The interrogation hall of the Dali Temple.
Qing Ye sat in the center of the hall, the Minister of Dali Temple stood beside him, and Luo Yuan stood on the other side. Yang Ruoning and Jiang Yuan knelt in the middle of the hall.
Rushing in was the father of that scoundrel. Yang Ruoning recognized this man; he often came to Fanlou. The girls in the establishment had warned her that he was Jiang Wanfu, a commander in the Imperial Guards of the fourth rank. He was the security official of the capital, responsible for the safety of Bianliang. With some distant connections (his wife's brother's nephew's wife was a distant niece of the Prime Minister Jiang Qi, who was Qing Ye's maternal uncle's wife's distant niece), he wielded significant power, often lording over the capital. No wonder his son was so arrogant.
As soon as Jiang Wanfu entered the hall and saw his beloved son's pathetic state, he immediately yelled, "Yuan'er, my precious Yuan'er, are you hurt anywhere? Someone, quickly call a doctor for the young master! Yuan'er, does anything hurt? Let your father see."
Seeing his father arrive, the scoundrel felt emboldened. He had been kneeling silently beside them, but now he put on a show, wailing as if his mother had died. "Father, Yuan'er is truly unfortunate. Today, I was bullied by two women. Yuan'er feels like he's dying of pain all over. Father, if Yuan'er dies today, you will have no son, and the Jiang family's lineage will end! Father, you must seek justice for Yuan'er today."
Yang Ruoning watched the exaggerated performance of this father and son with cold eyes and sneered. Hmph, if you're unlucky, you should have been born a thousand years later. Then you could have been an Oscar-winning actor.
"Father, it was this lowly servant who injured meβ" Jiang Yuan, that little beast, whined, pointing at Yang Ruoning and complaining to his father.
Hearing Jiang Yuan finally mention her, Yang Ruoning raised her chin and glared at the two of them with fearless arrogance.
Jiang Wanfu lunged at Yang Ruoning, raising his hand to strike her. "You lowly servant, how dare you..." Before he could finish, his hand was forcefully grabbed.
Luo Yuan said coldly, "Lord Jiang, please conduct yourself with decorum in the Emperor's presence."
Jiang Wanfu finally noticed Qing Ye seated on the throne. He quickly knelt, "Your subject was impatient and failed to pay his respects to Your Majesty. This subject deserves death!"
Qing Ye waved his hand impatiently.
Now that everyone was present, the trial could begin. The trial was presided over by the Minister of Dali Temple.
Although Yang Ruoning knew Jiang Yuan would twist the facts, she hadn't expected his storytelling skills to be Oscar-worthy. Jiang Yuan claimed that Susu had fallen and injured herself, and he had merely intended to help her up when Yang Ruoning burst in. He said Yang Ruoning misunderstood his actions and attacked him without questioning, and that he did everything he could to stop her. He also claimed he had been drinking and remembered nothing, denying any assault or strangling Yang Ruoning, asserting his innocence.
After listening to their separate testimonies, Qing Ye asked the Minister of Dali Temple, "How do you think this should be handled?"
The Minister of Dali Temple replied, "Your Majesty, Jiang Yuan's actions were a mistake due to alcohol. He did not intentionally cause harm, and Lord Jiang is willing to compensate the woman for medical expenses. Perhaps they could reach a settlement. What do you think?"
It was clear this Minister of Dali Temple was biased towards the scoundrel Jiang Yuan, completely disregarding what Yang Ruoning had said.
Yang Ruoning thought, indeed, here, a nobleman beating someone in a brothel was commonplace, but a mere maidservant resisting and injuring a nobleman was unheard of. After calming down, she clearly foresaw how this matter would end.
Yet, she remained unwilling. She immediately said, "What if I don't want to settle?"
"If the young lady insists on pursuing this matter further, according to the laws of this dynasty, you would receive ten lashes for intentional injury. As for the courtesan, Jiang Yuan had hired her exclusively, and the law does not dictate how she should be treated. Moreover, his actions were unintentional. At most, he would be detained for a day as a disciplinary measure. Therefore, for your own good, it would be best to let bygones be bygones."
"I refuse," Yang Ruoning flatly refused. She didn't want to let bygones be bygones.
"Miss Yang..." Luo Yuan, standing nearby, tried to dissuade her. Yang Ruoning raised her hand, signaling him to stop.
"I do not accept. If the court's laws are indeed as you say, although I find it extremely unreasonable, the law is the law. Since I am here, I will abide by the laws. I accept my punishment, and in return, he..." Yang Ruoning pointed at Jiang Yuan, "...will be imprisoned for one night."
"Yang Ruoning!" Qing Ye, from above, called out sternly.
"Your Majesty, this lowly servant..." Jiang Wanfu, anxious, began to speak, but was interrupted by someone rushing in from outside the door. After paying his respects to everyone present, the newcomer said, "Prime Minister has a few words he wishes to say to Your Majesty."
Qing Ye was stunned. He hadn't expected the news to reach his maternal uncle so quickly. After a moment of silence, he waved the messenger closer. After whispering something in Qing Ye's ear, the messenger retreated. Qing Ye then said, "Today's matter will be dropped. Jiang Yuan lost his composure due to alcohol, and Miss Yang was merely eager to help. It is late, everyone should return and rest."
The Emperor's words were final. Yang Ruoning, watching Jiang Yuan's unconcealed triumphant smirk, felt deeply displeased, helpless, and sorrowful.
After the brief and overly formal trial, Yang Ruoning, who left first, stood in the open space in front of the government office. She looked up at the cold moon. She understood that in this society where noble power reigned supreme, this was probably the most common outcome. She was powerless to resist and felt only helplessness.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wanfu led Jiang Yuan out. As they passed Yang Ruoning, their expressions were varied. Jiang Wanfu was perplexed and cautious; he wondered why this ordinary-looking woman had stirred the Emperor, Lord Luo, and even the Prime Minister. Jiang Yuan, trailing behind, was smug. As he walked past Yang Ruoning, he raised his chin and made a throat-slitting gesture. Yang Ruoning stared at him expressionlessly and gave him the middle finger.
Qing Ye and Luo Yuan emerged afterward.
"Ruoning, how is your injury?"
Yang Ruoning shook her head. Although she felt her face was swollen, it was only an external injury that would heal in a few days and was not a major issue.
She replied, "A little medicine will do, it's fine."
"I'll find a doctor for you tomorrow," Luo Yuan said, still worried.
"No need, I'm really fine."
Qing Ye, standing by, hesitated to speak. Yang Ruoning didn't want to blame him; after all, he was a young emperor with little power and a short lifespan.
She said to Qing Ye, "In my hometown, someone once said, 'When good people do nothing, evil triumphs.'"
Qing Ye paused, his expression indicating he didn't quite understand. She patted Qing Ye's shoulder. "This world is inherently unfair, and life is full of helplessness and disappointment. It is now, and it will be a thousand years from now... I don't blame you."
She glanced at Luo Yuan, who stood beside them. She thought, no matter what, I hope you understand the meaning of this saying. With that, she turned and left, leaving the two men with words unspoken.
Without looking back, she waved to the two standing behind her. "It's late, everyone should go back and rest. Goodbye."
Another consequence of this incident was that the head manager of Fanlou dismissed Yang Ruoning, citing insubordination and rash actions, and ordered her to leave within a day.
Yang Ruoning stared at Hua Ma, who was scolding her with spit flying, her mind wandering. She was contemplating where she would sleep tonight. Not only had all the money she had earned in the past few months been forfeited to Fanlou, but she also owed them more than ten taels of silver. She figured she would have to sleep on the streets tonight. Just then, looking past Hua Ma's shoulder, she saw a figure standing in the long corridor not far away, fanning himself and watching them.
It was Luo Yuan, who had come to watch the commotion.
Suddenly, she had an idea.
Yang Ruoning flashed a classic, toothy smile at Luo Yuan. A penniless debtor had no dignity, and her next employer was standing right there.
Thus, Yang Ruoning moved into Luo Yuan's mansion. Luo Yuan's residence was in the northeast corner of Bianliang City, backed by a small mountain, in a rather secluded location. However, the mansion itself was large and exceptionally quiet and elegant. Yang Ruoning's room was arranged in a beautiful courtyard behind a moon gate. Bamboo was planted at the entrance, obscuring the view from outside, making it highly private. White flowers, of unknown species, bloomed in the courtyard, wisteria climbed the eaves, and a sturdy ginkgo tree stood in the center. A swing was tied to its trunk, and a stone table with several stone stools sat beneath it.
The person who led Yang Ruoning was Uncle Zhong. He brought her to the door of a room and said, "This is your residence, miss."
Yang Ruoning's bedroom was on the left side of the small courtyard. She peeked inside and found that although the furnishings were simple, they were extremely clean.
"Can I use the other rooms?" Yang Ruoning asked.
"This row of rooms on this side is the master's study and bedroom," Uncle Zhong said, pointing to the row of rooms on the right side of the courtyard.
"Oh," Yang Ruoning looked around. Initially, she didn't pay much attention and casually asked, "With such a large courtyard, why are General Luo's bedroom and study so small?"
Uncle Zhong replied, "The master enjoys collecting rare items and ancient books, so the other rooms are used as storerooms. Only the rooms in this Wisteria Garden are habitable."
"Hmm? Then where do others live?"
"I live in the side rooms by the main gate, responsible for guarding the door. Sometimes I also help the master with the garden. Before the young lady arrived, the master had no female attendants, and he handled everything himself."
"Ha? So, I'm the only female servant here to do chores?"
"Precisely."