Chapter 216 Song Jinxiu's Change

When Song Jinxiu learned that the Song family was going to be exiled, it was already the fourth day since the incident in Prince Cheng 's mansion. The case of Prince Cheng's "conspiracy for treason" in the capital was even more noisy than before, but the Privy Council had not given any news, only saying that Prince Cheng had not confessed yet.

Song Jinxiu always felt something was strange. With Xiao Yan 's methods, how could King Cheng withstand torture in his hands? Moreover, four days had passed, and he hadn't learned anything at all?

However, more and more people in the court questioned the case, but Xiao Yan still said that the truth had not been revealed yet . Even Emperor An started to ask about it during the morning court session. Song Jinxiu could only watch from the side. No matter how many doubts he had, he had no right or even the ability to inquire.

He could only focus on the Lu family's case and went to the Ministry of Revenue and Qian Baokun more frequently. It was not until early this morning that he learned that Song Hong and his brothers were leaving the capital, as the Song family had given him some clothes and money so that he could appear in public decently after he was released from prison and would not have to face his ragged and miserable cousins.

"I have a friend in the Ministry of Justice. He told me that my uncle and his friends have been exiled. They were originally supposed to leave at the beginning of next month, but it seems that something happened in Prince Cheng's mansion , and it involved many people in the court. The capital is in chaos, and the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Prison are almost unable to accommodate people. So they issued a document in advance to let my uncle and his friends leave tomorrow."

The elder brother looked at Song Jinxiu hesitantly and said, "Jinxiu, do you want to see your uncle and the others off?"

Song Jinxiu raised his eyes and looked at him.

The elder brother said quickly, "I don't have any other intentions. I just think that they may never come back. Besides, since you have been released from prison this time, many people in the capital are talking about you. After all, they are your elders. If you don't go and see them off, there is no guarantee that someone will say that you are cruel."

Song Jinxiu heard this and said, "If I go and deliver it, will that make me less cruel?"

The man was suddenly choked with speech .

How Song Jinxiu got here has long been spread outside. He sold out his biological father and stepped into the Song Guogong Mansion. This reputation of being ruthless, ungrateful, vicious and cruel can never be washed away.

Song Jinxiu said to him, "I don't care what people outside say, but I still want to thank you for coming to tell me this."

"I should have thanked my cousin, but I am still under the command of the emperor, and I am busy with my work. I also have to go to the Ministry of Revenue later, so I really don't have time to greet my cousin. If there is a chance next time, I will invite my brother to reminisce about the past."

Upon hearing that, the cousin of the Song family couldn't help but look at Song Jinxiu. He originally wanted to persuade him, but when he met his cold eyes, he opened his mouth and said nothing.

"Never mind. I just came to tell you that they will leave the capital at noon tomorrow. If you want to see them, go earlier. If not..."

He paused and said, "If I don't see you, then I don't see you. It's nothing."

Seeing that Song Jinxiu didn't say anything, the man stood up and said:

"You go ahead and do your work. I'll be leaving first."

After leaving the place where Song Jinxiu was staying, standing at the narrow alley entrance, the servant following the elder brother of the Song family couldn't help but ask, "Why did Master Xiu become like this?"

He still remembered that Song Jinxiu was the most outstanding son of the entire Song family and the object of envy of other sons of the Song family. Whenever people in the family mentioned him, they would praise him as a modest gentleman, self -respecting, polite, generous and kind-hearted. Except that he was sometimes serious and liked to follow rules, he was good in every other way.

But now he is so selfish and cold-hearted that it's a little scary.

That is a punishment of exile. Song Hong and his companions will never come back once they leave, and they will hardly meet people in the capital again. But even so, Song Jinxiu still doesn't want to see them.

He is so cold and cruel, how can he be anything like the former Master Yutai?

The servant whispered, "Master Xiu was able to escape from prison by stepping on his father. Doesn't he know what people outside are saying about him? It would be fine if he ignored other people, but his mother is leaving Beijing tomorrow, and he also ignores her. He is too cruel..."

The elder brother of the Song family couldn't help but shook his head when he heard this: "He is not the same Song Jinxiu as before."

Looking back at the end of the alley, he said:

"Forget it, let's not have any more contact in the future."

He originally wanted to give a helping hand, and also took into consideration that they were all relatives. However, he did not dare to make close friends with such a cold-hearted person, no matter how capable he was and worthy of His Majesty's use.

Helping him at the beginning was the last bit of loyalty we had as family members. Anyway, he no longer considers himself a member of the Song family, so it doesn't matter if we have less contact.

…

After Song Jinxiu sent the brother of the Song family away, he turned around and noticed someone was watching him. He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Come out."

Two people walked out from behind the door outside the house.

Song Jinxiu looked at Song Jinnan and Song Yuanzhi : "Why are you here?"

"Brother, I just heard what cousin Li said. Father and grandmother will be exiled out of Beijing tomorrow..." Song Jinnan said.

Song Jinxiu looked at him: "Yes."

Seeing that both the brother and sister were looking at him, he said, "What do you want to say?"

Song Jinnan clenched his fists and said, "Cousin Li asked me to go and see Grandmother off. Why don't you want to go?"

He was a few years younger than Song Jinxiu, and there was still a hint of childishness in his features. Perhaps it was because the dramatic changes in the Song family had come too suddenly, and he had never suffered too much, so the youthful spirit in him had not yet faded.

"You have now been reinstated, and His Majesty thinks highly of you. As long as you give them a few words of advice, my grandmother and the others will suffer less even if they leave the capital."

Song Yuanzhi is still young, but he shares the same view as Song Jinnan : "Yes, brother, those yamen runners like money. I know that my uncle and his men committed the crime because of His Majesty's request. You can't save them, but giving them more money to bribe the officials can also make their journey more peaceful."

"Brother, I've heard that those exiled prisoners, if they don't have relatives or friends to help them, will be humiliated and beaten by the officials on the way. Many of them died before they could even reach the place of exile. I don't want my father to die. He was implicated by my uncle..."

Song Jinxiu looked at his younger brother and sister-in-law and said coldly, "Want to take care of it? Where will the money come from?"

Song Yuanzhi was stunned: "Brother has a salary..."

"I was released from prison and reinstated, but the salary I had saved from my previous crimes was confiscated along with the Duke's Mansion. I haven't received my salary yet. If it weren't for cousin Li who took pity on me and lent me some money, I would have shamelessly bought this place on credit. You don't even have a place to live now."

Seeing Song Yuanzhi 's face turn pale instantly, he looked at Song Jinnan with indifference .

"I betrayed the Song family, took the initiative to plead guilty for your uncle, and reported the Lu family's corruption, so I was able to return to the court. Have you not heard how the outside world scolded me for selling out my father for fame, or do you not know how the aristocratic families regard me as a thorn in their side and wish to get rid of me as soon as possible?"

"You said that His Majesty values ​​me because I am the sword that can help him deal with the aristocratic families. I am a mad dog that can charge forward without risking my life, which others cannot do. I can bite off a piece of meat from the Lu family for him. But I am just a dog. When I can be used, I will give some benefits to keep me. If I can't be used, I can abandon it at any time."

"Why do you think that a sixth-rank clerk like me, who is nothing, can intimidate those criminal officials?"