0p0 Chapter 947: The Capital is Not as Glitzy as You
Chapter 947: The Capital is Not as Glitzy as You
Song Yuanjiu knelt at Xiao Yunde's feet, his forehead on the ground, "Your Majesty, I deserve death. Jiang Zhongxin and I are from the same hometown. We hit it off when we met in the early years and became sworn brothers."
Xiao Yunde's gaze fell heavily on the other person's head and he listened quietly.
"Later, he worked his way up to become a garrison general at the border, and I also rose rapidly in the capital..."
Xiao Yunde remembered, "You are the first number one scholar since I ascended the throne."
Song Yuanjiu choked up, recalling the scene at the Qionglin Banquet that year when the new emperor personally pinned flowers on his head.
He was the top scholar in the imperial examination and was highly appreciated by the powerful people in the capital. He even became the object of their scramble to win over.
Song Yuanjiu had not been dazzled by the gold-embossed name cards for a long time. He returned to his hometown and brought his mother to the capital, and married his childhood sweetheart in a grand ceremony.
On that night when the candles were lit, he held his wife's hand and said, "The splendor of the capital city cannot compare to your smile."
When the news spread, the powerful finally gave up their thoughts.
Later, Song Yuanjiu was able to take the position of Minister of Zongzheng Temple, which was just the result of the power struggle between Empress Dowager Jiqing and Emperor Mingde.
This official position seems to be of high rank, but it has no real power and is of no use.
But he was able to get in touch with Emperor Mingde and knew many secrets of the imperial family.
"The Queen Mother tried to win me over several times, but I rejected her every time." Song Yuanjiu is upright and does not want to take sides.
Emperor Mingde knew this was true. Empress Dowager Jiqing had indeed tried to win over many court officials but failed, and Song Yuanjiu was one of them.
Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother failed to win over Song Yuanjiu, but instead dragged Jiang Zhongxin into the water.
"Jiang Zhongxin also came to persuade me to join his side. I advised him not to be foolish and to be loyal to the emperor. He advised me to be a good man who knows practical matters and should seek real power as soon as possible. He sent me the first sum of silver, 50,000 taels, but I refused."
Xiao Yunde didn't say anything.
Song Yuanjiu added, "After several years of back and forth testing, I received the first payment of 100,000 taels of silver. Your Majesty, I have no real power and cannot do more evil. I can only pass on some insignificant news."
Xiao Yunde finally spoke, "So, you still chose a team."
Song Yuanjiu cried, "I have no choice but to take sides, but my heart is with you."
Xiao Yunde was not confused by him, "You still haven't told me how Jiang Zhongxin and the Queen Mother coerced you into standing against your conscience?"
Song Yuanjiu's veins suddenly popped up on the back of his hand. "Forgive me for not being able to speak. I am willing to die to apologize. I only hope that the Supreme Emperor will treat my wife, children and mother well and allow them to return to their hometown to live, considering that I have never betrayed you."
……
Jiang Zhongxin's mouth was covered with blood foam. "The Queen Mother wanted Yuan Jiu to join the camp because he had the opportunity to get close to Emperor Mingde and he was upright, so Emperor Mingde trusted him. The Queen Mother meant that even if you raise an army for a thousand days, it will have to be used one day. She sent me to test and persuade him. I failed..."
He failed and was very embarrassed, which made the Queen Mother angry, and she blamed him for not being able to handle even the smallest things properly.
He had to prove himself, to take a stand.
"I have Yuanjiu under my control." The chains on Jiang Zhongxin's hands and feet made a crackling sound with his rapid breathing. "Yuanjiu is filial and almost obeys his mother in everything. But there is only one thing in his life. He disobeyed his mother."
When Song Yuanjiu won the first place in the imperial examination, all the dignitaries in the capital were vying to marry their daughters to him. But this silly scholar was determined to marry his cousin who was waiting for him in the countryside.
Song Yuanjiu is nostalgic and grateful.
"His cousin would rather starve herself than save half a piece of hard steamed bun for him to eat. She was always worried that Yuan Jiu didn't eat enough and that studying would ruin his health."
Shi Anxia suddenly understood that perhaps the reason lies with this "cousin".
Jiang Zhongxin was breathing heavily. The candlelight flickered in the torture room, making the bloodstains on Jiang Zhongxin's face look particularly hideous.
He said a lot on the rack and was very tired, panting heavily, "Song Yuanjiu got what he wanted and married his cousin. This made his mother very angry. But what his mother could not have imagined was that this daughter-in-law not only could not bring any help, but also was not virgin before the marriage."
"Does Song Yuanjiu know about this?" Shi Anxia asked.
"He knows." Jiang Zhongxin nodded slightly.
Song Yuanjiu is very popular and has a bright future, but he is hated and envied by his classmates.
One of them was called Song Zhuang, a relative of Song Yuanjiu from the same village. This man was good at dealing with things, and when he was in the town school, he always suppressed Song Yuanjiu in every way.
He was popular and talented, and was often praised by his teacher. But he failed the exam, while Song Yuanjiu became the top scorer.
Song Zhuang was filled with hatred and evil intentions. He found someone to find an opportunity to destroy the innocence of Song Yuanjiu's cousin.
He felt that this was the greatest revenge against Song Yuanjiu.
This matter was kept secret and almost no one knew about it. After the incident, Song Zhuang felt relieved but also scared. He pretended to visit relatives and fled the village.
Song Yuanjiu's cousin was heartbroken and refused Song Yuanjiu's proposal. She didn't want to marry him again and become a stain on his life.
Under Song Yuanjiu's questioning, his cousin revealed the truth.
His cousin wanted him to give up and then die.
But Song Yuanjiu not only did not despise her, but became more determined to marry her. It took him a long time to heal his wife's heart.
Jiang Zhongxin said, "I suspect Yuan Jiu's eldest son is not his biological son at all, but the child his wife got pregnant after being humiliated."
At this moment, Anxia felt distressed. It turned out that Lord Song and Madam Song lived such a miserable life.
She remembered that in her previous life, Lord Song died of illness after donating the silver, and his wife also passed away a few days later.
The Song family held two funerals, one after the other.
"You used this matter to blackmail Lord Song?" Shi Anxia came back to her senses, "How did you know about this?"
Jiang Zhongxin hung his head and replied, "What a coincidence, the man who ruined someone's innocence is called Song Dong, and he is actually in my military camp. One time, he got drunk and boasted that he slept with the wife of a high-ranking official."
This did not attract Jiang Zhongxin's attention at first, but later Song Dong violated military regulations and was sentenced to death.
Before being executed, Song Dong asked to see the general and told him about the incident, saying that Song Zhuang was the mastermind.
Song Dong was smart and knew that this might save his life. As expected, Jiang Zhongxin saved his life.
Jiang Zhongxin then learned that there was such a secret in his brother's family. At that time, he had been trying to win over Song Yuan for a long time but failed, so he did this to do his brother a favor.
On the surface it is a favor, but in reality it is a threat.
Jiang Zhongxin sent people to arrest Song Zhuang and locked him up with Song Dong.
He wrote a letter to the capital, inviting Song Yuanjiu to visit Songcheng, Lingzhou.
Song Yuan knew for a long time that he was lobbying for the Queen Mother again, so he ignored his letter.
He had no choice but to use his trump card. As expected, Song Yuanjiu immediately requested to leave the capital for his wife.
That year, Jiang Zhongxin lied about the disaster and deceived the court. Song Yuanjiu was appointed as the imperial inspector to inspect the disaster in Lingzhou.
Jiang Zhongxin once again lobbied Song Yuanjiu to join the Queen Mother's camp, and said that Song Zhuang and Song Dong were both arrested by the Queen Mother.
The implication was that the Queen Mother knew about this. If Song Yuanjiu did not appreciate his kindness, the news that his wife had lost her virginity in her early years would spread throughout the capital.
This is going to force Mrs. Song to death!