Bastard

"My eldest brother gave me an estate some time ago. I've never been there myself and have always left it to the steward. It's out in the countryside, with hardly anyone around. Perhaps we could send them there."

Shen Shixu thought the place Xiao Jinyi had suggested was very suitable. What these young women needed now was somewhere quiet, free from disturbances, where they could begin to heal the wounds in their hearts.

Shen Shixu and Xiao Jinyi escorted the young women outside, but just as they left the chamber and reached the iron gate, they saw a group of men approaching with blades in their hands and murderous intent in their eyes.

Xiao Jinyi advanced to meet them, sword in hand. Shen Shixu tightened his grip on his own sword and stood in front of the young women, watching Xiao Jinyi anxiously.

Xiao Jinyi's swordplay flowed effortlessly, without any flashy flourishes. Every stroke was simple and direct, but whenever he struck, another opponent lost the ability to fight.

Yet even Xiao Jinyi's skill could not hold back the growing number of attackers while he also had a group of people behind him to protect. Gradually, one or two thugs slipped past him and reached Shen Shixu.

The young women behind Shen Shixu screamed as the blade-wielding men drew closer. 011 was also sweating on Shen Shixu's behalf.

Xiao Jinyi was deeply worried too. Although Shen Shixu had assured him earlier that he was no frail scholar, he still could not put his mind at ease.

011 curled its entire system into a ball. It was frightened enough to want to scream along with the young women, but feared distracting Shen Shixu, so it could only nervously help him keep watch on the two men charging at him with blades.

[Big brother, watch out! They're coming! Why don't you take the young ladies behind you back inside and hide? If you shut the big iron gate, they probably won't be able to get in.]

Shen Shixu had no time to answer. One of the men had already swung his blade at his neck.

Shen Shixu raised his sword to block. As the other man swung at his back, he kicked backward, driving his foot straight into the man's chest. As he sent that attacker flying, he used the force of the kick to surge forward and press down hard. The man locking blades with him had not expected his strength to increase so suddenly and was forced down onto one knee.

Before the man could react, Shen Shixu slashed his throat just as he tried to stand. Blood sprayed out.

Blood splattered Shen Shixu's clothes and face, but he paid it no mind. Sword in hand, he turned to face the man he had kicked away.

Seeing that Shen Shixu was not an easy target, the bully decided to prey on the young women instead. He had barely approached them with his blade raised when a sword pierced straight through his chest.

Xiao Jinyi had kept an eye on Shen Shixu throughout the fight. Once he saw that Shen Shixu was handling himself well, he stopped watching so closely. By the time he finished off his own opponents, Shen Shixu had just dealt with those two men as well.

Xiao Jinyi walked over with blood dripping from his sword, his gaze full of admiration as he looked at Shen Shixu. "I already thought you were brilliant at solving cases. I never expected your martial arts to be so good too, and your literary talent is outstanding. With someone as exceptional as you, who knows how many officials will want to snatch you up as their son-in-law?"

Xiao Jinyi had meant to praise Shen Shixu, but as he spoke, he began to feel unhappy himself. The thought that Shen Shixu might one day enjoy a harmonious marriage with some woman left him feeling faintly uncomfortable.

"I'm not planning to marry yet. Besides, I want to find someone I truly love. I certainly won't marry a stranger just because a matchmaker says I should."

Hearing this made Xiao Jinyi so happy that he could barely suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

"Enough about that. Let's hurry back up. The air down here smells awful, and I'm covered in blood. I need a good wash." Shen Shixu looked down at the blood on his clothes with an expression of disgust.

Xiao Jinyi and Shen Shixu led the young women out of the underground palace. They had not seen daylight in so long that, once outside, they stood motionless in the sunshine, closing their eyes to savor the sunlight and the gentle breeze.

Xiao Jinyi took out the signal flare he carried and set it off, then went to check on Shen Shixu, who was crouching beside the pond, washing the blood from his face with a clean handkerchief.

Shen Shixu had already taken off his bloodstained outer robe. Fortunately, the weather was not cold, or he would surely have caught a chill.

Mo Yu soon arrived with a group of men. Xiao Jinyi ordered Mo Yu to bring out everyone still alive in the underground palace and lock them in the Court of Judicial Review's prison, then arrange for a few kind-looking people to escort the young women to his estate outside the city.

Mo Yu had already made three trips that day. No matter how skilled a martial artist Mo Yu was, the exhaustion was considerable, and Mo Yu really wanted to throw in the towel.

Perhaps noticing that exhaustion and displeasure, Xiao Jinyi said before Mo Yu left, "Once you've finished what I've asked you to do, you can take tomorrow off. I'll also double your pay for this month."

At that, Mo Yu suddenly felt full of energy again and happily led everyone away, showing none of the aloofness Xiao Jinyi had seen at their first meeting.

After cleaning the blood from his face, Shen Shixu said to Xiao Jinyi, who had stayed in the courtyard to wait for him, "I'm done. Let's hurry back. The sooner we interrogate them, the sooner we'll get answers."

By the time the two returned to the Court of Judicial Review, the men Mo Yu had brought in had already confessed. Shen Shixu's face darkened with fury as he read the statements submitted by his subordinates.

Xiao Jinyi's expression was equally grim. When he had seen the underground palace, he had already suspected someone.

Anyone who could secretly hollow out the ground beneath an entire residence was certainly no ordinary person and had to be connected to an official at court. He simply had not expected it to be that man!

"I'll take these statements to my father. Leave the rest to me." It would be difficult for Shen Shixu to deal with the mastermind behind all this, so Xiao Jinyi decided to ask Emperor Wu'an for permission to handle the matter himself.

Shen Shixu understood that he was doing this for his sake. He could not afford to offend that man, so he might as well leave the arrest to someone who could!

"All right, I understand. I'll head home, then."

Now that the case was solved, Shen Shixu planned to go home and change. He was currently wearing nothing but a white inner robe.

Watching him turn to leave, Xiao Jinyi added, "I forgot to congratulate you. You solved this major case in a single day and secured your position as Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. And remember to attend court tomorrow morning, Vice Minister!"

Hearing Xiao Jinyi address him that way, Shen Shixu turned and smiled at him, radiant as a summer flower.

After Shen Shixu left, Xiao Jinyi took the statements and rode straight to the palace. Once Emperor Wu'an finished reading them, the veins on his forehead bulged with rage. He slammed his hand on the table and roared, "That bastard! How dare he do something like this? Out of consideration for your aunt and uncle, I've let him off lightly on many occasions. I never imagined that all I was doing was emboldening him, making him even more lawless.

"Jin Yi, go yourself. Arrest that bastard for me, and don't hold back just because he's your cousin."