Chapter 62

The resounding beat of the Drum of Grievances sent shockwaves through the entire capital.

This drum had been established specifically to air grievances, and it was always tended by dedicated custodians. Once sounded, any case reached the emperor’s ears directly, demanding his personal scrutiny.

Thus, only matters of grave national importance, heinous corruption and villainy, extraordinary injustices and tragedies, or—as a special exception—crimes committed by members of the imperial family warranted its use, all to ensure true justice.

To preserve its authority, anyone caught fabricating false accusations faced the harshest punishments. For all its long history, then, the drum rang out but rarely.

By the time the servant rushed in with the news, the capital prefecture yamen runners were already waiting outside the Wang residence.

Liu Yuanxun threw on his greatcoat and strode toward the gate. As he passed the three runners, who were still reeling from the shock, he even cracked a joke. “Didn’t expect we’d be headed the same way. Care to join me?”

The three men blinked in surprise and exchanged glances. Then, astonishingly, they hoisted the female corpse and fell in obediently behind Liu Yuanxun.

Following Liu Yuanxun’s orders, Ling Ting was to head to Grand Secretary Meng’s residence—but he hesitated to leave Ling Qing to accompany him alone. Just as he debated calling Gu Lianzhao back, they stepped outside and spotted a black-clad youth standing quietly beneath a tree.

As their group emerged from the residence, Liu Yuanxun led the way, with Ling Qing at his side. The three runners carrying the body followed, and Ling Ting brought up the rear.

When Ling Ting glanced toward Gu Lianzhao, the other man looked up at exactly that moment. His gaze slid right past Liu Yuanxun, locking straight onto Ling Ting.

In that brief moment of eye contact, Ling Ting sensed that something had shifted. But the distance was too great to discern exactly what, and in the next instant, Gu Lianzhao had moved to Liu Yuanxun’s side. He offered his arm, and Liu Yuanxun steadied himself against it.

Since this was merely routine questioning, the runners treated Liu Yuanxun with utmost courtesy. They cleared the path ahead while Ling Qing drove the carriage behind them, Liu Yuanxun and Gu Lianzhao seated inside.

No sooner had Liu Yuanxun climbed in than he closed his eyes. His complexion was poor.

He had only just willed himself through a bout of illness the day before. This morning, he had woken as if nothing had happened and forced himself to paint a picture with feigned vigor. Now, facing yet another grueling ordeal, he even toyed with the idea of having Ling Qing fetch the secret medicine from the hidden compartment at his bedside.

Though today’s events had come suddenly, he was not entirely unprepared.

After all, his enemies had already set their sights on him. Their first scheme had failed, so others were sure to follow. They had likely resolved to make him suffer—to ensure, at minimum, that he could no longer meddle in these cases.

With his eyes shut in quiet repose, he pondered countermeasures. After a long moment of silence in the carriage, Gu Lianzhao’s voice broke through.

“The Left Deputy of Tongzhengsi is named Wang Mingxuan. He’s thirty-six years old and holds the rank of Regular Fifth Rank. He has one wife and three concubines, with one son and five daughters. His talents are utterly mediocre, though he’s honest enough. He owes his position entirely to his father, Wang Youqi.”

The Embroidered Uniform Guard answered solely to the emperor and prized merit above birth or connections. Gu Lianzhao’s command of the North Pacification Commissioner post was proof of his exceptional abilities.

Though Liu Yuanxun knew the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s intelligence was unparalleled, he couldn’t help a flicker of surprise upon hearing Gu Lianzhao rattle off a court official’s birth details, character, and family background so casually.

He opened his eyes and looked at Gu Lianzhao. “Wang Youqi? The former Minister of Works?”

Gu Lianzhao inclined his head slightly and continued. “Wang Youqi held the post of Minister of Works for thirteen years. He achieved nothing of note but was cautious enough to avoid any missteps. By the time he took the position, he was already past forty, so he devoted his efforts to advancing his children. He had two sons and one daughter. His eldest, now forty, serves as Vice Minister of Works—a dullard who has shown no improvement in twelve years on the job. His second child, a daughter of thirty-seven, was once an imperial censor in the Censorate but was dismissed for misconduct two years ago. His youngest is the current Left Deputy of Tongzhengsi.”

Gu Lianzhao’s words were anything but idle chatter. By revealing Wang Mingxuan’s background, he meant to equip Liu Yuanxun to better navigate the current crisis.

The case might be fabricated, but now that it had been set in motion, the false could easily become real. Focusing on self-defense would play right into their hands. The priority was to unravel their connections, expose their faction, and sever it at the root.

Liu Yuanxun might not have recognized the name Wang Youqi, but he knew the tales of the former Minister of Works.

“If memory serves,” Liu Yuanxun said, “the former Minister of Works was the epitome of a hands-off operator. During the princes’ struggle for the throne, he took to his bed feigning illness and refused to see anyone. When it ended and Fourth Prince claimed victory, he was charged with dereliction of duty and docked half a year’s salary. Many mocked him at the time—but those mockers were later demoted or lost their lives, while he slithered safely from his post and even installed his eldest son as Vice Minister. A man not to be underestimated.”

The court’s intrigues were labyrinthine. On the surface, all appeared upright and pure; beneath, factions intertwined like roots in a vast, shadowy web.

The more isolated an official’s position, the narrower his path. No scrupulously independent figure could hoist two mediocrities to Fifth Rank capital posts. Thus, Wang Youqi was no lone wolf—his faction was simply buried deep.

He had retired two or three years prior and was now a frail old man with scant social ties. Even the Embroidered Uniform Guard had failed to uncover his secrets over the years; a hasty probe now was unlikely to yield fruit.

Had the Wang family remained mediocre, Wang Youqi might have sailed into old age unscathed. But on the eve of his great birthday celebration, he had thrust his youngest son forward as a pawn. The intent was plain: either dire straits demanding a sacrificial lamb to save the family, or a gambit to secure the clan’s future at one son’s expense.

In the midst of the silence, a fierce gust whipped through. The jade weight on the carriage curtain held it down, but the fabric still billowed high.

Liu Yuanxun glanced at the curtain—and noticed Gu Lianzhao beside it. The sight startled him. He reached out and touched Gu Lianzhao’s cheek. “What have you been up to? Your face is frozen stiff.”

Gu Lianzhao flinched instinctively, but the moment Liu Yuanxun’s hand made contact, he couldn’t bear to pull away. Instead, he lowered his eyes and let it rest there, murmuring by way of explanation, “I dispersed my True Qi to practice with the saber. Wasn’t paying attention.”

Liu Yuanxun withdrew his hand, concern lingering on his face. “You aren’t afraid of ruining it.”

Gu Lianzhao’s emotions were already in disarray, and this gesture only churned them further. He had planned to use business as an excuse to avoid Liu Yuanxun for a while and regain his composure—but that thought had barely formed when shouts outside announced soldiers at the Wang residence gates.

Dodging or not would have to wait. The crisis at hand was paramount.

Yet here was Liu Yuanxun, mired in peril and self-preservation, still attuned to his condition. Getting favors from this man was simple; earning his love was harder than anything.

“And what of you, Your Highness?” Gu Lianzhao glanced at the retreating hand, then met his eyes. “Aren’t you worried you’ll enter the capital prefecture yamen and never come out?”

Liu Yuanxun smiled lightly, as if untroubled. “If I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it. If they’ve got the skill to pin me there, then I’ve met my match. I’ll own it.”

He had stepped into this game with no intention of spectating from the sidelines. If he fell without uncovering anything, it would prove he had no business meddling. But cracking it would bring them closer to the truth.

With that in mind, Liu Yuanxun grew solemn. “A’Qiao, you needn’t worry about this matter. But I have one request.”

Gu Lianzhao nodded. “Name it.”

Liu Yuanxun unfastened Prince Rui’s token and handed it over. “Take my token and investigate Xiao Jinye’s residence. No matter what happened there, uncover the truth by any means.”

For Gu Lianzhao, this was no tall order. He already harbored suspicions, and official sanction would only smooth his path. Still, Liu Yuanxun’s words made clear he anticipated being detained at the yamen for some time.

Gu Lianzhao burned to ask his full intentions—but ever since clarifying his own feelings, every interaction with Liu Yuanxun loomed enormous. A perfectly ordinary question now felt humiliating, as if pride were slapping him down.

The Wang residence was not far from the capital prefecture yamen, and with runners clearing the way ahead, the carriage picked up speed. As they neared the gates, Gu Lianzhao could hold back no longer. “What about your midday medicine? And… you haven’t eaten yet.”

Liu Yuanxun had always been keenly sensitive to others’ kindness. Hearing the concern, a faint smile curved his lips. “It’s a big yamen—they won’t let me starve. Don’t worry about me. Just take care of yourself.”

Before Gu Lianzhao could reply, voices swelled from outside, drawing nearer.

“Here they come! Quick, look—that’s Prince Rui’s carriage!”

“Where? Let me see! I’ve never laid eyes on the prince!”

A crush of people thronged the yamen gates, commoners gawking and blocking the broad street until it was impassable. Only the yamen’s formidable authority—and Liu Yuanxun’s carriage—prevented outright chaos.

The carriage had barely halted when Ling Qing lifted the curtain, her expression grave as she gazed at Liu Yuanxun. In a low voice, she said, “Master, we’ve arrived at the yamen.”

Liu Yuanxun did not turn or speak to Gu Lianzhao again. He took Ling Qing’s hand and stepped down from the carriage.

The restless crowd ignited like oil poured on flames. Shouts erupted in a cacophony as those at the rear craned and shoved forward, all clamoring, “Let me see! Let me see!”

Liu Yuanxun paid the din no heed. He alighted and stood firm, head tilted up to survey the imposing yamen.

He studied the plaque above the entrance; the encircling crowd studied him.

Gradually, the clamor up front died away. Even those who had elbowed to the forefront fell silent.

Other cases drew no such mobs, but this one was different. First, from octogenarian matrons to five-year-old children, everyone knew a long-missing noblewoman had suddenly appeared on the Imperial Edict List. Second, the reclusive Prince Rui was an enigma; few had ever seen his face. Word had spread, and the throng had swelled.

To the folk dwelling in the shadow of the Imperial City, princes and princesses were just people—two eyes, one nose, noble birth notwithstanding.

But someone as strikingly handsome as Prince Rui? That was a rarity.

Everyone said that the sons and grandsons of the dragon were beings from the heavens, but what did those heavenly figures truly look like? No one had ever laid eyes on them. Yet Prince Rui, stepping down from his sedan, gave the celestial an unmistakable form.

One might call him beautiful, but there were faces even more striking than his. One might call him noble, but there were figures with even greater presence. Still, he carried a compassion and gentleness reminiscent of a heavenly immortal—qualities no ordinary mortal possessed.

His features were like flawless jade, without a single imperfection, and even his pale, sickly complexion did nothing to diminish his elegance. He merely stood there quietly, radiating an aura of nobility so profound that no one dared meet his gaze directly.

But he lingered only a moment on the open ground before the prefectural yamen. With the support of the maid at his side, he stepped through the deep red gates.

Even so, his brief appearance planted a small seed of doubt in the hearts of those who had glimpsed his true countenance: Would someone like him truly commit an act of enticement and rape?