Chapter 26: Being Proper In Public

Chen Chi’s case had reached about halfway, it was already near midday. Cui Hao struck the judge’s wooden gavel and said, “Temporarily take Chen Chi out of the hall, we’ll continue the hearing this afternoon.”

After Chen Chi was escorted out, Rong Tai rose from his chair, walked to the center of the main hall, looked at Cui Hao and said, “Whatever Chen Chi just said, whether it’s true or a false accusation, Lord Cui, please interrogate thoroughly. No corrupt official may be spared, the corrupt must be punished.”

Cui Hao nodded repeatedly. “Of course. I will thoroughly investigate the matter of Lu Shangqing. Please rest assured, Grand Steward.” He immediately ordered the court clerks on both sides, “Hurry back to the capital and fetch the incriminating evidence from Chen Chi’s former residence.”

The clerks stepped forward, responded, and hurried out.

Cui Hao thought to himself that among those clerks there were some who understood the situation. They would naturally know what to do.

After the clerks had left, Rong Tai explained the purpose of his visit today.

“I’m here today because of what happened last night.”

When Rong Tai finished, Cui Hao subconsciously glanced at Shen Yu and wondered what exactly had happened last night. Last night, apart from the Poison Scorpion Lady being caught stealing a key from Shen Yu, Huyan Suoyun confessing that he sent that person, and confirming that the prisoner in the cell was indeed Chen Chi, nothing else had occurred.

Cui Hao descended from the dais, approached Rong Tai, sighed, and said with shame, “It was my lax management that allowed prison warden Huyan to do such a thing.”

Rong Tai’s expression was serious as he looked toward Shen Yu and asked, “Was Lord Shen frightened by anything yesterday?”

Shen Yu was taken aback, she hadn’t expected to be asked. She shook her head and said, “No.” The biggest shock had been the near-revelation of her being a woman. Apart from that, nothing else qualified as a fright.

Having received Shen Yu’s answer, Rong Tai shifted his gaze back to Cui Hao and pointed out the gravity of the matter, “Lord Cui, you really must keep better control of your subordinates. When His Majesty learned that Lord Shen had encountered danger last night, he was agitated and coughed all night. He instructed me to come first thing this morning to confirm that Lord Shen is safe.”

Hearing that the emperor had harmed his health out of worry for her safety, Shen Yu grew anxious, “How is His Majesty’s health?!”

Rong Tai’s gaze briefly brushed over the dark-clad figure behind Shen Yu without showing it, and he replied, “He is out of danger. His Majesty still intends to have a good banquet ready when Lord Shen returns to welcome you back.”

Hearing Rong Tai’s words, Fang Rui, who had never said anything of the sort, smiled and suddenly thought that Rong Tai’s talent for bluffing was actually not small.

“Very well. Since Lord Shen is unharmed, I will return to the palace to report.”

Rong Tai left in a hurry. After he departed, Cui Hao turned to Fang Rui with some anger in his eyes. “You barged into the court uninvited. Do you know what crime that is?!”

Fang Rui said nothing and stepped a pace closer behind Shen Yu.

Shen Yu was shocked. This guy was usually fearless, why was he hiding behind her now? If he’s capable, he should face it himself.

But Jia Ming now belonged to her circle and Shen Yu couldn’t simply disown him. She lifted her head slightly to meet Cui Hao’s gaze, the corners of her mouth twitched into a forced smile. “Lord Cui, Jia Ming is a man of the jianghu and he isn’t versed in court etiquette. I ask for your pardon.”

Cui Hao could hardly believe his ears. Could Shen Yu be more shameless? Last time at the morning training ground when Huyan Suoyun attacked her subordinate, he asked for forgiveness, but Shen Yu glared at him and said, if you’ve offended a person, don’t expect him to forgive you!

But!

The same person who declared he won’t forgive others was now asking others to forgive! Could he retort?!

Could he?

No!

After what happened last night, he had lost all confidence. There was no way he could argue back with Shen Yu.

He swallowed his resentment and said through a stiff expression, “Let this not happen again!”

Then he swept his sleeves and left.

Watching Cui Hao’s angry retreating figure, with no one else in the hall, Fang Rui laughed aloud, moved closer to Shen Yu, bent down behind her, and whispered close to her delicate ear, “Xiaoyu’er, I love how you can be utterly unreasonable yet act so righteously with complete confidence.”

At the words “Xiaoyu’er,” Shen Yu flinched, and with the warm breath at her ear, she shrank her neck, took two quick steps forward, turned around, and looked at Fang Rui with a look of disgust.

“Act proper when we’re out in public!”

Hearing Shen Yu, Fang Rui’s voice became even more merry as he seized on her awkward phrasing, “Do you mean I must be proper outside, but inside the room I can be improper with you?!”

Shen Yu glared at him.

She was going to get a knife right now!! She really wanted to see if a knife could pierce his face!

Talking to him, Shen Yu had to take a deep breath every two or three sentences. She feared that without those breaths she might actually be driven to death by annoyance.

She took another deep breath, silently recited the calming manual she’d started reading a few days ago, then looked up at Fang Rui with a questioning expression.

“Where did you go early this morning?”

Fang Rui lowered his head, unfastened the inkstone jade hanging at his waist, then removed the jade tassel and dangled the tassel in front of Shen Yu.

Her eyes moved from the tassel back to Fang Rui’s face as she asked, “What’s special about this jade tassel?”

Fang Rui shook the tassel. The three tiny bells on it gave a small, very crisp sound. “What I want you to look at are the three little bells on it.”

Her gaze fell on the three small bells. Still puzzled, she said, “Besides fine workmanship, there’s nothing particularly special about them.”

Fang Rui’s lips curved. “Of course you can’t tell. These three little bells are the little bells from the longevity lock on Chen Chi’s son.”

Shen Yu snapped her gaze to Fang Rui. “How do you have the little bells from Chen Chi’s son’s longevity lock!?”

It was as if she made a connection and suddenly understood why Chen Chi, who had been stubbornly remained silent all morning, suddenly had something to say when he entered: it was because of the three little bells on him!

Realizing Shen Yu misunderstood, Fang Rui hurried to explain, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the sort to threaten the old, weak, or women and children.” His hearing was good and he hadn’t heard anyone else nearby, so he continued confidently, “Do you think Chen Chi hasn’t shown his face or spoken all these days because he’s given up? I simply made a deal with him. I said I’d help rescue his wife and child, in return he must cooperate and name his accomplices… Wait, what’s with that look?”

Before he finished, Fang Rui noticed Shen Yu narrowing her eyes at him with a probing gaze, as if she wanted to peel off the mask on his face, which made him feel thoroughly uneasy.

Shen Yu regarded the mask on Fang Rui’s face, thought for a moment, and finally said, “It seems I really can’t underestimate you. I’ll have to be on high alert around you from now on.”

Fang Rui was in disbelief. Shouldn’t she be praising his cleverness? Shouldn’t she be impressed by his actions this time?!

What’s this talk about being on high alert!

Just as he was about to ask Shen Yu what she meant, he heard hurried footsteps. Fang Rui immediately fell silent, and Shen Yu could tell from his expression that someone was coming.

After a moment, a clerk ran in, also out of breath, and reported, “My lord, Chen Chi has just poisoned himself to death in his cell!”

Shen Yu’s eyes widened suddenly. “Chen Chi was locked in a cell! Where did the poison come from!?”

She hurried out of the court. Fang Rui did not follow. He stood where he was, smiled, and thought the plan seemed to be going quite smoothly.

The Ten-Li Pavilion outside Jindu City.

Outside the pavilion a carriage was heard, and two covert guards rode on horseback beside it. Inside the pavilion stood two people: one was Rong Tai, who had left the Court of Judicial Review, and the other was the still-dark-clad, face-concealing Fang Rui.

Looking toward Jindu City, Rong Tai asked, “Your Majesty, why did you have Chen Chi reveal where the evidence was hidden instead of going to retrieve the evidence yourselves?”

Fang Rui glanced at Rong Tai and smiled. “If we had really taken all the evidence, that would definitely raise the alarm. This matter is progressing so smoothly that the Empress Dowager would begin to suspect me. Then it would be difficult to act covertly. I’ve inquired already: though many ministers are implicated in that evidence, they cannot all be rounded up at once. Rather than do that, it’s better to let them fight among themselves.”

Rong Tai did not understand Fang Rui’s meaning and asked in puzzlement, “Fight among themselves?”

“Since Chen Chi has already implicated Lu Shangqing and revealed where the evidence is hidden, if they turn the entire Chen residence inside out and still don’t find the said evidence, the Empress Dowager’s side will fear that they’ve been discovered. They’ll think that if they remove all the evidence, I’ll get suspicious. So at that point they will leave behind evidence implicating Lu Shangqing. Even if it doesn’t exist, they’ll plant some.”

Confidence filled Fang Rui’s eyes. “Once they begin killing each other, the mutual trust within the Empress Dowager’s faction will instantly collapse. Which do you think is better, arresting a few more people, or sowing distrust among them?”

Admiration appeared in Rong Tai’s eyes. He couldn’t help but admit, “Brilliant, truly brilliant. Your Majesty, your plan is seamless.”

Fang Rui chuckled. Only he knew the bittersweetness of it. If he hadn’t experienced it once, how could he have calculated everything so clearly?

Before long, dust rose in the distance toward Jindu City, and Fang Rui heard the sound of hooves.

It seemed they had arrived.