Chapter 50: A Slight Rise, A Mark of Respect Part 3

Jingyi’s eyelid flickered. He knew that smile. It was the same one Gu Huaiyu had worn the day he was forced to kneel before the Chancellery.

He pressed his tongue against his teeth, feeling a faint thrill. He knew exactly what that smile meant. He had provoked the Chancellor, and now, he was going to be dealt with.

***

Gu Huaiyu was not in the capital.

Yet, the capital was more turbulent than when he was present.

The Eastern Liao Delegation had initially looked down on the commoners. As Yelü Chi had said, they had seen many Han people—most were cowards who valued profit over principle and changed their tune with the wind.

A bit of silver was usually enough to make the citizens of Great Chen say whatever they wanted to hear.

But this time, the citizens surprised them.

The delegation members followed the bailiffs of the Court of Judicial Review, knocking on every door. These shops were right next to the court and should have been the first to see Wu Wei’s corpse.

Yet, when asked, whether it was a waiter or a shopkeeper, they all stared with wide, blank eyes.

“Who is Wu Wei? What corpse? Never heard of it.”

If pressed, they would simply act as if they had just realized something. “Oh, we went to bed early last night. Didn’t hear a thing.”

The night before, the streets had been lit up in celebration of Wu Wei’s death, as festive as a holiday. Now, the entire city seemed to have suffered collective amnesia.

They were all “rolling pins”—tough and impossible to bite into.

If the Eastern Liao diplomats tried to use force, the bailiffs would step in first, saying with a fake smile, “Peace, Envoy. According to the Laws of Great Chen, one cannot harm the people without cause.”

As for the bribes—not a single person dared to take the Eastern Liao silver. Even if the silver was just tossed to them as a tip, they treated it like a hot coal.

Even the greediest man valued his life.

Taking Eastern Liao money to testify against that Chancellor? That was jumping into a furnace. One could disappear one day, and even their corpse would be vanished without a trace.

Inside the Diplomatic Hostel, the Vice-Envoy approached Yelü Chi with a face full of exhaustion. The delegation was demoralized, yet the Prince was leisurely feeding his horse.

Hearing the footsteps, Yelü Chi snapped a fruit in half and fed a piece to the eager foal, ignoring the man behind him.

Finally, the Vice-Envoy spoke. “Your Highness, I have failed.”

Yelü Chi’s fingers froze. He slowly turned his head. “Not enough silver?”

The Vice-Envoy didn’t dare look at his cold gaze. He lowered his head. “I asked every house. Those Han commoners… it’s like they conspired. They either saw nothing or slept like the dead.”

Yelü Chi’s eyebrows shot up in genuine shock. “Every single one?”

The Vice-Envoy managed a nod. “Not one. Not even one dared to take our money.”

Yelü Chi tossed the fruit aside and took out a silk cloth to wipe his hands, contemplating this unexpected turn.

He admitted that among the Han, there were those who didn’t care for money and those who were heroes. But those were a tiny minority. Most he had met were greedy and fearful.

Compared to the mysterious attitude of the court officials toward Gu Huaiyu, the reaction of the commoners baffled him even more.

The commoners didn’t truly “know” Gu Huaiyu.

They would never step foot inside the Chancellor’s Estate, let alone receive a single glance of pity from that high-and-mighty lord.

And yet, these people—without orders or bribes—had collectively decided to shut their mouths.

They lied, they played dumb, and they even dared to stiffen their necks under Eastern Liao blades and say, “I don’t know.”

Yelü Chi couldn’t understand what they gained. Gu Huaiyu wouldn’t even know their names.

He shook his head. The matter had to be handled. “Go to the Court of Judicial Review personally.”

The Vice-Envoy blinked.

Yelü Chi smiled, walking forward with calm poise. “Find everyone who crossed paths with the body.”

“Don’t pull out silver this time. Try a different method.”

He dropped the silk cloth, his sneer deepening. “If they don’t love money, they must fear death.”

But Yelü Chi did not expect that by nightfall, the crowd outside the Court of Judicial Review would be thicker than during the day.

The guards’ blades gleamed in the firelight, holding them back, but they couldn’t stop the shadows pouring out from the alleys, the bridges, and the dilapidated shacks.

“I killed Wu Wei!”

“I couldn’t stand that beast whipping the old tea-seller! I climbed into the hostel at midnight and stabbed him!”

“I did it! My son was trampled by their horses that day—I wanted revenge!”

As the old saying goes: A woman dolls herself up for the one who admires her; a man dies for the one who understands him.

And the people? They will give their lives for the one who protects them.