Chapter 24 Freedom Lord Xiao, why do you need to threaten me with power?

Feng Tan rushed to the window, quickly leaned forward, and grabbed Wan Niang's arm. His arm was so strong that the veins bulged, and his cheeks were flushed red. "Wan Niang... wait a little longer... believe me... just wait a little longer, and you'll be free!"

Wan Niang's cloak billowed and fluttered in mid-air. She slowly covered Feng Tan's fingers with her other hand, gently prying the boy's fingers apart. "Wan Niang, only by jumping down can you achieve true freedom."

"No, no..." Feng Tan's eyes were red and tears streamed down her face. She felt as if her entire arm was about to be separated from her body. Unable to withstand Wan Niang's force as she pried her fingers apart, she suddenly stopped, watching Wan Niang smile as she fell. "Wan Niang!!!"

The mist obscured the boy's figure as he leaned out of the prison window, and Wan Niang gradually could not see anything clearly. She felt her body rapidly falling through the air, but she felt that she had never been freer than at this moment.

All the years of groveling and subservience, all the years of trying to please others, all the years of being neither human nor ghost, all vanished at this moment. She was finally a free person.

Wan Niang fell heavily to the ground, bright red blood gushing from her head, limbs, and torso—the filthy blood of this mortal world.

Let it flow, let it flow until it's dry.

She jumped into the abyss, and she also jumped out of the abyss.

The two forces suddenly separated, and Feng Tan's upper body was pulled downwards by the force, but she was then pulled into Xiao Yinshi's arms by the speeding Xiao Yinshi.

"Feng Tan, are you out of your mind?!" Xiao Yinshi released Feng Tan, lowered his eyes to look down at the boy's red eyes, and his cold gaze suddenly froze.

Did she actually cry?

A cool, woody scent wafted to her nose. The force of the backward movement caused Feng Tan's head to press against Xiao Yinshi's heartbeat. She turned and looked up at Xiao Yinshi's handsome face, whispering, "Wan Niang is dead... so close, so very close..."

As for whether Feng Tan was just a hair's breadth away from catching her, or whether Xiao Yinshi was just a hair's breadth away from arriving, Feng Tan didn't say.

It just feels so ironic, a twist of fate.

Xiao Yinshi looked at Feng Tan with a complicated and unreadable expression. He had rushed over as fast as he could after receiving the news, but he was still a step too late.

The atmosphere was tense. Gao Yu didn't understand why the Left Censor-in-Chief had also come to the Futu Prison tonight. He and Xiao Yinshi were of equal rank. Gao Yu stepped forward to greet him and asked, "Lord Xiao, what brings you here tonight?"

Xiao Yinshi looked at Gao Yu's cheek, which was scratched by pear blossoms, and said in a calm voice that revealed no emotion, "The case of the official's murder is of great importance. I heard that the prisoner confessed tonight, and His Majesty sent me here to supervise. Judging from the situation, Lord Gao has already obtained the confession?"

Gao Yu said, "As for the confession... the prisoner committed suicide out of fear of punishment and didn't have time to sign the confession, but that's alright, I'll just give you a new one."

Xiao Yinshi asked, "The prisoner didn't sign anything, so how does Lord Gao plan to forge it?"

“Lord Xiao is joking. Who said she didn’t sign it?” Gao Yu gestured to the jailer to bring out the confession that had been prepared a few days earlier. “She signed it a long time ago, but the facts were incomplete. Today, she revealed some new clues, so I thought I would write a more complete one. Who knew she would be so uncooperative and jump down!”

The prison clerk presented the confession signed by Wan Niang. Xiao Yinshi glanced through it briefly, then glanced at Gao Yuzhong and said, "Lord Gao, you have done a great job. You are likely to be promoted this year and will definitely enter the cabinet."

Gao Yu had long been adept at forging confessions. Taking advantage of Wan Niang's unconsciousness, it was not difficult for him to use her finger to leave fingerprints on the confession. Hearing Xiao Yinshi's words of humility, he said with a forced smile, "I dare not say I have entered the cabinet. We, as subjects, are just doing our best to serve His Majesty."

Feng Tan's eyes were misty with tears, and a cold laugh escaped her lips. "Upholding official conduct and obeying imperial orders, Lord Gao is truly a good official who serves the people and the country!"

The boy's blatant sarcasm did not embarrass Gao Yu in the slightest. He smiled unconcerned and said, "Lord Feng flatters me. I am unworthy of such praise!"

Feng Tan's fingers slowly tightened. She turned to look at Xiao Yinshi and questioned, "Lord Xiao, I kept my promise as you said, but you broke your word."

Xiao Yinshi naturally understood Feng Tan's unspoken meaning, and the fierceness in his eyes gradually deepened. "I broke my promise. Wan Niang's matter... is out of my control. Consider it a favor I owe you. You can make another request in the future."

In the dimly lit, misty cell, Feng Tan gave a faint smile, his voice low and chilling, "Why wait until later?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Feng Tan moved with lightning speed, drawing the large sword hanging from Meng Sheng's waist behind her. The blade reflected her incredibly bright eyes, and then with a snap, Gao Yu's four fingers on his left hand were severed at the root.

"Ah!" Gao Yu belatedly realized the pain, let out a roar, and then fainted.

Blood dripped from the curved blade, and four fingers lay scattered on the tangled weeds. Beneath the young man's skin lay a fierce spirit, unafraid of Xiao Yinshi's sinister and terrifying gaze. He even politely asked, "I trouble you, Lord Xiao, to clean up this mess for me and appease Lord Gao."

Meng Sheng looked at Feng Tan with admiration, then reluctantly carried Gao Yu on his back and led a group of prison officials to seek medical treatment.

The Floating Pagoda Prison was silent. Xiao Yinshi's dark eyes scanned Feng Tan's face inch by inch, and the oppressive and aggressive aura around him gradually eroded the young man. At the same time, there was also a chilling killing intent that Feng Tan had not seen for a long time but was familiar with.

"To cut off four fingers of a high-ranking official of the second rank for a prostitute," Xiao Yinshi's thin lips curled slightly, revealing a strange sense of admiration, "Aren't you afraid?"

When they first met, Xiao Yinshi skinned and dismembered Su Bai's attendant, and also cut off Su Bai's tongue. He asked Feng Tan if she was afraid. At that time, Feng Tan had no bargaining chips, so she naturally answered that she was afraid.

But things are different now.

Feng Tan said, "I'm not afraid."

Xiao Yinshi stared intently into Feng Tan's eyes and asked, "Why?"

“I am useful to Lord Xiao, and Lord Xiao also wants me to assist in the investigation. How can he bear to let me die at Gao Yu’s hands? Today he forced my man to his death. Cutting off a finger is not enough to vent my anger. In the future, I will make him pay with his life,” Feng Tan replied.

Xiao Yinshi's voice landed on Feng Tan's head, and he said in a deep voice, "Feng Tan, you are learned, but your knowledge is unorthodox. Don't let me peel back your skin and see the demons and monsters hidden inside."

“Otherwise…” Xiao Yinshi paused slightly, took a small step, and a shadow covered Feng Tan’s body. He said meaningfully, “Your hidden schemes and plans will be crushed in the palm of your hand.”

She had worked for eight years to rescue her husband, and with just over a year left before his brutal murder, she was determined to make sure everything was reduced to dust after ten years of hard work.

Seeing that he was no longer speaking, Feng Tan curtsied and left the cell.

As dawn broke outside the Floating Pagoda Prison, the thick fog had not yet dissipated. A gyrfalcon hovered above Feng Tan's head, its large, round eyes watching the disheveled young man in blue robes slowly bend down and carry Wan Niang, who had fallen and was covered in blood, on his back. Blood dripped onto the ground, almost as if flowers were blooming with every step.

"In your next life, may you not be a fish in a pond or a bird in a cage. May you be born in the era you described," Feng Tan said softly as the misty air obscured the view of the indistinct official road ahead. "Wan Niang, I'll take you home."

The mist spread to the hem of Xiao Yinshi's robe. He stood calmly like a bamboo grove beneath the Floating Pagoda Prison, watching the boy's figure gradually disappear into the fog as he walked away. A subtle smile curved his lips.

***

The contents published the following day in the Imperial Gazette of the Capital attracted the attention of various government departments, and the constant reading by officials in the capital caused the gazette to eventually become rotten.

The official gazette published two things: first, the murderer in the case of the Beijing official's murder had confessed and been brought to justice; second, the Minister of Justice, Gao Yu, was ordered to enter the cabinet immediately.

The Grand Secretariat, a place of great decision-making, is typically staffed with eight officials. Now, two are missing, and in the capital's officialdom, everyone is watching and speculating about who will be the next to join the cabinet. Xiao Yinshi is deep and experienced, while Gao Yu is obedient and compliant. Both hold high positions, ranking as second-grade officials, and have considerable seniority.

Emperor Chongming knew that selecting a Grand Secretary was more important than selecting the Ministers of the Six Ministries, so despite Grand Secretary Zheng's repeated petitions to select another minister to share the political affairs with him, Emperor Chongming rejected them all, saying that they needed to be examined.

Emperor Chongming, having long held the throne, was intimately familiar with the deep-seated problems plaguing the officialdom. The eighteen departments and eighteen ministers—the top nine ministers harbored their own ambitions, and the lower nine ministers their own petty schemes. Official factions and corruption had existed in every dynasty; eradicating these millennia-old ills was no easy task. He knew Gao Yu was a man of underhanded tactics and despicable character, yet he still promoted him. This was because Gao Yu was not a divinely appointed official; he was a conscientious official, lacking the lofty ideals of the "pure stream" (those who uphold integrity and propriety), obeying the emperor's orders rather than official precepts, and capable of doing what was necessary when required—meeting all of Emperor Chongming's standards for effective governance.

Xiao Yinshi, however, was different. Although stern, he was pure of heart and had few desires, neither loving money nor lustful. He only sought power and influence, rising step by step from among the officials to become one of the Nine Ministers. He was a true prodigy in officialdom, yet Emperor Chongming always felt he could not see through him.

This is why Emperor Chongming valued him highly, and also why he was wary of him.

Therefore, in the selection of cabinet members, Emperor Chongming hesitated for a long time before choosing Gao Yu.

The frost was biting, and a crescent moon hung in the dark sky; another winter night had arrived.

After finishing his shift, Xiao Yin returned to his residence, changed into casual clothes, and went straight to his study without having a meal.

The annual imperial examination, held every six years during the reign of Emperor Dahuang, is approaching. According to past practice, officials of the fourth rank and above will be examined by the emperor, while officials of the fourth rank and below will be examined jointly by the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate.

The heads of the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate were impartial and unbiased, and the investigations were conducted by these two individuals, resulting in openness and fairness. Zheng Guanhe was already in his eighties and could no longer handle many matters, so most affairs were handled by Xiao Yinshi.

The matter of the capital inspection was of great importance, and the theft of the national treasury was also a major issue. Both heavy responsibilities fell on Xiao Yinshi's shoulders, and returning to his residence was merely a change of office location.

Seeing how hard he was working, his attendants Sun Cheng and Zhu Qi instructed the cook early in the morning to make sure that the master could have a bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall stewed before he finished his shift that night, so that he could have a good nourishing meal.

After Xiao Yinshi entered the study, the soup still hadn't been served after a while. Zhu Qi frowned and said, "Strange, what's wrong with Aunt Wu today? Why hasn't it been ready after half an hour?"

Sun Cheng, who was over fifty, glanced at Zhu Qi sideways, flicked him on the head, and laughed and scolded, "You clueless brat! What's with the rush!"

Zhu Qi looked confused and asked in a pitiful tone, "Huh?"

"Have you kept me waiting? I'm clumsy, and Aunt Wu taught me for quite a while before I learned," said the woman with a slender figure and a gentle voice, her voice like a spring breeze, as she cautiously asked, "May I come in?"

Zhu Qi then smiled knowingly and said, "So it's Princess Liling! Please come in!"

Xiao Liling carefully carried the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup that had just come out of the stew pot, glanced gratefully at Sun Cheng who had opened the door for her, and stepped into the study.

Xiao Yinshi put down his official duties and said, "There are too many people and too many eyes in the capital. You shouldn't have come here."

Xiao Liling placed the soup on Xiao Yinshi's desk, lifted the curtain and smiled, "Second Brother, don't worry, I'm careful, no one will find out."

Xiao Yinshi suddenly raised his head, his fierce eyes filled with murderous intent, "Princess, you have addressed me by the wrong title."

His ruthlessness made Xiao Liling purse her lips, suppress her emotions, and said with a smile, "It's been many years, but you still seem distant from me, sir."

Xiao Yinshi asked succinctly, "What do you want with me?"

Xiao Liling said, "Father... asked me to ask the master how things are going?"

Xiao Yinshi's eyes were like cold stars. He stood up and took out a tightly locked iron box from the mechanism behind him. "The information he wants is all here."

"Okay...I will..."

"Tell your father to do what he needs to do." Xiao Yinshi interrupted Xiao Liling, his tall figure looming over her, forcing the smile on Xiao Liling's face to freeze.

Both of them understood what Xiao Yinshi meant. Xiao Liling's joy at not seeing him for more than ten years vanished completely at this moment. She quickly put away all her girlish expressions and returned to the gentle and polite demeanor of a princess. "I will keep your words in mind, my lord."

She paused, then couldn't help but ask with concern, "I heard that you are going on a mission to the Linzhang sea area, which is located on the border of Dahuang and has always been known for its strange and treacherous terrain. It is also a military stronghold. This journey is fraught with danger. Is it really necessary for you to go, my lord?"

Xiao Yinshi's cold gaze remained unchanged, and the quiet hatred in his eyes made Xiao Liling's heart pound with fear. "To enter the central cabinet of Dahuang, this is the only way. I have no choice."

Xiao Liling gave a bitter smile. Yes, they had no choice.

The Second Brother Xiao, who would carry her three miles at night to see the stars in the wilderness, died in the coup plotted by her father for ten years. The one who survived was no longer the Second Brother Xiao, but Xiao Yinshi.

Xiao Liling's father, Xiao Songyun, was originally the Prince Xuan of the Hua Dynasty. Fifteen years ago, he launched a coup to usurp the throne and shot his own brother, Xiao Zhuoyi, on the dragon throne in the high hall. He originally wanted to kill his wife and children as well, but he was afraid of what people would say, that he was bloodthirsty and cruel and killed without blinking an eye. In the end, he spared Xiao Yinshi and his mother, Ban Huayun.

Xiao Songyun was cautious and suspicious by nature. He feared that Xiao Zhuoyi's former subordinates would secretly help Xiao Yinshi, who was then called Xiao Li, to make a comeback. He was also worried that Xiao Yinshi would make a comeback after being exiled to the frontier. So he simply exiled him to Dahuang and threatened him with the life of Xiao Yinshi's birth mother to exchange Dahuang's secrets.

She hated her father's despicable nature, yet she was powerless to do anything about it. For more than ten years, she watched Xiao Yinshi, as a young boy, enter the Great Chao Dynasty alone to fulfill his mother's wishes, rising step by step from a mere scholar to a high-ranking official in the Great Chao Dynasty, enduring countless hardships along the way.

Xiao Liling's birth mother died in childbirth, and Xiao Yinshi's mother raised her. Although Xiao Yinshi was usually stern and unsmiling, he doted on and loved his younger sister. However, his father's coup made her ashamed to face them.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Liling's smile vanished. She lowered her eyes to look at the official performance evaluation form on Xiao Yinshi's desk and said in a low voice, "The waters off Linzhang are extremely treacherous. Whom does Your Excellency intend to take with you?"

Xiao Yinshi closed the scrolls spread out on the rosewood table and said in a calm voice, "Feng Tan, the Supervising Secretary of the Six Ministries."

Xiao Liling had heard about the feud between Feng Tan and Xiao Yinshi. Last night, when she saw the young man in the Wu Shuang Palace, she only caught a fleeting glimpse of him, remembering only that he was exceptionally handsome. Her second brother, Xiao, had not been close to women for many years, and sometimes she really worried whether he was a homosexual.

Xiao Liling thought for a moment, then asked in a different phrasing, "I've heard that this Lord Feng doesn't hold a high official position, but he acts arrogantly. What benefit would it be for Second Brother to take him there to investigate the case?"

“His youthful arrogance is a facade; his meticulous thinking is real. He’s a very useful person,” Xiao Yinshi said.

Xiao Liling seemed to be deep in thought. Seeing that Xiao Yinshi had nothing to say to her and the stalemate between them was awkward, she instructed, "Then... please be careful in everything, my lord."

As she reached the door, Xiao Yinshi's voice sounded calmly from behind her, "Have you thought it through? Do you really want to marry into the Dahuang Kingdom and become a royal consort?"

Xiao Liling placed her fingertips on the door frame. She didn't turn around, but said softly, "Second brother, I'm just like you, I've never had a choice."

After saying that, she waited a moment, and seeing that the person behind her had nothing to say, she pushed open the door and walked out.

Seeing that Xiao Liling's expression was not good, Zhu Qi knew that his master had not given the princess a kind look, so he stepped forward to comfort her, "Princess, don't you know what kind of temperament our master is? He is cold and indifferent to everyone, and besides, you are...that person's daughter...so, don't take it to heart."

Xiao Liling wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. "No. Second Brother is cold on the outside but warm on the inside; his blood is hotter than anyone else's."

Zhu Qi silently widened his eyes, thinking to himself, "Has the princess lost her mind?"

Sun Cheng smiled and said, "It's getting late, Princess, please be careful on your journey."

Xiao Liling nodded, put the veil back on, and her slender figure disappeared into the night.

The capital of Dahuang was prosperous and bustling, and the curfew was late. Shortly after the garrison signal was given, the streets were teeming with people and lights, a scene of great commotion. Xiao Liling's mind was in turmoil, filled with countless thoughts. She was worried about Xiao Yinshi's safety and unknowingly walked to Baihua Street.

In front of Baihua Street, a young man wearing a green jade hairpin and plain clothes, carrying a basket of paper money, was bidding farewell to the ladies in the Red Embroidery Pavilion.

The boy's profile was exquisitely beautiful, and his eyes held a gentle light that shone like stars in the bustling crowd.

Xiao Liling narrowed his eyes slightly. Wasn't this Lord Feng who was going to accompany his second brother on a mission to the Linzhang sea area?

Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 18:10:52 on July 17, 2024 and 18:26:01 on July 18, 2024!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 65604327 (1 landmine);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!