“My eldest brother once gave me a manor. I never go there myself and leave it to my steward to manage. It’s out in the countryside, hardly anyone around, maybe we could send them there.”
Shen Shixu thought the place Xiao Jinyi mentioned was quite suitable. Right now, these young women needed somewhere quiet and undisturbed where they could slowly heal from the wounds to their hearts.
Shen Shixu and Xiao Jinyi escorted the women toward the exit, but just as they stepped out and reached the iron gate, a group of men with murderous intent in their eyes came striding toward them, blades in hand.
Xiao Jinyi raised his sword and met them head-on, while Shen Shixu gripped his own sword and stood in front of the women, watching Xiao Jinyi nervously.
Xiao Jinyi’s swordsmanship flowed like drifting clouds and water no flashy flourishes, every strike plain and efficient. Whenever he drew his blade, the opponent lost their ability to fight.
But no matter how skilled Xiao Jinyi was, he couldn’t hold back the ever-growing numbers, especially with a crowd of people to protect behind him. Gradually, one or two bandits slipped past him and reached Shen Shixu.
The women behind Shen Shixu screamed as the burly, knife-wielding men drew closer, and even 011 was sweating on Shen Shixu’s behalf.
Xiao Jinyi was worried too. Even though Shen Shixu had assured him earlier that he was no frail scholar, he still couldn’t put his mind at ease.
011 had curled itself into a ball. Terrified as it was, it wanted to scream along with the women, but afraid of throwing off Shen Shixu’s focus, it could only nervously keep watch on the two knife-wielding men charging at him.
[Big brother, careful! They’re coming at you! Maybe you should take those ladies back inside and hide? Shut the big iron gate and they probably won’t be able to get in.]
Shen Shixu had no time to respond, the knife was already slashing toward his neck.
Shen Shixu raised his sword to block. As the second man swung his blade at his back, he kicked out behind him, his heel slamming into the man’s chest. Using the momentum of that kick, he lunged forward with sudden force. The man clashing blades with him hadn’t expected his strength to surge so abruptly, and in an instant he was forced down onto one knee.
Before the man could react, just as he tried to rise, Shen Shixu slashed across his throat, and blood sprayed out.
Blood splattered across Shen Shixu’s face and body, but he paid it no mind, raising his sword to face the man he’d just kicked away.
That man, seeing that Shen Shixu was not to be trifled with, decided to bully the weak instead and turned toward the women. But the moment he approached with his knife raised, a sword pierced straight through his chest.
Xiao Jinyi had been keeping an eye on Shen Shixu throughout the fight. Seeing that he was handling himself well, he stopped worrying. By the time he finished off his own opponents, Shen Shixu had just dispatched the two men as well.
Xiao Jinyi walked over, sword dripping blood, his eyes full of admiration as he looked at Shen Shixu. “I always thought you were brilliant at solving cases. I never expected your martial arts to be so impressive too, and your literary talent is remarkable as well. Someone as outstanding as you, there must be plenty of officials out there who’d love to snatch you up as a son-in-law.”
Xiao Jinyi had meant it as praise, but as the words left his mouth, he found himself feeling oddly unhappy. The thought that in the future, Shen Shixu might find some woman to share a harmonious life with, playing qin and se in perfect accord left a faint, uncomfortable ache in his chest.
“I’m not planning to get married yet. Besides, I want to find someone I truly love, I’m not going to marry a stranger just because a matchmaker says so.”
Xiao Jinyi was delighted to hear this, barely able to suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth.
“Enough of that. Let’s hurry up and get out of here, the air down here is awful. And with all this blood on me, I need a good wash.” Shen Shixu looked down at the blood on his clothes with an expression of disgust.
Xiao Jinyi and Shen Shixu led the girls out of the underground palace. They hadn’t seen daylight in so long that when they emerged, they all stood motionless in the sunlight, eyes closed, basking in the sunshine and the fresh breeze.
Xiao Jinyi took out a signal flare he carried with him and set it off, then went over to watch Shen Shixu, who was crouching by a pond, wiping the blood from his face with a clean handkerchief.
Shen Shixu had already taken off his bloodstained outer robe. Fortunately, the weather wasn’t cold, or he would surely have caught a chill.
Mo Yu soon arrived with his men. Xiao Jinyi ordered him to first bring out the survivors from the underground palace and lock them up in the Court of Judicial Review’s prison, then to arrange for a few kind-faced men to escort the girls to his estate outside the city.
Mo Yu had already made three trips today. Even with his formidable martial arts skills, he was utterly exhausted and sorely tempted to just quit on the spot.
Perhaps sensing his weariness and displeasure, Xiao Jinyi said before he left, “Finish everything I’ve assigned you, and you can take tomorrow off. Also, you’ll get double salary this month.”
At those words, Mo Yu instantly felt reenergized and cheerfully led the people away, not a trace of the aloof coldness from when Xiao Jinyi had first met him.
Shen Shixu finished cleaning the blood from his face and said to Xiao Jinyi, who had stayed in the courtyard waiting for him, “I’m done. Let’s head back quickly, the sooner the interrogation starts, the sooner we’ll get results.”
By the time the two returned to the Court of Judicial Review, the people Mo Yu had delivered had already confessed. As Shen Shixu read the confessions submitted from below, his face turned dark with anger.
Xiao Jinyi’s expression was equally grim. The moment he saw that underground palace, he had already had a suspect in mind.
Anyone who could hollow out an entire residence without anyone noticing was no ordinary person, they had to be connected to some court official. He just never imagined it would be him!
“I’ll take these confessions to show my father, the Emperor. Leave the rest to me.” Since the mastermind behind it all wasn’t someone Shen Shixu could afford to deal with, Xiao Jinyi decided to request an imperial decree from Emperor Wu’an to handle it personally.
Shen Shixu understood that he was doing this for his own good. That man was someone he couldn’t afford to offend, better to let someone who could afford to make the arrest!
“All right, I understand. I’ll head back first.”
With the case wrapped up, Shen Shixu planned to go home and change clothes, he was currently wearing nothing but a white inner garment.
Watching him turn to leave, Xiao Jinyi called out, “Almost forgot to congratulate you, cracking such a major case in just one day and firmly securing your position as Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. And don’t forget, you’re expected at morning court tomorrow, Lord Vice Minister!”
Hearing Xiao Jinyi’s form of address, Shen Shixu turned back and gave him a smile, as radiant as summer flowers.
After Shen Shixu left, Xiao Jinyi took the testimony and rode straight to the palace. After reading it, Emperor Wu’an’s veins bulged on his forehead in fury. He slammed the table hard and roared, “Scoundrel! To think he would do such a thing. Out of respect for your aunt and her husband, I’ve let many matters slide with a light touch, but I never imagined that such leniency would only embolden him and make him ever more lawless.
Jinyi, you go yourself. Go seize that scoundrel for me. Don’t hold back just because he’s your cousin.”