webnovelfull Chapter 459 Granny Li Regains Her Memory
Chapter 459 Granny Li Regains Her Memory
The following day, at the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Incense smoke curled from the burner, and the assembled officials stood solemnly.
Gao Xian sat upright on the throne, his dragon robe with wide sleeves hanging down. He looked very thin and his face was visibly pale.
Once he was able to get up and felt a little better, he began to attend court as usual.
Political affairs cannot be delayed, and people's hearts cannot be agitated.
Gao Xian's fingers trembled slightly within his sleeves, yet he forced himself to remain upright.
The hall was eerily quiet, with all the civil and military officials bowing their heads in silence.
Yuanxi stood on one side of the imperial steps, about to announce that the court session was adjourned if there was nothing else to say.
At this moment, Xie Yanli stepped forward and said, "I have a memorial to present."
Everyone's spirits lifted, and they all looked up.
Xie Yanli cupped his hands and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I have discovered that the Duke of Zheng has embezzled fertile land, forcibly occupied people's houses, and allowed his wicked servants to run rampant. Some people have even been forced to kill because they could not bear the humiliation. This is intolerable under the law and the court."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole hall was in an uproar!
The officials looked at each other in disbelief; none of them had expected Xie Yanli to impeach a powerful figure in public.
Moreover, he was a high-ranking and powerful official like the Duke of Zheng, who had been a long-time member of the royal family through marriage.
This seems to be the first time Xie Yanli has impeached someone in public...
His Highness, Duke Zheng's face turned deathly pale, as if he had just woken from a dream. His eyes widened as he stared at Xie Yanli in disbelief: "Young Master Xie, what... what nonsense are you spouting!"
Gao Xian's gaze also darkened slightly as he looked at Xie Yanli.
Do you have any evidence to support your claim?
Xie Yanli cupped his hands in response, saying, "The witnesses and evidence are all there; the people are crying out, and there is blood and solid evidence."
Gao Xian coldly glanced at Duke Zheng, "Order the three judicial departments to conduct a joint trial, and this case will be thoroughly investigated starting today."
"If true—whoever it is, we will not tolerate it."
The hall was silent. Duke Zheng was stiff all over, his back soaked with cold sweat.
Hou House.
Xie Yanli and Qin Jiuwei, along with Gu Qing, went to a courtyard in the backyard of the Marquis's mansion.
Granny Li was still being cared for day and night by her maids. At this moment, she was sitting by the window, her expression blank, her fingers digging into the armrest of the wooden chair, and she was muttering unintelligible words.
Qin Jiuwei and Xie Yanli stepped in slowly and quietly.
The maid inside the room quickly bowed and whispered to the two of them, "This morning, Granny Li took her medicine and is in slightly better condition than she was a few days ago, but she still doesn't recognize anyone."
Qin Jiu nodded slightly and instructed in a low voice, "Continue to take care of her according to Physician Li's prescription, and don't frighten her."
Xie Yanli stood to the side, silent, his gaze fixed on Granny Li, his eyes filled with inquiry.
Granny Li's gaze swept over them, but she didn't react at all, as if she were looking at two strangers.
She continued muttering to herself.
Immediately afterward, Gu Qing, who was following behind them, walked in.
The moment her eyes met Gu Qing's, they widened as if burned.
The whole person froze.
She seemed to have seen something terrifying; her breathing became rapid, as if Gu Qing in front of her was a ghostly figure that had sprung out of a nightmare.
"It was you..." her voice was hoarse, "that night..."
Gu Qing stood inside the door, not moving an inch, simply gazing at her quietly.
Granny Li was trembling all over. "The one in black...you jumped in through the window...the window..."
She murmured the same scene over and over again, as the images of that night surfaced inch by inch from the depths of her memory, engulfing her completely.
She suddenly turned to run away, but her legs gave way and she fell to the ground.
"Don't come any closer! I don't know anything!"
She screamed at the top of her lungs, clutching her head and cowering into a ball.
Xie Yanli and Qin Jiuwei exchanged a glance, knowing that she remembered.
Physician Li was already waiting outside. Upon hearing the call, he immediately rushed in with his medicine box.
He knelt down in front of Granny Li, placed his fingertips on her pulse point, and then quickly took out several silver needles, inserting them into Granny Li's chest and abdomen.
Then he took out a small vermilion pill from his sleeve, carefully crushed it, and placed it under her tongue.
Before long, Li Mama's convulsions and screams gradually subsided, and she collapsed to the ground as if all her strength had been drained.
Xie Yanli waved his hand, signaling someone to help her to the couch.
Physician Li inserted the needles again, but this time the needle technique was different; he directly pierced the vital acupoints for waking up the mind.
Soon, Granny Li's eyelids trembled slightly, and she let out a few low, hoarse groans.
She slowly opened her eyes, her mind not yet fully clear, and looked at everyone in the room with a blank expression.
"Granny Li, do you remember now?" Xie Yanli stood in front of the bed, his voice steady.
Granny Li's face turned pale, and she seemed to have just emerged from a long nightmare, muttering to herself.
"That night, the lady had a difficult childbirth and it took her a long time to give birth."
"All the doctors are trying to save her, and I was assigned to a side room to look after the newborn young master."
“The pregnancy was already unstable. The young master was born weak and barely breathing, and he didn’t even cry. I was terrified. I forced myself to give him some medicine and wipe his body to keep him warm, but by midnight, he had stopped breathing.”
"I didn't dare to move, I just held him and trembled."
She suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with fear. "Just then, there was thunder outside, and someone burst in through the window. It was a man, holding another baby..."
"And then, I don't remember anything."
Qin Jiuwei listened quietly, then turned to look at Gu Qing.
The situation described by Granny Li was exactly the same as what Gu Qing had said.
The two key witnesses gave completely consistent accounts, and the time, people, and locations all matched.
Just as everyone was looking solemn, a hurried footstep suddenly came from outside, followed by a maid's report.
"Young Master, Young Madam, Mr. Liu is awake!"
Xie Yanli suddenly turned around and immediately stood up to face outside.
In a side room of Qinglan Courtyard, Meng Ze was leaning against the bed, his lips pale and his brows furrowed with weariness.
He opened his eyes and looked at the crowd that had gathered around him, his eyes clear and lucid.
"I'm fine," Meng Ze said with a reassuring smile.
"Your Highness." Gu Qing couldn't help but rush to the bedside, her eyes filled with worry.
Seeing their tense and expectant expressions, Meng Ze gently shook his head.
"I'm awake, but I still can't remember."
There was a brief silence in the room.
Xie Yanli lowered his head. Although he had long anticipated that amnesia would not be so easy to recover, he still could not hide a trace of disappointment in his heart.
"It's alright, take your time," he said. "It's good that everyone is alright."
Meng Ze also looked up at him.
Neither of them is very good at expressing themselves, but sometimes, they don't need to express themselves much; a single glance is enough for them to understand each other.
Qin Jiuwei instructed her maid to fetch the family physician. A moment later, the physician quickly entered with his medicine box, bowed, and then stepped forward to take Meng Ze's pulse.
Everyone held their breath and waited.
Xie Yanli stood by the bed, his brows furrowed.
A moment later, the physician bowed to Xie Yanli and Qin Jiuwei and said, "Young Master, Young Madam, Mr. Liu is fine. It's just that his old head injury hasn't healed, and he was also emotionally shaken, which caused him to faint. His pulse is stable now, and he will be fine after a few days of recuperation."
Qin Jiuwei finally let out a soft breath, and Xie Yanli finally relaxed his brows.