Chapter 72

“He sent me a letter saying that everything was ready and that I should wait for him at the entrance of the alley in the East Market. As soon as I got there, I saw a pool of blood. Merchants often slaughter chickens there, and at first I thought it was chicken blood, but when I got closer I realized it was a person. I was going to report it to the authorities, but as soon as I squatted down to see who it was, they surrounded me.”

It seems they were prepared long ago.

"Where's that letter? Is it still there?"

Mentioning the letter, Zhao Wan felt even more guilty. "It's gone. The letter said where we were going to escape to. I was afraid of being discovered, so I burned it."

This girl is clever again!

Si Yanmo sighed helplessly, feeling a weight on her hand. Zhao Wan pulled her close, saying, "Your Highness, you saved me once, which is already a blessing. It was my fault for misjudging people, I'm sorry. Now... never mind, don't waste your energy."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" she frowned. "If you let someone like that continue to be the official in charge of rites, then you're really doing me a disservice."

She patted Zhao Wan's hand, "Don't worry, I'll find a way."

If that's the case, then let's treat them the same way they treat us.

Si Yanmo went out and, in front of Wei Jingzhong and Wang Tianchuan, asked someone to fetch some divination tools from the divination house.

"Mo Wubu, what's wrong with you..." Wei Jingzhong had a bad feeling.

Si Yanmo simply smiled slightly, "You'll find out in a little while."

The divination and judicial departments are quite far apart, so they probably won't be able to return for a while. The group of people could only wait in the main hall of the judicial department.

It's the hottest time of the year right now, and it rained last night, making it even more humid and hot. You'll be sweating even if you're sitting still.

Du Ruoshan had no choice but to send someone to buy a watermelon so that everyone could share it.

Watermelon is refreshing, but it doesn't dry out the sweat on your body. Everyone else is fine, but Wang Tianchuan's face is starting to run with white liquid.

Si Yanmo asked knowingly, "Oh dear, Wang Liguan, what's wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Tianchuan thought there was something on his face and hastily wiped it with his sleeve.

This wiping had a disastrous effect; the azure cuffs were instantly covered in a white stain, and the face was also patchy with white and yellow marks, making it look quite comical.

Si Yanmo knew perfectly well that this was the makeup he had applied when he was playing the lovelorn character, which was now patchy from sweating. Nevertheless, she deliberately said, "Director Du, has that witch doctor left yet? Quickly call him over to take a look at Wang Liguan! What happened to his face? Could it be that he's fallen ill from excessive grief? The lady has just passed away; he can't afford to have anything happen to him!"

Du Ruoshan cooperated, making a move to call the witch doctor, but was stopped by Wang Tianchuan, who blushed.

"No...don't go, I'm fine, I just...maybe I accidentally got some dust on me."

"How can someone's face be covered in so much ash? Wang Liguan, don't try to be brave. While the shaman is still here, let's take a look at you quickly, lest something happens to this 'official' of Qin, how am I supposed to explain to His Highness the King of Qin?"

Si Yanmo deliberately emphasized the words "official," glancing sideways at Wei Jingzhong, clearly implying something, which made Wei Jingzhong's face turn pale.

Since she had already said that, Wang Tianchuan could no longer refuse his superior, so he had no choice but to let the witch doctor come over and take his pulse.

Everyone present knew in their hearts that he wasn't sick, but they all pretended to care, leaving the witch doctor bewildered and unsure of what to say.

Seeing his unease, Si Yanmo quickly stepped forward to support him.

"Just say what you have to say. It doesn't matter if it can't be cured. Wang Liguan won't blame you, right?"

Wang Tianchuan awkwardly replied, "Yes." Upon hearing the witch doctor's response, "Wang Liguan only has some kidney yang deficiency. As for his face... it should be makeup."

Si Yanmo couldn't help but lower her head and chuckle as she listened to the witch doctor's words.

Kidney yang deficiency? This witch doctor is even more infuriating than her.

“It seems that Wang Liguan is careful to be moderate in his daily life. But, witch doctor, how could a grown man like Wang Liguan be wearing makeup? Are you sure you're not mistaken?” she pressed on.

Seeing that the man was determined to get to the bottom of things, Wang Tianchuan finally couldn't keep up the act any longer and simply wiped the makeup off his face with a handkerchief.

"It's just that my wife passed away, and my complexion is really not good, so I used some makeup to cover it up."

He knew his words weren't very convincing, and sure enough, Si Yanmo pressed him again: "But I think Wang Liguan looks better after removing the cosmetics than before."

Seeing that the truth was already out in the open, Wei Jingzhong simply stopped pretending. "Mo Wubu has been stalling for time just to wait for this? So what? You still can't prove that Zhao Wan didn't kill him."

Knowing he would be furious, Si Yanmo had been waiting for this moment. Now that the actor had given himself away, it was her turn to step in.

It was at this moment that the steward who had gone to the divination hall to get things returned, bringing in a cart full of things like tortoise shells and incense burners.

Seeing this, Wei Jingzhong was even more confused about what the woman was up to, and could only wait and see.

Wang Tianchuan was somewhat frightened. Si Yanmo had clearly seen through his lie, but instead of exposing it directly, she created these things, which made him even more anxious.

"The matter of etiquette, this..." He secretly leaned closer to Wei Jingzhong and whispered a question in his ear.

Wei Jingzhong simply waved his hand, "What's there to be afraid of? She has no evidence."

Si Yanmo had her things pushed in front of the Emperor's statue in the Siyuan courtyard. She offered incense, threw divination sticks, and muttered incantations.

This spectacle looks even more sinister than the autumn harvest festival.

After a long time, Si Yanmo was covered in sweat. She turned to Wang Tianchuan and said, "Wang Liguan, please come here for a moment."

Wang Tianchuan was confused and dared not step forward or refuse. He secretly glanced at Wei Jingzhong and only dared to walk to Si Yanmo's side after seeing the other party nod.

Si Yanmo grabbed his hand and mysteriously told him to circle his hand around the incense three times, then told him to throw a divination stick.

He obediently did as he was told, throwing out a Yin Cup. Before he could even react to what was happening, Si Yanmo ordered the steward to seize him.

"The Emperor has already issued a divine decree: it was Wang Liguan who personally killed his wife and framed Miss Zhao. He should be beheaded as a warning to others!"

Her words were forceful and clear, and the surrounding guards immediately sprang into action, pinning her to the ground.

"Wait!" Wei Jingzhong was caught off guard by her actions and panicked, quickly stopping her.

"What evidence does Mo Wubu have to support his claim?"

Wang Tianchuan struggled to agree, saying, "That's right! You can't just arrest people arbitrarily! You're protecting criminals and framing innocent people!"

Si Yanmo simply raised an eyebrow calmly, "Isn't this Yin Cup the evidence? I just performed a ritual to ask Di Gu who killed Madam Wang, was it Miss Zhao? He told me it was someone else, so I called you over to cast the divination sticks, and you got the Yin Cup. Doesn't that prove it was you?"

"How could that be?" Wang Tianchuan's heart pounded when he heard this, but he still stubbornly retorted, "What can a Yin Cup prove?"

Upon hearing this, Si Yanmo finally smiled.

The fish has taken the bait!

She glanced weakly at Wei Jingzhong, "Then Wang Liguan should ask Wei Li about this matter."

Seeing Wei Jingzhong looking over, she simply walked straight over and said, "Wei Lishi, so this is how people from your Ministry of Rites question the majesty of the Emperor? If even he thinks that asking the heavens is useless, do you think the Ministry of Rites has no reason to exist?"

Having spent so much time with Zhou Yanqing, Si Yanmo had learned to set traps for others. She smiled as she stared at Wei Jingzhong, waiting for his answer: would he want Wang Tianchuan as a pawn, or would he want to protect his own position?

Wei Jingzhong was a shrewd man, and he naturally realized that this woman was forcing him. He gritted his teeth inwardly, "Doesn't Mo Wubu think this is too hasty?"

"Is it hasty?" Si Yanmo looked innocent. "But hasn't this always been how Dean Si handles cases? Dean Bu asks questions, Dean Si arrests people?"

"Didn't Mo Wubu already advise His Highness the King of Qin to implement reforms? This shows that Mo Wubu also feels it's hasty, doesn't it?"

Wei Jingzhong tried to fight back, but was blocked again. "Is that so? It seems we are of the same mind. Since the Ministry of Rites unanimously believes that divination and consulting the heavens are useless, then we should reform them properly in the future. Why not start with the Ministry of Rites? Wei Jingzhong is so righteous, he will definitely be willing to be the first to contribute to the reform."

Si Yanmo turned her head and instructed Wu Guan, "Here's what you'd like to do: quickly go and write a memorial for me, saying that Wei Lishi is willing to suspend all official duties of the Ministry of Rites in order to support the reform..."

Before she could finish speaking, Wei Jingzhong finally panicked and hurriedly said, "Wait!"

He chuckled, "Whether it's divination and consulting the heavens, or the cooperation between the Academy of Divination and the Academy of Sacrifices over the years, these are all rules established over thousands of years. Even if there are occasional loopholes, they are certainly not entirely unreasonable. Moreover, Mo Wubu is a genius who appears only once in a century, so he is naturally the best messenger for Emperor Gu. I was just confused for a moment. This Wang Liguan was someone I watched enter the Ministry of Rites. I just can't believe that he would do such a thing."

"And now?"

Seeing that Si Yanmo had relented and offered her a word, Wei Jingzhong, naturally understanding the situation, walked up to Wang Tianchuan and slapped him hard across the face. "Wang Tianchuan! I've taken such good care of you and promoted you myself, yet I never imagined you were such a sinful, filthy, and despicable villain! Guards, drag him away and behead him!"

His righteous and eloquent speech was even better than that of an actor in a theater, and everyone present couldn't help but admire him.

Du Ruoshan, in particular, finally understood why he had been stuck in the Ministry of Justice for so many years.

If he had half the insight of Wei Jingzhong, he probably would have been transferred to a lucrative position long ago.

Seeing that he had been abandoned by Wei Jingzhong, Wang Tianchuan decided to fight back. He broke free from his restraints and knelt down in front of Si Yanmo with a thud, grabbing her clothes and crying out, "Mo Wubu! Mo Wubu! I was wrong! It's all his fault!"

He pointed at Wei Jingzhong, his face full of resentment, "He made me do it! How could I kill my own wife? He forced me to!"