◎”This lamp was lit at Lord Yu’s request.”◎

Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, as dusk approached, the eaves cast deep shadows that enveloped Yu Qingwu.

He remained kneeling, his lower body numb, with faint stabbing pains spreading through him, as if countless ants were gnawing at the marrow of his legs, giving him no peace.

Suddenly, the doors of the Hall of Supreme Harmony opened, and the Crown Prince stood at the entrance, his face covered in blood. “His Majesty summons you inside.”

Yu Qingwu hurriedly rose, unsteady on his feet, and stumbled at the threshold.

The Crown Prince did not help him. Today they needed to distance themselves from each other.

He watched quietly as Yu Qingwu climbed up, then staggered trembling into the hall, kneeling among the pile of shattered tea porcelain.

The Crown Prince’s heart also fell into the dust.

It seemed that as long as His Majesty sat in that position, this group of people, regardless of what they lived for, were all so humble.

He walked over and knelt beside Yu Qingwu to receive the reprimand together.

The Emperor on the throne had calmed somewhat by now. He looked at the disheveled Yu Qingwu for a while before asking: “I, considering that the Crown Prince has pleaded on your behalf, will give you one more chance. But if even one word is a lie, you, your wife, and everyone connected to you—none will escape death.”

Yu Qingwu kowtowed. “Your Majesty, matters have come to this point. I ask for nothing else, only that Your Majesty show mercy to my wife. She is truly innocent.”

The Emperor sneered coldly. “Innocent or not, I know in my heart.”

He said: “Do you know she is Duan Boyan’s adopted daughter?”

Yu Qingwu nodded. “I only learned of this after coming to Luoyang in the forty-seventh year of Yuanshao. Before that, I did not know.”

He continued: “At that time, I suspected my elder brother Su Xingzhou’s death was related to her, so I asked Old Madam Shou to help me trick her into coming to the residence to ask if she had seen my brother. After speaking with her, I discovered she might be the girl raised by Duan Boyan.”

The Emperor paused. “The case of Su Xingzhou? The one Lin Ji killed?”

Yu Qingwu: “Yes. I dare not lie.”

He kowtowed. “I grew up at Elder Wu’s knee. He was proud of me and called me his own son. But my sworn brother Su Xingzhou was not favored by the Elder. He twice left Duancang Mountain to make a living in Huaishan, Huailing.”

“At the time, I thought they simply had incompatible temperaments. But after my wife and I shared information and compared everything that happened in Shuzhou back then, I discovered that my brother’s discord with the Elder was not real—it was a pretense to go to Huaishan to meet Duan Boyan.”

“I am the Elder’s open piece; my brother was his hidden piece.”

The Crown Prince looked over in astonishment, shock appearing on his face, which the old Emperor noticed.

Even the Emperor himself was somewhat stunned. “You mean to say that for all those years, Wu Qingchuan and Duan Boyan had private dealings?”

Yu Qingwu nodded. “Yes.”

He repeated what he had previously discussed with Lan Shanjun, then said: “All these years, Duke Songguo and Elder Wu have been in contact. Not only does my wife know this—I actually knew it too.”

The Crown Prince was truly shocked this time. He stood to the side, looking up at the Emperor, then at Yu Qingwu, and said incredulously: “Wu Qingchuan and Duke Songguo were on good terms?”

Yu Qingwu nodded. “Yes. Since childhood, I heard Elder Wu praise Song Zhiwei.”

He continued: “But Elder Wu forbade us from speaking of this matter. So when my brother and I came to Luoyang for the imperial examinations, we did not pay our respects to Duke Songguo.”

The Emperor felt it was absurd. He said: “If this is truly the case, Wu Qingchuan would not dare expose Lan Shanjun’s affairs.”

Once exposed, Yu Qingwu would reveal his connection with Duke Songguo. Thus, both men held leverage over each other, which explained why they had secretly fought for so long without daring to deliver a fatal blow.

Then why dare to do so now?

The Emperor frowned, and Yu Qingwu seized the opportunity to say in a low voice: “I thought the same before—that the Elder wouldn’t dare speak, so I wasn’t particularly guarded against him in this matter. It seems… that the Elder now dares to speak because he has a contingency plan.”

At this point, he kowtowed several more times to the Emperor. “Initially, I only knew that Elder Wu had dealings with Duke Songguo, but I didn’t take it to heart. After all, Duke Songguo is Your Majesty’s confidant and a man of Luoyang. It was natural for him to have private relations with the Elder.”

“However, in the forty-third year of Yuanshao, my younger sister Su Ying was murdered in Lin Ji’s scheme. My brother and I asked the Elder to intervene, but he never replied to our letters. I went to seek help from Duke Songguo, but was completely ignored and even mocked by Song Zhiwei. From that time, my brother truly developed a rift with the Elder, and I also began to detest the Song family’s heartlessness.”

“But the Elder had shown us the grace of raising and recognizing us. To break with him over this matter alone would be truly unfilial.”

“Moreover, my nature was simple back then. I didn’t believe the Elder deliberately ignored our letters—perhaps he never received them. But when I returned to Luoyang again and my brother suddenly died, I discovered that matters were far from simple—in the year my sister died, the Elder should have already had dealings with Marquis Boyuan.”

The Emperor nodded. He naturally knew about Wu Qingchuan’s affairs with Marquis Boyuan.

But he did not know that Wu Qingchuan had private relations with Duke Songguo.

He was inclined to believe Yu Qingwu’s words—at this moment, Yu Qingwu would not dare tell such an enormous lie.

Yet Yu Qingwu continued in an anguished voice: “Your Majesty, with your keen insight, you must bring my brother to justice and arrest Elder Wu—my brother Su Xingzhou, because of my sister Su Ying’s death, had been investigating Marquis Boyuan’s household. He thus discovered Wu Qingchuan’s tea dealings with Marquis Boyuan and confronted Elder Wu. During the confrontation, he must have mentioned seeing my wife in Luoyang, so with these multiple conflicts, the Elder developed murderous intent and silenced him.”

“If not for Old Madam Shou’s help, my wife and I would probably have died at his hands too.”

What a great performance.

Kneeling to the side, the Crown Prince discovered that Yu Qingwu had said many things he didn’t know about.

It seemed this young couple had concealed much from him…

The Emperor, seated at the head, had already stood up and asked: “Are you saying Old Madam Shou knew Lan Shanjun’s identity?”

Yu Qingwu shook his head. “She didn’t know. Even when she passed away, we didn’t dare tell her, fearing she would be heartbroken.”

“But Old Madam Shou said that looking at my wife sometimes reminded her of an old friend, so she wanted to protect her.”

The Emperor fell silent.

The Crown Prince angrily said from the side: “Regardless, you should have told the Old Madam! In her eyes, there were no court disputes, no fratricide—only younger generations and family!”

The Emperor agreed with this statement in his heart. But before he could think further, Yu Qingwu had already said: “Looking back now, I deeply regret it, but at the time I was panic-stricken, terribly afraid that Elder Wu would wield his blade again and harm the innocent… The Old Madam’s health was already poor. If something happened to her, no one would investigate either.”

This statement successfully ignited the Emperor’s fury. He cursed: “Fool, fool! How could I possibly let my sister die in vain!”

The Crown Prince’s heart began to ease.

Very good. The wider the implication, the easier this matter would be to resolve.

Yu Qingwu: “I was only twenty years old then, without even evidence of my brother’s murder, and I had to protect my wife’s safety. So at that time, to survive, I turned to His Highness the Crown Prince for protection. What happened afterward, Your Majesty also knows—I have always been at odds with Elder Wu and Marquis Boyuan, causing Your Majesty much vexation.”

From these words, the Emperor gained a general understanding of what had transpired.

He said: “You mean to say you knew nothing about the Ni Tao case?”

Yu Qingwu: “I truly knew nothing. Moreover, I never imagined Elder Wu’s audacity could be so great—wasn’t he afraid I would tell you about his dealings with Duke Songguo?”

The Emperor: “What evidence do you have? Letters?”

Yu Qingwu shook his head. “None.”

The Emperor laughed. “Then after saying so much, how can I believe you?”

Yu Qingwu looked bewildered and lost. He knelt on the ground for a long while, then said: “But—but my brother’s two trips to Huaishan can be verified.”

The Emperor: “That only proves Wu Qingchuan had dealings with Duan Boyan.”

Yu Qingwu: “Then can Duke Songguo’s attempt to marry my wife back count as evidence?”

The Emperor paused. “…There was indeed such a matter.”

He glanced at the Crown Prince—he had just scolded the Crown Prince for wanting Song Zhiwei to marry Lan Shanjun.

Could it be that the Crown Prince truly didn’t know Lan Shanjun’s identity?

The Emperor tapped his fingers on the table. “What, is there more to this story?”

Yu Qingwu nodded. “At that time, my wife had gained Old Madam Shou’s protection, so they didn’t dare kill her directly. Instead, they devised a plan—they had Song Zhiwei propose marriage, wanting to marry my wife back.”

His voice suddenly grew agitated. “Your Majesty, you know that in deep courtyards and great mansions, confining a woman, killing a woman—these are the simplest matters. My wife was terrified and came to me for help… That’s how I came to have a wife.”

The Emperor smiled slightly at this. “So you managed to benefit from it after all.”

He thought for a moment, then asked: “Since you were in such difficult straits, why didn’t you go to the Crown Prince and tell him the truth?”

Yu Qingwu said bitterly: “His Highness the Crown Prince… At that time, I didn’t dare trust him. First, I had just arrived in Luoyang and didn’t know the Crown Prince’s character. Second, with such matters, the fewer people who know, the better.”

“Third, in these three years, Elder Wu had not made any move against us. We had let down our guard and never imagined he would dare do such a thing.”

One statement about not knowing the Crown Prince’s character, another about three years of lowered guard—these made the Emperor believe him somewhat.

Yu Qingwu’s words could withstand scrutiny. But he might also be lying.

At this point, evidence was needed.

He asked, “Is there truly no evidence at all?”

Yu Qingwu began racking his brains, then suddenly said loudly: “Letters… No, my wife mentioned that back then, Duan Boyan wouldn’t teach her to read and write, so she learned her characters by copying various calligraphy samples.”

“Among them, Wu Qingchuan had sent poems written by Song Zhiwei to Duan Boyan. She saw them, thought the calligraphy was good, and imitated it to practice her writing—if you place Song Zhiwei’s handwriting alongside hers, you would surely notice similarities.”

The Emperor believed half of what he said. He looked up at his confident expression, then said: “Someone, go to Lord Yu’s residence… No, go to Duke Zhenguo’s mansion and retrieve Lan Shanjun’s former writings.”

The writings at the Yu residence might be fabricated, but those at Duke Zhenguo’s mansion from earlier times should not be.

He added: “Summon Duke Songguo and Wu Qingchuan to the palace.”

Yu Qingwu slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. He remembered what Shanjun had told him.

She had said: “No one taught me my characters. Half I learned from my mother, half I picked up here and there. Among them was Song Zhiwei’s—his calligraphy is quite distinctive and recognizable at a glance.”

Yu Qingwu’s heart grew bitter.

—Those days of past suffering had finally bloomed into flowers upon her bloodshed, finally proving useful in giving back.

…

At Duke Zhenguo’s mansion, Nanny Qian was inside pleading with Zhu Shi, sobbing: “I don’t know what happened—first she was taken away by people from the Ministry of Justice, then brought to the Luoyang Prefecture. Now it’s already dark, but she still hasn’t returned…”

Zhu Shi was also anxious, but she was helpless. Fourth Master paced back and forth anxiously beside her, saying: “The Eastern Palace has been punished. I heard the Crown Prince’s head was even injured.”

—This he had learned from his good friend, Lord Yu.

“Moreover, Qingwu knelt outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony and was never told to rise. It seems the situation is dire.”

—This was what his friend, young Lord Xu, had told him.

After the Ni Tao case and His Majesty’s execution of many people, this matter had already frightened him to his core. He feared Yu Qingwu might also be beaten to death.

With him speaking thus, Zhu Shi immediately lost her composure and cried: “Heavens! I said from the beginning that someone without family background shouldn’t be married!”

Huihui found this irritating and said loudly: “Mother, now is not the time to discuss this!”

She looked at Nanny Qian: “Just the Ni Tao case alone shouldn’t implicate my elder sister. Nanny Qian, is there something else involved?”

Nanny Qian thought for a moment, considered it, then said through gritted teeth: “There is something else.”

She continued: “I heard Minister Zhu from the Ministry of Justice say he wanted to request my mistress come for questioning about Duan Boyan’s affairs.”

Zhu Shi and Fourth Master both exclaimed in unison: “Duan Boyan?”

Nanny Qian: “Yes.”

Fourth Master asked urgently: “What connection could Shanjun have with Duan Boyan?”

Nanny Qian: “From what I heard, it seemed my mistress’s teacher was Duan Boyan.”

Zhu Shi shot to her feet. “Heavens!”

Fourth Master was dumbstruck. Only Huihui and Third Young Madam exchanged glances—now they were truly becoming anxious.

Third Young Madam had given birth to a son at the end of last year and had spent this year only caring for the child, managing nothing else. Her heart had been full of joy, but who knew such a matter would occur?

She said in panic: “This is terrible. After all, tempers are running high, and the Eastern Palace…”

Huihui was still young and had no ideas at this moment either.

Nanny Qian looked at this roomful of people staring blankly at each other, not a single one able to come up with a plan.

She stamped her foot in frustration. “At the very least, someone should go to the Luoyang Prefecture office to take a look! Let the Song family and Eunuch Liu know that Duke Zhenguo’s mansion isn’t dead yet!”

Upon hearing this, Huihui immediately said: “I’ll go.”

But Zhu Shi grabbed her firmly. “You’re a young unmarried girl—what would you go for?”

Huihui said urgently: “Mother, please go with Fourth Uncle for once. Don’t leave Sixth Sister isolated and helpless.”

Nanny Qian’s eyebrows were nearly falling off from anxiety: “As long as you can bring me inside, I’ll stay there and keep Shanjun company.”

But Zhu Shi thought of the massacres in the eighteenth and thirty-first years of Yuanshao.

She had been old enough to remember then and naturally knew what His Majesty found most taboo.

She also knew that Shanjun had probably caused a catastrophe.

She was torn between Duke Zhenguo’s mansion on one side and her biological daughter on the other.

She felt as if her heart was burning in a vat of oil.

Just as she hesitated, the Old Madam of Duke Zhenguo’s mansion somehow learned of the matter and entered the room, saying loudly: “You are not to go! She’s already a member of a ruined family who has implicated our clan. At this time, we must simply observe and wait. We absolutely must not create further trouble.”

Fourth Master stepped forward. “Mother…”

The Old Madam of Duke Zhenguo: “Fourth Son, think of your father and third brother who have been in hardship at the monastery for twenty years. Think of your deceased eldest and second brothers. Think of your eldest and third nephews suffering in remote, impoverished places.”

With a stern expression, she said to Nanny Qian: “Go seek help elsewhere. My family will not involve itself in this matter.”

Nanny Qian felt both furious and keenly sensed that although the Old Madam of Duke Zhenguo was still as unlikeable as ever, today she wasn’t speaking any mad words but rather seemed to be on high alert.

Nanny Qian knew it was useless to stay here today, so she said: “Fine, then I’ll try to force my way into the Luoyang Prefecture myself.”

She refused to believe that without Duke Zhenguo’s mansion, she couldn’t get into the prison.

She turned to leave, but Huihui chased after her. “I’ll go with you.”

Zhu Shi hurried to pull her back. “You stay home. I’ll go.”

After all, she was still worried about Lan Shanjun.

However, the timing was unfortunate. Before she could leave, a servant woman came to report: “Outside, there’s a eunuch outside who says he’s brought an imperial edict. He wants to retrieve the calligraphy and writings Sixth Young Mistress left at home.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shi’s legs gave way and she fainted straight away.

——

It had grown dark.

In the prison, Liu Guan needed to return to the palace before curfew. Before leaving, he looked at Song Zhiwei and said: “Lord Song, it’s no longer appropriate for you to remain here. You should avoid suspicion.”

Song Zhiwei looked at him coldly.

Liu Guan smiled. “This humble servant is only thinking of your welfare, my lord.”

Then he said: “Madam Yu, this humble servant has requested Minister Zhu to come. If you have any needs this evening, you may speak with him.”

Lan Shanjun struggled to stand. “Thank you.”

Liu Guan said: “It is only proper.”

The child of an old friend should naturally be looked after.

Before turning to leave, he had someone bring a Zhong Kui demon-dispelling lantern.

“This lamp was lit at Lord Yu’s request.”

Lan Shanjun paused, then smiled and took the lantern into her arms. “Then I… won’t thank him.”