The search continued until nightfall. Murong Ze was so exhausted he could barely keep his eyes open; he walked up to Murong Yan and reached out a tiny hand to grasp one of his father’s fingers. Murong Yan looked down as the boy rubbed his eyes and said, "Father, I’m sleepy."
"Take the princes back to their palaces," Murong Yan commanded.
Nannies came forward to carry Murong Ze and Murong Dui away. Murong Xuan remained sitting in Zuo Canglang’s chair. Zuo Canglang said, "The Third Prince should return as well. I will have Zhitong come to fetch you."
"Aren't you coming back?" Murong Xuan asked.
"I cannot go back yet," Zuo Canglang replied.
"Then I won't go back either," Murong Xuan declared. He ran to Murong Yan’s side, tugged at the hem of his robes, and sat down. "I will wait for Father to catch the murderer!"
He was such a small, soft bundle. Murong Yan casually scooped him up and placed him on his own throne. After a short wait, Bi Dongting finally hurried in. "Your Majesty, a maid serving the dishes could not endure the torture. She has confessed."
Murong Yan allowed Murong Xuan to rest his head on his lap. "Then let her speak before all the ministers. Who instigated her?"
Bi Dongting hesitated for a long moment, glancing toward Zuo Canglang. "The palace maid says... she was instigated by General Zuo."
Zuo Canglang was slightly stunned. Bi Chengjing moved to step forward, but Zuo Canglang gave a faint shake of her head, forcing him to remain silent.
"Bring her up," Murong Yan said. "I wish to question her personally."
Bi Dongting complied, and shortly after, a blood-soaked maid was dragged into the hall. Murong Yan stood before her and asked, "You say it was General Zuo who ordered you to poison Minister Bi Chengjing?"
The maid knelt on the ground, her head bowed low. "In response to Your Majesty... it was... it was General Zuo. But she did not truly intend to kill Minister Bi. She wanted to place poison in his soup so that it would be discovered, thereby framing... Lord Jiang."
Jiang Sanyi immediately took several steps forward and threw himself to his knees before Murong Yan. "Your Majesty! This old servant is terrified! I am truly terrified!"
Murong Yan looked on with great interest. "How fascinating. You insist it was General Zuo’s doing—do you have proof?"
The maid knocked her head against the floor. "General Zuo gave me no proof. But I beg Your Majesty to consider: how could a mere palace maid like myself possibly keep any evidence?"
"That makes sense," Murong Yan said. He turned to look at Zuo Canglang. "However, to accuse General Zuo of such a grave crime without a shred of evidence is also inappropriate, is it not?"
Beside them, Jiang Sanyi spoke up. "Your Majesty, I believe that although this maid is of low status, her words are not entirely without merit. I dare to ask Your Majesty: if it were truly I who planted the poison, how could it be such a coincidence that Marquis Jinyu was the one to consume it? And how could it be such a coincidence that the dosage was insufficient to kill him? This is clearly a poisonous scheme laid by someone to frame me, Your Majesty!"
Next to him, Jiang Bilan and Jiang Biyao both knelt. Everyone knew the gravity of this accusation; Jiang Biyao had already begun to wipe away tears. Murong Yan merely looked over the written confession. After a long silence, he asked, "Are you certain that on the afternoon of the third day of the seventh month, General Zuo met with you and handed you the poison?"
The maid lowered her head. "I am certain."
Murong Yan’s expression darkened. "Drag her back down. Question her again!"
Jiang Sanyi’s face changed instantly. "Your Majesty!"
Murong Yan looked over and said with a smile, "Lord Jiang, what method do you think is best for dealing with a servant who dares to spout nonsense and bite her master?"
Jiang Sanyi could not understand how the King had seen through the lie at a glance. He stammered, "I... I do not know. I only feel that her words may not be false. If you persist with torture, I fear a miscarriage of justice, Your Majesty!"
Murong Yan sneered. "A miscarriage of justice? Hmph!"
It was not until the middle of the night, when Murong Xuan was already fast asleep, that Bi Dongting returned. "Your Majesty, she has confessed. It was Lord Jiang who ordered her to plant the poison and instructed her to frame General Zuo if she were discovered. Here is the confession."
Murong Yan gripped the document. Jiang Sanyi cried out, "Your Majesty, I am wronged! I am wronged!"
Murong Yan threw the confession directly into his face. "You still dare to cry foul! Jiang Sanyi, you attempted to poison a high minister of the court and framed another when the plot was exposed. Your crimes are heinous! Strip him of his rank as Grand Secretary and throw him into the Great Prison to await trial!"
Bi Dongting stepped forward and stripped Jiang Sanyi of his court robes. Jiang Biyao rushed forward, clinging to Murong Yan’s leg. "Your Majesty! My father is a third-rank official of the court; how can he be condemned based on the word of a single maid?"
Murong Yan looked down, lifted her chin, and asked, "Are you saying that I am being unjust?"
Tears streamed down Jiang Biyao’s face. "No, I would not dare. But Your Majesty, he is the Imperial Father-in-law, the maternal grandfather of two princes. This matter is of great importance; I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"
Murong Yan kicked her aside. "Well said. How can my children have such a maternal grandfather?"
Even as he was dragged away, Jiang Sanyi did not understand why Murong Yan had been so certain the maid’s first confession was a lie.
Murong Yan then ordered the seizure of the Jiang estate. Bi Dongting personally led the troops, conducting a search so thorough it was as if they were digging three feet into the earth. At the Jiang residence, they found not only vast quantities of gold and silver but also hidden compartments containing letters and ledgers proving Jiang Sanyi had been buying and selling government offices.
The moment those letters were found, Jiang Sanyi knew he was finished. Murong Yan truly would not tolerate him any longer.
Sure enough, the following day, Murong Yan issued an imperial decree stating that Jiang Sanyi’s crimes were monstrous and ordering him to be granted death in prison. His eldest son, Jiang Qi, and second son, Jiang Yi, were stripped of their status, reduced to commoners, and banished from Jinyang, never to be employed by the Great Yan court again.
When the imperial decree was delivered, Jiang Biyao knelt at the door of the Imperial Study, weeping bitterly as she pleaded for her father’s life. Murong Yan refused to see her. Finally, annoyed by her persistence, he ordered Zuo Canglang to personally supervise the execution—in this court, if anyone desired Jiang Sanyi’s swift death most, it was Zuo Canglang.
Zuo Canglang arrived at the prison, followed by an eunuch carrying a tray with three items: poisoned wine, a length of white silk, and a dagger. Jiang Sanyi sat in his cell, dressed in prisoner’s garb, his hair slightly disheveled. Seeing Zuo Canglang, he asked, "Is it time?"
"Yes," Zuo Canglang replied. "Please, Lord Jiang."
Jiang Sanyi said, "For His Majesty to send you to supervise my execution... he truly intends to see me dead."
"He never jokes about such things," Zuo Canglang said.
Jiang Sanyi stared at her. "Zuo Canglang, there are a few things I do not understand."
Zuo Canglang stood at the cell door. "What?"
"How were you so certain that His Majesty would not believe that maid’s words?"
"Because the Nanqing Palace is currently filled with Wang Yunzhao’s informants," Zuo Canglang explained. "And whenever I leave the palace, I am shadowed by His Majesty’s secret guards. Where I go and what I do—His Majesty knows everything with perfect clarity."
Jiang Sanyi was startled, then gave a bitter smile. "I never imagined His Majesty’s wariness of you had reached such a point." He sighed. "And yet, the eyes he placed in the shadows actually saved you this time."
"Indeed," Zuo Canglang said. "As they say, misfortune is that upon which fortune leans. When I saw that maid’s confession, I actually felt a sense of relief."
Jiang Sanyi said hatefully, "Can a person like you truly be content to be monitored at every turn, trapped in a cage?"
"A cage may lack freedom," Zuo Canglang replied, "but the hearts of men are treacherous. At least inside the cage, one is safe."
Jiang Sanyi snorted. "But even if I did attempt to poison Bi Chengjing, why was His Majesty so determined to put me to death? I still don't understand—would he really kill me for the sake of Bi Chengjing?"
"Of course not," Zuo Canglang said. "In truth, even the buying and selling of offices was not his reason for killing you."
Jiang Sanyi stared at her. "Will the General allow this old man to die with a clear mind?"
"Last time, regarding the matter of Yuan Xi mobilizing the troops," Zuo Canglang said, "Lord Jiang did not hold back in whispering slanders, did he?" Jiang Sanyi froze. Zuo Canglang continued, "That letter from the late Marshal Wen that incited Yuan Xi and the others to move... it was a forgery."
Jiang Sanyi felt as if he had just woken from a dream. He roared in fury, "That was not my doing!" No wonder Murong Yan was so intent on his death! Murong Yan suspected that he had forged Wen Qi’s final letter to eliminate his rivals and incite Yuan Xi’s rebellion!
"I know," Zuo Canglang said.
Jiang Sanyi raged, "You... it was you? You forged Wen Qi’s letter? You planned to frame me all along?"
"Frame you?" Zuo Canglang countered. "If you hadn't been so intent on slandering those men and sending them to their deaths, where would I have found the opportunity to frame you? You harbored malice in your heart and treated human lives like grass. Did you never consider that the forty thousand men of the Wen faction all had wives, children, and fathers? Did you not know that a single word from you could end their lives?"
Jiang Sanyi slumped down. "I see. His Majesty knew the letter was a forgery, but he kept it secret. He was waiting for me to fall into the snare."
Zuo Canglang said, "You were always just a chess piece he used to balance the court. Once the Wen faction was eliminated, the court fell entirely under his control. As for you, your roots in the court were deep, your eldest son held a high position in the military, and your two daughters were the Queen and a favored consort. You even had two legitimate grandsons who are princes. His Majesty’s previous hesitation was only due to his concern over the Wen faction. Now that they are gone... what use are you? Do you think he would allow you to continue expanding your power? If he could suspect the Wen faction, would he not worry about the Imperial in-laws?"
Jiang Sanyi let out a long sigh. "I understand. I was wrong. In the end, he trusts no one."
"You understand too late," Zuo Canglang said. "The forty thousand soldiers who died at Yuhou Pass were traded for only your single life. It is truly a tragedy of this world."
Jiang Sanyi said, "Even if I hadn't spoken, would His Majesty have tolerated those people? Zuo Canglang, do not be too pleased with yourself. A man like him... hmph... do you think your end will be any better than mine?"
"I can only do my best regarding that," Zuo Canglang said. "But your end, Lord Jiang, is right before your eyes."
Jiang Sanyi fell silent. After a long while, Zuo Canglang spoke to the eunuch standing in the distance. "Bring it over. Let Lord Jiang choose his way of dying, so he may be on his way quickly."
Jiang Sanyi stood up and looked at the white silk on the tray. He slowly reached out his hand, then suddenly asked, "Can my two sons be saved?"
"What do you think?" Zuo Canglang replied.
Jiang Sanyi bit his lip, a look of agony finally appearing in his eyes. "He will surely pull up the roots to kill the grass... but my eldest grandson is only five years old..." He finally stopped speaking. Zuo Canglang stood before the cell and said, "If you knew this day would come, why did you act as you did?"
Jiang Sanyi gave a helpless smile. "Accompanying a monarch is like accompanying a tiger... I spent my life believing I was wise and resourceful, only to understand those words in my old age."
His hand slowly stroked the white silk. Zuo Canglang waved her hand, and two jailers entered. They efficiently looped the silk twice around his neck and pulled together with all their might. Jiang Sanyi’s eyes bulged wide, but he did not look at Zuo Canglang.
In his final moments, his throat made a rattling sound, and he reached his hands toward the grey stone wall, as if seeing something unknown.
After a long time, the jailers let the body fall to the ground. They bowed respectfully to Zuo Canglang. "General, the matter is finished. You may return to report to His Majesty."
Zuo Canglang gave a soft "mm" and looked back once more at the corpse.
He said he only understood at the very end what it meant to accompany a tiger.
But then, who doesn't?
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The Abandoned Empress General | Chapter 124 | Beside the Tiger | Novela.app | Novela.app
