Chapter 33 What's this called, losing one's composure for love?
"The evidence of the illegal gambling dens, brothels, and loan sharking is very clear and concise. It could not have been completed in just one or two days. In fact, I have to thank Madam Xue. Without you, the eye-gouging murder case that had been accumulating for more than a month would not have been closed."
Cao Mingyu looked at Xue Rongyue with a half-smile and asked in a deep voice, "I just don't know why Madam Xue has these pieces of evidence?"
Xue Rongyue asked casually, "I'm sure Lord Cao has heard something about the upcoming marriage between the Xue and Liu families?"
Cao Mingyu nodded: "I just don't know how this relates to what I asked?"
Xue Rongyue said calmly, "Liu Ruyu and I are about to get engaged. This is no child's play. Naturally, I need to understand Liu Ruyu's temperament. It is only natural for me to send someone to investigate him secretly. What's wrong with that?"
Cao Mingyu was slightly taken aback, rubbed his temples, and found it quite reasonable.
He is not yet married and has no children, but he thinks that when his younger sister reaches marriageable age, he, as her elder brother, should send someone to investigate the temperament of the man she will marry, and he will not be at ease until he understands him clearly.
The Xue family now has no mistress of the house. General Xue is stationed far away on the frontier, and Xue Zi died young. Xue Rongyue is left with only herself to take care of things.
Thinking about it this way, it makes perfect sense.
Xue Rongyue said, "The Liu family prides itself on being a family of scholars and a family of upright officials, but I never expected that the son raised in your household would be so despicable. Liu Ruyu is audacious and reckless, committing all kinds of evil deeds. His actions violate the law. Such a wicked person should not be punished as simply as ending the marriage. He should be brought to justice."
"Given the relationship between our two families, I ordered Luo Zhen to secretly present the evidence to you, sir. I hope you will handle this case impartially and give justice to this pitiful person."
Cao Mingyu was filled with respect: "Of course, Madam Xue, rest assured, once we have thoroughly investigated the evil deeds of Liu Ruyu, we will definitely punish him severely!"
With a barely perceptible smile, Xue Rongyue stood up and said, "Then, Lord Cao, I shall take my leave."
Cao Mingyu stood up to see him off: "Please."
When Xue Rongyue first stepped into the Guard Division, she was somewhat timid, but now she was completely at ease. She brazenly surveyed the mansion that inspired fear in everyone, her gaze suddenly fixing on one person: "Guang Sheng?"
Guang Sheng stepped forward and greeted her, "Greetings, Madam Xue."
Xue Rongyue asked, "How did you end up here?"
Guang Sheng glanced at Cao Mingyu beside her and replied in a low voice, "Young Master Liu has accused my young master of assaulting him and has requested the Imperial Guard to arrest the young master."
Xue Rongyue raised an eyebrow and looked at Cao Mingyu: "Is the Crown Prince currently being interrogated?"
Cao Mingyu nodded: "Although Liu Ruyu is a criminal, since he has filed a complaint, the Guards cannot ignore it. Please invite Prince Qin to come and be questioned."
Please, inquire.
Recalling what Princess Yu'an had said that day, Xue Rongyue understood.
Liu Ruyu was practically going crazy.
Upon opening his eyes, his evil deeds were exposed in front of numerous scholars and Confucianists. The Imperial Guard had uncovered all his crimes, and his promising future was gone. Now, the poems and lyrics that filled Chang'an were all criticisms of him.
His talent and reputation vanished, and he became a rat in the street, hated by everyone. The Liu family could no longer protect him, and a punishment he could not escape for the rest of his life awaited him.
Everything is over.
The Guards showed him no mercy whatsoever. In just five days, they used every torture available. One of the guards, in particular, seemed to hate him intensely, not only beating him severely but also pouring buckets of cold water over him, making it impossible for him to faint.
He could bear the torture, but the thought that just five days ago he was a highly respected scholar in the Pillow Gold Study, and now he was a prisoner, made him feel like he was living a life worse than death.
From the initial panic and fear upon entering the Guard Division, to now, filled with resentment and unwillingness, Liu Ruyu has completely gone mad.
He had only one thought in his mind: if he couldn't have a good time, no one else could either. He started frantically dragging people down with him, confessing to everyone he could and even those he couldn't. He didn't miss anyone he could identify, and for those he couldn't identify, he made up stories and tried every possible way to drag them into this vortex.
Not to mention Qin Jin, even his cousins from the Wang and Liu families, with whom he had no close relationship, were randomly identified by him. The Guards were sending cartloads of people to the Liu family, and now they are all being interrogated at the Guards, almost filling up the prison cells.
The Liu family has been in turmoil these past two days. The second and third branches of the family have been blocking the door of the main branch every day, pointing their fingers and cursing Master Liu and Madam Wang. They even clamored to open an ancestral hall and kick the main branch out of the Liu family. Master Liu has been staying at home, unable to sleep due to fear, and soon fell ill.
Wang came to the Princess's residence several times, crying and begging to see Xue Rongyue, claiming that she wanted to apologize for her previous rude words and actions. However, everyone knew what she was really thinking. Xue Rongyue was too lazy to see her, so the servants of the Princess's residence stopped her outside the residence.
She lingered outside the mansion and refused to leave, crying and making a scene for several hours. Coincidentally, the youngest son of the third branch of the Liu family was also arrested and imprisoned in the Imperial Guard because of Liu Ruyu's entanglement. The third wife was so angry that she jumped up and down and ran to find Wang Shi. The two of them argued about each other in front of the Princess's door and she fainted from anger.
The two masters, Master Liu and Master Liu San, who rushed over, got into a fight in front of the Princess's residence, causing quite a commotion.
It was still Master Liu the third who was more skilled, beating Master Liu the eldest so badly that he had to run away with his head in his hands. In the end, Master Liu the eldest was dragged away while lying down.
Nowadays, everyone in Chang'an, from princes and nobles to commoners, knows about the scandals of the Liu family. Even taverns and teahouses have hired storytellers to talk about the Liu family's troubles and make a fortune from them.
Since Liu Ruyu's incident, Xue Rongyue has even neglected to win over Qin Jin. Her favorite thing to do every day is to buy tea, snacks and dried fruit, go to Liu's residence to eavesdrop, and then go to the gate of the Guard to watch the commotion. She is busy and happy.
Finally, they simply invited an opera troupe. While the Liu family wailed and cursed, the opera troupe vigorously banged gongs and drums to entertain the farce.
Xue Rongyue was in a great mood, feeling that life was really comfortable. She ate half a bowl more at each meal and gained a little weight.
When Qin Jin stepped into the main hall, he was absentmindedly drinking tea.
In just five days, Qin Jin looked noticeably thinner, with a sharper jawline and more prominent, deep-set brow bones.
The guards, who were ordered to keep watch, were about to rise and pay their respects when Cao Mingyu waved them off. He then walked up to Qin Jin and bowed, saying, "Young Master Qin, you may leave now."
Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Qin Jin raised a slight eyebrow: "Sir, you're letting me go without even interrogating me?"
Are you no longer putting on an act?
Qin Jin didn't take Liu Ruyu's accusations seriously at all. Since he dared to remove the sack from Liu Ruyu's head that day, he wasn't afraid of this accusation.
So what if he fought? Would the Imperial Guard really make things difficult for him because of a mere Liu Ruyu?
Cao Mingyu thought so too.
When Cao Mingyu first heard Qin Jin's name from Liu Ruyu, he thought it was related to these horrific crimes. However, when he heard Liu Ruyu accuse Qin Jin of beating him twice, he was speechless.
He really wanted to laugh at Liu Ruyu's naivety, but he couldn't help but wonder how such a stupid person could pass the palace selection and obtain official rank.
The Guard is indeed a sword that eradicates evil and promotes good, upholding the law, but this sword also has its master.
The Imperial Guard is the sharp sword in the Emperor's hand. Everything they do is in accordance with the Emperor's will. The Emperor now trusts Qin Jin. Do you think they would arrest and torture Qin Jin just because he beat up this villain who is now a criminal and can't even protect himself?
Inviting them here was merely a formality, to live up to the nameplate of the Guard Bureau.
Upon hearing this, Cao Mingyu turned slightly to the side, revealing Xue Rongyue behind him: "Madam Xue vouched for the young master, claiming that she and the young master were drinking tea together at the Princess's residence during those few hours. If that's the case, then it must be that Young Master Liu has misremembered."
The moment Qin Jin's gaze met Xue Rongyue's, his heart skipped a beat.
Countless voices surged in: Xue Rongyue's ambiguous teasing, Xue Rongyue's questioning voices from that night in the bamboo forest, the frank understanding of his preferences in the tavern, Guang Sheng's resolute judgment, and the book he had studied for several nights.
Now, Xue Rongyue stands beneath the plaque of the Guard Commandery.
A gentle breeze lifted the girl's clean and bright skirt, creating ripples. Behind her was a damp and bloody prison cell, where Liu Ruyu was screaming and screaming in agony, surrounded by torture instruments that had not yet been moved, their flesh still visible.
Giving false testimony in the Guard Bureau is a serious crime if discovered. But she showed no fear, no timidity, no hesitation, and her almond-shaped eyes, clear and bright, gazed at him with eyes full of tears, staring intently at him.
It was as if those things were trivial to her; she... only cared about his safety.
My Adam's apple bobbed, and an indescribable feeling of emotion churned in my throat, unable to rise or fall.
Is she really that worried about him and concerned about him? Last time when she was invited to the Guard Bureau, she was so scared that she kept biting her lip, but now she is willing to disregard her own safety for him and bravely run to the Guard Bureau to give false testimony.
What a profound and thoughtful gesture this is.
Rubbing his throbbing forehead, Qin Jin sighed deeply.
...We're doomed, Guang Sheng was right.
With all these signs and events laid bare before us, there is no way to deny it, much less to fake it.
Xue Rongyue, his arch-nemesis, has truly fallen in love with him!
Falling in love with him is only natural, but a mortal enemy is a mortal enemy, how can a mortal enemy...
Qin Jin was very distressed. He sighed again, rubbed his forehead, and shook his head without saying a word.
Cao Mingyu, who was standing in front of him, looked completely bewildered.
What's wrong?
Why did Prince Qin's expression become so...complex upon seeing Madam Xue? In an instant, his eyes seemed to be filled with a mixture of emotions, and the two consecutive sighs only made him more perplexed and confused.
So, does Prince Qin not want to leave?
Xue Rongyue was also quite puzzled.
Cao Mingyu was busy with official business and did not see him off. He walked out of the main hall with Qin Jin and saw that Qin Jin was absent-minded and seemed to want to say something but couldn't.
Unable to bear it any longer, Xue Rongyue asked, "Does Your Highness have something to say to me?"
Qin Jin didn't know why, even though Xue Rongyue was the one who loved him, he felt inexplicably shocked. Not daring to look Xue Rongyue in the eye, he lowered his head and looked at the cobblestone path beneath his feet. His thin lips parted slightly, but before he could utter a word, his neck turned red: "Give false testimony for me, why...why aren't you afraid?"
"......?"
Xue Rongyue was completely bewildered: "Why aren't you afraid? Because I'm not afraid."
What's there to be afraid of? Haven't we already reached a consensus?
Cao Mingyu would certainly not offend Qin Jin because of this. Her going to give false testimony was a way to get Cao Mingyu out of trouble. He would be happy to see this. Would he really arrest her?
It's a done deal, what's there to be afraid of?
...
She was so fearless for my sake.
Qin Jin closed his eyes briefly: "Do you know that even if you hadn't risked coming here to give false testimony, I would have been fine?"
Xue Rongyue nodded.
Of course she knew that there was a risk involved, and she wouldn't have come to give false testimony if there were any risks.
Knowing full well that I would be safe, she still came without hesitation after hearing that I had been invited to the Guard Division.
What is this called?
Qin Jin recalled the words from the novel "The Overbearing Young Master's Gentle Pampering"—
This is called losing your composure for love.
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Author's Note: Qin Jin: Oh no, she really loves me.
I've been adjusting my sleep schedule these past couple of days. I'll continue to promise you all that I'll work out a six-day work week tomorrow! [sigh]
Friend: Qin Jin, please look me in the eye!
Persimmon: But she really isn't killing me anymore [chin resting on hand]
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