Chapter 97

  The old lady finally went to Beijing to appeal to the emperor.

  Bao Zheng was also summoned back to the capital after handling the matter in Huzhou and resumed his post as the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture, while responding to the accusation made by Madame Wen.

  It's almost New Year's Eve in the lunar calendar, and the Renzong Emperor is not very pleased that something like this happened to Wen's family.

  This case was too big and involved too many people, so Emperor Renzong handed it over to his eighth uncle for trial.

  Because of the Huzhou case, Lu Xiaofeng also counts as having personally experienced it, so this time she followed Bao Zheng back to Beijing.

  It can be imagined that when she appeared in the attire of a married woman at the Tai Shi Fu, it caused a sensation.

  The daughter actually got married quietly!

  This is somewhat unacceptable to the imperial tutor and his wife!

  The Marquis of Anle also expressed his inability to accept!

  Which son of a bitch married the daughter of the Tai Shi Fu but didn't even bother to greet them?

  "Yu'er, could it be Zhan Zhao?" Madam Pang thought of this person first.

  Lu Xiaofeng merely called out "mother" with a hint of shyness, and Mrs. Pang knew she had guessed correctly.

  The eunuch was furious, and it turned out to be Xianying of Kaifeng Prefecture!

  Little Phoenix Maiden watched as Master Ta was blown away like a tornado and couldn't help but bat her long eyelashes twice. "Mother, where did Father go?"

  Madam Pang shook her head and sighed, "Does this need guessing? He must have gone to Kaifeng Prefecture."

  Pang Yu nodded silently on one side.

  "But mother, Zhan Zhao is waiting outside the mansion."

  Mrs. Pong: "......" Isn't this a perfect collision?

  Pang Yu: "......" Hurriedly went out to see the situation.

  Watching her husband and son run out one after another, Mrs. Pang said to her daughter: "Let's go, the two of us will also go out and take a look, don't make any big trouble."

  "Oh."

  "You naughty girl, this is too arbitrary, how can you not even send a message back?" As she walked, Mrs. Pang couldn't help but mutter to her daughter for a couple of sentences.

  "Mother, you don't know the situation at that time. In Huzhou, we were like a strong dragon not bullying the local snake. Governor Bao was also suppressed by the Wen family everywhere. That Fourth Master Wen had taken a liking to our daughter, and if she hadn't had an appropriate response at the time, it's likely she wouldn't have been able to retreat unscathed."

  Mrs. Pong was shocked in her heart, "What is going on?"

  Lu Xiaofeng simply recounted the events of that day in Huzhou, of course adding some embellishments along the way, which was necessary for dramatic effect.

  When the two of them walked out of the mansion, Master Pang was standing at the gate with a furious expression, staring at the Royal Cat who was kneeling straight in the snow, while Pang Yu stood by.

  "Daughter——" Little Phoenix pouted and acted cute.

  Madam Pong patted her hand and walked straight to her husband's side, whispering a few words in his ear.

  The anger on Tai Shi's face was mixed with surprise, it turned out to be like this!

  Too deceitful!

  Forced her daughter to marry in order to escape!

  "Dad, there are a lot of people and prying eyes here. Should we go in and talk?" Little Phoenix reminded everyone at the right time, standing at the gate of the government office like performing a big show. Even if there were few people who dared to come and watch, there would definitely be many sneaking peeks from behind.

  "The old man absolutely will not let Zhan Zhao enter the mansion, this matter the old man does not acknowledge." The Grand Preceptor angrily turned his head and returned to the mansion.

  Mrs. Pang looked at the man kneeling in the snow with a straight back and sighed, then followed to persuade her husband.

  Pang Yu then looked at his sworn sister.

  Lu Xiaofeng glared at him, "What are you looking at?"

  "Are you going to let him kneel like this?"

  "You don't know that this cat is sometimes a single-minded fool?" He said not to let him follow, but he insisted on coming, stupid cat!

  Pang Yu: "......"

  Lu Xiaofeng walked down the stairs, and Xiaohe held up an oil-paper umbrella to shield her from the snow.

  "Zhan Zhao."

  Zhan Zhao looked at her.

  Lu Xiaofeng slightly lowered his body and asked him: "Are you dissatisfied with the lack of gossip in Beijing, wanting to contribute your own strength?"

  "This matter requires Master Tao's understanding."

  "You kneel here and not only won't get my father's forgiveness, but will instead add fuel to the fire."

  "But—"

  "Hurry up and get out of here, it's a cold winter with heavy snowfall. If you keep kneeling there for too long, you'll definitely catch a chill. That'll be my problem later on, don't give me any more trouble."

  Zhan Zhao: "......"

  Xiaohe: *silence*

  Following Yijie down the stairs, Pang Yu said: "......"

  "Are you getting up or not? If you don't get up, whether my dad forgives me or not I don't know, but I definitely won't forgive you."

  Zhan Zhao had no choice but to get up.

  Xiaohe quickly brushed off the snowflakes on her brother-in-law's body.

  "Uncle, you'd better listen to Miss and go back first."

  Pang Yu said: That's right, you'd better go back first. Little Hou thinks that if you stay here, it will only add fuel to the fire and have no other effect. It's still up to my third sister to think of a way.

  "Little Phoenix..."

  "Shut up, anyway you listen to me, if you really want to kneel, tomorrow I'll let the carpenter make a washboard for you, and you can kneel to your heart's content."

  Miss, can you be more reliable?

  Pang Yu: Third sister, isn't this also a bit too much?

  Zhan Zhao had no choice but to say: "Then I'll head back to Kaifeng Prefecture first."

  "Uh-huh, tomorrow you still have to accompany Lord Bao to Dali Temple, let's head back."

  Zhan Zhao looked at her again before turning around and leaving.

  He left, and An Le Hou's sister and brother also returned to the mansion, after all, there was still a great Buddha in the mansion that needed to be appeased.

  "That Wen family is too deceitful." They said as they entered the living room where Master Pang was slamming his hand on the table and scolding someone.

  "Dad, take care of your body, we don't need to get angry for someone like that."

  "You're one too. Why don't you bring out your identity as the thousand-gold daughter of the Taishi Mansion and the emperor's imperial sister? I bet that Wen family wouldn't dare to bully you then."

  "Father, if I don't reveal my identity, this matter can be settled by marrying her off. But if I do reveal my identity, the Wen family will definitely not let it go."

  "What's this all about?" The Grand Tutor looked somewhat perplexed.

  "Father, think about it," Lu Xiaofeng explained to Tai Shifu, "If I don't reveal my identity, then we won't be considered a match made in heaven with the Wen family. Mrs. Wen naturally wouldn't pay much attention to me either. But if I do reveal my identity, with a family like the Wens, they would seize this opportunity to climb up the social ladder and attach themselves to us. They wouldn't give it up easily, and might even resort to more extreme measures later on."

  And Huzhou is their turf, I'm afraid things might develop in unpredictable ways.

  At that time, the daughter only had to make a prompt decision. As for Zhan Zhao, he had saved her from danger many times before. As the saying goes, 'great kindness cannot be repaid, it can only be rewarded with one's body'.

  "That little black kid is so fragile? He can't even protect you, humph."

  "Dad, Bao Daren is also alone and outnumbered in Huzhou. The Wen family has been operating there for many years, so they naturally have nothing to fear. In that situation, it's not that Bao Daren and his daughter want to show weakness first, but they have no choice."

  "Wenjia——" Pan Taishi gritted his teeth and refused to give up on them.

  "Father, it's unwise for Old Lady Wen to go to the capital to appeal to the emperor. I believe that Lord Bao will certainly argue reasonably and let the Wen family reap what they have sown."

  "If that black-robed youngster can't do it, then I'll take action myself."

  "Dad, there's no need for that. I reckon you'll be one of the jurors at the time too. Just do what is right and things will naturally fall into place."

  Mr. Pang looked at his daughter with a hint of puzzlement, feeling that something was off.

  Xiao Feng gently smiled, "Originally, Lord Bao had intended to let Wen Jiaonan off lightly. However, it was his daughter who allowed Old Lady Wen to come to the capital and file this complaint, in order to repay grievances with grievances, and vendettas with vendettas."

  Pang Taishi: "......"

  Mrs. Pong: "......"

  Pang Yu: "......"

  "In Huzhou, I couldn't get her to be my daughter-in-law, but now that we're in the capital, Father, even if we can't be considered locals, at least we have the home-field advantage."

  Pang Taishi nodded in approval, "Well said, and even better done. We Pang family are not to be trifled with, we must show them some color."

  Lu Xiaofeng smiled, oh yeah, done!

  Pang Yu: Third sister, you've been refreshing my senses all along...

  "But you and Zhan Zhao's engagement..." I really don't like it at all.

  Lu Xiaofeng said, "Dad, this is also a trick used under duress. If you really don't like it, we can just pretend that this was a setup to capture Wen Jia brothers and not acknowledge it."

  Mrs. Pang: "Yu'er, you...". Zhan Zhao bumped into you, it's like he owed you from a past life.

  Pang Taishi furrowed his brow and said: "If we become relatives, wouldn't that be letting Xian Zhao off scot-free? That won't do..."

  Pang Yu secretly wiped his forehead, Dad, you've been fooled by San Jie again. Just now at the door, Zhan Zhao was completely under San Jie's command, a typical case of a wife-dominated household.

  "But Father, you don't like Zhan Zhao."

  "As a father, I don't like him, but now that things are like this, what else can I do as a father except make things difficult for him? My daughter is already married to him, and not acknowledging him would be letting him off too easily."

  Luk Siu Fung remained silent at the right moment.

  "But this marriage was rushed, it should be done again with proper ceremony. As your father, just thinking about you marrying Xianyang of Kaifeng makes me uncomfortable..."

  "It's not difficult, if we redo it, just say that the Taishi Mansion is recruiting a son-in-law, and we won't let people see the groom's face. This way, on the surface, the Taishi Mansion and Kaifeng Prefecture are still unrelated."

  The relationship between daughter and Zhan Zhao is not obvious, and in the future, when going out, it will also save a lot of trouble.

  Mr. Pang thought carefully about the feasibility of this matter.

  Mrs. Pang quietly rubbed her temples and said, "Yu'er doesn't want to give Zhao Huwei a name, does she? This is getting complicated."

  Pang Yu secretly smiled to himself, indeed, whoever marries San Jie must have enough endurance, because who knows what kind of things she will come up with in her brain to refresh people's three views.

  Afterwards, Lu Xiaofeng went into the palace and once again rationally analyzed with her imperial brother the benefits of not revealing her husband's name and surname. Emperor Renzong naturally agreed as well.

  So, the third daughter of the Taishi Mansion just married a son-in-law, and the name of Yizheng Princess's husband was not shown in the imperial family register.

  Nan Xiaozhao married the adopted sister of the Five Rats of Trap Island, and had no relation to Pang Taishi or Yu Mei.

  Although it is the same person, several different identities have been created for different reasons.

  Lu Xiaofeng, daughter of a doctor.

  Kaifeng Prefecture Household Register's Inner Attached Page - Pang Taishi's adopted daughter, surname changed to Pang Feng.

  Pang family genealogy records: Pang Yuxiu, third daughter of Grand Master Pang.

  The Princess Yicheng of the Imperial Clan was named Pang Feng.

  As for the Changzhou Zhanjia's genealogy, Zhan Zhao's wife was Lu Shi Xiao Feng, who was the younger sister of Wu Yi from Trap Island.

  If it weren't for someone who didn't know the inside story, they would absolutely never think that this was the same person.

  Wow!

  To conceal facts beneath a multitude of false appearances is sufficient to confuse sight and hearing, making it difficult to distinguish between true and false.

  This matter needn't be taken into consideration; currently, the focus of attention in the capital is on the elderly Mrs. Wen who is petitioning to see the Emperor.

  The Dalai Lama's three officials held a joint trial, with the Eighth Khenpo of Namtse Palace serving as the presiding judge.

  The old lady Wen was so determined to frame Bao Zheng that she didn't mind mutilating her own legs, but unfortunately, the wound revealed her scheme as soon as it was examined.

  This new wound is naturally different from the old one, and there is no one who can take on this task for Madame Wen.

  It's simply a farce.

  Finally, Mrs. Wen became inexplicably mad in the main hall of Dali Temple and ended up crashing to death on the public hall of Dali Temple.

  Lu Xiaofeng knew that it was because the vengeful spirit was seeking revenge. Originally, a vengeful spirit could not enter the public hall of justice, but if the resentment was too strong, it would be difficult to say. The legend of the fierce ghost always had some other meaning, even the judge of the underworld would give people an opportunity to eliminate the evil spirit.

  This is what they call retribution!

  Wen Si Gongzi Wen Xin said that in the city of Biyuan, he set up a spirit hall for his deceased mother.

  Bao Zheng arrived at the temple.

  As a result, Wen Xin, who was already grief-stricken to the point of explosion due to the successive deaths of his family members, suddenly attacked Bao Zheng. Fortunately, Xian Zhao, who was following them, blocked the attack and subdued Wen Xin in time.

  "Wen Gongzi, this official has upheld justice and the law, and has no personal grudge against the Wen family. Now that the case is closed, why not return to your hometown as soon as possible, revive your old home, and let past events dissipate like clouds and smoke."

  "It's easy for you to say, my mother and brother are dead because of you. The Wen family is now broken and scattered. What am I supposed to do back in Huzhou? You might as well kill me now, otherwise I'll come back looking for you again."

  "Wen Gongzi, our prefecture thought that among the Wen family, only you were a person who understood right and wrong and spoke reason. Unexpectedly, you too are so obstinately ignorant. As the saying goes, 'if you plant melons, you get melons; if you plant beans, you get beans.' The Wen family's current situation is entirely due to their own doing. If all the noble families in this world were like the Wen family, committing crimes with impunity and without punishment, wouldn't the heavens be darkened?"

  Wen Gongzi, everything I do in this government office is guided by my conscience and the principles of heaven and earth. You go back and think carefully, if you find that I have said or done anything that goes against my conscience or the law, then come and take my head at any time.

  "Wen Gongzi, the Wen family is still a respected clan in the imperial court. Your ancestor Dingbang Gong is still revered in the Temple of Loyalty and Bravery, receiving the respect of thousands. From now on, the continuation of the Wen family's reputation depends entirely on your thoughts. I hope you will take care of yourself."

  Bao Zheng finished speaking and turned to leave, but Wen Xiang still had some resentment and wanted to catch up.

  Gongsun Ce stepped forward and blocked his way: "Wen Gongzi, Bao Daren has come with sincerity to offer incense to the elderly lady. Why don't you take a step back and let things go?"

  After finishing speaking, Kaifeng Prefecture's group of people all left.

  Wen Xin was stunned and turned his head to look at the several spirit tablets on the mourning hall, suddenly shouting "Bao Zheng" and rushed out.

  He won't give up like this!

  So, once a person is blinded by hatred, it's easy to go to extremes.

  The author has something to say: The last paragraph of what Judge Bao said is the original dialogue from episode 93 of "Justice Pao", I especially like this quote, so I basically quoted it all.

  This passage is well-reasoned and sternly worded, great!

  The screenwriter back then was really talented!