In the study of the Marquis Anping residence.Chu Ji sat upright in the high seat, listening to his son's account. Without realizing it, he had already turned the jade thumb ring on his finger around several times.He looked up at Chu Yunxi, his gaze cautious, his tone reproachful. "Xi'er, this matter carries enormous implications. Never mind that you didn't keep yourself clear of it, but how could you think of dragging the whole marquisate into it as well?""Once this matter blows over, I will personally take you to the Jing’an Marquis's residence to apologize. Stay out of this affair."He said this in a commanding tone, leaving no room for negotiation.Hearing this, Chu Yunxi's eyes flickered slightly. He turned and sat down in the armchair nearby, speaking in a deliberately relaxed, languid tone. "Father, you're being muddled.""We're already tied to Shi Wuxie by marriage. Even if we do nothing at all, that old coot—ahem! That old thing—wouldn't he still suspect that you were the one pulling strings behind the scenes?"At these words, Chu Ji's expression stiffened slightly.Seizing on that moment of wavering, Chu Yunxi continued, "Even if you went before him right now and swore on your life, how much would he believe you? Once suspicion takes root, it becomes like an infection in the bone—an enemy is only a matter of time. Rather than wait for him to recover and bite back at us, better to strike first."At these words, Chu Ji's expression indeed changed.After a long while, he said with displeasure, "Even so, if you two hadn't gone stirring up trouble, how would the marquisate have made an enemy out of nowhere?"Chu Yunxi choked for a moment, then grinned. "Father, that's not the right way to look at it. What the Jing’an Marquis is implicated in is treason—colluding with the enemy. Once that charge is confirmed, it means extermination of his entire clan. Who can guarantee that in the Emperor's fury, the fire won't spread to others? Drawing a clear line between ourselves and him in advance is actually a good thing."Chu Ji listened in silence. At some point, the jade thumb ring on his finger had stopped turning. His gaze was calm and sharp.He said gravely, "But what if the charge can't be proven?""Then Shi Wuxie is being far too naive. Even if Zhou Wang, to save his own clan from extermination, gives up the Jing’an Marquis, one man's testimony alone is not enough to convict.""The Jing’an Marquis could simply claim Zhou Wang, cornered like a desperate dog, framed him. And if that female spy is tough enough, she could insist that Zhou Wang was her lover all along. For a crime this grave, without corroborating evidence or catching them in the act, the Jing’an Marquis still has a thread of life left."Chu Ji let out a long sigh, sounding rather vexed. "Isn't Shi Wuxie supposed to never leave behind unsolved cases? How could he be so muddled in this matter? When facing a powerful, high-ranking noble, if you can't kill with a single strike, you must not act rashly—how could he not understand that?"Hearing this, Chu Yunxi frowned slightly, falling into thought.That's true.The little madman is slow, not stupid. Why would he flush out the snake without full confidence?Or could it be…He suddenly recalled how, before being taken away by the eunuch, Shi Wuxie had told him with perfect composure that he had a plan.Chu Yunxi's mind raced. After thinking for a long while, he suddenly rose, leaned close to Chu Ji's ear, and whispered a few words rapidly.As he listened, the furrow in Chu Ji's brow gradually smoothed. He called out loudly, "Ying Qi."A black shadow silently knelt on one knee in the center of the study."Take a squad of men and keep a close watch on that Lin Xiaoyao in Liutiao Lane. The moment anything unusual happens, report back at once!""Yes!" The figure answered and vanished without a trace.Night fell.The carriage from the Marquis Anping's residence sat quietly in the shadow of the imposing palace gates.The sound of urgent hoofbeats approached rapidly, and a figure in black came flying up, halting beside the carriage's side window.The curtain lifted a corner from within, Chu Yunxi's face half-hidden in shadow.Outside the window, Ying Qi's voice was pitched extremely low: "My lord, the guards around Lin Xiaoyao's courtyard are tight—outsiders can't slip in. But half a shichen ago, our people saw a carriage leave that courtyard, escorted by more than a dozen skilled guards heading toward the southern outskirts."Chu Yunxi and Chu Ji quickly exchanged a glance, then pressed in a low voice: "Did our people follow it?"Ying Qi nodded. "They did. But… besides our people, there's another team in the shadows that's been tailing that carriage from the start. Their style of operation looks like it belongs to the government."Chu Yunxi's eyes flashed suddenly. "Keep watching closely. Don't alert any party."He thought for a moment, then added, "That government team… help them out if necessary."Ying Qi: "Yes."Once the Shadow Guard vanished, Chu Yunxi's lips curved slightly.Chu Ji mused, "That other team must be from the Court of Judicial Review. Since Shi Wuxie has already made arrangements, perhaps we shouldn't enter the palace after all."Chu Yunxi shook his head. "No. You should go in."His eyes glinted faintly. "To make the Jing’an Marquis let down his guard, we also need to dispel his worry about us aiding the marquis's household…"Beneath the corridor outside the Qinzheng Hall, a lone, upright figure knelt silently on the cold golden bricks.Moonlight poured like water over his straight back, lighting the shoulder line of his official robes into a stark crimson, making his skin look all the more deathly pale.His kneeling posture was proper and tall, like a pine standing proud against frost and snow in utter solitude.The Emperor's furious voice came from inside the hall: "Shi Wuxie! I think you've rebelled against the very heavens! Did you not hear my verbal decree? Release Zhou Wang at once!"Shi Wuxie gazed straight ahead, his voice neither servile nor arrogant: "Your Majesty, Zhou Wang is suspected of treason and colluding with the enemy. Preliminary witnesses and evidence are both in place. This case concerns the foundation of the state; your minister dares not release a major criminal.""You dare defy my edict?!"Shi Wuxie lowered his eyes and knocked his forehead heavily against the floor tiles. "Your minister dares not! But this case carries great weight, and there are many suspicious aspects to it. Your minister ventures to speculate that Zhou Wang, a mere steward, may not be the mastermind—he is likely acting on someone's orders—""Audacity!"A teacup flew out from inside the hall and shattered on the floor tiles before Shi Wuxie with a sharp crack. Porcelain shards flew in all directions, the sharp fragments scattering onto the hem of his robe, cutting a tear into it.The palace attendants inside the hall all dropped to their knees in unison, not daring to breathe.The Emperor's voice trembled with rage. "What are you trying to say?! Making insinuations—who are you trying to implicate?! The pillars of my state—how dare you slander and frame them! I think you no longer want that head of yours!"Shi Wuxie did not move, his forehead pressed to the floor tiles as he said in a deep voice, "Your minister dares not!""I say you dare plenty! Utterly lawless! A count of the highest rank at court, and you order him beaten whenever you please! Tomorrow, will you dare haul me off to your Court of Judicial Review for trial as well?!""Your minister deserves ten thousand deaths!""Release him! Immediately! Or I'll strip you of your official hat right now and throw you into your own Court of Judicial Review prison!"After a long while, Shi Wuxie finally spoke. "Yes."His voice was very low, carrying a faint trace of a sigh.Inside the hall, the Jing’an Marquis had stripped off his upper garments and lay face down on a wide couch covered with soft cushions, while two imperial physicians carefully applied medicine to his wounds.Looking past the doorway, he saw the figure kneeling prostrate on the ground and the shattered porcelain fragments scattered everywhere, and his lips curled into a cold sneer.Then he turned toward the throne, his voice suddenly choking with sobs, old tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty! This old servant could die ten thousand deaths and still never repay Your Majesty's grace! Had Your Majesty not upheld justice today, this old servant would likely have been beaten to death in the courtroom… My Yan family has been loyal and upright for generations—when have we ever suffered such humiliation…"The Emperor's voice came from above: "You have suffered, my dear minister. Shi Wuxie's temperament is rather stubborn and rigid—he always fixates on his own principles. Do not take it too much to heart. I shall punish him properly at once." As he spoke, he called out loudly toward the outside of the hall: "Kneel there properly! You are not to rise until Minister Yan's anger has subsided!""Your Majesty!" the Jing’an Marquis sighed. "This old servant dares not harbor resentment. It is only that Shi Wuxie is excessively rigid, and this old servant worries he may be exploited by those with ill intent… Your Majesty must remain vigilant!"The hall fell silent for a moment, with only the crackling of candle flames.The Emperor was quiet for a moment, then said: "By my decree: Shi Wuxie, for insubordination against his superiors and abuse of authority exceeding his station, is hereby stripped of his post as Deputy Minister, demoted three ranks, and relegated to Registrar of the Court of Judicial Review, there to demonstrate his reform."At these words, the Jing’an Marquis finally let a smug smile spread across his face.Just then, a eunuch announced that Marquis Anping requested an audience.Chu Ji was hurrying in with long, urgent strides.As he passed Shi Wuxie kneeling outside the door, his steps paused slightly, and he cast a quick glance at Shi Wuxie before entering the hall.He lifted the hem of his robe and knelt before the dais, his voice carrying just the right measure of guilt: "Your humble servant is filled with dread!""My son is young and ignorant, willful and reckless! He actually meddled without authorization in the private affairs of the Jing’an Marquis's household. Upon hearing that Your Majesty has punished the Court of Judicial Review, your servant has been anxious and uneasy, and has come specially to beg forgiveness…"Shi Wuxie slowly sat upright, listening quietly to the sounds within.Chu Ji pleaded for forgiveness in abject terror, until the Emperor smoothed things over: "You are both my pillar ministers. Do not let this damage your harmony."The Jing’an Marquis chimed in at the right moment: "This old servant naturally knows the Marquis meant nothing of the sort."The Emperor continued: "Minister Yan has been wronged. By my decree: the Jing’an Marquis is granted one thousand taels of gold and fifty bolts of tribute silk as consolation. He is also permitted one month of rest at home, without attending court."This was followed by the Jing’an Marquis's tearfully grateful expressions of thanks.Before long, Chu Ji was supporting the Jing’an Marquis as the two walked out of the hall together, chatting and laughing.As they passed Shi Wuxie, the Jing’an Marquis let out a scoffing laugh, tinged with the smugness of victory: "Just look at this—did you think that by latching onto the high branch of the Anping Marquis's household, you could act however you pleased? What a joke! A nobody from a humble family who doesn't know his place—you're nothing but a dog that can be discarded at any moment!"The little eunuch following behind, carrying the rewards, also let out a low snicker.The party strutted arrogantly out of the palace.From a distance, Chu Ji turned his head to look back at Shi Wuxie, still kneeling on the ground, his expression darkening slightly. When he turned back again, he plastered a smile on his face for the Jing’an Marquis. "Brother Yan is quite right…"Once everyone had gone far away, Qinzheng Hall returned to silence.After a long while, the Emperor's calm, unruffled voice came from within the hall, utterly different from when he had berated him earlier: "Go. Do not disappoint me."Shi Wuxie bowed, his forehead once more lightly touching the ground. "Your servant accepts the decree."He pressed his hands against the ground, trying to stand. But he had knelt for too long, and his knees throbbed with a needle-like sting. His body swayed, and he instinctively gripped the cold doorframe beside him to steady himself.After a moment's rest, he turned and made his way down the steps, one at a time.He walked extremely slowly, pacing along the shadows beneath the palace walls. His crimson official robes swayed gently in the night wind, his silhouette looking thin and solitary on the empty palace path.The Ghostly Shadow's voice drifted up softly at his side: [Yu Nu, it's getting late. You should head back soon.]Shi Wuxie said flatly, "No hurry. The longer I kneel, the more it shows His Majesty's thunderous fury, and the more at ease Yan Li can rest."The Ghostly Shadow paused, then said, [A pity you came by the palace carriage and didn't bring anyone along. You'll have to walk back alone in the dead of night.]"It's fine." Shi Wuxie's voice was soft, quickly scattering into the wind. "I've been alone for a long time now."The Ghostly Shadow said nothing.Beneath the towering palace walls, the moonlight stretched a lonely shadow long across the ground. The night wind carried a chill, cutting through the official robes and lifting a corner of the fabric.He didn't know how long he walked before the outline of the palace gate finally appeared ahead.The massive gates had already been shut, leaving only a small side door ajar.Shi Wuxie passed the imperial guards' inspection and walked out of the palace.But after only a few steps, he suddenly froze.His gaze swept past the deep shadows beneath the palace wall and landed not far away.There, a carriage stood quietly.A lantern hung from the carriage shaft, its dim yellow glow carving a small, soft circle of light out of the ink-dark night.Beneath the lantern stood a figure.A tall shadow was cast aslant against the mottled palace wall.The person had their head tilted slightly upward, gazing toward the palace gate, as if waiting for something.The lamplight illuminated half of their face, tracing the straight bridge of their nose and the faint upward curve of their lips.The moment they saw him, those beautiful fox eyes curved into crescent moons."Little madman!"A clear, melodious voice came riding on the night wind, striking clearly against his ears.The person was waving at him.Shi Wuxie was momentarily stunned.Standing there, he suddenly forgot the sting in his knees, forgot the long solitude of the palace path.He suddenly felt that the night was perhaps not as dark and endless as he had imagined.The corners of his lips lifted unconsciously as he slowly walked forward, stepping right into that small patch of world lit by the lantern.
Chapter 13
My Cold-Faced Wife Wants to Kill Me Again