, we can't blame them," the old lady said thoughtfully. "His Majesty has been quite good to your mother. He hasn't appointed another empress all these years, and he often pays tribute to her and remembers her. He also dotes on you and your siblings. How many people dare to speculate on His Majesty's intentions? Even your maternal grandmother can't expect more."

Chu Ling understood, and she had never doubted her father's favor. To be fair, apart from this incident, her father had always been very indulgent towards her.

But this matter is too serious. If Father really is... a father who protects the murderer, would he really love the son who died a violent death?

"Ah Ling." Seeing that her expression was not right, the old lady solemnly warned, "It's come to this, don't force yourself. At least the murderer has been caught, right? Circumstances are beyond our control. Your younger brother is still young, so it can only be him."

Chu Ling nodded: "Grandmother, don't worry, I won't do anything reckless. My mother passed away early, and my eldest brother is gone too, so I have to cherish my life."

That's the logic, but the old lady felt inexplicably heartbroken. Her Ah Ling, the little princess who was born pampered and spoiled, now had to worry about her own life.

But what could be done? A princess's title was prestigious, but in reality, it was merely a magnificent robe used to display the majesty of imperial power. Once she lost the emperor's favor, the jewels and ornaments on it would lose their luster.

Chu Ling had already figured it out, and now she comforted her grandmother instead: "It's nothing. Nothing in this world is certain. Father is in his prime. Who knows what will happen in the future? As long as I don't do anything reckless, Father won't treat me badly."

The old lady thought about it and agreed, then put her arm around her and said, "It's good that you know what's going on."

The grandfather and granddaughter talked for a while when a report came from outside: "Princess, a Lord Jiang requests an audience."

"Jiang Shijun!" Chu Ling turned around and said, "Grandmother, I'll go see them first. Now that the case is closed, there are some things I need to explain to them."

The old lady nodded and carefully instructed, "This Jiang Shijun is someone your elder brother left behind. If you can use him, then continue to use him. It's inconvenient for you to stay in the palace, so it's good to have someone outside."

He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "The same goes for the others in the Eastern Palace. If you can keep them, then keep them."

Chu Ling agreed, thinking to herself that her maternal grandmother was indeed wise. Of course, she wanted to keep the people from the Eastern Palace; they were the original Crown Prince's faction's men, and she couldn't let them go to others under any circumstances.

She was making plans in her mind when she arrived at the reception room.

Seeing that she seemed unaffected, Jiang Shijun breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that the princess is alright. I've been refused an audience these past two days, and I was worried..."

Chu Ling smiled slightly: "What did you think? Could something have happened to me? I'm just feeling unwell and need to rest for a couple of days."

Jiang Shijun, preoccupied with important matters, hastily responded and said, "Princess, I am ashamed to have failed your trust. Wei Qi... Wei Qi has been taken away."

Chu Ling's smile froze instantly, and her voice suddenly turned cold: "What do you mean by being taken away?"

Jiang Shijun lowered his head in shame: "We kept Wei Qi's garden, but yesterday a few people suddenly came with a token from the Imperial City Guard. Our men didn't dare to stop them and could only let them go..."

"Drunken Golden Cup" is finished. You can check it out; it's in the book recommendation section below.