The palm of her hand had been cut by jade pendant fragments, and fine wounds began bleeding.

Blood stained everything red.

Yet Jing Xuan couldn’t care about the piercing pain—she only felt her mind had gone completely blank.

Buzzing and ringing!

The only thing she had that was worth cherishing had shattered just like that!

And Natuo had neither killed her nor harmed her further.

Instead, he had left…

Jing Xuan lay prostrate on the ground, holding those shattered jade pendant pieces in her hand.

At this moment, it was as if someone had completely extinguished the last remaining thread of hope in the depths of her heart.

What kindness?

What tenderness?

What conscience?

All of it had disappeared from her heart, cleanly and completely.

…

The next day, Natuo dressed in his court robes and personally entered the palace to have an audience with King Huyi.

Kneeling in the great hall, he requested to personally oversee the execution of Gong Shilin!

In the end, he had still acted according to Marquis Pingyang’s wishes.

Betrayed by his closest brother!

How could any shred of mercy remain in his heart?

And this action by Natuo immediately caused an uproar throughout the court.

The Second Prince’s faction was also utterly shocked!

They had originally thought the Third Prince would spare no cost to save Gong Shilin, and had been waiting for this big fish to take the bait, but unexpectedly, this big fish abandoned the bait and fled.

What was even more unexpected was that King Huyi had also agreed.

And this morning he issued an order that in one day’s time, Gong Shilin would be executed!

Now, no one had the power to turn things around.

Gong Shilin’s death was certain.

All the clever people knew that Natuo was sacrificing a pawn to protect the king!

For the sake of his own bright future, he was willing to discard this chess piece.

This kind of ruthless determination was not something everyone possessed.

Prime Minister Gong, who had only just awakened, immediately vomited blood upon hearing this news!

He fainted again.

When the physician came to examine him, he said his “life hung by a thread”!

…

The news of the order to execute Gong Shilin quickly spread throughout Gaoding City.

Some sighed.

Some expressed regret.

Others clapped and cheered.

The City Administration Department.

Ever since Gong Shilin had been taken to the Ministry of Justice, Li Cheng hadn’t returned home, but had remained here the entire time.

When he heard this news, he was very calm!

So calm it was almost unreasonable.

He sat there completely motionless!

His gaze fixed on the doorway, scattered and contemplative…

Even now, he couldn’t understand why Gong Shilin would kill someone.

Such a frail scholar, someone without the strength to truss a chicken—how could he kill someone?

He had thought of many possible reasons, but had rejected them all one by one.

His brow remained furrowed!

Seeing him sit like this all day long, the people in the City Administration Department couldn’t help but gossip a bit.

“Everyone in Gaoding City knows that Lord Li and Gong Shilin were at odds, so why now that Gong Shilin is about to be executed does our lord look like this?”

“They grew up together after all. Quarrel as they might, the relationship still exists.”

“That’s true. But this time it was after all our lord who arrested Gong Shilin, so he must feel terrible inside.”

“This also shows our lord is just! He walks the straight path.”

…

Even though Li Cheng heard these words, he paid them no mind.

Just then—

Someone came in to report: “My lord, there’s a woman outside the department who says she wants to see you.”

A woman?

He frowned: “Who?”

“She says she’s from the Drunken Moon Pavilion.”

The Drunken Moon Pavilion?

His mood was already low, and he had no energy to deal with those flirtatious women he’d entangled with before.

So he said: “Tell her this official is busy and cannot see her.”

“But…”

“What?”

“She says she knows Du Mubai!”

Eh!

Li Cheng stood up abruptly, his expression grave: “Let her in.”

A short while later, the woman followed that minor official to the back hall.

Du Xing’er’s face was covered with a silk veil, showing only those eyes full of red bloodshot lines.

Li Cheng looked her up and down.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Du Xing’er.”

It’s her?

The person Ji Yunshu went to see at the Drunken Moon Pavilion last time was this young lady wearing a veil before his eyes?

Li Cheng narrowed his eyes: “Why do you want to see me? Is there something… you want to tell me?”

Du Xing’er hesitated, her gaze sweeping across the people in the hall.

Li Cheng understood her meaning and waved his hand, signaling the others to leave.

After everyone had left, Du Xing’er removed the veil from her face.

She revealed that hideous and terrifying face.

A long scar was prominently visible.

Li Cheng wasn’t frightened, he just froze for a moment, then asked in confusion: “Why exactly have you come to see me?”

Du Xing’er met his puzzled gaze and asked: “Haven’t you all been wanting to know why Gong Shilin would kill someone?”

“You know?”

“Yes! I know!”

“Why exactly?” Li Cheng asked urgently.

Du Xing’er was silent for a long while, then said one sentence: “For me.”

Her tone clearly carried several parts of pain and choking emotion.

Li Cheng looked at her without interrupting.

Du Xing’er then told him everything about how she had been violated by Du Mubai.

This shocked Li Cheng so much his eyes widened.

He had already learned about Du Mubai’s character, but he hadn’t expected that he would do something so utterly depraved. Du Xing’er continued: “Shilin and I have known each other for many years. We’re confidants who speak of everything. Before Du Mubai died, he would compose poetry and I would play the zither, just like Boya and Ziqi. He also treated me like a younger sister! I thought this friendship would continue forever, but then he met Du Mubai, that beast in human skin! Everything changed. Because of their relationship, Du Mubai would often come to ask me to sing. Several times he got drunk in front of me and poured out his heart. He personally admitted that the reason he approached Gong Shilin was because he wanted to use him to enter Marquis Pingyang’s manor. He even said repeatedly that Shilin was a fool, and even his approach to Marquis Pingyang’s Miss Li was so he could rise smoothly in the future! I told Shilin all of this, but he refused to believe it no matter what, until… after I was violated by him, Shilin finally realized the truth. During that time, Shilin saw that my heart was set on death, and didn’t want the matter of my violation to be spread around. Combined with all the things Du Mubai had done, in the end he couldn’t contain himself and killed him for my sake!”

Li Cheng was shocked.

For a moment he couldn’t speak.

Du Xing’er said with tears in her eyes, agitated: “Shilin shouldn’t die! The one who should die was Du Mubai.”

But Li Cheng collapsed into his chair. He had thought there might be a way out.

But the facts told him there was no way out.

He lowered his gaze and said: “But in the end… he still killed someone.”

His voice trembled terribly.

Du Xing’er cried, suddenly kneeling on the ground, pleading bitterly: “Lord Li, I beg you, I beg you to save him. He shouldn’t die, he shouldn’t!”

Hoarse from crying.

Save him?

Li Cheng sighed helplessly: “How can I save him? There’s no way to save him!”

…

That day,

Li Cheng brought a pot of wine to the Ministry of Justice prison.

Gong Shilin knew he would come.

So when he saw him, he wasn’t surprised.

Li Cheng ordered the jailer to bring a small low table and placed it between the two of them. He poured two cups of wine and handed one to Gong Shilin.

“We’ve never sat down like this to properly drink together.” Gong Shilin smiled, took a sip of wine, and said: “It’s rare to have this chance.”