Another Encounter with Prince Ning's Heir in the Street, a Maid-Buying Offer That Cut Too Deep

Shen Duan's move in having Prince Ning implicate Li Yuanzhen, the Shaanxi Governor, was both ruthless and deft.

Once the memorial was submitted, the entire Court erupted in an uproar.

Feng Yan refuted it before the Court, arguing that Prince Ning was himself under indictment and his words could not be trusted. He was dragging a senior official into the mire to cover up his crime of abandoning territory.

The Shen Faction fired back with biting retorts, and for a time, the two factions argued so fiercely in Court that neither would yield.

Emperor Jing of Zhou, meanwhile, sat on his dragon throne and began making his fine adjustments.

Shen Duan's accusatory memorial was retained in the palace without being issued. Instead, Feng Yan's memorial impeaching Shen Duan for "colluding with the imperial clan and interfering in criminal proceedings" received a vermilion endorsement, ordering the Grand Secretariat to deliberate on its disposition.

Sensing something amiss, Shen Duan submitted another memorial in his own defense, believing His Majesty was about to favor Feng Yan.

Yet that afternoon, another order came down: Li Yuanzhen was to be suspended immediately and handed over to the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate for a joint inquiry.

In short, he backed Shen Duan, then Feng Yan, then Shen Duan again, and then Feng Yan once more.

It was like practicing tai chi: today he let one man have his moment of triumph, tomorrow the other.

West Street Quarter, the Capital

On a rare outing, Qu Niang had changed into a lotus-root pink blouse with narrow sleeves.

She still wore three hairpins in her hair, with two tiny seed pearls dangling beside her ears.

In her hand, she carried a small woven bamboo basket.

Inside were several pieces of Aromatic Medicine she had just bought