I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 360 - 278: Who Hasn’t Faced Death?
The investigation into the case of the Su Family in the Capital City colluding with enemy nations has been conducted by the Ministry of Justice for over half a month and finally concluded today.
The Su Family is a prominent clan, with eighteen members serving as officials in the court, regardless of their legitimacy. Apart from Su Shouli who was executed immediately, Su Zixiao was reinstated to his original position as a Colonel in the imperial guard. The remaining sixteen, twelve will be executed after autumn.
These twelve had overtly or covertly assisted the Empress Dowager and had secretly traded with either Wei Country or Qiangrong people, with undeniable evidence. Among them is Su Zixiao’s father, Su Shoucheng.
The surviving members include the elderly Su Wenzhong and his second daughter, a female official in the Imperial Palace, a provincial governor of illegitimate birth, and a document handler at Dingbei Pass.
With the downfall of the Su Family, Empress Dowager Su was also expelled from Yongshou Palace by Rong Jing citing "lack of proper guidance, excessive concern, interference in the administration of the harem."
Rong Jing granted Empress Dowager Su time to leave the Capital City, asking her to depart the Imperial Palace within thirty days to conduct Buddhist practices at Qingliang Temple in Lu State, praying for blessings for the Imperial Family.
Unless summoned by the Emperor, the Su Empress Dowager can never return to the Capital in her lifetime.
Su Zixiao remains unharmed, perhaps, this was all a long-prepared plan by Su Wenzhong, allowing him to take a path completely unrelated to the Su Family, that nothing involving the Su Family could implicate Su Zixiao, who as a legitimate grandson is far removed from overt and covert struggles, truly just being a Colonel in the imperial guard.
And as for Su Wenzhong himself, the day after his release from the Heavenly Prison, he submitted an appeal to retire, which Rong Jing permitted, allowing him to return to the Su Family’s ancestral home in Weizhou a century ago to teach and nurture.
Weizhou in the Northern Territory is the domain of Marquis Gu, swept clean of the Su Family’s influence in both court and wild, Su Wenzhong’s life is spared because of his significant impact in education within Yan Country; putting him to death would affect scholars’ ambitions throughout the nation.
The Prime Minister retiring as expected, makes Lu Bingxin, the Minister of Revenue, indeed the new Prime Minister, with Xie Yun, then taking over his position as Minister of Revenue.
"The Minister of Revenue governs the entire Yan Country’s taxes, conscriptions, land, and salaries... The century-old Su Family is gone, the century-old Xie Family starts with you; Minister Xie’s becoming the youngest Prime Minister in Dayan’s history is just around the corner."
Gu Lan standing outside the prison of the Ministry of Justice, waiting for Su Zixiao’s release, casually remarked.
Originally, She didn’t pay attention to how Xie Yun became Prime Minister in the book, but now it seems he hasn’t strayed from his plot path.
Xie Yun heard her words and smiled helplessly: "Don’t tease me, my reputation among the commoners now is like rats crossing the street, everyone wishing to beat them."
Water can carry a boat, or it can sink one; previously Xie Yun’s reputation among the commoners was exceptional, now it’s just as many people scolding him for being ungrateful, calling him the greatest hypocrite of the era.
The Su Family’s matter involves the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince. If it incites public grievance, it could destabilize the nation; thus, the common people are unaware of their collusion with the enemy nations, only knowing these Su family officials were corrupt, violating regulations in imperial examinations, colluded with scholars breaking laws, while Xie Yun appears ungrateful, being the first to impeach his own teacher.
Some even say Xie Yun ascended over his teacher’s family’s corpses making it unbelievably outrageous.
Rong Heng stood beside Gu Lan, holding a sword, his voice faintly coming from behind a mask:
"Some people did many good deeds, punished treacherous officials, sacrificed great righteousness, yet, the public exaggerated it, ruining reputations; others merely put down butcher knives to immediately attain enlightenment, the return of prodigal sons deserving incomparable reward."
Although he didn’t like Xie Yun bothering him constantly, he still thought Xie Yun being detested by the officials was really absurd and laughable.
Gu Lan frowned: "How come I feel you’re talking about me."
Young Master Gu, known as the Capital City’s most handsome and popular young man since turning over a new leaf, always felt Rong Heng was implying him.
Rong Heng: "Someone identifies themselves, but I won’t say who."
"..."
As they spoke, the gates of the Ministry of Justice opened, and Su Zixiao was escorted out by two guards.
In just half a month, however, the once vibrant young man became remarkably dejected.
Still wearing the same black clothes he wore before imprisonment, his face white as paper, Su Zixiao slowly descended the stairs, lifting one hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight.
In the dark prison, there was no sunlight.
His cold eyes moved to see the three waiting for him at the entrance, his expression barely noticeable pausing, yet turning his head and leaving.
"Su Zixiao!" Xie Yun stepped forward, "We’re here to take you back."
"Vice Minister... Lord Minister, did you come to watch my joke?" Su Zixiao coldly spoke.
In prison, he had already learned that Xie Yun had been promoted to Minister of Revenue.
Xie Yun’s hand hovered in the air and silently withdrew: "No, I just want to take you back."
"The Su Family is gone, where do you want me, a criminal, to go back to?" Su Zixiao retorted.
"Didn’t you say your greatest dream was to lead troops to war? Then you should know, what the Empress Dowager did secretly with Li Yuanju caused the deaths of countless border army soldiers, enough to implicate their entire family." Gu Lan stepped forward to speak, her eyes bright and clear, making Su Zixiao’s vision slightly clearer.
"The Su Family deserves their punishment, but you’re not the criminal." Gu Lan said earnestly.
Su Zixiao looked at her indifferently, a flicker of pain in his eyes, his voice heavier by a couple of points, sorrowfully saying: "I know they deserve it, but the Su Family is gone, it’s gone! My clansmen, they’re all going to die, I won’t forgive you."
This half-month in Su Zixiao’s mind felt like a nightmare, the whole world turned upside down.
——His clansmen, the Empress Dowager, grandfather, father, unexpectedly the ones he should despise the most as traitors, and the one impeaching them was his own friend.
Xie Yun clenched his fist, looking at Su Zixiao’s dispirited state, feeling as though a heavy stone was pressed upon him, quietly said:
"There are still many surviving Su Family members, but our Xie Family is truly all dead! Su Zixiao, don’t have that death-seeking attitude, think about those who survived, you’re not a kid anymore, if you’re a man, uphold the Su Family again."
"Uphold it? With me?"
He raised his head in a daze, looking at Xie Yun’s face, mumbling to himself.
No matter what happens, Xie Yun always seemed so calm, like a noble and elegant member of the Royal Family, causing everyone to forget he had long become an orphaned soul without family or clan.
In the past, Su Zixiao was unaware of the matters between the Xie and Su Families, now he knows everything. At the time the Xie Family was wrongfully destroyed, his grandfather’s hand couldn’t escape involvement, and Xie Yun has lived in hardship, relying on others all these years.
Thinking himself as Xie Yun’s friend and brother, claiming to not want to be considered a Su family descendant, not wanting family protection, yet enjoying the privilege of being a Su family member, living in tenderness like a fool, never caring about Xie Yun’s affairs...
Su Zixiao’s heart aches, unsure how to confront it all.
Gu Lan patted Su Zixiao’s shoulder, saying: "Xie Yun could single-handedly uphold the Xie Family. Your Su Family isn’t completely dead; you’re still here, that’s the future of the Su Family."
He, the future of the Su Family?
Su Zixiao repeated the phrase, suddenly covering his face, squatting down, and this tall man, unexpectedly, hunched over crying loudly at the entrance of the Ministry of Justice prison.
The sorrow was palpable, startling the birds in the trees.
Fortunately, the solemnity and dignity of the prison entrance meant no civilian dared pass by. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
Gu Lan’s head ached, furrowing her brow and silently stepping back a few paces—Su Zixiao was not only crying but hadn’t bathed in half a month and was quite smelly.
He cried for a long time, they could only stand by his side.
No one knew how long it had been when finally Rong Heng, too lazy to listen any longer, spoke from beneath the silver mask, his voice icy:
"As if someone hasn’t lost their father; he’s too noisy."
His father had died when he was eight, and he hadn’t even cried so miserably.
Xie Yun nodded: "Yes."
His father had died when he was twelve, and he hadn’t cried like this.
Su Zixiao’s age meant he was merely experiencing what they had gone through as children, but now.
Gu Lan: "..." Her father seemed still alive, though he should have died originally.
Su Zixiao used his filthy sleeve to wipe tears, raising red eyes weakly to say: "My father is to be executed after autumn, still not dead yet."
Rong Heng and Xie Yun turned and walked away.
Su Zixiao then shouted: "Rong...aren’t you afraid I’ll shout here you returned to the Capital City privately."
Rong Heng drew his sword calmly: "Afraid, so we might as well kill."
The sun sank westward, sunset glow enveloping the silhouettes of the young people like reed flowers, like soaring birds, with noisy clamor rising and falling, fading with the disappearing twilight.
After a while, Rong Heng asked: "When are you going to make Mu City roast goose for me?"
Su Zixiao gritted teeth and growled: "Next life!"
