Abandoned Woman Busy Farming
Chapter 1489 - 1590: Second Brother Becomes Suspicious_1

Chapter 1489: Chapter 1590: Second Brother Becomes Suspicious_1

Liu Fei’s father, Liu Zheng, spoke up, "Your Majesty, please have someone wash this giant stone with water to see if it’s a forgery."

Tang Yin didn’t refuse. He directly ordered a palace maid to come in and scrub the stone. After all that effort, not a speck of color had fallen off the stone. The characters were naturally lighter than the stone’s original color and didn’t at all look like they were dyed. In the end, even Yang Tianwei couldn’t come up with an explanation.

Yang Tianwei could only kneel on the ground and wail, claiming that the Yang Family had been wronged and that they were utterly loyal to the Emperor. But all the ministers knew that the Yang Family would not dare to bring up the matter of leading the army to suppress the civil unrest anymore. If they remained stubborn, it would only support the claims made by the poem concealed on the stone. With the recent death of Yang Tianhua and the Yang Family leaderless, their influence had diminished significantly, and they dared not make any more mistakes.

In the end, the Emperor didn’t punish the Yang Family but ordered the giant stone to be moved to the Imperial Garden, saying that the auspicious stone could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and should be well guarded in the garden.

Yang Tianwei knew the Emperor must have believed the words on the giant stone and was extremely annoyed, yet he could do nothing about it.

The Emperor dismissed the ministers and then went to the Imperial Study Room to deal with state affairs.

"Zepei, do you think this stone truly is a warning sent by the heavens? It has truly helped Us greatly," said the Emperor with some emotion.

Bai Zepei, his head lowered to hide the fleeting light in his eyes, replied, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, so naturally it is heaven helping Your Majesty."

Tang Yin laughed, "Zepei, you’ve only been in the civil service for a few days and already you’ve learned to say pleasing things. I, on the other hand, feel there’s someone helping Us. Who do you think it could be?"

Bai Zepei’s heart raced, but his expression remained unchanged. "This humble official does not know."

He had his suspicions, but he couldn’t confirm them. Even if he could, he wouldn’t tell anyone, especially not the Emperor before him.

If his younger sister truly possessed the ability to create such warnings, then it was even more important to keep the Emperor unaware. Emperors are often distrustful, and having too much ability is a danger unto itself.

Tang Yin scrutinized Bai Zepei for a moment longer but, seeing no clues, didn’t inquire further and continued to read through the reports.

That evening, when Bai Zepei returned home and told his family about the event during dinner, Bai Ruozhu responded with bright laughter, "There’s such an amazing tale? How interesting! Second Brother, do you think what happened to the Yang Family is true?"

Bai Zepei looked at her, seeming to know nothing of the matter. He felt somewhat relieved, "Even if the Yang Family does not rebel now, they have long since developed a nature for it."

"Second Brother, the Yang Family is rotten to the core. Now they’re truly facing retribution. That Yang Tianhua died in a foreign land serves him right! But I’ve heard it wasn’t civil unrest in Qingzhou, rather he was secretly imposing heavier taxes, and the people, unable to bear it, collectively petitioned. He then ordered the army to massacre many of the civilians. Is there any truth to this?" Bai Zehao suddenly asked.

Bai Ruozhu was still somewhat shocked. She hadn’t expected their eldest brother to be so well-informed.

"How did you know about this, Big Brother?" Bai Zepei was also startled.

"A cloth merchant who supplies me had just come from Qingzhou," Bai Zehao said with an air of anger, "He told me in private, his eyes even reddened when he spoke, saying the civilians died horribly. The army would decapitate them on sight; the people had no power to fight back, they could only flee for their lives, yet still, they were caught and beheaded by the cavalry." Bai Zehao recounted, "And it’s said that the Quanrong assassin beheaded Yang Tianhua, doing a service for the people indeed."

Bai Zepei’s face stiffened, "Big Brother, we must never say outside that the Quanrong assassin did the right thing, lest those with ulterior motives hear it and use it as a pretext to accuse you of collusion and treason. The political situation in the Court is unstable lately; our family needs to be particularly careful."

"Right, right. I promise not to speak of it outside," Bai Zehao agreed but seemed upset by his own realization of the danger.

"It’s very likely true, but I don’t know if the Emperor has received the news yet," Bai Zepei said gravely, not wishing for the civilians of Qingzhou to have died in vain.

Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment and said, "I’ve heard about this matter at the Commerce Association. There are no secrets that aren’t eventually revealed; news always gets out. I hope when the time comes, Zehao can help the people of Qingzhou seek justice."

Bai Zepei suddenly stared at Bai Ruozhu, "Wouldn’t it be better if Yichun came to talk about it? Why hasn’t he been eating with us lately? You two haven’t had a falling out, have you?"

Bai Ruozhu’s heart raced; her second brother was just too perceptive.

"He’s been too busy investigating the issue with the ’Building of Layers.’ " Bai Ruozhu said, quickly changing the subject for fear of giving herself away.

Speaking of which, Achun should be back by now, right? Bai Ruozhu grew anxious in her heart. Why hadn’t there been any news from Achun?

In the following two days, the news of the massacre of Qingzhou citizens by the Yang Family’s army finally reached the Capital City and even spread throughout the Capital. It caused a stir, leading to disputes within the Court.

Emperor Wuning, Tang Yin, was furious and appointed Xue Wenhui as the Imperial Envoy to rush to Qingzhou to uncover the truth. Yang Tianwei and others from the Yang family protested their innocence daily, claiming that Yang Tianhua did not rest in peace, and although his body was to be sent back to the Capital for burial, the hot weather resulted in decomposition during the journey, forcing them to bury him in a picturesque spot along the way.

The legal department had already clearly identified the five newly recruited female physicians’ backgrounds and identities, and the five began their duties at the Female Physicians Institution on the first day of their employment.

The five of them looked around curiously, while Wei Tianzhen and her colleagues were also quietly observing the newcomers. Bai Ruozhu secretly watched their reactions and said with a smile, "Since you’ve just arrived, there’s no need to rush into a division of labor. Today, you can join Wei Tianzhen and the others in learning the Acupoint Map."

The oldest among them, Jin Yaoniang, had the best medical skills and was very familiar with acupuncture points. Initially finding the suggestion somewhat uninteresting, her face showed a solemn expression when she saw the detailed Acupoint Map on the wall.

She made the right decision in competing for the title of Imperial Doctor. Indeed, she could learn more by entering the Female Physicians Institution.

"Since all of us will be working together in the future, let’s introduce ourselves to one another. Wei Tianzhen, you and your group go first," Bai Ruozhu instructed.

Wei Tianzhen and her colleagues introduced themselves one after another, followed by Tian Fang and the other four newcomers. From their self-introductions, one could tell that Tian Fang was lively and cheerful, Jin Yaoniang was stable and reserved, and a new girl named Zhang Zhichun seemed somewhat timid.

"In the afternoon, you will break into groups and follow the senior female physicians to inquire about the conditions in various palace quarters. However, remember not to treat the ladies casually; just record their conditions. If you have a diagnosis in mind, come back and report to me," Bai Ruozhu added.

"Yes, my lady," the female physicians responded in unison.

Bai Ruozhu then divided the women into groups, pairing Jin Yaoniang with Wei Tianzhen, which made Wei Tianzhen somewhat nervous.

As soon as Bai Ruozhu walked away, the female physicians greeted each other and quickly became acquainted.

In the afternoon, Bai Ruozhu sent them to the palace quarters assigned to their groups, while she herself began writing down some introductory needlework techniques and steps for acupuncture in the Female Physicians Institution. At that moment, heavy and forceful footsteps approached from outside. Bai Ruozhu recognized that the footsteps were not those of a woman. Since she had sent Jiu Sheng to take care of Medical Alliance matters outside the palace, who could it be?

As she lifted her eyes, she was met with a pair of pitch-black pupils...

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Going back to Shenzhen today, quite busy, sorry for the affected update, will try to catch up tomorrow.