"Let me put it this way, he's recently done three major things, each one rather scandalous.
There were even censors who publicly denounced him.
The first was when he beat the Dengwen Drum to appeal to the emperor, accusing his stepmother, Madam Jia Shi, of plotting against his wife, and Madam Jia Wang of plotting against his eldest son. This had been brought up over half a year ago, but the evidence wasn't sufficient then, and Jia She seemed stunned by the news that he wasn't Jia Mu's biological son, so it dragged on until recently.
Not only did he accuse them, but he also brought his brother-in-law along.
That would be the descendant of the Zhang family, the former Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince."
When sharing gossip that only one knows and the other doesn't, a slight sense of elation is perfectly normal, and the Daoist nun Yunqi felt that way now.
She was clearly happier than before.
Meanwhile, Ding Yun, quite puzzled, asked:
"Even if he appeals to the emperor, and Jia Mu isn't his biological mother, wouldn't he still be punished? Is Jia She really willing to go that far?"
"Don't rush!
Of course, he couldn't endure too many severe beatings. But doesn't he hold a noble title? According to regulations, nobles can use their titles to offset crimes that are not treason or rebellion, which are unpardonable. Thus, he directly used his first-rank general title to offset the beating.
Using a noble title to atone for sins, and to atone for accusing his stepmother.
Such an act is unprecedented in history.
This also shows the magnitude of his determination."
"After appealing to the emperor, everything went quite smoothly at first. After all, Jia She sacrificed so much, and the evidence collected was quite comprehensive, making it ironclad. But unfortunately, for some reason, the Retired Emperor suddenly intervened, strongly protecting Jia Mu, and even became enraged, declaring that Jia She would be judged for filial impiety.
I heard they are still in a deadlock."
After rolling her eyes at Ding Yun, Yunqi began to explain the specific process. Upon hearing this, Ding Yun immediately understood and scoffed, "The Retired Emperor probably thought of himself.
And he likely put himself in Jia Mu's shoes. Compared to what Madam Jia Shi did, what has the Retired Emperor done that is any less severe than Madam Jia Shi?
Madam Jia Shi only acted against her daughter-in-law.
To put it crudely, the former Crown Prince's entire family died directly or indirectly because of him.
If Madam Jia Shi is found guilty.
The Retired Emperor will undoubtedly be mired in controversy.
It might even affect his posthumous reputation.
It seems this matter is no longer just about whether Jia She appeals or not, but rather about the struggle between the Retired Emperor and the current Emperor. Whether Jia She can win.
Depends on whether the current Emperor can suppress the Retired Emperor."
"I never expected you to see this so clearly. Indeed, most discerning individuals can now see that this is no longer about who is right or wrong, but about who controls the court.
Jia She chose a rather opportune moment to appeal.
If he had appealed a few years earlier, the current Emperor would have had no ability to contend with the Retired Emperor, being almost like a puppet emperor. How could he have helped him?
If it were a few years later, after the Retired Emperor's death, even if the current Emperor wanted to maintain his reputation and show his devotion to filial piety, he probably wouldn't have helped him. It would have been good enough if he hadn't judged him for impiety.
Only now, when the current Emperor is extremely impatient with the Retired Emperor and has the ability to contend with him, is there a chance of success!
It remains to be seen what the final outcome will be!"
Yunqi clearly didn't just look at the surface of things. She quickly offered her own understanding.
The cause, effect, and implications were all clearly explained by her.
Ding Yun nodded and continued, "This should only be counted as one matter. Didn't you say he did three major things? What were the other two?"
"Oh, right, there are two other matters!
The second is his intention to split the clan. He wants to split off his own lineage. You know, for such large families, this usually only happens during times of chaos when some family members want to achieve great merit and worry about implicating the entire clan. In normal circumstances, very few families choose to split the clan; instead, there are more instances of disownment.
Jia She's intention to split the clan and divide the property is truly outrageous.
Who knows how many people have cursed him for betraying his ancestors!"
In this era, splitting the family and splitting the clan were vastly different concepts. No matter how a family split, they were still part of a larger clan. If one branch committed a crime punishable by the extermination of three generations of relatives or nine generations of relatives, no one would be spared.
However, splitting the clan was entirely different; it was a complete separation, even in ancestral worship. From then on, even if they were of the same surname, they generally would not be implicated even if nine generations of relatives were exterminated.
This shows how distant the relationship becomes after splitting the clan.
In an era where ordinary people were reluctant to even split their families, one can imagine how significant the commotion would be when someone attempts to split the clan!
However, although Ding Yun had gained much understanding of this world, certain mindsets were difficult to change quickly. Thus, she didn't consider the clan split to be such a major issue and continued to press, "What else? What was the third matter?"
"You're quite composed... Oh, that's right!"
Yunqi was initially surprised by Ding Yun's composure but then quickly understood. Someone who left their family and clan at such a young age would not have much of a concept of the clan. Moreover, women like them had little presence in the clan, and were not even allowed to enter during ancestral worship. It was normal for her not to care.
So, she quickly moved on to the third matter:
"The third matter is the most outrageous.
He directly had the deeds of Jia Mu and related evidence, the deeds of Madam Jia Wang and related evidence, along with evidence of his younger brother Jia Zheng's involvement in the struggle for succession years ago, evidence of Jia Zhen's incest and persecution of his daughter-in-law, and evidence of his daughter-in-law Wang Xifeng's usury and even causing death, all woodblock printed in a thousand or eight hundred copies.
And distributed throughout the capital.
It truly stripped bare all the family's dignity and honor, making them impossible to ignore.
This is the primary reason why people suspect he has gone mad. After all, no matter how much enmity exists between them, one wouldn't go on a killing spree like this. Those who knew him, and possibly even families whose own illicit dealings were known to him.
They are now terrified.
It is said that the capital is in some disarray, and the common people are all demanding severe punishment, stating that they cannot simply ignore the evidence just because it was revealed by a family member.
Although Jia She's actions seem somewhat absurd, even abnormal, they have had an effect. Now, except for a few very young members, the rest of their Jia family have been taken into custody. Even the Retired Emperor, who had been strongly protecting Jia Mu, now dares not speak.
After all, he also needs to consider public opinion."