Chapter 33 [VIP]

Lu Xuejin: "Brother, are you angry?"

His layered eyelashes lifted to look at him, and Xue Yi's fingers touched the side of his face. He couldn't help but turn his head and grasp Xue Yi's wrist, causing Xue Yi to slowly release him.

A drop of water fell to the ground with a "plop." This was a phrase he often used when he was young.

One time, he stayed out late, going to the mountains with Wei Ning. He lost track of time and when he returned home, his father and brothers were waiting for him. His father noticed Xue Yi's somewhat flustered expression and didn't know what to say. Xue Yi hadn't eaten that day and went straight to his room after seeing him return.

He knocked on the door but received no answer, so he asked from outside.

"Brother, are you angry?"

The teardrop was reflected in his eyes. Even the vows of eternal love, eroded by the mountains and rivers, gradually faded away day and night.

The mist on Shousui Mountain caused the surrounding greenery to sway, the tree roots to take hold, and the clouds on the horizon to peek through the gaps in the branches at the top. His composure silenced Xue Yi; the surging emotions around him became an invisible breeze. He remained unmoved amidst it all.

"If you know it's impossible but still do it, you'll have to bear the extra cost." Lu Xuejin withdrew his hand, letting Xue Yi stare at him. Xue Yi's gaze was deep and resentful yet full of restraint, as if he could turn him to ashes in the next second.

Xue Yi's face was bloodless, like a beautiful face floating in a mirror amidst the greenery. Despite being surrounded by countless beautiful sights, no one dared to approach and even glance at her.

The two remained silent on the way down the mountain, all the way back to the palace and to the banquet. Xue Yi did not speak a word to him again. He looked out the window at the scenery, occasionally searching for Murong Yue among the figures of the guards.

Many people attended the banquet. Lu Xuejin had no interest in these upper-class banquets; the money spent on hosting a palace banquet was enough to help the people of Liancheng temporarily overcome the drought. He only stayed for a short while before spotting Murong Yue and Teng Luo at the very end of the banquet.

"Your Highness, please try them. They all taste quite good."

There were many desserts at the banquet, and Tengluo tasted a bite of each. Murong Yue watched this expressionlessly, ignoring the mocking laughter from those around them who seemed to think they were unsophisticated. Murong Yue even took some desserts from the neighboring table and gave them to Tengluo.

"Ninth Prince... Oh! This won't do!" A palace servant saw Murong Yue's actions and quickly called out to him.

Lu Xuejin watched the whole thing from the side, and he quickly said to the palace servants, "Go and get my share for them."

Murong Yue and Tengluo heard the familiar voice and looked over at him. Upon seeing him, the boy's expression immediately changed; his previously tense face relaxed and softened considerably.

"Brother Changyou."

"Young Master!"

"Does Your Highness wish to stay for the palace banquet?" Lu Xuejin asked.

Murong Yue understood Lu Xuejin's meaning almost immediately. His eyes flickered, and he said to Lu Xuejin, "Where is Brother going? I'll go with you."

"This palace banquet is utterly boring. It's nothing more than a bunch of vulgar officials gathered together, discussing useless matters. So many people go to great lengths to obtain official positions, not to serve the court, but to be among the elite here. Others rely on inherited wealth, which they squander on useless things, either competing or indulging in vanity."

"A group of people were vying to see who gave the most precious congratulatory gift, who sat in the front row, and whose wine cup was more exquisitely carved. Although they were clearly in the center of the court, they never talked about the affairs of the people, as if everything outside was irrelevant to them. They built a new celestial dynasty here, eroding the entire Great Wei, gnawing at the people like a decayed tooth."

Murong Yue spoke in a low voice, unheard by the court officials nearby, except for Teng Luo and Lu Xuejin. Laughter filled the hall, and wine cups clinked together, adding a touch of opulence to the palace's magnificent atmosphere.

“Your Highness,” Lu Xuejin sighed, “since you don’t want to stay here, how about we leave together?”

"Brother Changyou, where are we going?" Murong Yue followed the young man almost without hesitation.

He touched Lu Xuejin's palm; there was a thick layer of calluses between her thumb and forefinger. The young man glanced at him, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

Lu Xuejin: "Let's go to a palace completely different from this place. There will be no fine wine, no music, no servants, only white paper flowers to commemorate life and death. Will Your Highness be afraid?"

He thought to himself, "No way, this is exactly the kind of life I'm living now."

"With my brother here, I'm not afraid of anything. Brother Changyou will protect me."

Lu Xuejin's eyes crinkled with a smile as the two left the palace banquet together. Their eyes were full of laughter as they spoke, their hands clasped together, creating an atmosphere that seemed impossible for others to blend in with. If one of them were a woman, the palace servants would have praised them for having the appearance of a married couple.

They had just left when Wei Ning hurriedly arrived. Wei Ning didn't find Lu Xuejin, but he did see Xue Yi surrounded by officials, with Song Zhao beside him, looking rather unwell. These two had just emerged unscathed from a turmoil; he wondered what troubled them.

"Hey, Xue Yi, where did Changyou go?" Wei Ning went to the center of the court officials and asked through the crowd.

Wei Ning's father, Wei Liang, was offering a toast not far away when his unfilial daughter entered. Her first words nearly made him faint. He almost dropped his wine cup and trembled as he was about to kneel. She actually addressed the Emperor by his name! The old father nearly coughed up blood.

"..." Xue Yi watched as Lu Xuejin led someone away. To him, the marriage had become a joke. He remained silent and spoke in hushed tones with his courtiers.

Upon hearing Wei Ning's voice, he quietly replied, "He went out with someone."

"He left on such a joyous day? He must have something urgent to attend to," Wei Ning analyzed. He was about to sit down next to Xue Yi when the courtiers immediately offered their seats to Miss Wei, but Song Zhao stopped them.

Wei Ning glared at him, "Song Zhao, what do you mean?"

"His Majesty is unwell today, and Miss Wei is by his side. I am worried that His Majesty may be disturbed." Song Zhao stopped Wei Ning from getting close.

“Then I will stay away,” Wei Ning said, sitting down beside Song Zhao. “I am also worried about His Majesty. Your Majesty must take care of your health and not get upset about this.”

Song Zhao listened from the side, glancing at his master's expression. Xue Yi looked like he was about to faint, like a withered peony in the middle of the crowd, fading away after Lu Xuejin left.

On the other side.

Lu Xuejin led the people out of the palace. He led the horse, and the boy followed behind him. After the ceremony, the streets were deserted. After the fireworks, the whole of Shengjing was filled with mist. Only the palace servants stayed on the streets to do the cleaning work.

"Brother, where are we going?" Murong Yue asked from behind him.

"We're almost there," Lu Xuejin said, finding the house according to his memory. He saw the signboard and rows of lanterns, which must be the place of the murder case recorded in the memorial.

The dark beams of the roof hung low, and the surrounding households had all moved out. White paper lanterns peeked out from under the doors. The night was silent, save for the occasional sounds of people from the alleys beyond the street. A murder had occurred, yet no guards were stationed here, and no one had come to collect evidence. He recalled Xue Yi's expression that day; he wanted to see which person this murder would implicate who had silenced the court officials.

"Brother, where is this?" Murong Yue looked out from the outside and followed him, pushing open the door. It looked like the home of an ordinary street vendor in the capital, with nothing special about it except for the fact that someone had died there.

Lu Xuejin: "It was a family of lantern vendors in the capital, a family of four. A few days ago, two of them were hit and killed, and the husband and wife hanged themselves. I saw this case by chance, and I also saw the paper flowers inside on the road, so I kept thinking about it and brought Your Highness here to see it."

Murong Yue couldn't help but ask, "Brother, are you interested in this case?"

“I am not yet in power, so I cannot hear the voices of the people.” Lu Xuejin said, touching the lintel above the door. The white silk on it had been taken away; it was here that the couple had hanged themselves.

He would do everything in his power to find out the truth about anything that reached his ears and to speak out for the people.

He touched the cold door frame, feeling a patch of dust. Through the crack, he could vaguely glimpse the face of a Bodhisattva, enshrined in a shrine inside. Just as he was about to withdraw his hand after seeing the Bodhisattva's lowered face, he suddenly touched something strange.

"Brother Changyou, I heard Xiao Shen and Miss Yue mention that you were on a southern inspection tour... I was about thirteen at the time, still a baby with my mother. Did you arrest a lot of corrupt officials during your southern inspection tour?" Murong Yue asked.

Lu Xuejin took out the strange object she had touched; it was a letter hidden on the beam above the hanged man's body. Because of its concealed location, and its position on the top of the beam, the guards must have missed it.

As he opened the letter, he replied to Murong Yue, "The late emperor gave me a decree to travel south to investigate, which was a clandestine mission. Although it was extremely dangerous, the results were plentiful."

As he spoke, the handwriting on the letter came into view. He lowered his eyes, his expression gradually becoming solemn. The handwriting revealed suppressed injustice, each word filled with sorrow, and was signed by both husband and wife.

The three prominent families of the time were the Qiu, Wei, and Qu families. The Qiu family was wealthy, controlled salt production, and had a distinguished family history. Before Xue Yi came to power, they supported the Xie Prince and his wife, and the Qiu family played a significant role in Xue Yi's rebellion. The Wei family had only one daughter, Wei Ning, and their father was a loyal and obedient minister. During Xue Yi's reign, almost all of their shops were surrendered to the court, thus preserving their wealth. The Qu family was similar to the Yue Prince's family, relying on their prestige to gain popular support, attracting talented individuals, and having numerous Qu-Yue academies. They also valued family lineage and distanced themselves from the court, thus escaping the purges after the new policies.

Old Qiu's real name was Qiu Fuze. When his father was still alive, he had met Qiu Fuze a few times due to political dealings. The old man, nearly fifty years old, was tainted by money and shrewd and calculating, and had very little interaction with their family. He had heard some secrets about the Qiu family: Qiu Fuze's first wife died of grief after failing to give birth, and the children born to his subsequent wives either died young or were ill. It wasn't until his eleventh wife gave birth to a healthy boy that Qiu Fuze had a son in his old age. He held a grand banquet at his mansion and invited nearly half of the court officials to attend.

His father didn't go. So naturally, he didn't go either.

"Qiu Xiongcai tore my children apart with five horses because they were disturbed by my evil servants... Today I go to the Yellow Springs with my eyes wide open in death. If you see this letter, it will be physical evidence to clear the name of us weak people." Murong Yue read it aloud.

As he spoke, Murong Yue recalled the booklet his uncle had given him. The surname Qiu was listed first, indicating that they must be a powerful family. There have been many such cases throughout history.

"What do you intend to do, brother? Is Lord Song Zhao aware of this matter? I noticed there were no soldiers or guards when I entered, so I suppose the case has already been closed." Murong Yue immediately guessed the outcome.

“Of course we must catch the murderer. There’s no better time than today, so let’s go now,” Lu Xuejin said.

He carefully examined the entire house, collecting everything that could be used as evidence. Murong Yue watched from the side, imitating him as he searched for things. The two of them stayed quietly in the old house, the stillness suggesting the people who once lived there.

"Brother Changyou, aren't you going back today?" Murong Yue asked in a low voice beside him.

“Of course we have to go back. We also need to see Song Zhao. If he doesn’t agree, we probably won’t be able to catch this person,” Lu Xuejin said.

"Your Highness wants me to go back?"

"No, it's best if you don't go back, brother. I always feel that when I'm with you, my heart calms down without me even realizing it," Murong Yue said thoughtfully.

Lu Xuejin listened without saying a word. All the neighbors had moved away; he wondered if there was any chance of finding witnesses. Finding witnesses would be ideal. They went to the criminal trial committee again to inquire with the official in charge of the case, learning that Song Zhao was undoubtedly in charge. He didn't believe Song Zhao was unaware of the matter; Song Zhao represented Xue Yi, and this case was thorny and difficult to handle.

When they returned to the palace after everything was finished, the banquet was still in progress, and music was being played in Fangze Hall. Lu Xuejin did not turn back, but instead instructed Ziyan to deliver a message to Wei Ning.

As he approached Fangze Palace, someone was already waiting there. Normally, there were no visitors in his palace; the regular visitors were standing beside him. The figure of a palace servant was outlined in the darkness; the servant was slightly hunched, his round hat obscuring his eyebrows and eyes, revealing only the lower half of his face. Upon seeing him, he respectfully bowed, holding a jade-green box in both hands.

"Greetings, Lord Lu. You must be tired from your journey today. This was specially sent by my master... My master asked me to convey that he has long admired your reputation, Lord Lu. If you have time in the future, why not visit Fengming Terrace for a get-together? My master will prepare the finest wine and delicacies." The palace servant said with a fawning smile.

Lu Xuejin had a vague premonition and quietly asked, "Who is your master?"

"My master is Qiu Xiongcai, the youngest son of the Qiu family. You must be very tired from your investigation today. My master specially sent me to deliver a pair of exquisite jade ruyi scepters. As the saying goes, 'There are beauties in books.' Lord Lu has read ten thousand books and traveled ten thousand miles... These jade ruyi scepters are a gift from my master to you."

...So, you're here to offer bribes? This procedure is commonplace in the palace. Lu Xuejin watched the palace servants' smug expressions, their originally handsome features distorted by their servility. He suppressed his emotions and replied coldly.

"Please thank Young Master Qiu for his kindness on my behalf, but I'm afraid I'm not worthy of this jade ruyi. The injustice is hard to resolve... I will definitely investigate this case thoroughly. You've come all the way to Fangze Palace, it must be hard for you, so I won't see you off today."

Murong Yue watched from the side. When the palace servants opened the box, he glanced at it; the jade's quality was exquisite, suggesting it was indeed a precious item. Thinking this, he stepped into the hall and realized that the Youth Hall had never contained anything truly valuable; its elegant style was always of mediocre quality. All extravagant items here were superfluous embellishments.

Lu Xuejin refused the man, and the next day a black box appeared in front of the palace. Ziyan opened it in front of him, and inside was a pair of bloody severed fingers.

A note from the author: