Chapter 195

Chapter 195: Just a Princess

Tears rolled down Third Lord Du’s face at once. If he had known earlier-

Third Lord Du cried out, “Why did we do it in the first place?!”

After shouting, Third Lord Du’s head tilted, and Third Lord Du fainted as well.

Nanny Zhou was terrified by the masters. Nanny Zhou called for the House Physician and sent people to summon the madams. Du Residence turned into a pot of boiling chaos.

Sun Dun Xu came out from the latrine and saw everyone rushing about.

“What?”

“Old Madam spat blood?”

“Second Master and Third Master fainted?”

“Second Lord also went foolish and started babbling?”

Sun Dun Xu froze and grabbed a Maidservant. “What nonsense was Second Lord saying?”

Just a moment ago, Second Lord had still looked overjoyed.

The Maidservant stammered, “He said… the Du Clan is finished, the Du Family is finished…”

“What?” Sun Dun Xu was shocked.

The Du Clan was finished? Then-did Sun Dun Xu still need to do anything? Sun Dun Xu did not know, so Sun Dun Xu went back to Old Madam Du’s courtyard to look again.

Old Madam Du’s courtyard was packed with people now, and no one noticed that Sun Dun Xu was only a shopkeeper from an outside store. Everyone simply assumed Sun Dun Xu had come to report business to Old Madam Du.

Sun Dun Xu edged up to Second Master Du and asked, “Second Master? Second Master, what did you say?”

Second Master Du stared blankly, his eyes not even moving. Sun Dun Xu looked at the other masters, and the unease in Sun Dun Xu’s heart grew heavier.

Sun Dun Xu drifted out of the residence in a daze. Yet just as Sun Dun Xu reached the shop front, a loud shout rang out.

“Imperial Commissioner Lord! It is him! He is that shopkeeper whose fire oil was stolen!”

Several commoner rushed over and pinned Sun Dun Xu down. Sun Dun Xu was pressed into the icy snow, and a pair of brand-new, thick official boots stepped in front of Sun Dun Xu.

“Take him away!” Wang Ye’s gaze was cold.

Wang Ye turned to the commoner who watched with eager hope and cupped his hands solemnly. “Everything you have said has been recorded truthfully. Whether it is the authorities or the noble clans, I came for the matter of burning cotton. Once anyone connected to this is found, I will not show the slightest mercy!”

“Lord is wise!”

“Lord, you must make decisions for us!”

“Yes, Lord! Yesterday my Brother went to Sheng Shi Hall to buy cotton. On the way back, Mountain Bandit robbed him, and he froze to death. Those people even threatened us. They said anyone who went to Sheng Shi Hall again was seeking death.”

Wang Ye’s heart felt complicated. Under the commoner’ cries of hope, Wang Ye walked toward the Prefecture Ya Men.

Before Wang Ye came, Third Prince had secretly summoned Wang Ye. Only then did Wang Ye learn that the Master Wang Ye served, in order to gather wealth, had ignored the lives of the commoner.

Wang Ye did not agree with Third Prince’s view that anyone useless to the realm was merely a burden. What was “useless”? If the commoner who farmed the fields and supported the Imperial Court were useless, then what were the great clans and noble families who clung to them and fed off them?

Wang Ye knew Third Prince looked down on Wang Ye. After all, Wang Ye had once belonged to Second Prince, and only later turned to Third Prince. If Third Prince thought Wang Ye had betrayed a former master, that was natural enough.

As long as Third Prince was someone worth serving, what did it matter if Wang Ye changed masters? But now-Wang Ye could not see clearly anymore.

Wang Ye looked around without meaning to. Before coming, Wang Ye had imagined Ji Zhou Prefecture as a land of corpses and endless resentment. Yet after arriving, things were far better than Wang Ye had expected.

Once commoner had clothes, commoner had hope to keep living. As long as hope existed, they could still wait for life to improve.

Yet who could have imagined it? The one who gave so many commoner hope was a woman-a Princess.

What a pity. What a pity she was only a Princess.

Wang Ye sighed. No matter what, Wang Ye still had to do what needed to be done. Wang Ye had come only to go through the motions, but even if it was only a formality, Wang Ye still wanted to drag out as many people who harmed the people as possible.

So in just two days, the jail of Ji Zhou Prefecture held many prisoners. The clerk who burned cotton. The shopkeeper from the fire oil shop. Like a mouse’s tail, each confession bit out more and more.

Sun Dun Xu confessed in open court that he acted under Old Madam Du’s orders. Those several hundred jin of fire oil had been prepared on purpose for burning cotton. As for the clerk who burned cotton, Du Clan had almost killed him to silence him. He hid and fled until he was caught, and once caught, he naturally refused to cover for Du Clan.

That clerk confessed everything. Third Master Du had ordered him to burn Ci Ji Orphanage so Sheng Shi Hall’s people could not put out the fire, and the clerk described it in full detail.

Trying to seize credit and make amends, the two men spoke over each other, eager to confess. They described, clearly and completely, how the cotton was burned, how the authorities’ Ya Men Runner cooperated, and how the fire oil was poured.

Even the Mountain Bandit who robbed the commoner these past two days turned out to be tenant farmers from Du Clan’s estates, disguising themselves.

Each case was shocking to hear. Some commoner outside rushed to Du Residence to seek revenge on the spot. Luckily, Du Residence had already been surrounded heavily by the Yu Lin Guard Wang Ye brought.

In a single day, the Du Clan fell from a great clan of Ji Zhou Prefecture into rats everyone wanted to beat. People even splashed filth over the walls of Du Clan’s residence.

When Old Madam Du was questioned, Old Madam Du still tried to struggle. Old Madam Du pulled out two letters and insisted everything had been ordered by some Noble Lady. Yet when the letters were opened, they were completely blank.

“Impossible! Yesterday-yesterday there were words…” Old Madam Du collapsed to the floor.

Mad laughter sounded from outside. “Ha… haha! Served you right! Cheng’er… my Cheng’er? Do not be afraid, Cheng’er. Parents will come down to be with you soon…”

The voice rambled on, laughing. “And Kuang Ge’er, the one you admired most, will come down with you too! Haha!”

Kuang Ge’er-

Old Madam Du shuddered, and tears fell. Old Madam Du knelt and cried, “Imperial Commissioner Lord, I confess! This common woman confesses. I did all of it. It has nothing to do with the Du Family juniors, and it has nothing to do with my son Du Ming Yi!”

“Lord, please see clearly and judge fairly!”

Old Madam Du knelt on the ground, and Second Lord Du, Third Lord Du, Second Master Du, and Third Master Du, whose face was ashen, all knelt as well.

If they admitted guilt, that person might still spare the Du Family juniors. If they refused to admit guilt-what then? Because of that person’s letters, they had been far too arrogant. They had not even thought about hiding it.

That person was said to be doing work for His Majesty. How could they be punished?

Yet they were punished anyway.

That person had surely deceived them. Even if they understood they had been tricked, what could they do?

Du Clan confessed. Yan Hai, who stubbornly refused to confess, learned the news and cursed in prison until his voice went hoarse.

One message after another arrived. On the Northern Du Branch side, people were overjoyed. The most excited was Fifth Master Du, Du Heng.

Du Heng slapped Du Yi Zhi’s shoulder, thrilled. “Yi Zhi, I truly did not expect it. I truly did not expect you to be this capable!”

“So what if Du Ming Yi is a Fourth Rank Prefect? How could he compare to someone who works for His Majesty?”

Du Heng grew even happier as Du Heng thought about it. Now the Northern Du Branch had worked with Du Yi Zhi to help His Majesty relieve the Disaster Victims. That meant the Northern Du Branch had already entered His Majesty’s sight.

Du Heng’s hand patted Du Yi Zhi’s shoulder again, but Du Heng did not even dare press too hard. “Yi Zhi, what day is convenient? Let us open the ancestral hall and record your name into the Northern Du Branch. As for the Clan Chief of the Northern Du Branch-I have held that position long enough. It is time to let the young ones do it.”

Others chimed in, “Yes, Yi Zhi! We would all accept you as Clan Chief.”

Another voice added, “Only-your second uncle’s official post. Who knows when it can move up a bit?”