Shipin Dalizheng

Rong Tang gasped a few times, and the hall was quiet for a moment, with no one speaking.

He Daban laughed dryly. "Mr. Rong, filial piety is a good thing. But the saying that a father is the leader of his sons doesn't have to be interpreted that way. It's not that serious. Just imagine, if fathers let their sons die, there would be no descendants. Only disobedient and guilty sons will be punished. I'm afraid your teacher is a half-witted man."

Rong Tang wiped the blood from the tip of his nose and the corners of his mouth with his hands, looking confused. "They said my biological parents were from Dai Yue. I didn't want to come back at first, but something happened in my clan, and I was the only one left, so I wanted to find other relatives."

He Daban asked, "Mr. Rong, what happened? Where are your adoptive parents?"

Rong Tang said, "They're all dead. Especially my father, whose head was chopped off, with his eyes wide open, he died with his eyes wide open."

At this moment, Jin Shizhao used this expression to look at Rong Tang. Jin Shizhao seriously suspected that this was an allusion to himself, and that this evil creature was cursing him to death.

"Hey! What's going on? Why are they all dead?"

He Daban was Emperor Xuanning's mouthpiece, specializing in finding out gossip for him and asking what the emperor wanted to know.

Rong Tang covered his face, seemingly speechless with grief. Rong San spoke for him, his voice filled with grief: "The young master's adoptive parents in Southern Xinjiang were also of some status and wealth, which attracted the attention of others. They gathered a large number of people and wiped out the young master's family."

"The clan was wiped out?" Even He Daban was moved. This Young Master Rong was really miserable.

Rong Tang wiped his eyes with his torn sleeve. "I had no choice but to follow them to seek refuge with my biological parents. I thought we'd be reunited as a family and no longer alone and helpless. But who knew I'd encounter countless assassinations along the way... It turns out it's the same everywhere; too much wealth can be fatal."

Jin Shizhao was furious. He stood up and kicked Rong Tang. "What nonsense are you talking about, you evil creature? Who wants to kill you?"

"Master Jin, what are you doing?" He Daban's voice was shrill. Rong San quickly stood in front of Rong Tang and kicked Rong San hard.

Rong Tang, protected by the other three, scrambled several steps back. His face turned pale. "Emperor uncle, help me! I don't want to die! I'm still in mourning for my deceased mother. I'm the only one mourning for my adoptive parents in Southern Xinjiang and my biological mother here."

Concubine Rong shed many tears, "Poor child."

Jin Shizhao was furious and chased after him, trying to kick him. Suddenly, Emperor Xuanning shouted, "Jin Shizhao, you are so bold! Are you going to kill someone in front of me?"

Jin Shizhao's legs softened, and he suddenly broke into a sweat. He knelt down again, "Your Majesty, I am so angry that I am confused. This evil creature has slandered and framed my own father. He deserves death. Please grant him the death penalty."

Concubine Rong fell to her knees, overcome with grief and indignation. "Your Majesty, Jin Shizhao's words and actions clearly indicate his intent to put my nephew to death. His wolfish ambition is clear: to kill and rob. I hope Your Majesty will understand."

"Your Majesty, Rong Tang has framed his own father, which is extremely unfilial. He deserves death. I urge Your Majesty to execute him and restore order."

The two sides argued fiercely, and Emperor Xuanning rubbed his forehead with his hand. He Daban was about to stop them when he heard an announcement from outside the palace, "Your Majesty, the Jingzhao prefecture governor requests an audience."

In such situations, it seemed that the Jingzhao prefect was more experienced in handling them. Emperor Xuanning spoke, "Announce."

Nangong Jing entered the hall, saluted Emperor Xuanning, and stood aside with a cold and indifferent expression. Emperor Xuanning's attitude softened more than three points when he faced him. "Jing'er, you handle this matter. I'm exhausted from all the noise."

"I obey your command. Could you please repeat to me what happened in the palace?"

A little eunuch stood out from the side and repeated the conversation of everyone just now in vivid detail, even perfectly reproducing everyone's expression and tone.

Nangong Jing frowned and looked at Jin Shizhao, "Master Jin, do you think that what Young Master Rong said is a complaint to His Majesty, accusing you of hiring a killer?"

Jin Shizhao was furious, "I didn't do it, it was this rebellious son who framed me."

"Master Jin, judging from what Master Rong said, I didn't hear him explicitly say that you were the one who was chasing him all the way. Why do you insist on identifying yourself with that person?"

"..."

Jin Shizhao's face turned red from choking.

"He was merely describing the hardships and dangers he encountered on his journey north. As a father, or even a stranger, hearing about someone's suffering, wouldn't one express sympathy and lament their pity? So, Lord Jin, you're so enraged that you think he's accusing you? Lord Jin, accusation means, first of all, that a crime has actually occurred, but as a son, Young Master Rong should have kept it to himself and not spoken publicly. But that's what you mean?"

Jin Shizhao broke out in a cold sweat again and flatly denied it, "Absolutely not. I had no prior knowledge of his trip north, so how could I be chasing him?"

"Master Jin means that you didn't know, so you didn't pursue me. If you knew..."

"My Lord, please think carefully before you speak. If you are making malicious speculations and trying to accuse me of something, I will demand justice from His Majesty."

Nangong Jing nodded, "Then, Master Jin, allow me to ask you a question: do you acknowledge that Young Master Rong is your legitimate son?!"

Jin Shizhao blurted out, "Of course I don't recognize him. He's just a wild boy from southern Xinjiang. Who knows if he's impersonating someone to defraud money and property?"

Nangong Jing nodded again, "Sure! Lord Jin is being unreasonable, no, you're being unreasonable. On the one hand, you deny that Young Master Rong is your son, and on the other hand, when you hear words that are unfavorable to you, you curse him as an evildoer, a rebellious son, a ruthless and disobedient person, and you forcefully demand that Your Majesty execute him to restore order. On what basis do you base your argument?"

Jin Shizhao's face felt burning with pain and he was speechless.

"Sir Jin, I'll give you one more chance. Do you recognize this son? If you do, Jin Yaoyang's pursuit and killing in the street is your family affair. If you don't, the killing in the street, resulting in serious injury, is a heinous crime with enormous consequences. The facts are clear, and there is witness and evidence. The sentence should be ten years in prison, eighty strokes of the cane, and exile a thousand miles."

Jin Shizhao suddenly woke up and remembered his original intention of entering the palace. He came to ask the emperor for mercy because his son was arrested and imprisoned in Jingzhao Yin Prison. How did he end up in this situation?

As expected of someone who had been an official for over a decade, he didn't let Nangong Jing lead him into a ditch. He turned around and knelt before the emperor, "Your Majesty, my son is innocent. He wasn't hunting Rong Tang. The day before, my son, Tang Buyun, the son of Lord Tang, and Zheng Changning, the son of Prime Minister Zheng, were hunting in the western suburbs when Rong Tang captured him, beat him, insulted him, and tied him up and made him kneel for several hours. He was so angry that he took advantage of his visit to the capital to beat him up to vent his anger. He really had no intention of killing anyone."

Nangong Jing said, "But during my investigation, I found that many people saw with their own eyes and heard with their own ears that Jin Yaoyang wanted to beat Master Rong to death and that he would bear the consequences if he did. Who would vent their anger by leading more than a hundred people and chasing him across half the imperial city until he was dead?"

He pointed at Rong Tang's miserable appearance and said, "Even after such a bad situation, they still won't let him go. Lord Jin, do you think that if Master Rong gets hit a few more times, he will die?"