Shen Moyuan narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on Shao Yanzhe with a murderous glint.
Shao Yanzhe, under the scrutiny of Shen Moyuan’s dark, intense eyes, remained unthreatened by the killing intent within them.
He cupped his hands respectfully toward the crowd and declared righteously, “I discovered this unintentionally and only uncovered the truth after extensive investigation. From the brief mentions in the County Annals, I learned of the Yun Family’s Eldest Daughter’s talent and could not bear to see her legacy vanish. Thus, I seized this opportunity to seek justice for her!”
As he spoke, he turned to Sun Heqing, who remained seated, and bowed respectfully. “Your Honor, I have not slandered Lord Shen. The records in the County Annals are genuine. I implore you to review them!”
Shen Moyuan snapped his head toward Shao Yanzhe. Sun Heqing was his political rival—if he were to see the records, it would mean his downfall.
His eyes blazing with ferocity, Shen Moyuan snarled, “Silence! Guards, seize this man who dares slander an imperial official!”
After a long wait, no guards stepped forward to obey his command.
He glanced around and saw the guards standing motionless like wooden puppets, enveloped in a haze of black mist that seemed to isolate them from their surroundings.
Following Shen Moyuan’s gaze, the others instinctively looked at the guards. Those standing nearby, noticing the guards’ strange state, quickly backed away.
“What… what’s happening? Why have they become like this?”
“This must be the work of ghosts!”
“What? How could ghosts possibly enter this place!”
Shen Moyuan withdrew his gaze, his eyes flickering with thought. Then, he pointed accusingly at Shao Yanzhe. “Was it you? Did you bring the ghosts here?”
Shao Yanzhe, the target of the accusation, wore an innocent expression. As the crowd turned to him, he immediately feigned indignation, adopting the demeanor of one wronged. “Lord Shen, without evidence, you cannot falsely accuse me! How could I possibly have brought ghosts here!”
Shen Moyuan’s fingers brushed against the spider pattern on his sleeve, and his face darkened moments later.
The spell he had used to control Yun Weiyue had failed!
Could it be that the ghost here was Yun Weiyue?
That traitorous Mo Ying must have betrayed him and released Yun Weiyue!
Hmph! That disloyal maid should never have been spared!
He knew all too well how much Yun Weiyue resented him. The moment she broke free from his control, he was certain she would come for him!
Realizing this, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He scanned his surroundings warily, his fingers resting on the spider engraving on his arm, ready to summon Mo Ying for protection at any moment.
Since Mo Ying had already shown signs of betrayal, this was the perfect opportunity to let Yun Weiyue eliminate her and vent some of her resentment.
“Everyone, it’s best if we gather together. There is strength in numbers. Even if there are ghosts causing trouble, our numbers will surely deter them!”
At Shao Yanzhe’s words, the panicked Xiucai instinctively clustered around him.
In an instant, everyone at the banquet had gathered together, leaving Shen Moyuan standing alone in place.
Shao Yanzhe’s eyes shifted, and he said to him, “Lord Shen, could the ghost causing trouble at this Luming Banquet be none other than Yun Weiyue? Has she come to seek revenge on you?”
Shen Moyuan glanced at him but remained silent. Now was not the time to deal with such a petty person. He could faintly sense two murderous gazes fixed upon him.
Given his current official status, the amount of Literary Qi he could manipulate was considerable. Even if he were to confront Yun Weiyue, he would not be at a disadvantage.
However, his gaze shifted to the scholars and officials gathered together, and his eyes darkened momentarily. These people had learned his secret. In that case, they should not blame him for being ruthless!
He immediately summoned Mo Ying.
As soon as Mo Ying appeared, she glanced at Shen Moyuan and reluctantly knelt before him. “Master!”
Resentment flashed in her eyes, but bound by the restrictions placed upon her, she had no choice but to obey his commands. The bitterness in her heart swelled uncontrollably.
Her power was still too weak, utterly insufficient to break through those restraints!
“Rise! Kill all of them!”
She abruptly turned her gaze to the people present, a fierce glint flashing in her dark red eyes. The resentment in her heart surged toward them.
When the gathered scholars and officials saw Mo Ying appear, they couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.
“It’s true! It really is a ghost!”
“Why does it seem like she’s obeying Lord Shen’s commands?”
“Could it be that Lord Shen is behind all this?”
“Could it be that what Scholar Shao said was true? Is Lord Shen trying to silence us?”
“What! Does Yun Weiyue really exist? Then why don’t I remember her at all?”
“Perhaps Lord Shen used some method? After all, he can now control ghosts. Making us forget Yun Weiyue wouldn’t be difficult for him.”
“What should we do now? This ghost looks extremely powerful. Can the officials here handle it?”
Immediately, hopeful gazes fell upon Sun Heqing and the others.
Sun Heqing and his companions wore grave expressions. Having all gone through the Imperial Exam, they had inevitably encountered ghosts before and could roughly gauge a ghost’s level.
The ghost before them seemed somewhat weakened, likely due to previous injuries.
However, her original strength was considerable. If they were to confront her, they might barely protect themselves, but safeguarding the others would be difficult.
“Shen Moyuan! How dare you collude with a ghost to harm imperial officials!” Sun Heqing demanded, his face grim.
Shen Moyuan smiled faintly and said, “As long as all of you die, no one will know I killed you!”
Terror dawned on the faces of the crowd. They never expected that merely attending a Luming Banquet would lead to such a situation.
Shen Moyuan savored the fear in their eyes as they looked at him. Then, he turned to Mo Ying. “Why are you still standing there? Kill them!”
Mo Ying obediently drifted toward the crowd, her nails suddenly growing long and sharp.
Seeing that she was about to strike, Sun Heqing had no choice but to step forward with several other officials, shielding the others.
Shen Moyuan watched them leisurely. “Blame yourselves for knowing too much!”
“Hmph! Shen Moyuan, just admit your evil deeds. Stop making excuses!”
Shao Yanzhe had no intention of indulging him and continued, “If I’m not mistaken, were you behind the deaths of the scholars from Wenyuan Academy and other academies?”
“What if I was? Even if you’ve figured it out, there’s no way you’re leaving here alive!” Shen Moyuan retorted.
“What! Brother Wenhua’s death was actually caused by Shen Moyuan!”
“Outrageous! Brother Li was killed by Shen Moyuan!”
“And Brother Zhang!”
“And Brother Qian!”
As everyone tallied it up, roughly fifty people had fallen victim to Shen Moyuan’s schemes recently—and that was just the recent count.
Shen Moyuan let out a light laugh. “They were mediocre talents to begin with. It’s an honor for them to contribute to my cause. Perfect timing, really—I’m about to be promoted to Vice Minister of Revenue, and you’ll make a fine celebration.”
As he spoke, he gently patted the poetry collection in his hand, his gaze toward Shao Yanzhe and the others utterly devoid of warmth, as if they were mere inanimate objects incapable of stirring any emotion in him.
“Brother Shao, what should we do now?” Liu Mingyuan quietly sidled up to Shao Yanzhe to ask.
Shao Yanzhe had previously hinted, whether intentionally or not, that something unexpected might occur at this Luming Banquet and advised them to avoid attending if possible. But they had assumed it would be similar to the incident at the teahouse last time—never expecting to encounter supernatural forces at work.
Remembering Shao Yanzhe’s earlier warning, they guessed he might know something and approached him for a solution.
Shao Yanzhe glanced at the four of them, then focused intently on the battle between Sun Heqing’s group and Mo Ying. He quickly deduced that they were no match for Mo Ying. Had Sun Heqing been thirty years younger, he might have been able to handle Mo Ying, but now, advanced in age and lacking stamina, he would inevitably tire and be defeated.
“We’re currently trapped in a ghost domain. Escaping won’t be easy,” Shao Yanzhe explained.
“Ghost domain? Like that Illusion from the exam?” Su Yuheng asked with a frown.
Shao Yanzhe: “Exactly. We’re trapped inside, and the master of this ghost domain hasn’t yet appeared. If we want to leave, we’ll likely need to help her exact revenge.”
Su Yuheng: “Revenge? By killing Shen Moyuan for her?”
Shao Yanzhe: “Of course not. I believe she’d prefer to deal with Shen Moyuan herself.”
Su Yuheng: “Then how do we help? Don’t keep us in suspense, Brother Shao. I assume the master of this ghost domain is Yun Weiyue, and the current situation must be part of your plan together. Just tell us what we need to do.”
Shao Yanzhe neither confirmed nor denied it. Dismissing the question casually, he said, “Yun Weiyue is currently under Shen Moyuan’s control and is only temporarily suppressed. But if she appears, Shen Moyuan will realize she hasn’t broken free. So, I need to help her break that control first.”
Liu Mingyuan snapped his folding fan shut with a sharp clap against his palm. “Brother Shao, do you have a way to help Yun Weiyue break free from control?”
Shao Yanzhe nodded. “I’ve been observing Shen Moyuan and noticed he frequently reaches into his sleeve. The object controlling the ghost must be hidden there. I plan to search for it.”
After hearing this, the four including Liu Mingyuan instinctively glanced at Shen Moyuan across from them. Only then did they notice he had been keeping his hands tucked in his sleeves all along. Recalling his earlier demeanor, which hadn’t been like this, they realized Shao Yanzhe’s speculation was likely correct.
“What do you need us to do?” Liu Mingyuan narrowed his eyes as he inquired.
Shao Yanzhe gave them a surprised look: “I don’t need you. You just need to protect yourselves. I’m only telling you this to set your minds at ease and prevent you from accidentally disrupting my plans.”
As he spoke, he smoothed his sleeves: “Now, step back. I’m going in!”