Shadow

The next day.

Xie Lingxi woke up a little late, which was unusual for her. She grabbed the bed curtains with one hand and got up.

The Liu family members, master and servant, had vanished without a trace.

I heard that he was captured by the Imperial Guards.

Xie Lingxi was momentarily dazed, not knowing what day it was. She stumbled into the courtyard, found a broken branch, and hung up a banner to summon their souls.

Humming an off-key tune, the souls of the Liu family master and servant slowly drifted in through the doorway amidst the swirling smoke, still wearing yesterday's clothes.

Do human souls have expressions?

Xie Lingxi was about to ask them which level of hell they had gone to when it seemed as if a cloth was covering her ears, and the sound became muffled and indistinct.

Could it be that I have already been there?

Otherwise, how could you see ghosts?

...

This was the scene that Liu Xu witnessed when he returned home from his shopping trip. If it weren't for Xie Lingxi's skirt fluttering like spring blossoms, he would have truly suspected he was seeing a female ghost.

"What happened?"

"Girl! Wake up!"

——

Huichun Hall.

The three looked at each other in bewilderment.

The old doctor's son went on a spring outing yesterday, and returned coughing and wheezing, terrified and claiming he had seen a living Yama—

The Imperial Guards, who were ordered to arrest people, didn't care whether they lived or died. They would take away any "suspect" with injuries without any reason, and those who resisted would be punished with twenty strokes of the cane.

He then said he was lucky to have escaped the spring banquet and dared not go out these past few days.

Upon hearing this, the doctor clenched his fists, feeling uneasy: No wonder that damned Imperial Guard loitered in front of his door day and night, coming in with a knife to pull his beard and ask if he had taken in any suspicious patients.

Of course not.

He only treated a frail girl.

But... "You guys...?"

Why are you here again?

He grabbed Liu Xu and started chattering, "Things haven't been peaceful in Chang'an these past few days. What illness has your wife caught this time?!"

Liu Xu simply said it was a cold.

After hearing his description, the old doctor took out a square piece of glass, lifted Xie Lingxi's eyelids, and examined him closely. To his horror, he exclaimed, "This is probably hysteria!"

"What?"

Liu Xu was already in a dilemma, and now his brows furrowed with even more worry: "How could he suddenly develop hysteria?"

He was perfectly lucid just yesterday!

"Naturally, there are things weighing on one's mind."

Just then, the sound of swords clashing came from the doorway. The doctor raised an eyebrow and whispered in her ear, "Quickly carry your wife to the inner room."

"The dogs came smelling the scent."

This refers to the Golden Guard.

Being a member of the Imperial Guard was a coveted position, with a prestigious status and rapid promotion. From powerful families and nobles to ordinary soldiers and commoners, everyone flocked to it.

Some scholars and officials despised the idea, while ordinary people suffered countless hardships.

The old doctor was a life-saving type.

As he packed his things, he urged Xie Liu and the other person to go into the inner room to hide.

In his opinion, if the Imperial Guards discovered the young couple today, it would be an easy thing to arrest them and take them to the yamen for a day of interrogation.

The clanging of armor clashing against each other outside the door was accompanied by a gentle breeze.

Xie Lingxi woke up the moment Liu Xu embraced her, but her head was throbbing. Now that she had calmed down and was thinking, she felt that the divination board pointed to ominous signs from all directions.

Their family has a grudge against the Jinwu Guard.

Whether it's her or Liu Xu, if they were to go to the yamen (government office), who knows what unpredictable consequences might arise.

Sure enough, the Empress's younger brother, the head of the Imperial Guard, arrogantly kicked open the door and shouted in a loud voice, "Where is she? Hand her over!"

The old doctor bowed deeply, his body trembling: "Who is it? I haven't opened for business yet today!"

This is the trick of these common people!

Lu Wei sneered, "Don't speak too soon!" He then turned to walk inside, saying, "Your stench of blood can be smelled from a mile away—"

He kicked the old doctor aside, hearing him clutch his stomach and scream in pain, then ordered his men to push open the inner door, saying, "I want to see which suspect you're hiding!"

Ouch!

The old doctor fell to the ground, only managing to utter a single cry before several bayonets were pointed at his head, intended to silence him.

"I swear to God!"

"I didn't do that!"

Even a lowly guard was arrogant, grinning and scolding him: "The lord is investigating a case! You old fool, shut your mouth!"

They wouldn't dare kill people indiscriminately, but just a little fright would send these ordinary folks into a daze, completely disoriented.

On the other side, Lu Wei pushed open the door and was immediately confronted with Liu Xu's handsome face.

It really was him.

After the students were attacked yesterday, the young master of the Pei family suddenly found him and asked him to go to the villa in the south of the city and bring out the owner to scare him while he was arresting the people. If he could find any incriminating evidence and put him on a small truce, that would be best.

He then asked, "Who lives there?"

Pei Qian scoffed, "A penniless man who just arrived in the capital."

Lu Wei was not a reckless person. He secretly ordered his men to investigate, and it turned out that Jie Baiding was indeed a commoner.

In that case, why not take this opportunity to establish a connection with the Pei family?

After all, his esteemed older sister might have other ideas in mind.

Thinking of this, Lu Wei gave a forced smile, his eyes gleaming with smugness, and gripped the knife in his hand: "Young master, you certainly have the leisure and refined taste. If I don't keep an eye on you for a moment, you'll come to the clinic."

"What wrong have I done that you insist on holding me accountable?"

Lu Wei laughed inwardly: You little brat, you've offended someone!

"You know perfectly well why I'm asking!"

His face hardened, and he shouted sharply towards the door, "Guards! Take him back with you!"

Who instructed this person to force him into a corner?

Liu Xu was not an obstinate person, and he understood the situation at this moment, so he had no choice but to find a way to break the formation.

He feigned surprise: "If you want me to die, sir, you should at least let me die knowing why!"

"Under the emperor's very nose, in broad daylight, is there no justice left?!"

He started shouting, his loud voice like a surging wave, quickly attracting countless people to crane their necks to look.

"You've been waiting outside my house all day yesterday, peeping at me while I was bathing under the willow tree! Rumors in the city say that there are many homosexuals in the Imperial Guards, and it's true!"

Lu Wei: "...?!"

Liu Xu quickly squeezed out a few tears. At this moment, he didn't care about "straightening his clothes." He suddenly fell to the ground, looking as if he had been punched several times: "Today, my cousin came from my hometown to come and stay with me. She was inexplicably stopped by you, beaten with twenty sticks, and threatened not to come near me again!"

"cousin?"

"I hit her?"

Lu Wei was so angry he laughed, his face twitching. He stepped forward, raised his hand high, and was about to slap Liu Xu. "You've got some nerve, spreading rumors like this!"

The situation escalated, with tables and chairs rolling around. Liu Xu nimbly dodged a flying wooden chair and ran to the window, ready to jump: "Murder! Murder!"

"Help! Help!"

"I am merely a scholar who admires Chang'an, is grateful for the Emperor's grace, and came here to study. How could I have encountered such a calamity! If my old mother at home finds out, she will drag me down the well and kill myself!"

Liu Xu wept, facing the blue sky, quickly found a good angle to kneel down, and kowtowed passionately: "I am sorry to Your Majesty! I am sorry to my parents! I am a dignified seven-foot man. Since I cannot be loyal and filial in life, I will become a river in death, devoting myself to the Great Yan day and night!"

After saying this, he looked like he was going to die a heroic death, and with his eyes closed, he was about to jump.

Lu Wei had served as a guard for so many years, climbing the ranks step by step, and he had never seen such blatant nonsense.

First, he lacks eloquence; second, he lacks courage.

But the person in front of me disregarded his appearance and spouted absurd nonsense.

With lightning speed, he grabbed Liu Xu by the back of his collar and slammed him to the ground, pulling him back inside through the window. The force of his grip was so great that he accidentally smashed a stool leg, and the broken wooden stick tore Liu Xu's clothes to shreds.

The young man's solid flesh slammed onto the floor; it was truly painful for the one who suffered it, and heartbreaking for the one who heard it.

Just then, another burst of heated discussion came from outside the window.

"This person is going too far..."

"This is more than just excessive; it's downright shameless! Unscrupulous!"

A scholar spat, "Our Great Holy Dynasty has always been a land of propriety and a peaceful border region. How could there be such ferocious beasts here!"

"...That's right!"

The common people echoed this sentiment, clearly indicating that their resentment had been brewing for a long time.

Right now, he has an indignant look on his face, as if saying, "Those who can say a lot often say a lot."

Just as chaos erupted in the marketplace, a tall, imposing horse slowly and steadily pulled a sandalwood carriage adorned with jewels and necklaces from the street corner.

They are people who are either rich or noble.

"Master Du!"

"! Lord Du!"

Each shout was higher than the last.

When the people saw the newcomer, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, someone had come to support them. How could it not be a coincidence?

A burly man shouted first, "Lord Du, someone is going to jump off the building!"

The crowd echoed, "Sir! You must stand up for us common people!"

Grand Tutor Du Min had just retired and returned home a few days ago, but was immediately summoned back by imperial edict. Ostensibly, it was to revise the history of Yan, but in reality, there was something more troublesome.

He was always approachable. Upon hearing this, he got off the carriage and looked in the direction the strong man pointed. He saw a handsome young man dressed simply, clinging to the window sill, about to jump down.

A fierce-looking Imperial Guard behind him gripped his neck tightly, using excessive force to leave a red mark on the young man's neck.

Du Min frowned: "Stop!"

The young man by the window saw him and his eyes lit up, but he seemed to dare not show his joy too openly. Then he pursed his lips, his eyes filled with sorrow, and he repeated what he had just said in a tearful voice, adding fuel to the fire.

As expected, Old Du's face grew increasingly gloomy, and he exuded a faint, oppressive aura.

"You said he hurt your family to coerce you?"

Liu Xu looked grief-stricken and turned away, weeping.

"Although I was not born into a family of scholars and literati, I have the ambition to cultivate myself and serve my country. As a mayfly, I often compare myself to a roc. I have studied diligently for more than ten years, hoping that one day I can shake the world."

“I came to Chang’an for this reason, but I never expected such a thing to happen. I have been humiliated and my family has also been implicated. I know that I am ashamed to face the Emperor and my parents if I take my own life. I am disloyal as a subject and unfilial as a son. But I really cannot live on. It is my good fortune and contentment that I can tell this grievance to Elder Du today.”

After saying this, he covered his face and was about to jump again.

Old Du, being of noble character and with the people at heart, was moved by his words, bowed, and choked up as he said, "Good child."

As the wind whistled as Liu Xu fell, several guards hiding in the trees nearby noticed Elder Du's signal and leaped up without hesitation, grabbing Liu Xu in one go.

"Wow--!"

Meanwhile, the people, not knowing where these people had suddenly appeared, didn't think twice, only understanding that this was their victory, and excitedly shouted in the street.

Among them were passersby who occasionally stopped to linger, their hands still tightly gripping the carts they used to make a living.

"Master Du!"

"Thank you very much, Lord Du!"