"Treat Dou Ke like your own flesh and blood?" Ming Shaoqing laughed and looked at ng Imperial Censor. "Seems ng Imperial Censor’s daughter is still unrepentant. Fine, I know what to do now. Gentlen, prepare the coffins."
Hearing this, Mrs. Dou ng flared up. "You surnad Ming, my father is at least an Imperial Censor, and you’re a junior. How can you talk to him like that?!"
Ming Shaoqing snorted a laugh. Mrs. Dou ng was indeed stupid.
He looked at ng Imperial Censor and said, "An Imperial Censor, that’s all. The Imperial Censorate has plenty of them; without one ng Imperial Censor, it still runs just fine."
As he spoke, he rose to leave, scaring ng Imperial Censor so badly he almost fainted. He hurriedly rushed over and grabbed Ming Shaoqing’s arm, saying, "Ming Shaoqing, calm your anger, calm your anger... Mrs. Dou ng has committed the grave cri of plotting to murder her stepson. I will bind her this instant and send her to Jingzhao Mansion to confess her cri!"
For the sake of the entire ng Family, he could only sacrifice Ms. ng.
"Father, Father, what are you saying? No, you can’t, you can’t! Your daughter doesn’t want to die!" Mrs. Dou ng was dazed for a mont, then, once she reacted, wailed and begged heaven and earth.
But she greatly overestimated her place in ng Imperial Censor’s heart. Although he doted on this daughter the most, he cherished the ng Family’s male heirs and their glory and wealth even more. It was impossible for him to give up everything for her.
"n, bind this guilty woman Mrs. Dou ng for . I will personally escort her to Jingzhao Mansion!" ng Imperial Censor hurriedly ordered.
Housekeeper ng was terrified. On hearing this, he imdiately called to the Protectors: "Quick, quick, quick, tie up Mrs. Dou ng!"
Hurry up, or the ng Family will be finished, and we’ll die too.
The Protectors rushed over and in a few moves tied up Mrs. Dou ng, then stuffed her mouth with a wad of sackcloth so she could no longer cry out.
"Ming Shaoqing, the guilty woman has been seized. Rest assured, I will definitely make her confess... about the Assassins?" ng Imperial Censor asked cautiously, afraid Ming Shaoqing would turn hostile.
Ming Shaoqing said, "I am a man of my word."
With that, he strode off. He did not follow ng Imperial Censor to Jingzhao Mansion, but he did send a confidant prison guard along.
After Ming Shaoqing left with the prison guards, ng Imperial Censor collapsed limply to the ground, cold sweat pouring off him. God above, he’d been scared to death. That surnad Ming really was a King Yan; with just a few words he was ready to wipe out the entire ng clan.
"Mmm mmm mmm!" Mrs. Dou ng mumbled toward ng Imperial Censor, trying to speak.
But ng Imperial Censor did not remove the cloth blocking her mouth. He only said, "Sister Chang, just behave and plead guilty. Ming Shaoqing is not soone you can provoke. If you refuse, you’ll be sent to the Death Prison of Da Li Temple to suffer the tortures."
What? Sent to the Death Prison of Da Li Temple!
On hearing this, Mrs. Dou ng choked on a breath and passed out on the spot.
When she woke up, she was already sprawled on the courtroom floor of Jingzhao Mansion.
Lord Jingzhao Governor was already pronouncing sentence: "Mrs. Dou ng harbors vicious intent and repeatedly plotted to murder her stepson. According to the law she should be executed. In consideration of her husband’s plea, the beheading is waived, and she is instead sentenced to thirty years in prison, to be commuted with Silver."
Under the Great Chu Criminal Law, as long as it was not a major cri such as ruining soone’s chastity, murder, rebellion, or treason, the sentence could be commuted with Silver.
Mrs. Dou ng listened in a daze... She—she was already sentenced?
No, no, she didn’t want this, she refused to accept it!
But the evidence was ironclad; those Assassins sent to kill were still there. If she refused to accept it, the ones to die would be the ng Family.
"This old man thanks My Lord for your leniency." ng Imperial Censor let out a sigh of relief, but the noble wastrels watching the spectacle in the hall felt the drama was too small and complained, "Leniency? What leniency? ng Imperial Censor, how do you raise your daughters? How did you raise such a poisonous woman? Who would dare marry a ng Family’s daughter after this?"
"Hey, Brother Shao, isn’t your elder sister‑in‑law a ng? Hurry up and get your elders to put her away. ng Family’s daughters are so vicious—keep her and your whole clan might be wiped out."
In fact, the ng of the Shao Family had nothing to do with the ng Imperial Censor’s Family, but these wastrels’ mockery was vicious. ng Imperial Censor’s old face burned with sha, and he hastily cupped his hands toward Lord Jingzhao Governor. "This old man still has official business to attend to and will take his leave."
As for using Silver to offset Mrs. Dou ng’s punishnt, Manager Dou would handle that. He had no wish to stay and continue losing face.
But those wastrels were not afraid of trouble. The Heir of Prince Heng blocked ng Imperial Censor and said, "Old Man ng, you still have official business? You can’t even manage your own household—how are you supposed to supervise the Hundred Officials? Are you worthy? Hurry up and resign. Otherwise, I’ll imdiately submit a morial to the Emperor to impeach you and strip you of your Imperial Censor post!"
ng Imperial Censor was greatly alard. What he feared most was soone impeaching him over this and costing him his office. He hastened to say, "Young Heir, please calm your anger. This old man indeed failed in teaching his daughter, but Mrs. Dou ng has been married into the Dou Family for nearly twenty years. As a Dou family woman, she should naturally be managed by the Dou Family."
As he spoke, he pointed at Manager Dou. The aning was clear: if you want to mock soone, go mock Manager Dou; I won’t accompany you.
But how could Young Master Dou let ng Imperial Censor walk so easily? The Assassins Mrs. Dou ng sent were from the ng Family; ng Imperial Censor was also one of the culprits who wanted him dead. Young Master Dou imdiately shot Fang Hu a look.
Fang Hu understood and stepped forward to block him. "Young Heir, you’d better let ng Imperial Censor go. You can’t possibly hold a grudge against him over Mrs. Dou ng’s old sche to trap Prince Heng and climb into his bed to beco Princess Consort... It’s all in the past now, bygones should be bygones. It’s not good to keep tallying up old scandals."
The Heir of Prince Heng was dumbfounded. He’d only wanted to watch so gossip; he hadn’t expected the gossip to land on his own father. His eyes bulged like copper bells as he grabbed Fang Hu’s collar and roared, "What did you say? Mrs. Dou ng sched against my father and wanted to be my mother?!"
Fang Hu said, "Young Heir, don’t get worked up. It’s all old news."
"Old news my ass!" The Heir of Prince Heng shoved Fang Hu aside, rushed up to Mrs. Dou ng, and gave her several hard kicks, cursing, "Outrageous, utterly outrageous! A re concubine daughter wanting to be Princess Consort—you’re not only vicious, you’re shaless!"
Mrs. Dou ng was kicked silly.
But the Heir of Prince Heng, as a royal noble, had a fierce temper. He still hadn’t vented enough, so he shouted to the wastrels behind him, "If you’re my brothers, get over here. Each of you give her a few kicks so this slut learns the rules!"
"You got it!" These wastrels were all utterly reckless. Since the Heir of Prince Heng had told them to hit her, they’d be fools not to. They charged over and, thump thump thump, kicked Mrs. Dou ng until her face was swollen and bruised and she fainted dead away.
ng Imperial Censor’s heart ached, but seeing this pack of howling, ferocious wastrels, he was scared witless, afraid the Heir of Prince Heng would order them to beat him next, so he slipped away in a hurry.
Manager Dou wanted to slip away too, but Qu Shaoyin prided himself on being an upright, impartial official. Seeing this, he pointed at him and said, "Stop Manager Dou. He hasn’t taken his beating yet; he can’t leave."
For indulging his stepwife in plotting against his son, Manager Dou was sentenced to twenty strokes of the heavy staff and a fine of thirty thousand taels of Silver.
This fine was set according to the Dou Family’s wealth. If it were an ordinary commoner’s household, at most they’d be fined three taels of Silver.
"Yes, sir." The Governnt Officials rushed forward, held Manager Dou down, and started beating him, thump thump thump.
Manager Dou was beaten until tears and snot stread down his face, howling at the top of his lungs; the courtroom descended into utter chaos.
Lord Jingzhao Governor sat in the chief seat, adjusting his collar, watching everything in the hall with a calm expression... Hah, a minor scene. Not flustered in the least.
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