Chapter 8: "He is a corrupt official."
Upon hearing this, Wei Shengxian drew his Embroidered Spring Blade and thrust it straight at Feng Tan, angrily shouting, "What kind of thing are you, daring to address an official by his name!"
As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Wei Shengxian's martial arts skills were naturally top-notch, and Feng Tan couldn't dodge them at all.
In a flash, Xiao Yinshi swiftly reached out and grabbed Feng Tan's waist to deflect the blade, then spun around twice in the hall with Feng Tan before slowly coming to a stop.
The person in his arms had a thin back, but an incredibly soft body. His waist was so slender that one arm could easily encircle him. Xiao Yinshi had survived like a wild dog, feeding on rotten flesh, and had never held such a soft and light creature before. He smelled the boy's fragrance and pressed his thin lips against the boy's soft, white neck, feeling an urge to devour this beautiful jade.
Under such bone-chilling temptation, he inexplicably fell for it.
He even felt something similar to desire in his body.
He had seen countless naked human bodies in the imperial prison. Beauty and ugliness were all just skin and bones. Peel back the outer garments and all living beings were the same, nothing more than skin, flesh, tendons, bones and internal organs. To him, male and female bodies were just piles of white flesh with red fluid flowing inside.
Therefore, he cannot enter the mortal world.
At this moment, Buddha, blood, flesh, and desire began to swirl within the Wheel of Reincarnation. This was no longer a Buddhist temple; it was his crematorium, burning away the madness in his eyes. He wanted to tear apart the vibrant beauty in his arms, to see those eyes, which had been confronting him from beginning to end, turn red and wet, he wanted...
Xiao Yinshi's eyes were dark and deep, but his gaze turned cold when he saw Feng Tan's prominent Adam's apple.
He was aroused by the sight of a man, but what he saw was male beauty. He actually felt the lust surging within him through a man!
Feng Tan, still shaken from the chaos, looked up and met Xiao Yinshi's gloomy face. She coughed awkwardly, pushed his arm away, and said, "Thank you for your help, sir, but what did you mean by what you just said?"
Xiao Yinshi didn't want to talk to Feng Tan anymore, and said succinctly, "Wan Niang faked her death to close the case and lure the snake out of its hole."
Feng Tan calmed her racing heart, glared at Wei Shengxian, walked to the secret room where Lin Wanzhou was, and, relying on her memory, found the mechanism and opened the secret door.
When Lin Wanzhou saw the Hall of Reincarnation filled with corpses and blood, she was so shocked that she screamed. After shouting, she realized that she had been impolite and quickly covered her mouth with her fingers.
Feng Tan gently patted her back with his uninjured arm, coaxing her in a hoarse voice, "Alright, alright, Wan Zhou, don't be afraid, come with me?"
Lin Wanzhou looked at Feng Tan's bleeding arm, then at the fingers she was reaching out to her, her eyes reddening and moist, and gently placed her fingers on Feng Tan's fingers.
The fourteen-year-old girl's resentment faded, and she was as beautiful as a hibiscus flower. When the two held hands and looked into each other's eyes, their suppressed emotions were contained in their eyes.
Looking at the clasped hands, Xiao Yinshi suddenly realized that his earlier desire was a joke.
His desire was inexplicably aroused by that person, and before it subsided, that person leisurely took the hand of his beloved woman and left. Xiao Yinshi withdrew from the tide of passion and banished Feng Tan to a realm where he could no longer have any contact.
The rain and snow outside the Hall of Revolving Wheels had stopped slightly. In the small courtyard, two Imperial Guards worked in pairs, one pushing a wooden cart and the other pushing it from behind, transporting the bodies of the dead assassins out. On the north side of the courtyard, Gao Yu, the Minister of Justice, stood in a square formation with his soldiers. The torches they held up illuminated the courtyard as if it were daytime.
When Gao Yu saw Feng Tan leading Lin Wanzhou out of the hall, he squinted and smiled, "How did Lord Feng know I came to arrest Lin Wanzhou? Did you specially bring her out to hand her over to me?"
Gao Yu glanced at Lin Wanzhou lightly, then looked at Feng Tan with a leisurely air.
Lin Wanzhou tightened her grip on Feng Tan's fingers, her eyes darting away in fear.
Feng Tan stepped forward, shielding Lin Wanzhou behind him, and bowed to Gao Yu, asking, "What does Lord Gao wish to do?"
Gao Yu stroked his graying goatee, his cloudy eyes revealing a deliberate malice as he looked at Feng Tan, like a drooling, hungry wolf. "In the case of the official who was murdered for patronizing a prostitute, there is an eyewitness who claims to have seen Lin Wanzhou in the stairwell that night. I naturally cannot miss such important news."
The Imperial Guards already knew that Lin Wanzhou had appeared in the building. It seems that the Northern Garrison Command's news was more than a day ahead of the Ministry of Justice. Gao Yu's reasons for arresting her were sufficient, and Feng Tan could no longer use the laws of the court to stop him. At the same time, she also realized the other meaning behind Xiao Yinshi's words, "Whether you can take her away within twelve hours depends on your ability."
Gao Yu's casual suggestion turned out to be crucial, allowing Xiao Yinshi to bypass the Embroidered Uniform Guard's arrest and directly obtain the information he wanted from Lin Wanzhou. The Ministry of Justice's information was slower, and they would interrogate Lin Wanzhou after him. He promised Feng Tan to release Lin Wanzhou, and at the same time, he did not intend to interfere with the Ministry of Justice's arrest of Lin Wanzhou.
Xiao Yinshi is a cunning fox who can't stand being taken advantage of and always pretends to be a bystander!
Feng Tan suppressed her anger and was about to speak when Xiao Yinshi walked out of the hall. Gao Yu hurriedly stepped forward to greet Xiao Yinshi, speaking in a fawning tone, "Lord Xiao, I wonder if the top courtesan is to your liking? Alas, I have another lead that requires me to interrogate Lady Lin for a few days. Would you be so kind as to do me a favor?"
The six ministers and the censors of the Censorate are both of the second rank, but everyone in the court knows that His Majesty relies on Xiao Yinshi. Gao Yu is more than thirty years older than Xiao Yinshi and is a man who treats people differently depending on their status. So, no one was surprised that he acted this way when he saw Xiao Yinshi.
Before Xiao Yinshi could speak, Feng Tan quickly said, "My lord, you have already granted me permission to take Lin Wanzhou away."
Xiao Yinshi heard this but didn't look at Feng Tan again. He stepped forward and said, "Lin Wanzhou has nothing to do with me. The Buddhist temple is a place of purity. Lord Gao and Lord Feng, please move aside and talk to each other."
Xiao Yinshi's answer was exactly what Feng Tan expected. This man was a master chess player, incredibly skilled and ruthless, rejecting anyone or anything unrelated to him.
Feng Tan stood still. She was all alone, while Gao Yu had the advantage of having many men and a legitimate excuse. If Lin Wanzhou left Yongle Temple, she would definitely fall into Gao Yu's hands and be tortured.
A cold wind blew, and snow dripped from the eaves onto Feng Tan's face. The chill seeped through her skin and even into her eyes. She said to Gao Yu, "Wan Zhou has already told me all the information about the matter that Lord Gao is investigating. Please take me away, sir."
Xiao Yinshi paused as he left, turning back to look at Feng Tan with a deep gaze.
Feng Tan lowered his eyes, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Lord Xiao, rest assured, I know how to speak properly."
This statement has two meanings. First, it tells Xiao Yin that she will not let Gao Yu know things he shouldn't know. Second, it tells everyone that she has not interfered with official duties, and taking her away is no different from taking Lin Wanzhou away from the case.
In this way, Lin Wanzhou would not have to suffer physical pain, and since Feng Tan was an official of the imperial court and had done nothing wrong, Gao Yu naturally could not torture her.
Gao Yu was taken aback at first, then chuckled. He walked up to Feng Tan and patted Feng Tan's shoulder with his withered hand. "Lord Feng asked me to act impartially, and today I will act impartially!"
He leaned close to Feng Tan's ear, a sinister malice emanating from his narrow, yellowish eyes, and whispered, "Do you want me to show favoritism? Lord Feng, don't go to the Ministry of Justice tonight. Come to my bed and I'll enjoy you."
Humiliated, Feng Tan's suppressed bloodlust broke through the shackles of reason, and she suddenly reached out and slapped Gao Yu across the face.
"Smack!"
Xiao Yinshi stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at the arrogant young man standing in the moonlight and snow.
A higher-ranking official can have absolute power, so the young man didn't overstep his bounds when dealing with him, or rather, he didn't dare to. He spoke respectfully, lowering his head appropriately, and no matter how displeased he was, he dared not make a move. Gao Yu was a womanizer, and the way he stared at Feng Tan was never innocent; he must have said something that crossed Feng Tan's line.
Feng Tan stood ramrod straight, a hint of righteous indignation in his eyes. "All officials are either exemplary ministers or upright officials. Those with outstanding political achievements but minor flaws in their conduct are exemplary ministers; those who are upright and loyal but inflexible are upright officials. And you, Gao Yu, sir, have disregarded even the most basic principles, using illegal and severe punishments to create prisons..."
Feng Tan paused for a moment, then slowly uttered three words, "He is a rotten minister."
Amid the tense standoff, Wei Shengxian chuckled.
After being slapped, Gao Yu's expression turned sinister. Hearing these words, his chest heaved with anger. He glared at Feng Tan, holding back his rage, and said sarcastically, "It is the Ministry of Justice's duty to protect the law and eliminate traitors. Lord Feng has repeatedly obstructed this. It is hard to tell whether he is loyal or treacherous."
Driven by revenge, Gao Yu stopped negotiating with Feng Tan and ordered the guards behind him, "Come on, tie up Lin Wanzhou and take her away!"
Feng Tan stood motionless in front of Lin Wanzhou, his solitary courage in guarding the flower branch in the cold wind silently resounding, forcing the Ministry of Justice soldiers who were approaching with knives to stop.
Gao Yu narrowed his eyes again and angrily shouted at the soldiers who were standing in front of Feng Tan, "What are you standing there for! Huh? You dare to talk back to me with your seventh-rank rank? Bring Lin Wanzhou here!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers who had stopped in their tracks no longer hesitated and strode forward to seize the man.
An aged voice came from the open courtyard gate, "Lord Gao, please wait!"
Everyone turned to look at the sound and saw Feng Hengdao, a veteran of three dynasties and tutor to two emperors, coming with a cane. He was nearly seventy years old. After his eldest daughter, Feng Youming, was imprisoned and his second daughter, Feng Sangrou, sacrificed her life by burning herself to death, he resigned from his official post. Two years later, he went blind and lived in seclusion in a corner of the capital. He had been living a secluded life for many years. The reason he came out in the snowy night was simply for his granddaughter, Lin Wanzhou.
A man in blue robes was supporting Grand Tutor Feng. Only when the two got closer could they see the man's appearance clearly.
He was born with the grace of an orchid and a jade tree, dressed in a simple and elegant blue robe, with a jade stone hanging from his waist with a red silk sash. His demeanor was graceful and refined, like a pine or bamboo, and his noble character was unparalleled.
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