Shen Xi was holding a folding fan, leaning close to the right wall of the main hall carefully examining a newly hung “Spring Snow Painting,” when he saw Liu Chaoming walk in with a cold expression.

Without greeting him, Liu Chaoming walked to the desk, brewed a cup of tea, and only then asked, “What are you here for?”

Shen Xi felt displeased.

It was one thing for Zhu Nanxian to be indifferent toward him, but Liu Yun was indifferent too.

So after all his efforts throughout the night, he had become the villain on all sides?

Shen Qingyue thus said in an affected tone, “Oh, I’ve come to snatch Su Shiyu back to the prince’s residence for the Thirteenth Prince.”

Liu Chaoming picked up the brewed tea but didn’t drink it. He turned to look at him.

This was about to be seeing the guest out with tea.

Shen Xi’s face was as thick as a city wall. Not only did he not leave, he sat down brazenly in the Eight Immortals chair and said lazily, “What? Only the magistrates can set fires while the common people aren’t allowed to light lamps? Lord Liu summoned the Embroidered Uniform Guard and made a move against the Eastern Palace, yet I, a ‘Crown Prince partisan,’ didn’t expose you in front of His Highness the Crown Prince, did I?”

Upon hearing these words, Liu Chaoming set down his tea and sat down to Shen Xi’s left, saying leisurely, “Oh, how did Lord Shen discern that it was this official who summoned the Embroidered Uniform Guard?”

Shen Xi propped his chin on his hand and blinked: “If I say it was intuition, would Censor Liu believe me?”

Liu Chaoming glanced at him sideways and said lightly, “I believe you. Moreover, this official also believes that after guessing the maidservant Zhu Shisan took away was Su Jin, Vice Minister Shen went to the trouble of finding a substitute purely to help His Highness the Crown Prince splash dirty water on the Seventh Prince, and not to leave himself a way out.”

Shen Xi was slightly stunned.

Liu Chaoming’s words could be said to have hit the nail on the head.

Indeed, he had long guessed that the maidservant Zhu Nanxian brought out from the Ma residence could be none other than Su Jin.

Then there were only two possibilities: first, Su Jin was a man disguised as a woman; second, Su Jin was originally a woman.

If it were the first possibility, Su Jin would have nothing shameful to hide. Under the Crown Prince’s fury, she could simply state what she witnessed at the Ma residence to save her own life.

If it were the second possibility, then she had committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign, and Zhu Minda would definitely not tolerate her. In such circumstances, by first finding a maidservant to help Su Jin gloss over the surface, if Su Jin were clever enough, she would subsequently seize the opportunity to accuse the Ministry of Personnel, transforming into a useful chess piece in Zhu Minda’s hand. Only thus would the Eastern Palace spare her life.

But regardless of which possibility it was, he, Shen Qingyue, didn’t need to personally come forward to accuse the Ministry of Personnel.

Shen Xi was indeed a Crown Prince partisan, but this was mostly due to Shen Jing. Otherwise, with his intelligence and schemes, under this court where regional princes controlled territories and various factions stood in opposition, he might not be unable to remain a wall-observer like Liu Yun.

In this turbulent current, taking a stance too early and too firmly was almost equivalent to seeking death.

Last night he had long seen through the trap at the Ma residence. If he truly wanted to catch all of the Seventh Prince’s confidants at the Ma residence in one net, he could have had the Feathered Forest Guard vanguard first surround the Ma residence so tightly that not even water could leak through—none of the poisoners or assassins could have escaped.

Taking a step back, even if someone had escaped, he didn’t need Su Jin to come forward as a witness. In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he could gather false witnesses, evidence, poisoned wine, and bloody knives, then lay them one by one before Zeng Youliang to accuse him.

But he was unwilling. He didn’t want to be this person who stuck his neck out.

So he let Su Jin do it.

This was Shen Qingyue—in all matters, he always left himself a way out.

In his view anyway, leaving a crack here and an opening there, when put together creating multiple escape routes like a cunning rabbit—who knows which might one day become his refuge.

Even Zhu Minda hadn’t seen through this little scheme of his and still thought he was working wholeheartedly, yet unexpectedly Liu Chaoming had seen through it.

Shen Xi clicked his tongue twice and shook his head: “Liu Yun, do you know what I dislike most about you? Usually when you put on airs and act mysterious, that’s one thing, but what I dislike most is this current appearance of yours—seeing through everything with all your sharp edges exposed.”

Liu Chaoming said lightly, “The feeling is mutual. Vice Minister Shen calculates a hundred steps ahead with every move—this truly humbles me.”

Shen Xi leaned closer and said, “Let me guess—why is Lord Liu’s hostility so heavy today?” Then he tapped his folding fan against his palm and said with sudden realization, “Oh, could it be because I pushed Su Shiyu to the forefront of the storm?” He leaned back against the chair and pointed his fan as if surveying the realm: “You should consider that with her identity, sooner or later she’ll have to wade through mountains of knives and seas of fire. If it hadn’t been me last night, if she hadn’t been sharp enough, she might already be dead.”

Though the words weren’t wrong, they were unpleasant to hear.

Liu Chaoming turned to look at him and suddenly said, “Is Vice Minister Shen so restless and irritable today because His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered you to kill people again?”

Shen Xi’s usually indifferent expression suddenly became sharp after hearing this sentence, his smile immediately disappearing: “Censor Liu’s bearing is noble and magnificent—are your hands not stained with blood?” He stood up with his hands clasped behind his back and laughed coldly: “None of us are clean. No one should criticize anyone else.”

Liu Chaoming said calmly, “Precisely. Vice Minister Shen plans strategies from within the tent. The matters of the Imperial Censorate are more distant than a thousand li—Vice Minister need not concern yourself with them.”

Shen Xi turned his head back, his eyes suddenly curving: “What Censor Liu says is quite right. Emperors have their techniques of balance, and we ministers should have our own ways of survival, shouldn’t we?”

Having reached this consensus, Liu Chaoming finally asked, “Speak then. What matter brings you here?”

Shen Xi clasped his hands behind his back, looking toward the blazing summer light outside the hall. After a moment of silence, he said, “Yan Ziyan is about to die. He says he wants to see Su Jin once.”

Liu Chaoming was startled: “We still couldn’t delay it a few more days?”

Shen Xi laughed mockingly: “What is His Majesty’s temperament—how could you and I not know? This time granting a two-day extension was already an enormous grace.”

Liu Chaoming nodded once: “My condolences.”

Shen Xi smiled bitterly. He walked to the hall entrance and stared at the vegetation soaked in sunlight, saying lazily, “What condolences are there? Among the many people we grew up with and studied together at the Hanlin Academy, Yan Ziyan isn’t the first to meet with such a fate. Every time I do my utmost to plead for someone, when have I truly saved anyone? I just never expected that while others either were wrongly accused or truly made mistakes—all with causes that could be traced—he who had the highest spirit since childhood would ultimately die because of that very spirit.”

His words were filled with dejection. Liu Chaoming couldn’t help but raise his head to look at him.

In their youth studying at the Hanlin Academy, Shen Xi had been the youngest yet exceptionally intelligent, greatly favored by Grand Tutor Yan, so Yan Ziyan had been jealous of him since childhood.

Shen Qingyue had that temperament of “if you dislike me then I’ll annoy you even more.” The two of them had fought countless times from childhood to adulthood, rolling in the mud and facing each other in court. When Shen Xi went east, Yan Ziyan went west. When Yan Ziyan said it was right, Shen Xi said it was wrong.

Outsiders had always thought they had formed a lifelong enmity.

Until the North-South case occurred.

After Grand Tutor Yan retired, he only retained an honorary title. The two elder brothers of the Yan family knew His Majesty wielded absolute authority, so after each submitted memorial petitions, there was no further news.

Unexpectedly, the one who ultimately rushed about for Yan Ziyan was Shen Qingyue.

Even before the injury to his broken leg had healed.

Liu Chaoming asked, “At what hour is the execution?”

Shen Xi said, “Tomorrow morning, at the Meridian Gate.”

Liu Chaoming said, “Wait a while then. Su Shiyu has just fallen asleep.”