eurekapd Chapter 234 What if I give up my life?
Chapter 234 What if I give up my life?
Grandma Sheng slowly stopped drumming and then raised her head.
She was completely exhausted, and her cane fell to the ground with a thud.
Then, she knelt down shakily, her forehead pressed tightly against the cold floor tiles.
The voice was filled with grief:
"My lord, since I dared to beat this grievance drum, I have already disregarded life and death. My granddaughter died unjustly. If I cannot get justice for her, what meaning is there for me to live on!"
Many of the people around looked on with pity as they listened to Granny Sheng's lament.
Some people even began to whisper in agreement, thinking that there must be something more to this story, and that perhaps King Xiang really had committed such a heinous act.
Seeing this, Su Mu frowned even more deeply.
Grandma Sheng is risking her life!
Taking a deep breath, he bent down to help Granny Sheng to her feet and said in a steady voice, "Grandma, I accept this petition."
Grandma Sheng's wrinkled face was already soaked with tears. She looked up at Su Mu and kowtowed repeatedly to express her gratitude:
"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"
However, what happened next put Su Mu in a very difficult position.
According to the rules of the Dali Temple, if a victim beats the grievance drum, he must be beaten with twenty strokes of the cane before the Dali Temple can accept the case.
Given Grandma Kesheng's age and health condition, could she withstand twenty strokes of the cane?
If she doesn't hold on, the lawsuit will be in vain.
If all the victims are dead, how can the Dali Temple handle the case?
The bailiffs from the Dali Temple escorted Granny Sheng to a wooden bench.
The onlookers couldn't bear to watch this scene.
Thinking to himself, given the old woman's age and health, he doubted she could even withstand five strokes of the cane...
Yun Mansion.
Yu Wan had just gotten up when she learned that Granny Sheng had gone to the Dali Temple to beat the grievance drum.
She froze, her face filled with disbelief and shock.
He stood there, stunned, for a long time before he came to his senses.
"How could Granny Sheng be so reckless? Doesn't she know that beating the drum to appeal for justice requires being beaten twenty times with a rod? How can her body withstand that!"
Yu Wan rushed out of bed in a panic and hastily put on her clothes.
I didn't even have time to comb my hair.
As she hurried out, she instructed Miaohong, "Quickly, go to the Ministry of Rites immediately and tell Yunshang this news!"
After saying that, she jogged out of the mansion.
On the carriage to Dali Temple, Yu Wan was restless, her eyes filled with worry and anxiety.
She kept lifting the carriage curtain to look out, hoping to arrive at Dali Temple as soon as possible.
Previously, she was worried that Granny Sheng might act impulsively in her grief and anger, so she specially asked Xizhu to bring people to keep watch over her.
But to my surprise, we still couldn't hold on!
The journey that normally takes 45 minutes took Yu Wan less than 15 minutes.
When she arrived at the Dali Temple, the area was already crowded with people, and the road was completely blocked.
Yu Wan struggled to squeeze in and saw Granny Sheng being led to the torture bench by the yamen runners.
Her pupils suddenly contracted.
At that moment, someone in the crowd shouted, "Please, Your Honor, show mercy!"
"This old woman is so old. Even if we follow the rules, we can't really give her twenty lashes. That would kill her!"
"Please, Your Excellency, have mercy!"
"At least, at least let's investigate this matter thoroughly before we make a move—"
This shout drew nods of agreement from the surrounding crowd.
Su Mu was also struggling with this issue. After a moment's thought, he gestured to the constable, "Stop for now."
The constables paused in their movements.
One of them looked at Su Mu with difficulty and said in a low voice, "Sir, this is not in accordance with the rules."
Su Mu's expression was stern, and he said in a deep voice, "This case is special. I will first go to the palace to report to the Emperor, and then make a decision."
A buzz of discussion immediately arose from the crowd.
Everyone was relieved by Su Mu's decision and shouted, "Lord Su is wise and benevolent!"
Granny Sheng was also released, and the two constables, following Su Mu's instructions, helped her to the side to rest.
Seeing this, Yu Wan quickly walked to Grandma Sheng's side and looked at her with concern: "Grandma, are you alright?"
Grandma Sheng looked up and saw that it was Yu Wan. A smile appeared on her tired face. "Miss Yu, I'm fine. As long as I can get justice for my granddaughter, my old life is nothing."
Seeing her haggard appearance, Yu Wan felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
Unable to contain herself, she whispered, "Grandma, why are you beating this grievance drum yourself? Do you know your body absolutely cannot withstand twenty strokes of the rod..."
Grandma Sheng looked at Yu Wan with kind eyes, as if she were looking at her, or perhaps she was looking at others through her.
“Miss Yu has already helped this old woman a lot. We can’t keep troubling you to do everything.”
"As long as justice can be served for Rongxi, I'm willing to give up my life."
Yu Wan's breath hitched, and her heart felt like it had been violently squeezed.
She knew that Granny Sheng and Sheng Rongxi had a deep bond, and now that Sheng Rongxi had died unjustly, Granny Sheng would definitely not let it go.
She looked up at the gate of Dali Temple, silently praying that Su Mu could plead for a chance for Granny Sheng's life before the Emperor.
……
Su Mu hurriedly entered the palace.
Emperor Wenjing was currently in his study discussing state affairs with several cabinet ministers.
Xu Haifu came in to report, and Emperor Wenjing hesitated for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "Let him in."
Su Mu entered the imperial study, paid his respects, and then reported the events that had just occurred to Emperor Wenjing in detail.
Emperor Wenjing's expression darkened slightly upon hearing this.
Several senior officials in the imperial study also showed some unusual expressions.
The Emperor just deposed Prince Xuan, and now an old woman has suddenly filed a lawsuit against Prince Xiang. This matter... is probably going to be difficult to handle.
Emperor Wenjing raised his eyes, his gaze deep and unfathomable as he stared at Su Mu. "Minister Su, what do you think should be done?"
Su Mu was unsure of Emperor Wenjing's thoughts, so he could only say cautiously, "That old woman is indeed old, and this matter has already become common knowledge. If we execute her according to the rules first, it may make the people feel that the government is heartless and chill their hearts."
After these words were spoken, Emperor Wenjing remained silent for a long time.
Left Chancellor Xie Shifu suddenly spoke up, "Lord Su's words are inappropriate."
"This matter of the grievance drum concerns the laws of the court and the will of the people. If the rules are changed arbitrarily, trouble may arise in the future. If the court's rules are broken just because the petitioner is old, setting a precedent for breaking the rules, will exceptions be made for other things in the future?"
When Su Mu entered the Imperial Study and met the Left Chancellor Xie Shifu, he guessed that this trip would not go smoothly.
His heart tightened, and he lowered his eyes slightly, saying, "What the Left Prime Minister said is very true, but the wrongful death of Granny Sheng's granddaughter has already caused a great uproar among the people."
If these twenty strokes of the cane are forcibly applied, and something happens to the old woman, the people will surely think that the court is disregarding human life.
The reputation of the Dali Temple and even the imperial court would be damaged. Furthermore, the truth has not yet been ascertained; if we lose public support because of regulations, it would be detrimental to the stability of our dynasty.
Emperor Wenjing listened to the two arguing but had no intention of speaking.
He merely glanced briefly at everyone's faces.
Right Chancellor Li Chongyi, stroking his beard, slowly interjected, "Your Majesty, since neither fighting nor not fighting is feasible, why not choose a compromise?"
As soon as Li Chongyi said this, everyone's eyes turned to him.
However, Li Chongyi stroked his beard without saying a word, only glancing at Su Mu indifferently.
Su Mu pondered for a moment, then bowed to Emperor Wenjing.
"Your Majesty, I believe that these twenty strokes of the rod should be changed to be taken by Granny Sheng's family members. This way, it will not violate the law and will also save Granny Sheng's life."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wenjing slowly spoke, "This plan is acceptable."
However, Emperor Wenjing made no mention of Granny Sheng's lawsuit against Prince Xiang.