His shout of “family law” was filled with authority, yet Jiang Xuanjin frowned upon hearing it.
“Lord Bai,” he said, “Madam’s actions are intended to kill.”
When it comes to human life, how could family law be sufficient to handle it?
Bai Dezhong, gritting his teeth, pretended not to hear him and angrily commanded, “Beat her hard! Let her know the gravity of her mistake!”
“Yes!” The household servants responded in unison, grabbing sticks and positioning themselves behind Bai Mengshi.
Bai Mengshi was in a panic. “My lord, I haven’t confessed yet! How can you strike me directly?”
Bai Dezhong shot her a chilling glance, his brow slightly furrowed, and shook his head gently.
After decades of marriage, they had some understanding; Bai Mengshi immediately grasped his meaning—he wanted to deal with her first to prevent Ziyang Jun from sending her to the magistrate.
Looking at the thick stick, as thick as a baby’s wrist, Bai Mengshi choked back her tears and shook her head. Even if Bai Dezhong wanted to save her, she didn’t want to endure family law!
Jiang Xuanjin observed the two coldly, thought for a moment, and then took a step back, seemingly indifferent, just waiting to see how severe the Bai family’s punishment would be.
Bai Dezhong caught a glimpse of him and felt a slight relief, then sternly said, “What are you waiting for? Twenty strokes of family law—don’t hold back!”
Upon hearing this, the household servants immediately stepped forward, pinning Bai Mengshi to the ground. One raised the stick high and brought it down with force!
With a loud “bang,” Bai Mengshi could no longer maintain her composure and screamed, “Ah—!”
Bai Dezhong listened coldly and asked her, “Do you understand your mistake now?”
After taking two blows, Bai Mengshi could no longer bear it and struggled, crying, “I was momentarily bewitched… ah!”
“Bewitched?” Bai Dezhong slammed the table, standing up in anger, “As the mistress, you plotted to harm someone in the household—this is more than just being bewitched!”
“Ah!” Bai Mengshi wailed, her face pale and her expression becoming frantic. “I was wrong! I was wrong! Stop it…”
Without a hint of compassion, Bai Dezhong waved his sleeve at the household servants, “Hit her harder!”
The servants were startled. They immediately struck with even more force, causing Bai Mengshi to cry out in pain, “Stop hitting me… stop hitting me…”
Jiang Xuanjin quietly watched, the sound of the stick hitting flesh dull yet loud, perhaps similar to the force used against Bai Zhujing earlier.
After twenty strokes, Bai Mengshi had lost the strength to scream, her face pale, drenched in cold sweat, and utterly disheveled.
Bai Dezhong’s anger slightly subsided, thinking that after such a beating, it could be considered an explanation. He turned to say a few good words to Ziyang Jun.
However, before he could speak, Lingxiu rushed in from outside.
“My lord, Your Highness!” She cried as she entered, kneeling, “Miss, Miss is in critical condition—”
Bai Dezhong’s heart jolted, and he couldn’t believe it as he took two steps toward her. “What did you say?!”
Lingxiu sobbed, covering her mouth, tears streaming down her face. “You must go see her!”
Suddenly looking toward the door, Bai Dezhong rushed toward the southern courtyard, nearly tripping at the entrance.
Seeing Bai Yushi’s agitated demeanor, Jiang Xuanjin quietly coughed, softly reminding his indifferent master, “You should at least show some sorrow.”
Even if he knew it was fake, he should put on a show, right?
Jiang Xuanjin came back to his senses, lowered his head to think seriously, then made an effort to furrow his brows, dim his eyes, and display a sorrowful expression.
Cheng Xu: “…”
Fortunately, Bai Yushi was too preoccupied to turn back and look; this act was too fake.
Compared to him, Bai Si Xiaojie’s acting in the southern courtyard was simply masterful! Just look at her bruised face, half-open trembling eyes, and pale, cracked lips—no matter from which angle you looked, she perfectly embodied someone on the brink of death.
Bai Dezhong trembled as he entered the main room, standing by the bed and looking down at her.
“Zhujing…”
“Father, you’re here?” She coughed a couple of times, weakly smiling at him. “Now that you’re here, I can rest in peace…”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Bai Dezhong scolded sternly, shaking his head. “You will be fine!”
“The physician said I was poisoned with ‘a drop of blood,’ and that poison is very potent, and there’s no antidote.” Tears welled in her eyes, filled with pain, as she raised her hand weakly, and then let it fall.
“It’s all my fault. If I had known, I would have accepted the blame given by Bai Mengshi, and I wouldn’t have made her resent me to this extent, wanting to take my life…”
As she spoke, she coughed again, spitting out blood.
Bai Dezhong’s heart jolted at the sight.
Hearing reports that Zhujing was poisoned and witnessing her in such a state felt entirely different. Just moments ago, Ziyang Jun had been furious, wanting to capture Bai Mengshi for questioning, and his first reaction was to think: after decades of marriage, he couldn’t just send Bai Mengshi to prison. Zhujing wasn’t dead yet; perhaps this matter could still be suppressed.
However, seeing the black blood on the ground and Zhujing’s painful appearance, Bai Dezhong’s eyes turned red.
Meng Shuqin was cruel enough to poison his daughter! How could he protect such a venomous woman? How could he protect her?
“Don’t be sad…” The person on the bed tried to comfort him with a smile, “I’m just a foolish girl who doesn’t understand the rules. If I die, I can go underground and ask my mother how she’s doing.”
The last sentence made Bai Dezhong tremble.
Zhujing’s mother was a very gentle woman, the only one he had truly cared for in his youth. He had promised to take good care of her but had failed, and he had also promised to take good care of Zhujing but had failed that too.
In an instant, Bai Dezhong felt overwhelming guilt, his fists clenched tightly, and his heart filled with desolation.
Seeing that his emotions had calmed down somewhat, Li Huaiyu struggled to conclude—she moved her head, nodded to Bai Dezhong, then suddenly closed her eyes and fainted.
“Zhujing!” With red eyes, Bai Dezhong took a couple of breaths, choking on his words.
Bai Si Xiaojie’s appearance was truly tragic, and the people in the room couldn’t help but sigh. The softer-hearted maidservants even began to cry immediately.
The atmosphere in the room became heavy. Jiang Xuanjin looked around, thought for a moment, then closed his eyes and lowered his head, trying to blend into the sorrowful atmosphere.
On the bed, Li Huaiyu listened to the cries with her eyes closed, secretly gritting her teeth.
This scoundrel Jiang Xuanjin! Last time, he had caused her to listen to the mournful cries of concubines and palace maids in Feiyun Palace, and now he had her lying here listening to the Bai family’s mourning. If her fortune was affected by their crying, she would hold him accountable!
The cries continued for a while, and finally, Bai Dezhong’s voice hoarsely rang out by the bed: “Come here.”
“My lord?”
“Bind Meng Shuqin.” He said in a deep voice, “You all come with me to the Kyoto magistrate.”
The steward was startled, looking at him in surprise. “This…”
“Go!” Bai Dezhong raised his head, his face suddenly looking much older. “Your Highness is right; matters of murder cannot be handled by family law and must be handed over to the law of the land.”
Seeing Bai Dezhong’s sudden determination, Jiang Xuanjin finally relaxed his brow, allowing him to take the steward and household servants away without following.
He had initially thought that if Bai Zhujing’s situation couldn’t awaken Bai Dezhong’s consciousness, he would personally take action to bind Bai Mengshi and escort her to the magistrate. However, now Jiang Xuanjin felt that he could save himself the trouble and just wait for news here.
After driving away the onlookers, Jiang Xuanjin sat by the bed. “Open your eyes.”
Huaiyu obediently lifted her eyelids, smiling as she shifted her body, wanting to lean on his leg.
He raised his hand to block her, his gaze cold: “Not a chance!”
“What’s wrong?” Huaiyu looked up at him in confusion. “What did I do to offend you? We were fine before, and now you’ve suddenly turned cold.”
He pushed her head back onto the pillow. Jiang Xuanjin recalled her leaving his embrace in front of Lu Jingxing and coldly said, “Since you know to avoid suspicion, you should avoid it both in public and private.”
What? Li Huaiyu was puzzled for a moment, tilting her head, wondering when she had ever avoided suspicion. The term “avoid suspicion” had never appeared in her life!
Jiang Xuanjin didn’t explain further, his tone low and heavy: “I’ve already informed the magistrate; you don’t need to worry about the rest. Just rest quietly.”
After saying this, he stood up to leave.
Sensing something was off, Huaiyu reached out and grabbed his clothing: “Where are you going?”
“Where else?” he replied coldly. “Handling official business.”
Jiang Xuanjin was a regent appointed by the late emperor, and after a few days of not attending court, the documents piled up high.
Huaiyu patted the bed: “Isn’t it fine to handle it here? I can even massage your shoulders!”
He glanced at her, annoyed: “Is your hand not sore? You still want to massage my shoulders?”
“It hurts, but it’s much better than yesterday; I can move.” She flexed her hand and smiled at him, “Even if I can’t massage your shoulders well, I can peel you an orange.”
Who needs that? Jiang Xuanjin reached out to pull away her hand that was clutching his clothing.
However, as soon as his fingers touched her, she unexpectedly released his clothing and quickly grabbed him instead. Their palms pressed together, her fingers wedged tightly between his.
“You’re acting like a child,” she teased, shaking his hand. “Are you angry but won’t say it clearly? Have you decided not to play with me anymore? How old are you?”
Jiang Xuanjin looked at her unhappily, his jaw tense, thin lips pressed together.
His anger was inexplicable, and Li Huaiyu found it amusing, winking at him and softening her tone: “If I peel you an orange, will you forgive me?”
Her voice was soft, tinged with a hint of grievance and a touch of affection, like a little husband coaxing his wife.
Jiang Xuanjin: “…”
He wasn’t falling for that!
However, half a stick of incense later, Lingxiu entered with a large plate of oranges, carrying a pile of documents and placing them by the bed in the main room.
Li Huaiyu carefully washed her hands twice, took an orange, peeled it, and handed the segments to him. Jiang Xuanjin sat on the edge of her bed, his eyes focused on the documents in his hands. “Not peeled clean.”
Lingxiu looked astonished, thinking how could the orange still not be peeled clean? There wasn’t a bit of skin left.
Li Huaiyu, however, understood and said nothing, in a very good mood as she peeled off the stems and fibers from the orange segments before feeding them to him.
Jiang Xuanjin took a bite, his expression slightly softening.
Cheng Xu couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his eye.
Was this his master, who seemed to be above the world and untouched by mortal affairs? Ah! This was a little girl who wanted to be pampered and spoiled! In front of others, he was all serious, but the moment he encountered Bai Si Xiaojie, he turned into this!
What was even more terrifying was that Bai Si Xiaojie didn’t find it strange at all, treating him as if she could hold him in the palm of her hand!
Cheng Xu wanted to bang his head against the wall to see if he was dreaming.
As Li Huaiyu peeled the fourth orange, a messenger named Yufeng entered and reported, “Your Highness, the Kyoto magistrate has convened, and Tingwei Xu Yan has recognized the ‘drop of blood’ and questioned Bai Mengshi. Due to the punishment she received, Bai Mengshi fainted directly in court.”
Closing the documents, Jiang Xuanjin raised his eyes and asked, “How did Lord Xu handle it?”
“He temporarily detained Bai Mengshi at the magistrate’s office and ordered someone to investigate the source of the poison.” Yufeng replied, “The appearance of the banned drug outside the palace seems to have piqued Lord Xu’s interest.”
Jiang Xuanjin had no particular reaction, nodding before continuing to read the documents. Beside him, Li Huaiyu held the orange, her mood somewhat complicated.
This person was too clever; wanting to investigate Meng Hengyuan, he started with Bai Mengshi. Dragging Bai Dezhong into the water, he stood on the shore without getting wet at all.
What would happen next was predictable—Xu Yan would investigate, and someone would surely deliver evidence of Meng Hengyuan’s dealings in banned drugs, leading to Meng Hengyuan’s conviction and Bai Mengshi being solidified in her crime of “murder.”
A two-for-one deal!
Truly worthy of Ziyang Jun; with such cunning and depth, it was no wonder he had been able to trick her into death in a trap without her noticing.
Not being able to reach the orange segments being offered, Jiang Xuanjin tilted his head in confusion: “What’s wrong?”
Suddenly coming back to her senses, Li Huaiyu looked down and realized she had almost crushed the orange in her hand, juice dripping down to her wrist.
Quickly releasing her grip, she smiled, “It’s nothing.” Then she rolled up her sleeve to wipe the orange juice off her wrist.
However, as she rolled up her sleeve, she noticed something on her wrist.
“Hmm?” Spotting the familiar sandalwood Buddha beads, a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes.
“What is this?” She asked knowingly, her smile revealing a row of white teeth.
Jiang Xuanjin paused, his face stern. “It accidentally fell into your possession; return it to me.”
“Things that have been given away shouldn’t be taken back,” Li Huaiyu grinned, taking off the beads to examine them closely.
The high-quality sandalwood beads, ten beads each dark and glossy. Each bead seemed to have characters engraved on it.
“Generosity, restraint, patience, wishes… what does this mean?” she murmured.
Jiang Xuanjin looked at her with disdain: “The ten paramitas of Buddhism; how could someone like you, with no wisdom, understand?”
Pouting in defiance, she slipped the beads onto her wrist: “So what if I don’t understand? They belong to me now; you can’t take them back!”
At that moment, she resembled a bully in a marketplace.
Shaking his head, Jiang Xuanjin sighed, truly not wanting to snatch them back.
He had kept these beads hidden since childhood and wouldn’t easily give them to anyone. But… now that he had given them away, as long as the person cherished them, he didn’t need to rush to take them back.
Let’s just consider it a good deed, he thought.
With Bai Mengshi imprisoned, Meng Hengyuan soon faced consequences as well; the father and daughter were both detained at the magistrate’s office awaiting trial. Bai Dezhong didn’t plead for Xu Yan, completing what he needed to do before entering the palace to seek medicine for Zhujing.
Thus, the “poisoned” Li Huaiyu’s quality of medicine and food improved significantly, eating well and sleeping well, with Ziyang Jun accompanying her. Her injuries healed quite quickly.
Five days passed, and Li Huaiyu could finally lie down to rest.
When Jiang Xuanjin left the house, only she and Lingxiu remained in the southern courtyard. Lingxiu was quite talkative, sitting by the bed, and applying medicine while chattering away.
“It’s so good that the young lady met His Highness; you don’t know how lively it’s been outside lately, everyone is discussing your relationship with His Highness.”
Li Huaiyu laughed while eating an orange: “One is the revered Ziyang Jun, loved by the people and officials, and the other is the foolish Fourth Miss who has been despised for years. If I were an outsider, I would discuss it too!”
“Not just that, there’s also the Meng family matter.” Lingxiu said, “Although everyone knows it was the lord who sent Bai Mengshi to the magistrate, they say this is His Highness avenging you!”
This statement was a bit absurd, and Li Huaiyu chuckled lightly: “Is this saying too much of me or too little of Ziyang Jun? Our His Highness is quite a remarkable figure, known for being unapproachable and handling affairs with strictness. His discontent with the Meng family has nothing to do with me.”
“Unapproachable?” Lingxiu paused, recalling how His Highness had stayed by the young lady’s bedside a few days ago, shaking her head. “He’s quite sentimental.”
“Foolish girl. You can’t judge a person by their surface!” She shook her head. “Do you know that this sentimental person personally killed his disciple whom he had taught for four years?”
“Ah?” Lingxiu stood up in fright.
Li Huaiyu raised her chin with pride: “Didn’t know, right? That’s the real him.”
When Jiang Xuanjin had taught her etiquette and rules, Li Huaiyu had never taken it seriously, leading him to always wear a stern face when he saw her. If it weren’t for her status, she thought, he would have surely beaten her.
But no matter what, they had shared four years of teacher-student affection; when she was in a good mood, she would send him little gifts. When he was in a good mood, he would teach her calligraphy—though she hadn’t learned it in four years, and her writing had only gotten worse.
And yet, with such affection, he could still kill her without hesitation?
To hell with his sentimentality!
Noticing her young lady’s expression was somewhat off, Lingxiu hurriedly said, “I was just speaking casually.”
Realizing her face had stiffened, Li Huaiyu quickly softened her expression, smiling: “Let’s not talk about this; please send a letter to the Lu residence for me.”
“Okay.” Lingxiu didn’t ask why, obediently taking paper and pen. Watching her young lady scribble, she couldn’t read, but she felt her young lady’s ink marks looked different and couldn’t help but praise her: “Young lady, you write so well!”
Pausing her brush, Li Huaiyu touched her head with a complex gaze: “If the person who taught me calligraphy heard you, it would be great.”
Jiang Xuanjin never thought she wrote well, or rather, he didn’t think she was “writing” at all.
After finishing a letter, Li Huaiyu carefully sealed it and had Lingxiu take it out.
Jiang Xuanjin using Bai Mengshi to drag Meng Hengyuan down was a two-for-one deal, but she felt this matter might allow her to achieve a three-for-one deal as well.
Looking at the Buddha beads on her wrist, Li Huaiyu reached out to touch them, her eyes glimmering with dark light.
…
Jiang Xuanjin left the residence early in the morning and returned in the evening, and as soon as he entered, his expression was not good.
“What’s wrong?” Li Huaiyu asked curiously, “Did something happen?”
“Meng Hengyuan has been secretly dealing in banned drugs, and the storage locations have been found, with solid evidence. He should have been convicted today.” Jiang Xuanjin sat down at the edge of the bed, quite displeased, “But someone in court is protecting him.”
Collusion between officials and merchants had existed since ancient times, so Li Huaiyu wasn’t surprised. She only asked, “Who is protecting him? Is their rank higher than yours?”
Jiang Xuanjin shot her a glance: “The Chancellor’s Chief Secretary, Li Fengxing.”
This person didn’t outrank him, but the tricky part was that he had recently been investigating him. If this case also implicated Li Fengxing, the situation would become much more complicated.
“Li Chief Secretary, I’ve heard of him!” Li Huaiyu quickly raised her hand, “He’s not a good person, notorious for his misdeeds!”
Seeing her in this accusatory manner, Jiang Xuanjin laughed in anger: “Where did you hear such rumors? Li Chief Secretary has been in office for many years; although he hasn’t achieved much, he is considered a loyal minister.”
“A loyal minister?” Li Huaiyu scoffed, “What kind of loyal minister accepts bribes and favors criminal merchants?”
Jiang Xuanjin was taken aback, frowning at her: “How do you know he accepted bribes?”
Of course, she had repeatedly stopped Li Fengxing from being promoted because this person was too greedy, pretending to be a clean official in public while secretly accepting large amounts of gold and antiques, using his power for personal gain—he was not a good person at all.
However, she couldn’t say this to Jiang Xuanjin. Li Huaiyu smiled and casually pulled someone out as a shield: “It was said by Manager Lu.”
Jiang Xuanjin looked at her: “You believe everything Lu Jingxing says?”
“He has no reason to lie to me, does he?” Li Huaiyu pouted, “Besides, people in business know more about these backdoor dealings than you, a prince confined to the court.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere around Jiang Xuanjin grew colder.
Previously, he hadn’t known why Jiang Xuanjin had suddenly become angry; this time, however, Li Huaiyu reacted quickly, sensing something was off, and immediately made amends:
“However, Manager Lu can only know some of this news. Compared to Your Highness, who manages the affairs of the state, he is still far behind!”
Jiang Xuanjin’s gaze turned icy as he looked at her.
Li Huaiyu chuckled foolishly.
“Even if you put evidence of Li Fengxing accepting bribes in front of me, I still can’t touch him.” He said, “This person is of greater use to me. So now that he’s involved, I can neither report Meng Hengyuan’s case nor directly convict him.”
Stuck in a dilemma, unable to move either way, was the most frustrating part.
“What use could he possibly have?” Li Huaiyu asked. “With his ordinary qualifications, anyone could replace him.”
“Can anyone replace his position and his testimony?” Jiang Xuanjin said, somewhat irritated. “You know nothing; don’t give me useless suggestions.”
His words were somewhat hurtful, and almost the moment they left his mouth, Jiang Xuanjin regretted it. However, it was too late to take them back; he bit his lip, glancing at the person on the bed with a hint of guilt.
Li Huaiyu suddenly fell silent, her eyes downcast, her eyelashes trembling, her smile completely gone.
This expression resembled that of a proper young lady, but for some reason, he felt a tightness in his chest and thought it was normal for her to chatter away.
Clearing his throat, he asked her, “Have you taken your medicine?”
Li Huaiyu nodded, remaining silent.
“…What about dinner?”
She nodded again, still silent.
Jiang Xuanjin fell into silence, frowning as he thought for a while, then took an orange from the side, peeled it, removed the stems and fibers, and offered it to her lips.
Li Huaiyu was taken aback, looking up at him, and saw him pursing his lips, lowering his eyes, muttering, “It’s quite sweet.”
The anger she had painstakingly built up almost crumbled. Li Huaiyu gritted her teeth, thinking, why couldn’t he keep that deadpan face? Why was he suddenly so obedient? Was he trying to tease her?
Irritated, she opened her mouth and bit the orange segment from his hand, angrily chewing it and mumbling, “I don’t know anything, so why are you in such a hurry? Just die of anxiety!”
Jiang Xuanjin pursed his lips, pondering for a moment, then said, “Li Fengxing has written a testimony, certifying that Sima Xiang was taken away by Princess Danyang at the time of his death.”
Li Huaiyu froze, almost biting her lip: “What?”
“Do you know Princess Danyang?” he asked.
Nodding dazedly, Li Huaiyu wanted to smile again but found it hard: “Who in Northern Wei doesn’t know her?”
Not noticing her expression, Jiang Xuanjin lowered his gaze: “This princess was accused of ‘murdering Chancellor Sima Xu,’ with solid evidence, and died from poison bestowed by the emperor. That poison was sent by me; at the time, I thought… she deserved it.”
“But after she died, I discovered many inconsistencies. A little investigation revealed even more discrepancies. Sima Xu’s death seemed to have hidden circumstances, and the charges against the princess seemed to have hidden circumstances as well.”
He spoke earnestly as if confiding his troubles to someone unaware, his brow furrowed, eyes filled with confusion.
“A few days ago, two high-ranking officials went to report to the emperor, saying that Li Fengxing forged testimony, claiming he wasn’t present that day and couldn’t prove that Chancellor Sima was taken away by the princess. So I’ve been gathering more evidence recently to see if Li Fengxing is indeed lying.”
“…This is what you don’t know.”
Li Huaiyu stared at him in a daze, and as he finished the last word, a storm surged in her heart and mind.
What did this mean? Jiang Xuanjin was investigating whether she had been wronged. Why was he investigating? Wasn’t he the one who had arranged everything from the palace banquet, step by step framing Sima Xu’s death on her? Why was he saying these things now?
Her first reaction was to think he was lying. However, he didn’t need to say these things; she was now Bai Si Xiaojie Bai Zhujing in front of him, not Princess Danyang Li Huaiyu. He had no reason to deceive her!
So, was he telling the truth? Was he in a dilemma over Li Fengxing’s matter because he was afraid of dragging him into Meng Hengyuan’s case, making it much more complicated to investigate other cases? Did he genuinely sense something was off and want to give her justice?
Jiang Xuanjin… wasn’t the murderer behind her?
Her pupils constricted, and Li Huaiyu’s eyes widened, momentarily forgetting to breathe.
“What’s wrong?” Seeing her reaction, Jiang Xuanjin tightened his jaw, “You don’t believe me?”
“No… I believe you.” Taking a breath, Li Huaiyu replied, forcing a smile, “You’re so generous to tell me everything, not worried I’ll leak your secret; how could I not believe you?”
Jiang Xuanjin felt her reaction was somewhat strange, but thinking she must have been frightened by his words, he didn’t think much of it. After all, she was a girl raised in a boudoir; how could she have heard of such court matters?
After a moment, Jiang Xuanjin said, “You must not leak a word of what I’ve told you to anyone, especially not to Lu Jingxing.”
The last six words were said somewhat sternly, and Li Huaiyu hugged his waist, her voice filled with laughter: “Don’t worry; we’re getting married next month. You’re my inner person, and everyone else is an outsider; I’ll naturally listen to you.”
As she hugged him, the soft scent of medicine enveloped him, and Jiang Xuanjin’s body stiffened, staring at her: “We’re getting married next month; we’re not married yet; what kind of behavior is this?”
“What is behavior?” she replied. “I’ve never heard of it.”
After saying this, she hugged him even tighter.
Jiang Xuanjin’s hands were slightly raised, and he sighed helplessly.
“If you want to know whether Danyang was wronged, why not directly ask the people around her?” she said, leaning against him. “Isn’t that faster than starting with Li Fengxing?”
Mentioning this, Jiang Xuanjin said, “Do you think I haven’t thought of that? But the people around her are tight-lipped; I can’t get anything out of them.”
The reason he hadn’t sent Qingsi to the magistrate was that he wanted to ask about Danyang. But Qingsi was so stubborn that no matter how he asked, she wouldn’t open her mouth; what could he do?
“Can’t get anything out? Then just trick them!” Li Huaiyu propped herself up, smiling as she asked, “Do you want me to teach you how to trick them?”
Seeing the mischievous smile on her face, Jiang Xuanjin found it amusing. He asked, “What brilliant idea does Fourth Miss have?”
Lying, deceiving, and tricking seemed to be Bai Si Xiaojie’s forte. As soon as she started talking, her eyes sparkled.
“Isn’t it simple to extract information? Just capture someone who knows the situation and lock them up; you don’t even need to ask anything. Just keep them locked up for a few days. Once they’re exhausted and their consciousness is hazy, find someone to pretend to rescue them. While rescuing them, you can extract information; wouldn’t that work?”
As she spoke, she gestured: “The impersonator must look somewhat like them, and they should be taken out of your territory, making them think they’ve truly escaped. This way, they’ll feel at ease to talk.”
Originally, he had just asked casually, but unexpectedly, she had a real plan that sounded quite good. Jiang Xuanjin fell silent, his eyes flickering.
Lu Jingxing received a letter from the Bai residence, glanced at it a few times, and instructed his subordinates to take action.
Li Huaiyu wanted to use Meng Hengyuan’s matter to tear Li Fengxing’s skin off; this was a good idea. Just right, Han Xiao and Yun Lanqing were both holding back their anger, and they would surely be happy to help with this matter.
There was no need for him to take the stage.
Yawning, Manager Lu lazily leaned back in his rocking chair, the Nanyang jade fan swaying back and forth, planning to take a good nap.
However, not long after, another letter arrived.
Sleepily reaching out to open it, he glanced at it and became alert, sitting up straight to read the entire letter, his expression uncertain whether to be happy or unhappy.
Crushing the letter in his hand, he headed to the northern courtyard.
This courtyard had ten side rooms lined up, with a wide open space in front, featuring wooden dummies, weapon racks, and archery targets. If it weren’t in his residence, outsiders would think it was a martial arts school.
At the door of the first side room, Lu Jingxing knocked.
“Sir?” The person who opened the door was slightly surprised to see him, then immediately asked, “Is there another opportunity to save Qingsi?”
Lu Jingxing chuckled softly: “You’re quite clever.”
The person stepped out, his heroic brows reflecting in the moonlight, his eyes serious: “I’ll go wake the others.”
After saying this, he turned and walked back along the corridor. Each door he passed, he knocked once, and soon, all ten side rooms opened one after another.
In no time, ten men stood neatly in front of Lu Jingxing.
Looking at these ten men, Lu Jingxing felt quite emotional. These men had once been concubines in Feiyun Palace, dressed in silks and satin, adorned with jade crowns and gold hairpins, looking quite flamboyant. Unexpectedly, now they wore clean and neat clothing, exuding a heroic spirit, making it hard to associate them with their former selves.
“Please speak, my lord.” Jiu Wu stood at the front, cupping his hands in salute.
Lu Jingxing came back to his senses and smiled: “In a few days, Qingsi may leave Jiang’s residence; I’ll need your assistance then.”
“Alright.” Jiu Wu nodded without hesitation. “Please instruct us on how to proceed.”
As the night deepened, Lu Jingxing lit a lamp and discussed Li Huaiyu’s plan with them, carefully deliberating the rescue and retreat routes.
When he finished, Lu Jingxing looked at the ten men and suddenly wanted to tell them that Danyang was still alive.
Among these ten men, some owed their lives to Danyang, some were drawn to her way of doing things and voluntarily joined, and some had conflicts with their families, so they went to Feiyun Palace to enjoy life.
Regardless of how they ended up in Feiyun Palace, they had served Danyang for several years under the title of concubine. Danyang had treated them well, and naturally, they had deep feelings for her. In a sense, they were all like family to her.
If they knew she was still alive, they would surely be overjoyed, and their hatred would lessen significantly.
However… Lu Jingxing sighed. He couldn’t say it; this matter was too big. The more people who knew, the more danger Danyang would face. It was better to keep it hidden for now.
Jiu Wu and the others didn’t notice Lu Jingxing’s complex feelings. Knowing there was another opportunity to save Qingsi, they were in good spirits, sending Lu Jingxing off before practicing a few moves in the courtyard.
“Once Qingsi is out, let’s kill that Jiang scoundrel.” Someone said quietly while practicing.
Jiu Wu shook his head: “Qingxian, you’re too impulsive. Do you think Jiang Xuanjin is that easy to kill?”
Qingxian retorted: “How would we know if we don’t try?”
“Let’s focus on saving Qingsi first.” Jiu Wu shook his head. “We missed such a good opportunity last time. Don’t be too optimistic this time.”
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
Previously, they had helped the princess with tasks, had broken into high-ranking residences, and had even entered the dungeons, but none of those places compared to the defenses of Jiang’s residence. Sneaking in to save someone was already difficult; how could they directly go to assassinate Ziyang Jun?
Thinking about this plan, Jiu Wu felt there was no problem, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease, as if something was about to go wrong.
Five days later, his premonition became reality.
A thief broke into Jiang’s residence and took away a bloodied maidservant—this news didn’t require them to inquire; anyone walking near Jiang’s residence could hear the townsfolk discussing it.
“Just now, at the southern courtyard wall, I happened to pass by. Oh, it scared me to death; I hope it’s not a robber kidnapping someone?”
“Who could kidnap someone from Jiang’s residence? It seems there’s no commotion at Jiang’s residence; if someone went missing, wouldn’t they be looking for them?”
“What’s going on? That maidservant looked terrifying; her clothes were stained red with blood.”
Ignoring the discussions, Jiu Wu led his men forward.
He didn’t know how Lord Lu had managed it, but the defenses of Jiang’s residence were strict, yet he had found a way to let Jiang Xuanjin bring Qingsi out.
It was much easier outside than inside Jiang’s residence; as long as they intercepted smoothly, rescuing her wouldn’t be difficult.
Seeing a group of figures in the distance, Jiu Wu’s eyes lit up, and he immediately quickened his pace. The ten men drew their swords, and the sound of clashing metal rang out, startling the people in front to turn around.
“Who goes there!”
Who would answer such a foolish question? Jiu Wu focused on the barely conscious person in their hands and charged forward without a word. The ten men worked in perfect harmony, quickly breaking through their obstacles and seizing the person.
“Qingsi? Are you alright?” Jiu Wu asked anxiously, protecting against the surrounding swords while looking down.
The person in his arms paused, slowly raising her head to brush aside the hair on her face, smiling at him: “Qingsi is doing well in Jiang’s residence.” After a pause, she added, “Lord Jiu Wu.”
His pupils constricted, and Jiu Wu quickly released her, raising his sword to stab.
Cheng Xu deftly dodged the attack, sighing, “I was just trying to catch a small fish, but I didn’t expect you to bite the hook. If my master sees you, he will surely be very happy.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding guards who had pretended to retreat closed in again, completely blocking the path of the ten men.
Jiu Wu’s face turned pale in an instant.
At the Bai residence,
Li Huaiyu was teasing Jiang Xuanjin: “If I say a sentence, will you repeat the first word of that sentence?”
Jiang Xuanjin replied coldly, “Are you bored?”
“Isn’t it boring? I’ve been lying in bed for so many days with nothing to do.” Pouting, she said, “Play with me! This is simple; let’s see how quick your reaction is.”
Turning a page of documents, Jiang Xuanjin said irritably, “You say.”
Li Huaiyu grinned and said, “I am the most beautiful girl in all of Northern Wei!”
Jiang Xuanjin: “…?”
“What does that expression mean?” Li Huaiyu glared at him angrily. “I asked you to repeat the first word; I didn’t ask you to agree with the statement!”
Regardless of whether he needed to agree, just saying that sentence was quite shameless, wasn’t it? With a complex expression, she looked at him, and Jiang Xuanjin repeated, “I.”
“Just like that; answer faster.” Li Huaiyu laughed, quickly saying, “The spring sunshine?”
“Spring.”
“The autumn harvest?”
“Autumn.”
“The person you cherish?”
“You.”
The words came out quickly, and only after finishing did Jiang Xuanjin realize something was off. He looked up and saw the person on the bed laughing so hard she was rolling around.
“The person you cherish is me.” She laughed while saying, “Remember what you said!”
Realizing he had been tricked again, Jiang Xuanjin’s temples throbbed, and he angrily said, “Shameless!”
Hearing this, Li Huaiyu not only didn’t get angry but laughed even more joyfully, rolling around and almost falling off the bed.
When Cheng Xu entered, he saw Bai Si Xiaojie hugging the blanket and laughing foolishly, while his master sat far away in a chair, not knowing whether he was angry or what, his ears slightly red.
“Master.” Without time to delve into what had happened between the two, Cheng Xu whispered, “They caught someone, and it’s not just one.”
“Hmm?” Jiang Xuanjin raised his eyes.
Cheng Xu leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words, his voice very low. Li Huaiyu strained to listen but couldn’t hear. After hearing it, Jiang Xuanjin stood up abruptly.
“What’s going on?” she asked hurriedly.
After instructing Cheng Xu a few words, Jiang Xuanjin walked to the bed, his mood quite good as he said, “You’ve helped me a bit; do you want something?”
He had just been sulking, and suddenly he was so happy and wanted to give her something. Li Huaiyu was surprised, not answering his question, but instead asking, “Did the idea I gave you work?”
“Sort of.” He replied.
Li Huaiyu became anxious: “Can you speak directly? What does ‘sort of’ mean?”
Seeing her curiosity piqued, Jiang Xuanjin explained, “Didn’t you teach me how to extract information? I thought about it, and the person we captured was hard to extract information from. Rather than trying to extract from her, it’s better to use her to extract from others. So I used her as bait to catch the fish that got away last time.”
Li Huaiyu was stunned, her heart sinking.
“Cheng Xu said that this fish is quite big.” Jiang Xuanjin said, “So you can consider it half of your credit.”
Li Huaiyu: “…” She didn’t want that half credit.
She had wanted to create an opportunity for Lu Jingxing and the others to save Qingsi, but instead, it had backfired, and they had been harmed. Clenching her fists slightly, Li Huaiyu felt both angry and amused. Was Ziyang Jun born to be her nemesis? Otherwise, how could he use the pit she had dug for him to bury her?
“I’d like to meet the person who can make you so happy.” Suppressing her anger, Li Huaiyu put on a jealous expression, “Didn’t you ask me what I wanted? I want to go with you to see the excitement!”
Jiang Xuanjin paused, then frowned: “What’s so exciting to see?”
“I don’t care!” Li Huaiyu pouted, “We’re about to be married; I can’t be ‘in the dark’ about everything! From today on, I want to know everything you’re interested in!”
This domineering and unreasonable demeanor was both annoying and somewhat adorable, making Jiang Xuanjin feel a headache: “What does a young lady like you have to do with these matters?”
“Who said I’m meddling?” Li Huaiyu placed her hands on her hips, seriously saying, “I want to meddle with you!”
“…”
Saying a few shameless words, did she think he would soften? Jiang Xuanjin turned coldly and left.
Half an hour later, he carried Bai Zhujing onto the carriage.
No, this wasn’t him softening; it was just that this person was too much of a nuisance. He wanted to walk alone, but she clung to his waist, refusing to let go, both acting spoiled and pretending to be pitiful, even crying to Yufeng about how he was a traitor and a heartless person…
Not to mention the traitor part, to call herself a dog was truly going too far. If he didn’t take her along, he would become the most unfaithful man in Northern Wei.
Forget it, Jiang Xuanjin thought; she was just a woman, and it wasn’t a serious matter, so bringing her along wouldn’t hurt.
Thus, Li Huaiyu enjoyed Ziyang Jun’s embrace in a pose of acting dumb and was then placed behind the screen in the main building, where she saw those who had been captured.
As soon as she saw Jiu Wu, her heart trembled, and upon seeing the neatly arranged nine men behind him, Li Huaiyu’s vision darkened, nearly fainting.
How had these people been captured? How could they have been captured? Weren’t they supposed to leave Kyoto?
Jiang Xuanjin sat in the main seat, remaining silent for a while before speaking: “Are you all well?”
Jiu Wu had no intention of exchanging pleasantries with him, directly saying coldly, “Kill or cut; do as you please!”
These people had all had grievances with Ziyang Jun to some extent. Ziyang Jun looked down on them, thinking it absurd for the princess to keep them in the palace, and they looked down on Ziyang Jun, believing he was too meddlesome.
In the past, with Danyang around, Ziyang Jun hadn’t been able to do anything to them. Now that Danyang was gone, they had fallen into this person’s hands; what good outcome could they expect?
The ten men below had already prepared to accompany the princess to the underworld.
However, Jiang Xuanjin neither ordered their execution nor their dismemberment. Ignoring their furious glares, he remained calm: “You only need to answer me one question, and you can leave here.”
Jiu Wu was somewhat incredulous, frowning: “What trick are you playing?”
How could he possibly let them go so easily?
“Before questioning, why not listen to my question first and see if you can answer it.” Jiang Xuanjin said.
Jiu Wu frowned: “Speak.”
Jiang Xuanjin stood up, his gaze sweeping over the ten men in the room, and asked in a deep voice: “Where was Danyang at the time of Sima Xu’s death?”
Was he asking this? The crowd was somewhat surprised, exchanging glances before falling silent.
When the princess was questioned, it was because she couldn’t prove she wasn’t present at the time of the incident. She indeed wasn’t present, but she couldn’t say where she had gone. Moreover, even if she did say, no one would believe her.
“What? Can’t you answer?” After waiting for a while without hearing a response, Jiang Xuanjin frowned impatiently.
In the silence, Qingxian spoke up: “She’s dead; what’s the point of asking this?”
Jiang Xuanjin didn’t hide it: “Naturally, I want to know whether Sima Xu was killed by the princess.”
“Of course not!” Qingxian retorted, “Why would she kill Chancellor Sima? Chancellor Sima was a good person!”
“Oh?” Jiang Xuanjin turned to look at him, “Then do you know where she was at that time?”
Qingxian was momentarily speechless, instinctively glancing at Jiu Wu, who scrutinized Jiang Xuanjin for a moment before coldly saying: “If we answer, will you let us go?”
“Of course.”
“Then fine, I’ll tell you.” Jiu Wu said, “The princess was not at the banquet. She wasn’t at Fulu Palace; she was…”
Bang—
Suddenly, a loud crash startled Jiu Wu, causing him to swallow the words he was about to say. Everyone was taken aback, turning their heads to look.
The large pearwood double-embroidered screen had inexplicably fallen, shaking the entire room. Behind the screen sat a little girl in a chair. She seemed startled as well, blinking in confusion before grinning at them:
“Hehe!”