Chapter 63
Shen Fan had a terrible headache, and his ears were filled with a constant, incessant noise that made him restless and irritable.
He slightly opened his eyes; sunlight slanted in through the window, casting a patch of light and shadow. Suddenly, a bright light flashed, and when he opened his eyes again, a woman appeared in his field of vision.
With her hair piled high in a bun adorned with flowers, wearing a cloud-shaped shawl and a rosy robe, an embroidered jacket and a silk skirt, and adorned with gold and jade, she resembled a celestial fairy.
The woman moved gracefully, then leaned down beside him, her soft lips close to his ear, and said, "Get up."
Chen Fan's eyes snapped open. The dimly lit rooftop gradually cleared, revealing a round, fat face. "Aren't you getting up?"
The roar exploded in his ears, startling Shen Fan.
Where is this?
Rubbing his temples, Chen Fan looked around. He was startled when he looked.
Iron bars and weeds—this is clearly a prison cell.
The man glared at him.
Shen Fan took a few steps back to create some distance between them, and cautiously asked, "May I ask, brother, where is this place?"
"Are you stupid? This is a prison."
Shen Fan sighed, rubbing his forehead in disbelief, and asked, "Which prison?"
"The Central City Military Command Prison." The man scrutinized him, then stepped closer. "I must say, you've got some nerve, wandering around the inner city drunk in the middle of the night. Don't you know about the curfew? Luckily, the Imperial Guards were kind-hearted and sent you to the Military Command. If you'd ended up in the Imperial Prison, your arms and legs would have been crippled sooner or later."
As he spoke, he placed a bowl of rice porridge and several black steamed buns on the table and instructed him to eat them. "After you finish eating, go next door to pay the fine, and then hurry home."
The constable was talking to himself when he turned around and a gold-plated waist badge flashed before his eyes. He immediately collapsed to the ground, crying out for mercy, "I was blind and did not know that you were Commander Qianhu."
He kowtowed several times, his head hitting the ground.
Shen Fan waved his hand, not caring much. He told the constable to stand up, and frowned, saying, "Since it's all a misunderstanding, let me out first."
The environment here was terrible, and he had important things to do.
The constable nodded vigorously, scrambled to his feet, and asked respectfully, "May I ask how you are addressed, sir?"
His surname was Shen and his given name was Fan.
The constable wrote down the name, bowed and smiled, "Please wait a moment, Commander Shen, I will go find Commander Xiao now."
Watching him dash out in a flash, Shen Fan let out a heavy sigh, found a stool to sit down and rest, and the events of last night involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
The lanterns under the eaves swayed, and he only remembered stumbling and falling, his head hitting the railing. Just as he was about to get up, a sweet fragrance wafted on the breeze, and when he turned around, Guo Fu was standing in front of him.
For a moment, he almost stopped breathing.
Across the deep night, their eyes met, and at that moment, time seemed to stand still for them.
Like a dream, like an illusion, he reached out his hand and called out in mid-air, "...Is it you?"
After a long silence, a pair of soft hands grasped his. He realized for the first time how soft a woman's hands could be.
She walked closer and closer. Even though the light was so dim, he could see the rosy blush on her face and the subtle ripples in her eyes.
She said, "Young Master Shen, you are drunk."
"I'm not drunk."
In an instant, he wrapped his arms around the woman's waist and kissed her fiercely.
*
The constable had just run to the duty room when his head was already covered in sweat. "Commander Xiao, something terrible has happened. A commander of the Imperial Guard is being held in jail."
Commander Xiao Yang spat out a mouthful of tea instantly.
In this day and age, one fears not the Buddha with closed eyes, but the Vajra with open eyes. And within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, each member is an imposing Vajra, not to be trifled with.
He quickly stood up and asked, "Do you know what it's called?"
“Chen Fan, Shen Qianhu”.
Nephew of Consort Shen.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yang was shocked and slapped his thigh repeatedly, lamenting his misfortune. He had heard that Shen Fan had gone missing that morning, and Master Shen had practically turned the capital upside down to find his son, but he hadn't expected that Shen Fan would be detained by him.
What terrible luck! Just as I was about to go and apologize, someone from the Eastern Palace arrived: "His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived. Commander Xiao, please come out to greet him."
As fate would have it, after welcoming Wei Luo into the office, Xiao Yang inadvertently revealed that Shen Fan was imprisoned.
"Your Highness, Commander Shen has been unjustly imprisoned. What do you think I should do?"
Wei Luo looked at him, tapped the table with his hand, and laughed, "Since you've arrested the wrong person, just let them go. Why worry?"
Xiao Yang nodded in agreement, "It was my overthinking, my petty mind." He feared that Shen Fan would hold a grudge and seek revenge in the future.
Just as he was about to order someone to release Shen Fan, Wei Luo stopped him, saying, "Wait."
Xiao Yang's heart skipped a beat.
Wei Luo said, "Don't rush Shen Fan's matter. Tell me the results of the interrogation first."
After a large number of people were arrested and taken to the military prison last night, Xiao Yang had been waiting at the yamen. Wei Luo was checking the accounts at the Ministry of Revenue this morning and didn't have time to come over, so he entrusted the interrogation to Xiao Yang. Now he's here to get the results.
Xiao Yang wiped the sweat from his brow and reported, "The thieves who stole the books were a group of local ruffians from the south of the city. They were all arrested this morning and are currently in jail. As for the arsonist, Your Highness knows who he is, so I will not say more."
"Who are they? I don't recognize any of them." Wei Luo raised his eyes, a half-smile on his face. "Commander Xiao, just say whatever you find out. There's no need to hide anything. You know, the truth will eventually come out."
He stood up and moved slightly closer to him. "No matter who it is, stealing books in the street or setting fires in the outskirts of Beijing are serious crimes. Besides, I'm here to protect you. What are you afraid of?"
Pat him on the shoulder and give him a boost of confidence.
Xiao Yang pondered for a moment, then took out a piece of paper from his pocket and presented it to Wei Luo, "This is the list of arsonists."
Wei Luo listened as he continued, "Yesterday evening, when the book-carrying convoy turned the corner at the entrance of Huaihua Lane, a group of people suddenly rushed out. They were all masked with black cloth and carrying daggers. The two sides fought, and the yamen runners were no match for them, so they abandoned the books and fled. Later, Your Highness also learned that after they transported the books to Paozi River, they were caught on the spot by the Eastern Palace guards."
As Xiao Yang was speaking, he suddenly frowned and said, "I don't understand, why are they robbing books and setting fires, why are they going against the imperial court?"
Wei Luo snorted coldly, "Then you'll have to ask the person behind the scenes."
Xiao Yang was speechless for a moment; so that's what they were waiting for. Wei Luo looked at him with a smile in his eyes, and Xiao Yang pouted and said, "It's Zhao Lian, the heir of the Duke of Xin."
"It really was him. A leopard can't change its spots." Wei Luo's tone suddenly turned fierce. He crumpled the paper in his hand into a ball and threw it on the ground, where it rolled several feet away.
Xiao Yang saw it all, but didn't move or say a word.
Wei Luo suppressed his anger, propped himself up on the table with his hand, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Have you found out who Zhao Lian was with yesterday?"
"Not yet investigated."
Seeing Wei Luo's pale face, he hurriedly said, "I will go and investigate immediately." He was about to leave, but stopped when he took a step. "There is one more thing. The weapons carried by the people who stole the books came from the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
Xiao Yang left, and the room fell silent.
Liu Heng handed over a handkerchief and asked, "Your Highness, do you suspect that Zhao Lian was not the only one who did this?"
"Hmm. Although Zhao Lian is Mr. Guo's son-in-law, he is never on the same page as him and is a complete stranger to us. So I think there must be someone else involved behind this."
He joined forces with the Embroidered Uniform Guard to steal books and cause trouble, and he was at odds with the Crown Prince. It goes without saying who he was.
Liu Heng thought that Shen Fan probably wouldn't be able to get out anytime soon.
*
Holding the list of arsonists, Wei Luo rushed to the Ministry of Rites without stopping.
Guo Zheng, the Vice Minister of Rites and concurrently the Lecturer of the Crown Prince, was waiting for him.
"Your Highness."
Guo Zheng first bowed to himself.
Wei Luo hummed in response and bowed slightly in return.
After they were seated, Wei Luo handed the list to Guo Zheng, saying, "Please take a look, sir."
"Wow, these people are utterly lawless!" Guo Zheng's hands trembled slightly as he saw Zhao Lian's name at the end of the list.
This was added by someone specifically asked by Wei Luo.
Even though he is one's own teacher, one must be cautious when faced with family ties and connections.
Guo Zheng folded the paper and placed it on the table. After considering it for a while, he turned to Wei Luo and asked, "Your Highness, may I ask where the people on the list are currently detained?"
"The prison of the Central City Military Command. I originally intended to imprison him in the Ministry of Justice prison, but the Ministry of Justice is a mixed bag. After much consideration, I finally decided to hand him over to Commander Xiao Yang of the Military Command for his care."
Now, Xiao Yang has been forced onto the Eastern Palace's ship.
Guo Zheng nodded slightly and sighed, "The Ministry of Justice is in chaos, but the Military Command is small. Can it hold its own?"
"Rest assured, sir, I have dispatched dozens of guards to stand watch outside the prison; no one will dare to break in again. However—"
Wei Luo suddenly stood up, looked at the plaque above the government office that read "Enlighten the people with propriety" and sighed, "It is difficult to be a lonely minister, and it is also difficult to be a lonely ruler."
Xiao Yang said they were incredibly audacious and opposed the imperial court; Guo Zheng said they were lawless, but neither of them pointed out that those people were not only against the imperial court, but also against the Crown Prince.
The emperor ordered him to reduce the number of redundant members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Those sons of nobles were the first to be affected, and then the Shen family took the opportunity to cause trouble. Today they could seize books to show their power, and tomorrow they could openly resist the policy, causing the Crown Prince and the court to lose face.
Guo Zheng was well aware of his worries. He sighed and stood behind Wei Luo, as if to encourage him and to express his stance: "Your subject swears to stand with Your Highness through thick and thin."
When they looked at each other, they were ruler and subject, teacher and student, and even more so, comrades-in-arms.
Wei Luo said, "The list of redundant personnel to be laid off from the Embroidered Uniform Guard was released this morning, but I have not yet presented it to His Majesty for review."
Wei Luo looked at Liu Heng, who took a list from his sleeve and handed it to Guo Zheng.
Guo Zheng casually flipped through the pages, and names floated past his eyes, familiar ones, strangers, friends, and enemies—all were there.
Guo Zheng closed his eyes in silence, then lifted his eyelids and asked, "How did Your Highness manage to organize this?"
"These are all thanks to the officials of the Ministry of Revenue's Department of Finance, and of course, the help of the eunuchs."
Laying off redundant staff can be very difficult, but it can also be very simple. The capital city is only so big, and there are only so many people. Who works hard and who slacks off; who is capable and who is stupid—you can find out by simply going to the government office and asking around.
The difficulty lies in the fact that even with a list, various forces are eyeing the situation covetously, making the situation complex and interconnected, where a single move could have far-reaching consequences.
One wrong move and the whole game is lost.
Even if Wei Luo is the crown prince, he still needs to plan carefully if he wants to succeed in this matter.
The two decided to go to the cabinet.
Vice Grand Secretary Liu Shen was sitting upright in a chair, and Deng Yan, the principal of the Ministry of Justice, was also present.
Guo Zheng was the chief examiner of the Deng banquet, that is, the chief examiner of the imperial examination for those who passed the highest level of the imperial examination. The same was true between Liu Shen and Guo Zheng.
Deng Yan bowed to Guo Zheng and addressed him as "Teacher".
Guo Zheng asked him, "What are you doing here?"
Before Deng Yan could answer, Liu Shen spoke first: "Isn't it all for—"
His eyelids inadvertently swept towards Wei Luo, and with a sigh, he picked up a memorial from the table and respectfully handed it over, "This is the memorial impeaching Deng Yan from the Ministry of Justice this morning. Your Highness, please take a look."
Wei Luo opened it and saw:
The memorial accused officials of abuse of power, issuing false tickets, and corrupting the law.
Your subject respectfully reports:
The investigation revealed that the palace guards arrested a criminal without a warrant from the Ministry of Justice last night, a violation of the law. However, Deng Yan of the Ministry of Justice not only failed to impeach them but also issued a warrant the following day, attempting to cover up the violation. If this precedent is set, the law will be neglected, and wicked people will follow suit…
Wei Luo was so angry that he trembled all over. He was about to tear the memorial to shreds when Deng Yan quickly snatched it away and said with a wry smile, "Your Highness, please don't tear it. If you damage it, I will have to pay for it."
Smoothing out the creases on the paper, Deng Yan respectfully returned it to Liu Shen.
Wei Luo asked, "Was the memorial sent by His Majesty?"
Liu Shen replied, "Yes, we will verify whether this is true."
Wei Luo rubbed his forehead, feeling a sudden headache. After thinking for a moment, he looked up at Deng Yan and said, "Go home first today. I will handle this matter and won't let you suffer any injustice."
Deng Yan was taken aback.
Wei Luo was actually giving him assurances, but he was the ruler and he was the subject. Between ruler and subject, what more could one ask for than this trust and affirmation?
He lowered his head and bowed deeply, saying, "With these words in mind, I have nothing to fear even in death."
Wei Luo stood up, patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "You're so young, yet you keep talking about death all the time."
Deng Yan looked up, and the emperor and his ministers smiled at each other.
In fact, arresting criminals and issuing tickets afterward is not uncommon; in fact, it can be said to be standard practice. From the Imperial Guards and secret police to county governments, everyone tacitly agrees that this procedure is compliant with regulations.
However, it was ultimately tacitly accepted and did not conform to the imperial system. Now, the supervisory officials insist on using procedures as a pretext to impeach Deng Yan for favoritism and abuse of power, which is not entirely unreasonable.
Liu Shen told Deng Yan to go home and avoid trouble. "This impeachment memorial went straight to the Emperor, but His Majesty did not keep it in the palace. Instead, he sent it to the cabinet for review. I suppose he was testing the waters."
On the surface, the impeachment was aimed at Deng Yan, but in reality, it was a direct attack on the Eastern Palace. His Majesty the Emperor knew the inside story, yet he still did it. Wei Luo felt as if Mount Tai was pressing down on him, and a feeling of suffocation rose from his chest to his head.
He said, "I will protect Deng Yan."
*
That day, Shen Yao wandered around for half a day but couldn't find her eldest brother. In the evening, she could only return to the Shen family to discuss with her father, "Could something have happened to my eldest brother?"
"Shut up!" Master Shen's expression immediately changed, and he said angrily, "You are not allowed to curse like that." After saying that, he turned and left.
Shen Yao sighed deeply, not wanting to say a word, and sat upright in the hall without eating a single grain of rice.
The next day, Xu Xuan sent a servant over and said, "Please invite Madam Shen to come to the mansion for a gathering."
Curious about what he wanted, Shen Yao quickly washed up and went over.
Perhaps because his mood had improved after the divorce, Shen Yao felt that he looked radiant and showed no signs of the haggard appearance that comes with being bedridden.
A pang of sadness welled up inside her, and her expression turned strange. Xu Xuan noticed this and assumed she was worried about Shen Fan's disappearance, so she advised, "He's only been missing for a day. Maybe something got in the way. Don't worry too much."
Shen Yao was surprised and looked up at him. It was strange that Xu Xuan would comfort her like this for the first time.
They had never acted like this before.
Shen Yao sighed, and Xu Xuan felt even more certain that he had guessed correctly. After all, in his opinion, Shen Yao had always been a very outgoing girl who couldn't hide anything.
She is completely different from Liu Ru.
Liu Ru's mind is as delicate and sensitive as her name suggests. He always has to carefully guess her thoughts and take good care of her, for fear of accidentally making her angry or sad.
Xu Xuan asked herself many times if it was worth it to be so cautious.
The answer is yes. He loved her and cherished her like a treasure.
So he said, "I have asked Deng Yan to pass on the divorce papers to Ru'er."
Shen Yao was taken aback and asked, "When?"
"Just now."
"But—" She glanced outside and asked doubtfully, "Deng Yan didn't work today?"
"He has been impeached and is currently staying at home awaiting punishment."
Xu Xuan mentioned the matter of paying the supplementary ticket.
Shen Yao was greatly alarmed.
Deng Yan's actions were all at Wei Luo's behest, so this memorial was clearly aimed at Wei Luo.
Of all the people in the world who hate Wei Luo the most, isn't it his father?
Instantly, she couldn't sit still any longer and said to Xu Xuan, "It's okay, I'll go home first."
As he got up to leave, Xu Xuan quickly grabbed her wrist. The woman's wrist was very slender, and his heart trembled slightly.
Shen Yao turned around, her gaze falling on her own hand and his hand, her expression slightly confused, while Xu Xuan looked a little embarrassed and quickly coughed to let go.
The two immediately looked away, and Xu Xuan said, "The roads are slippery in the snow, so be careful."
Shen Yao was taken aback, and tentatively asked him, "Is that all you wanted to say?"
“…Actually, no.” Xu Xuan glanced at her, hesitated, and then, as if mustering a lot of courage, said, “I wanted to give you a gift. Deng Yan will pick it up in a bit. If you’re not busy, you can leave later.”
"...?"
Shen Yao thought for a moment and realized that it was probably to thank her for the divorce, so she prepared it for this. Actually, she didn't mind this at all. While the two were talking, Deng Yan returned.
Shen Yao looked at him, and he looked at Xu Xuan, his face extremely pale, as if he had been stimulated by something.
He placed a wooden box on the table and said in a hoarse voice, "I've brought the things." He then picked up a stool and sat down, his eyes gloomy.
Xu Xuan glanced at the box, ignored it, and asked Deng Yan, "What's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing, I'm just tired."
The man was clearly preoccupied and didn't want to talk about it, so Xu Xuan didn't press him. A few moments later, Deng Yan seemed to come back to his senses, took the divorce papers out of his pocket, and placed them on the table. "I didn't see Liu Ru today. Give them to her yourself when you're feeling better."
Xu Xuan hummed in response, but didn't say much more. He then looked at Shen Yao and said, "There is a jade ruyi in the box, your birthday gift."
Shen Yao looked at the box, quite surprised.
Such an expensive gift, but since the two are already divorced, isn't it a bit strange to accept it again?
I hesitated.
Xu Xuan, being observant, noticed her current restraint and said, "It's just a congratulatory gift; I didn't mean anything by it. Besides, you said yourself that we're still husband and wife on the surface, aren't we?"
Even so, something still felt off. Shen Yao touched her nose, hesitated, but still accepted it. As he said, it was just a gift.
After Shen Yao left, Deng Yan asked Xu Xuan, "Do you regret it?"
"Regret what?"
Deng Yan sat down next to him and joked, "Actually, I think you two are quite a good match."
Xu Xuan looked at him strangely for a long time before saying, "You didn't say that this morning."
Deng Yan lowered his head and remained silent upon hearing this. Xu Xuan was right. This morning he was happy that his friend had finally gained the freedom to choose his own marriage, but now he felt disgusted.
He was filled with regret, regretting that he shouldn't have gone to the Xu family today, and regretting that he had seen something he shouldn't have because of his curiosity.
Now, facing Xu Xuan, he truly has no words to express his suffering...
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