In Love With My Fierce Farming Wife!
Chapter 1103 - 1097: Arresting People, Releasing People?

Chapter 1103: Chapter 1097: Arresting People, Releasing People?

Qin Hui was startled, and cold sweat drenched him instantly.

Courtiers? Previously, he had learned that his own father was coming this way with his colleagues.

Although he didn’t know exactly which courtiers were in Guiyuelou at the moment, if his own father was one of them...

By coincidence, there were people discussing nearby.

"Look, isn’t that Lord Cao from the Ministry of Works? Oh my! Lord Yuan is here too... Tsk, tsk! Seems like a lot of people got caught up in this mess!"

Qin Hui trembled all over!

Although he did not recognize any Lord Cao or Lord Yuan, weren’t they among the colleagues his father had been constantly talking about recently?

With these thoughts, he couldn’t care about anything else and, like a fugitive, he turned and ran towards the edge of the crowd.

The crowd surged forward while he desperately pushed his way out, managing to escape the throng; he didn’t even bother to pick up one of his shoes that got lost in the process.

He ran back to the Qin Family’s Mansion without stopping, burst through the main gate, and rushed directly to Qin Yueshi. Breathless, he pointed outside with a trembling hand, shouting urgently, "Mother, quick! Go save Father, he, he..."

Qin Yueshi had recently been quite pleased with herself, and with Shuang’er’s marriage arrangements progressing, she was in a joyful mood. She was suddenly interrupted by the frantic entry of Qin Hui and stood up quickly, "What’s happened, what’s happened? Speak slowly, child, you’re not making any sense. Babbling nonsense, your father went to the Ministry of Works for his duty, why would your mother go there too? You really are..."

Qin Hui wanted to explain further, but he couldn’t articulate it properly.

Finally catching his breath, he quickly grabbed Qin Yueshi’s hand and dragged her outside, "Mother, Father is in trouble. Hurry to the palace and beg the Empress for mercy, beg her to save Father."

He was frantic, but Qin Yueshi was not.

"What’s the trouble? I have just come from the palace, you think the Imperial Palace is your backyard to come and go as you please? Even if I have to go to the palace to find the Empress, you should at least make your story clear!"

Seeing his mother determined to get to the bottom of things, Qin Hui had no choice but to relay everything that had happened.

"Mother, this is what happened..."

Meanwhile, in the palace, Qin Yi also received the news.

"Several officials from the Ministry of Works were caught with prostitutes by the Palace Guards’ captain?"

Qin Yi was shocked!

This was a genuine shock. Although it was strictly forbidden for officials to consort with prostitutes, in reality, the brothels in Shengjing City were backed by countless officials. He, aware of this, had turned a blind eye, always handling the issue with kid gloves, but today someone had deliberately shaken this matter out.

The person reporting to him was one of his personal guards, all of whom were directly under Qin Yi’s command, handpicked by Great General Xue, elites one in a thousand.

The guard, knowing that His Majesty had inquired, naturally told all.

"Indeed, several officials from the Ministry of Works have been taken to the Court of Judicial Review, witnessed by countless commoners along the way."

Qin Yi’s heart leaped violently.

"Officials from the Ministry of Works? Which ones were arrested?"

"I have already dispatched people to gather information, and we should hear back very soon."

"Good, report back immediately as soon as you have news!"

After dismissing everyone, Qin Yi paced anxiously in the Purple Zen Hall.

Thinking of his elder brother who was on duty at the Ministry of Works, he secretly summoned a secret guard, "Go to the jail and see if Qin Yu is among those people. Come back to me as soon as you have the information."

The secret guard accepted the order and left.

This night was destined to be sleepless.

Many mansions lay awake because of this matter, their inhabitants mourning till their hair turned white.

At the third night watch, Shengjing City remained enveloped in darkness, the cold so biting that one’s breath fogged up instantly. Yet the civil and military officials, eager to go to the Court, were already up. After washing and rinsing, they prepared their carriages, hoisted their own lanterns on either side, and headed towards the palace gates.

Upon encountering the carriages of courtiers with higher ranks along the way, they would automatically give way. There were also officials who exchanged cordial greetings, all flowing in the same direction.

When they arrived at the palace gates, the carriages stopped far outside, and the officials disembarked, accompanied by their attendants carrying lanterns to the gates, where they lined up according to their ranks, waiting for the gates to open.

After the fourth night watch, the palace gates opened silently.

The attendants were left waiting outside, while the ministers filed through the gateway and congregated in front of the Hall of Golden Chariots.

At the fifth watch, the high-pitched voice of the Eunuch finally announced.

"His Majesty arrives!"

The ministers knelt in welcome.

"Rise."

Qin Yi, dressed in a dragon robe, sat regally on the dragon throne. His gaze swept over the ministers before finally settling on the two prime ministers who led the civil and military officials.

"Those with memorials, present them; those without, you may leave the Court!"

The Eunuch sang out in a formulaic manner.

"Your servant has a memorial to present."

Before the others could speak, a Speech Official stood up.

"Your servant wishes to report to Your Majesty. Last night, a serious incident occurred in the city. Several officials from the Ministry of Works were caught frolicking with prostitutes by the captain of the Palace Guards responsible for security in Shengjing City. They are now detained in the Court of Judicial Review. Your servant beseeches Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this case to uphold the Great Zhou’s judicial system."

With that statement, Qin Yi felt as if a pressure had built up inside him!

These courtiers, always idle, were bringing up such matters. He had come to see that issues that were previously ignored were now being brought to the Court floor, most likely connected to Qin Yu.

Qin Yu, a commoner, had obtained the post of a minor official in the Ministry of Works’s Archive and Storehouse – a minor post, yet it was a substantive one, naturally raising the ire of those courtiers professing loyalty and patriotism.

Now that they had seized a mistake, they certainly couldn’t wait to trample upon it.

"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly for Us," Qin Yi ordered with all the appearance of impartiality, turning immediately to summon the deputy minister of the Ministry of Works.

"My subject, your officials from the Ministry of Works have collectively engaged in scandalous behavior, a grave situation. As they claim you are guilty of lax governance, do you have anything to say?"

Qin Yi had a reason for singling out the deputy minister of the Ministry of Works.

When he initially entrusted Qin Yu to the deputy minister, it was with the hope that the deputy minister would look after him. Now that this issue had arisen, he naturally expected the deputy minister to provide an explanation.

The deputy minister of the Ministry of Works stepped forward unhurriedly and reported, "Replying to Your Majesty, your servant would like to accuse the captain of the Palace Guards of abusing his power and framing the innocent. He arrested Lord Cao, Lord Yuan, Lord Gan, Lord Gao, and Master Gu, who were simply drinking at the Guiyuelou, and took them to the Court of Judicial Review. Moreover, he has tarnished the reputation of these officials among the commoners. Your servant implores Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this case."

Qin Yu wasn’t mentioned?

Although the deputy minister of the Ministry of Works spoke quickly, he indeed did not mention Qin Yu’s name.

Qin Yi’s eyebrow lifted, and then he turned his gaze to the captain of the Palace Guards, "Captain, you have heard what the deputy minister has just said. Do you have anything to reply?"