Ye Siyuan’s expression remained neutral, neither pleased nor angry. He secretly glanced at Li Jinu and noticed her calm demeanor, as if everything was under control.
He withdrew his gaze and scrutinized the two appraisers with a cold, stern tone: “Gentlemen, are you aware that this marquis cannot tolerate the slightest deception? I ask once more—are you certain?”
His words carried an official’s authority, making one of them somewhat fearful.
But the other, with his sharp-featured, monkey-like face, clearly looked difficult to deal with even on ordinary days.
Now, faced with doubt, his face flushed red with stifled anger. Yet, out of respect for the marquis, he refrained from uttering anything offensive:
“In the imperial city, my brother and I are the most skilled in this art. If you don’t trust us, Your Lordship, then find someone else!”
Meanwhile, Li Jinu was also studying the two men.
The silent one was clearly smarter and could be tempted with benefits; as for the proud one, he needed a good beating.
Just as she was pondering how to make them retract their statements, Ye Siyuan spoke:
“Very well, since that’s the case, gentlemen, you shall be rewarded!”
As his voice fell, maids stepped forward and presented two rather sizable pouches.
The two men hefted the weight and were overjoyed.
Ye Zeyu, standing nearby, visibly relaxed, but then his father spoke again:
“Today, I have also invited an appraiser to exchange insights with you two.”
With these words, an old man with a full white beard, dressed in a simple blue gown, strode in and headed straight for the two manuscripts.
At the sight of him, not only Li Jinu but even Ye Zeyu was stunned—
It was actually Imperial Censor Zhang!
Seeing his son about to bow in respect, Ye Siyuan grabbed him and gave him a light, meaningful glance.
This startled Ye Zeyu, making his heart tighten with unease.
The day before, Ye Zeyu had privately spoken with his sister. The death note wasn’t written by her, but she couldn’t detect any flaws in it herself.
If even Ye Jintang couldn’t spot the difference, could anyone, no matter how skilled, surpass the original writer?
It made Ye Jintang wonder if she had written those things in her sleep while sleepwalking.
Ye Zeyu knew his father had always held Imperial Censor Zhang in high esteem. If even this old man couldn’t see through it, what would become of his sister?
His mind was a tangled mess, and his expression turned grim.
In contrast, Li Jinu remained much calmer, though she felt a tinge of regret.
If the old man truly uncovered any discrepancies, she would have no choice but to accept it.
After all, Imperial Censor Zhang was as straightforward as a lead ball in a latrine—hard to handle.
You couldn’t beat him, and you couldn’t out-argue him!
Most importantly, he was an incorruptible official to the extreme, as evidenced by the discreet patches on his plain clothes.
She clicked her tongue and began thinking about her next move to bring misfortune upon Ye Jintang.
A long time passed. By the time Li Jinu had swatted her fourteenth mosquito, the old man finally spoke:
“This old man’s eyes are dull; I see no differences. These two letters must have been written by the same person.”
At these words, everyone’s expressions shifted dramatically.
Ye Zeyu nearly lost his balance, his face flushed red with a mix of shock and frustration.
The hot-tempered appraiser glared at the old man, his anger flaring up instantly. Pointing at Imperial Censor Zhang’s nose, he cursed,
“Where did this wretched old man come from? How dare you doubt my ability? Who do you think you are?”
He then turned to Ye Siyuan and spoke with sarcasm: “Your Lordship, don’t be fooled by his white hair. Some people are so used to flaunting their age that they actually think they’re competent. Pah, shameless!”
Another appraiser observed the subtle atmosphere among the crowd, his eyes darting around, yet he remained silent.
Imperial Censor Zhang was so furious his beard trembled. Just as he was about to unleash his verbal torrent, Li Jinu interrupted him.
She handed him a cup of hot tea and spoke in a clear, crisp voice:
“Please calm your anger, Master. Don’t waste your energy on someone who lacks basic manners.”
Her use of the term “Master” made the expert swallow hard, but he still stiffened his neck, maintaining an unyielding posture.
Li Jinu continued:
“Your distinguished bearing suggests you’re a high-ranking official of the court, a pillar of the state. It’s truly shameful that you should suffer such slander and insults today, damaging your reputation.”
She glanced at her father and, seeing he didn’t intervene, pressed on:
“In that case, why don’t you and this gentleman request an audience with His Majesty? We could ask the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate whether there are hidden circumstances behind this matter.”
Before anyone else could react, Ye Zeyu was the first to jump up, pointing an accusing finger at Li Jinu as he lashed out:
“This was never a major issue! How dare you suggest disturbing the Emperor! You troublemaker! Are you trying to get Father punished? How could our Ye family have produced a scourge like you?”
As the saying goes, the guiltiest often bark the loudest—and currently, Ye Zeyu was barking the loudest of all.
Li Jinu was no longer the timid person from her previous life. The sight of Ye Zeyu pointing at her irritated her deeply.
Seeing him continue to spew venom, she didn’t hold back. With a subtle flick of her finger, she sent a small stone flying straight toward his front teeth.
Looking at the merely loosened teeth, Li Jinu felt disappointed. It seemed she needed to eat more nutritious food to restore her strength sooner.
Next time, I’ll definitely knock out one of this dog’s teeth! she thought.
She was still too weak.
Ye Zeyu grunted in pain, covering his mouth as he crouched on the ground.
Li Jinu stepped forward slowly and whispered in his ear:
“You call this a minor matter? Was Nian Cuilan framing my virtue a minor matter? Or Mother Rong trying to drown me? Or perhaps conspiring with bandits to take my life—was that a minor matter too?”
Her voice seemed to emerge from an icy cavern in the depths of winter, freezing cold.
“If you consider these minor matters, then I’ll gladly apply the same ‘minor’ treatment to you and yours right now. How does that sound?”
Ye Zeyu grew both panicked and enraged. He instinctively shoved Li Jinu to the ground and stood up to kick her. “You wretched woman!”
But as his foot rose, a sharp slap landed hard across his face, sending him staggering.
A suppressed voice sounded above him:
“You worthless scoundrel! Kneel down and stay put!”
Then Ye Siyuan turned to the two appraisers, employing a mix of intimidation and deception:
“This is Imperial Censor Zhang. His son-in-law is a centurion in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If you speak the truth now, I might deal with you leniently. If you refuse… well, you can experience the methods of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for yourselves.”
The Embroidered Uniform Guard had always been portrayed as merciless executioners in common folklore. Hearing this, the two men turned pale.
Any thought of putting on a brave front vanished instantly. They dropped to their knees and, however reluctantly, stammered out the truth.
As Ye Zeyu listened to their confession, his face grew increasingly pale until he finally closed his eyes in despair.
After dismissing the terrified men, Ye Siyuan slowly walked over to Ye Zeyu.
Without shifting his stance, he delivered another slap that sent Ye Zeyu’s left cheek swelling visibly.
“Good-for-nothing! Get to the Ancestral Hall and kneel in reflection!”
After the crowd dispersed, Ye Siyuan and Imperial Censor Zhang went to the study, dismissing all servants except one trusted aide.
Beside the desk, Imperial Censor Zhang lifted the teacup lid, gently stirred the tea, took a small sip, then expertly spat out the tea leaves before finally speaking:
“Marquis, even if you hadn’t discreetly prompted me about those two manuscripts, I wouldn’t have been able to detect anything unusual.”
He seemed to quite enjoy the tea, taking another sip.
“I promised to assist you three times. The matter in Suixian County the other day was complimentary, but this time counts as one.”
These words took Ye Siyuan by surprise. What was he hearing? Even Imperial Censor Zhang couldn’t spot any issues?
How utterly strange!
He knew the daughter he raised all too well.
Ye Jintang wouldn’t be so foolish, which was why he had proactively bribed Imperial Censor Zhang with premium Pre-Rain Dragon Well tea to secure his support.
Never did he expect even this old man to say such things.
Could it be that Ye Jintang truly had no regard for her life?
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
He shook his head and carefully phrased his question:
“Then in your esteemed opinion, if someone wished to forge handwriting to such perfection, would it be feasible?”
Imperial Censor Zhang was still preoccupied with the tea leaves at the bottom of his cup.
“Marquis, your household is of noble lineage after all. How could you be so sparing with decent tea!”
And you have the nerve to ask – didn you take all the good tea already!
Ye Siyuan was speechless, glaring fixedly at the old man before him. Imperial Censor Zhang grew somewhat embarrassed, set down his teacup, and returned to serious matters.
“What you suggest is possible, but it would require exceptionally persistent and diligent practice. Even a prodigy in this art couldn’t achieve it in a short time.”
Despite these words, Ye Siyuan still suspected Li Jinu, though such suspicion made him reluctant to voice it.
Unable to untangle the thoughts in his mind, he set aside this knotty problem and picked up another.
“There’s been some progress regarding the matter His Majesty entrusted to us, though the current situation makes it difficult to handle.”
“The person hasn’t been found?”
“Precisely because we found them that it’s become problematic!”
The two high-ranking elders sat in the room, both burdened with grave concerns, momentarily falling silent.
Unnoticed, night had fallen. With no maids attending to her now, Li Jinu could move about with great ease.
Repeating her previous method, she went to Bright Moon Courtyard again and finally opened the hidden compartment, only to discover another mechanism inside.
After considerable effort, she managed to open the mechanism, but its contents left her perplexed.
How could this be so strange?