Chapter 36

“Crushing coffins and defiling corpses—such acts are intolerable by the laws of Heaven!!”

“We implore Your Majesty to deliver justice for the Xiao family and clear General Xiao’s name!!”

“The Xiao family is innocent—restore our honor!!”

As the crowd raised their voices, the palace guards stationed at the gate trembled in their grips. Seeing the long spear driven into Old Madam Xiao’s flesh, their hands shook, and they instinctively stepped back half a pace while Old Madam Xiao, bearing Xiao Jin on her back, advanced steadily.

“Thirty years ago, when the late Emperor was gravely ill, Prince Fu seized the opportunity to rebel and wreak havoc within the palace. It was then that my husband, Xiao Yingtian, plunged into danger with our son to rescue the Emperor—and amid the chaos of mutinous troops, he captured Prince Fu for His Majesty, thereby assisting His Majesty in ascending the throne.”

“In the first year of Zhaohe, when the northern barbarians attacked, my husband led an army northward to confront the enemy outside Yanshan Pass. With a force of fifty thousand against two hundred thousand, he held the pass for a hundred days to secure peace for Great Jin; yet, burdened by grievous injuries from which he could not recover, he passed away.”

“In the fifth year of Zhaohe, when Prince Fu’s son instigated another rebellion and conspired with the consort to trap His Majesty in the Zhou Mountain Palace, it was my eldest son, Xiao Jin, who single-handedly went to the Emperor’s rescue—sacrificing three fingers to secure a lifeline for His Majesty and escorting him safely back to the capital.”

“In the thirteenth year of Zhaohe, my second son, Xiao Yi, led an expedition north, driving back the barbarians for a thousand miles. But he fell victim to a collusion between the fearsome northern wolf troops and traitors within the court; he was besieged on Beiyan Mountain, and not a single trace of his remains was found…”

With each word spoken, Old Madam Xiao stepped forward one pace.

Every sentence, every recollection she voiced left everyone utterly speechless; even the palace guards, stunned into a daze, dared not obstruct her.

“In the twenty-first year of Zhaohe, when the Linchuan river burst its dikes and flooded the city—and when the court’s inadequate disaster relief fomented further unrest—the state of Nanyue attempted to invade our great Jin from the north. My eldest son, Xiao Jin, accompanied by his eldest grandson Yunxi and his younger grandsons Yunyao, Yunquan, and Yunxin, marched south to quash the rebellion and resist the enemy beyond our southern passes.”

“With the Nanyue army bearing down and the court’s reinforcements delayed, every one of the Xiao family’s sons, who fought to the death, perished in battle—yet in the end, they were branded as traitors and collaborators. Even their corpses were desecrated and trampled into the mud.”

“After all our decades of service and the sacrifice of scores of our sons, can this not win us a word from Your Majesty—a question as to our innocence? Do they not deserve a proper, dignified burial?”

Old Madam Xiao’s every syllable was as if spoken while shedding tears of blood: “Today, if Your Majesty refuses to see me and is unwilling to review the Xiao family’s case thoroughly, then go ahead and kill us all—so that the Xiao family will be utterly extinguished, leaving no heir, and sparing those treacherous ministers the trouble of devising new ways to defile our sons’ honor.”

“Our sons, with their steadfast and unyielding valor, stand unblemished before Heaven and the people; even in death, they will never bear disgrace!”

Su Jinyuan, carrying Xie Yunyan on his back, gazed at Old Madam Xiao—whose back stood straight with an unwavering dignity—even as the driving rain and fierce wind blurred her vision.

“Xiao family is innocent! Our sons never committed treason—We beseech Your Majesty to rigorously review our case and restore justice to the Xiao family!!”

In a hoarse voice, Su Jinyuan cried out, and the members of the Xiao family joined her cry in unison: “Justice for the Xiao family!!”

Those who had originally followed Luo Yu to the Xiao household—and later, with the Xiao’s kin, gathered at the garrison before the palace—listened to Old Madam Xiao’s words with expressions of agonizing guilt. As they beheld the Xiao family’s women, burdened with the corpse remnants of Xiao Jin and others, standing in the rain while beset by blades and spears, one among them laid down his weapon to protect his kin, and all the others stepped forward to shield them.

“Please, Your Majesty, preside over justice for the Xiao family!!”

Outside, the common people encircled them; some knelt in supplication while others brandished swords.

The palace’s sovereign may forget the Xiao family’s deeds over these years, but the world will never forget. Not everyone is ungrateful, cold, or heartless—and not all have forgotten what these people have done for Great Jin.

As the members of the Xiao family looked on at those impassioned voices clamoring to restore their honor, every face was awash with tears.

None of the palace guards dared to take matters into their own hands, and even less so did any of them dare to lay a hand on the members of the Xiao family.

The sight of the row of corpses and the impassioned, fervent crowd left their faces ashen. They could do nothing but try to block the advancing members of the Xiao family, and one among them hurried off to send a message.

When word of these events reached the palace, Emperor Qing was deep in discussion over state affairs with Minister Bo and others.

Upon hearing that the people of the Xiao family were causing a commotion at the palace gate, intent on breaking in, Emperor Qing suddenly looked up.

Lord Jian’an spoke in a low, grave tone, “Did you hear it wrong? How could the people of the Xiao family possibly breach the palace?”

“It truly is the people of the Xiao family.”

The palace attendant Feng Huan’s face paled as he said, “Today is the day on which the remains of General Xiao and his comrades are returning to the city. It was the garrison troops who stormed the Xiao residence—smashing the coffins of General Xiao and the subordinate generals and desecrating their remains.”

“What did you say?” Emperor Qing abruptly stood up, and even Bo Ying and the others standing nearby looked utterly astonished.

In a low voice, Feng Huan continued, “The garrison men claim they were acting on Your Majesty’s orders to search the Xiao household for rebels. They even allege that the Xiao family had hidden treasonous items within the coffins—and that when they forcibly broke in, they collided with the sacred caskets of General Xiao and his men.”

The garrison troops are reportedly shouting repeatedly that Your Majesty ordered a search of the Xiao household and that any resistance should be met with execution without mercy.

“Xie Yunyan has sustained grave injuries, and the women of the Xiao household have been bloodied. Old Madam Xiao carries the corpse of General Xiao on her back while the female members of the Xiao family cling to the dismembered remains of their kin. And now they stand at the palace gate, proclaiming that they will demand justice for General Xiao and his comrades—and they even say… they even say…”

“And what do they say?”

Feng Huan lowered his head and replied in a hushed tone, “They even claim that if Your Majesty truly cannot tolerate the Xiao family, then you might as well have them all killed—obliterating the Xiao line so that there will be no heirs left, thus sparing them from any further humiliation.”

Bang!!

Emperor Qing suddenly slammed his hand on the dragon table, his face hardening into an iron-blue mask of fury. Though he was already middle-aged, no trace of frailty marred his bearing; instead, his eyes burned with stern resolve.

“How dare they! Who authorized the garrison troops to trespass on the Xiao estate? Since when did I ever order them to execute without mercy?!”

Indeed, he had ordered a rigorous inquiry into the Xiao family over the defeat at Linchuan. Yet before any charges against Xiao Jin and the others had been substantiated, he would never lay a hand on the women of the Xiao family—nor would he ever sanction the acts of smashing coffins and desecrating corpses.

Standing aside, Duke Yu had initially been secretly pleased when he heard that the Xiao family members were storming the palace gate. However, after learning what the garrison troops had done, his face turned white.

Bo Ying maintained a composed expression as he spoke coolly, “Since Your Majesty has already issued an order for Xie Yunyan to leave the city to escort the spirit, how could anyone be permitted to break into the Xiao household today? This matter appears to be the work of someone falsely issuing an edict in Your Majesty’s name to humiliate the Xiao family.”

Lord Jian’an glanced at Duke Yu—whose expression had drastically changed—and suddenly said, “Your Majesty, I recall that the garrison commander, Luo Yu, harbors a personal grudge against the Xiao family.”

“I had earlier heard from officials in the Ministry of Justice that after Xie Yunyan was imprisoned, Luo Yu, under the pretext of interrogation, subjected him to brutal torture—leaving him maimed and nearly costing him his life. Had it not been for the Ministry’s concern over complications and their summoning of a doctor, Xie Yunyan might have long since perished.”

His expression turned icy as he continued, “No matter what, the Xiao family remains within the residence of the nation’s great general, and Old Madam Xiao herself has been honored with a first-rank decree personally bestowed by Your Majesty.”

“Before Your Majesty issued an edict depriving Xiao Jin of his official rank, they dared to falsely invoke a sacred sanction to break into the Xiao household—and even commit the heinous acts of smashing coffins and defiling corpses.”

“If these acts are not severely punished, I fear Your Majesty’s holy name will be tarnished.”