Qin Muye was a little carsick and had dry-heaved several times along the way.
Only when he saw the people on either side of the road, their faces filled with anger or grief, did he feel a little better.
He still hadn't thought of a plan that was guaranteed to work.
But since he'd decided he couldn't accept Qin Yanying going to prison, he had to make a scene.
Only when public opinion reached a certain scale would there be any chance of clearing Qin Yanying's name completely.
If they really shut the doors and let those powerful people negotiate how to divide the spoils, there'd be no chance to fight back at all. Even if Qin Kaijiang came in person, he'd probably choose the compromise of having Qin Yanying do time.
Let's make a scene!
But before they'd covered a third of Xuanwu Street, a large group of officials suddenly appeared from who knew where.
"Everyone, disperse!"
"Disperse! Get lost!"
"The court is handling a case. Disperse at once! Anyone who refuses will be executed!"
At the sound of swords and sabers being drawn, the onlookers scattered in every direction.
Even the merchants who'd set up stalls along the road hurriedly retreated into their shops, leaving chaos in their wake.
Then,
a tall, straight-backed young man walked up to Chen Sui. "Thank you, Commander Chen, for detaining the suspect on our behalf. This case falls under the Court of State Ceremonial's jurisdiction. There's no need for you to trouble yourself any further."
Seeing this unfold,
Chen Sui's expression darkened. The young man was right. Because Great Gan had so many Demon Officials serving as foreign ministers, the Court of State Ceremonial had far greater authority than its counterparts in previous dynasties.
Whenever a Demon Official was the victim of a case, it was automatically transferred to the Court of State Ceremonial.
The man before him was Zheng Wang, Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, in charge of its criminal cases. His father was from the Xingyang Zheng Clan, and his mother was a fox demon from Green Hill. He held an exalted position on either side of his heritage, which was how he'd risen to fourth rank at just twenty-two.
Chen Sui had been prepared for this.
But he still hadn't expected the Court of State Ceremonial to move so quickly. They hadn't even reached a third of the way down Xuanwu Street, and its men had already come to take over.
If his guess was right, they'd soon be silencing the common folk.
There had been quite a few onlookers when they'd entered the city, but the commotion hadn't lasted long enough to draw a crowd.
If the Court of State Ceremonial wanted to cover it up, they could make it seem as though nothing had happened.
He knew all too well what these people were trying to do.
Chen Sui frowned. "This case does fall under the Court of State Ceremonial's jurisdiction, but transferring it requires following procedure. There's no need to rush, Lord Zheng. Allow me to enter the palace and report to His Majesty first."
Zheng Wang cut him off without a trace of courtesy. "If I remember correctly, the Brocade Guard can only get involved in a case with His Majesty's approval, or when it's connected to a minor case you're investigating. This case happened suddenly, so it couldn't have been approved in advance. You're also on leave today, Lord Chen, and this isn't a minor case you stumbled upon while handling another.
"You've helped us with our investigation, and we're grateful. When we see His Majesty, we'll be sure to praise you.
"But if you insist on interfering, people can't help but suspect that you're trying to show favoritism!"
"You!"
Chen Sui was furious. In the past, some lowly vice minister wouldn't have dared to speak to him like that. Even Shen Kui would have stepped aside when he saw him.
And now, in the blink of an eye, he was on the back foot, with a mere Zheng Wang daring to get in his face!
"Chen Sui, this has nothing to do with you. Go."
Qin Yanying stopped him, then turned to Zheng Wang. "Lord Zheng, let's go."
Chen Sui was anxious. "Yanying..."
"Protect yourself!"
Qin Yanying lowered her voice, then strode over to join the Court of State Ceremonial's entourage.
She turned and glanced at the Imperial Guards she'd brought with her. "You can all go back to training! Remember, don't cause trouble!"
"Commander!"
The Imperial Guards looked at one another, their eyes reddening.
They weren't without the urge to draw their swords. But Qin Yanying had warned them beforehand: if a clash broke out, it would only make her situation worse. So they gritted their teeth and held back.
Seeing this, Hu Huan's expression grew even more twisted. He said viciously, "Lord Zheng, Qin Yanying broke into my home and killed my pregnant wife. Right here beneath the Son of Heaven's nose, she acted with such arrogance, treating the family of a Demon Official like dirt. I beg you to deliver justice for me!"
Zheng Wang immediately put on a different face, offering him a sorrowful, consoling look. "Don't worry, Lord Hu. I'll see that justice is done. Let's go!"
With that, he led the Court of State Ceremonial's men away.
The low-ranking officials escorting Qin Yanying reached to seize her by the shoulders, but when she glared at them, they shrank back.
Chen Sui watched the Court of State Ceremonial's men march away with the people involved in the case under guard.
His expression had turned as dark as could be. He clenched his fist and started to leave.
But after only a couple of steps, Qin Muye stopped him. "Uncle, where are you going?"
"I'm going to plead with His Majesty!"
"Doing that will only drag you into the mire too, without helping at all. Have you forgotten what my aunt told you?"
"..."
Chen Sui clenched his teeth, the muscles in his jaw bulging like tree roots.
How could he not know?
The reason the emperor trusted him now was that he'd never been afraid to offend anyone while investigating a case, and he'd never shown favoritism. Whatever the emperor ordered him to do, he did it without a trace of self-interest.
If he went to plead now, the emperor's trust in him would crumble in an instant.
But...
Chen Sui drew a deep breath. "But I'm the only one in the Capital who can help your aunt!"
"Not necessarily!"
"Who else is there?"
"The Ten Thousand Races Imperial Examination is coming up. People from the Qin Family will be here!"
Qin Muye couldn't tell him that the real wildcard was Li Xingluo, so he could only use the Qin Family to stall for time.
Chen Sui gave a bitter laugh. "Having someone from the Qin Family step in would certainly help, but at most they could negotiate a compromise. Do you really think..."
Qin Muye cut him off in a low voice. "That's still better than cutting off our own arm! Uncle, if even you lose His Majesty's trust, we won't even deserve to know how the case is progressing, will we?"
Chen Sui was silent for a long time. At last, he gave a strained nod, his expression bitter. "You're right! Go home first. I'll think of something. There may still be room to turn things around!"
"Mm!"
Qin Muye nodded, then climbed into the carriage.
Seeing him, the Imperial Guard squad leader hurriedly jumped up to the front of the carriage. "Young General, let me drive!"
"Thank you!"
Qin Muye thanked him, then looked at Bai Yuji. "Get in."
It was the first time he'd spoken to Bai Yuji in the past hour.
Bai Yuji felt as if a weight had lifted from her shoulders. But then she thought he was probably only trying to keep things from getting even more complicated, and that it had nothing to do with how he felt about her.
She let out a quiet breath and climbed into the carriage.
The two of them didn't say a word to each other the entire way.
Bai Yuji's feelings were a tangled mess, guilt and anger intertwined, and she couldn't tell which emotion was the right one.
She was avenging herself. No matter how underhanded her methods were, she was justified.
The mission had nearly gone perfectly.
But things had unfolded nothing like she'd imagined.
Qin Yanying hadn't needed her guidance. She'd found Hu Huan on instinct alone.
And Bai Yuji hadn't needed to provoke her at all. Qin Yanying had struck without the slightest hesitation.
One unexpected turn after another.
It left her reeling.
She glanced at Qin Muye, only to see him sitting with his eyes half-closed, making no effort to acknowledge her.
Before, he would have been like any lovestruck young man, never wasting a moment they could spend together.
Bai Yuji knew.
This was how things should be between enemies.
But for some reason, she still felt an ache she couldn't put into words.
A little while later,
the carriage stopped.
Qin Muye went straight to his room and slammed the door shut, making it clear he had no intention of talking.
Bai Yuji lingered in front of his door for a while, and the memory of that night suddenly surfaced in her mind.
"You play the part!"
"I'll believe you!"
But now, he didn't believe her.
And she couldn't keep playing her part.
Bai Yuji wanted to tell him, "The Qin Family wiped out my clan. I'm not wrong to do this."
But when she thought it over, he'd never once spoken harshly to her.
She could vent her hatred on anyone in the Qin Family—anyone except him. In front of him, she couldn't bring herself to claim she was in the right.
Perhaps...
Qin Yanying counted as half an exception, too.
Bai Yuji felt a jumble of emotions inside and wanted nothing more than to pull the covers over her head and sleep.
But as soon as she entered her room,
she lifted the bed curtain
and saw He Xifeng looking at her anxiously. "Princess! Did you find out who the person in the bamboo hat was? Are they from the Qin Family?"
At that question,
Bai Yuji grew even more agitated. When they'd seen Luo Qing's body, everyone from Nanzhao had been stricken with grief.
She had been, too. Luo Qing's character had disappointed her, but he was still a companion who'd grown up and fled alongside her. And with the Puppet Refining Technique in his hands, he was sure to become a pillar of Nanzhao in the future.
How could she not grieve?
So they'd wanted to find the murderer.
According to He Xifeng, she'd seen the person in the bamboo hat rush into the courtyard as they retreated.
They'd been so eager to find out about the Qin Family's affairs. The person had to be from the Qin Family. Once that conclusion was reached, everyone from Nanzhao was filled with righteous fury. They'd all declared that with the Qin Family in trouble, they had to kick them while they were down and avenge Luo Qing.
But...
Bai Yuji rubbed her temples. "I asked her. Qin Yanying doesn't know the person in the bamboo hat at all!"
He Xifeng frowned. "How could that be? Princess, they must be pretending not to know each other. The Qin Family is ruthless and cunning. We can't let them fool us—"
Bai Yuji cut her off with a self-mocking smile. "Great Elder! Those ruthless and cunning Qin people were willing to risk everything to protect children and pregnant women, and they attacked a Demon Official for their sake. But we, the supposedly pure and noble ones, used children and pregnant women as bait to provoke Qin Yanying. Don't you think that's absurd?"
He Xifeng: "..."
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