CMWKSD -Chapter 180 A Silver Tongue

Ji Chaomian changed into Ji Yiqing’s clothes and, under cover of night, headed toward the Jiang family’s shops on South Street.

When the Patrol Battalion and the Capital Guard arrived, all they saw was the back of “Ji Yiqing.”

That “Ji Yiqing,” leading several household servants, chased the bandits from Zhenfeng Mountain and disappeared into the distance.

The Jiang family’s South Street shops were several storefronts joined together, very large in scale. At that moment, the Zhenfeng Mountain bandits were looting the shops, and they had even taken hostages to confront the Patrol Battalion.

Because of this, the Patrol Battalion and the Capital Guard only ever saw the back of “Ji Yiqing.”

Meanwhile, with people from the Dark Moon Pavilion causing trouble elsewhere, even though the places were only separated by a single street, neither the Capital Guard nor the Patrol Battalion realized that something had also happened at the Assistant Minister’s residence.

“Ji Yiqing” then led his household guards to run all over the capital city, darting through every kind of alleyway, circling the Capital Guard and the city defense forces as if walking a dog.

Every time the Capital Guard and Patrol Battalion arrived, all they could see was a single glimpse of “Ji Yiqing’s” back.

And on the court the next day—

Ji Chaomian stood up righteously and submitted a memorial impeaching the Jiang father and son for abandoning their humanity, being worse than pigs and dogs, and for murdering their own flesh and blood.

He then went on to accuse the Jiang father and son of forcibly occupying fertile farmland and harming innocent commoners…

He stated clearly that the previous day, as Ji Yiqing was returning to the city from outside, he had encountered the Zhenfeng Mountain bandits. He immediately ordered his household guards to follow them.

At the same time, he sent servants to inform the authorities, while he himself also followed after them.

Who would have thought that after the bandits looted the Jiang family’s South Street shops, they would be “chased” by Ji Yiqing all over the capital?

During the fight with the bandits, Ji Yiqing was accidentally injured and was currently recuperating at home.

Ji Chaomian, having received the news, finally captured the last few bandits at the gates of the Jiang residence.

But regrettably, the Assistant Minister’s wife had already been killed by the bandits.

Who would have known that when the Capital Guard and Patrol Battalion intended to go to the Assistant Minister’s residence to inform Jiang Shilang about the matter at the shops, they instead witnessed something that, even now, made one’s scalp go numb just thinking about it.

Jiang Shilang and the male members of his household had gone utterly mad.

For reasons unknown, they had tortured Jiang Qingqing to death, blood covering the ground.

Truly, at a single glance, it made one feel they were worse than beasts!

The Assistant Minister’s residence had been ransacked by the bandits.

Among the chaos, Ji Chaomian found certain items—namely, the very evidence of the crimes he had just spoken of.

Thus, he had no choice but to submit an urgent memorial today.

Originally, Jiang Da had thought that Ji Chaomian was about to speak of Peach Blossom Village and the hidden silver in the ancestral graves.

But Ji Chaomian never played by common sense—he did not mention Peach Blossom Village or the ancestral graves at all.

Because no one could have expected that among yesterday’s bandits, there was actually a descendant of the villagers from Peach Blossom Village.

He had survived only because he had been traveling as a merchant and thus escaped that calamity.

What Ji Chaomian wanted was not merely for the Jiang family to be brought to justice, but for their infamy to rot for ten thousand years.

That bandit sought revenge, so he concealed the matter of the ancestral graves and only claimed that he had observed the Jiang family for a long time.

He said he knew that the silver from the Jiang family’s South Street shops was regularly delivered back to the Jiang residence.

Through observation and investigation, he claimed to have learned where the Jiang family stored their silver.

In truth, these were all just excuses—whether he really knew or not, no one could say.

He simply wanted revenge.

And just so, he happened to meet Ji Chaomian.

When he was pressed down in the Jiang family courtyard and saw that bloody scene within the Jiang residence, he felt that his great vengeance had finally been avenged.

Then he heard of the evidence Ji Chaomian had collected regarding the Jiang family’s crimes.

But no matter what, none of those crimes alone were enough to wipe out the Jiang family’s entire nine clans—

Except for crimes as grave as massacring a village and embezzling several million taels of silver.

Ji Chaomian asked him whether he was willing to be the first accuser, to formally charge the Jiang family with the massacre of a village and with using ancestral graves to hide embezzled silver.

Once the Drum of Petition was struck, the entire capital would focus on the case.

The Jiang family—

From inside to out, total annihilation.

Reputation destroyed! Bodies destroyed! Hearts destroyed!

The man agreed without hesitation.

He had gone up to Zhenfeng Mountain and committed evil deeds; he had long known he would not die a good death.

But if, before dying, he could drag Jiang Shilang’s entire family down into hell with him—

He was more than willing.

And so, when the Drum of Petition was struck…

Ji Chaomian, kneeling in the hall while presenting his memorial, let out a long sigh.

He glanced at Jiang Da, who was still shouting hoarsely about how Jiu Yue had broken into the Minister Jiang’s residence last night.

Jiang Da knew he couldn’t defend himself on the other matters. But this incident—all of it—was caused by Jiu Yue. If he couldn’t take Jiu Yue down, how could he swallow this grievance?

So he bit the bullet and insisted that Jiu Yue was lawless, that she had brutally murdered a minister’s wife. His mother, after all, had been officially recognized by the court as a titled lady. Jiu Yue had no regard for law or people!

Ji Chaomian’s cold eyes fixed on him. Today, he was standing right there. No matter whether Jiang Da was a seventh-rank or eighth-rank official, as long as he could tarnish Jiu Yue’s reputation, make everyone in the world think she was lawless, mercilessly slaughtering the innocent, cruel and bloody, unworthy of being human—then he would win.

Just like Jiu Yue had said, the Jiang family deserved to die; she had merely accelerated the process.

But now, Jiang Da was blindly claiming that Jiu Yue had broken into the Minister Jiang’s residence at night.

Where was the evidence?

He had nothing.

And yet he dared to pin this fabricated crime on Jiu Yue’s head.

Ji Chaomian responded immediately: “Everyone knows that Jiu Yue saved Minister Jiang during the autumn hunt. Yet the Jiang family, instead of being grateful, seeks to slander her at this very moment.”

“Moreover, many officials present here have themselves been saved by Jiu Yue. Why would she, without reason, brutally murder the Minister’s wife? There must be a motive, right?”

“My brother was injured while pursuing bandits, yet you keep blaming his wife Jiu Yue. What exactly are your intentions?”

“Keep in mind, Jiu Yue is just a woman. How could she wield power in a minister’s residence with dozens of guards?”

“Jiang Da, don’t you feel guilty saying this?”

“Or are you doing it deliberately? Could it be that the Jiang family has some secret that Jiu Yue knows, so you slander her?”

Blah, blah, blah. With his sharp tongue, he left everyone in the court dumbfounded.

It all boiled down to one point: you claim Jiu Yue killed the Minister’s wife.

Where is the evidence?

There isn’t any.

I claim that you massacred Jiang Qingqing. Evidence? The evidence is on your own bodies!

When the Military Office arrived at the Jiang residence, the men of the Jiang family were still covered in Jiang Qingqing’s blood and flesh.

Dozens of eyes saw it all clearly. How could you argue?

Jiu Yue is kind, gentle, righteous—she could never commit such atrocities. The Minister’s wife was killed by mountain bandits!

In the end, it’s simple: without evidence, it’s slander.

Jiu Yue saved you and your father’s lives, yet you repay her with betrayal. You are heartless, unworthy of being human!

And you claim Jiu Yue killed your mother?

Impossible!

You say your guards are evidence? You just admitted they are your guards. Their evidence doesn’t count!

The evidence on my side is solid. The Military Office and patrol battalion all saw your blood. And the countless documented crimes are still here!

The Emperor Fengyuan, seated on the Dragon Throne, twitched at the corner of his mouth. Just a woman?

Is Jiu Yue an ordinary woman? She’s a domineering flower!

Jiang Da, kneeling, was momentarily speechless. How could he defend himself? How could he explain Ji Yiqing’s injuries? He didn’t even know how Ji Yiqing was hurt!

The evidence Ji Chaomian presented included proof that Jiang Qingqing had set a trap. Ji Yiqing wasn’t just an innocent man; he was a court official.

If the reason Jiu Yue went to the Minister’s residence were revealed, it would add yet another charge to their already heinous crimes: harming a court official.

Ji Chaomian’s words flowed like a brilliant tongue of lotus petals, emphasizing the Jiang family’s crimes while praising Jiu Yue’s kindness, gentleness, and righteousness—but noting her small courage…

As he spoke, smoothly and sharply, when he mentioned “small courage,” for some reason his voice grew slightly hesitant.

Not only did the Emperor feel it, but many of the officials in the court had throbbing foreheads. Especially recalling that day when Jiu Yue cheerfully kicked Consort Rong flying, kicked the Crown Prince’s backside, and tied the Emperor into a “radish” with a banner—every single detail witnessed by dozens of eyes.

Lord Ji… do you really have no guilt? Truly redefining “small courage.”

…

Before one beats the drum to summon a criminal, they first roll across the bed of nails.

When the bloodied man was brought into the hall, shouting excitedly: “Minister Jiang, for his selfish desires, massacred 172 villagers in Peach Blossom Village just to relocate the Jiang family ancestral tomb there! Then he colluded with the magistrate of Lingsu County, claiming the innocent villagers died in a flood, embezzling disaster relief funds. Less than animals! Unworthy of being human!”

The hall erupted!

What Ji Chaomian had just said was nothing compared to this massacre. For a mere ancestral tomb, someone had slaughtered an entire village—over a hundred innocent lives!

Then the man, still covered in blood, continued exposing the embezzlement.

Jiang Da realized the situation was hopeless. Kneeling, he fell silent.

Minister Jiang, after vomiting blood, could no longer rise from his bed.

Jiang Da had come to court today only to bring Jiu Yue down, perhaps even to harm the Ji brothers if possible.

Who would have thought Ji Chaomian, in such a short time, even helped Ji Yiqing achieve credit?

They never suspected that Ji Chaomian had switched Ji Yiqing’s clothes. The Jiang family only knew that Jiang Qingqing had poisoned Ji Yiqing—as that was her usual behavior.

So they were unaware of what happened afterward.

They didn’t know that Ji Yiqing injured himself while escaping, or that Jiu Yue only came after detoxifying him.