Rebirth Grand Marshal's Wilful Fiancée-Chapter 13-Confession
Chapter 13: Confession.
In the northwest frontier, the army of the Great Yue had just returned triumphant, their banners rippling in the wind like dragons' tails. The soldiers marched with proud precise bearing, dust-covered but unbowed after their campaign against the northern barbarians.
"Marshal, will you go back to the capital to report on your work?" asked Bai Xi, the right deputy of the northwest army of the Great Yue. He followed closely behind a tall, imposing figure whose very posture seemed to command respect.
"No." The answer from the person ahead was a short and powerful rejection, each syllable like a stone dropped into still water.
"Marshal, you haven't returned to the capital for three years," Bai Xi continued, his voice rising with desperation. "If you don't go back again, those in the capital will definitely be dissatisfied. By that time, they will vent their anger on me, your humble subordinate. As your humble subordinate has defended you for three times already, please go back this time." Bai Xi's voice cracked as he pleaded, nearly prostrating himself in desperation.
But unfortunately, the person in front remained unmoved, answering Bai Xi with nothing but a cold back, shoulders straight and unyielding as a mountain ridge.
"Lao Yi, quickly help me persuade the marshal." The right deputy, wounded by the marshal's coldness, turned to look at the northwest army's left deputy,Bai Ke,who walked beside him with measured steps.
Wearing a face of practiced calm, Bai Ke addressed the tall figure striding ahead of them. "Marshal, I heard that your aunt is making arrangements for your marriage." His voice was steady, calculating. "She has frequently visited the noble families of the capital in the past few days, which has made your marriage become quite the hot topic. There is a strong possibility that our emperor will take action. Combined with this victory, if our emperor grants a marriage with an imperial edict, you will have to go back to the capital whether you want it or not."
The marshal halted abruptly, like a sword being unsheathed. The right deputy saw a glimmer of hope and looked at the marshal's back with expectation, hardly daring to breathe.
"Inform the others to have a meeting in my tent two hours later," the marshal finally said, voice cutting through the silence. "I will set off for the capital in three days."
"What a mighty marshal!" The right deputy jumped excitedly, unable to contain his relief. "I'll go get them here as soon as possible!" He dashed off, his earlier desperation forgotten in his eagerness to carry out the command.
Bai Ke calmly followed in the footsteps of the marshal, his face revealing nothing. He wasn't surprised by Bai Xi's failure to hide his emotions, the man had always worn his heart on his sleeve, unlike Bai Ke himself, who kept his thoughts locked away behind a placid exterior.
As they continued toward the camp, Bai Ke studied the marshal's back. Three years away from the capital had only enhanced the marshal's legendary status. Soldiers spoke in hushed tones of the marshal's battlefield prowess, how enemies would surrender at the mere sight of the Great Yue's banners. But what awaited in the capital? Political machinations, courtly intrigues, and now, marriage proposals. Bai Ke suppressed a smile. Even the mighty marshal could be moved by the prospect of imperial matchmaking.
Meanwhile, at the Prefecture Yamen in Tan Yang, justice of a different sort was unfolding.
After the sounding of the gavel, the court fell into a solemn atmosphere, the air heavy with tension. Spectators lining the walls hardly dared to breathe as Magistrate Tao Feng's stern gaze swept over the defendants.
"Ling Yuanling, why did you frame Jiang Feng jia?" Tao Feng asked, his voice resonating through the chamber.
"I didn't frame Jiang Feng jia. That was what she did!" Ling Yuanling retorted, her delicate features contorted with indignation as she clenched her teeth. Despite her disheveled appearance, the young woman maintained an air of haughty pride, her expensive silks now rumpled but still marking her as a daughter of wealth.
Tao Feng slammed the gavel on the desk, the sharp crack making several onlookers flinch. "So insolent! I witnessed what you did today with my own eyes. How dare you quibble! If you don't confess, this magistrate can only put you to torture!"
Ling Yuanling's face paled, her composure fracturing slightly at the threat. Behind her, the four young Misses who had been her accomplices gradually regained consciousness. Startled by the sound of the gavel, they began to tremble, their faces ashen as tears streamed down their cheeks.
"We didn't mean to!" one cried out, her voice shrill with fear. "It was that lowly dancer who seduced us. And it has nothing to do with us. Lord, please forgive us!"
Ling Yuanling whirled around and fixed them with a withering glare. 'These idiots are making things worse,' she thought furiously before shouting, "Shut up!"
"It is not your turn to interrupt in the court," Tao Feng thundered at Ling Yuanling, his patience clearly wearing thin. He then addressed the four cowering young women. "It seems that you are not willing to confess properly. Well, yamen runners, punish those five people under the court by flogging, ten times for each!"
"Yes, lord!" The yamen runners stepped forward eagerly, bamboo rods already in hand.
"No, no, no, please don't flog us," one of the young Misses wailed, throwing herself to the ground. "Lord, we will confess, we will confess right now."
"This is Ling Yuanling's idea, and it has nothing to do with us," another blurted out, pointing an accusatory finger at their former ringleader.
"Exactly," a third added hastily. "She told us to put the blame on Jiang Feng jia, and it has nothing to do with us!"
The fourth nodded vigorously, tears and snot mingling on her face. "We were just following her orders, Lord Magistrate!"
These young women, who were pleasant to the eye but evidently of little fortitude, had been terrified by the tension in court. At the mere suggestion of physical punishment, they broke ranks immediately, each rushing to save her own skin.
It was easier to extract confessions from them than Jiang Feng jia had anticipated. From her position at the side of the court, she observed the proceedings with calm detachment, a slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
Ling Yuanling's face contorted with fury, her complexion alternating between deathly white and livid red. "You!..you are talking nonsense!" she spluttered, pointing accusingly at her former friends. "Shut up! And if you keep talking nonsense, our Ling family will never...!"
"BANG!" Another loud strike of the gavel cut through her threats.
"Ling Yuanling, this is the court, not your Ling family estate," Tao Feng declared, his patience finally exhausted. "Yamen runners, slap her in the face for this magistrate!"
With his authority repeatedly challenged by Ling Yuanling's arrogance, Tao Feng had reached his limit. The court watched in stunned silence as the once-untouchable daughter of the Ling family faced the consequences of her actions, her carefully constructed world of privilege crumbling around her.