“This humble official, Ji Jiang, fifth-rank bureau director of the Ministry of Rites, was on night duty leading the watch at the Ministry of Rites two nights ago. At approximately the third quarter of the hour of the dog that evening, this humble official was leading six guards dispatched by the inner court, patrolling from west to east outside the Ministry of Rites main hall. When passing the corner three zhang outside the secret archives, someone first struck my mute acupoint, then covered my head with a burlap sack, after which I was carried away and abandoned in the cellar of the Ministry of Rites’ southern kitchen. The kidnapper possessed superior martial skills, moved soundlessly, was familiar with the Ministry of Rites’ layout, and was skilled in the art of striking pressure points.”

“Liu Yujin, squad leader of the first squad of the third division of the Fengyang Battalion of the Inner Court Imperial Guards, and team members Chen Zhenyi, Kong Rui, Kong Hai, Xi Hanbo, and Chang Hong were on rotating guard duty at the Ministry of Rites that day, responsible for protecting the Ministry of Rites’ secret archives. We fell into enemy hands together with Bureau Director Ji Jiang of the Ministry of Rites and can testify that every detail of the bureau director’s account is completely true.”

“This humble official, You Chentao, third-rank vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, has recently been on leave recuperating at home due to illness. Two nights ago, this humble official’s good friend Jiang Xinyong, commander stationed in Shanbei from the Five Armies Command, came to the capital to report on his duties. That evening, this humble official hosted a banquet at the ‘Mountain Moon Pavilion’ in the rear courtyard of Yan Chun. During that time, hearing that Minister Wei, our superior, was dining at the ‘Snow Sound Pavilion,’ I went over to offer a toast. That entire evening, this humble official remained with Commander Jiang and various good friends and classmates, never leaving. This humble official does not know how the key was stolen. This humble official is willing to accept punishment for negligence.”

“This humble official, Jiang Xinyong, commander stationed in Shanbei from the Five Armies Command, can testify that You Chentao slept foot-to-foot with this humble official that entire night and never left.”

“This humble official, Zhang Qingjun, third-rank vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, was not on duty rotation that evening. Because Bureau Director Qi Zhongdong of the Personnel Selection Bureau at the Ministry of Personnel was celebrating his grandson’s full month, he hosted a banquet at Yan Chun, which I attended to congratulate him. Bureau Director Qi heard that Minister Wei was also at Yan Chun dining with various Qingming Academy students, so he pulled this humble official over to offer a toast. That evening, this humble official became extremely drunk. Bureau Director Qi did not know where this humble official’s residence was, so he arranged for this humble official to stay in a guest room at his mansion. This humble official’s key… I also do not know when it was stolen.”

“This humble official, Qi Zhongdong, bureau director of the Personnel Selection Bureau at the Ministry of Personnel, can testify that every word Vice Minister Zhang said is completely true.”

“This commoner is… the locksmith Li Asuo from Lane 92 of West City Street… I opened a lock-making shop at the entrance to Lane 92, and also duplicate lock keys and such… Two nights ago, around the hour of the dog, a black-clothed man with his face covered by a white gauze knocked on this commoner’s shop, took out clay molds of two keys, and had this commoner duplicate two keys.” “Yes, these two exactly.”

“This humble official, Xu Han, staff member of the Evidence Verification Bureau of the Ministry of Justice. The two keys submitted by Vice Ministers You and Zhang contained small amounts of red clay debris in their teeth grooves, caused by having been molded in clay. When this debris was verified against the clay molds held by locksmith Li Asuo, the clay quality was identical.”

One testimony after another followed in succession, thorough and complete. Though seemingly scattered, they all implicitly pointed toward Wei Zhi. The high officials in the hall listened with grave expressions.

Feng Zhiwei listened calmly, inwardly somewhat admiring her opponent. After the incident occurred, there had been no delay—the trial began almost immediately. In such a rushed timeframe, the Ministry of Justice had prepared evidence and witnesses so comprehensively. This efficiency surpassing their usual performance proved that the other party had truly been preparing for some time, truly coming with overwhelming force, determined to bring her down.

Peng Pei looked coldly at her thoughtful face, satisfaction flashing in his eyes. He quietly glanced at his master but saw he still wore an expression of unease.

Another witness came up to the hall. From afar, seeing Feng Zhiwei’s back in plain clothes and shackles, he trembled and knelt timidly at her feet.

Feng Zhiwei’s eyes flashed—very good, very good. Finally, a witness beyond her expectations.

“This student… Ni Wenyu of the Politics and History Academy at Qingming Academy… that day, um… with fellow students… at Yan Chun hosting a banquet for Director Wei… during which… during which…”

Compared to the previous witnesses who spoke clearly and decisively, the one now kneeling in the hall had his head hung very low, his gaze flickering and body trembling, speaking haltingly and unable to form complete sentences.

Because Director Wei was kneeling right beside him, turning her head to look at him.

Not angry, not sad, not furious, not shocked—she didn’t crawl up enraged to denounce him, nor did she pounce on him in astonishment to claw at him. Director Wei knelt quietly at his side, very close and intimate, even tilting her head, her gaze light and calm, the corners of her lips even carrying a trace of strange smile.

A strange smile impossible to describe in words.

As if… carrying a hint of amusement, a hint of pity, a hint of contempt, a hint of… watching a puppet show performed with gusto but never becoming absorbed in the play, seeing through everything.

Under such a smile, anyone would feel they were a puppet being controlled in her hands.

Ni Wenyu’s body began trembling.

He had seen this kind of smile from Director Wei back at Qingming Academy. Whenever encountering troublesome people or troublesome provocations, Director Wei would smile like this, and then the provocations would vanish into thin air while the provocateurs usually met miserable ends.

Director Wei was a deity in the hearts of Qingming Academy students, and to him as well. Yet today, he had betrayed his deity to her face.

He buried his head even lower, unable to get a single sentence out.

“Ni Wenyu.” Someone in the hall spoke—Minister of Justice Peng Pei, who said grimly, “Feel free to speak boldly and truthfully. Rest assured, this is a bright and clear universe, the illustrious Ministry of Justice. This minister will support you in everything!”

His tone was somber and oppressive. Ni Wenyu trembled again.

His fingers dug into the cracks between the bricks.

He was different from those sons of official families like Yao Yangyu and Qian Yan. He came from a poor background and couldn’t be like them, unconcerned about having no one at court to secure an official position. He had to put in far more effort than ordinary people just to achieve results inferior to theirs. He wasn’t willing to be like other poor students at the academy, burying their heads in books and struggling step by step. He envied the smooth sailing of the sons of noble families and tried hard to align himself with them. But staying with them required money. Like when they pooled money to host guests at Yan Chun, the others were all sons of official families who could produce their share with a wave of their hand, but he had to pawn his winter cotton robe… His elderly mother at home hadn’t tasted meat in three months, yet he had to watch entire untouched dishes at the banquet casually thrown away…

After that night, he was worrying about tomorrow’s rice money when someone found him.

A thousand taels of silver, with a guarantee that he would pass the spring examination. Even if he couldn’t pass the palace examination, they would guarantee him a recommendation as an outstanding local official—at minimum a position as director at the Ministry of Personnel, a bright future ahead. The temptation unfolded.

In the dim night, his last conscience as an ambitious poor student was obscured.

Peng Pei’s words from the hall still seemed to echo in his ears. Ni Wenyu hardened his heart. Things had come to this point—the silver was already in hand. Even if he wanted to back out now, it was too late. A true man standing in this world must be ruthless to succeed!

He closed his eyes, thrust out his chest, and the words others had taught him poured out.

“During that time, this student couldn’t hold his liquor and didn’t participate in the drinking games. While resting to the side with my eyes closed, I inadvertently saw Lord Gu, when Vice Ministers You and Zhang were offering toasts, approach twice. Using other people’s bodies as cover, he made clay impressions of the keys!”

“Bullshit!” Hua Qiong, serving as a “witness to torture,” was blocked outside the railing listening to the trial. Hearing this sentence, she couldn’t help but curse crudely. “If Gu Nanyi really made a move, how could you have seen it? Shameless and despicable, framing an innocent person—you call yourself a scholar? You’ve disgraced all scholars, disgraced Qingming!”

Ni Wenyu’s face went deathly pale from the scolding, his flickering gaze darting everywhere. Peng Pei, seeing him looking around fearfully lest he cast some inappropriate glance, quickly shouted angrily, “Hua Qiong! Allowing you to listen to the trial in the outer hall is already breaking precedent. If you interfere with the trial again, you’ll be expelled immediately!”

Hua Qiong tossed her head and spat a strong, forceful glob of saliva at Ni Wenyu’s cheek. “I’m waiting for you to be drowned in Qingming’s spittle! Mangy dog!”

Afraid she might curse out more, Peng Pei immediately called out in a long voice, “Summon Gu Nanyi!”

“Summon Gu Nanyi—”

Feng Zhiwei immediately turned around on the ground and looked back toward where he would come from, her eyes full of concern in that turning glance. Above in the hall, Ning Yi, who had been leisurely sipping tea, suddenly began coughing.

Somehow the coughing grew more urgent, his chest heaving. His throat turned sweet, and Ning Yi quickly covered it with his cup.

A mass of congealed red blood silently spread through the jade-green tea.

Ning Yi stared distractedly at the gradually reddening tea, the pale red surface reflecting his dim gaze. In a daze, he recalled Feng Zhiwei’s expression just now—that kind of urgent concern, something she had never shown him in his memory.

She gave her truest emotions to Gu Nanyi without any concealment, but gave him her deepest thoughts veiled in clouds and mist.

Ning Yi smiled faintly, his eyes also calm in the pale red surface.

In matters of love in this world, whoever falls first is hurt first.

He had wanted to be a solitary man, unencumbered throughout life, freely wielding power over all under heaven. But he happened to encounter another even more ruthless solitary soul.

What could be said? He could only drink his own heart’s blood.

The Seventh Prince at his side leaned over, looking at him with concern. “Sixth Brother, is your tea cold? I’ll have someone replace it.” So saying, he reached for it.

Ning Yi shifted and spilled the tea into a potted plant behind him. The tea water quickly disappeared at the tree’s roots.

Then he smiled and said:

“This tea is truly bitter.”

The sound of heavy shackles dragging across the ground was ponderous, like a giant approaching step by step. Zhang Yong, who had once served as a bureau director at the Ministry of Justice, suddenly froze and murmured, “Why are they using that?”

Though his voice was low, drowned out by the particularly heavy sound of the shackles, Feng Zhiwei still heard it clearly. Her brow furrowed, thinking there was something she didn’t know about.

Gu Nanyi’s figure appeared at the doorway, approaching step by step. Then Hua Qiong let out a cry of alarm. Feng Zhiwei looked down to see that wherever Gu Nanyi passed, the hard stone floor completely shattered.

For mere weight alone to crush entire flagstones—how incredibly heavy must these shackles be? It was hard to imagine.

And how difficult must this journey have been for Gu Nanyi?

Feng Zhiwei only knew that whatever Peng Pei brought out to restrain Gu Nanyi certainly wasn’t anything good. Seeing Zhang Yong’s shocked expression, her heart sank again. Vaguely, she felt she had still been too careless.

Her eyebrows raised, and Feng Zhiwei’s anger finally rose.

Gu Nanyi came to a stop but didn’t approach her side. Feng Zhiwei turned back somewhat puzzled, signaling him to come closer so she could see what exactly these chains were. But Gu Nanyi simply wouldn’t move.

Feng Zhiwei had no choice but to shuffle on her knees in that direction. Suddenly she felt a wave of cold air pressing toward her. She froze, not yet having reacted, when she heard Peng Pei above already launching his attack.

“Gu Nanyi,” Peng Pei said grimly. “Two nights ago, Bureau Director Ji Jiang of the Ministry of Rites was struck at pressure points and stuffed into a burlap sack, then abandoned in the Ministry of Rites cellar. The skill in striking pressure points was profound, not something an ordinary person could accomplish. Someone has witnessed you striking pressure points before, and you are also familiar with the Ministry of Rites. Regarding this matter, what explanation do you have?”

Ji Jiang stepped forward and demonstrated with gestures how the black-clothed person had descended from the wall, how he had approached his side, how his hand had struck his mute acupoint. The movements were very standard, the description very vivid. One could see that the black-clothed person had gone to great effort to approach Ji Jiang and strike his mute acupoint.

Peng Pei looked at Gu Nanyi with a sinister expression. Gu Nanyi looked at him indifferently, as if not understanding his words. Behind the veil, his eyes were clear and pure. Under such a gaze, everyone felt somewhat dirty.

Peng Pei swallowed. He knew of Gu Nanyi’s peculiarities, so he could only repeat, “Bureau Director Ji Jiang of the Ministry of Rites—”

Gu Nanyi suddenly raised his hand.

Peng Pei’s voice stopped with a choking sound.

He still had his mouth open, stuck on that opening sound, unable to produce it. His face reddened from the effort, only able to make grunting and groaning sounds in his throat.

Clearly, his mute acupoint had been struck from a distance.

“Ah, divine skill!” the Tenth Prince exclaimed. “Striking pressure points from a distance!”

Grand Secretary Hu smiled and stroked his goatee, saying unhurriedly, “I say, Director Ji, though many people know how to strike pressure points, there’s probably more than just Lord Gu in the entire Imperial Capital, right? Are you certain the expert you saw was really Lord Gu? In this old man’s view, Lord Gu wouldn’t need to engage you in close combat to strike your pressure points. He could just raise his hand from the wall and you’d fall.”

Ji Jiang’s face flushed as he bowed to those above. “The old minister is correct. This humble official only knows that someone struck my pressure points that night. I did not accuse Lord Gu.”

He stood a bit too close to Gu Nanyi, who immediately stepped aside, as if to say “you’re filthy, don’t contaminate me.”

Some people began giggling. Peng Pei’s expression was indescribably ugly. He glared at Ji Jiang but was helpless. At this moment, his pressure points remained unsealed. He stood frozen with his mouth open, extremely awkward and embarrassed. Yet Gu Nanyi seemed to have forgotten, standing there calmly, gazing at the sky.

Feng Zhiwei smiled slightly, gazing at the sky.

Ning Yi drank his tea. The Tenth Prince, who had been spirited all along, now began dozing off.

Hua Qiong curiously craned her neck, examining Peng Pei’s wide-open mouth facing her. Suddenly she clapped her hands and laughed, “My lord, your third molar on the left seems to be decayed. Let me recommend a tooth doctor for you. He lives at Wolf Heart Street, Dog Lung Lane, Dog Tooth Ditch outside the South Gate. His surname is Gou, given name Chouchou. Tooth treatment is his family’s hereditary specialty passed down through generations. I guarantee that when you go, you’ll hit it off at first sight, meet again to extract the tooth, and with one extraction, it won’t decay anymore!”

After saying this, she laughed heartily. Gu Nanyi, bearing the shackles locked tightly around his neck, turned his head with difficulty and looked at her seriously.

This was also Young Master Gu’s highest praise. Hua Qiong became even more delighted, completely ignoring those people in the hall whose faces had turned ugly.

The Second Prince, seeing this wasn’t going anywhere, pressed his hands on his table and said coldly, “Lord Gu, although you’ve proven your innocence in this matter through such methods, we won’t pursue it. But restraining Minister Peng in court is also a serious crime of coercing a high official!”

He spoke with spittle flying, but Gu Nanyi continued seriously examining Lord Peng’s decayed tooth.

Feng Zhiwei turned back and smiled at Gu Nanyi, conveying a look that said “release him and watch his misfortune.”

Gu Nanyi immediately raised his hand. Peng Pei let out an “Ah—” sound, rubbed his throat, and shot Gu Nanyi a venomous look, then glanced at Hua Qiong.

Hua Qiong smiled sweetly at him and mouthed “don’t forget Dog Tooth Ditch.”

Peng Pei, showing considerable composure, kept his face iron-blue but didn’t engage with Hua Qiong’s humiliation. He immediately ordered Ji Jiang and the others taken away, still hoping to have Ni Wenyu testify. But who knew that seeing Gu Nanyi strike pressure points from a distance had already frightened Ni Wenyu into a limp puddle on the ground. At this moment, the appeal drum outside, which had just been repaired, sounded urgently again. Vague shouting arose, and listening carefully, it was “Let that shameless traitor to the director come out!” It seemed many people were shouting in unison. Even from this distance, it was perfectly clear. One could imagine that at this moment, many Qingming Academy students must be gathered at the Ministry of Justice gates. If not for the Ministry of Justice being on high alert today, these young masters would probably have charged in with drawn blades.

Ni Wenyu heard clearly. His face went pale, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Seeing this was bad—the testimony couldn’t be completed and might even cause trouble, making the trial impossible to continue—Peng Pei thought to himself. Since the trial began today, everything had gone wrong step by step. But if he couldn’t suppress Wei Zhi’s spirit in today’s trial, he would likely give him a chance to turn things around. With no other choice, he could only snort coldly and say, “Ni Wenyu has suddenly fallen ill and fainted. Take him away to rest. Postpone further questioning!”

At this point, only the locksmith Li Asuo remained in the hall.

“Li Asuo!” Peng Pei turned to face Li Asuo, saying gently yet with implicit pressure, “Look at the person before you. Is he the masked man who had you make keys that night?”

Li Asuo squinted for a while, a cunning light flashing in his eyes, then nodded and said, “My lord, though I didn’t see his face and the clothes are different, the veil and build are very similar.”

“Are you speaking the truth?” Peng Pei said coldly.

“This commoner dares not lie.”

Peng Pei smiled coldly, turned to face Gu Nanyi, and said, “Gu Nanyi, though you have an explanation for the pressure point matter, we now have locksmith Li Asuo testifying that around the hour of the dog two nights ago, he saw a man resembling you who took two key molds and had him make keys. How do you explain this?”

He was wary of Gu Nanyi’s martial skills and initially didn’t force him to kneel. Now his tone was fairly polite, but in his questioning, he didn’t clarify the origin of the case, avoiding the important and dwelling on the trivial. Ge Yuanxiang, commander of the Censorate who came from a criminal justice background, frowned, wanting to say something but ultimately didn’t speak.

Gu Nanyi stood there unmoving and silent. Everyone in the Tiansheng court knew that this Lord Gu had dared to hit the Crown Prince’s hand and wasn’t pleased to answer even the Emperor’s questions. Many people had never seen him speak to outsiders. Peng Pei didn’t really expect him to answer either. If this person truly remained silent throughout, that would be perfect—he could simply count it as tacit admission.

In the silence, a trace of satisfaction flashed in Peng Pei’s eyes. He said slowly, “Gu Nanyi, everyone knows your character. His Majesty and all officials understand you would never willfully commit such a heinous crime that both gods and men would condemn. Perhaps you were entrusted by someone out of consideration for personal feelings, or were deceived and acted unintentionally. The saying goes that the ignorant are not guilty, and those who follow are judged lightly. As long as you explain your difficulties clearly, we will naturally report to His Majesty, and His Majesty will certainly show you grace. You can rest assured.” Pausing here, his voice rose, already stern and severe. “But if you stubbornly refuse to change, stubbornly resist, the nation’s clear legal system will hang your head high!”

He thought this speech of his combined soft and hard approaches excellently. After finishing, he couldn’t help showing satisfaction in his eyes.

The Second Prince and others nodded repeatedly at these words, all wearing expressions of earnest concern. Commander Ge of the Censorate again felt that Peng Pei’s speech had the taint of leading testimony, still not what should be done in criminal interrogation, but he still didn’t speak—today’s waters ran deep. He would just watch!

Feng Zhiwei also didn’t speak—when presiding officials interrogated, irrelevant parties couldn’t interject. Peng Pei could disregard interrogation rules to lead, entrap, and induce testimony, but he wouldn’t give Wei Zhi any chance to misstep. She believed that if she opened her mouth once, Peng Pei would order her mouth slapped on charges of disturbing the court, perhaps even adding a charge of colluding in testimony in public. Though she wasn’t afraid, with Gu Nanyi’s protectiveness toward her and Hua Qiong’s fiery temper, things would inevitably become unmanageable. Better to wait and see.

Seeing how composed her Young Master Gu looked, Feng Zhiwei inexplicably felt confident, thinking it wasn’t yet time for her to display her talents.

After Peng Pei said so much, Gu Nanyi acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing. In his view, those people standing above were all pigs about to go to the slaughterhouse, squealing desperately.

His face slowly turned toward Li Asuo.

Li Asuo looked up and met Young Master Gu’s veiled face. Though clearly separated by a veil, it still made one feel that the gaze behind the veil was like solid matter, cold as dead wood and raw iron, rolling over him. Emotionless yet infinitely oppressive in its indifference, it pressed until his heart pounded wildly. He retreated somewhat in panic. The large ring of keys always worn at his waist suddenly fell to the ground.

Gu Nanyi extended his hand, and that ring of keys reached his hand. Not knowing what he intended to do and fearing he might suddenly attack, the jailers guarding him nervously surged forward.

Gu Nanyi drew his finger across, and the largest key on the ring fell to the ground. There were also some unpolished copper pieces on the key ring. Gu Nanyi took two of them, holding the large key in his hand and feeling it over carefully. Then he raised his head, closed his eyes, and felt it over again.

Everyone watched him in complete bewilderment. Peng Pei wanted to rebuke him but, intimidated by Gu Nanyi’s martial skills, didn’t dare pull the tiger’s whiskers. Feng Zhiwei frowned, watching Gu Nanyi. She recalled what Zong Chen had said—that Nanyi’s memory was very special. Things that ordinary people could remember, typical things, he couldn’t remember, such as roads, which all looked identical to him. But certain particularly precise, mechanical things that ordinary people couldn’t fully master and needed to rely on instruments for—these he could replicate without the slightest error, as if he himself were a precision instrument that could perfectly copy things but didn’t understand the principles. That’s why when he studied martial arts, the first thing he mastered was internal energy with fixed meridian flows, followed by his sect’s most complex swordsmanship that no one had ever mastered, with tens of thousands of variations in a single move. Those tens of thousands of variations—he memorized them all without the slightest error in a single day, which achieved his unparalleled martial skills.

Could it be…

At this moment, Gu Nanyi had already put down the key in his hand and picked up those two copper pieces. He turned his head and gave a flat order to the attending jailers: “Black cloth.”

The jailer dazedly handed over the black cloth used for blindfolding.

Gu Nanyi lowered his head, reached his hand into his veil to tie on the black cloth. Though he lowered his head, when his finger lifted, his crystalline, lustrous skin and jade-like delicate jawline appeared in a startling glimpse. Those who saw it involuntarily held their breath.

Then he lowered his veil, placed the iron pieces between his fingers, and with a stroke of his finger, sharpened the iron piece into a small dagger. Then, using this “dagger” infused with internal energy, he began moving it across another iron piece.

He covered his eyes, closing off heaven and earth, returning to his own world free of distractions. His movements were extremely fast. In an instant, copper shavings flew between his fingers and palms. Amid the delicate tinkling sound of the chains and the rustling sound of copper being ground, something gradually took shape.

By now, everyone in the hall had guessed what he intended to do. They all stood up with shocked expressions on their faces.

Peng Pei was first astonished, then revealed a delighted expression—this Gu Nanyi had gone mad with audacity, actually trying to prove his innocence through such a method. But in this world, there was no one who could instantly craft a key by hand! Moreover with eyes closed! Truly, heaven offers a path you refuse to take, hell has no gate yet you barge in yourself—

Li Asuo, however, stared wide-eyed at the gradually forming iron piece in Gu Nanyi’s palm, breathing rapidly. His sallow face, even its wrinkles, was written with shock. He was a locksmith and naturally knew what the other was doing. This was also his daily work, but when he did this, he needed to borrow many specialized locksmith tools, needed bright light, needed at minimum half a day or more, and still might not succeed on the first try.

Keys, in any era, were relatively precision items for that era. It was said that earlier keys were relatively simple, but later, after the founding of the Great Cheng dynasty, the Empress had strong opinions about the locks and keys of that time, saying such crude locks and keys had no technical sophistication at all. No wonder no matter what locks were placed on tomb doors, they could be easily opened. After she improved the locks and keys in the Great Cheng palace, making them increasingly refined, over several hundred years, those precision items gradually spread to the common people. Li Asuo considered himself highly skilled, with a craft passed down through generations—the Imperial Capital’s premier locksmith. He never imagined that today he would see someone craft a key by hand with closed eyes. Moreover, the gradually forming key in those fingers and palms, every tooth, every mark, was identical to the one he had made. For a moment, he could hardly believe it. His lifelong craft and the skills he took pride in were instantly overturned by the powerful Young Master Gu.

“Clang!”

In that suffocating silence, Gu Nanyi flipped his hand. A shining copper key, along with the earlier key used as a template, were both thrown at Li Asuo’s feet.

The keys made a collision sound in midair, tinkling crisply, each sound like a cold laugh.

Only then did Gu Nanyi say dryly one sentence.

“Bull—shit—”

Since taking the hall, facing repeated accusations, he had spoken only these two words, and only because Peng Pei had tried to induce him to accuse Feng Zhiwei.

Few words, yet like Feng Zhiwei, he didn’t need language to achieve the height of grace.

Li Asuo froze there, motionless as a wooden carving. He was an experienced craftsman—a single glance told him the two keys were identical.

Seeing Li Asuo’s straight-eyed expression, Peng Pei knew things were bad, but still refused to believe it. Not daring to ask directly, he inquired with his eyes.

Li Asuo’s face was wax-yellow, constantly wiping sweat, avoiding his gaze.

Peng Pei’s heart turned cold. He never expected Gu Nanyi to have this skill. Frozen there, seeing Ge Yuanxiang about to question Li Asuo, in desperation, malice arose in his heart. He strode down from his seat and said with a vicious laugh, “In the public court—is this a place for performing tricks? What is this garbage?” He raised his foot to kick the two keys away.

His toe had just lifted when Gu Nanyi raised his arm.

The sound of the heavy chains shaking startled Peng Pei, who turned deathly pale. Fearing Gu Nanyi might strike some fatal pressure point, his toe immediately stopped in midair. His body lost balance and he fell backward—right where Feng Zhiwei was.

Feng Zhiwei straightened her body and, with quick eyes and nimble hands, supported his lower back, saying with a smile, “My lord, be careful.” Then she gently helped him upright.

At this moment, Peng Pei’s back was to everyone. Only Hua Qiong, standing by the courtroom door railing, saw that in the instant Feng Zhiwei supported him, a flush of red surged across his face before instantly vanishing.

Hua Qiong’s eyes flashed, revealing a sinister smile.

Peng Pei himself felt nothing at all. After standing straight, he immediately brushed off Feng Zhiwei’s hand with his sleeve, snorted coldly without thanks, turned and walked away. Feng Zhiwei didn’t mind either, kneeling back with a grin.

The instant she knelt back, her hand scooped up both keys in her palm and held them out toward Ge Yuanxiang and Zhang Yong, saying, “Your Excellencies, please look. Your Highnesses and Eunuch Jia, please look.”

The Second Prince beckoned, signaling his guard to go receive them. A guard beside Ning Yi suddenly strode forward. Though starting later, he was faster, bumping the other with his shoulder to push him aside and receiving them first.

Holding the keys, they passed them around one by one for examination. Everyone present had good eyesight and could see they were indeed identical, not to mention Li Asuo’s ashen face as proof.

The Tenth Prince was particularly active today. He held the keys in his hands, praising them with “wow, wow” sounds for Eunuch Jia to see. “Eunuch, look, they really are the same!”

Eunuch Jia tremblingly put on his reading glasses, squinted for a long while, and smiled, saying, “This old servant is getting on in years and can’t see clearly anymore, but from this appearance, they truly do seem no different.”

With that sentence, Peng Pei shuddered.

Ning Yi received the keys in his hand, smiling as he examined them again and again. Suddenly he raised his hand and threw the keys at Li Asuo’s face.

“You audacious commoner scum!” he shouted furiously. “Since Lord Gu possesses such marvelous skill, why would he need to seek you out to duplicate keys? You, a lowly commoner of the lowest class, dare to falsely accuse a high court official—execution with lingering death and extermination of nine generations of relatives would still be too light for you!”

The golden keys flew through the air in a golden arc, striking Li Asuo’s face and immediately covering it with blood. But Li Asuo had long since been frightened out of his wits by the stern rebuke of the reigning prince. How could he still feel pain? He didn’t even dare wipe the blood covering his face, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing like pounding garlic, saying in a trembling voice, “This commoner… this commoner was confused… this commoner was confused…”

He kept saying he was confused but never once admitted to false accusation, never cried out his innocence. Ning Yi looked at him coldly and said grimly, “Li Asuo, you and Lord Gu are complete strangers, correct?”

Li Asuo raised his tear-and-snot-streaked face and hesitantly nodded.

Ning Yi said lightly, “Since you don’t know Lord Gu, without any reason at all, you certainly wouldn’t willfully commit such a heinous crime that both gods and men would condemn. Perhaps you were entrusted by someone out of consideration for personal feelings, or were deceived and acted unintentionally. The saying goes that the ignorant are not guilty, and those who follow are judged lightly. As long as you explain your difficulties clearly, this prince will naturally deal with you leniently. You can rest assured.” Pausing here, his voice rose, stern and severe. “But if you stubbornly refuse to change, stubbornly resist, the nation’s clear legal system will hang your head high!”

These words were almost completely copied from what Peng Pei had earlier used to induce Gu Nanyi’s confession. Hearing them made Peng Pei’s face turn red and white in succession, so embarrassed he wished he could disappear.

But this person was also a formidable character. Though his complexion was embarrassed, he immediately seized the opportunity and stepped forward, kicking Li Asuo. “You commoner scum, who ordered you to falsely accuse Lord Gu? Confess truthfully!”

Li Asuo was kicked over in a somersault, blood flowing from his forehead. He timidly glanced at Peng Pei, bit his teeth, and kowtowed repeatedly. “There was no… no one! It was this commoner… this commoner who once had his key stall kicked over by Lord Gu and bore a grudge… so… so audaciously… falsely accused the lord!”

“You commoner who falsely testifies over some trivial matter!” Peng Pei immediately picked up and cursed loudly.

Ge Yuanxiang and Zhang Yong exchanged glances, coughed, and said, “Li Asuo, for a commoner to falsely accuse an official is a capital offense. Think carefully.”

Li Asuo’s whole body trembled. He opened his mouth to speak, but when he raised his eyes and saw the corner of Peng Pei’s sea-water-deep blue official robe, that bright color looked dark and profound to his eyes at this moment, reminding him of the frightened faces of his wife and children in his small courtyard in the dark night… He suddenly shuddered and bowed down again. “…This commoner… is guilty…”

Ning Yi suddenly said, “Li Asuo, when and where and for what reason did Lord Gu kick over your stall? Tell us.”

Li Asuo opened his mouth. He hadn’t expected this question would be asked. After hesitating for a long while, he stammered, “…This commoner can’t remember clearly either. It seems to have been last year… or maybe the year before…”

Gu Nanyi suddenly said flatly, “I only came to the Imperial Capital the year before last.”

“Then it was last year! Last year… spring!” Li Asuo’s eyes brightened as he said loudly, “Last spring, he said this commoner’s stall was blocking his way. He kicked over this commoner’s stall with one foot and trampled many locks this commoner had worked hard to make, ruining half a month’s business!”

Ning Yi began laughing.

Several people in the hall—some laughed, some smiled bitterly.

“Last spring,” Ning Yi said, his smile sinister and cold yet almost gentle. “Because Lord Wei went missing after encountering a landslide on his return journey from Nanhai to the capital, Lord Gu spent over half a year searching along the route. For an entire year, he never returned to the Imperial Capital.”

Li Asuo’s mouth gaped open.

Hua Qiong was giggling.

A person who never lies—when they occasionally lead or induce testimony, that’s when it’s truly effective…

“I, I, I…” Li Asuo stammered. At this point, he truly couldn’t fabricate anything more. In his panic, he looked toward Peng Pei.

But at this moment, Feng Zhiwei took advantage of the commotion to shuffle closer to Gu Nanyi.

The space at the base of the hall was only so large. Gu Nanyi couldn’t retreat far. Now as she approached, she finally felt that wave of cold she’d sensed earlier truly emanating from the chains on his body. The closer she got, the more she felt the bone-piercing cold. She was merely beside him—what must it feel like for Gu Nanyi wearing them?

Looking carefully now, she realized that in yesterday’s dim dungeon, she hadn’t seen clearly—this wasn’t dark iron. This was cold iron, heavy iron produced from the deep ocean floor, more than ten times heavier than ordinary iron. Moreover, it had been buried for years in the ice seas of the extreme north, absorbing cold energy from the earth’s depths for ten million years, unbearably frigid. Who knew where the Ministry of Justice had obtained such a deadly thing. No wonder Zhang Yong’s tone had been shocked. Presumably because this thing was so harmful to people, unless dealing with the most vicious criminals condemned to death, the Ministry of Justice would rarely use it.

Yet they had used it on Gu Nanyi!

How had he endured from last night until now?

Feng Zhiwei’s eyes swept to the side, seeing Gu Nanyi’s fingers, which hadn’t had time to hide after carving the key, their joints pale blue-white, the nail beds showing a slight blue color—precisely the sign of cold poison invading the body. By this point, his fingers should already be stiff and numb.

He had used such hands, enduring such cruel punishment, to carve that key!

Gu Nanyi noticed her abnormality and immediately became aware, tucking his fingers into his sleeve. Feng Zhiwei stared at that flash of blue light as his hand withdrew, feeling her entire chest filled with icy cold. Beneath that icy cold rose roaring flames of fury, like poisonous fire scorching her blood and meridians throughout her body. With a thunderous roar, hot currents within her body surged forth, churning and sweeping, instantly overturning the fierce, violent currents she usually suppressed beneath a calm, icy surface!

Then she forcefully turned her head, turning with such force that she heard her own neck bones creak.

She had been waiting, enduring all along, waiting for the most opportune moment to strike her opponent. She had used a contemptuous attitude to watch that group perform their demon dance and weave their own cocoons, her mindset leisurely, neither anxious nor impatient. She had even believed this was grace and composure, not knowing that every single minute and second of waiting was harm and torture to Nanyi, that every single minute and second of her leisure was bought with Nanyi gritting his teeth in silent suffering. He avoided her, hid from her, concealed from her, even unwilling to let her approach and discover the viciousness of these heavy shackles. And she remained obliviously ignorant, calculating what would be the most advantageous moment—

Feng Zhiwei’s whole body trembled.

Throughout her life, she had been calm and detached, habitually suppressing all her hatred and venom. But today she finally discovered that even Buddha has fire!

“Clang.”

The sound of chains clashing rang out. Peng Pei, who was still threatening Li Asuo with his eyes, turned back in astonishment to see Feng Zhiwei, who had been obediently kneeling there, suddenly slowly standing up.

Her face was calm, but her eyes were extremely dark, like the sunless sky of the extreme north, unable to reflect a single ray of starlight. Only a point of demonic, burning red blazed deep in her gaze.

Meeting such eyes, Peng Pei felt his heart turn cold as if plunged into deep water. It was even more terrifying than when Gu Nanyi had struck his pressure points earlier. He shivered involuntarily and forgot what he was about to say, retreating a step in alarm.

Everyone in the hall looked over in surprise. Ning Yi’s expression changed as he coughed lightly and sat up straight.

Feng Zhiwei walked before Peng Pei, staring at him with a sinister smile.

“Peng Pei, are you done with your bullshit?”

Peng Pei’s face went white as he retreated another step.

Feng Zhiwei advanced another step.

“I’ve endured you people for a very long time. Now.”

She bared her teeth in a smile, white teeth gleaming.

“It’s my turn.”