Chapter 17 Straight and Curved
When Cen Yan arrived, Bi Shuyu was being supported by Liu Mama, her eyes wide with anger and bloodshot.
I can tell, he was quite traumatized.
Hao San and his men lined up in front of Zhuang Dongqing, their swords already drawn. Although Hao San's sword was still in its sheath, he held it tightly, also in a tense stance.
As for Zhuang Dongqing, she was protected behind Hao San, her face was a little pale, and she was holding Liu Fu's arm.
Look, it's a bit scary.
What are you doing?
Cen Yanlang walked in.
When Bi Shuyu saw Cen Yan, she said angrily, "Prince Dingxi, the Zhuang family did not invite you to their residence!"
Cen Yan's expression remained unchanged. "I came here with the second young master of your family to carry out official business. I hope Madam will understand."
They spoke words of understanding, but their actions showed no consideration whatsoever. Liu Qi quickly stepped forward and brought Zhuang Dongqing to their side. Hao San led a group of men to the front, and Cen Yan was followed by more than a dozen armed guards, making a formidable display.
Of course, it also appears quite provocative.
Zhuang Dongqing: "..."
He glanced back halfway down the road and met Bi Shuyu's fierce gaze. He quickly looked away, keeping his eyes down and behaving himself.
Cen Yan almost laughed.
I held back.
During this brief moment of contact, Liu Qi took the opportunity to check Zhuang Dongqing's pulse on his wrist, then stood still and whispered to Cen Yan, "He was just a little frightened, nothing serious."
Cen Yan nodded.
He glanced at Zhuang Dongqing and saw that the man wasn't afraid of him at all, and was even standing behind him.
Even if you think you're silly, you can still tell friend from foe when it matters.
Bi Shuyu was quite provoked by Liu Qi's protective actions and wanted to come over by herself, but Liu's mother held her back tightly and kept persuading her in a low voice.
Cen Yan calmly met her gaze. Bi Shuyu's eyes were red-rimmed, and she stared intently at them, her eyes unblinking, clearly filled with intense hatred.
After thinking about Zhuang Dongqing's advice to her, Cen Yan also felt that it was reasonable.
After Zhuang Dongqing was settled, Hao San came over to greet Cen Yan and recounted the whole story.
They didn't actually say much, but the problem was that they were too blunt.
Zhuang Dongqing relayed the method he had discussed with Cen Yan to Bi Shuyu without any embellishment or modification.
Cen Yan: "..."
Turning her head to glance at Zhuang Dongqing, Zhuang Dongqing felt a chill for some reason.
After a moment's thought, Cen Yan asked, "So, you've actually finished speaking?"
Hao San: "...Yes."
After observing the situation, Cen Yan decided not to get involved and turned to Zhuang Dongqing to ask, "Is there anything else we've missed?"
Zhuang Dongqing's voice was strained, "I've said almost everything I need to say."
Cen Yan nodded and happily decided, "In that case, since Madam doesn't welcome us, let's go."
Bi Shuyu: "Stop!"
His voice was hoarse, "Zhuang Dongqing is an illegitimate son of my Zhuang family. Can the Prince of Dingxi just take him away like that?"
They even brought up the "illegitimate son," they've really torn off all pretense of civility.
Cen Yan's face turned cold. "The Dali Temple is handling the case. Zhuang Xingchang and Zhuang Yue are both detained in the Ministry of Justice. Zhuang Dongqing also participated in this imperial examination and is a suspicious person from the Zhuang family. How can I not take him away?"
Bi Shuyu exclaimed in surprise, "You took him away to investigate a case?"
"Otherwise, what do you think, Madam?"
Zhuang Dongqing has returned, bringing Hao San and his group. Recently, the Zhuang family has been in turmoil, and Bi Shuyu has fallen ill again. Although Zhuang Dongqing has been given money and a contract of indenture, it is impossible to place all hope on a concubine's son. Therefore, in the past few days, the steward has been running around for Bi Shuyu.
The steward was not there, and the other servants did not recognize Cen Yan. They reported this to Bi Shuyu, who thought it was only Zhuang Dongqing.
He was so angry that he didn't think much when he saw Cen Yan.
After calming down after those two sentences, Bi Shuyu suddenly began to feel a sense of dread. Could it be that the Bi family's fate was truly sealed?
The moment this thought crossed my mind, I felt dizzy and swayed.
Madam Liu called out repeatedly, helping the person to their feet.
Bi Shuyu: "I have a few more words to say to Zhuang Dongqing, in private."
"Staring blankly," the lady said in a daze.
Cen Yan turned to Zhuang Dongqing and asked, "Do you want to talk to her?"
Zhuang Dongqing: "..."
Zhuang Dongqing shook his head, raised his voice slightly so that both of them could hear, and said, "I have said everything I needed to say when I returned today. As for the rest, Madam, you can weigh it yourself."
"you……"
Cen Yan: "Madam must have heard everything. Farewell then..."
"No, you can't leave! Zhuang Dongqing, don't you dare betray me!"
The sound was sharp and piercing.
Cen Yan laughed when he heard this, "Traitor? You'd have to eat the inside first, wouldn't you?"
"Madam, have you ever heard the saying, 'If you repay evil with kindness, how will you repay kindness?'"
Bi Shuyu was already teetering on the brink of collapse, clinging to life by sheer willpower. Cen Yan's words were so blunt and merciless that she immediately bent over, feeling a sharp pain in her chest and her vision blurred.
She looked truly pitiful, but it didn't move Cen Yan in the slightest: "I've said everything I needed to say. Since Madam is still so persistent, then I'll give you two statements, Liu Qi—"
Liu Qi took Zhuang Xingchang and Zhuang Yue's statements and handed them to Liu's mother.
Bi Shuyu was immediately drawn to the scene.
Cen Yan: "We used some methods during the interrogation of the eldest young master, but it was a minor punishment to serve as a warning and didn't leave any lasting damage. We'll give these to the madam today. However, given how tight-lipped the eldest young master is, if he encounters someone else and they try to torture him again to find out more about the Bi family, they might not be as lenient as they were today."
After saying that, he said in a deep voice, "Let's go."
This time, no one stopped them, and they left the manor smoothly.
Once inside the carriage and getting closer, Cen Yan noticed that Zhuang Dongqing's hem was damp, apparently from spilled tea. He immediately frowned and demanded, "What happened?"
Zhuang Dongqing was still shaken by what had happened at the Zhuang family mansion. Cen Yan's face fell, and he shrank back in fright, his mind blank.
Cen Yan: "..."
He pressed his temples and changed his approach, saying, "Let Hao San come up and speak."
This time, Hao San recounted in detail every word and action of Zhuang Dongqing after meeting the madam.
The tea stains on the hem were spilled by Bi Shuyu. After Zhuang Dongqing finished speaking, Shuyu became angry and threw the entire teacup at him. Fortunately, Zhuang Dongqing dodged quickly and only got a little wet on the hem of his clothes. He was unharmed.
Cen Yan: "..."
Cen Yan looked at Zhuang Dongqing, unsure of what to say.
Zhuang Dongqing also recovered from her shock and whispered, "They didn't hit me."
Cen Yan: "That's really impressive, young master!"
"..."
Zhuang Dongqing shifted uncomfortably.
Cen Yan rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner, let alone someone I brought along..."
As she spoke, she wanted to get off the carriage and return to the Zhuang residence. Zhuang Dongqing knew that Cen Yan had a bad temper and that if she went there today, things would definitely get out of hand, so she quickly stopped her and said kindly, "She, she doesn't know that the prince is with me."
"?"
"So, it wasn't that I was bullying the prince, it was just that I was angry with him."
Cen Yan laughed, "So you're not angry at all?"
"That's right. It's not like I wanted to save people. I rushed back to the Zhuang residence for Zhuang Yue's sake, only to be ungrateful and kicked out."
Zhuang Dongqing: "..."
Zhuang Dongqing: "...It's not for Zhuang Yue either."
"Oh?" Cen Yan became interested and wanted to hear how this fool would try to explain himself.
Zhuang Dongqing initially wanted to brush it off, but Cen Yan's piercing gaze made her shudder. After a while, knowing she couldn't avoid it, she finally spoke up: "It's not for Zhuang Yue, it's for myself."
"If Zhuang Yue can be saved, it will be better for the Zhuang family, and it will also be better for me."
Secondly,
"I don't think Zhuang Yue deserves this punishment. Returning to the Zhuang residence is what he wants."
Cen Yan raised his eyebrows.
The carriage started moving, and Cen Yan looked at him for a while: "Do what you want? Since you want to help, why did you speak so bluntly to Madam Zhuang? Why not be more tactful and roundabout?"
Zhuang Dongqing scratched his head, "There's no way to go around this, is there?!"
He muttered to himself, "Besides, we're not that close, so why should I bother going through all that trouble?"
It's over in a couple of sentences.
His conscience could only sustain him to this extent; he couldn't do more than that.
Zhuang Dongqing was a little embarrassed, but still told the truth, "Actually, it's just a matter of passing on a few words to me. If it works, I benefit; if it doesn't, I don't lose anything. When it comes to saving people, I'm not really in the top ranks."
"If... if I were the one who suffered the loss, I might not have been willing to come all this way..."
Cen Yan laughed upon hearing this, "Like this?"
Zhuang Dongqing lowered her head, feeling somewhat embarrassed by the laughter.
"Do you usually speak to people this bluntly?"
Zhuang Dongqing muttered, "That's not true. I just can't fool you."
Cen Yan laughed even more heartily.
Zhuang Dongqing looked at the bottom of the carriage and comforted herself, "It's okay, it's just embarrassing."
Cen Yan: "You're quite interesting."
Zhuang Dongqing said weakly, "Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness."
"That's definitely a compliment."
"?"
Zhuang Dongqing looked up and saw that Cen Yan was still smiling, but it was very different from the cold smile he usually saw, a forced smile. This smile seemed to come from his eyes, making him seem much more gentle and approachable.
Yes, he was really laughing.
Cen Yan: "Many people talk about doing what they feel is right, but few can actually put it into practice."
Even if you're not very smart, you're very genuine.
As if remembering something, Cen Yan's gaze became distant again, "'Better to take the straight path than to seek the crooked one,' you are quite a fitting person for that saying."
Zhuang Dongqing didn't quite understand.
Before he could figure it out, Cen Yan said again, "It's been a long time since I've heard such sincere words. That's good. It's late to go back to the manor now, so why don't you pick a restaurant for us to go to?"
Zhuang Dongqing's eyes lit up.
Cen Yan inexplicably thought of the little dog he used to have when he was a child, which did the same thing at mealtimes.
*
I went into the restaurant hungry and came out stuffed.
Zhuang Dongqing's eating habits weren't exactly wolfing down his food; one could even observe some manners, but there was just an inexplicable speed to his eating.
When they sat at the same table, Cen Yan ate about half a bowl more rice than usual.
Cen Yan asked, puzzled, "Do you always eat this...with such relish?"
Zhuang Dongqing patted her belly, "No, I don't usually have that much fat."
He spoke quickly and somewhat indistinctly, and before Cen Yan could hear him clearly, Zhuang Dongqing shouted "Liu Fu!" The master and servant, having finished their meal, happily went downstairs together.
*
As night fell, while Cen Yan was handling official business, Liu Qi came to report that the Zhuang family had sent someone.
"Oh, here to interrogate you?"
"No, it was Madam Zhuang who said she agreed and was willing to cooperate in persuading Zhuang Yue."
Cen Yan was surprised.
After a moment, he shook his head and chuckled.
"This is far more decisive than many ministers in the court."
"It seems he's not just being unreasonable; it's just a matter of who he's dealing with."
In the end, his smile faded.
Then he asked, "Where is Zhuang Dongqing?"
Liu Qi: "They've already gone to sleep."
"Okay, let's talk to him tomorrow then, so we don't have to be disgusted in the middle of the night."
"yes."
The following day, even more significant news than Madam Zhuang's decision arrived at the Prince's residence first.
The Emperor decreed that the Crown Prince was unfilial, disloyal, unjust, and disorderly in his conduct, and that he had formed cliques for personal gain.
The great empire must not be passed down to this son.
Effective immediately, Crown Prince Li Cheng is hereby deposed.
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