Chapter 872: Chapter 872: Brief Reunion, Long Farewell
The time passed quickly, two shichen went by in the blink of an eye, and the Emperor, who had been at the Star Palace, appeared in the Side Hall.
Lian Musu felt a sense of melancholy knowing it was time to leave. After paying his respects, he bid farewell to Lian Hua with a smile on his face.
Lian Hua’s entire demeanor wilted, her little head drooping in reluctance. After Lian Musu said his farewells and left the Side Hall, she followed along, trailing behind him wherever he went.
The Emperor’s heart softened at the sight, as he hugged her and reassured her that there would be more opportunities in the future, which finally cheered her up a bit.
Lian Musu also suppressed his sense of reluctance and comforted her with a few words, promising to visit her once his leg was healed.
Concerned about Lian Musu’s leg, she instructed him to take good care of it and hoped it would be healed by the next time they met. With that, she said her farewells again and watched, full of reluctant longing, as Lian Musu walked away until he was out of sight.
Only when she could no longer see him did Lian Hua look away, feeling downcast while the Emperor led her back to the Canglan Court, her voice filled with sorrow: "If only I could leave the palace and see them often..."
The palace rules are strict, and meeting family isn’t something one can do just whenever they want; she understood this.
A short reunion and a long separation—her mother was like this, her elder brother too. They had just met and soon parted; the times spent at home during childhood were gone forever. Was growing up meant to bring so much separation?
Sigh... She let out a small sigh, thinking, "Marry a chicken, follow a chicken; marry a dog, follow a dog." Having followed His Majesty into the palace, she’d accompany him and grow old together.
The Emperor slowly walked while holding her hand, feeling grateful that when her mother left, his Little Concubine was asleep; otherwise, he wouldn’t know how reluctant she might be.
Hearing her sad voice, he comforted her: "Now that you’re in the late months of pregnancy, there will be opportunities later for me to take you to see them and take a stroll. It’s hard on my Little Concubine, who has a naturally lively and cheerful nature, being confined in the palace — it’s difficult for her."
Lian Hua’s eyes brightened as she looked at the Emperor, then hesitated and said, "Brother Zhao, isn’t this inappropriate?" She wanted it very much, but she didn’t want His Majesty to be embarrassed. She’d heard from Nanny Qi that there were many fierce old officials in the court waiting to find fault with His Majesty.
The Emperor pinched her cheek with a smile, saying, "I occasionally leave the palace, bringing you along makes no difference." He had never taken his Little Concubine to visit the folks outside the palace. It seemed interesting, and he even felt some anticipation.
Lian Hua became cheerful: "That’s wonderful, when the little baby in my belly is born, Brother Zhao, I’ll be waiting for your word. Then we should bring enough silver, first visit my parents and brother; maybe by then they already have a sister-in-law, that would be great! After seeing them, we’ll go have some fun. Let me tell you, I know of so many fun things..."
Lian Hua joyfully envisioned her future excursions outside the palace.
With a slight smile on his lips, the Emperor held her hand and headed towards the Imperial Garden.
Lian Hua refocused her energy and returned to her usual self. As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something. Without thinking, she asked, "Brother Zhao, is my elder brother taller, or are you?" She had forgotten to check.
After she spoke, she paused, her big almond-shaped eyes unblinkingly gazing at the Emperor, with a hint of mischief in her eyes.
The Emperor’s smile froze on his lips, veins subtly pulsing on his forehead, as he remembered how uneasy he felt when he overheard, outside the Side Hall, her praising Lian Musu as the best person in the world. He had forgotten that moment until she mentioned it, bringing back the memory entirely.
He gave her a chilling look, thinking to himself, this cheeky little brat’s skin was itching again. Despite his heartache for her missing her family, once she was feeling better, she reverted to her old ways, even daring to provoke him about stature — subtly referencing his jealousy. Not giving her a good scolding wouldn’t teach her what it meant to uphold husbandly authority.
Yet, seeing her mischievous smile, utterly unafraid of him, the Emperor sighed helplessly. For such a lively and lovely Little Concubine, what else could he do? He could only spoil her.
...
The Lian Family’s wrongful case, due to the Guo family’s involvement in numerous cases, had been tried for several days straight, and finally, that day had come to the judgment.
The Guo family’s pile of lawsuits in the Shuntian Prefecture took up an entire large volume of records; even counting the number of cases was difficult for the onlookers, who were amazed by what they saw. Every day, they brought rotten vegetable leaves and threw them at the Guo family members, hurling endless curses, labeling them as heartless creatures without conscience and morality.
The Shuntian Prefecture, after reporting the Guo family’s offenses through layers, reaching the ears of the Emperor himself, was personally endorsed by the Son of Heaven, who approved the Shuntian Prefecture’s verdict.
Under the weight of accumulated crimes, the Shuntian Prefecture sentenced the entire Guo family to immediate execution and confiscated all of the Guo family’s assets. The Guo family, originally within the Xue family’s nine clans, now found such a punishment lenient. The principal offenders, Guo Neng and Guo Shun, were sentenced to the five punishments before death, meaning posthumous division into five parts. This punishment is reserved for the truly heinous, and their inability to have whole bodies after death truly befits their crimes.
Those involved in the wrongful case against the Lian Family, from the prison officers to the adjudicating officials who had handled the case, depending on the severity of their guilt, faced sentences ranging from exile to immediate execution;
One of the principal offenders collaborating with the Guo family was the County Magistrate, whose mouth had already been shut, but his crimes implicated his kin. Male members were sold into slavery, while females were forced into prostitution. Without a general pardon, they were unable to redeem themselves;
Another principal offender was the He Family. The head of the He family, He Fuchang, was sentenced to immediate execution, and the He family’s assets were confiscated. Consideration was given to his son, He Hao, who was young at the time and showed regret for his father’s crimes, resulting in a special acquittal.
With the verdict, the scholars and commoners present erupted in joyous cheers, vigorously applauding and praising the Shuntian Prefecture’s impartial Minister of Justice, lauding him as fair and upright. The applause was so loud that it drowned out the announcement of the verdict, rendering the calls for silence ineffective.
Yet once jubilation passed, the Lian Family’s case remained unresolved, prompting the crowd to remember, gradually quieting down as they realized they still had a crucial matter on their minds — the issue of impersonating Taiyuan Prefecture’s Jieyuan Gong, and what punishment might be merited.
Before the crowd could ponder, the Shuntian Prefecture officials seized the moment to continue loudly declaring the verdict:
The Lian family, framed by the Guo family, the local County Magistrate, and the He family, suffered seven years of exile, and their family assets were taken and divided by the three families. Now, all of the Lian family’s assets were to be returned from the three families.
As for Lian Musu posing as a candidate in the imperial examination, the cause could be traced and the circumstances were compassionate. His actions can be pardoned, yet the violation of the law cannot be entirely exempted. He was sentenced to have his Jieyuan title and Juren degree annulled, in order to uphold the integrity of the imperial examination system.
After the verdict was read, the crowd stirred, erupting in commotion.
The populace had assumed, given the ongoing chatter, that Lian Musu would be exonerated as his actions were understandable and his merits were achieved through genuine capability, and that he would remain the Taiyuan Prefecture’s Jieyuan Gong, awaiting imminent success in the Spring Imperial Examination.
But they didn’t expect the Shuntian Prefecture to strip Lian Musu of his Juren degree. Though no other penalties were imposed, the annulment of a degree for a scholar devoted to his studies was undeniably a devastating blow, causing concern amongst all scholars.
Historically, the saying "Golden Scholar, Silver Graduate" exists, implying that the Juren title is the most challenging step in the imperial examination, with each test held every three years, barely one in a hundred succeed.