Shen Xuan pleaded guilty, the case of Tian Shu was concluded, but the reckoning for the Shen family had just begun.
For several days in a row, from the imperial court to the Ministry of Punishment, every conversation revolved around the name “Shen.”
But all of this no longer concerned the Kaifeng Prefecture.
Tian Bin came to sign the documents for case closure. His cheeks were sunken, dark circles under his eyes; he looked much more haggard.
It had only been half a month since everything happened, and a once-thriving family had been reduced to death and madness. It was not easy for him to hold on this long.
As Fang Bao was handing over the case to him inside, Ma Bing watched from behind an octagonal window latticed with cracked ice patterns, while Yuan Pei continuously fed her gossip.
“I heard that Tian Song had just started to show signs of improvement recently, but as soon as he heard his daughter was gone, and then heard that the emperor intended to settle accounts with the Shens, something must’ve snapped—he went completely mad again…”
Ma Bing looked at him in surprise, “How do you know all this?”
Yuan Pei shrugged dismissively, “The Tian residence is surrounded by officials’ homes. You can hear the chaos almost every day. Although Tian Song is mad, he’s still the head of the family and occasionally lucid, so no one dares to shut him up. It causes a ruckus every few days…”
It wasn’t just Yuan Pei who knew—half of Kaifeng had heard about it, even the night watchmen in the area used it as drinking fodder.
The Tian family had once been powerful and influential, but now they had fallen into such a state—how could one not feel moved?
Ma Bing fell into thought.
“I also heard that Prince Su has fallen ill, with similar symptoms.”
Yuan Pei hummed in agreement. When he saw the emaciated Tian Bin finally emerge from inside, he quickly pulled Ma Bing away quietly, whispering as they retreated, “Prince Su isn’t as bad as Tian Song, though…”
He chuckled a few times but said no more.
Ma Bing immediately elbowed him, “Trying to keep secrets from me?”
“Ow!” Yuan Pei clutched his ribs, wide-eyed in shock, “Why’d you hit me?!”
“One bowl of meat dumplings!” Ma Bing offered.
The other day, she had made some meat dumplings, finely chopped pork with equal parts fat and lean, mixed with crisp water chestnuts, shaped into perfectly sized balls, first fried golden and crispy, then simmered in broth until the fat rendered out, with a few tender green vegetables added at the end. The result was incredibly delicious—everyone wanted to lick the bowls clean.
Even the thick, reddish-brown meat sauce was snatched up by Huo Ping to mix with rice.
Yuan Pei scoffed, “Three bowls!”
“Two bowls, take it or leave it.”
“Deal.”
The two crouched in a corner, striking a pact with a high-five in a rather suspicious posture, then Yuan Pei finally satisfied, continued, “The emperor specifically had someone inform Prince Su about Prince Shun’s death and the downfall of the Shen family, after which his condition deteriorated rapidly.”
To Prince Su, this was the beginning of the emperor’s purge.
If even a centuries-old clan like the Shens could fall overnight, and his own brother Prince Shun was already gone, who would be next?
Damn it, what was there to guess? It must be me!
Prince Su might even think darkly that perhaps there had never been a real murder case to begin with—that it had all been orchestrated to incite conflict…
The hearts of emperors were black; what were a few lives to them?
Fang Bao had just returned from seeing Tian Bin off when he spotted Ma Bing and Yuan Pei crouched in the corner, his expression instantly turning complicated.
What were they up to in their own courtyard, sneaking around like that?
As everyone knew, when a person’s moral bottom line kept lowering, they would develop a skin as thick as a city wall, gradually losing the emotion known as “shame.”
The two stood up openly, even asking Fang Bao quite seriously, “Director Fang, have you seen our Director Xie?”
A leaf was stuck in Ma Bing’s hair. She calmly reached up, plucked it off, and tossed it away.
Fang Bao’s expression became even more difficult to describe. What kind of people did the young marquis bring along?
“Don’t I share a courtyard with Director Xie Zhi?”
The two immediately put on exaggerated expressions of “Wow, did I actually get lost?”
Faced with such a clumsy lie, Fang Bao had no desire to say anything more—it would be no better than trying to persuade a butcher to become vegetarian.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head as he walked inside. After a few steps, he suddenly remembered something, stopped, turned around, and added meaningfully:
“Didn’t your director leave to meet a guest half an hour ago?”
Yuan Pei: “…”
Ma Bing: “…”
Ah, they had completely forgotten that detail.
At Damao Restaurant.
In a private room at the far end of the northern corridor on the second floor, a small pot of water lilies sat on the windowsill—white flowers with yellow stamens, round leaves like umbrellas, floating quietly on the water.
A breeze occasionally blew through, rippling the water, gently swaying the lily leaves, harmonizing with the quiet boats gliding along the river below the window.
Creaked the door, as a waiter brought in the wine and dishes, “Young Marquis, General Pei, your meal is ready. Please enjoy at your leisure.”
Seated by the window were indeed Xie Yu and Pei Rong.
Early that morning, Pei Rong had sent word saying they should meet at the restaurant.
In the past, Xie Yu often met him, either by chance or by arrangement to play ball, but this time, Pei Rong had said nothing beforehand.
Xie Yu didn’t ask.
Since Ma Bing had been reunited with the Pei family, their relationship had subtly changed.
Pei Rong poured two cups of wine, pushing one toward Xie Yu, “I heard you’re investigating the past?”
He didn’t wait for Xie Yu, drinking his cup in one go, “Do you think you can handle it?”
Xie Yu drank his cup as well, “To be honest, it’s difficult.”
Pei Rong nodded unsurprised, “Of course it is.”
He twirled his wine cup thoughtfully, “Even when the late emperor was alive, it was hard enough. After his passing, everything seemed to be sealed and finalized…”
Speaking of the late emperor, Pei Rong couldn’t help but feel complicated.
He could never understand how a person could change so drastically.
Back then, he had been just a commoner, fortunate to receive the late emperor’s recognition and support, enabling him to serve the country. Yet later, the emperor had begun to doubt the very ministers he had promoted, questioning their loyalty.
And because of mere rumors, he had persecuted loyal subjects!
When Pei Rong mentioned their past bond, the emperor accused him of leveraging favor for personal gain.
When he didn’t mention it, the emperor berated him for forgetting his roots… It seemed no matter what he did, it was wrong.
How many people’s passionate hearts had gradually cooled through repeated suspicions.
Back then, Pei Rong had physically assaulted Tian Song and Prince Su in court, drawing blood, and no one could stop him. The late emperor had been furious.
“Relying on your past merits, you no longer show any respect for Us—do you intend to rebel?! Very well then! Guards, drag him out and behead him!”
Prince Su’s every word and deed had been carefully crafted to please the late emperor. Beating him was no different from beating the emperor himself.
It was a blatant challenge to imperial authority.
Everyone had been shocked by Pei Rong’s actions.
At that time, the late emperor had already become deeply suspicious; court ministers were always cautious, yet Pei Rong had directly torn off the emperor’s face and trampled it.
What else could that be but supreme disrespect?
Even a magnanimous ruler might not have tolerated it, let alone the late emperor.
Everyone could see the emperor’s genuine intent to kill.
He would never allow anyone to undermine his authority.
Pei Rong believed he was right.
When rewards and punishments were arbitrary, when right and wrong were blurred, when the emperor and ministers no longer knew their places—it was asking for a beating!
“Your Majesty!” His eyes bloodshot, veins bulging, he screamed hoarsely, “Come to your senses!”
Come to your senses, open your eyes, and see who is loyal and who is treacherous!
But instead of regaining clarity, the emperor had thought Pei Rong was cursing him, so enraged he even grabbed a courtier’s tablet and struck him.
The grand court meeting had descended into chaos. If not for Tu Yao and others risking their lives to plead—saying executing a meritorious official would chill the hearts of the people, which must not happen—
And several censors even declared they would collectively dash their heads against the palace gates if the emperor insisted on killing Pei Rong…
After much uproar, Pei Rong was stripped of all ranks, many of his merits erased, demoted to a commoner, and imprisoned for over a year.
Later, when the late emperor was on his deathbed, he issued a general amnesty for blessings, and Pei Rong was finally rescued through others’ efforts.
Even after leaving prison, Pei Rong was placed under house arrest, heavily guarded, every word and deed monitored.
After several years of such inhuman life, the late emperor passed away, and the current emperor ascended.
The current emperor had wanted to pardon Pei Rong immediately, but there were still several old ministers in power, so he had to proceed cautiously.
Only in recent years, after those old ministers had died or retired, did the emperor finally get his chance, restoring Pei Rong to court and promoting him repeatedly until he became the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guards.
In between, Pei Rong had also tried to clear the names of his old comrades, but it was extremely difficult.
The officials who had survived this long and remained unscathed were all seasoned veterans—if one tried to confront them head-on, even the emperor would struggle temporarily, let alone Pei Rong.
He could lead troops into battle, yes, but scheming with civil officials was clearly not his forte.
“I’ve heard of General Pei’s actions over the years, and I deeply admire them,” Xie Yu raised his cup in salute.
At that time, he was still in military training, not paying much attention to outside affairs, only occasionally hearing snippets but never bothering to investigate further.
It wasn’t until later… that he understood how difficult Pei Rong’s path had been.
One slight misstep along the way, and he would have perished.
After toasting, Xie Yu said, “It’s difficult, but not impossible.”
Under Pei Rong’s gaze, he continued slowly, “Those people are all interconnected; the whole matter is like a chain, each link tightly connected. If we want to present facts and evidence, every link is essential, but that’s obviously impossible.”
The biggest culprit was his own grandfather, who was no longer alive. What to do?
Pei Rong exhaled sharply, “That’s exactly the problem.”
Over the past few years, he had tried repeatedly, only to hit walls every time.
Those people were as sharp as monkeys, huddled together like hedgehogs, making it impossible to get a foothold.
“So my suggestion is, first bring them down with other charges, then unravel the truth gradually.”
With Prince Shun dead and the Shen family fallen, it was the perfect time when those with guilty consciences were in panic.
Pei Rong’s eyes lit up, but he soon felt worried, “But it involves the late emperor. What if they refuse to admit it?”
“They will admit it,” Xie Yu said slowly, as if possessing some unspoken certainty.
When a person has no charges against them, it’s naturally difficult to do anything;
But if a former official is imprisoned, and during interrogation something comes up—even if shocking—it will seem perfectly reasonable to everyone.
Pei Rong quickly thought of the biggest scandal in the capital recently: the illnesses of Tian Song and Prince Su.
“Could it be that…”
Xie Yu looked a little embarrassed, “It wasn’t me.”
Pei Rong clicked his tongue, sizing Xie Yu up and down, shaking his head in disappointment, “You’re not as good as your father!”
Too upright, too rule-bound.
Xie Yu: “…”
If it wasn’t him, then…
Pei Rong suddenly became cheerful, even proud, as if he were a proud father whose child had done something remarkable.
Ah, it must be our Zhen Zhen!
No idea how she did it, but her mind was truly sharp!
The two engaged in an in-depth discussion, exchanged perspectives on certain details, and thoroughly renewed their mutual understanding. After some shared reflections on each other’s flexible boundaries, they parted ways with great confidence.
In the latter half, Pei Rong was in high spirits, drinking a lot. Xie Yu personally made sure he mounted his horse steadily before feeling reassured.
“You’re just too cautious!” Sitting upright on his horse, Pei Rong said carelessly, “Back in the day, I could drink ten jin without effort. This is nothing!”
Xie Yu’s smile remained unwavering, seemingly impeccable, prompting praise from anyone who saw it for his sincerity.
You know it was back then. Don’t you think about how old you are now?
Ten jin? Earlier, after drinking less than two jin, he had already gone to the toilet several times…
Pei Rong boasted for a while longer. After being reminded several times by his attendants, he reluctantly turned his horse.
“Xie Zhi!”
Xie Yu shook his head, about to turn and leave in another direction when he heard Pei Rong suddenly call from behind.
He turned around, “General Pei.”
Pei Rong rode over, looking down at him from atop his horse, his previously drunken eyes now crystal clear.
“Keep her safe.”
Xie Yu met his gaze without flinching, his voice steady and clear, “I will.”
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