Chapter 61

Along the street, pedestrians hurried by. Shen Yao's eyes scanned the crowd. An old man was selling sweet potatoes by the roadside. Shen Yao ran up to him and asked, "Have you seen a richly dressed young man? Tall and thin, with someone by his side..."

After several inquiries, they finally found Wei Luo and his companion.

Shen Yao laughed and bent over, panting heavily. After a while, she straightened up and came to the group, laughing, "You scared me to death! I thought you went straight back to the palace. Thank goodness—"

"Why are you here?" Wei Luo glanced at her indifferently and interrupted her coldly, "Where is Xu Xuan?"

Sensing his indifference, Shen Yao was momentarily lost in thought before sighing, "Xu Xuan is fine. He's staying at Deng Yan's house now."

"Deng Yan?"

"Xu Xuan's good friend, also a principal officer in the Ministry of Justice."

Wei Luo was secretly surprised, not expecting that the two had this relationship. Perhaps because the surprise was on his face, he coughed a few times to cover it up and only said "Oh" in a deep voice.

Hearing this, Shen Yao was somewhat puzzled, but she didn't press for details and lowered her eyes in silence.

He looked at Shen Yao. Perhaps it was the strong wind, but the woman's eyes were filled with tears that shone like pearls, beautiful yet dangerous.

Wei Luo stopped speaking and stood quietly in place, waiting.

What are we waiting for?

After a long silence, he finally asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you."

Wei Luo curled his lips into a sneer, "What do you want with me?"

Shen Yao approached him and tentatively said, "Today in the sea of ​​fire, someone wanted to kill Xu Xuan."

Mentioning the murder, Wei Luo's ice-sculpted body finally moved, and Shen Yao moved a little closer to him. "The murderer is Zhao Liang. He saved us in Li Village back then. Do you remember?"

As she spoke, her gentle breath caressed his ear, and Wei Luo's breathing suddenly became heavy.

But he quickly recovered and asked in confusion, "Why did he kill Xu Xuan?"

Although he was speaking to Shen Yao, his eyes involuntarily drifted toward Liu Heng.

Liu Heng looked over as well, and the two exchanged a knowing glance. Liu Heng then looked away guiltily.

After years of serving as master and servant, Wei Luo suddenly realized that this matter was inextricably linked to Liu Heng... and perhaps also to him!

However, now is not the time to dwell on these things, because there are more important matters to attend to right now.

Shen Yao happened to be there too, and Wei Luo smiled at her, saying, "Bored on a winter night? Want to go watch some fun together?"

"...What's all the commotion about?"

*

Paozi River was originally a stagnant lake formed by the siltation of a tributary. The riverbanks are covered with reeds and wasteland, and the area is often shrouded in fog at night, hence its nickname "Ghost Market River".

This area is also a notorious "lawless zone" in Beijing, with the infamous Jiangnan Hutong nearby.

When the three arrived at Paozi River, the starlight had already dimmed, and all around was silent except for the howling wind.

What are we doing here?

Shen Yao voiced the question that had been bothering her.

Wei Luo stepped closer, reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, and smiled gently, "I didn't expect even the wind to favor you."

Shen Yao: "...?"

Although the temperature on my fingertips was faint, I could still feel it.

Wei Luo looked down into her eyes and smiled softly.

Shen Yao smiled too, her eyes crinkling.

All was still, the wilderness boundless. In this hazy night, the movement of the wind and the fluttering of the banners could not outweigh the stirring of the heart of the devoted.

Several clusters of firelight flashed in the distance, and a series of rapid, clanging noises could be faintly heard.

All of them turned their gazes in that direction.

Wei Luo squeezed her arm and pointed, saying, "Now I have the answer to your question."

Shen Yao was suddenly startled.

The firelight grew closer and brighter, so bright that it was as clear as a mirror, revealing every detail. Dozens of mule carts came into view, followed by a group of people, all dressed in fine clothes.

The mule carts eventually stopped in an open area, lined up in a row, and soon jars of wine were poured onto the carts and into the boxes.

"They're going to burn...?"

A pair of hands quickly covered her lips. "Shh, don't shout."

Shen Yao's eyes widened, and sure enough, someone was throwing a torch onto the carriage.

The bright flames drew a graceful arc in the air, but the moment they touched the wine, a fiery dragon appeared out of nowhere, dancing along the riverbank and shining for miles.

Putting aside the dangers, the scenery is magnificent and breathtaking!

The arsonist clearly shared the same thought, as cheers and applause mingled with the crackling sounds from afar.

But it was only for a moment.

With the unexpected appearance of the Eastern Palace Guard, all of these people were surrounded and trapped.

The fire continued to burn fiercely and violently, as did those who had been arrested.

"On what grounds are you arresting people?"

"They hijacked forbidden books, set fires, and injured people. Take them all away."

Only then did Shen Yao realize that the book was a forbidden book. It turned out that at dusk, Wei Luo had learned from the shadows that someone wanted to steal the book and was setting fire to the banks of the Paozi River for amusement. So he decided to play along and sent men to ambush the book, waiting for the robbers to come to him.

With the rabbit caught, Wei Luo looked relaxed and pleased. After everyone had been taken away, he asked, "How was it?"

The firelight flickered, and Shen Yao squatted down on the ground, stretching out her hands to feel the warmth. "Since Your Highness has a plan, why didn't you arrest the people in time to stop the arson?"

Wei Luo squatted down next to her and said, "Why should we stop them? They were burning filthy books anyway. I should be grateful to them."

"But the books are burned. How are we going to explain this to the imperial court?"

“These people are all sons of noble families, with very powerful bloodlines. So… we’ll compensate them at market value.”

So that's what he was planning.

Shen Yao smiled helplessly, and Wei Luo smiled too.

Is Your Highness short of money?

Shen Yao made a teasing remark, and Wei Luo looked at her and replied seriously, "Yes, of course we need some. Everyone says the Shen family is incredibly wealthy. When can you lend some to the Crown Prince?"

"ah?"

Wei Luo laughed heartily, turned his head away, and didn't continue the topic. He casually tore off a blade of grass and played with it in his hand. Time flowed quietly until Liu Heng came over and asked, "Your Highness, the person has been taken to the military prison. Will the trial be tonight or tomorrow?"

After a few moments of silence, a clear voice rang out, "Tomorrow. Let Xiao Yang keep a close watch on him first; if anything happens, hold him accountable." After saying that, he glanced at Shen Yao and said, "It's getting late; I'll have someone take you home."

Although it was phrased as an inquiry, it was actually a command, clearly indicating that he had other important matters to attend to. Shen Yao wisely left.

Watching the carriages and horses disappear into the darkness, Liu Heng stepped forward and asked, "Your Highness, shall we leave now?"

"Um."

Wei Luo led his men directly to the Ministry of Justice to complete the necessary paperwork.

Under the imperial system, arresting people required official credentials, such as a "police warrant" from the Ministry of Justice or a "travel permit" from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Otherwise, even the crown prince had no right to arrest people at will.

However, the incident occurred suddenly in the evening. Firstly, there was no time to follow procedures, and secondly, there were many people and eyes in the Ministry of Justice. Therefore, they had no choice but to act expediently and report later.

So the only trouble was completing the paperwork, but he had already sent someone to inquire and found out that Deng Yan was on duty tonight, and Deng Yan happened to be Guo Zheng's student. In other words, they were all on his side.

So Wei Luo wrote a letter and had someone deliver it to Deng Yan, asking him to meet later.

Inside the government office, only clerks and a few runners were on night duty; Deng Yan was nowhere to be seen. Wei Luo then asked the runner on duty, "Where is your supervisor?"

The constable replied respectfully, "Steward Deng had some family matters to attend to and just went back to deal with them. Please have a seat for a moment, Your Highness."

Wei Luo immediately thought of Xu Xuan, and resentment arose in his heart.

An official brought over tea, which Wei Luo took and gulped down several mouthfuls. The tea was refreshing, but it still couldn't ease the hatred in his heart. He slammed down the teacup and looked at Liu Heng, instructing, "Time waits for no one. Send someone to bring Deng Yan here now, quickly."

*

Deng Yan has a real headache tonight.

On one hand, he received a letter from the Crown Prince in the evening, saying that there was something to discuss that night and ordering him to be on duty; on the other hand, his good friend Xu Xuan was assassinated and he was temporarily staying at his home.

Faced with a difficult choice, he ultimately rushed home to visit his friend. To him, the Crown Prince was merely a political symbol, but his friend's life was truly his own.

He couldn't ignore it.

Xu Xuan's burns had been treated and bandaged, and he was no longer in mortal danger, which relieved Deng Yan.

"Ziwei, who exactly did you offend? The other party is so ruthless; they're trying to kill you."

Due to blood loss, Xu Xuan's face was slightly pale. He replied, "The person who killed me was the son of the Marquis of Yongning."

Deng Yan was startled and asked incredulously, "Duan Kaizhi... how did you know?"

"The murderer told me." Xu Xuan paused slightly, then asked, "Do you know him?"

"It's just a friendly greeting when we meet, we're not really close." Deng Yan frowned. "How did you offend him?"

"I don't know, and I can't even disprove what the murderer said, since I'm practically a cripple now."

"Don't say that." Deng Yan sighed deeply, his tone very agitated. "You're like this because of her. In my opinion, that woman is a jinx, she's just bringing bad luck to you."

Xu Xuan scoffed at him but didn't refute him, which was taken as tacit agreement.

As the two were talking, a servant knocked on the door and came in, saying that someone from the Eastern Palace had arrived.

Deng Yan hurriedly got up, straightened his clothes, bid farewell to his friend, and headed to the government office.

As he walked out the door, perhaps still not calm, he directly ordered the servant to fetch Shen Yao, "Her husband was beaten half to death and suffered terribly, while she, as his wife, is living a very comfortable life. Tell her to come and take care of Xu Xuan immediately."

Deng Yan looked extremely pale, and the servant dared not say anything more. He simply went to deliver the message, but his words were much more tactful when he relayed it: "Young Master Xu's condition is serious, so we have specially asked Madam to come and take care of him."

"ah?"

Shen Yao was terrified and was forced to crawl out of bed in the middle of the night to brave the cold.

Upon arrival, Xu Xuan was found leaning against the wall reading a book. Although his face was pale, there was absolutely no sign of him being in critical condition.

Feeling cheated, she became angry and asked Xu Xuan, "Why did you call me here?"

Xu Xuan, unaware of what was going on, closed the book and asked, "When did I call you here?"

Both men looked at the servant, who awkwardly explained, "It was my young master who gave the order."

"..."

*

When Deng Yan arrived at the government office, Wei Luo had already drunk several bowls of tea, and his complexion was naturally not good, since no one had ever made him wait like this before.

Therefore, when Deng Yan bowed, Wei Luo let him wait a while before saying, "No need for formalities, you've had a long and tiring journey."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Your subject—"

"Enough with the small talk," Wei Luo interrupted him impatiently. "Let's get down to business first."

The writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone are all ready. Tonight, we only need to issue a "temporary detention warrant," and the official arrest warrant will be issued the next day.

Deng Yan said, "Yes."

Wei Luo looked at him. The man was tall and slender, with a fair complexion and an air of scholarly refinement. Wei Luo couldn't help but chuckle at the thought that such a person was friends with Xu Xuan.

The ticket was quickly replaced, and Wei Luo took it and looked at it casually, asking, "Master Deng just returned. Has he taken care of things at home? If there are any difficulties, I can send someone to help."

Deng Yan dared not respond casually to Wei Luo's sudden kindness. In fact, he saw it as the Crown Prince questioning him about why he had abandoned his post. Therefore, he became even more respectful and said, "Your Highness's kindness is appreciated. I was just about to inform Your Highness of this matter."

"Then tell me."

Wei Luo remained calm and composed, and Deng Yan then recounted the assassination attempt in detail. Like Xu Xuan, both of them, without prior arrangement, concealed Duan Kaizhi's name from others. The reason for this was something Wei Luo had to inquire with Liu Heng about in the end.

Outside the Ministry of Justice, lanterns on both sides swayed in the wind, casting dappled light and shadow on the corridor.

Wei Luo looked up, and a ray of light shone on his brow. His handsome features looked slightly tired, and he unconsciously rubbed his temples.

"How much do you know about Xu Xuan's affairs?"

Let's get straight to the point.

Liu Heng blinked, cupped his hands, and said, "Why does Your Highness say such a thing?"

Wei Luo chuckled and turned to look at him. "Speak. No matter what you do, I won't blame you now. But if you try to hide something, I absolutely cannot tolerate it."

Having come this far, Liu Heng had no more reason to hide anything. He sighed and said, "When I was disciplining Duan Kai that day, I shifted the blame to Xu Xuan."

"...What?" Wei Luo's eyes widened in disbelief. "How could you?"

Liu Heng lowered his head, then knelt down, removed his crown, and kowtowed deeply. "This servant has acted without authorization. If Your Highness wishes to punish me, this servant will have no objection."

"Why?"

"There's no reason why, Your Highness is unhappy, and this servant just wants to share your burden."

"I ask you, why did you frame Xu Xuan?"

Liu Heng remained silent.

The lack of explanation implied there was another reason. Liu Heng was unwilling to speak, and Wei Luo's pressing was pointless, so he adjusted his cloak and went straight back to the palace.