The second day of the third lunar month, the hour of Si.
Ye Xiren knelt in the family shrine alongside her grandmother and Liao Changying. The Bodhisattva statue at the front was covered with a red cloth, incense smoke curling upward. Grandmother Zhao Shi moved her prayer beads, reciting scriptures.
Madam Liao prayed for the safety and health of her children.
Ye Xiren remained with her palms pressed together, eyes closed, appearing devout as ever.
It was the second day of the third month once again.
After stopping Ye Changming yesterday, she had used the excuse of "entering with the left foot first" to tie Liu Xu up and throw her into the woodshed, aiming to keep her under control.
With Liu Xu gone, what would happen today?
Compared to yesterday's piety, today Ye Xiren's mind was occupied with other matters. There were countless threads to untangle, a tangled mess, and a crisis that could arrive at any moment—like a blade hanging over her head.
Ye Xiren let out a breath, counting the time. Then, her eyelids trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes, silently mouthing: They're here.
"Bang!"
The main door was kicked open, and familiar footsteps echoed, the dense vibrations moving from the gate into the shrine. Today, Ye Xiren heard it all with exceptional clarity.
These people wasted no time, heading straight for the shrine.
They weren't conducting a search; they already knew their destination, waiting only to uncover the "evidence."
Ye Xiren took a deep breath, closed her eyes again, then quickly opened them. The fear and terror in her dark eyes were completely hidden, replaced by calmness.
The excessive tension made her body stiffen, her heartbeat quicken, and her clasped hands trembled uncontrollably. Yet, it did not affect the growing clarity in her mind—her thoughts were sharper than ever.
Ye Xiren turned her head.
Lu Qian led his men through the courtyard, striding across the veranda and barging into the shrine. He still wore a black gauze cap, his red robe like blood, his gaze sharp as a blade. In his hand, he held a scroll of yellow hemp paper—an imperial edict—as he coldly surveyed those inside.
They all carried swords, each with a fierce expression that instilled uncontrollable fear.
"What are you doing?!" Liao Changying exclaimed in shock.
Lu Qian said coldly, "Bring her forward."
"Thud."
Someone was thrown inside. Ye Xiren immediately looked—it was actually Yun Xiang from her grandmother's courtyard!
Yun Xiang trembled as she pointed at the Bodhisattva statue covered with red cloth at the front, speaking with a guilty expression: "Inside… inside the Guanyin statue. I saw the old madam put something in there with my own eyes…"
Ye Xiren's fingers tightened.
Indeed, without Liu Xu, there was still Yun Xiang. What mattered was never the person. It wasn't someone from her grandmother's courtyard who had hidden the item inside the Guanyin statue—it had been there from the very beginning!
"What?" Liao Changying was stunned.
Lu Qian sneered and stepped forward to retrieve the Guanyin statue.
Suddenly, Ye Xiren stood up, blocking Lu Qian with her body. Her usually gentle voice carried a sharp edge as she pressed her lips together. "What is the meaning of this, my lord? Searching the Ye residence?
"Our Ye family may be insignificant, but my father is, after all, the Minister of Revenue, a second-rank official. My grandmother is a Lady of the Imperial Mandate who has served through three reigns. To search the home of an official… Lord Lu, under whose orders are you acting, and for what reason?"
Her voice grew clearer and more resolute with each word.
Lu Qian raised an eyebrow, looking at her in surprise, his gaze sweeping over her up and down, meaningful. "You're… quite bold, aren't you?"
Ye Xiren lifted her chin. Even her soft, pretty features took on a cool, distant air when she wore a cold expression, refusing to yield an inch. "If you wish to search, my lord, you must state your reason or produce a handwritten order. Otherwise, this would be the Imperial City Department overstepping its authority."
Cowardice is nothing but fear of death.
She…
Having died so many times, what is there to fear?!
Lu Qian’s expression was dark and cold, his voice eerie: “Your Ye family is on the brink of destruction, yet you still dare to act so recklessly?”
With a slight lift of his hand, he pushed Ye Xiren heavily to the ground with just a bit of force. Her arm struck the desk holding the Guanyin Statue, producing a dull thud.
Ye Xiren let out a soft cry, her face pale with pain, brows tightly furrowed.
“Xixi!” Liao Changying rushed anxiously to help her up.
Zhao Shi stood up, turning to look at Lu Qian, her aged face icy. “My granddaughter is right. If Lord Lu wishes to search, you must produce an Imperial edict and state your reasons. Without finding any evidence, what right do you have to treat us as suspects?”
Lu Qian’s eyes turned dangerous.
Then, a mocking smile appeared on his face as he unfolded and raised a handwritten order. “This is a handwritten order from Assistant Grand Councilor Zhang Yuanmou, Councilor Zhang. When the Councilor investigates traitors, all officials in the court must cooperate.
“We have already extracted a confession from the traitors naming your Ye family as accomplices. Our Imperial City Department has the duty of oversight, and now there is a witness who personally saw the Lady of Ye hiding evidence of collusion with the enemy inside the statue. Why should I not search?”
Ye Xiren’s pupils contracted.
Councilor Zhang!
Daliang had two Assistant Grand Councilors. One was Liu Doxi, Councilor Liu, whom she had met earlier while accompanying and hosting the Northern Yan Crown Prince Chizhan Lan Ce. The other was Zhang Yuanmou, Councilor Zhang. The position of Assistant Grand Councilor was equivalent to that of a deputy prime minister, wielding immense power.
…Could it be that Councilor Zhang was the one framing the Ye family?
“Lu Qian, you act recklessly and tyrannically. If you fail to find the so-called evidence of collusion with the enemy, can my Ye family accuse you of abusing your power and acting arrogantly?”
She pressed down firmly, refusing to let go.
The two of them stood facing each other on either side of the covered Guanyin Statue.
A bloodthirsty smile curled at the corner of Lu Qian’s mouth as he stared at Ye Xiren like a venomous snake, word by word: “On the brink of death, yet still refusing to admit defeat until you see the coffin. Such a young girl, but with quite the temper. Once you fall into my hands…”
Ye Xiren’s heart trembled, but she met his gaze nonetheless:
“Consider carefully, my lord.”
Her voice cut off abruptly.
On the desk, after the red cloth was pulled away, it was not the expected Guanyin Statue but… a shoe.
A black boot, roughly the same height as the Guanyin Statue, had been covered with the red cloth, making it look almost identical. Now, this single shoe stood there, its sole still caked with mud.
As if silently mocking them.
“You switched it?!” Lu Qian’s expression changed abruptly as he glared fiercely at Ye Xiren, then swept his gaze over everyone present.
Liao Changying still did not understand what was happening.
Zhao Shi looked at the shoe, her brows slightly furrowed before quickly relaxing.
Ye Xiren straightened her back, her slender fingers gripping her clothes tightly, forcing herself to remain standing firmly in place. She met Lu Qian’s predatory gaze and replied, word by word: “What are you talking about, my lord? We don’t understand.”
“Where is the Guanyin Statue?”
“What Guanyin Statue? Didn’t you see it with your own eyes? It’s just a shoe.”
Lu Qian laughed in anger, throwing the shoe to the ground and drawing his sword to press it against Ye Xiren’s neck, gritting his teeth: “Do you take me for a fool? A single shoe placed here, and you were kneeling… worshipping a shoe?”
It was clear they had already taken it away!
What he couldn’t understand was how the Ye Residence had received word of this sudden operation.
Ye Xiren allowed the sword to rest against her neck, fearless, and slowly revealed a smile:
"It seems you are not aware of our family's situation, sir. My brother was injured on his way to the Spring Examination yesterday—his hands and feet were beaten. We are praying with his shoe for his swift recovery. Is that not allowed?"
As soon as the words fell.
A figure was helped in by two others. Ye Changming had initially looked anxious, but upon spotting the shoe on the floor of the hall, he instinctively exclaimed, "Huh? Why is my shoe here?"
He had been resting in bed to recover from his injuries when he heard a commotion outside and wanted to investigate. However, he discovered that for some reason, only one of his favorite boots remained. Searching for the shoe delayed him, which was why he arrived only now.
"Let go of my sister!" Ye Changming shouted again.
Lu Qian’s gaze shifted from the shoe to Ye Changming’s feet. One foot was wrapped in cloth, and since he couldn’t find the other shoe, he simply wore only one, being supported by Pang Jin and Shou Yin as he came in…
Finally, Lu Qian withdrew his gaze and looked back at Ye Xiren, staring intently without a word, his eyes filled with a terrifying murderous intent.
Ye Xiren gripped her skirt tightly, meeting his gaze calmly. "Sir, does the Imperial City Department have any rule against praying with a shoe?"
"Fine, fine, fine," Lu Qian laughed.
But his laughter abruptly ceased. He swept a cold glance over Ye Xiren, took a deep breath, and sheathed his blade, reluctantly ordering, "Let’s go!"
With that, he prepared to take Yun Xiang away.
Ye Xiren took two steps forward and spoke again. "You may leave, sir, but Yun Xiang must stay. She is a member of the Ye family."
They needed to know… who had threatened Yun Xiang to get closer to the truth.
"She gave false testimony to deceive the Imperial City Department. I am taking her back for interrogation," Lu Qian said coldly, pulling her along as he prepared to leave.
Before Ye Xiren could speak, Zhao Shi struck her cane hard against the floor and rebuked:
"Lu Er Gou, we have yet to settle the matter of you barging into the Ye Residence to conduct a search. You have no right to take Yun Xiang away. Since she falsely accused and wronged our Ye family, she has a grievance with us. We will question her ourselves—there is no need to trouble the Imperial City Department."
"Think you can stop me?" A flash of anger crossed Lu Qian’s eyes. "Do you really think you’re qualified?"
He had brought enough men from the Imperial City Department, while the Ye Residence did not have as many guards. There was no way they could stop him. Even if he had to take her by force, he was determined to take her away today.
Once she was gone, any subsequent consequences would be irrelevant.
With that, he led his men to leave forcibly.
"If they can’t stop you, what about me?"
Ye Xiren felt a surge of relief.
He had finally returned.
If he hadn’t come back any later, she would have been unable to stall any longer. Today’s entire scene was meant to lure the snake out of its hole. Yun Xiang was crucial—she absolutely could not be taken away.
Ye Pei, dressed in a purple round-collared robe with a golden belt and a golden fish pouch hanging at his waist, entered side by side with another official in purple court robes. They strode in together, followed by a group of constables who filed in and formed a semicircle around them from the entrance, clearly intending to block Lu Qian.
Lu Qian narrowed his eyes. "Lord Ye."
His gaze shifted to the man beside Ye Pei, and he frowned. "Lord Zheng? What brings the Prefect of Southern Capital here?"
Zheng Wen Jue, the Prefect of Southern Capital, remained expressionless and looked at him with disdain. "Your Imperial City Department has been running rampant in Nandu, barging into the homes of officials at will and disturbing their families. As the Prefect of Southern Capital, should I not intervene?"
"I came to search for evidence."
"Did you find any?"
Lu Qian’s breath hitched.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Xiren signaled to Ye Changming with her eyes: Hurry up.
Ye Changming looked utterly confused: Huh?
Ye Xiren was practically dying of anxiety. She glanced at Pang Jin and Shou Yin, then at Yun Xiang, who was still beside Lu Qian, and kept signaling with her eyes: Why aren't you seizing the chance to snatch her while they're in a standoff?! How utterly stupid!!
Finally, Ye Changming understood. He quietly nudged Pang Jin and Shou Yin.
The next moment, before Lu Qian could figure out how to respond, Shou Yin grabbed Lu Qian's wrist, and Pang Jin, with remarkably agile movements, scooped Yun Xiang away and tossed her behind them.
The move was too swift, and Lu Qian was distracted. Even though his martial arts skills surpassed those of Pang Jin and Shou Yin, Yun Xiang was still snatched away.
"You!" Lu Qian's expression darkened.
Ye Xiren strode forward to stand beside Ye Changming, both shielding Yun Xiang as they confronted Lu Qian. Simultaneously, they puffed out their chests, refusing to yield an inch.
Author's Note:
Ye Xiren (puffing out her chest): Finally showing some backbone!