Imperial Palace.

In the Imperial Study.

Pei Xiao knelt on the ground, his face completely composed, but his heart long since burning with urgency, scratching ears and cheeks, all five organs aflame.

One full hour—he had been kneeling in the Imperial Study for a complete hour. His legs had gone numb, yet the new Emperor still hadn’t opened his mouth to ask a single question.

Damn it, was the plan to boil the frog in warm water and kneel him to death?

And that damned eunuch surnamed Cai beside him.

The Emperor doesn’t open his mouth to ask, so you should proactively speak! The dignified master of the Northern Office—is your courage the same size as mine, Young Lord Pei’s?

What kind of Embroidered Uniform Guard are you?

After several tremendous thunderclaps, Pei Xiao finally couldn’t endure it. He decided to attempt self-rescue, damn the consequences.

“Your Maj—”

Just as he began, Pei Xiao felt the flagstone beneath his knees tremble several times.

What’s happening?

An earthquake?

Pei Xiao quickly raised his head, only to see the new Emperor stop the brush in his hand and look somewhat suspiciously at the attendant.

Clearly, he too had felt those tremors just now.

“Your Majesty, this slave will go see what’s happening?”

The new Emperor waved his hand dismissively. His gaze lowered and met Pei Xiao’s. Frightened, Pei Xiao quickly lowered his eyes.

Just having lowered them, he raised them again. He took a deep breath and said:

“Your Majesty, this subject swears by the Pei Family’s successive ancestors—the five hundred characters written in the memorial are all true, word for word. If even one character is false, please Your Majesty grant me…”

“How about being torn apart by five horses?”

Huh?

Just threatening, or for real?

Pei Xiao gritted his teeth and steeled himself. “Torn apart by five horses it is!”

The new Emperor’s gaze shifted. “And Lord Cai?”

Cai Si squeaked in a high voice: “This subject is the same as Lord Pei—every sentence in the memorial is true. If even one sentence is false, please Your Majesty decree this subject’s death.”

“How fine—’decree this subject’s death’!”

The new Emperor: “In your memorials, one claims the mourning bell wouldn’t sound, one claims the celebration bell wouldn’t ring. The mourning bell not sounding means the Late Emperor’s virtue was lacking; the celebration bell not ringing—does that mean I’m unworthy of sitting on this throne?”

Hearing these words, Pei Xiao and Cai Si were alarmed. They quickly prostrated on the ground, saying in unison: “We subjects absolutely have no such meaning. Please Your Majesty see clearly.”

The new Emperor sneered coldly. “Someone, take these two…”

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, terrible news…”

An attendant stumbled in, rushing all the way before the new Emperor before falling to his knees with a thud.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, the, the surrounding walls of Old General Zheng Yu’s residence have all, all collapsed.”

“What?” Pei Xiao blurted out in shock.

Seeing everyone’s eyes turn toward him, he quickly covered his mouth tightly and prostrated on the ground, playing dead.

The new Emperor’s expression darkened. “Why did they collapse?”

The attendant thought to himself: How would he know?

“The report from outside only said that after a tremendous thunderclap, the four surrounding walls crashed to the ground. They, they didn’t say why they collapsed.”

The new Emperor roared angrily: “Then quickly send people to investigate!”

“Yes.”

The attendant stumbled out again.

Pei Xiao seized the opportunity to raise his head slightly, stealing a glance at the new Emperor’s complexion. The complexion was truly ugly—one moment white, one moment green, finally turning directly black.

How could it not turn black?

Old General Zheng Yu’s residence was at least several decades old. It didn’t collapse early, didn’t collapse late, but collapsed precisely after the new Emperor’s ascension.

What was even more incomprehensible—how could a perfectly good wall collapse?

Even if struck by lightning, it could only split one corner, not result in all four surrounding walls crashing down entirely.

Wasn’t this supernatural?

Thinking this, Pei Xiao’s expression suddenly changed.

Today was also Qingming—Qingming when one worships ghosts, after all.

In the Zheng Family case, Wu Guanyue and his son weren’t the true culprits. Could it be that the one hundred eighty ghosts of the Zheng Family were causing trouble, wanting to find out who truly murdered them?

Just then, the new Emperor braced his hands on the chair arms, struggling to stand, slowly walking before the two kneeling men.

Pei Xiao felt a chill at the back of his neck, thinking whether living or dying, it all came down to this one sentence.

“Your Majesty, this subject feels this matter and the bells failing to sound are both beyond human capability.”

He spoke word by word, forcefully and powerfully.

“As the saying goes, when matters defy normalcy, demons are at work. This subject’s life and property are small matters, but if this is heaven’s warning that the Zheng Family’s blood case has irregularities…”

Cai Si sharply turned his head, looking at Pei Xiao incredulously.

Had this youngster gone mad? How could he drag in the Zheng Family blood case—that was…

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

Dragging in the Zheng Family blood case meant the mute bell matter was directed at the Zheng Family and had nothing to do with the new Emperor, didn’t it?

He quickly spoke in support: “Your Majesty, better to first summon the Imperial Observatory to divine this matter.”

The new Emperor’s expression was uncertain. After a long while, he said coldly: “Someone, go summon people from the Imperial Observatory.”

“Yes!”

On the ground, Pei Xiao and Cai Si exchanged glances, both seeing a trace of hope in each other’s eyes.

There’s hope for survival!

…

The violent wind and rain suddenly ceased a quarter-hour later. Dark clouds gradually dispersed, the sun reappearing in the sky.

“Master, Master.”

Xie Xiaohua swung his chubby legs running over. “Found out clearly—that tremendous sound was, was the Zheng Family’s surrounding walls in Four Lanes collapsing.”

Zheng Family?

Old General Zheng Yu?

Xie Daozhi’s expression changed drastically. “Collapsed? How did they collapse?”

Xie Xiaohua’s heart trembled. “Don’t know—just with a tremendous boom, all collapsed.”

“All collapsed?”

“Right, not even one corner remained.”

“Let’s go take a look.”

At this moment, the area surrounding the Zheng residence was already packed with people who’d come to watch the excitement.

What did they see?

Broken walls and ruins, overgrown weeds, a scene of devastation and desolate decay.

“The Zheng Family matter—truly sinful.”

“To this day, the true culprits still haven’t been caught.”

“Wu Guanyue and his son, those dog thieves, should go to hell.”

“Perfectly fine—why did the walls fall?”

“Strange, so strange.”

“Strange what? Definitely because the true culprits weren’t caught, those one hundred eighty wronged souls have no one to burn incense and paper for them—they’re angry.”

“Broad daylight—don’t speak carelessly.”

“Who’s speaking carelessly? I’ve lived most of my life, earth buried up to my throat. When have I ever seen perfectly good walls collapse by themselves?”

“Heard that even the Zheng Family’s main gate and two side gates all collapsed.”

“Even the gates collapsed—definitely not a good thing.”

“Father, I want to go inside and look.”

“Look at what? Back up! Careful you’ll be haunted by wronged souls who’ll take your little life.”

At these words, the crowd retreated like a tide.

Squeezed in the crowd, Xie Daozhi lifted his robe hem and walked from east to west along the collapsed surrounding walls to the Zheng Family’s main gate.

Indeed, the main gate had also become ruins, the white jade stone shattered into pieces.

Xie Daozhi picked up a piece and examined it in his palm repeatedly, his expression gradually growing grave.

This was the most solid white jade stone—wind and rain for a hundred years couldn’t cause it to collapse, much less shatter into pieces.

“Xie Xiaohua, immediately go to the yamen and find Third Master. Tell him to quickly send people to Four Lanes to maintain order.”

“Yes, Master.”

Xie Daozhi hurried home.

Qingming Festival worship, Zheng Family walls collapsing, common people gathering to watch, people’s hearts in turmoil… This matter required quickly submitting a memorial to the new Emperor.

Not an auspicious omen!