Chapter 28 It's alright if the soul is attached to the locust tree; this is how the knife is used...
The coming-of-age ceremony in the palace was elaborate and took a long time, even without a banquet. Fu Sui was surrounded by a group of palace servants, and even Kou Yun and Dai Ling couldn't get close to her, and Qin An was nowhere to be found.
The Empress Dowager took the jade comb and symbolically combed Fu Sui's hair twice. Then, a hairdresser came to tie Fu Sui's hair up. A palace maid presented gold hairpins, and the Empress Dowager placed three gold hairpins in her hair in turn, thus completing the ceremony. After that, there were various small matters such as bowing to thank the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, and being offered sweet wine.
It wasn't until they were about to return to the manor that Fu Sui found Qin An. She called out twice, but Qin An seemed dazed and didn't hear her.
Cheng Liwu glanced hesitantly at Kouyun, who had come to call him in, before stepping inside. As soon as he entered, the door behind him was tightly shut.
"Go ahead and say it." Fu Sui lowered her head and fiddled with clumps of red stuff. Her inkpad was ready; all that was left was to dispense it.
Cheng Liwu swallowed hard and reported everything he had found to Fu Sui, not daring to omit a single word.
Fu Sui remained silent, focusing intently on dividing the ink into six portions and rolling them into small balls in the ceramic ink box using a bone stick.
She kept one box for herself and handed the remaining five boxes to Cheng Liwu: "Give them to Kouyun and tell her that Qin An, Lady Qiao, the Princess of Yanshan County, and the lady of Minister Zheng's mansion each have one box, and Xinghuafang has one box."
Cheng Liwu respectfully accepted it, carried it out, and handed it to Kouyun.
When Qin An arrived, he found the area in front of the study empty. He asked the maid guarding the side gate, "Where are Kouyun and the others?"
The maid was passing the time weaving grasshoppers when she saw Qin An ask. She quickly dropped the grass and stood up to reply, "Sister Kouyun and Sister Dailing have gone out of the mansion to deliver things, and Sister Feiqing and Sister Yihong have gone to the storeroom."
No one announced or knocked on the door; Qin An pushed it open himself and entered. He saw Fu Sui sitting behind his desk and asked with a smile, "What is it?"
Fu Sui cut to the chase: "What are you trying to do by contacting those ruthless gangsters on the black market?"
Qin An's pupils contracted sharply from the shock of those words, and his ears rang as if being struck by a drum. He forced a smile and said, "Princess..."
“I know when you went there and who you met, so don’t try to deny it.” Fu Sui’s gaze fell on Qin An’s face, his expression indifferent.
Qin An still wanted to hide it, and he showed a resentful look on his face: "Which guy is gossiping? I just didn't like someone and wanted to cause them some trouble..."
“Qin An,” Fu Sui interrupted him calmly, “you said you would never lie to me.”
Qin An felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if someone had squeezed it tightly. He could sense Fu Sui's aloofness and indifference. She was clearly looking at him, but there was no trace of him in her eyes.
His lips trembled slightly as he tried to say something, but his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, preventing him from making a sound.
"Princess..."
Fu Sui rarely hardened her heart like this; she simply stared at Qin An and said, "Don't lie to me."
Qin An's hands were trembling. He tried his best to control his unease and sorrow, his eyes reddening, and his words came out in broken sentences: "It really is just a private matter..."
Fu Sui didn't understand why Qin An was unwilling to tell the truth. A thought flashed through her mind, and she smiled bitterly, "Father broke his promise, and you've gone back on your word too. Qin An, are you going to abandon me as well?"
"No," Qin An rushed to the table, his voice urgent and flustered, "It's not like that, Prince Jin never abandoned you, Ningning, you can't say that..."
“That’s exactly how it is!” Fu Sui remained unmoved. “You’re all like this. Father lied to me, saying he was going to make me a little wooden horse, and then he never came back. Now even you’re lying to me, even you’re lying to me!”
Qin An didn't know how to refute. His eyes, like those of a deer, were filled with sorrow, and his trembling voice sounded like a sob: "It's my fault...it's all my fault...Ningning...please forgive me this once...just this once..."
The more Qin An refused to budge, the more Fu Sui wanted to know what could make Qin An willing to admit that the Prince of Jin had broken his promise and still deceive her. She pressed Qin An step by step: "You're finally tired of me, aren't you? Tired of me, this useless burden. Are you going to travel the world, or stir up trouble in the court? Or are you going to kill and rob?" Fu Sui leaned forward, staring intently into Qin An's eyes, and asked, word by word, "Are you going to kill me?"
Fear and self-reproach mingled in Qin An's eyes. He reached out to touch the child he had raised, his voice barely audible: "No, I will never... You know perfectly well I won't..."
Fu Sui avoided Qin An's trembling hand and questioned, "Concealing your face, wielding a knife and bow, how can you expect me to believe you wouldn't do that?"
Qin An had not expected Fu Sui to investigate so thoroughly. Knowing that he had no way to defend himself, he could only remain silent.
Fu Sui, however, refused to let him off the hook: "If you won't tell me, then forget it. You can choose a courtyard you like in the mansion, move there, and come out whenever you want to talk."
Upon hearing that Fu Sui intended to confine him, Qin An's eyes widened suddenly. He pleaded desperately with Fu Sui, "No, I have to go! Ningning, I have to go..."
"Then tell me who it is!" Fu Sui shouted. "If you don't tell me, I won't agree. You know, if I don't agree, you won't even be able to leave this door."
He couldn't be confined to the mansion; this might be his only chance. Qin An's chest heaved violently, his breathing rapid, and he appeared fragile and helpless. In the end, he lowered his head and chose to compromise: "It's Wang Yifu."
In the case of the Prince of Jing, the influence of the Empress Dowager's faction could not reach Bingzhou at all. It was Wang Yifu, the then Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, who worried that the Prince of Jin was unruly and difficult to control, and that he had long-standing grudges with the aristocratic families. He feared that after ascending the throne, the Prince of Jin would be promoted to commoners and demoted to aristocratic families. Therefore, he instructed his protégés and associates who were serving in Bingzhou to conceal their whereabouts and spread false disaster reports, thus sending the Prince of Jin to the Empress Dowager's clutches.
After the incident, the officials involved destroyed their correspondence to cover up the crime and colluded with each other to give false testimony. Officials from various departments in the court wrote letters to protect the emperor and pressured him, ultimately allowing Wang Yifu, the mastermind behind the scenes, to escape unscathed.
Now that he has the opportunity to kill Wang Yifu, how could Qin An let it go?
Fu Sui hadn't heard that name in a long time, and she asked incredulously, "Isn't he in Hedong?"
After resigning from his official post, Wang Yifu retreated to his hometown. The Wang family was deeply entrenched in the Hedong region, and Fu Sui had no way to remove Wang Yifu from Hedong.
“He will come to the capital,” Qin An explained.
Although Wang Yifu is not in the court, it is obvious to everyone that he is the real mastermind behind the Wang family. Even members of the Wang family may not know his whereabouts, so how could Qin An know?
In a flash, Fu Sui realized something: "He told you?"
Qin An did not answer, which was taken as tacit agreement.
"Was it on the day of my coming-of-age ceremony?" No wonder Qin An disappeared as soon as he entered the palace that day.
Qin An remained silent.
Fu Sui thought to herself, "I had everything I wanted a while ago, and it turns out the emperor was waiting for me all along." Furious, she grabbed a stack of white paper and threw it at Qin An: "He wanted to harm the Wang family. He brought Wang Yifu to the capital, told you Wang Yifu's whereabouts and ordered you to kill him. And you just obeyed?"
Fu Sui grew angrier the more he thought about it: "He needed a pretext to kill Wang Yifu, so he made you avenge him. And then what? He beheaded you according to the law? He's a wise ruler who combines virtue and law, a good person both at home and abroad. Why should he bypass me and use your life to pay for it!"
"Even if he didn't mention it, I would still kill that old scoundrel." Qin An's eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his slender, fair neck bulged. "The Prince of Jin died with his eyes wide open, while he lived out his days in peace. I am not reconciled!"
Qin An's anger was reflected in Fu Sui's eyes, and she squeezed out a few words with difficulty: "You will die."
Qin An's lips curled up slightly, with an unintentional tenderness and reluctance: "I am but a eunuch, not tolerated by heaven and earth. To die for my master is a worthy death."
It seemed that a bird had landed under the eaves and made two sharp chirps.
Fu Sui glanced out the window and suddenly asked, "When?"
Before Qin An could speak, she interjected earnestly, "Qin An, at least let me know when it is. Don't make me wait, okay?"
"The day after tomorrow..."
"Only two days left, the day after tomorrow," Fu Sui muttered to himself.
Qin An couldn't bear to see Fu Sui in such pain and couldn't help but call out, "Princess..."
"Where?" Fu Sui kept asking.
"Fifteen li east of the city."
So you're leaving first thing the day after tomorrow?
"yes……"
Fu Sui remained silent for a long time, then got up and took a long box from the cabinet next to him, placing it on the desk.
Without even opening it, Qin An knew what was inside the box, and he looked at Fu Sui in confusion.
Fu Sui ignored Qin An and slowly opened the box. Inside lay a horizontal sword, its tip missing a section, and several nicks on the blade. The hilt's ring, once adorned with a lion's head, was now half-broken.
This is the sword of the King of Jin. Qin An retrieved it from the mud and rocks and brought it from Bingzhou to the capital.
"Use it to kill Wang Yifu."
The broken ring, the fragmented blade, the shattered patterns—every detail tells of the tragedy and pain suffered by the Prince of Jin during his attack. A tear slid down Qin An's cheek, splashing a tiny drop onto the blade: "Then it's gone forever." The murder weapon would be confiscated as evidence.
“It’s alright.” Fu Sui’s tone was cold and unyielding. “That’s how you use a knife.”
Qin An reached out to pick up the box, but before he could touch it, Fu Sui snatched it away from him.
Qin An looked up in confusion and saw Fu Sui pick up a silver bead from the table and throw it straight toward the window. The silver bead broke through the window paper and landed outside.
A thought popped into Qin An's mind: Was that window originally covered with paper? What kind of paper is so flimsy?
With a "bang," Cheng Liwu burst through the door and rushed in. Before Qin An could react, his hands were twisted behind his back and he was pinned to the table. Immediately, two more people entered and skillfully bound him.
Qin An then realized what Fu Sui was about to do. He struggled fiercely, shouting, "No, you can't do this, Princess... Princess..."
A handkerchief was placed over Qin An's mouth, and he couldn't even utter a sound.
Fu Sui asked Cheng Liwu, "Where's Dou Miao?" Upon learning that Dou Miao was outside, he asked Cheng Liwu to call Dou Miao in.
Doumiao walked into the house with a look of fear on her face. She had just witnessed Qin An being dragged away. She knelt on the cold ground and pleaded, "Princess, Qin An is arrogant and sharp-tongued. If he has displeased you, please punish him. I only beg you to spare his life for his years of hard work and loyalty."
“Raise your head.”
Doumiao quickly stood up and knelt upright, her eyes filled with unease.
"From now on, you will be solely responsible for Qin An's food and daily life. Until the day after tomorrow, no one is allowed to approach him or pass on any messages. If anything goes wrong, his life will be beyond saving. Can you do that?"
Doumiao didn't know what had happened; there were things within the Princess's mansion that she shouldn't know, but she couldn't bear to watch Qin An die. Doumiao bowed deeply and answered firmly, "I can."
After Doumiao left, Fu Sui began to question the wandering knights and villains that Qin An had contacted.
“There are five people who had contact with Qin Zhongguan. I’ve found a place to lock them up.” Before Fu Sui summoned Qin An, those people had already been taken into custody. However, Qin An had not yet told them the specific identities of the people he had killed, so Cheng Liwu was unable to get much information from them.
"Do you know who they are?"
"I know, there are two wanted criminals, and the other three have had their household registrations cancelled." There are no law-abiding citizens in that kind of place; they are all people who can't be brought to the light and have no household registration or travel permits to use.
"They were made mute and blinded, the two wanted criminals were thrown into the capital, and the others were sent away at a distance."
Cheng Liwu agreed to everything. It was his first time doing something like this, but fortunately, he had met many people from all walks of life over the years, so he didn't hesitate to do things.
"What about Qin Zhongguan..." Cheng Liwu asked tentatively. Knowing Qin An's personality, he really had no confidence that he could keep Qin An under house arrest in peace.
"Just have people guard it properly. No one is allowed to enter or leave except for the bean sprouts. You don't need to worry about anything else."
Hearing that he only needed to guard the goal, Cheng Liwu breathed a sigh of relief.
“There is one last thing,” Fu Sui searched through the calendar. Kou Yun would write down all the large and small gatherings and theaters in the capital in the calendar. “There is a theater at Ci’en Temple the day after tomorrow. I don’t care what method you use, take Qin An to Ci’en Temple. Make sure that the officials’ families and the novice monks in the temple who are watching the play all see him. He is not allowed to leave before 11:00 PM.”
After making arrangements for Qin An, Fu Sui asked Cheng Liwu to bring his father over.
When Cheng Baoding arrived, it was already dark, but the study was unlit. Fu Sui stood behind the table with his back to him, only a dim silhouette.
"Select a few loyal and reliable men, prepare their swords and bows, and have them accompany me on a trip the day after tomorrow." Fu Sui's household had few servants, but his guards were in excess. Fu Sui openly maintained guards to protect his home, and the emperor turned a blind eye and tacitly approved of this. However, among these guards were a few assassins.
Cheng Baoding agreed without even asking any questions.
Gan Yizhang and his men rested by the roadside. As soon as he opened his eyes today, his eyelids started twitching. Thinking about what he had to do today, Gan Yizhang prayed in his heart that nothing would go wrong.
A group of people galloped past them. The horses were fast, and Gan Yizhang didn't have time to look closely. He only saw several strong young men surrounding a person dressed entirely in black.
Gan Yizhang clicked his tongue in surprise. What was wrong with Qin An? Could it be that he had brought the guards from the princess's residence with him? Thinking this, Gan Yizhang felt his eyelids twitch even more violently.
At the end of the Si hour (9-11 AM), Gan Yizhang finally heard screams coming from ahead. He waved to his men to prepare, and when the screams stopped, he mounted his horse and led his men forward.
I expected to see a scene of corpses strewn across the ground, but as I approached, I found several men guarding a group of servants, forbidding them from making a sound. In the middle of the road stood a person dressed in a black robe, with a pool of blood meandering out from under his feet.
Gan Yizhang's heart skipped a beat; this person was definitely not Qin An. His men, as previously arranged, surrounded the group. Gan Yizhang dismounted and quietly approached, his unease growing with each step.
Gan Yizhang had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.
Seemingly hearing Gan Yizhang's footsteps, the man in black turned around. Gan Yizhang's eyes widened in terror, as if he had seen a demon.
The hood of the man in black robes slipped down, revealing the beautiful face of Princess Yong'an. Before her knelt Wang Yifu, his eyes wide open in death, a broken knife deeply embedded in his chest, the other end of which was held in Princess Yong'an's hand.
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