CHAPTER 1506: CHAPTER 1513: FEI’ER’S BRIDAL GIFTS (2)

His followers were not so lucky. After their crimes were verified, they were all subjected to palace punishment, demoted to slave status, and exiled to Lingbei, never to leave for the rest of their lives.

For men, palace punishment is a sentence more painful than death itself. The physical agony is secondary; the mental torment and humiliation of character have driven many to breakdown. On the day of execution, some even went mad before the knife could fall.

During the investigation, it turned out that the Empress Dowager’s parents’ house was also involved with Nangong Shi. Upon seeing the letters the Duke of England wrote to Nangong Shi, Nangong Yi flew into a rage and immediately issued an order to strip the Duke of his title, imprison his entire family in Heavenly Prison, and, after administering palace punishment, exiled them to Lingbei as slaves.

The Empress Dowager is particularly protective; hearing that Nangong Yi intended to castrate all the men of her Ji family, she immediately took off her hairpin and prepared to accept punishment, running to beg Nangong Yi desperately. Nangong Yi, who already detested her, knew that the Duke of England’s boldness in contacting Nangong Shi was likely not without her involvement, but she was just lucky enough not to leave any solid evidence.

Therefore, Nangong Yi mercilessly refused her and sent her back to her palace. Seeing her pleas fruitless, the Empress Dowager, in desperation, ran to Qixia Palace, shouting like a shrew, forcing the Retired Emperor to issue an edict to pardon her family.

The Retired Emperor, disturbed by his mother’s commotion and unable to continue his quiet life, had no choice but to send a message to Nangong Yi, instructing him to pardon the crimes of the Ji family.

However, seeing himself as someone beyond worldly affairs, the Retired Emperor would not interfere too much in court matters. He merely stated to pardon the Ji family’s crimes and nothing more.

Nangong Yi had no choice but to comply with his father’s order and pardoned the palace punishment for the Ji family men, but he confiscated all their family properties and expelled the entire family from the capital. As for how they would survive, that was their concern.

During this time, Cai Lian ran to Mu Mansion more than once to plead and hoped to meet Cai Wei through Mu Mansion to request her help.

However, Cai Wei had been busy with talent selection activities over the past month, had no time to return to her parents’ home, and naturally did not meet Cai Lian. Without an imperial token, Cai Lian had no right to send a visiting card to meet Cai Wei in the palace.

Thus, with tears in her eyes, she begged Madam Mu, Lady Du, to send a visiting card on her behalf to speak favorably for her family in front of Cai Wei and to have the Emperor pardon them. She wanted her father-in-law to remain as the Duke of England, her man as the heir to the Duke...

Although Lady Du was kind-hearted, she was not naive. Cai Lian’s in-laws had committed the grave crime of rebellion. That she did not avoid Cai Lian was already merciful enough; how could she use the Emperor’s favoritism towards her own daughter to plead for a traitor?

Moreover, this family was not worth pleading for.

Therefore, she firmly rejected Cai Lian’s request but agreed, if Cai Lian wished to divorce Ji Wanfu, she would personally appeal to Cai Wei to help.

Surprisingly, Cai Lian disagreed. Tearfully she said, "Auntie, I did not heed advice in the past and insisted on marrying into an official family. Cai Wei has already despised me. Now that their family has fallen into hardship, if I run to request a divorce, Cai Wei will think even less of me. Moreover, as the ancient saying goes, ’Marry a chicken, follow a chicken; marry a dog, follow a dog.’ Since I’ve married him, in life, I’m his person; in death, his ghost. I have no other thoughts."

Seeing her so stubborn and unwilling to heed advice, Lady Du could only let her be.

Cai Lian, having failed to get help from Mu Mansion, had no choice but return home tearfully.

The property of the Duke of England was taken back by the court the day his crimes were determined. All his assets, family servants, and even the various concubines and courtesans in Ji Wanfu’s courtyard were confiscated into the Broker House. The large Ji family was torn apart, and in the end, only Mr. and Mrs. Ji and Mr. and Mrs. Ji Wanfu, four people without a place to stay, could only temporarily move to Cai Lian’s parents’ home.