Broken Jade - Chapter 94

Chapter 94

By this point, Li Changhan was choking on his sobs, unable to speak.

This was a truth everyone knew. Every one of them had played a part in Shen Tongshu’s death, yet they were also the very people Shen Tongshu had willingly given his life to save.

How much courage did a man need to shoulder infamy that could stain his name for ten thousand years?

If Wei Heng had not stopped that execution order, if he had not taken the trouble to come to Jizhou in person, the truth might have been buried forever alongside Shen Tongshu’s innocence, never to see the light of day.

“In all this time, did no one dare send word of the truth to the Capital?” Sheng Zhaoning asked.

Li Changhan gave a self-mocking smile. “By the time the imperial relief grain and funds reached Jizhou, almost nothing remained. How many hands did they pass through along the way? How many powerful factions had their interests tangled up in them? Those important men in the Capital could condemn us to death with a wave of their sleeves. How many people would dare stand against them?”

“So the records concerning Shen Tongshu were also erased from the county gazetteer by those people?”

Li Changhan nodded. “The court did send a Censor to investigate the case. But once the truth behind it was uncovered, no one dared investigate any further. To protect themselves, they had no choice but to brand Magistrate Shen a corrupt official who deserved ten thousand deaths. They erased every one of his achievements and pretended he truly was guilty of every imaginable crime.”

No wonder. No wonder no report concerning Shen Tongshu had ever reached the court.

There were no leads left to pursue and nothing left to investigate.

The men who had truly embezzled the money had silenced both the county government and every commoner to cement Shen Tongshu’s guilt as their scapegoat.

The investigators sent from the Capital had feared offending those “important men” behind the scheme, so they had not hesitated to erase every one of Shen Tongshu’s accomplishments.

One crushing mountain after another had borne down upon this lowly County Magistrate.

Shen Tongshu had been swept up in an overwhelming torrent, leaving him without the slightest strength to resist.

Even when he faced Wei Heng, his heart had already died from despair.

Perhaps he, too, had lost all hope of living in this corrupt world.

“My lords, this is the truth you have worked so hard to uncover. These are the facts. If you dare investigate, take Magistrate Shen to the Capital. Every official and citizen of Pinghe County will testify on his behalf! If you do not dare, then I have already broken the ‘rules’ by speaking today. Whether you execute me or cut me to pieces, I submit to your judgment.”

The look in Li Changhan’s eyes was resolute. None of the fear or unease he had shown before Wei Heng and Sheng Zhaoning remained.

He had come prepared to die. He was staking everything on one desperate gamble, wagering his own life to restore Shen Tongshu’s innocence.

Wei Heng looked toward the fallen leaves outside the window. They drifted into the dirt, gathering dust that would be difficult to wash away.

While in the Capital, he had already ordered a sweeping reform to address the abuses of the judiciary.

Yet the vermin remained.

If the Censorate, Ministry of Justice, and Court of Judicial Review-the Three Judicial Offices-did not consider it their duty to restore integrity to the government, and instead cowered before power and clung desperately to their lives, how were they fit to serve as officials?

He rose and stood in the courtroom, facing the common people, facing all the lives under heaven.

“Investigate!”

He would not only restore Shen Tongshu’s innocence. He would root out every last trace of corruption in the Capital as well!

Li Changhan handed Wei Heng the pages that had been torn from the county gazetteer.

At tremendous personal risk, he had preserved this final surviving copy for Shen Tongshu.

Every citizen in the county once again staked their lives and livelihoods to draw up a Petition of the Myriad Citizens.

The document was covered in bloody fingerprints.

Wei Heng gathered all the case files and evidence, then handed them to Wang Qi with instructions to seal them and keep them on his person.

When it was time for them to depart, the people of Pinghe County gathered along the official road to see them off.

Every one of them seemed to be waiting for Wei Heng and the others to return to the Capital City and proclaim the truth to the world-to bring their innocent County Magistrate home.

They were waiting for him to come home.

Sheng Zhaoning swept a long, searching gaze over the crowd before mounting her horse.

Something seemed to stir slowly within her heart.

So there truly were people who could live with a clear conscience-blameless before their own hearts, before heaven and earth, and before all the people beneath the sky.

She finally seemed to understand what those official robes truly represented.

Once one entered the imperial court, one must serve with unblemished integrity and protect the people under one’s care.

If it meant securing peace and happiness for the people, then even ten thousand deaths would not deter her.

…

Four fine horses galloped through the forest.

Wei Heng had been away for several days now and had no idea what the situation in Jizhou City was like.

It was late autumn, and the forest vegetation had withered. Thick layers of fallen leaves carpeted the ground, rustling beneath the horses’ hooves and sending dust billowing into the air.

The sun was already sinking toward the horizon. Wang Qi rode in front and Song Han brought up the rear, keeping Wei Heng and Sheng Zhaoning protected between them.

Perhaps it was the exhaustion from days of relentless travel, but Sheng Zhaoning could not shake a faint sense of unease. She instinctively began scrutinizing the forest, her wary gaze sweeping their surroundings as her horse gradually slowed.

Wei Heng was riding close beside her. Noticing something amiss, he slowed as well.

“What is it? Are you tired?” Wei Heng asked softly.

Sheng Zhaoning met his concerned gaze and shook her head, though the crease between her brows remained.

She looked around. Apart from the wind stirring the dead leaves, there was nothing unusual.

Perhaps she really was imagining things.

“It’s nothing. Let’s keep moving,” Sheng Zhaoning said.

The group set off again.

The road from Jizhou City to Pinghe County ran mostly through mountains and forests. Beyond these woods lay a mountain road.

Night was about to fall, and the air had grown noticeably colder.

They slowed their horses, preparing to stop and rest for a while.

Suddenly, a startled bird shot overhead with a shrill cry.

The sense of unease intensified. A sharp glint entered Sheng Zhaoning’s eyes, and even Wang Qi and Song Han sensed that something was wrong.

They eased their swords halfway from their scabbards, holding their breath as they surveyed the area.

Sheng Zhaoning’s gaze roamed the forest as well, searching for anything suspicious.

Just as she was about to turn her head, a flash of light streaked through the corner of her eye. Her expression changed, and she immediately yanked Wei Heng aside.

“Watch out, Your Highness!”

A hidden arrow whistled past Wei Heng.

Wang Qi and Song Han reacted at once, drawing their swords as they shouted to the pair, “It’s an ambush! Your Highness, go!”

Sheng Zhaoning’s gaze sharpened. She turned and leaped directly onto Wei Heng’s horse.

“Hyah!”

With Wei Heng behind her, she sent the horse racing through the forest. Assassins hidden in the shadows sprang out one after another, closing in on them from every direction.

Wei Heng swept his gaze over the black-clad figures. They paid no heed to Wang Qi and Song Han’s attempts to stop and engage them, instead pursuing him and Sheng Zhaoning with unmistakable purpose.

These were clearly no ordinary bandits.

Wei Heng’s brows drew tight as he spoke to Sheng Zhaoning in front of him. “Let me off. We’ll split up!”

He wanted to send her away.

These assassins had plainly come for him. Every moment Sheng Zhaoning remained with him only placed her in greater danger.

Realizing his intent, Sheng Zhaoning refused to give him any chance to argue. She pulled his arm firmly around her waist and clasped his hand against her lower abdomen to stop him from jumping off midway.

The wind roared past their ears. With his arm encircling her waist, Wei Heng felt waves of warmth radiating from the body pressed against his chest.

She was nestled fully in his embrace, stray wisps of hair brushing his lips and leaving a faint, tingling itch.

“This humble official promised to share both weal and woe with Your Highness. I will never break my word!” Sheng Zhaoning declared resolutely.

Wei Heng had never imagined that such tremendous strength could be hidden within her seemingly slender frame.

At that moment, she stood unequivocally at his side, unafraid of life or death and determined to endure every hardship with him. Even when confronted by flashing blades and drawn swords, she had never retreated so much as half a step.

She shielded him behind her with such unyielding resolve that she left no room for refusal.

How could Wei Heng not love someone like her?