Chapter 46 Puppet

Chapter 46: The Puppet

It was the dead of night, the perfect time to sleep.

Even with the gentle patter of rain outside and the occasional rumble of thunder, Jiang Wang remained undisturbed in his slumber.

But suddenly, a violent crash of the door being forced open jolted him from his sleep.

Jiang Wang jolted awake, his hair a disheveled mess, his eyes still heavy with sleep as he stumbled out of bed to see what was happening.

No sooner had he appeared than he was seized, his hands bound, and pinned against the wall.

Then, like a swarm of locusts, guards rushed in without his permission, instantly occupying every corner of Biwu Hall.

They were searching for something.

No matter how drowsy he was, Jiang Wang snapped fully awake at this sight. He tried to move, but the guards held him tightly, leaving no room for struggle.

"What are you doing?!" Jiang Wang shouted at the guards. "What right do you have to search my home in the middle of the night?!"

The guards remained silent, but an older man quickly entered through the main door and answered Jiang Wang's question.

"Acting on imperial orders. Please remain calm, Lord Jiang."

How could he remain calm after being woken up and pinned against a wall? How was he supposed to stay calm?

Jiang Wang craned his neck to see who had spoken.

Wang Wenzhou, the Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau?

What was he doing here so late?

Jiang Wang's tone was thick with displeasure. "Director Wang, visiting Biwu Hall so late at night—do you have urgent business to discuss with this humble official?"

Wang Wenzhou should have been escorted with an umbrella, but that would have slowed him down.

He abandoned the umbrella and hurried over, arriving drenched from head to toe. His soaked clothes clung to his body, and with the cold night wind blowing, he looked freezing.

Yet, despite this, Wang Wenzhou's expression remained calm, his demeanor far steadier than Jiang Wang's.

He took a few steps closer and held a divination board in front of Jiang Wang.

"According to the divination, there is an anomalous disaster here, Lord Jiang. Please cooperate."

An anomalous disaster?

Jiang Wang glanced at the strange wooden, three-dimensional round board Wang Wenzhou presented. It was covered with long and short patterns and obscure characters. Beyond that, he couldn't understand it at all, nor did he know its purpose, though he vaguely sensed it had something to do with fortune-telling.

Although he lived in ancient times, at his core, he was still a modern man.

He had seen many things from the new era and knew that much of what ancient people attributed to the supernatural could be explained by natural laws and science—things the ancients simply didn't understand yet, leading to superstition.

In short, he didn't believe in this.

Besides, he had walked the straight path, with nothing to hide. A clear conscience feared no accusation. What did he have to fear?

Jiang Wang shifted uncomfortably. Being falsely accused like this had turned his expression as dark as the bottom of a pot.

"Director Wang, if you want to search, then search. Why restrain me? Am I going to flee the palace?" He struggled slightly, gritting his teeth. "If you don't find what you're looking for here, you must take responsibility for tonight's actions!"

Hearing this, even the usually confident Wang Wenzhou felt a flicker of doubt. His divinations had never been wrong before, but he had never encountered someone as defiantly self-assured as Jiang Wang.

After a moment of consideration, Wang Wenzhou gave the order: "Release Lord Jiang. Keep a close watch on him."

The grip on him vanished instantly. Jiang Wang instinctively moved away from the guards who had treated him so roughly.

He flexed his wrists, which were already reddened, and winced as he rubbed them.

Looking down, he saw a trace of blood seeping from his wrist.

His skin was naturally fair and delicate, unaccustomed to rough labor. The guards had strong grips, and the ropes had broken his skin.

Jiang Wang felt even more aggrieved. He had never suffered such humiliation.

Since crossing over, he had been cautious and meticulous, all to ensure he could live well.

Just as his life was starting to improve, someone was accusing him of being a calamity?

The young master temper he had been suppressing all along surged to the surface. He couldn't tolerate this.

But now wasn't the best time to vent. When the guards failed to find anything and had to leave in disgrace, he would make sure to teach Wang Wenzhou a lesson—right to his face.

So what if his official rank was lower than Wang Wenzhou's? This act of insubordination—he was determined to commit it.

Jiang Wang snorted coldly, composed himself, and walked over to sit at the table, pouring himself a cup of tea.

He would wait right here. He had to see Wang Wenzhou's face when he was proven wrong.

The cup of tea gradually emptied, but the guards were still rummaging around.

Jiang Wang placed the cup on the table with a soft *clack* as porcelain met wood.

"Dawn is almost here, Director Wang. Are you still searching?"

Jiang Wang beamed at Wang Wenzhou, though anyone could see the hostility hidden beneath that smile.

Never having encountered such a situation before, Wang Wenzhou began to doubt himself once again in that short span of time. Had he really miscalculated?

He glanced at the divination board again. The signs still pointed unmistakably to disaster.

Just then, a guard came running, holding a mud-caked cloth bundle, disrupting the tense undercurrent.

"Director Wang, we found something in the backyard!"

The cloth bundle wasn't large, only about the length of a palm. Soaked by the rain and caked in mud, it was impossible to tell what was inside.

In an instant, the attention of everyone in Biwu Hall focused on that small bundle. That tiny package suddenly gripped everyone's hearts.

Although Jiang Wang was surprised that something had been found in his backyard, he wasn't worried.

The backyard was Big Orange's territory. The cat often climbed trees and roamed the roofs. This was probably just some scrap of cloth or toy it had picked up somewhere and buried in the dirt to hide from others.

It only proved his cat was a bit mischievous—nothing more.

But when the bundle was opened, everyone present gasped in unison.

Inside the bundle wasn't a toy hidden by a cat—it was a puppet.

Jiang Wang's expression froze instantly. Even if he didn't believe in the unscientific feudal superstitions of ancient times, he knew that in this era, witchcraft and sorcery were a grave taboo that struck fear into everyone's hearts—especially within the palace walls.

However, when he saw the specific details of the doll, his entire body felt as if it had been nailed to the spot.

The doll was new but not smooth; the pits, bumps, and tiny splinters revealed clumsy carving skills, which fit perfectly with the identity of the Court Diarist, who knew nothing about woodworking.

On the doll's body, soaked by rain and stained with dirt, were written the two large characters "Xiao Yan," followed closely by the detailed eight characters of his birth.

What made it hard for Jiang Wang to breathe was that several nails were stuck into the doll's body, with the thickest and largest one located right at the heart.

The nail was driven in so deep that it had split open a small crack in the doll's chest.

Jiang Wang knew he hadn't done this—it was a blatant frame job.

He wanted to say something, but before he could open his mouth, he was shoved from behind and slammed face-down onto the table by the guards beside him.

Jiang Wang heard a sickening pop like bones popping out of joint in his ear, followed by a dull pain in his shoulder.

A layer of fine sweat quickly broke out on his forehead, and he didn't dare move a muscle.

Enduring the pain, Jiang Wang trembled as he spoke, "The doll isn't mine. This is slander."

Yet, at that moment, the room went dead silent, and no one spoke.

Apart from the two guards restraining Jiang Wang, everyone else backed away, as if afraid he might chant some spell that could take their lives.

Seeing this fearful and apprehensive reaction, Jiang Wang wanted to laugh.

He was lucid and despairing.

He was lucid, knowing that an inanimate doll couldn't possibly be linked to a living person, yet despairing, understanding that witchcraft was taken deadly seriously here.

In that moment, he even wanted to tell Wang Wenzhou that he wasn't from this era, that he knew witchcraft had no scientific basis.

But if he said such things, he would likely be written off as a demon-possessed madman spouting gibberish.

Should he just admit to it?

Impossible. How could he admit to such a grave crime of witchcraft? Once admitted, it would mean a death sentence.

Moreover, he truly hadn't done such a thing—why should he admit to it?

Suddenly, he thought of Xiao Yan.

That seemingly foolish and incompetent Xiao Yan, who somehow came through in the clutch every time; that seemingly pleasure-seeking Xiao Yan, who had looked out for him.

He thought of the "Favorite Minister" identity that he had once dismissed as just a rumor.

If he told Xiao Yan he was being framed, would Xiao Yan help him?

"I've been framed! I want to see the Emperor!"

Jiang Wang struggled a few times, his firm tone tinged with a trace of uncertainty.

Xiao Yan had also grown up in ancient times, without any exposure to modern scientific knowledge. Jiang Wang was betting only on Xiao Yan's hidden, possible pity for him, or perhaps a tiny bit of real fondness that might have existed.

Would his gamble pay off?

The doll was discovered precisely in the southeast corner of the palace grounds.

At this moment, Wang Wenzhou, once again confirming that his divination had been correct, remained stern. He was strict and unforgiving, not even a trace of his earlier wavering left.

Rooting out disasters for the Great Jing Dynasty was the duty of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and it was his duty as well.

The Emperor's earlier hesitation clearly showed that this Lord Jiang, who bore the flattering title of "Favorite Minister," carried some weight with His Majesty, however slight. It was only after repeated persuasion that the Emperor had granted him permission to investigate. If Jiang Wang were to meet the Emperor again now, there was no telling what decision His Majesty might make.

Wang Wenzhou placed the divination board into his wide sleeve. The witchcraft case was closed; the appearance of the calamity was an indisputable fact.

"Lord Jiang, as I said earlier, 'I am acting on the Emperor's orders.'"

He neither said "allow the meeting" nor "disallow it," simply repeating his earlier words.

Acting on the Emperor's orders.

These four words struck Jiang Wang like a blunt blow. Apart from the pain in his shoulder, it felt as if fine, dense aches were seeping through his entire body.

Wang Wenzhou had said these words earlier, but Jiang Wang had overlooked them.

He'd forgotten that Wang Wenzhou dared to make such a public show of searching this place precisely because he was acting on orders from above.

And the only person above him who could issue such an order was none other than Xiao Yan.

He had gambled and lost.

Or rather, his bet was flawed from the beginning.

The premise for allowing himself to make such a bet was the belief that Xiao Yan might feel some affection for him. Now, it seemed that premise didn't even exist.

Jiang Wang's heart turned to ashes, and he instantly went completely still.

Seeing this, Wang Wenzhou finally plucked at his rain-dampened robe.

He nodded to the two guards holding Jiang Wang.

"Take him away."

Author's Note:

Don't worry, my dears. The system hasn't been seen for a long time, right? It's about to make an appearance soon.