In a Mistake (The End)
These words stirred up countless ripples, which could only be felt, but not seen.
The emperor silently pondered the possible information behind those words, then asked, "What have you found out?"
In Shen Zhuangmu's eyes, the emperor remained as composed as ever, seemingly no different from the inaction and laziness that the people had spread.
“I checked the Ministry of Justice’s case log and found my mother’s file, but my uncle’s file didn’t have a single word on it.” She became more and more agitated as she spoke, and after taking a breath, she continued, “The group that came to the capital was small, but each of them was a first-rate fighter. They were all lying on the ground, so they must have fallen into a trap.”
The emperor watched her quietly, waiting for her to finish speaking.
“I found out that someone left the city the night before my birthday. It must be him who killed my mother! Uncle, do you think Xiao Zhong was the one who killed my mother? Tell me, what have you found out?”
After saying this, she felt her throat was dry and sore, as if it would tear if she opened her mouth. Her eyes were also sore and dry, but she couldn't care less about that. She hoped that the emperor would say a few words.
Suddenly, someone handed me a bowl of herbal soup. The rich color of the soup, along with the spicy aroma, caused wisps of steam to rise.
"You're not feeling well, take your medicine first." The emperor stood up from his low seat, walked to the high couch closest to Chen Zhuangmu, and sat down. He watched her drink the medicine in one gulp, but still didn't say anything.
"Uncle, the morning court session is tomorrow. If you don't tell me the whole story, I will ask you for permission during court to investigate this case openly and honestly!"
She was completely reckless in saying this. Chen Zhuangmu couldn't understand why, despite such an obvious frame-up, her uncle hadn't been able to overturn the case after three years; she had investigated very thoroughly, so why was her uncle still keeping quiet?
After hearing her provocative words, the emperor did not react with the fury that Chen Zhuangmu expected. Instead, he hunched over, lowered his head, and sighed repeatedly.
Chen Zhuangmu felt that a long while had passed before the emperor finally raised his head. Pain was clearly visible in his eyes, as if he had transformed from a vigorous middle-aged man into a frail old man.
Just like the incompetent ruler described by the common people, who, even after working late into the night and sitting at his desk, cannot utter a single word.
The candlelight flickered in the wind blowing in from outside, and the fiery red light drifted onto the emperor's eyes. Suddenly, Chen Zhuangmu felt that she could no longer understand the meaning behind those eyes.
Startled, she quickly lowered her head, her heart pounding.
"You are intelligent and wise, but you are impulsive and stubborn. The reason I kept this from you for so long is because once you find out, you will act recklessly and things will get chaotic."
The emperor seemed to close his eyes, and then said, "In any case, I can't hide it for long, so I'll tell you. The reason I said it was related to Xiao Zhong is because the day before your birthday, Xiao Zhong told me..."
The emperor shifted his reclining position and said, "Everyone knows General Xingyun but not the ruler of Daqun. She even brought troops with her this time; her intentions are self-evident. Even a fool could understand that she wanted to attack, but I pretended not to understand and brushed it off. I thought she would give up, but I didn't expect her to actually dare to attack. Normally, your mother's troops should have arrived at midnight, but I waited for half an hour and didn't see them, so I felt something was wrong and sent people out to investigate. And the result... was exactly what I told you about."
The emperor poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and said, “In the first place, the task of welcoming the general out of the city should be handled by a trusted minister. However, the Grand Commandant gave this task to Xiao Zhong. As a result, when the soldiers were carrying the corpse, a letter fell out of your mother’s arms. It contained a conversation between your mother and the ruler of Su Kingdom, discussing how to divide up my Da Qun’s territory.”
The emperor simply downed the entire cup of tea this time. "I've examined that letter carefully many times, and it is indeed your mother's handwriting."
"My mother has been framed." Shen Zhuangmu's face turned pale instantly. She was extremely tired, yet felt as if her heart was about to jump out of her body.
“I share the same thought as you. My elder sister would never betray the country. However, a minister reported a letter from another country, which happened to be the Kingdom of Su. They kept repeating the story of your mother’s cooperation with him, and said that they had not agreed to a single word. They said that everyone in your country is farsighted.”
Three years ago, Shen Zhuangmu didn't know where the emperor's power was, but watching her relatives being falsely accused was a feeling she never imagined.
“Zhuangmu, you haven’t seen your mother since you were eight years old. Now, it has been twenty-one years since I last saw her.”
"The last time I saw your mother, she was about twenty-five years old. At that time, all the officials surrounded me. Your mother fought her way from the palace gate to the Daqing Hall. I saw that she was covered in blood. Then she came over and put the jade crown on my head. She was using her last bit of strength to protect me."
A long silence lingered throughout tonight's conversation; so many unheard words, so many things that were kept hidden, were poured out in an instant.
Let it be, how bad can it get?
Tears streamed down Chen Zhuangmu's face. She pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her tears and snot haphazardly, saying, "Uncle, if that's the case, why don't you just arrest Xiao Zhong? That's irrefutable evidence!"
Her phrase "环" refers to a private conversation between Xiao Zhong and the emperor.
"The most urgent task now is to find evidence that the thief framed your mother. If the truth can be revealed, even if we don't make a big fuss, the person behind it will not be able to sit still." The emperor frowned and said, "If we forcibly take him down now, it will only make the officials very nervous and indignant."
"You've been at the Dali Temple for so many days and handled so many cases, how come... don't be impulsive in the future."
Chen Zhuangmu lost her patience and asked again, "Uncle, what have you found out in these three years?"
"To be able to imitate your mother's handwriting so perfectly, he must be one of her trusted confidants. So I investigated this man, but I found nothing. Isn't that strange?"
"About a year later, the Privy Council sent me a list of generals who had died in battle. I noticed a name named Yuan Hui. It said that Yuan Hui was a soldier under a certain general, but because he came from the Privy Council, it included him. He probably didn't know that every general stationed outside would write to me every three days, and I had never heard of Yuan Hui before."
Seeing the puzzled look in Shen Zhuangmu's eyes, the Emperor understood her confusion and said, "The Privy Council doesn't produce useless people. This person will definitely make a name for himself on the battlefield, but I've never even heard of him. So, I sent people to investigate, but they found nothing. I even sent someone to infiltrate the Privy Council once, and guess what?"
"Could it be... that he was sent abroad?" Chen Zhuangmu looked at the emperor.
"Hehe, not bad. These are the two words above. What a fine posting. It doesn't specify the reason or the place of assignment. I never knew the Privy Council had become so lenient."
These words caused Chen Zhuangmu's thoughts to drift further. Was it too reckless for her to cooperate with Zhao Yi?
The emperor glanced at Chen Zhuangmu and said, "You should focus on your duties now, and while you're at it, investigate the evidence against your mother for her crimes. The Grand Commandant isn't involved much in this matter, so just keep an eye on Xiao Zhonghe and the Privy Council."
"Yes, I understand," Chen Zhuangmu replied, suppressing her increasingly heavy emotions.
"You can rest in the palace today. Go back." Chen Zhuangmu stood up and was about to bow when she heard the emperor say again, "Don't talk to that kid Zhao Yi. He seems unreliable."
"Yes, I understand, Uncle." Chen Zhuangmu bowed and withdrew.
From that day on, Chen Zhuangmu devoted herself to this task. When there were cases at the Dali Temple, she did her best to solve them, and when there were no cases, she thought about how to collect evidence.
The prolonged mental exertion left her exhausted, and by dusk she felt she could barely keep her eyelids open.
Six or seven days passed in this way, and Chen Zhuangmu finally had a day off. She had a lucky idea in mind.
On the morning of her day off, she got up early, wearing a light purple brocade long sleeve draped with pearls, a white jade necklace, and light makeup on her face.
Even from a distance, you could tell she was destined to be a beauty.
She ate something quick to fill her stomach and then went out, taking a carriage to the bustling Pinglou, where she sat down in the private room she had arranged to meet Yu Hongning.
She arrived early and was fortunate enough to listen to the storyteller's tales for a while.
The storyteller, speaking in a high-pitched voice, was telling the story of an unknown nobody who, after overcoming countless hardships to become a great hero, became arrogant and dissolute, and ultimately met a tragic end.
It sounded quite amusing, but there were quite a few examples. She had only been listening for a short while when Yu Hongning arrived. She was wearing a white jacket, a pleated skirt, and a light gauze overlay.
It looks good, but seeing the heavy makeup behind the scenes gives me a chill down my spine.
"Aren't you cold?" She poured Yu Hongning a cup of tea.
Yu Hongning breathed softly, holding a hot teacup in her hand, and said solemnly, "You should wear nice clothes even if it's cold. Besides, sister, such beautiful gauze is hard to come by." She stroked the light gauze on her body, which emitted a soft, shimmering light.
"Sister, I really didn't expect you to ask me out this time," Yu Hongning said, blinking her big eyes.
"We've got nothing to do, let's go for a walk," she said, turning to look at the other person as if remembering something. "By the way, have you seen Xiao Hanfeng recently?"
Yu Hongning pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
"No, I heard she also became a lady-in-waiting, so she's probably quite busy."
"Why don't we go find her ourselves in a bit?" Yu Hongning suggested.
“Okay,” Chen Zhuangmu replied.
The two made the decision and started listening to storytelling while thinking about where to go next. Suddenly, a red figure leaped into the view of the dark-haired woman.
She suddenly looked up and saw Xiao Hanfeng's arm draped over the windowsill, looking at her with amusement. "You have really good eyesight. You couldn't see me from the next private room?"
"..."
"Hanfeng." Yu Hongning walked over. "My sister and I were thinking of going to find you."
As Xiao Hanfeng spoke, he crawled in from the next partition, saying, "You won't be able to find me."
She sat down, poured herself a cup of tea, and said, "I've been exhausted these past few days. Shouldn't I indulge myself a bit during my day off?"
“Take it easy. There are clear laws governing officials’ entry and exit from restaurants.” Under Xiao Hanfeng’s deathly gaze, Chen Zhuangmu continued, “Go back and take a look.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hanfeng feigned grievance, pursed her lips, and began to dry her tears. "It's so unfair! What kind of suffering have I endured..." She wiped away the non-existent tears and snot, and became serious. "Tell me, why did my father give me this task?"
“It’s possible they want you to travel less,” Yu Hongning said.
This result was clearly true, and she couldn't refute it. She couldn't help but recall the grueling tasks she'd endured in the past few days, and began to wail, "You don't know, my father got me a position as Vice Minister of Rites. I thought it would be an easy job, but it's proving incredibly convenient for our boss. He's been running around like crazy, dragging me out of my post as soon as I arrived..."
Chen Zhuangmu could empathize with him, so she stopped her sharp tongue and patted Xiao Hanfeng on the back instead.
"Ah... I passed the women's assessment before, I thought at most I would be a bad teacher..." Xiao Hanfeng became more and more bitter as she spoke, her eyes reddening, and she gulped down a large cup of tea.
Chen Zhuangmu watched with amusement, while Yu Hongning next to her pouted and said, "I have nothing to do, but you guys seem so busy."
"..."
Unable to tell whether she was being sarcastic or not, Chen Zhuangmu simply didn't want to talk about the topic anymore. She casually said, "Come with me to the clay sculpture workshop. You'll definitely be interested."
Just as Yu Hongning cast a questioning glance at him, Xiao Hanfeng spoke up, "Why are we going to the clay sculpture room?"
She said proudly, "I am not very talented, but I have studied this matter for a long time and can do anything that is not particularly difficult."
"What do you want to do?" she asked, leaning closer to the veil of makeup.
"I just wanted to give it a try, I didn't expect anything fancy..." Chen Zhuangmu said.
“That’s easy,” Xiao Hanfeng said, taking their hands. “Come on, I’ll take you to my house.”
So, they excitedly followed Xiao Hanfeng into the Left Minister's residence, completely forgetting their previous plans.
The mansion was different from what Shen Zhuangmu had originally imagined. She had thought there would be tall old trees, countless pavilions and towers, and a garden full of servants.
But what I saw was completely different, even utterly different.
Upon entering, one is struck by the vast emptiness of the place. It is a large area, but there are no old trees, no small bridges or flowing water, and no rugged rocks. Only a small river running through the middle from north to south can be considered as scenery.
Suppressing her surprise, Chen Zhuangmu followed Xiao Hanfeng through one bend after another until they arrived at an inconspicuous little house.
Xiao Hanfeng ran over, looked at them, and said, "I'll show you something amazing later."
After saying that, she gently pushed open the door, and a strong smell of dust rushed out.
Immediately afterwards, Chen Zhuangmu noticed that there were many tools in the room, and the walls were covered with clay models, piled up to the corners.
Following Xiao Hanfeng into the house, you'll find that there's nothing inside except mud and utensils. It's not exactly clean, but it's definitely not dirty either.
Xiao Hanfeng wandered around one tool after another, saying, "My father personally researched these and bought them for me."
Soon, a servant brought three dark yellow cloaks and three scallops, all covered with mud spots of varying sizes.
The servants dressed them and then left, leaving the three of them alone.
Following Xiao Hanfeng's instructions, Chen Zhuangmu placed a piece of clay she had prepared on a small table, scooped out the excess clay water, held the firmest part of the clay, and used it as a base. She then used the softness and texture of the clay to create the desired object. This process involved using cardboard, wood, and scissors to support and dry the finished model.
This was a novel experience for Shen Zhuangmu and Yu Hongning, and they enjoyed it immensely. Although the things they made were all incredibly ugly, their sweat soaked into the soil, and their fingerprints remained on the dried soil. Looking at the ugly things that had finally taken shape, they felt very gratified.
Xiao Hanfeng was instructing them from the side. Noticing their fatigue, he invited them inside for tea.
So the servants removed the clothes they had just worn, and the wanderers walked again on the flat, bare road.
“Kyoto has been quite unsafe lately, with thieves frequently appearing. Remember to lock your doors and windows,” Chen Zhuangmu said.
“Look.” Xiao Hanfeng nodded in one direction and said, “Apart from that place and my mud chamber, there’s nothing of importance.”
They arrived at Xiao Hanfeng's courtyard and led them into the largest room, which consisted of a main room and two side rooms connected in the middle.
Upon entering, Chen Zhuangmu was so surprised she was almost stunned.
The interior was completely different from the exterior, with a round table carved from pear wood in the center, along with four chairs. A red plush carpet was laid on the floor, and valuable plants and porcelain were placed in many corners. The small doors of the side rooms were adorned with glittering glass bead curtains.
"Hanfeng, did you use all the money in your bedroom?" Yu Hongning asked in surprise.
"What are you thinking about?" Xiao Hanfeng pretended to glare at her and said, "It's just that my father dotes on me more. Besides, what's the point of building such nice things outside? You can look around as you like. I'm going to make some tea."
The soles of her shoes made no sound as they stepped on the thick carpet. Chen Zhuangmu looked around; everything here was exquisite and tidy, a world apart from the outside. She wondered if other courtyards were also this luxurious.
As she walked, she arrived at the right-hand side room, where a small, ornately carved bed was placed at the very back. It was made of fine hardwood, a deep, almost blackish red.
As she turned to leave, a smear of paint caught her eye.
A bird with two horns on its head was standing on the mountain, its wings spread, as if it was about to fly into the sky at any moment, and its beady eyes even revealed a fierce look.
Chen Zhuangmu's breath hitched; she was absolutely certain she hadn't misread it.
But Xiao Hanfeng's pillow was embroidered with this. Could it have been given to her by Xiao Zhong as well? Did she know what it meant?
Hearing the door open, Chen Zhuangmu came out of the side room. Xiao Hanfeng was bringing in tea-making tools and placing them on the table.
She suppressed her surprise and sat back down on the stool.
"Who made that pillow and mat in your room? It's so beautifully embroidered." She took the cup that Xiao Hanfeng handed her.
The latter pursed his lips and said, "Don't buy it, it's not as good as my old one. This was given to me by my dad, if you like it I'll ask him to buy another pair."
"Fine, you've already said it doesn't work anymore." Chen Zhuangmu pursed her lips.
The aroma of tea quietly seeped into the hearts of the three of them.
Xiao Hanfeng put down his teacup and smiled, "I am truly happy to have gained two good friends like you."
Yu Hongning smiled and nodded, but remained silent behind her makeup.
"You should all be more careful in your interactions with others from now on."
"Sister, have you gone crazy from handling cases?" Yu Hongning couldn't help but laugh.
Xiao Hanfeng looked at her with disdain, "You're just too tense, always suspicious. What are we wary of? You wouldn't harm us, would you?"
"Of course not."
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