The next day, Shen Du came to the Ministry of Justice to borrow Zhu Yan, because someone had jumped into the city moat.
The day after, Shen Du came to the Ministry of Justice to borrow Zhu Yan, because an official had been caught with courtesans.
The fourth day…
Soon, everyone at the Ministry of Justice understood the situation. They opened all doors for Shen Du and tried to persuade Zhu Yan to reconsider, listing Shen Du’s various merits and strengths. This left Zhu Yan at a loss for words, feeling utterly helpless.
In short, they were encouraging reconciliation, not separation.
But the real reason was that the people at the Ministry of Justice no longer wanted to see Shen Du, the embodiment of King Yama himself.
Zhu Yan sighed repeatedly.
“What case is so difficult?” Lu Chuichui came to the Bureau of Punishments and spotted Zhu Yan sitting at a stone table in the pavilion. She was holding a case file but looked troubled. Thinking it was a challenging case, Lu Chuichui snatched the file to take a look. It was just a minor case that had been cleared up a few months ago. Puzzled, she asked, “Is there still something unclear about this?”
Zhu Yan shook her head, resting her chin on one hand, looking dispirited. “It’s all been cleared up.”
“Then why do you look like this?” Lu Chuichui sat on the stone table, her face full of confusion. Then, suddenly realizing something, she said:
“Are you still angry with the Grand Secretary?”
If only that were the case, Zhu Yan thought. She couldn’t figure out what Shen Du was planning that required him to seek her out every day, only to do nothing but go shopping, eat, and catch officials who had already been set up to commit crimes.
She strongly suspected that Shen Du had changed his mind and wanted to continue using her as his weakness to deal with those who might frame him.
Her life was in danger.
Zhu Yan covered her head and ears, not wanting to mention Shen Du. She changed the subject: “Why are you here?”
“I almost forgot!” Lu Chuichui remembered her purpose for coming. She jumped off the stone table excitedly and grabbed Zhu Yan’s shoulders. “There’s going to be a performance by some extraordinary people at Furong Garden later. They claim it’s a magical show that no one has ever seen before. I don’t know how they dare to boast like that. Come with me to see it!”
As she spoke, Lu Chuichui pulled Zhu Yan along. By the time she finished speaking, they were already in the front courtyard. Zhu Yan thought it might be good to clear her mind, so she went along.
Remembering that Zhu Caiwei was newly married and in the honeymoon phase and that her fourth sister Zhu Manshu had no one to accompany her, Zhu Yan made a detour to the Zhu residence to bring Zhu Manshu along.
The performance venue was set up in an open space in the Western Market. When the three arrived, it was already packed with people. Lu Chuichui had anticipated this and had reserved a private room in a nearby restaurant. However, even the short distance from the outskirts to the restaurant was densely crowded. She had to pull Zhu Yan and the others to squeeze through.
Despite using all her strength, Lu Chuichui couldn’t move forward an inch. The three were squeezed to the point of deformation.
Suddenly, an arm with a brown narrow sleeve appeared in front of Lu Chuichui. With a push, it cleared a small space in front of them. Lu Chuichui looked up in surprise and met Jiang Langhang’s eyes. Jiang Langhang smiled and said, “Didn’t you want to see the show? Why aren’t you moving?”
Whenever there were festivals or major events in the capital, various places would be on high alert to prevent any disturbances. Whether it was petty theft or major threats to the capital’s security, everyone would be vigilant.
As a member of the Local Constablen, Jiang Langhang naturally had to be on strict guard at such times.
Lu Chuichui looked at his casual attire and asked, puzzled, “Why are you here?”
“Not just me, the boss is here too.” Jiang Langhang tilted his chin backward. Lu Chuichui looked in that direction and saw Xu Xiangren talking to Zhu Yan, with Yunque by his side.
With Jiang Langhang and Xu Xiangren leading the way, the group successfully made it to the restaurant. They chatted casually while waiting for the performance to begin.
Suddenly, a wave of gasps erupted from both upstairs and downstairs. Everyone looked towards the stage.
On the stage appeared a figure with half of his face normal, while the other half was as black as ink, seemingly merged with the night. Even the row of lanterns above his head couldn’t illuminate it.
His eyes reflected the bright yellow of the lanterns, burning like the fires of hell, especially on the pitch-black side of his face, looking particularly eerie.
He extended a skeletal-like hand and swiftly snapped the neck of another person on stage. That person instantly lost consciousness and fell heavily.
The audience below was in an uproar. People were terrified, pushing and shoving to get away, causing quite a commotion in the tightly packed crowd.
“Killing someone in public! How audacious!” Xu Xiangren, with Jiang Langhang in tow, quickly turned to go downstairs, intending to apprehend the half-human, Half-Face-Ghost figure on the spot.
“Wait.” Zhu Yan held Xu Xiangren back, pointing at the stage.
Xu Xiangren looked where she was pointing. On both sides of the stage, several people appeared, each holding up large signs that read: “Mysterious performance, no intention of breaking the law. Please remain calm and await the miracle.”
There were also performers explaining to the crowd below. The people gradually calmed down, watching the stage with a mix of doubt and anticipation.
The half-human, Half-Face-Ghost figure grabbed the hand of the “dead” person and, in front of everyone, began to tear and chew at it like a feeding wolf. The sounds of flesh being torn and chewed seemed audible. In an instant, blood and flesh were flying everywhere, and his face became grotesquely stained, frightening children into loud wails and making even some adults want to flee.
As panic spread, he quickly finished eating the person. All that remained on the ground was a pool of blood, some bits of flesh, and a pile of bones. Suddenly, he stood up, raised his blood-smeared head, spread his arms wide, and shouted: “Come out! Let everything return!”
The crowd, numb with fear, stared blankly at the stage.
To everyone’s surprise, a man descended from the sky. His white robes fluttered, surrounded by flying cranes, as if a celestial being had descended. It was the same man who had just been eaten in front of everyone!
How could he be alive again after being completely devoured in front of everyone’s eyes?
Before anyone could ask, the red plum trees on both sides of the road suddenly burst into bloom, and then the blossoms began to fall like rain.
A sea of flowers enveloped everyone.
“It’s not the season for red plums to bloom. How are these flowers suddenly blossoming?”
“It’s miraculous! A heavenly phenomenon!”
…
The spectators were awakened from their shock by this heart-stirring “phenomenon” before their eyes. They excitedly reached out to catch the falling plum blossoms, their voices of amazement lingering for a long time.
Zhu Yan extended her hand and caught a red plum blossom as it fluttered down. She rubbed it between her fingers and sniffed it. It was indeed a real plum blossom. A look of confusion crossed her face as she turned to look at the “dead man” on stage who was now bowing in gratitude. Her bewilderment only deepened.
“Three bowls! The boss can drink three bowls. Grand Secretary Shen, you mustn’t fall behind or admit defeat!”
Zhu Yan didn’t know when Shen Du had entered the private room, nor when he had started a drinking contest with Xu Xiangren. By the time she turned her head back, the two were already flushed from drinking.
Shen Du had always been self-disciplined. Since when had he become so unrestrained?
“Alright, stop making him drink. I’ll have to take care of him later.”
Zhu Yan felt something was off. She snatched the bowl from Shen Du’s hand, threw it on the table, and tried to pull Shen Du away.
Unexpectedly, although Shen Du’s figure swayed a bit, it couldn’t hide the cold aura emanating from him. Just a frown from him reminded people of the imposing presence of the White King Yama, making the guests peeking from outside the private room cower in fear and retract their heads, not daring to look in this direction again.
He raised his hand and picked up another bowl: “Drink!”