“Well, it seems you’ve shown some backbone?” Yin Gezhi snorted, casually glancing at the skeletal remains in the coffin beside him. Just as he was about to pay his respects, he suddenly noticed something amiss.
“Fengyue, have you examined these remains carefully?”
Just as she was trying to calm her emotions, she heard this question from beside her. Fengyue gritted her teeth and turned to snap: “Do you understand anything about respect? Even if I didn’t show much respect to the old man when he was alive, how can you keep staring at his bones now?”
Yin Gezhi was indeed staring intently, which prompted Fengyue to forget propriety and kick at him. However, even without looking at her, Yin Gezhi easily dodged and pulled her over, forcing her head to look into the coffin.
Fengyue frowned, her grief still fresh, and seeing Guan Canghai’s remains brought tears to her eyes again.
Hm? Wait a moment.
She caught sight of something dark in her peripheral vision. Fengyue blinked hard, pushed away Yin Gezhi’s hand, and looked closer.
Four tall candlesticks burned beside the coffin, and in their light, the black marks on the ribs appeared particularly clear.
“If I remember correctly, they said General Guan committed suicide out of guilt,” Yin Gezhi frowned slightly. “But looking at this, it appears more like he was poisoned.”
Fengyue froze, then laughed bitterly, turning to glare at him: “You believed Guan Canghai would commit suicide out of guilt? He never committed treason, what guilt? How could someone so unyielding commit suicide? These remains show death by poison. As for where the poison came from in the prison – I don’t need to spell that out, do I?”
Yin Gezhi closed his eyes, muttering: “Could such things happen within the imperial prison?”
With a derisive laugh, Fengyue said: “Your Highness, I’ve even managed to kill someone in Wu Kingdom’s prison, so how secure is your Wei Kingdom’s prison? Moreover, at that time, the voices condemning Guan Canghai for treason were loud, from court officials down to common people. Guan Canghai refused to admit guilt, and the prison couldn’t provide an explanation – what other path was there?”
So Guan Canghai was poisoned to death in prison and labeled as having “committed suicide out of guilt”? Yin Gezhi’s face darkened, his gaze suddenly turning sharp.
This was the Three Offices’ investigation he had previously trusted, this was the Chief Inspector Shi he had believed to be fair and just! Just today when he met Shi Youxin, the man had even expressed regret about General Guan’s fate. Now it seemed Guan Canghai’s death was inextricably linked to him! For someone to be murdered under his supervision during his case – how could he not have known?!
Sniffling, Fengyue couldn’t be bothered with him and crouched beside the coffin, her lips trembling as she continued crying. Her tears fell onto the earth below, seeping into the soil drop by drop.
After thinking for a while, Yin Gezhi looked at her. He had intended to leave, but hearing those intermittent sobs made his chest ache.
What a tragic fate…
He closed his eyes, bent down, and picked up the crouching figure, saying softly: “Stop crying.”
Without any strength left in her body, Fengyue tried futilely to pull at his hands, saying resentfully: “Mind your own business!”
“If I don’t mind, do you have the ability to seek revenge yourself? Just stop crying!” Yin Gezhi frowned: “Your crying is too annoying.”
“I’ll handle my revenge. But you – what are you doing here in the middle of the night?” Fengyue roared: “If you leave, won’t that solve the annoyance?”
“…” From childhood to now, who had ever dared to shout at him like this? Even if he owed her, hearing such words, he should leave!
Yet, with her in his arms, his heart felt too full to let go.
Yin Gezhi pressed his lips together and asked softly: “I have some premium Nanmu wood with golden grain patterns – would you like some?”
The crying stopped abruptly. Fengyue paused, asking: “What’s that?”
Taking a deep breath, Yin Gezhi chuckled softly: “The best wood for making coffins, unavailable anywhere else.”
Since there wasn’t proper dignity in death, now we must use the finest materials! Fengyue considered for a moment, then shamelessly nodded, immediately forgetting her earlier shouts for him to leave. She blinked and asked: “If I want it, Your Highness will give it?”
“Yes, I’ll have it made into a coffin and sent here when it’s done.”
“Alright then,” Fengyue wiped her face and nodded: “I’ll stop crying.”
She stopped crying just like that? Yin Gezhi shook his head, casually took some incense from nearby, lit it at the candlestick, and respectfully paid his respects to Guan Canghai. Then he turned and found the funeral home’s proprietor, whispering with him for quite some time.
Thus, when the group from the compound arrived the next morning, they found the memorial hall had already been properly set up. Everything had been arranged. Fengyue, with swollen red eyes, was sleeping on Yin Gezhi’s leg, looking exhausted even in sleep.
Hearing some movement, Fengyue immediately opened her eyes. Seeing Luo Hao and the others, she relaxed and sat up, saying: “I didn’t notify you all last night.”
Madam Qiu looked anxious and wanted to say something, but then saw the characters carved on the memorial tablet. She immediately fell silent, and everyone stood properly, performing nine full bows to the temporary coffin containing the remains. Afterward, Madam Qiu said chokingly: “General Feng sent someone to inform us yesterday, and we knew Young Master would be very upset, so we didn’t return. But none of us could sleep well all night!”
“I’m sorry.” Fengyue stood up and handed them incense.
Madam Qiu wanted to say more, but unexpectedly met Yin Gezhi’s displeased gaze. Frightened into silence, she didn’t ramble on, efficiently offering incense and reciting prayers.
Several of the men saw the remains and their eyes turned red, hatred making them grind their teeth. After finishing the prayers, they gathered around Fengyue, speaking in lowered voices: “Young Master, we want to avenge the General!”
“Haven’t we been doing that all along?” Fengyue smiled slightly: “As for how my father died, we just need to ask the presiding official.”
“But the Inspector’s Manor… isn’t very easy to enter,” Yin Yanzhong frowned and said: “Our people planted inside also say that Shi Youxin is extremely cautious and reluctant to meet anyone.”
“That’s easy to solve,” Madam Qiu said: “Isn’t His Highness still here? If His Highness invites him for a meeting, he surely wouldn’t decline.”
Everyone turned their gaze toward Yin Gezhi. Fengyue thought it made sense and was about to speak when she heard him say flatly: “No.”
Madam Qiu was stunned, quickly recovered, and nudged Fengyue with her elbow, whispering: “Say something.”
Say what? Fengyue narrowed her eyes. She just couldn’t stand Yin Gezhi’s arrogant manner, as if nothing could be accomplished without him! If it weren’t for thinking about the Nanmu wood coffin that hadn’t been delivered yet, she would have cursed at him!
Turning her head away, she smiled and said: “What’s the use of inviting the Chief Inspector out? He won’t tell the truth anyway. Let’s approach this from another angle and let him receive retribution for his evil deeds.”
Yin Gezhi nodded: “In that case, this prince will take his leave.”
With that, he rose gracefully and left without looking back.
Fengyue bared her teeth, watching his figure disappear at the doorway, and said angrily: “Who did he learn this temperament from? It’s so annoying, insisting that people beg him before he’ll help. Well, I refuse to beg – let him suffocate!”
Luo Hao helplessly said: “Young Master, if he doesn’t help, there’s no loss to him, so how would he suffocate?”
“This is where you don’t understand,” placing her hand on his shoulder, Fengyue put one foot up on a nearby bench and said carelessly: “People like Yin Gezhi care about face. If you make him lose face, he’ll hold it in!”
Nodding, Luo Hao thought it made sense, and asked another question: “But how does that benefit us?”
Everyone fell silent.
Fengyue withdrew her hand and said seriously: “Let’s prepare for the funeral first. When the coffin arrives, we’ll properly leave through the city gates with paper money and white banners, then choose an auspicious location to let the old man rest in peace.”
“Alright.” Everyone in the courtyard agreed and began making arrangements.
Feng Ming had intended to come to see Fengyue the next day, but before he could leave, his father blocked the doorway with a stick.
“Where do you think you’re running off to?!” The Marquis of Zhenguo said sternly: “You’ve already incurred imperial anger with all your running around, why can’t you behave?”
Leaning helplessly against the doorframe, Feng Ming said: “Father, His Majesty won’t look favorably upon me even if I stay at home, so I might as well go out.”
“Unfilial child!” The Marquis raged: “There’s a banquet at the Left family at noon, you must attend with me!”
The Left family? Thinking of Miss Left who acted so affected whenever she saw him, Feng Ming shook his head repeatedly: “I won’t go!”
“You’re going whether you want to or not!” The Marquis roared: “How old are you now? In other families, you’d already be a father to two children! So many young ladies stuffing things into your arms outside – can’t you just properly marry a few and give your father a grandson to hold?!”
With a look of disdain, Feng Ming said: “I’m not interested in any of them.”
“Then who are you interested in?!” The Marquis raged: “Tell me, and I’ll arrange the betrothal!”
“Really?” Raising an eyebrow slightly, Feng Ming smiled and said immediately: “Then I want to marry the Guan family’s eldest daughter, Guan Qingyue.”
The Marquis: “…”
The stick wasn’t taken in vain. The Marquis of Zhenguo beat Feng Ming until he was covered in bruises, then locked him in the woodshed to cool off for a few days.
Hearing this news, Fengyue laughed: “He should get married. He wasn’t free before, but now that he has time, he can consider it.”
“Young Master,” Madam Qiu sighed and said: “How was General Feng not free before? Before going to war, so many young ladies offered double the usual dowry, but he wouldn’t marry. Once he accidentally said in front of everyone that he would only acknowledge the original engagement, and when it reached the Emperor’s ears, the Marquis of Zhenguo even knelt outside the imperial study for half an hour. The Emperor even intended to bestow marriage with the Princess of Nanping, but he was unwilling. That’s why the Emperor quickly stripped him of his military authority and gave him the duty of guarding the palace gates.”
Her mouth hanging open, Fengyue felt her heart sink like a stone had been tied to it, dropping to who knows where.
So… everything he had told her before was a lie?
Thinking of Feng Ming’s face which always wore an expression of indifference, Fengyue frowned, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.
What merit, what virtue did she have? She hadn’t even treated him very well, how could she deserve such devoted treatment?
In low spirits, Fengyue crouched in the corner, not responding to anyone’s calls, just silently thinking. When the golden-threaded Nanmu wood coffin was delivered, everyone was shocked, but seeing her state, no one told her that this golden-threaded Nanmu wood was coffin material exclusively reserved for the imperial family…