Chapter 39 Whether he lives or dies beneath the crumbling wall is irrelevant to me...
When these words reached the ears of the others, they couldn't help but infer a hint of tenderness in them.
But Zijing's words were not meant to provoke or mislead; that was simply what he thought.
The person before him possessed abilities that he valued, and he wanted to use those abilities for his own purposes. Therefore, it was only natural for him to wait for her to go to Jian'an.
To be more precise... he didn't really want to "wait." Waiting was too uncertain, too long. He had a faster way to get what he wanted.
However, there is no need to put his method into practice at the moment.
Compared to those around her, Yu Nie appeared remarkably composed, her eyes clear and bright. Aunt Liu often called her a "clueless blockhead who knew nothing of romance." Listening to Zi Jing's words, she didn't, like the others, experience even the slightest romantic stirrings of emotion.
Since she was a "hard piece of wood," she naturally couldn't entertain those convoluted thoughts, and her gaze shifted as she looked at him.
Although he spoke lightly, a cloud of worry clouded the young girl's face, her almond-shaped eyes brimming with unconcealed sorrow, and her tone revealing obvious concern: "How can you say that the whole world belongs to the Zhao family, young master, are you really not worried at all?"
Zijing smiled and led them towards the back garden hall: "Don't worry. As the saying goes, the heavens are full of paths. Worrying won't help. No matter how much you worry, it's better to wait for the 'problem' to come and solve it then."
"But won't it be too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost by then?" Yu Nie asked. Offending the Prince of Yan's mansion was no small matter. If they waited for them to take the initiative and then tried to solve the problem, it seemed very dangerous to her.
He glanced at her sideways, then looked back at the road ahead and replied, "The sheep can 'lose its life' because it doesn't know where the wild beast is. Conversely, if it knows the location of the wild beast, the sheep won't die."
Although he spoke cryptically, she understood him nonetheless.
However, even though I understood what he said, doubts still remained in my mind.
She said, "The beasts are in the dark while I am in the light. How can you control the actions of something in the shadows at all times?"
He showed no impatience in the face of her questions, one after another.
He simply said, "A wild goose leaves a trace as it flies by; everything in the world leaves a mark after it has done something. You can't hide everything by staying in the dark."
"A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall. If I know that the other party is a 'dangerous wall,' I have my own way of dealing with it."
As for what method he was using, he didn't explain, but instead met her gaze: "It's just a 'dangerous wall,' not yet at the point of a collapsing building, young lady, there's no need to worry."
Seeing that he seemed to have other plans, she was uneasy, but didn't say anything more.
He spent more time in officialdom than she did, and met more people. His judgment of matters was certainly more comprehensive than hers.
Aside from temporarily trusting his decisions and judgments, there seems to be no better way to resolve the problems at the Prince of Yan's residence.
Seemingly to completely dispel her unease, he stopped and added, "Actually... the most important point in this matter is that Zhao Shuhuai committed a capital offense, and the evidence is conclusive."
"This imperial edict was issued by the Empress Dowager, and to a large extent, His Majesty is unaware of this matter. The fact that Prince Yan did not directly ask His Majesty for help is enough to prove that he understands the seriousness of this matter and is worried that His Majesty will not help him."
"Throughout history, emperors have hated those who betray their country and collude with the enemy. I acted in accordance with the law, so what crime have I committed? At most, the emperor will reprimand me and confine me to my quarters for half a month. There should be no other punishment."
As he spoke, Yu Nie felt that there was some truth to it.
If the emperor were so fair and honest, she would be at ease, and her worries would instantly lessen.
As the group approached the cave entrance, Zijing turned his upper body aside to make way for a wider path.
The entrance to the cave was narrow, so he gestured for Yu Nie and the others to pass through first.
Since they were all acquaintances, Yu Nie didn't hesitate to refuse. After saying a few polite words, he went ahead and left. Lang Xi and A Hui thanked him and followed.
The flower hall is located to the right of the cave entrance; it can be reached by passing through a short corridor.
Xie Cheng and his attendant Lu carried the gifts that the three of them had specially purchased to the study.
Zijing and Yu Nie's group turned towards the flower hall, and the two groups went their separate ways.
Upon entering the flower hall, a round table made of huanghuali wood is placed in the center. A gilded bronze censer on the table emits a faint, delicate fragrance. Behind the table is a six-panel painted screen depicting flowers and birds, with lifelike cranes on it. Beneath the window lattice, there is a cloisonné enamel begonia-shaped jade peony bonsai and a square shallow pot of pine and cypress.
Although this small flower hall wasn't very spacious, it exuded an air of refined luxury. He Renzhi, this corrupt official who had taken lives, certainly knew how to enjoy life. Not a single item in the room was superfluous; from the large scrolls of calligraphy and painting on the walls to the small porcelain and jade pieces scattered throughout, and the Hetian jade auspicious beast ornaments on the display shelves, everything conveyed a sense of harmonious elegance.
The four people took their seats one after another. Two maids dressed in blue made tea for everyone and then waved their hands to dismiss them.
Regarding Zhao Shuhuai's case, Yu Nie was very curious about the details of the conviction. The fact that the case could be closed overnight meant that the entire trial process must have been extraordinary.
Her eyes gleamed with inquiry as she asked for details: "Young master, how was Zhao Shuhuai convicted? A corrupt official like him wouldn't surrender so easily."
"Qiqi..." Upon seeing this, Langxi quickly reached out and gently pressed the back of her hand, softly advising, "This kind of case probably involves official secrets, and it's inconvenient for Commandant Huan to go into details. It's better if we don't inquire too much, so as not to put the Commandant in a difficult position."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zi Jing withdrew the gaze he had cast when he heard her use the word "xiao". He did not hide anything and said frankly, "It's alright. Now that the case has been settled and all the criminals have been brought to justice, there is no need to worry about any secrets."
He continued, "Zhao Shuhuai was able to be convicted according to the law because He Chenlao revealed the location of the secret letters between him and He Renzhi, and his staff also reported that he had secretly hidden a large amount of money in the mountains outside the county and set up a private treasury."
“Last night I sent Xie Cheng to investigate and confiscate the gold and silver hidden in that cave, which is equivalent to fifteen years of taxes from the entire Dingzhou region.” He played with the teacup in his hand and said coolly, “The evidence is irrefutable. No matter how he tries to deny it, he will not escape the law.”
"Fifteen years' worth of tax revenue from the entire Dingzhou?" Yu Nie's mouth gaped open enough to fit a walnut. "This Prefect Zhao is truly greedy. No wonder I heard that the payments for the county government's construction projects from previous years are still outstanding this year, and the tax revenue is increasing year by year. It turns out that it all went into the private coffers of Zhao and He."
Lang Xi frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Fortunately, justice prevails... These local officials, though outwardly respectable, are more greedy than gluttons. The suffering of the people of Huaiyuan over the years has finally been recovered penny by penny from these embezzled funds."
Amidst the swirling tea smoke, Yu Nie rested his chin on his hand, seemingly lost in thought.
She never imagined that He Chenlao would also have a share of the credit when Zhao Shuhuai was finally captured.
Since it's about redeeming oneself through meritorious service, she couldn't help but think of something and looked at Zijing: "Then He Chenlao's defection counts as making amends for his crimes? Does that mean he won't have to die?"
Zi Jing looked at her. He already knew about the grudge between the two of them back in the private room of Saibei Tower, so he was not surprised by her question.
"His merits outweigh his faults, so he can indeed be spared death and exiled to Yingzhou along with the He family and the women of the Prefect's residence, never to set foot in Yingzhou again for the rest of his life."
After hearing his story, Yu Nie's eyes were not particularly disappointed. In general, He Chenlao had no blood on his hands and had provided the crucial secret letter, which was a great achievement. Being exiled to a place like Yingzhou would be a huge punishment for the rest of his life.
"You want him dead?" He asked, and Yu Nie didn't find it strange.
He witnessed her drugging He Chenlao; anyone who saw it would suspect she had ulterior motives and wanted to kill him.
“I did wish he were dead at one point,” she said honestly. “After all, he almost caused me to go blind, but he managed to switch sides at the last minute and produce the most important evidence to accuse Zhao Shuhuai. Even if he was just trying to save his own life, he did a good thing for Huaiyuan in the end. So, whether he lives or dies is irrelevant to me.”
She bluntly stated that she "hoped someone would die," with an almost unbelievable honesty. Such dark thoughts should have been kept hidden, but she revealed them without any attempt to conceal them.
She seemed to feel no need to conceal such dark thoughts in her heart, making no attempt to hide them.
Upon hearing this, Zi Jing pursed his lips and remained silent. The drooping raven feathers cast a shadow on his eyelids, and the knuckles of his fingers, which were rubbing the jade thumb ring under the table, slowed down silently.
*
They arrived shortly after their mealtime.
Before the group could refuse, Zijing invited them to stay for a meal, which would make up for the fact that he hadn't been able to accompany them at Saibeilou last time due to official business.
He couldn't refuse their kind invitation.
Yu Nie and the others pondered that he would be leaving Huaiyuan City the next day.
This parting was a farewell, and who knew when they would meet again? So the three of them decided to stay.
Compared to the simple meals at the Taoist temple, the county government's meals were naturally much more refined. Eight dishes and eight bowls were laid out, and the porcelain bowls used to serve the food were all shiny and lustrous. Just in this respect, they were far superior to the earthenware bowls in their temple.
Yu Nie held up his ivory chopsticks, staring blankly at the fish meat carved into the shape of a peony. It was so exquisite that he didn't know where to start eating.
After a hearty meal and drinks, a message arrived from an unknown source via carrier pigeon to Zijing.
Seemingly due to an urgent matter, Yu Nie and Lang Xi did not linger and, not wanting to cause any further disturbance, rose to take their leave.
They brought the food that Zijing had specially prepared for Aunt Liu from the kitchen to the gate.
Seeing that the three of them only had one horse, Zijing ordered his men to bring two more well-fed and healthy horses from the stable for them, saying it was a return gift.
The horse's coat was glossy and shiny, clearly indicating it was a fine warhorse. Langxi remarked that this gift was truly precious.
Zijing laughed and said, "Daoist, please don't refuse. How can two horses compare to everyone's kindness?"
Despite repeated refusals, the three people from Lingbao Temple had no choice but to accept the offer.
The three mounted their horses, and Yu Nie, sitting on the little red horse, asked him, "When does the young master plan to set off tomorrow?"
He looked up at her and said, "After this hour, Attendant Lu and I will be leaving."
"In that case, wait for me at the south gate of the city at the third quarter of the morning tomorrow." After saying this, she did not linger any longer, whipped her horse, and rode away.
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