Taohua pursed her lips and handed the blood letter to him without a word.
Qin Huaiyu broke out in a cold sweat and quickly knelt, pleading, “My Lord, I’ve been wronged! This shouldn’t be held against me!”
Shen Zaiye frowned as he finished reading the blood letter. He looked up and asked coldly, “If not you, then who should be held responsible?”
Her eyes darting around, Qin Huaiyu had a sudden inspiration. She pointed at Taohua and exclaimed, “Lady Jiang taught me all the rules. I was just following them!”
Taohua’s eye twitched, and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes skyward.
How typical. Qin Huaiyu never listened to her teachings before, but now that there was trouble, it suddenly became Taohua’s fault. This girl shouldn’t be called Qin Huaiyu, but rather an ungrateful wretch!
Shen Zaiye wasn’t fooled. He glanced at Taohua once before fixing his gaze back on Qin Huaiyu. “The person died because of your actions, not Lady Jiang’s. Once the coroner’s report is out, you’ll have to answer to the Liu family.”
“I…” Qin Huaiyu bit her lip, unsure what to say. As she lowered her head, a devious thought crossed her mind.
The Beijing Yamen was under her father’s jurisdiction. Perhaps she could write home and ask her father to pull some strings, making it appear as a homicide rather than suicide. Then she couldn’t be blamed!
The more she thought about it, the better this idea seemed. Qin Huaiyu stopped arguing and excused herself to write the letter.
“I suddenly feel that the Madam’s position is well-deserved,” Duan Yunxin remarked. “In her absence, many issues have arisen in the household.”
The implication was clear: Jiang Taohua wasn’t fit to manage affairs, not as well as Mei Zhaoxue had.
Taohua glanced at her and smiled, not intending to argue. However, Shen Zaiye, ever the troublemaker, looked at Taohua and asked, “Taohua, do you feel the same way?”
Inwardly, Taohua cursed him, but outwardly she smiled sweetly. “My Lord, if a farming family had two sons, each plowing a field for a day, and the elder son worked under clear skies while the younger faced constant rainstorms, could you judge which son plowed better?”
Weather conditions had nothing to do with one’s plowing skills, just as the household issues weren’t Taohua’s fault. Her job was to handle the aftermath, not prevent every incident from occurring.
Shen Zaiye understood and chuckled lightly, glancing at Duan Yunxin. She lowered her gaze and said nothing more.
Officials came to take Liu Shiyi’s body away, leaving a somber atmosphere in the mansion. Duan Yunxin requested to pray in the Buddhist hall, while Taohua followed Shen Zaiye to Linwu Court.
“My Lord, what’s the status of Qin Jieyu’s case?” Taohua asked as they entered the main room. “Has a verdict been reached?”
Instead of answering, Shen Zaiye said coolly, “You’ve done all you can for Steward Xu. Don’t concern yourself further. Focus on handling Liu’s matter first.”
“But,” Taohua frowned, “Steward Xu is still eagerly waiting. He inquires about the progress every day when paying respects to me.”
Shen Zaiye remained silent, lowering his gaze to drink tea.
Qin Jieyu was still detained in the Beijing Yamen prison, but her crime hadn’t been determined. Inspector Qin had pulled some strings behind the scenes. Even when the final verdict came, Qin Jieyu would certainly not face execution.
“From your expression, My Lord, it seems there won’t be a satisfactory outcome for Steward Xu,” Taohua observed, her gaze deep. “And you don’t intend to give him a proper explanation.”
“This doesn’t concern you, Taohua,” Shen Zaiye said quietly. “Just mind your affairs. Why insist on being the good person?”
Those in power were always cruel this way, making decisions for the greater good without truly considering the suffering of those beneath them. They used grand principles to persuade you, then chose to sacrifice you.
Shen Zaiye was a qualified leader in this regard.
Realizing that appealing to emotions wouldn’t work, Taohua smiled and decided to discuss benefits instead. “My Lord, how do you think we should resolve Liu Shiyi’s death?”
“You needn’t worry about that either,” Shen Zaiye replied. “Inspector Qin is quite experienced in handling murder cases. Having lost one daughter, he’ll protect the second one well. He won’t let Qin Huaiyu take the blame, no matter what.”
“So, My Lord intends to watch as Inspector Qin disregards Great Wei’s laws and manipulates things behind the scenes?” Taohua smiled. “Let’s not mention other cases, just the trouble his daughters have caused requires considerable effort to cover up. In the process of covering up, wouldn’t there be many weaknesses for others to exploit?”
Intrigued, Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a slight smile. “What devious plan are you concocting?”
“How is this devious?” Taohua scoffed lightly. “You’ve always prided yourself on being upright and impartial. Though just, you lack a human touch. If Inspector Qin makes a mistake this time, and you privately advise him, wouldn’t people praise you for being both firm and gentle, making him even more loyal to you?”
Her words sounded pleasant, but the basic meaning was clear: if Inspector Qin wanted to protect his daughter, he would inevitably do things against the law. If Shen Zaiye could grasp these weaknesses and privately threaten him, how could Inspector Qin not pledge allegiance?
Shen Zaiye looked at her deeply and suddenly sighed, “It’s truly a pity you were born a woman.”
“How is it a pity?” Taohua smiled, casting him a coy glance. “If I were a man, that would be the real pity.”
Shen Zaiye’s mouth twitched in disgust. “Enough. Regarding Qin Jieyu’s matter, I’ll give Inspector Qin two choices. If he values his daughter’s life more than his career, we can only let Qin Jieyu off lightly. But if he prioritizes his career… well, after sacrificing Qin Jieyu, there’s still Qin Huaiyu.”
Look at that! And he said her thoughts were wicked! Shen Zaiye was the truly ruthless one. No matter how Inspector Qin chose, there was no good outcome.
Feeling satisfied, Taohua obediently poured him more tea, smiling sweetly. “My Lord has been working so hard lately. You should take care of your health. Why not visit Zhengchun Pavilion tonight? I could give you a shoulder massage.”
“Not tonight,” Shen Zaiye said, pursing his lips. “The Emperor wants me to enter the palace this evening to discuss state affairs by candlelight. I won’t be back.”
“I see,” Taohua nodded, not thinking much of it.
With Liu Shiyi’s death, fewer people in the household dared to wander about. Servants and maids exchanged meaningful glances when they met, then quickly parted ways. No one dared speak ill of Qin Huaiyu, but neither did anyone consider her a good person anymore.
Having written a letter home, Qin Huaiyu huddled under her blankets, still shaking. She ordered her maids to stand guard by her bed, not allowing any to leave.
“Don’t be afraid, My Lady,” a maid comforted her. “There are so many of us here. We can keep watch for you tonight.”
“Yes, Liu Shiyi took her own life. You didn’t kill her with your own hands. There’s no need to worry,” another added.
Qin Huaiyu stubbornly replied, “I’m not worried. I’m just a bit cold.”
It was almost summer, and the weather was warm. How could she be cold? Hearing this, an inexperienced young maid muttered, “Could it be that there’s too much yin energy in our room, making it cold?”
This comment terrified Qin Huaiyu, who immediately buried herself deeper in the blankets, refusing to come out.
In this state, she couldn’t even eat. The maids had no choice but to seek Jiang Taohua’s help.
“Does the lady truly believe in ghosts?” Sitting by Qin Huaiyu’s bed, Taohua’s expression was complex. Not knowing what else to say, she waved for Qingfeng to bring a Buddha statue. “Since you’re scared, take this. It’s been consecrated in the most efficacious temple in Great Wei. With this in your room, no evil spirits or ghosts will dare approach.”
Hearing this, Qin Huaiyu immediately hugged the statue to her chest, feeling somewhat more at ease. “Thank you, Lady Jiang.”
“No need for thanks. Just wait calmly for the coroner’s report and don’t do anything else. That would be enough to make me grateful,” Taohua sighed helplessly. “If Liu truly committed suicide, be prepared to apologize to the Liu family and face punishment from the Lord.”
Trembling slightly, Qin Huaiyu hugged the statue and whispered, “I understand.”
If she had to apologize and face punishment anyway, how could she possibly do nothing?
There was nothing unusual about Liu Shiyi’s body. It appeared to be a normal suicide by hanging, except for some strange marks on the neck, suggesting she had struggled before death.
Upon receiving his daughter’s plea for help, Inspector Qin cursed them for always causing trouble while hurriedly arranging connections within the Beijing Yamen. He rewarded the coroner with a substantial amount of silver, instructing him to rule it as murder, not suicide.
The coroner, seeing the money, was initially prepared to comply. However, another faction approached him with money, insisting he rule it as suicide.
What was going on? The coroner was stunned, holding two banknotes and instruction slips, afraid to offend either side and unsure what to do.
At that moment, Prime Minister Shen personally arrived!
Seeing the gentle smile on the Prime Minister’s face, the coroner immediately confessed everything, begging for Shen’s help.
“Hand everything over to me. You’ll be my witness from now on,” Shen Zaiye said quietly. “As for the autopsy results, report whatever you find.”
“Thank you, Prime Minister!” The coroner kowtowed repeatedly. As he raised his head, he received a third sum of money from an attendant. “This is your reward.”
Never had he encountered a corpse that brought him such benefits! The coroner accepted the money with trembling hands, repeatedly assuring that he would use all his expertise to conduct a thorough examination.
“This is an unexpected gain,” Shen Zaiye smiled, looking at the notes in his hand as he picked up Xu Yangui on the way. “Besides Inspector Qin, someone else is concerned about this matter. It seems Liu’s death is indeed not simple.”
Xu Yangui grumbled, “You’ve encountered trouble again, so you finally remembered to rescue me? Where were you earlier?”
“You committed the grave crime of stealing Prince Yu’s treasures,” Shen Zaiye said coolly, not even looking at him. “You’ve already been sentenced to death, so keep a low profile and don’t speak so loudly.”
“I object!” Xu Yangui frowned. “Why should I die for stealing a jade pendant? I even bit Qin Jieyu, but they didn’t do anything to her!”
“Is this your first day in the outside world?” Shen Zaiye sneered. “Qin Jieyu has Inspector Qin backing her. You’re just a guest I expelled from my household. How could your punishments be the same?”
Xu Yangui frowned, then after a while said, “Great Wei’s laws are indeed only used to punish commoners.”
“Good that you understand,” Shen Zaiye put away the items and said, “Your vacation is over. Go back to working in the shadows. Now, investigate which two factions attempted to bribe the coroner, and deliver a bottle of medicine to the palace.”
“What medicine?” Xu Yangui curiously looked at the item handed to him, wrinkling his nose. “If you’re asking me to deliver it to the palace, it can’t be anything good.”
“Then why ask?” Shen Zaiye glanced at him and swept out. “Prince Jing wants to enter the Eastern Palace. You need to move quickly.”
“Understood.”
Everyone entering the palace was subject to a body search, so only Xu Yangui could deliver this item. Shen Zaiye himself entered the palace openly in his carriage, waiting for the Emperor to emerge at the entrance of Zhilan Palace.
“Prime Minister,” the head eunuch came out and bowed, “The Emperor is having a pleasant conversation with Noble Consort Lan. Would you like to go in and pay your respects?”
“Very well,” Shen Zaiye nodded, following the eunuch inside. He bowed formally, “This subject pays respects to Your Majesty and Noble Consort.”
“You’ve come at the right time, beloved minister,” the Emperor smiled. “Come and judge for us. Lan’er insists she won this round, but looking at the board I’m the winner.”
Shen Zaiye looked down and saw they were playing Go.
“The Prime Minister will naturally speak in Your Majesty’s favor,” Noble Consort Lan smiled sweetly. “How can he judge fairly?”
“The Prime Minister is, after all, your brother. It’s not certain whose side he’ll take,” the Emperor laughed heartily. “Is my beloved consort feeling uncertain?”
“Hmph,” Noble Consort Lan turned away, her gaze deep as she looked at Shen Zaiye. “Then, brother, tell us who won?”
She emphasized the word “brother,” making it sound quite unpleasant. But Shen Zaiye seemed not to notice. He looked at the board and said, “Your Majesty has won.”
The Emperor laughed loudly, while Noble Consort Lan pouted unhappily. “Brother hasn’t spoken properly with me for so long. I fear he no longer recognizes me as his sister. Look, he’s even telling blatant lies now.”
Shen Zaiye smiled but said nothing.
Emperor Mingde, having laughed enough, noticed the tension between the siblings. After some thought, he said, “I suddenly remembered leaving something in the Imperial Study. I’ll be away for the time of an incense stick. You two should talk.”
With such a doting emperor, Noble Consort Lan should have been content. Yet her eyes showed little joy. She merely performed a perfunctory bow, watching as Emperor Mingde left.
The palace doors remained open, but all the servants withdrew. The two entered the inner chamber, with Noble Consort Lan speaking first: “The Prime Minister’s heart is truly cruel.”
“Did you receive the item?” Shen Zaiye asked, lowering his gaze.
“I did. It’s something vicious,” she scoffed, taking a few steps closer to him and speaking softly. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll be exposed and implicate you?”
Shen Zaiye replied expressionlessly, “He won’t suspect you. Even if he does, he won’t blame you.”
(End of Chapter)