The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

Jingzhao Mansion.

Ever since the former daughter-in-law of the Marquis of Wuwei, now the Empress, brazenly struck the drum for complaining, which was placed at the gate of the mansion, this drum would be struck loudly from time to time by some women. The yamen runners and passers-by had long been accustomed to it. After all, the imperial capital was a prosperous place with a large population, and with more people, there would be more conflicts.

One of the responsibilities of Jingzhao Prefecture was to handle various cases involving residents in the capital.

On this day, the drum of grievance was sounded once again not too long ago.

What is different from the past is that the person who rings it today is neither a weathered woman who has been oppressed for a long time, nor an old lady who has to endure the abuse of her unfilial descendants, but a weak woman in mourning, looking pitiful and delicate.

The girl was still very young and thin. At first glance, she seemed not yet old enough to get married. She indeed still had her hair done in an unmarried woman's style. In her arms, she was holding a square wooden box that looked like a small coffin.

After she finished beating the drum, she knelt upright in the middle of the gate outside the Jingzhao Prefecture before the yamen runners came out.

Such an unusually dressed, young and beautiful girl successfully attracted a lot of attention. The gatekeepers glanced at her sideways, and passers-by couldn't help but stop to look.

The gate of Jingzhao Prefecture in the capital of Dasheng was never closed all year round. In front of the main hall was a large square where trials were held. Residents were not prohibited from entering to watch the trial on their own. However, a group of yamen runners had drawn a cordon around the square, and residents who came to watch the trial were not allowed to cross the line.

Not long after the drum of complaint was sounded, the current Jingzhao prefect, Lord Hu, hurried over.

This is a man who takes his job as an official seriously. Since he took office, whenever the drum of injustice sounds, no matter where he is, he will rush to the scene as quickly as possible to personally try the case.

soon.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Zeng Suqiu, dressed in mourning clothes, was invited in by the yamen runners with a friendly attitude.

Zeng Suqiu knelt on the ground as soon as she arrived in the hall.

Lord Hu slammed the gavel and asked loudly, "Who is this person in the hall? Why are you beating the drum to complain? What grievance do you want to complain about?"

Zeng Suqiu bowed her head, then raised it and said, "I am a person from the capital, my surname is Zeng, my name is Suqiu, I am the daughter of Zeng Da, a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue, and my mother is Ai, the eldest daughter of Mr. Ai, a former scholar of government."

Hearing this, the prefect of Jingzhao frowned and looked more serious. He even stood up and bowed to Zeng Suqiu: "In the past, I have also heard of the reputation of Eunuch Ai for being impartial. It's a pity... Miss Zeng, please stand up and speak. If you have any grievances, just complain to me."

At this time, the people who were attracted by the drum of redress also gradually formed a circle and looked inside through the knife-wielding yamen runners.

"It sounds like she's a lady from an official family!"

"Why has it come to the point where we have to beat the drum to complain?"

Facing Lord Hu's kindness in asking her to stand up and talk, Zeng Suqiu just bowed slightly, still kneeling on the ground stubbornly, and continued, "Thank you for your sympathy for me, but I am beating the drum of injustice today to sue my biological father Zeng Da for poisoning my father-in-law for his own selfish interests. Oh, my good wife, I'm dead!"

Her voice was trembling slightly, yet clear and bright, especially the last eight words, which were so powerful that they struck the hearts of everyone present, causing them to shudder.

Lord Hu walked out quickly, came to Zeng Suqiu and asked seriously, "Is what Miss Zeng said true?"

"It's absolutely true!" Zeng Suqiu was not affected by the voices of the people around her. She picked up the coffin-shaped wooden box in her arms and raised it high. "Sir, this is the remains of my mother. I am an unfilial daughter. In order to obtain evidence that she was murdered, I have to dig up her grave myself..."

She took a deep breath and said, "There were several abnormally broken bones on my mother's body, especially the back of her head... The skull was sunken and broken. When I, the unfilial daughter, picked up the bones, even the broken bone fragments were scattered inside..."

Cold tears streamed down her cheeks. Before she knew it, Zeng Suqiu was already in tears. She still managed to speak clearly, "Before my mother died, only my father had seen her. She...was fine before she went to see my father, but then she suddenly fell ill and died. At that time, I was too young to know whether she was dead or alive. Only when I grew up to this age did I realize that something was wrong. In order to find out the truth about my mother's death, I...dug up the grave and opened the coffin."

She held the coffin containing her mother's bones high in both hands and carefully placed it in front of Lord Hu. Then she bowed deeply, her forehead pressed against the cold ground, her voice sounding like a son crying blood: "Later, I learned from the concubine who served Zeng Da for many years that not only my mother, but also my grandfather was killed by his vicious hands. Sir, please make a decision for me and give justice to my innocent mother and grandfather. I kneel down to thank you. I am very grateful!"

The crowd was suddenly silent, and then suddenly burst into buzzing voices.

"Oh my god, no way?!"

"How can there be such a vicious person in the world? A son-in-law? This isn't what a son-in-law should be like."

"The Bachelor of Political Science seems to be a high-ranking official, higher than the Doctor of the Ministry of Revenue. If you think about it this way, maybe he was oppressed and couldn't bear it anymore?"

"What do you mean by oppression? They married their daughter to you and let you work as an official. It's really unreasonable. Don't tell me you did something wrong and were discovered by your father-in-law and first wife... Tsk tsk tsk, a man who can even kill his first wife can still work as an official. This world is really unfair."

Lord Hu, who was standing in front of Zeng Suqiu, could not help but sigh with regret even though he had seen all kinds of tragedies in the world as the prefect of Jingzhao. "I will have someone investigate what Miss Zeng said, but... Doctor Zeng is your biological father no matter what. Do you really want to sue your father for your son?"

Zeng Suqiu stood up and nodded: "If I turn a blind eye to the tragic death of my biological mother just because he is my biological father, then can I still be considered a son of man?"

"My mother gave birth to me, and my aunt raised me. Zeng Da killed my mother and poisoned my grandfather. He and I are not only father and daughter connected by blood, but also enemies with a deep hatred for each other!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the discussion in the crowd suddenly became louder.

Some people think that this woman is too biased to be so hostile to the father who gave her life; others think that it is natural for Zeng Suqiu to avenge her deceased mother, but it just happens that the enemy is her own father, which adds a few twists and turns.

Lord Hu looked at her steadily for a few times, and said slowly: "I understand what Miss Zeng means, but the law is such that if a son sues his father, he will be punished with caning first. Miss Zeng..."

"I am willing to be caned!" Zeng Suqiu's words were sonorous and powerful. "I was raised by my mother. If I can sacrifice my life and let her get justice in the afterlife, it will be worth it even if I die as an unfilial daughter!"