Use a substitute on your wedding night to scatter the ashes of your entire family

"Madam, why do you have to make things difficult for me? I am only acting on orders. I cannot let you leave the mansion without the emperor's order." Zheng Xinjiang looked embarrassed. He looked at the women of the He family in the mansion, and then at the people who had surrounded the open space in front of General He's mansion, and he complained in his heart.

The clerk read out the military records in public, which made him feel helpless.

But the people seemed to have made an appointment, and they gathered in groups of three or five, and the number kept increasing.

"The justice of heaven is clear. My husband died in vain. Ten good men of the He family have not yet returned home with their bodies wrapped in their hides. All they care about is peace in the country and a safe place for the people. But my He family, the women and servants of the He family are also among the millions of ordinary people!"

"Commander Zheng, do you still want to stop me?"

"Madam, your words make me feel ashamed."

Madam He looked at Zheng Xinjiang again with her eyes still calm but already filled with tears. The three volumes of blood-stained military records in her hands seemed to be heavy, carrying the souls of General He, the sons of the He family, and 30,000 dead soldiers of the He family.

But she was leaning on a dragon-headed cane with one hand, and even though the general's mansion had been besieged for more than twenty days, her face was haggard, she was wearing plain clothes, her silver hair was still combed meticulously, and her back was still straight, but her voice could not hide the tears.

"Commander Zheng, I have no intention of making things difficult for you. It is your duty to surround the General's Mansion. Why don't you just follow me and the others? Even if the Emperor blames you, it is because you cannot bear to hurt the widow of the He family. His Majesty is kind and will never punish you."

"This..." Zheng Xinjiang frowned. He knew that Madam He's words were just to comfort him. If he let them go and beat the drum to report the incident today, the emperor would definitely reprimand him.

At this moment, no one knew who was the first to shout, "Many heroes in the world have died in vain, and treacherous officials and villains have messed up the world! Is there any justice and conscience left in this world?"

Zheng Xinjiang turned around and went to look for that person, but the sunlight was shining on the faces of the crowd. The vast sea of ​​people was filled with indignant people. The sunlight was too dazzling and there was no way he could find that person.

The crowd was like hot oil splashed with cold water or a stone dropped into a lake, and it suddenly exploded.

"General He sacrificed his life for the country and led the entire He family to defend Yanshan Pass, but he was slandered like this. Can't I, the He family, seek justice?"

"That's right. General He and his men fought to protect every inch of Northern Jin territory. They were not afraid of the enemy's swords and spears. Do they have to bear this stigma for a thousand years?"

"Yes, the King of Qi is such a jerk. He wanted to gain military merit, so he plotted to kill General He and his men, destroying the lives of 30,000 soldiers. He deserves death. The Emperor should take a good look at the good things his son has done!"

"Old Madam He lost her husband, son, and grandson overnight, and old General He is also accused of being reckless and greedy for merit, and stubborn in his use of the army. Wouldn't the ancestors of the Northern Jin Dynasty scold their children and grandchildren for being unfilial? Wouldn't the ancestors of the He family be disheartened in their graves?"

"Let's go, let's accompany Madam He to beat the drum and file a complaint with the emperor!"

"Yes, let's go together!"

"go together!"

The crowd surged toward the palace.

Gu Xingyan, who was standing behind the window sill on the second floor opposite, kept his eyes fixed on the woman in a purple dress at the corner.

His hands tightened and loosened, and finally he turned his face away and closed the window.

Li Shuangwan was standing at the corner. When she heard what the people said, she was already in tears. She remembered that in her previous life, when her father was unjustly accused of "collaborating with the enemy and treason", and all 381 people in the General's Mansion were exterminated, the people must have felt indignant for her father and his family.

They use their simplest shoulders to protect the heroes in their hearts.

The only ones who couldn't see all this were the emperor who was high above, the people of the Ling family, and the court officials who were fed with offerings from the people of the world.

Otherwise, how could Zhang Shiyi collect his father's body in a mass grave, and how could dozens of people spontaneously provide a grave for the 380 members of the Li family.

But she also couldn't figure out why Ling Yun did this?

Is it really just for the sake of greed?

General Ke He and a group of young generals, along with 30,000 soldiers, died in vain, and he only killed 50,000 enemies. In terms of military achievements, this is nothing.

It's good enough if the merits and demerits can be offset.

Yizhu gently pulled Li Shuangwan's sleeve: "Princess..."

Li Shuangwan came back to her senses and realized that her face was cold. She wiped away her tears and said, "Let's go with Madam He."

Yizhu was shocked: "Princess, this, this won't work."

"My Li family is also a family of military commanders, why not!"

Luo Man wiped the tears from her face and said, "Princess, I will go too! If the guards at the palace gate want to beat up the He family's frosty woman, I will take their place!"

According to an ancestral precept in the Northern Jin Dynasty, anyone who dared to beat the drum to report the incident would first be beaten with twenty sticks and then be tried by the emperor himself.

Yizhu pulled Roman and said, "Don't be impulsive."

Roman forced an ugly smile: "A life without impulse is not called life."

Li Shuangwan, along with two maids, followed Madam He and other female members of the He family, as well as hundreds of accompanying civilians, toward the imperial palace.

The sleepy gatekeeper was almost excited by the crowd of people in the distance and jumped up. Before he could report to the gatekeeper commander, Madam He had already arrived at the drum.

She handed the dragon-headed cane to the eldest daughter-in-law, picked up the drumstick and struck it with a loud "dong" on the rusty Dengwen drum that had never been struck since the founding of the Northern Jin Dynasty.

"Boom!"

"Boom! Boom!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The rumbling of the drums reached the sky, as if striking everyone's heart, causing everyone who heard it to tremble with joy.

Emperor Jingzhang, who was drinking in the hall and admiring the dancing of beautiful dancers, was so startled by the drum beats that became louder and louder that he almost threw the cup in his hand away.

His face darkened and he shouted, "Zhang Desheng, go and see what's going on. Who dares to beat the drum to report to the emperor? No matter who it is, there is no need to report to me. I will punish them with twenty sticks first, and then bring them here!"

When Zhang Desheng heard this, his face changed. How could the emperor beat someone without asking the reason first, and punish him severely?

Anyone who dares to sound the drum of public hearing, which has stood for two hundred years and has never been heard of, must have done himself a great injustice.

But he was just a eunuch after all, in other words, just a dog beside the emperor. He concealed his emotions, took the order, and hurried to the palace gate with two young eunuchs.

"Who dares to beat the Dengwen drum? Don't you know that once the Dengwen drum is beaten, the emperor will come down to judge in person?"

Old Madam He put down the drumstick, took the military intelligence letter from the eldest daughter-in-law, and walked to Zhang Desheng. Although she was over 60 years old and had not had a good night's sleep since the bad news came, her back was still straight, which is the backbone of a soldier.

She held the military document in front of Zhang Desheng with both hands and said, "I am the old woman of the He family, and I am here to clear my husband's name! Here are the military documents and military records. Please, Eunuch Zhang, present them to Your Majesty."

Zhang Desheng's eyebrows twitched and he looked at Zheng Xinjiang, who had an indescribable expression on his face.

Zheng Xinjiang shook his head slightly, indicating that he was also forced.