“Elder Brother, news has come from the palace—Second Sister has been found, in… in the Lotus Pond.” In a private room at the Four Nights Tower, Cui Shengbin brought the news to Cui Zhu.
Cui Zhu crushed the jade cup in his hand, his face covered in shadows.
The Cui family was going through troubled times, and now with Cui Ying’s death, it was like adding fuel to the fire.
“How could a perfectly good person go into the palace once and have an accident?” Cui Hao said. “She went for the selection. Shouldn’t the palace give an explanation?”
“The Bureau of Imperial Wardrobe said Second Sister’s accident happened after the selection test had already ended. All the other ladies had gone home. Noble ladies participating from outside the palace are not permitted to linger in the palace without decree or orders. Second Sister violated regulations by walking into the deep palace, so they couldn’t watch over her and didn’t want to make a fuss.”
“What was she doing in the inner palace?” Cui Zhu asked.
“Wasn’t it that Bao Shu from the Meng family who asked Second Sister to fetch a letter?” Cui Shengbin said miserably, placing a soggy letter on the table. “Midway, Bao Shu was called away to speak with a young palace maid. The Criminal Bureau questioned that palace maid too—it was just normal administrative matters. Who could have imagined that in just the time it took to exchange a few words, Second Sister would…”
The letter was already soaked, with only vague traces showing it was addressed to Madam Xie. Cui Zhu looked at the letter without speaking.
Cui Hao said, “Could Second Sister have offended someone when she entered the palace?”
“If you’re going to guess that way, there are too many!” Cui Shengbin said. “At the entrance, she slapped a young inner servant who was under Eunuch Zheng Fu, someone close to His Majesty. During the exam, she quarreled with a lady named Qing, who turned out to be the Crown Prince’s person. Who can we go after?”
Cui Zhu spoke gloomily, “Good advice can’t save a ghost determined to die. I raised Cui Ying’s temper too much.”
“The person is already gone—there’s no use talking about it! Elder Brother, don’t blame yourself.” Cui Shengbin consoled him. “What we should worry about now is that the wedding date with the Meng family is approaching. With this happening to Second Sister, how do we explain it to the Meng family?”
Meng Guanlou’s failed betrothal to the princess had already invited gossip. This time, Cui Ying’s dowry was only half-prepared when she drowned. This would likely damage the Meng family’s reputation, making future marriage alliances difficult.
“You make it sound like we wanted our sister to die.” Cui Hao’s face showed grief. “Maybe it’s Meng Guanlou who brings death to his wives.”
“What explanation is needed?” Cui Zhu glanced at the letter and said ominously, “Perhaps the Meng family is celebrating at home right now.”
“What do you mean, Elder Brother?” Cui Hao’s expression changed. “Are you saying… this might have been done by the Meng family? But why do such a thing right before the wedding?”
“Perhaps they precisely wanted to break off the engagement?” Cui Zhu said. “News of the old woman’s lawsuit has already reached His Majesty’s ears. Rumors say His Majesty is preparing to punish the Cui family. Meng Guangshen holds high position and great power—I don’t believe he hasn’t heard the rumors. Being bound together at this time would drag him down too.”
Cui Shengbin thought for a moment and became solemn. “Indeed… Second Sister entering the palace for the Bureau of Imperial Wardrobe selection was the Meng family’s idea in the first place. The Meng family daughter had her deliver some letter, dragging her into the deep palace. If not for that, she wouldn’t have lost her life!”
With that, he slammed his fist on the table. “If they didn’t want the marriage alliance, they should have just broken the engagement! To use such methods?”
“His Majesty hasn’t spoken yet. Suddenly breaking off the engagement now would clearly tell His Majesty that the Meng family knew early on the Cui family had problems and is now rushing to sever ties after hearing rumors. Better to have Second Sister die accidentally—everything settled cleanly at once!”
Cui Zhu called in the madam. “Has Meng Guanlou still been drinking downstairs recently?”
The madam said, “Drinking as usual.”
Cui Zhu violently swept the letter to the floor. “With the wedding imminent, he wants to drink and have Hua Niang accompany him. As Cui Ying’s elder brother, am I not tolerant enough? They don’t take the Cui family seriously at all!”
“When Meng Guangshen was in trouble years ago, my Cui family gave him full support. Now that the Cui family has problems, the Meng family runs faster than anyone. Where in the world is there such a good deal?” Having not slept well for days, Cui Zhu’s sinister expression frightened the madam. “Go send word—tell him to inform Prime Minister Meng to come to Four Nights Tower for a talk. If he doesn’t come, he can wait and see what happens.”
—
Meng Guangshen often wrote in the afternoon. The slender shadows of orchid leaves fell onto the rice paper as glossy black ink moistened across the surface, revealing a stroke of elegant, vigorous, graceful, and harmonious regular script.
A maid stood to the side. Only after he finished his final stroke did she dare step forward. “My lord, Lady Cui has met with an accident. Cui Zhu requests you meet at Four Nights Tower.”
But Meng Guangshen responded calmly, setting down his brush. He used his fan to gently dry the paper, then with the maid’s assistance, donned his regular attire and left.
The plaque at the Meng residence had been adorned with red silk flowers just days ago, and even the two stone lions’ necks were tied with red flowers. When Meng Guangshen reached the entrance, he turned to look at these decorations and waved his hand indifferently behind him. “Take all these down.”
The servants exchanged glances, then quietly and carefully removed the decorations.
At Four Nights Tower, in the quietest private room, the smell of alcohol was heavy. Though Cui Zhu ran a wine house, he never overindulged. Today, he had broken tradition and drunk himself half-drunk. His gaze toward Meng Guangshen was full of wariness.
Meng Guangshen said calmly, “Our Meng family would not stoop to using such methods to kill your sister.”
Cui Zhu threw the letter before him. “This is Cui Ying’s only possession—a letter from your daughter to your wife. Why did she, a palace maid, deliberately violate palace rules to call Cui Ying into the palace interior?”
“This matter was indeed my daughter’s failure to consider things properly. She was pampered and raised in Longxi, doesn’t know to guard against others, always thinks one step too few…”
Meng Guangshen only glanced at it once before looking away. Cui Zhu picked up the letter to examine the few unstained words, saying mockingly, “It seems Lord Meng’s relationship with Madam Xie isn’t very good either.”
Meng Guangshen looked at him sharply, then said slowly, “I understand Scholar Cui’s pain at losing his sister. But if it truly was my daughter’s doing, she wouldn’t have left such evidence. Does it need to be this obvious? I will investigate this matter thoroughly and give you an explanation.”
“No need for such false words. Isn’t performing for others enough? Do you think I don’t know what kind of person Lord Meng is?” Cui Zhu said.
Meng Guangshen said, “You and I have had friendship for many years. I thought Scholar Cui should have basic trust in what I say.”
“To have trust, one must be a person of sentiment and loyalty to be somewhat credible. If there’s a prior record of turning black into white, dead into alive, how can one trust?” Cui Zhu drank a mouthful of wine, still looking at him coldly.
A greedy merchant who forgot righteousness for profit yet believed in “sentiment and loyalty” at death’s door—Meng Guangshen found it laughable inwardly. But Cui Zhu already suspected the Meng family, and further words would be useless. Meng Guangshen understood this principle. “Tell me, what exactly do you want?”
“Is His Majesty going to move against the Cui family? I hope you will protect us as before.” Cui Zhu’s words carried threat. “Don’t forget, your name is also in that account book.”
Meng Guangshen said, “Since you mention that account book, many people recently want to obtain the true accounts from you. Scholar Cui should have experienced this. If others get it, your Cui family faces the capital crime of confiscation and extermination. Better to hand it to me—since we’ll suffer together or survive together, I guarantee it will never reach the Emperor’s eyes.”
“Do you think I’m drunk?” Cui Zhu looked at him for a while, then laughed. “If I don’t give it to you, I still have a way to live. But if I hand it to you, the Cui family truly faces a dead end.”
The negotiation failed. Meng Guangshen looked at Cui Zhu coldly, as if looking at a lifeless stubborn stone.
Cui Zhu glared back at him. “My lord, we’re bound together. You must think clearly—not just about this matter, but about old matters too!”
Hearing “old matters,” Meng Guangshen gave a cold laugh, drained his cup of tea, said nothing more, and quickly left the private room. In the first-floor flower hall, some musician’s lute string broke with a sharp sound.
—
With a death in the palace, the Princess Consort of Yan ordered the Court of Judicial Review and the Criminal Bureau to investigate on-site. That very night, the junior officials filled all the oil lamps.
Xiao Jingxing had written reports for two hours, his face showing deep fatigue. Hearing the announcement that people from Prince Yan’s residence had arrived, he hurried out from his duty room.
Juan Su and Zhu Su carried a sedan chair before him.
Xiao Jingxing lifted a corner of the white cloth covering it, revealing Cui Ying’s pale face. Her eyes were tightly closed, her body soaked, giving off the pungent smell of water weeds and pond mud. Xiao Jingxing’s eyebrows furrowed in alarm as he said to Lu Huating, “What is this? Are you trying to kill me?”
“She’s alive, not dead.” Lu Huating glanced at Cui Ying, his expression calm and relaxed. “Don’t believe me? Check.”
Xiao Jingxing placed his finger under Cui Ying’s nose and indeed detected faint breathing. His face paled somewhat. “You’re using a fake corpse to substitute again! Such schemes to sow discord and redirect trouble—now the entire palace thinks Lady Cui drowned, the Cui family thinks so too. How will you explain when she wakes?”
“That’s why she needs to stay with you temporarily. Keep her somewhere no one can see, give her food—not hard to do, right?” Lu Huating said indifferently.
“Then we’ll say Cui Ying fell into an old Chu tunnel herself and survived by luck—that the Cui family couldn’t even recognize their sister’s corpse properly. By then, the Cui family’s crimes will all be determined. Who cares whether Lady Cui is truly dead or falsely dead?”
“This is the Court of Judicial Review! Is it appropriate for you to force an official like me to deceive superiors and subordinates daily?” Xiao Jingxing was enraged but didn’t dare raise his voice. “You walk crooked paths—sooner or later you’ll fall into a ditch!”
Lu Huating paid no attention. “If my hidden guards hadn’t gone down into the mud to pull her out, she’d be dead now. I saved a life, and you won’t even thank me?”
The pond had thick mud, so when Cui Ying fell in, she couldn’t struggle. They hid in the forest and waited. When Bao Shu frantically called Cui Ying’s name and went elsewhere to search for her, Lu Huating ordered Zhu Su to jump into the water and rescue her.
Xiao Jingxing had his subordinates carry the unconscious Cui Ying away for treatment. “Who did it?”
Zhu Su said, “We were in the forest across from them at the time. We only saw Lady Cui fall in. By the time we ran closer, there was no one on the shore. This subordinate went to rescue her while Juan Su pursued but found no one.”
Xiao Jingxing drew a breath. That meant there was still a hidden murderer in the palace, very likely a spy from Nan Chu.
Lu Huating said, “I’ve handed the person over to you. Take me to see Meng Bao Shu.”
—
Due to negligence leading to Cui Ying’s drowning, after the case broke, Bao Shu was temporarily detained in the Court of Judicial Review’s prison for questioning. This row of cells was divided into many cage-sized rooms, each containing only a small table and one chair, cold and cramped. Bao Shu’s thin sobbing sounds continuously drifted out.
Qun Qing was locked in the cell next to hers.
But she made no sound at all. The night was dark, and Lu Huating carried a lamp, walking directly past her. Hearing Lu Huating enter, Qun Qing didn’t call out to remind him but quietly paid attention to the movements nearby in the darkness.
The lantern illuminated the tear stains on Bao Shu’s face. Seeing Lu Huating’s face made snow-white by the lamplight, she quickly said, “Elder Brother… Elder Brother, have you come to rescue me?”
Elder Brother? Qun Qing’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t help turning her face toward them.
Lu Huating looked left and right, then smiled coldly. “Who’s your elder brother?”
Disappointment flashed through Bao Shu’s eyes, and she finally changed her address. “My mother said you’re a distant relative of our family. If the Chief Administrator truly won’t remember our childhood connection, then forget it.”
Hearing the words “distant relative,” Zhu Su raised his voice. “Lady Meng, stop wasting words. Our Chief Administrator came to have you return that yellow jade pendant. Return it and we’ll let you out.”
“Even taking a deceased person’s mother’s keepsake—what kind of person is this?” Juan Su said mockingly with arms crossed.
Bao Shu, after all a young lady, flushed red and had to fumble in her sleeve, though her eyes still showed unwillingness. “This was his token he gave me back then—I didn’t take it privately!”
Seeing her slow movements, Lu Huating suddenly bent down, staring into her eyes through the bars. These eyes that could be called magnificent flowed with thick darkness, utterly lusterless. “Give me everything. If you dare break it apart again, yesterday was Cui Ying—tomorrow, it will be you.”
His voice was very low, almost a whisper, yet it made Bao Shu’s face turn deathly pale, her eyes flooding with fear. Did he really push Cui Ying into the water? Did he dare kill people in the palace?
Lu Huating took the yellow jade pendant of mediocre quality, looked at it, then tossed it to Juan Su. “Have the palace maid from Luanyi Pavilion take her away.”
Then a junior official opened the cell door, and the young palace maid who came to fetch her half-dragged, half-supported the ashen-faced Bao Shu out of the Court of Judicial Review’s prison. Having sat too long, she stumbled as she walked.
“Finished intimidating her? Can we go now?” Xiao Jingxing said.
“There’s one more thing.” Lu Huating said quietly. “Cui Ying had a token on her. When the Cui family identifies the body, if they don’t see that token…”
“Oh, the token.” Xiao Jingxing interrupted. “Don’t worry about that. First, we won’t arrange body identification so quickly. Second, the token can be put to great use—I’ve already given orders.”
Xiao Jingxing seemed to know everything already. Lu Huating was somewhat surprised and looked at him.
Xiao Jingxing used a candle to light the wall lamp opposite the cage, gesturing for him to look across. Lu Huating suddenly saw a seated silhouette behind the bars, right next to Bao Shu’s cage. He couldn’t help turning his face.
Her shoulders were straight, her skirt spreading like orchids. The lamplight illuminated her snow-white neck, surpassing frost and competing with snow. Her posture didn’t resemble being imprisoned but rather sitting quietly in the night, waiting for him.
“This lady came to turn herself in at the first opportunity yesterday and gave me the token.” Xiao Jingxing curved his lips. “Everything you said today, she already told me once before.”