A bowl in the sky!

They came to the bedroom in the rear courtyard and saw that the canopy bed had been lifted aside, revealing a small box beneath it containing sheets of paper, a book with a yellowed cover, and several medicine bottles.

Walking at the front, Xie Jinhuan shuddered at the sight, his expression suddenly turning flustered.

"This... this..."

His behavior naturally aroused everyone's suspicions.

Standing behind the others, Hundred-Household Commander Zhou He saw that everything was still there and that Xie Jinhuan looked as stunned as expected. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief and moved a little closer, ready to fan the flames.

Tie Fengzhang, however, knitted his brows. "Young friend Xie, are these private possessions that cannot be brought to light?"

Ye Hongshang had been watching everyone's reactions throughout. Now she whispered in his ear:

"The Scarlet Qilin Guard was behind this."

Having confirmed the culprit's identity, Xie Jinhuan naturally nodded inwardly, thinking how useful his Ghost Wife was.

But he had already replaced all the planted evidence. Publicly accusing Zhou He of framing him now would have been idiotic, so he continued according to plan:

"Mm... they are indeed personal belongings. It would be inconvenient to let outsiders examine them."

"?"

Seeing Xie Jinhuan actually admit it, Zhou He frowned, sensing that something was wrong.

Normally, upon discovering unfamiliar things in his home, Xie Jinhuan should have vehemently denied any connection and protested that he had been framed...

Suspecting a trap, Zhou He immediately composed himself and quietly slipped behind the others, but it was clearly too late...

Seeing Xie Jinhuan's strange expression, Tie Fengzhang sensed something amiss. After some thought, he walked silently to the bedside, took out a medicine bottle, and examined it carefully. He even gave it a cautious sniff, then froze.

Everyone watched with their hearts in their mouths. Linghu Qingmo hurriedly asked in apprehension:

"Lord Tie, what medicine is that?"

"Mm... it appears to be Dragon Blood Pills."

"Huh?"

Everyone was baffled.

Standing behind the crowd, Lin Wanyi slightly furrowed her delicate brows.

"What is there to hide about the Dragon Blood Pills I refined for you? I even reported them to the Academy."

Li Jing nodded slightly. "That is indeed the case. The girl Zisu even requested leave yesterday."

Xie Jinhuan naturally knew there was nothing shameful about the Dragon Blood Pills, but to "lure the snake out of its hole," he had needed a complete set of replacement evidence, lest the culprit see through it immediately and refuse to show himself.

To explain his sudden nervousness earlier, he had naturally also prepared something in the wardrobe that could not be brought to light.

Having confirmed that they were Dragon Blood Pills, Tie Fengzhang put down the bottle and picked up the yellow-covered book.

The title had been cut off its cover and replaced with fresh paper bearing the words "Book of Rites"!

He opened it and immediately saw a "jade maiden seated in meditation"...

He turned another page: one dragon, two phoenixes...

Ah, the great rites of human relations...

Wasn't this Springtime Allure?!

Recognizing the book, Tie Fengzhang secretly sucked in a cold breath and snapped it shut with Thunderbolt Momentum.

He glanced over. Xie Jinhuan spread his hands slightly, his eyes seemingly saying-Lord Tie, that will do. We are all grown men here. See through it, but don't say it...

Though Tie Fengzhang was stern and impartial, he was not ignorant of worldly ways.

A young man of eighteen or nineteen was at the height of hot-blooded vigor. Who had not read a few Spring Palace books?

His own master had even beaten him for it back in the day...

They had suddenly come to search Xie Jinhuan's room and discovered an erotic picture book. If he displayed it to everyone now, wouldn't he be making a mortal enemy?

No wonder Xie Jinhuan had suddenly looked a little panicked...

If the Yamen had searched his room instead, he would probably rather confess to being one of the Demon Bandits than let them open the hidden compartment beside his bed...

The Military Soldiers were bewildered to see the stern, impartial Lord Tie looking grave without saying a word.

Linghu Qingmo cautiously asked:

"Lord Tie, what book is that?"

Tie Fengzhang had completely dismissed his suspicions. All he could think about now was how to resolve this without subjecting the younger man to public humiliation:

"Mm... an obscure classic from the previous dynasty. Elder Li should have read it."

Li Jing approached, briefly leafed through its contents, then calmly took the book and tucked it into the broad sleeve of his scholar's robe.

"Young friend Xie is certainly studious. It is indeed a classic from the previous dynasty. I guarantee there is nothing wrong with it."

The others were clearly even more confused.

If there's nothing wrong with it, show us!

Is it some secret manual of divine martial arts?

Perhaps unable to understand what riddles these two experts were speaking in, Commandery Princess Changning approached in person, took the remaining sheets of paper from the wardrobe, and unfolded them.

"Between heaven and earth, where beauty and spirit gather, there is a maiden, Qingmo, graceful as a startled swan...

"Her radiant beauty is unmatched, like dawn's rosy clouds reflected across the heavens; her figure is slender and graceful, like a clear breeze caressing the willows...

"Her nature is compassionate, saving the people from suffering, easing the cares of the mortal world..."

As Commandery Princess Changning read on, her voice gradually dwindled.

The room fell deathly silent.

Hearing "a maiden, Qingmo," followed by those lavish praises, the rough Military Soldiers all turned their eyes toward the white-robed fairy beside them.

Linghu Qingmo held his three-foot sword, having been on tenterhooks moments earlier. Now his cool, beautiful face flushed scarlet. Who knew how much willpower it took him not to burst through the crowd and flee with his face covered, crying:

"You shameless thing~!"

Seeing everyone fall silent, Chief Steward Hou waved his fan and considered it briefly.

"A fine piece. Though the ornate phrasing is piled rather high and the structure is not especially polished, it does show some literary talent."

Li Jing felt he must have had his heart smothered in lard to come here rummaging through someone's belongings. Realizing the situation had gone awry, he did his utmost to explain:

"To think that young friend Xie not only possesses martial attainments that shake heaven and earth and make ghosts and gods weep, but also writes a respectable hand.

"There is no need to read too much into 'between heaven and earth, where beauty and spirit gather.' Qing broadly refers to mountains and landscapes, while mo means black; black is the dark and mysterious, and the dark and mysterious corresponds to water, so it should refer to rivers.

"This piece must use personification to praise the beauty and spirit of the mountains and rivers, and the compassion of heaven and earth..."

Old Man Li was doing his utmost to argue like a great scholar, but no one present was a fool. Their gazes turned toward the "aggrieved party" behind them, Lin Wanyi.

Lin Wanyi held her hands at her waist, fingers interlaced. Veins stood out on the backs of her pale hands, and her sour gaze carried resentment as she glanced at Linghu Qingmo beside her.

(←_←)!

Noticing everyone looking her way, she turned her gaze elsewhere, putting on an air of having nothing to do with it.

What wonderful acting...

Xie Jinhuan had only introduced this comic diversion to steer everyone's thoughts away because he feared his earlier explanation was too forced. Inwardly praising Lin the Great Beauty, he explained with a slightly awkward look:

"I didn't mean anything else by it. I was just bored and writing for fun in my spare time. Please don't misunderstand, Miss Linghu."

Nobody believed a word!

Linghu Qingmo was simple and straightforward to begin with. Seeing Doctor Lin treat him as a romantic rival, he was utterly bewildered and wanted to offer a few words of explanation.

But Xie Jinhuan had secretly written all this praise for him. If he coldly drew a line between them, wouldn't that make the man lose face in public...?

What am I supposed to do?

Surely I can't imitate those crazy young ladies and smugly flaunt it in front of Doctor Lin?

Oh my~ Brother Jinhuan wrote something for me, but you didn't get anything~

Going to cry? Crying won't get you anything either!

Wouldn't that make me a two-faced little schemer?

Realizing she had put her close friend over the fire to roast, Commandery Princess Changning wanted to make amends. Finding more beneath it, she picked it up to read:

"Wait, wait, there's more. Mm... a bowl in the sky, an aunt on the ground; put heaven and earth together, and they become... Wanyi?! What nonsense have you written?!"

Commandery Princess Changning's bright, watery eyes widened even rounder than Coal Ball's. She wanted nothing more than to fly up and kick him!

Linghu Qingmo was shocked to hear this, and the roomful of experts and Military Soldiers all staggered.

Only Coal Ball looked around overhead, presumably wondering-Where's the bowl? Where's the bowl?

Xie Jinhuan felt a little like laughing, but to turn the whole affair into a farce, he continued spouting nonsense with a perfectly straight face:

"Uh... I told you, I was just writing casually for fun. There was no other meaning to it, and it shouldn't be taken seriously..."

Nobody believed a word. They even began feeling indignant on Doctor Lin's behalf.

We know you were writing for fun, but isn't this a little too casual?

When composing a rhapsody for Miss Momo, you chose your words so carefully-'her radiant beauty is unmatched, like dawn's rosy clouds reflected across the heavens' and all that...

But for Miss Lin, it's 'a bowl in the sky, an aunt on the ground.'

Even Wangcai, who guards the Academy gates, could drink a gallon of wine and produce a hundred verses of doggerel like that!

Even if you can't hold the bowl of water level, you can't leave one side dying of drought and the other drowning in floods!

If Miss Lin heard this, wouldn't she be so furious she would cough up three pints of blood?