Did the eldest daughter ascend the throne today?

In the capital city, in front of the general's mansion, there were carriages lined up one after another, guests were everywhere, and the place was bustling with noise.

Big red lanterns were hung high at the gate, and the four large gold-plated characters of "General's Mansion" sparkled brightly in the sun. The signature was from the current emperor, a level of honor and favor rarely seen in the world.

Every guest came to admire it, and their envy and jealousy were beyond words.

The Ning family of the General's Mansion were the first group of generals to follow the founding emperor. They had outstanding military achievements and were granted the title of Duke of Wei. Their titles remained unchanged for three generations. In this generation, they lost their titles for some reason, but were granted the title of the General's Mansion, ranking first among all military generals.

The Ning family has guarded the northwest, defended the border and protected the country for generations. Countless descendants of the Ning family died on the battlefield, wrapped in horsehide, and their names as heroes are known throughout the world.

The current emperor has great trust in the Ning family and has been rewarding the female members of the Ning family who remain in the capital. The palace gave birthday gifts to the old lady of the Ning family on her 70th birthday, which aroused the envy of other families.

Old Madam Ning wore a kingfisher phoenix crown with gold thread, a red stand-up collar jacket and a satin skirt with red gold scattered flowers. The skirt was embroidered with a hundred Chinese characters for "Fu", which were made by the women of the Ning family themselves, just to bring blessings and longevity to the ancestor.

She is graceful, kind-looking, and smiling, and is surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

A group of noble ladies surrounded Old Madam Ning, flattering her in various ways, praising the Ning family's filial and capable descendants, making Old Madam Ning smile from ear to ear, and the atmosphere was extremely cheerful.

"Mrs. Ning has a long life, a loving couple, and many children and grandchildren, which makes others envious."

"Madam Ning, please let us have a look at the gifts sent from the border. I heard that the Dongzhu this year is even better."

Madam Ning's smile froze, but she quickly changed the subject calmly. No one else noticed anything unusual, only her family knew what was going on.

Miss Ning Liu took advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention and whispered to a few of her sisters, "Why haven't the gifts from the border been delivered yet? Did something go wrong?"

The previous letter said that the gift would definitely be delivered before the birthday, and also stated a lot of things.

But, it has become a joke before the birthday even arrives.

Ning Si looked around and lowered his voice, "It must be that the escort was unreliable. How could they have thought of sending that person back? Father is really something. He knew that grandmother didn't like that person, but he still insisted on sending that person back to the capital."

That person's name is a taboo in the family and no one dares to mention it easily. Everyone knows that there is such a person, but has never seen him.

Ning Liu laughed, "She is not young anymore, it is time for her to get married. There is no decent family to be found at the border."

Ning Si showed disdain on his face, "She grew up in the wild at the border, she has no education, who would like her?"

Aunt Ning's voice sounded behind him, "Shut up."

Ning Liu is the youngest daughter in the family and the most favored. She is spoiled and willful. "I won't acknowledge her. Humph, even if she is included in the Ning family's genealogy, she is not a real member of the Ning family."

"Don't talk nonsense." Aunt Ning couldn't help but scold. No matter what, Ning Zhiwei's surname was Ning, and they would prosper together and suffer together.

Ning Xiaoliu was not afraid of this elder sister. She stamped her feet and said, "Eldest sister, I just don't like her. No one likes her. If it weren't for her, how could our Ning family... Hey, why is it so noisy outside? What happened?"

At this moment, the butler came over, rolling and crawling, his face terrified, as if the sky had fallen. "Madam, the Jinyiwei are here."

"Boom", the lively atmosphere suddenly froze, and the guests looked at each other and trembled.

When the Jinyiwei appear, it usually means nothing good.

The Ning family members were worried and their minds were blank. A disaster was about to happen.

When she saw the young man in brocade clothes appear, Mrs. Ning's heart suddenly sank. She felt dizzy and her body was staggering. The children and grandchildren around her supported her with concern.

It turned out that it was the Jinyiwei commander Xiao Linfeng who led the team personally. Wherever he went, there was disaster.

The young man was tall and slender, with a pair of eyes as cold as frost and snow. His aura was so terrifying that people dared not look directly at him. When people in the capital saw him, they wished they could disappear on the spot.

Wherever he went, there was bloodshed, homes were confiscated and families were exterminated, and countless people were beheaded. Even important officials in the court were deeply afraid of him.

He is a knife in the hand of the current emperor, and the knife will go wherever his finger points.

Facing the horrified gazes of the Ning family's women, he said calmly, "The Ning family colluded with the Northern Jin family, causing the border to be lost, six cities to fall, and the people of the six cities to be slaughtered. The Jinyiwei came here on the emperor's order to confiscate the family's property..."

It was like a bolt from the blue. The Ning family couldn't believe it. "This is impossible."

Xiao Linfeng thought of the letter and said calmly, "Be polite to the women."

"Yes."

The guests were terrified and trembling with fear.

Xiao Linfeng looked at the guests around him and pointed in a direction, "Everyone who has nothing to do with me, please leave immediately."

Upon hearing this, the guests dispersed quickly, and no one dared to stay, for fear of being dragged in.

It turns out that all the colorful flowers are left to the broken wells and dilapidated walls. What can we do about the beautiful scenery? Who can enjoy the pleasure in the yard? Note (1)

The grand and sensational birthday banquet came to an end, and the family that had been illustrious for a hundred years was in turmoil and in danger.

……

The Ning family's property was ransacked, and the women and children were thrown into prison. The family's relatives were terrified and distanced themselves from the matter, trying to keep themselves out of it.

The court was in an uproar over how to deal with the Ning family. The civil and military officials were divided into two factions. The civil officials unanimously demanded that the Ning family be charged with treason and the entire family be executed, regardless of gender, age or status, in order to shock the court and the public.

The general requested that in consideration of the Ning family's past achievements, the lives of the Ning family's women and young children be spared and they be exiled to the southwest, where their life or death would depend on their own luck.

They quarreled for several days in a row and even got into a fight. The emperor, sitting high on the dragon throne, yawned out of boredom.

"Boom, boom, boom." The sound of drums suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the area within a radius of ten miles, echoing throughout the sky of the entire capital, and instantly causing a thousand waves.

The emperor frowned, "What's that sound?"

The eunuch's knees went weak with fear and shock, "It's the drum of denunciation!"

The emperor stood up suddenly, and the faces of all the civil and military officials in the court changed. Who was beating the drum to report the incident? Who didn't want to live anymore?!

Dengwen Drum, which means "immediately report to the emperor", was the name given to the founding emperor of this dynasty, who hung a drum at the Meridian Gate of the Imperial Palace and allowed his subjects to beat the drum to appeal to the emperor for grievances.

The founding emperor issued a clear decree: when the drums are sounded for public hearings, the three courts of the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple and the Censorate shall hold a public trial, and it must be fair and strict, and an explanation shall be given to the subjects of the world.

In the 200 years since the founding of the country, the drum for reporting crimes had only been sounded three times, but each time it was a shocking case with long rivers of blood. The smell of blood in Caishikou lingered for months, leaving a vivid mark in the history books.

Emperor Yuanqi reigned for 15 years, and the drum for reporting to the emperor had never been sounded, but he had witnessed it with his own eyes during the reign of his royal grandfather, when half of the civil and military officials and nobles were killed in the massacre.

"Lin Feng, lead the way."

He wanted to see who was so bold.

Jinyiwei Commander Xiao Linfeng had a terrifying aura and said sternly, "Yes."