While Fengyue didn’t know, Yin Yanzhong was aware that golden-threaded Nanmu wood was rare and precious – apart from the Emperor, only favored members of the imperial family would be granted pieces for coffins. If Yin Gezhi gave this coffin wood to the Young Master, what would happen when his time came…?
Madam Qiu also sighed quietly. Seeing Fengyue’s poor complexion, she didn’t disturb her. The group respectfully placed General Guan’s remains in the coffin, along with the collected burial items, and then waited for the appropriate time to leave the city for burial.
Wearing a false beard and mourning clothes, Fengyue scattered paper money along the way out of the city.
The paper money floated everywhere. One piece accidentally flew into a passing official’s sedan chair, landing in an elderly person’s palm.
Shi Hongwei looked down and frowned at the item: “Stop the chair.”
“Sir,” the guards outside immediately cupped their hands, awaiting orders. The sedan bearers lowered the chair, and Shi Hongwei slowly stepped out. Looking at the paper money flying through the air, he asked: “Whose funeral procession is this? Such a grand display.”
The guard looked and said: “Let this subordinate go ask.”
With that, he approached the funeral procession with his sword.
Fengyue was crying heavily when she suddenly saw someone blocking the way with a sword. She immediately said in a rough voice: “Let us pass. How can you show weapons before the deceased?”
The guard cupped his hands and asked: “May I ask whose household is holding this funeral?”
Everyone was startled. Fengyue turned her head and saw the official sedan chair by the street. Glancing at the copper decorations on top of the chair, her expression changed slightly. She hurriedly cupped her hands and said: “This humble one is a merchant from Huizhou. Passing through Lidu, my father fell ill and died. We had no choice but to hold the funeral here. Please forgive us, sir.”
The guard nodded and returned to report this. Shi Hongwei nodded slightly, showing no particular concern. He merely burned the paper money in his hand, bowed slightly toward the funeral procession, then got back in his chair and ordered them to continue.
Watching his behavior from afar, Fengyue also nodded and urged those nearby to proceed.
“That was Prime Minister Shi, wasn’t it?” Shi Chong sighed: “Truly worthy of being called a great minister, what a pity he serves an unworthy ruler.”
“Watch your words,” Fengyue said softly: “We’re approaching the city gate.”
Immediately falling silent, Shi Chong lowered his head and helped push the coffin cart.
The burial site was good and well-chosen, but they couldn’t carve the tombstone. If they carved Guan Canghai’s name, with his case still unresolved, it might be destroyed or dug up. But if they carved another name, no one wanted the General to suffer such an indignity.
“Let’s leave it blank for now,” Fengyue said: “We’ll carve it after all the evil people are dead.”
Madam Qiu sighed: “There are so many wicked people in this world, how can they all die?”
A gust of wind blew past, making the white paper before the grave flutter. Fengyue’s expression became determined as she clenched her fists and said word by word: “Even if we can’t kill all the wicked people, none of those who harmed him will live!”
A strong wind arose, making their clothes flutter as she kowtowed firmly several times before the unmarked tombstone.
“Young Master,” on the way back to the city, Yin Yanzhong said: “We just received news that Prince Xiaojin has arranged to meet with Shi Youxin at the academy tomorrow, and Shi Youxin has agreed.”
Fengyue was startled and frowned: “Didn’t he say he wouldn’t help? What’s he doing now?”
Madam Qiu shook her head: “He said he wouldn’t help, but he’s still helping. Our Prince Xiaojin, his words don’t match his heart, just like his imperial father. The difference is, his father has honey in his mouth but a sword in his belly, while he has a sharp tongue but a soft heart.”
Fengyue fell silent, walked for a while, then looked up and said: “By this calculation, don’t I owe him another favor?”
“Ah, you can’t look at it that way,” Luo Hao said: “He didn’t agree to help Young Master, he’s doing this on his own, so it doesn’t count as help, and Young Master doesn’t owe him anything.”
Well then, if it’s a heaven-sent opportunity, she just needs to grasp it well. After thinking about it shamelessly for a bit, Fengyue felt this perspective didn’t burden her conscience, so she convinced herself and returned to busy herself with arranging what needed to be done next.
The next day, Yin Gezhi sat in the academy courtyard, looking at Shi Youxin before him as he poured him a cup of tea.
“In asking you here today, besides discussing matters of law, I wanted to ask you about something else.”
Shi Youxin was a thin man in his thirties, not tall, making his clothes appear especially loose. His face had very small eyes and a large nose, giving people an unfavorable impression. Now hearing Yin Gezhi speak, he showed an even more fearful expression: “Your Highness need only ask.”
“Regarding Guan Canghai.” Setting down the teapot, Yin Gezhi raised his eyes: “How did he die in prison?”
His face changed dramatically. Shi Youxin lowered his eyes, gripping his teacup: “Why is Your Highness still asking about these matters? His Majesty would be displeased to know.”
“Didn’t you say we were kindred spirits?” Yin Gezhi looked at him calmly: “If we’re kindred spirits, how would Father Emperor know about what we discuss in private?”
Slightly choking, Shi Youxin remained silent for a long time.
Yin Gezhi unhurriedly rotated the teacup in his hand, saying flatly: “It seems I cannot take your words seriously. In that case, regarding the judicial reforms you mentioned earlier, I think…”
“Your Highness!” Seeing his intention to reconsider, Shi Youxin hurriedly said: “It’s not that this official is unwilling to speak, there’s truly nothing to say! Guan Canghai did commit suicide out of guilt that year, smashing his head against the wall, leaving a huge hole… This official knows nothing more!”
If he hadn’t seen Guan Canghai’s remains, Yin Gezhi might have believed him. However now, he smiled and asked: “Then while he was still confined in prison, did anyone visit him?”
“No, no one,” Rolling his eyes around, Shi Youxin said decisively: “As he was a traitor charged with a serious crime, no visitors were allowed in the prison. At the time, this official even stayed in the prison for two nights to guard him. Later, not failing His Majesty’s expectations, the criminal was successfully sent to the execution ground.”
Thinking of that dark prison cell, Shi Youxin felt a bit frightened and wanted to take a sip of tea to calm himself. Suddenly, Guanzhi’s voice rang out from beside them: “Your Highness, General Feng has been taken into the palace by the Marquis of Zhenguo.”
Startled so badly his body shook, Shi Youxin’s eyes darted around, showing some anger: “How can you speak without being announced?”
Guanzhi was puzzled but still bowed and withdrew.
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Yin Gezhi said: “You are quite timid, sir.”
“Your Highness jests,” Shi Youxin turned his head and smiled: “Regarding the legal reforms, please speak well of them to His Majesty. Your words carry great weight.”
The law Shi Youxin wanted to reform was the law of a life for a life, arguing emphatically that the death penalty should be abolished and replaced with exile, claiming it would better maintain social stability.
He couldn’t see what connection there was between social stability and murderers not facing death, but since the other party had said so, he agreed. As for whether he would speak well of it or not, that was his own business.
When leaving the academy, he unsurprisingly sensed several lurking presences. Yin Gezhi acted as if he hadn’t noticed and went straight back to his residence by carriage.
Shi Youxin was feeling drowsy and closed his eyes to rest once in his sedan chair. After swaying along for who knows how long, the chair suddenly dropped heavily to the ground.
“What’s going on!” Startled awake, Shi Youxin berated: “Haven’t you eaten enough?!”
“Sorry, sir,” the bearers outside quickly lifted the chair back up, turned two corners, and continued forward.
Yawning, Shi Youxin went back to sleep. When he woke up later, he found the chair had stopped, but the attendant hadn’t called him to get out.
“What’s going on today?” Impatiently lifting the curtain, he was about to scold them, but saw that instead of his Inspector’s Manor gate, they were at a foul-smelling mass grave!
There wasn’t a single person around the sedan chair. Being timid, Shi Youxin immediately started screaming and trembling as he crawled back into the chair.
As evening fell, fierce winds howled, making the chair curtains rise and fall. Shi Youxin shivered, eyes wide as he looked outside, where he saw a shadow slowly floating over from the distance.
Slowly, it came closer and closer – a blood-covered figure!
“Ahhhh!!!”
Terrified screams echoed throughout the forest.
The next day, when woodcutters came up the mountain to chop wood, they found an elegant sedan chair by the road. Curious, they lifted the curtain to find an official in fine clothes, with dark circles under his eyes, looking haggard and trembling. Upon seeing them, he screamed repeatedly.
The woodcutters reported it to the authorities, and Shi Youxin was finally brought back to Lidu.
“Heh, he really can’t handle being frightened. I heard he fell ill and couldn’t attend court for days,” Luo Hao reported the situation in Fengyue’s courtyard, his face full of contempt: “We thought someone so ruthless would be brave, who knew he’d be scared like this.”
“Mm,” cracking melon seeds, Fengyue said unhurriedly: “Let him recover for a few days.”
Luo Hao was startled, about to say the Young Master was truly merciful when he heard her next words: “Once he’s better, we’ll find another chance to scare him again.”
“…”
Yin Gezhi also received the news and leisurely closed his book, saying: “Let’s go pay a visit.”
There weren’t many visitors to the Inspector’s Manor, but when Yin Gezhi entered, he saw Prime Minister Shi.
“Your Highness?” Seeing him, Shi Hongwei was somewhat surprised. He came forward to bow and then asked: “Your Highness has also come to visit Inspector Shi?”
“Yes,” Yin Gezhi nodded: “I heard he fell ill from nightmares, so I wanted to ask if he has done anything to trouble his conscience.”
Though spoken calmly, Shi Hongwei understood the implication and smiled kindly: “Your Highness, some things need not be forced. If His Majesty doesn’t wish Your Highness to continue investigating these matters, why struggle?”
“For peace of mind,” walking past him, Yin Gezhi said: “I also fear that someday, like Sir Shi, I might do something to trouble my conscience, unable to sleep at night, tormenting myself.”
The way he said “Sir Shi” made the Prime Minister frown as he watched the prince’s elegant figure depart, shaking his head.
Shi Youxin was seriously ill. In his delirium, he seemed to see Guan Canghai’s blood-covered form.
He had watched Guan Canghai die with his own eyes – blood flowing from seven orifices, eyes wide with rage, dying with extreme unwillingness. Since then, he had become very timid and had nightmares for a while. It had been three years, and the nightmares had long stopped. But for some reason, he encountered this terrifying incident, causing him to fall seriously ill again.
Would everything be fine once he recovered? As he was thinking this, he heard Yin Gezhi’s cold voice: “I thought the common people’s rumors couldn’t be trusted, but seeing sir’s condition, I can’t help but believe them.”