The rain in Chang’an had been falling intermittently for three days.

During these three days, debates raged in the imperial court. Metropolitan Prefect Xue Wanzhe, who had accepted the Tianwei Army case, submitted memorials daily, requesting Emperor Longxing to allow him to thoroughly investigate. Besides him, Zhang Hongyi, the Military Governor of Guizhou, along with other upright officials at court, also submitted memorials imploring the Emperor to investigate thoroughly. Xue Wanzhe engaged in heated debates with Lu Yumin, the Vice Director of the Left of the Department of State Affairs. When Lu Yumin claimed that an innocent person had nothing to fear, Xue Wanzhe retorted that if he was truly innocent, then he should not fear investigation, leaving Lu Yumin dumbfounded. Emperor Longxing grew furious and rebuked him: “Minister Xue, you’re believing the nonsense of women and children and engaging in this madness. Do you still recognize me as your Emperor?”

Xue Wanzhe replied: “Your Majesty, it is precisely out of concern for you that I implore you to thoroughly investigate this case. Currently, the public is in an uproar, saying that Your Majesty is protecting your teacher and thus unwilling to investigate. If this continues to drag on, it will surely damage Your Majesty’s reputation!”

After speaking, Xue Wanzhe was overcome with emotion, tears streaming down his face. He kowtowed and wept: “Since Your Majesty’s ascension to the throne, you have been decisive, benevolent within and righteous without. Having such a ruler is truly our great fortune as subjects. But precisely because of this, I cannot stand by and watch Your Majesty forget the law of the land due to personal feelings. If, after investigation, it is proven that Sheng Ah’man and the others have wrongfully accused Prime Minister Lu, I will sentence them for false accusations. At that time, I will also give my life to apologize to Prime Minister Lu.”

His words were sincere and moving, prompting many upright officials at court to be deeply affected. They all knelt and requested the Emperor to investigate thoroughly, which greatly angered Emperor Longxing. He wished to punish Xue Wanzhe as an example to others, but feared it might provoke the fury of the upright officials. It was well known that Xue Wanzhe and Zhang Hongyi were highly respected among the upright faction. If he truly executed Xue Wanzhe, these self-proclaimed righteous scholars would likely follow one after another, considering it an honor to die for their remonstrances, making the situation even harder to resolve.

Emperor Longxing deeply regretted his decision. Had he known this would happen, he would never have agreed to appoint Xue Wanzhe as the Metropolitan Prefect. Lu Yumin also greatly regretted his actions. The reason Xue Wanzhe had been transferred from the Governor of Yangzhou to the Metropolitan Prefect was because Lu Yumin and Cui Songqing had been constantly fighting over the position, each wanting to appoint someone from their faction. Since neither would yield to the other, they finally arranged for Xue Wanzhe, an upright official, to take the position. Who could have imagined that this decision would become Lu Yumin’s death warrant?

Emperor Longxing was so angry he gritted his teeth. He coldly announced: “Court dismissed!”

He rose from the imperial throne, intending to leave this vexing place. Unexpectedly, Xue Wanzhe, that stubborn fellow, quickly stepped forward and grabbed the Emperor’s sleeve, weeping bitterly: “I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the Tianwei Army case!”

Unable to break free, Emperor Longxing was both shocked and furious: “Xue Wanzhe, are you committing treason?”

Xue Wanzhe knelt and pleaded tearfully: “I have greatly disrespected Your Majesty and am willing to accept execution. But if Your Majesty does not thoroughly investigate the Tianwei Army case, I fear you will lose the hearts of the people. I dare not refrain from urging you.”

The upright officials at court followed Xue Wanzhe’s lead and knelt, tears soaking their robes. This confrontation was recorded in the “Daily Records” by Wang Xuan, the Palace Attendant and Diarist.

In a secluded ancient temple on the outskirts of Chang’an, Lu Huai sat in the meditation hall dressed in plain clothes. Since hearing Shen Que’s testimony, he had reported sick and avoided court meetings, retreating alone to this remote temple. Each day, he listened to the monks reciting sutras, and through these chants, his chaotic mind gradually found some relief. However, he knew he couldn’t hide in this rustic temple for long.

In his hand was a letter from Wang Xuan, which excerpted a few lines from the “Daily Records”: “Wanzhe followed and grabbed the Emperor’s robe. The Emperor struggled but could not free himself, and angrily said: ‘Do you wish to rebel?’ Wanzhe, with tears, said: ‘I have disrespected the Emperor and am willing to accept public execution, but as the hearts of the people are gradually being lost, I dare not refrain from remonstration.'”

Lu Huai held the thin rice paper letter, feeling lost. In his mind, he recalled the oath he had taken when he was the Deputy Chief of the Court of Judicial Review:

“Those who violate the law or are negligent in their duties shall be punished, even if they are my kin.”

He closed his eyes in anguish.

In Wang Xuan’s letter, he also wrote about the current chaos at court. The Empress Dowager and Cui’s faction remained silent on the matter to avoid suspicion, while the upright officials clamored loudly. Between the lines, Wang Xuan admired the integrity of these upright officials, but due to his character, he could only admire them without daring to risk his life in remonstration as they did.

But while Wang Xuan was constrained by his character, what about him, Lu Huai? Hadn’t he always prided himself on being unyielding and had angrily criticized Wang Xuan for not fighting back? Where was his firmness now? Where was his unyielding spirit? Where had they gone?

Wang Xuan still dared to record this life-risking remonstration truthfully in the “Daily Records.” Could he, Lu Huai, only spend his life hiding in a rustic temple, avoiding disaster?

Lu Huai slowly opened his eyes, the haziness in them gradually giving way to unbearable clarity. No, he couldn’t continue like this. His uncle’s kindness to him was as heavy as a mountain, but besides being his uncle’s nephew, he was also a subject of the Great Zhou. Beyond that, he was, above all, a “human being.”

While Lu Huai hid in the remote temple, Cui Xun stayed with Li Ying in the back courtyard of the bookstore. Three days ago, Emperor Longxing had summoned Cui Xun to the palace, but the Imperial Guards couldn’t find him at his residence. For the next three days, he remained out of sight, claiming to be seeking medical treatment, leaving the Emperor unable to do anything about it.

Although Cui Xun stayed at the bookstore, he had spies report to him all the major and minor events happening at court and among the common people. When he heard that He Shisan and the others had risked their lives to file a complaint, his brows furrowed slightly. When he heard that Xue Wanzhe had accepted the complaint, his brows relaxed a bit. When he heard that Xue Wanzhe had grabbed the Emperor’s sleeve at court, refusing to let go just to push for a thorough investigation of the Tianwei Army case, his dark eyes were filled with emotion.

After the spy left, Li Ying sat beside him and said, “They are braver than you imagined.”

Cui Xun nodded.

His strategy had only been to stir up trouble using the printed confessions. He had avoided appearing personally to make the waters even more turbulent. But he hadn’t expected that He Shisan and the others would dare to risk their lives to file a complaint, or that Xue Wanzhe and those upright officials who despised him would dare to accept the complaint at the risk of angering the Emperor. This, indeed, exceeded his expectations.

Li Ying said, “Shen Que’s execution has also been temporarily postponed. It seems the public sentiment in Chang’an is even more turbulent than we anticipated.”

Cui Xun nodded: “Loyal officials being harmed by treacherous ones, later being vindicated, and the treacherous officials being punished—this has always been the most popular storyline in theatrical performances. Now, with a real-life example, the common people are naturally interested.”

Li Ying seemed somewhat relieved: “Our journey to Lingnan wasn’t in vain after all.”

The journey to Lingnan had been paid for with Cui Xun’s lifespan, but fortunately, the outcome was better than Li Ying had expected. She asked: “What do you plan to do next?”

Cui Xun pondered for a moment, then said: “Visit my uncle.”

“Cui Songqing?”

“The reason my uncle hasn’t spoken about this case is that he’s worried his involvement would be twisted by Lu Yumin into a factional struggle. But my uncle holds a crucial position at court. If he speaks up, our chances of success would be much greater.”

After hearing this, Li Ying wanted to ask why he didn’t seek her mother’s help. If her mother were to speak up, wouldn’t their chances be even greater? But upon reflection, she understood. Six years ago, the biggest beneficiary of the Tianwei Army case was her brother. Six years later, if the Tianwei Army case was to be cleared, the biggest beneficiary would undoubtedly be her mother. At that time, the power base that her brother had carefully cultivated would collapse overnight, and he would no longer have the strength to contend with her mother.

Therefore, her mother couldn’t rashly step forward. On one hand, it was to avoid suspicion and distance herself from the printed confessions; otherwise, Lu Yumin and others would surely attack this as her orchestration, meant to reclaim power from her brother, putting her in a passive position.

On the other hand, perhaps her mother still harbored maternal feelings for her brother.

Although familial ties had always been negligible in the imperial family, with instances of killing brothers and sons being commonplace in this dynasty, her mother was an exception. She was a person who valued familial bonds deeply. Even when Shen Que tried to kill her, she didn’t take his life. If she could be so forgiving to a nephew who hated her, what about her son?

Li Ying sighed inwardly. In her mother’s life, she only had two children: herself and her brother. If she were gone, only her brother would remain. Her brother’s childhood name was “Pusa Bao,” meaning “Protected by the Compassionate Bodhisattva,” which showed her mother’s hopes for him—not seeking wealth and power, but simply praying for his safety.

With such deep maternal love, her mother certainly wouldn’t want to completely sever ties with her brother. That’s why Cui Xun was seeking out Cui Songqing first, rather than her mother.

Thinking of this, Li Ying secretly admired Cui Xun’s ability to gauge people’s hearts. She asked: “When do you plan to visit Cui Songqing?”

“In a couple of days,” Cui Xun replied. “Let public sentiment intensify a bit more.”

As he finished speaking, a fit of coughing surged from his chest. He couldn’t help but cough softly. Li Ying glanced at him and said, “Waiting a couple of days is good. Take more time to recover.”

She rose and brought over a clay medicine pot. Seeing it, Cui Xun’s scalp tingled: “Do I still need to drink it?”

“Yes, you do.”

Cui Xun lowered his voice, sounding almost pleading: “Do I need to drink it…?”

Li Ying looked up at him with a smile: “Don’t act pitiful. I won’t fall for that.”

With his thoughts exposed, Cui Xun’s jade-like cheeks blushed. He argued: “Since returning to Chang’an, I’ve had to drink dozens of bowls of medicine every day. It’s too much…”

Li Ying didn’t respond to him. Instead, she smiled faintly and lifted the lid of the medicine pot. Inside was not the black medicinal soup, but a light-colored lily and poria porridge.

Cui Xun was surprised: “Why is it porridge?”

Li Ying’s eyes and brows were filled with playfulness, like twinkling stars that one couldn’t look away from: “I never said it was medicine.”

Cui Xun then realized he had been teased. Thinking of his earlier reluctance to drink medicine, he blushed slightly: “But you didn’t say it wasn’t…”

“That’s because you’re so afraid of taking medicine,” Li Ying teased. “You think everything is medicine.”

She scooped a bowl of lily and poria porridge and handed it to Cui Xun. He asked: “Aren’t you having any?”

“This was made for you,” Li Ying said. “Lily can treat cough due to exhaustion and dryness, and poria can treat stomach disharmony. In a way, this is also medicine.”

Cui Xun smiled. He took the white porcelain bowl and sipped a spoonful. He drank the porridge slowly and elegantly. Li Ying rested her chin on her hand as she watched him. Suddenly, she sighed: “I just had a very selfish thought.”

“Oh?”

“I find myself wishing you could stay at this bookstore for a few more days, spending more time with me.” Li Ying said with a troubled expression. “Is that thought very selfish?”

Cui Xun was startled for a moment, then said, “Mingyue Zhu, everyone has selfish moments. I have my selfish desires, too.”

“Really? What are your selfish desires?”

Cui Xun looked at her and slowly said: “Also to stay at this bookstore with you for a few more days, just the two of us.”

This time, it was Li Ying who was surprised. After a moment, she smiled and said: “But still, neither of us will delay leaving the bookstore when the time comes.”

So-called selfish desires are fleeting. She and he would never put tender feelings above all else.

In a person’s life, there are great principles and small emotions. Some choose great principles, others choose small emotions. But even those who choose great principles are, after all, just ordinary people in this diverse world. They should be allowed, without hindrance to their principles, to cherish small emotions.

Li Ying took Cui Xun’s hand: “That being the case, let’s cherish these few days at the bookstore. During this time, let’s not think about anything else, just the two of us together. Is that alright?”

Cui Xun gazed at her quietly. He curved his lips into a smile and nodded: “Alright.”