The Seven Princesses' Journey Across Time

It has been almost a month since Mianmian left. Today is the day of the trial of Xiao Zhihang's case. At the grand meeting, Xiao Jian was also standing below, and even Xiaoyanzi was allowed out to watch.

Qianlong: "To clarify the mystery surrounding Xiao Zhihang, I have ordered Fulun and Fuheng to reinvestigate the case. They rushed from the capital to Hangzhou that very day and have reported their findings to me. To demonstrate my credibility, I have summoned all relevant individuals to this place. I now summon Ma Yu, the former Governor of Hangzhou during the Renxu period, who is now the Governor of Gansu, to the throne."

Li Yu: "Summon the Gansu Governor, Ma Yu, to the palace."

......

Mayu came in and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, may your Majesty live long and long."

Then he raised his head and said excitedly: "Your Majesty, as soon as I heard your urgent summons, I immediately rushed to the capital from Gansu. I wonder what your Majesty's instructions are."

Qianlong looked at Mayu sharply and said, "Mayu, I have heard a little about your reputation in the court. However, in view of the many contributions your family has made in the previous dynasty, I am kind-hearted and have always preserved your family's honor and never removed your hat. Even though you were transferred from the prosperous Zhejiang to Gansu, you were at least a governor. However, you have been an official for many years and have never created benefits for the people and the country. Instead, you have destroyed lives and condoned your only son, Ma Huang, to bully the villagers, kill innocent people, rape women, and commit all kinds of evil. Mayu, you have failed to educate your son well. What is your punishment?"

The more Mayu listened, the more anxious she became. However, she still managed to argue in the end: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I am terrified. Your Majesty is wise. My son has been dead for nineteen years. How could there be any accusation that he exploited the villagers and raped their daughters? Your Majesty, please do not listen to the rumors of the people."

Seeing that he was still trying to argue, Qianlong said angrily, "How dare you still try to protect your son? Have you not reflected on yourself or felt any remorse in the past 19 years? I am examining what happened 19 years ago. Tell me how your son Mahuang died."

Mayu said with a look of grief, "Your Majesty, I lost my son in my early years. What does this have to do with the present? Why are you asking about this, this unbearable past?"

Qianlong said speechlessly: "You also know what 'unbearable to look back' means. Then you killed Xiao Zhihang, killed 19 members of his family, and set fire to Xiao Zhihang's home. How can the descendants of the Xiao family look back on this?" As he said this, he glanced at Xiao Jian and Xiao Yanzi below.

Mayu was a little shocked when she heard this. Xiaoyanzi, already in tears, said to her brother, "It was this bastard who killed our father."

Xiao Jian also suppressed the grief and anger in his heart and said, "Xiao Yanzi, calm down and see what he says."

At this moment, Mayu was still trying to argue: "Your Majesty, Xiao Zhihang was a rebel from the 'Green Dragon Gang' and attempted to resist arrest, so I executed him on the spot. Xiao Zhihang manipulated the rebels and disrupted the imperial court. I was eliminating this harm for Your Majesty and for the Qing Dynasty."

Seeing his unrepentant attitude, Emperor Qianlong angrily rebuked him, "Shut up! It is a disgrace to me and to the Manchu people that my Qing Dynasty has officials like you. Now nineteen years have passed. Since you have no shame or regret for your past actions, then I will convince you. Come, Xuan Wanghan and Zhu Gui."

Mayu shuddered with fear when she heard these two names.

Li Yu: "Prince Xuan Han and Zhu Gui come to the palace."

Zhu Gui knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I, Zhu Gui, pay my respects to you."

Wang Han knelt down and said, "Your humble servant Wang Han pays homage to the Emperor."

At this time, Mayu's face was full of horror.

Qianlong looked at the two men and said, "Wang Han, during the Renxu year, you were a servant beside Ma Yu. Tell me who killed Ma Huang."

Wang Han: "Your Majesty, Ma Huang committed numerous evil deeds, repeatedly raping women and abandoning their bodies after their deaths. The people of Hangzhou have long hated his tyranny, but because of Ma Yu's protection, the people dared not speak out. In the third month of the Renxu year, when Ma Huang tried to seize a woman for pleasure again, Xiao Zhihang, 'Jiangnan's Greatest Hero', finally lost his patience and executed Ma Huang in the name of justice."

Qianlong: "Wang Han, go on and tell me what happened after Xiao Zhihang killed Ma Huang?"

Wang Han: "When Lord Ma learned that it was Xiao Zhihang who killed Ma Huang, he kept trying to avenge his son. He spent a fortune hiring martial arts masters to assassinate Xiao Zhihang, but the martial arts masters all respected the hero Xiao, and no one dared to take the offer. Then one day, Lord Ma sent Zhu Gui to search the Xiao family. Not long after they framed Xiao Zhihang and arrested him, Xiao Zhihang was beheaded by Lord Ma."

Zhu Gui: "Wang Han and I both knew this secret, but we were afraid of death and kept it hidden for nineteen years. Now we have to thank the emperor for giving us this opportunity to atone for our sins, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Mayu completely collapsed to her knees and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Your Majesty, please forgive me."

Qianlong's eyes turned red with anger, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Ma Yu, you forged the imperial edict, used public power to avenge personal grudges, and covered up everything with one hand. You and your son are simply guilty of heinous crimes. I must now uphold justice and bring justice to the Xiao family of Hangzhou. I will now take off your official hat and strip you of your title. How you treated Xiao Zhihang in the past, I will now give him the same way he treated you. Qingshu, you are acquainted with Xiao Zhihang's descendants, so Mayu will be handed over to you. You will be executed on the spot."

Qing'er: "I obey your order."

Xiao Jian and Xiao Yanzi: "We bow to thank the Emperor for his grace."

Qing'er said to the guards, "Come here, take Mayu away."

Mayu kowtowed and cried, "Thank you, Lord, for your grace. Thank you, Lord, for your grace."

Then he was dragged away by the guards, still shouting: "Son, father can go to the underworld to find you, hahahaha..."

Qianlong nodded to Qing'er, who then led the Imperial Guards out to raid the homes of the bannermen. The loot was sent to the treasury in carts, ultimately exceeding five times the original amount, and even including tributes the imperial family had never seen before.

At the same time, the emperor also allowed the various royal palaces and Manchu ministers to return and confiscate the property of their own servants, which ultimately doubled their wealth.

As for the baoyi families whose names were seized by Qing'er, Emperor Qianlong ordered the extermination of three clans and the exile of the rest. After all, the remote areas that were conquered were still in need of people to build them up, otherwise Emperor Qianlong would have wanted to exterminate all nine clans. Most of the baoyi palace maids were sent to build the areas, leaving only the newly arrived ones.

He also issued an edict: "All concubines born in the Baoyi family in the palace are demoted to the rank of concubines. They shall not be promoted in the future and are not allowed to have children. If they do have children, they shall not be recorded as jade butterflies and are not considered royal heirs. The mothers shall be killed and the children shall be kept. When they grow up, they shall be self-reliant."

"The same is true for all the families outside the palace. Anyone born to a bondservant will never have the right of inheritance, but they are allowed to participate in the imperial examinations."