On the first day of the third month, she had Ma Shan and his men intercept and beat up her brother halfway, preventing Ye Changming from committing "examination fraud"—completed.
On the second day of the third month, she smashed the Guanyin Statue in her grandmother's prayer hall, hid the Military Map and that rebel note, preventing "Grandmother from concealing evidence of collusion with the enemy"—completed.
On the third day of the third month.
Ye Xiren had barely slept all night. Estimating the time was about right, she intercepted Ye Pei, who was preparing to attend the morning court. Before Ye Pei could speak, she anxiously asked, "Father, have you found anything about the military provisions matter I asked you to investigate these past two days?"
She hadn’t been idle the past two days, having reminded him multiple times. However, not knowing the specifics, she could only ask Ye Pei to investigate.
"Nothing has been found. I’ve had Lu Qian watched; he can’t frame me. Xixi, don’t worry. Getting up so early isn’t good for your health. Go back to sleep quickly…"
How could she not worry?!
Ye Xiren hadn’t expected him to be so dismissive and grew anxious. "Even if Lu Qian doesn’t harm you, it doesn’t mean others won’t. Lu Qian must have been instructed by someone else. Father, if you expose the issues with those military provisions, you’ll bring trouble upon yourself. Someone will pin it all on you!"
She hadn’t missed Lu Qian’s words, "The master ordered it." Though she didn’t know if it was related to the Ye family’s affairs, it was always better to be cautious.
They must guard strictly and defend resolutely.
Ye Pei’s pupils contracted sharply as he stared at Ye Xiren. "You knew I would bring up the Military Provisions Case?"
Yesterday, after Ye Xiren foiled the plot involving the Guanyin Statue, he had asked her to clarify who told her, but he hadn’t gotten a definite answer. When she mentioned the military provisions, he assumed she had heard something. He never imagined that not only did she know about the Guanyin Statue in advance, but she also knew he would bring up the Military Provisions Case today!
This was still in the planning stages, known to very few people…
How did she know about the Peace Faction’s schemes and the War Faction’s secrets?!
"That’s not the point." Ye Xiren scratched her head, somewhat frustrated. "The point is, once you bring up the Military Provisions Case, they will pin everything on you, accusing you of embezzling military funds. Are you sure you haven’t found anything?"
"Truly nothing." Ye Pei shook his head firmly, then asked after a moment, "Who exactly told you this? It must be someone very close to the other side, right? Otherwise, how could you know everything in advance?"
Ye Xiren: "…"
That really isn’t the point!
She wasn’t surprised that nothing had been found. Ye Pei was an extremely intelligent man. Knowing someone was targeting him, he would surely take precautions. The Military Provisions Case was something he initiated, yet he still fell into the trap…
That meant the other side’s methods were extremely subtle and difficult to deal with.
She took a deep breath, grabbed Ye Pei’s sleeve, looked up into his eyes, and said word by word, "Father, today you will expose the Military Provisions Case in court. Afterward, the court will be in turmoil, and the Emperor will demand a thorough investigation.
"You were the one who reported it, but in the end, it will be discovered that the embezzlement of military funds, which led to problems with the provisions sent to the Yanjia Army, was done by you, the Minister of Revenue. You will confess at the Dali Temple, write a confession in your own hand, and accept punishment. The Emperor will be furious and sentence our entire Ye family to execution."
When Ye Pei heard the words "execution of the entire family," his pupils contracted sharply, and his face filled with shock.
Ye Xiren slowly exhaled and continued:
"Whether you believe I've personally experienced it, dreamed it, or even had someone tell me… this is what will happen today, Father. Are you still going to court? Do you really think no one can frame you?"
Not only frame, but successfully send their entire family to be executed, making her beheaded for the fifth time.
Ye Pei remained silent for a long time.
He looked into Ye Xiren's eyes—dark, pure, and flawless. Even while speaking of such terrifying things, with anger that seemed capable of burning everything in her gaze, there was still determination and courage: the determination to prevent the nightmare from happening, the courage to save the Ye family.
This was his daughter.
After a long while, Ye Pei spoke, his lips trembling slightly: "Xixi, no matter how you found out, Father believes you."
Just as Ye Xiren felt relieved, he revealed a bitter smile:
"But I cannot skip court. Today is the day of peace talks between Daliang and Bei Yan—it's crucial. Bei Yan's sincerity in these talks may not be genuine, and Father must be there to oversee it. Moreover, officials cannot miss morning court without reason. I have no excuse not to go."
Ye Xiren was trying to stop him precisely because she didn't want him to go!
Just like with the Examination Fraud, they couldn't control what happened inside the examination hall, but they could prevent Ye Changming from going. This was the simplest way to "pull the firewood from under the cauldron."
"How can that be? Father can request leave!" Ye Xiren widened her eyes, insisting he not go.
Ye Pei shook his head, smiling bitterly:
"If I feign illness to request leave, imperial physicians will come to verify it. Those who want to frame us will not miss this opportunity. Once it's confirmed, it will be the crime of deceiving the emperor."
Hearing this, Ye Xiren hesitated, cautiously asking: "The crime of deceiving the emperor? Just for requesting leave… is it that serious?"
"Very serious," Ye Pei nodded earnestly, utterly certain. "If the emperor is displeased, it could be a crime punishable by Execution of the entire family."
Ye Xiren: "…"
Ye Pei raised his hand to pat her head, his gaze steady and resolute, his voice firm and clear: "Xixi, don't worry. Now that I know, I will definitely not fall into the trap. There's still some time before court, so Father will go make some arrangements first."
Hearing this, Ye Xiren's shoulders completely relaxed, and she let out a sigh of relief.
Ye Pei's expression turned serious as he waved toward the door: "Old Jiang."
Steward Jiang hurried over, and Ye Pei prepared to leave with him.
Still uneasy, Ye Xiren grabbed Ye Pei's sleeve, taking a few steps forward with him, blinking as she urged: "Father, don't mention anything about the Military Provisions Case today, to avoid causing trouble."
Ye Pei immediately nodded: "Don't worry, I won't mention it."
After speaking, he patted Ye Xiren's head again, his eyes full of affection, before hurrying out with Steward Jiang. The door opened and quickly closed again, letting in a gust of night wind.
Ye Xiren tightened her cloak, twisting her handkerchief, still uneasy. But thinking that her father now knew and would handle it, unlikely to fall into the trap again, her tension gradually faded.
The sky was still dark, with a bright moon and sparse stars. Ye Xiren yawned and turned back to her room to sleep.
Outside the door.
After whispering a few words to Steward Jiang, Ye Pei's brows furrowed into a deep "川" shape, his eyes clouded with unshakeable worry. He looked back at the tightly closed door, remaining silent for a long time.
The hour of Wei.
Ye Xiren woke up from her sleep and began waiting anxiously again. She paced back and forth in the courtyard, as if there were nails under her feet, unable to stand still.
Ye Changming reclined on a lounge chair inside the pavilion, tossing away melon seed shells. A book lay draped over him, while on the table sat a plate of melon seeds and another of shelled kernels. This man loved eating melon seeds, especially enjoying a handful of kernels all at once.
He looked rather helplessly at Ye Xiren and finally couldn’t hold back from speaking: “What on earth is wrong with you? Can’t you just sit down and rest for a while?”
Ye Xiren turned her head.
Picking up a fruit placed nearby, she hurled it at Ye Changming. She was already frantic with worry, yet this person remained completely oblivious, leisurely shelling melon seeds like this…
Once the hour of Wei passed, it would be the hour of Shen.
On the previous third day of the third lunar month, during the hour of Shen, it was the day Ye Pei confessed to embezzlement of military funds at Dali Temple. Now, she still had no idea what was happening inside the palace—how could she not be anxious?
Did Ye Pei already know what was about to happen? Had he prepared in advance? Had the schemer behind the scenes’ plot failed?
Just thinking about these things made her heart burn with worry, and seeing the carefree Ye Changming only irritated her further.
Ye Changming, struck by the fruit, sucked in a sharp breath. “Ye Xiren! Are you trying to murder your own brother? I really ought to let everyone see what kind of shrew the supposedly gentle and dignified Second Miss Ye truly is!”
Ye Xiren glared fiercely at him.
Still, with this interruption, some of her anxiety dissipated. She sat down beside him, picked up the plate of shelled melon seeds Ye Changming had prepared, and stuffed them into her mouth. Chewing the kernels, she ground them as if they were bones.
Ye Changming wanted to say something, but seeing her demeanor, he backed down.
He grabbed another handful of melon seeds, shelling them for her as he asked, “What’s really going on with you? So irritable—is it that time of the month…?”
Ye Xiren looked at him, then after a long pause said, “Brother, I really envy you.”
“Huh?”
“Carefree, heartless, with nothing but water in your head. You don’t have to think about anything, worry about anything, or have anything at all.” Ye Xiren let out a long sigh.
Ye Changming: “??”
He stared blankly for a long moment before raising his voice:
“Are you calling me stupid?!”
He raised his hand as if to hit Ye Xiren, but seeing her brows furrowed tightly, unable to relax, he felt a pang of pity. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, “If you weren’t my own sister, I’d definitely teach you a lesson!”
Ye Xiren ignored him, stuffing all the melon seed kernels into her mouth until her cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s. Silently, she murmured: Will it go smoothly after all?
So many questions remained unanswered. What exactly had happened at court? How had the other party managed to frame Ye Pei?
Though she didn’t understand much about court affairs, occasionally hearing a word or two from her parents’ conversations, Ye Xiren knew that Ye Pei, as Minister of Revenue, didn’t hold much real power. Yet by sitting in that position, he tightly controlled everything within the Ministry of Revenue, ensuring he could remain securely in place without being overthrown.
Ye Pei was a clever man—how had the other party managed to pin the blame on him?
Even more puzzling was the so-called “confession during the hour of Shen.” Once Ye Pei was arrested, how had he confessed so quickly? Had something happened to him at Dali Temple?
Doubts arose in Ye Xiren’s mind, and she turned to ask, “Brother, if an official enters Dali Temple, will they be severely tortured and forced to confess?”
“How could that be?”
Ye Changming shook his head and poked Ye Xiren’s forehead. “You, a sheltered young lady, truly know nothing about the unspoken rules of the court. If torture is needed, they’d most likely go to the Imperial City Department, into Lu Qian’s Imperial Prison.”
"As for being locked up in the Dali Temple? That's mostly for officials who commit crimes. They won't suffer too much torment there. You don't know—the cells inside are far more comfortable than those in the Imperial Prison. Officials often go in and stay for a few days. How could they possibly be forced into false confessions?"
Ye Xiren frowned.
Ye Changming tossed a melon seed into his mouth and said in a low voice, "Little girl, don't worry about these things. Even if others end up in trouble at the Dali Temple, it definitely won't be Father."
"Why?" Ye Xiren didn't understand.
Ye Changming leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Have you forgotten? The Chief Minister of the Dali Temple is Uncle Bai. He and Father passed the imperial examination in the same year and have been close friends for many years…"
Ye Xiren's pupils contracted in disbelief as she stood up abruptly.
That's right!
The Chief Minister of the Dali Temple is Bai Chengguang, Uncle Bai. The two have been friends for many years and have always supported each other in official circles. It's understandable that Ye Pei might be forced into a false confession if he fell into the hands of Lu Qian from the Imperial City Department. But if he were detained in the Dali Temple, how could Uncle Bai not protect him?
Then what exactly happened?
Something's wrong.
There must be something off somewhere.
Ye Xiren furrowed her brows, countless thoughts swirling in her mind. She couldn't sort through the tangled mess—she was still missing some information to piece it all together…
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed.
Author's Note: