Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The truth was, Emperor Shunyuan had known all along about Shen Zheng's arrival in the capital.

Yet he still refused to see him, because he didn't know how to face the son he'd abandoned.

There was not a shred of father-son affection between them, but feeling guilty and uneasy was only natural. Thus, he wished he could put it off forever.

Fortunately, Cao Fangzheng had appeared out of nowhere and, in a muddled way, forced Emperor Shunyuan into a corner.

Now, not only had Shen Zheng saved Liu Qiying, but he had also secured an audience with the Emperor entirely through his own efforts.

Surely, within an hour, the imperial summons would arrive—this was far more direct and effective than any carefully crafted praise from Wen Zuo.

Cao Fangzheng was still sprawled on the ground, trembling. Someone had already reported the entire incident to the patrolling censor.

With the involvement of the Censorate, the local officials quietly withdrew, wishing they could simply vanish into thin air and avoid notice.

After all, as officials, who wouldn't fear these imperial eyes and ears that could impeach at the slightest provocation?

As the crowd dispersed, Wen Zuo was revealed.

Wen Zuo simply stood quietly. The white wall beside him, the blue bricks, and the half-clump of bitter chrysanthemums seemed to have had a string plucked, instantly becoming vivid and alive.

He let that captivating smile fade, lifted the hem of his robe, and strode coldly into the hall. Even the breeze seemed to linger around him for a few extra moments.

"Is that... Minister Wen?"

"Is that Wen Zuo, Minister Wen?"

Murmurs of awe and admiration rose from the surroundings.

Everyone knew the Director of the Hanlin Academy possessed a beauty like jade, but they hadn't realized he could be this stunning.

Cao Fangzheng seemed to snap out of his daze only then. As if clutching at a lifeline, he scrambled to Wen Zuo's feet, grabbing and clutching at the hem of his robe. "Minister Wen... Minister Wen! I beg you, plead for mercy on my behalf before His Majesty! I... I... it wasn't disrespect! It was all a misunderstanding!"

Snot and tears streaming down his face, Cao Fangzheng wrinkled Wen Zuo's robe, but Wen Zuo ignored him. Instead, he said to Liu Qiying, "Come here."

So, right in front of all the local officials and constables, bearing a whip mark and torn clothes, Liu Qiying walked openly and without shame to stand behind Wen Zuo.

Jiang Mannv hurriedly took off her outer garment and wrapped it around Liu Qiying, then glared furiously at Cao Fangzheng.

One plump, one slender; one tall, one short—the two took up positions on either side of Wen Zuo with a wordless understanding between them. The onlookers were even more astonished.

Only then did Wen Zuo leisurely lean down, looking down at Cao Fangzheng, who was already petrified with fear. A faint smile played on his lips, so dazzling it was almost eerie. "Does Lord Cao still wish for me to plead for you?"

"She—you—" Cao Fangzheng's heart sank into utter despair.

His frozen mind couldn't even connect Wen Zuo to Bozhou from six years ago. He only knew he was finished. That Rouge bandit was actually Wen Zuo's person.

Impatiently, Wen Zuo kicked Cao Fangzheng away. The first kick didn't budge him, so he had to deliver another.

Then he walked over to Shen Zheng, who had just won a decisive victory.

Shen Zheng had been waiting for Wen Zuo to thank him. His belt was only half-fastened, the buckle hanging loosely at his waist. He stood with his arms crossed, tapping his arm lightly with his index finger, his posture carrying a hint of leisure.

Unexpectedly, Wen Zuo was not only harsh with Cao Fangzheng but also showed not a shred of warmth toward him, his demeanor just as sharp and aggressive as ever.

"With so many eyes watching, Your Highness actually deigns to defend a mere servant girl?"

Shen Zheng was so exasperated he could only laugh. "A mere servant girl? Isn't she under your roof?"

"If she truly is a fugitive bandit who could threaten her master's life, what's wrong with Judicial Commissioner Cao seizing her!"

Shen Zheng tilted his head to look at Wen Zuo, betraying no anger, only a calmness that suggested he had anticipated this all along, as if he already knew Wen Zuo could be so heartless.

"What's wrong is that 'all people, regardless of status, possess their own integrity.' Even a bandit shouldn't be stripped and publicly humiliated or whipped."

Possess their own integrity?

Jiang Mannv and Liu Qiying exchanged glances, seeming to grasp it a little but not fully, finding the phrase novel yet, upon reflection, carrying a weighty significance.

Wen Zuo appeared both angry and resentful, unable to resist sneering, "Cao is a noble surname. The Judicial Commissioner was dedicated to protecting the people from a threat. Even if his methods were somewhat excessive, everyone present can understand. In contrast, Your Highness insists on blowing this minor matter out of proportion, needlessly dragging me into it."

"...Truly a venomous beauty." Hearing this, Shen Zheng's eyes grew calm, as if silently drawing a clear line between himself and the "everyone" Wen Zuo mentioned. "My apologies, I don't understand, nor do I like it."

"Just because Your Highness dislikes it, does that mean you can overturn the hierarchy?"

"Don't flatter me. I have no ability to overturn the hierarchy. At most, this is just fighting poison with poison."

"Who are you calling poison?" This statement was dangerous. Cao Fangzheng oppressed Liu Qiying, and Shen Zheng similarly used imperial authority to oppress Cao Fangzheng. If he considered this "poison," then he would be offending the Emperor himself.

Shen Zheng fell silent for a moment, then said with a look of surprise, "I was referring to the 'poison' from the *Book of Changes*, meaning 'to govern.' Master Wen is so learned and talented, what did you think I meant?"

The ball was tossed back, and now Wen Zuo was in the dangerous spot.

Wen Zuo's eyes met Shen Zheng's. Shen Zheng didn't avoid it at all; his gaze was so frank it seemed capable of peeling away Wen Zuo's carefully constructed hard shell and piercing his heart.

Wen Zuo's eyes softened like an early spring lake, thawing in an instant, with a subtle, cunning glint hidden beneath the surface.

He exhaled softly, lowering his voice to say to Shen Zheng, "At the Hall of Martial Valor, don't mention the Spring Terrace Chess Gathering."

After this reminder, he turned and left without giving anyone time to react.

Approaching Liu Qiying, he asked, "You're unhurt?"

Liu Qiying had long since learned Wen Zuo's cunning. She quickly covered her chest, lowered her delicate brows, whimpered, gasped for breath, putting on a show of being half-dead. "I'm injured. I require rest... and funds."

Wen Zuo looked her up and down, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I think you'd better find an old imperial physician."

Liu Qiying choked, immediately realizing he was bringing up old grievances!

He actually remembered their argument from the other day.

"Look how petty the Master is," she complained to Jiang Mannv.

Shen Zheng was so captivated by Wen Zuo's lively and cunning act that his thoughts slowed for a moment. When he came back to his senses and looked at Liu Qiying again, there wasn't a trace of grievance about her. The group chatted back and forth, clearly intimate and close-knit.

Shen Zheng smiled. "Starting off transmigrated as cannon fodder—quite the thrill."

News from the official residence reached the palace, and Cao Fangzheng was soon imprisoned. Shen Zheng also was summoned, as he wished, by Emperor Shunyuan.

Minister Cao was at home watching a play when he heard his son had committed a grave offense of disrespect. The Cao residence immediately fell into chaos. Even the Crown Prince was alarmed and tried every means to plead for his troublesome uncle.

What followed didn't require Wen Zuo's involvement. The Crown Prince's plea wouldn't succeed either; the Virtuous Prince Faction was watching closely and would never give Cao Fangzheng a chance to turn things around.

Actually, Wen Zuo was right. Shen Zheng's move was nearly perfect, but it did indeed drag both of them onto the Crown Prince's list of enemies.

For Wen Zuo, it was nothing—after all, this wasn’t the first time he had toppled the Crown Prince, and it was worth it.

But was it worth it for Shen Zheng?

For a prince to care about the integrity of a mere maid? Was it his ten years in Nanping, having tasted the harsh realities of the world, that gave him such insights?

Anyway, he had long given up on any fantasy of same-sex love, but if someone was willing to value the dignity of commoners and could push for change, then... that was something.

Wen Zuo turned over and over in his mind every interaction he’d had with Shen Zheng, and had to admit that compared to the “adorable” offense of overstepping bounds, Shen Zheng’s serious gaze was even harder for him to face.

At that moment, Wen Zuo was sitting in his study, while Jiang Mannv was bandaging Liu Qiying’s wound.

A long, hideous whip mark, purplish-red and seeping fine threads of blood, was dusted with white medicinal powder, causing Liu Qiying’s vision to darken with pain and her arm to tremble uncontrollably.

But there was no better way to treat such an injury except to let it heal. Gritting her teeth, she slipped her clothes back on and asked, “Sir, were all those nonsensical things the Fifth Prince said learned in Nanping?”

Wen Zuo snapped back to attention, picked up a white stone, and held it above the chessboard, answering truthfully, “I’ve never been to Nanping, so I don’t know.”

Liu Qiying spat out the pain-relieving lozenge from under her tongue and took a sip of sugar water. “Was I blind to a true master? The Fifth Prince is so different from the rumors.”

Jiang Mannv said, “He’s a good person, isn’t he? He doesn’t put on airs in our house, and when he was intimidating people earlier, he really seemed like the real deal.”

People’s impressions are always so fickle. In the blink of an eye, Jiang Mannv had forgotten she had seen with her own eyes Shen Zheng crawling under the table.

Jiang Mannv added, “What do you think, sir?”

Wen Zuo replaced a white stone and rearranged the order of the black ones, absentmindedly replying, “No.”

Liu Qiying winked at Jiang Mannv and said with a mischievous grin, “How can you say the Fifth Prince is a good person? It’s not like you were the one whose face was touched and flirted with.”

As soon as she finished speaking, there was a soft “click.”

The chess piece in Wen Zuo’s fingers fell onto the table. He lifted his eyelids slightly, his eyes still carrying a hint of flustered annoyance at having his awkwardness exposed. “If you two are truly so bored, go to the flower field in the backyard and dig up all those camellias. Don’t disturb me while I’m doing serious work.”

Camellias?

Liu Qiying’s expression shifted slightly.

When Vice Minister Xie had declared his heart, he had gifted camellias.

Wen Zuo had originally liked a plant called the *immortal grass*, but under Xie Langyang’s influence, he had started to favor camellias and had planted many in the backyard.

She remembered the last time Wen Zuo had uprooted camellias was right after returning to the capital, when he discovered that Xie Langyang had married.

That woman was delicate, gentle, and refined—clearly a lady from a respectable family. Upon learning that Wen Zuo was Xie Langyang’s close friend and classmate and had just moved into a new residence, she had specially sent a set of celadon tea ware, said to be fired in the Ru kiln, which was quite expensive. She had spent three days selecting this particular set.

Wen Zuo accepted it, only to immediately smash it forcefully onto the bluestone floor in front of Xie Langyang. The porcelain shattered into pieces in an instant—a precious item crafted from a hundred taels of silver turned into a mess scattered across the ground in the blink of an eye.

Xie Langyang let him vent without uttering a single harsh word. Only after Wen Zuo had finished did he, with his entire body tense, firmly pull him into his embrace. Amidst fragmented sobs mixed with helplessness, he said, “It’s not what you think...”

Wen Zuo had his own pride and wasn’t one to compromise easily. He stubbornly gave Xie Langyang the cold shoulder for two years. Later, during the emperor’s autumn hunt, he was caught in the rain and caught a chill on Qingping Mountain. Xie Langyang stayed up all night, tending to the fire and changing damp cloths without a word of complaint. It was then that the ice in Wen Zuo’s heart slowly began to melt.

These past few days had seemed calm and peaceful, so why was he now retrieving the *Evening Mountain Rhapsody* and uprooting camellias again?

Liu Qiying couldn’t interfere with Wen Zuo’s romantic affairs, but she couldn’t help feeling heartache for him.

She quietly closed the door and slipped out with Jiang Mannv, both of them keeping silent.

Jiang Mannv swiftly shouldered a hoe and asked her, “Should we dig them up?”

Liu Qiying gritted her teeth. “Dig! Why does *he* get to marry, while our sir has to stay single?”

The lamp in the study burned through the night.

Before Wen Zuo’s desk lay three chessboards placed side by side. He gazed down at them, his mind already unfolding like a scroll, stroke by stroke sketching out the chess games from three years ago.

Those three matches back then—every move, every attack and defense—were nothing short of masterful.

Following the images in his mind, he reproduced the three games with flawless precision. Then, starting from the very first move, he began to deconstruct them, peeling back the sequence of each stone placement as accurately as if it were yesterday.

His knuckles turned slightly white; he was already somewhat exhausted.

But this review allowed no room for error—he had to reproduce it perfectly.

In this world, only he, with his solid chess skills and near-perfect memory, could turn the tables in this game for Shen Zheng.