Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The young man’s voice was soft and casual, as if he were merely discussing what he had eaten for the evening meal, rather than the cruel tortures of the Ministry of Justice.

Li Zhen did not avoid Zhu Qinghou’s fingertips this time. Instead, he gently enclosed the slightly trembling fingers in his own hand, remaining silent, seemingly deep in thought.

For some reason, Zhu Qinghou was reminded of an old matter—though it could hardly be called old, merely a fleeting thought he had last year while sitting alone in a cramped prison cell.

The embezzlement case had begun in October. For nearly half a year afterward, the entire Zhu clan had languished in prison, even during the Lunar New Year.

Last year during the Lunar New Year, Li Zhen, as a Feudal Prince, whether or not he had traveled to the capital to pay his respects…

He stopped dwelling on the past, leaning his head lightly against Li Zhen’s shoulder. Tilting his head slightly, he lazily watched the flowing wine cups and winding streams of the banquet.

Their intimate demeanor was astonishing.

The guests at the banquet exchanged glances, all finding it incredible. Only Shang Qingyun, who was also present, had a suspicion. He surmised that Zhu Qinghou must have told Prince Su the whereabouts of the silver to protect himself, thereby winning the prince’s favor.

Thinking this way, Prince Su’s uncharacteristic behavior during this period also made sense…

Unlike Zhu Qinghou’s casual ease and the others’ hidden motives, the several exiled officials who had finally taken their seats felt as if they were sitting on pins and needles. Even though Zhu Qinghou had intervened on their behalf, no one deigned to speak to them. They could only keep drinking tea to mask their awkwardness.

Seated in the place of honor, Zhu Qinghou clearly observed the reactions of everyone at the banquet. He whispered to Li Zhen, “They’ve been slighted at your banquet. Shouldn’t some amends be made?”

Li Zhen had never known what “amends” meant, but Zhu Qinghou’s intention was all too clear. “You want to use my influence to support these people?”

“Xian Pu, no one understands me better than you,” Zhu Qinghou replied, not at all embarrassed at having his intentions seen through. Instead, he smiled and called an attendant over, whispering a few instructions.

The attendant looked somewhat troubled, but seeing that His Highness offered no objection—clearly giving silent consent—he had no choice but to accept the order and depart.

Zhu Qinghou found the attendant rather interesting: expressionless, wary, and awkward. For some time now, everyone in Prince Su’s residence, from top to bottom, had treated him with this same attitude.

Gently tugging at the white silk blindfold hanging by Li Zhen’s temple, Zhu Qinghou idly chatted with him in whispers.

A moment later, the attendant returned carrying a jade tray covered with a black cloth. It was impossible to tell what was underneath, though it didn’t seem very large.

The guests all turned to look, both speculating about the contents and wondering to whom His Highness intended to present this gift.

The exiled officials paid little attention. Whatever it was, it likely had nothing to do with them.

To their surprise, the attendant walked straight over to them, set down the jade tray, turned slightly, and lifted the black cloth, revealing a glint of cold light—a dagger.

A blade from Prince Su’s residence.

Prince Su was gifting them a dagger.

The crowd erupted in murmurs. Numerous gazes crisscrossed in the air, filled with doubt and suspicion.

Was His Highness shielding these exiled officials from Yejing? Protecting remaining members of the Zhu clan? How could that be?!

Then they looked at the purple-robed youth leaning against their prince’s shoulder, and fell into deep thought.

It seemed… not entirely impossible?

The exiled officials were also astonished and uncertain. They instinctively rose to their feet together, looking first at Prince Su with his eyes covered by white silk and leaning on his cane, then at Zhu Qinghou. After a moment’s hesitation, one of them accepted the dagger. “We dare not refuse Your Highness’s kindness. Thank you, Your Highness.”

The dagger itself was made of ordinary chilled steel, commonplace throughout Yongzhou. But because it came from Prince Su’s residence and was gifted by the prince at the banquet, it was anything but ordinary.

This meant they now had someone to watch over them in Yongzhou.

Out of respect for Prince Su, no one would dare bully them again.

Zhu Qinghou remained relaxed, still leaning against Li Zhen. He casually gave a slight, knowing blink at the exiled official who had glanced his way. The man, holding the dagger with both hands, was taken aback, then lowered his head, not daring to look again.

“Who are you looking at?” Li Zhen’s cold voice sounded close to his ear. Zhu Qinghou replied lazily, “You.”

Strangely, Li Zhen seemed to possess an exceptionally keen insight. Though blind, he was acutely aware of Zhu Qinghou’s subtle movements.

Remembering the Heart-Linking Gu in his own chest, the smile on Zhu Qinghou’s face faded slightly.

“This humble official offers a toast to Your Highness,” Shang Qingyun, who had been silent until now, stood up and raised his cup to Prince Su. “Thanks to Your Highness’s assistance, this season’s tribute and taxes will soon be fully collected.”

It was the common norm in the Jin Dynasty for feudal princes and their subordinate officials to collude, amassing mountains of silver in their domains.

Yet their Yongzhou was different from other prefectures. Ever since Prince Su arrived, he had sternly drawn a line for them, forbidding them from crossing it.

They had endured it for four full years, nearly unable to restrain themselves from wanting to overthrow Prince Su. Fortunately, the prince himself had changed his attitude, no longer restraining them, which saved them the trouble.

Li Zhen raised his cup slightly but said nothing. Everyone was already accustomed to Prince Su’s reticent and aloof demeanor. Shang Qingyun tilted his head back and drained his cup in one go. The golden goblet, now empty of tea, still gleamed faintly.

The waterside pavilion and long corridor, golden goblets and fragrant tea.

Their reflections swayed unsteadily on the water’s surface. As the wind rose and ripples formed, the shimmering light shattered into fragments.

After the banquet ended.

Li Zhen went to his study to handle official business, while Zhu Qinghou walked out alone. As he strolled, a figure appeared before him.

“Brother Qinghou,” Shang Qingyun said with a faint smile. “I’ve taken good care of those Zhu family members for you. I wonder if you could help me with a small favor in return?”

Zhu Qinghou stopped and returned the smile. “Brother Qingyun, why don’t you tell me what it is?”

As expected, Shang Qingyun wanted to press for the whereabouts of the thirty million taels of silver.

Zhu Qinghou hesitated, his gaze flickering briefly. He did not answer immediately, instead saying uncertainly, “I can’t say. If I tell you, Prince Su, he…”

Shang Qingyun’s expression showed understanding. So, Prince Su already knew the location of the thirty million taels of silver. But if he knew, why was he so urgently amassing wealth, even unprecedentedly starting to accept gifts?

The more Shang Qingyun thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He was about to ask further when Zhu Qinghou assumed a somewhat fearful expression, quickly stepping into a well-lit area and putting distance between them.

Once out of Shang Qingyun’s sight, all expression vanished from Zhu Qinghou’s face. He softly hummed a new poem composed by Zhu Xueting.

*Speak not of matters of marquis and fame,*

*Just this cup of wine, in disarray.*

After the banquet at the prince’s residence waterside pavilion, the atmosphere in Yongzhou Prefecture grew increasingly tense. Soldiers kicked open wooden gates, turning thatched huts upside down, forcing commoners to kneel and beg for mercy in the streets.

The soldiers put on troubled expressions. “If it weren’t for the Zhu family’s massive embezzlement, the court wouldn’t have increased taxes. We wouldn’t have to come to your doors demanding payment. Ultimately, it’s all the fault of those treacherous officials.” After a moment’s thought, he added, “Then we’ll take these cattle and sheep.”

Heart-wrenching wails filled the air as a tug-of-war ensued over a single rope.

“Let go!”

A minor official accompanying the soldiers stepped forward and shouted.

The soldier turned and glared angrily at the commoners. “Did you hear that?! Let go now!”

“I’m telling *you* to let go!” The soldier looked up in astonishment, seeing the minor official glaring at them. Then it occurred to him: this person was merely a demoted exiled official. What right did he have to order them around?

He paid no heed, shoved the petty official aside, kicked his way past the commoners, led off the cattle and sheep, and turned to leave.

The surrounding crowd erupted.

The minor official, pushed to the ground, dusty and disheveled, nearly bleeding from the head, rose with a bruised face. He raised a short dagger high and declared, his voice ringing out, "This dagger was personally bestowed by His Highness Prince Su! Whoever dares defy orders, I'll use this blade on them!"

Zhu Qinghou was tracing an imaginary line over his heart with his fingertip, as if contemplating how to cut open the flesh and extract the Gu Worm inside.

The Gu Worm seemed to sense something, stirring uneasily. He pressed a hand to his chest and whispered soothingly, "Good child, stop fussing."

Zhu Xueting was composing a poem nearby. Hearing this, he glanced up at Zhu Qinghou, looking away before he could be noticed. Looking back at the paper, he found the line of ink had broken.

His train of thought was broken too. He stared blankly for a moment before giving up on the poem. He gestured to Zhu Qinghou: *If you send them messages, Prince Su might find out. It's better to be cautious.*

Composing poetry requires inspiration. In his idle moments, Zhu Qinghou would exchange a few words with Zhu Xueting. Since they communicated solely through gestures, there was no worry of others deciphering them.

Zhu Qinghou gave a lazy smile. "Are you so afraid he'll know?" He leaned against the windowsill, the light making his expression look languid. "Isn't it an honor for him to be used by me?"

After saying this, he lifted his gaze to Li Zhen standing outside the hall door. "Xian Pu, don't you agree?"

It had been quite a show: aiding the distressed in the bustling market, standing with the people against the officials—Zhu Qinghou, together with those exiled officials, had put on a fine performance.

Li Zhen, who had arrived earlier and paused outside the door, began to move. His long, slender black cane tapped softly on the plush carpet, the sound barely audible.

Zhu Xueting stared at Prince Su, his gaze fixed on the white eye veil and the black cane. Only when the other approached did he snap out of his daze, hastily stepping aside to clear the path, revealing Zhu Qinghou behind him.

Zhu Qinghou reclined on the low couch, not only failing to rise but even patting the couch, signaling Li Zhen to come over.

Li Zhen sat down beside him, catching a faint scent of inkstone and ink. His brow twitched slightly. "Leave."

Zhu Xueting, standing nearby, shot a worried glance at Zhu Qinghou before lowering his head and walking out.

Zhu Qinghou gave him a look, indicating there was no need for concern. Once the other had left, Zhu Qinghou said softly, "Why bother with him? If you think about it, he's actually my cousin."

Li Zhen remained silent, sitting motionless and inscrutable. The quiet stretched on, mingled with a dull ache. Zhu Qinghou clutched his chest and fell back, his dark hair spilling across the couch.

Despite this, he still managed a lazy, scattered laugh. "You... are truly petty."

Li Zhen ran his fingers over the curved head of his black cane. Without "looking" at Zhu Qinghou, his tone was calm and detached. "Do you intend for those exiled officials to take their positions?"

Now that their misdeeds were about to be exposed, with court-appointed officials led by Shang Qingyun falling, Yongzhou would naturally have many vacancies.

"I don't have that authority now," Zhu Qinghou said, his smile fading as he still lay on the couch. "That depends on them."

If he gave them the opportunity and they proved useless, why bother supporting them?

Li Zhen understood his implication. Groping, he took hold of the talisman plaque around Zhu Qinghou's neck and pulled him up. In a gentle tone, he asked, "Shouldn't you explain yourself to me?"

Fallen to such a state, yet still using and deceiving him.