Lady Kelpi Translations

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-One:
Tongniu County’s Case Closed

At this moment, Cui You was busy ending the war and pacifying the local area. Ling Buyi couldn’t wait to return to the Capital with the army’s troops, so he returned to the Capital two days in advance with the Wan Cheng family. On the way, Shaoshang got into the carriage and humbly sought advice from her godly older brother.

“Why is it that when it comes to the Lou family, Master Ling’s nose gets out of joint? In fact, I have not said a word for the Lou family so far, and I have only seen him once after Lou Yao got married!”

“What’s so strange about it?” Cheng Shaogong lifted his eyes without much interest. “Heaven knows and earth knows. You know, I know. Ling Buyi knows even better. If it weren’t for His Majesty, the He family, and all other kinds of ties, if you were given the choice between which one you would eat up on the dinner table, it would be Lou Yao.”

Shaoshang remained silent and struggled for a moment before she said, “That’s not entirely true. Actually, I really like Master Ling, now.”

Cheng Shaogong yawned. “You should go tell him that. Maybe he’ll take your tone.”

Everyone went back to their respective homes when they returned to the Capital – including Wan Songbai who was originally going to seek justice but now the focus was no longer on him. Ling Buyi and Shaoshang went to meet with the Empress separately. At this moment, the Emperor was summoning several Confucian scholars to inquire about the collection of manuscripts. Seeing his adopted son’s expression, he planned to hold everyone back in the hall. However, Ling Buyi stopped Yuan Shen.

“I’m afraid we still need the full support of Palace Attendant Yuan in this matter,” Ling Buyi said.

Yuan Shen’s expression stiffened. He bowed respectfully.

The Emperor had already detained Huang Wen. However, no matter how he interrogated him, Huang Wen said that it was his trusted junior brother who told him the ‘crime’ of Wan Songbai and now this brother was nowhere to be found. However, in the Emperor’s mind, this matter was only limited to the level of ‘the feudal officials were repeatedly stabbed, and there must be hidden secrets below.’ It was not until he listened to the detailed statements and step-by-step deduction of his adopted son that he realized the unimaginable twists and turns behind the case of Tongniu County with waves of murderous intent.

“What Master Ling said is true, and the place of deduction is also very close, however…” Yuan Shen suddenly interrupted. “There is still no hard evidence to directly prove what Lou Ben did. If there is only circumstantial evidence in front of us, we can only say that Lou Ben met Yan Zhong in private but it had nothing to do with Yan Zhong and Ma Rong’s collusion in secret.” Lou Ben acted neatly and did not leave a direct trail back to him.

“Palace Attendant Yuan is right,” Ling Buyi said. “I dare not be presumptuous, fearing that Lou Ziwei might be wronged. I have never revealed a single word to anyone since. Now, I only ask His Majesty if we want to continue investigating.”

Yuan Shen remained silent. He knew that Ling Buyi’s words implied that ‘as long as we investigate, we will find evidence. If the Emperor wanted to reconcile, this matter would come to an end.

The Emperor’s face turned pale, his still figure solidified like ink splattered on snow-white silk. He remembered Yan Zhong’s upright and stubborn yet eager face, the honest and loyal demeanor of Grand Servant Lou for decades, and even more, the Empress and Crown Prince. They hadn’t done anything wrong but were destined to be implicated.

After a long time, the Emperor spoke with a deep voice. “Heavenly justice is clear, and justice exists on its own. If we investigate further, we will find out the truth!”

Ling Buyi bent down to take orders, then fixed his gaze on Yuan Shen. Yuan Shen knew that there was nothing to hide from, so he held his solemn gaze.

…

Coming out of Shangshu Terrace, Ling Buyi went straight to Changqiu Palace, only to find that Shaoshang wasn’t there. The Empress first showed concern to him and then smiled. “Shaoshang didn’t say anything, she just took a two-day leave from me. Also, she’s been gone for a while and her family should be worried. Let her rest at home for a few days. Don’t be so fierce all day like a prison guard.”

“She really didn’t say anything?” Ling Buyi couldn’t believe it. He knew how much she admired and trusted the Empress.

The Empress thought for a moment. “She only said that even if something happens, the Crown Prince and I don’t have to worry. With you around, we can always take care of everything properly.”

Ling Buyi didn’t show any signs on his face but his heart was truly ironed out. He had originally thought that she would reveal the entire situation to the Empress and Crown Prince in advance and was worried that her leaking the information would lead to a change in the situation. He didn’t expect she would act willfully and arbitrarily, but she would be so aware of the seriousness of major events.

In the following couple of days, Ling Buyi and Yuan Shen rushed in and out together to determine Lou Ben’s crime. The two of them already disliked each other, and this time they didn’t look at each other nor communicate with each other. They only said what they needed to say and listened to what they needed to hear.

Two days later, Cui You’s army finally returned to the court with its troops. Due to the small scale of the war against the rebellion, and the relatively smooth victory, coupled with the complex emotions of the Emperor at this time, there was no grand triumphal ceremony and the courtiers did not care about these falsehoods. They only waited a few days to judge the merits and rewards, and the children of each family had to sit in rows and share the fruits under the allocation of Cui You.

At this moment, Ling Buyi and Shen Yuan finally found ironclad evidence that could convict Lou Ben.

Ling Buyi bid farewell to the trembling Emperor, who was angry all over. He held an edict and headed straight towards the Lou mansion. Yuan Shen, who was reporting to him, was also appointed as the deputy envoy and went with him.

When they arrived at the Lou mansion, they saw lights and colorful decorations inside and outside of the mansion. Guests laughed and drank, and the laughter and joy spread to the alley. Only then did the two of them know that the Lou family was having a banquet today. Yuan Shen hesitated for a moment and said, “Why don’t we come back later…”

Ling Buyi’s mouth was sarcastic as he said, “Would you and I offend the Lou family less if we waited for half a day? Either we completely ignore the situation, or we will do it to the end.”

Yuan Shen’s face darkened and he stopped speaking.

Hearing that the Emperor had sent someone to come, Grand Servant Lou quickly let his children go and greet them. Seeing the formation of Ling Buyi, Yuan Shen, and his companions, he immediately realized that it probably was not the Emperor who came to commend him. It was Lou Ben who had good composure. Seeing a great crisis approaching, his expression remained unchanged. He even smiled and invited the newcomers to speak in the inner hall, at least to save face for the Lou family in front of the guests.

On the way to the inner hall, Lou Ben’s wife Wang Yanji and several female relatives hurriedly arrived. Ling Buyi caught a glimpse of someone behind Wang Yanji and frowned, “Where have you been these past few days? I don’t have time to come see you so you came here instead.”

“The Lou family is hosting a banquet, and Second Young Mistress invited my mother,” Shaoshang said helplessly. “She’s changing right now.” She glanced at her fiancé’s crimson court attire. “Do you have the evidence?”

Wang Yanji’s face went pale. “What, what evidence? Shaoshang, you, our two families…”

Ling Buyi didn’t want to be entangled in this and said, “You should come as well.”

Arriving in the inner hall, Ling Buyi stood in front of everyone. “I think you already know what Palace Attendant Yuan and I are here for. Why don’t you explain it to your family? We’ll take you to Tingwei.”

“Tingwei?!” Second Madam Lou trembled in shock. “What did you say?! Didn’t Ziwei just make a big contribution? How can you say…” Even though she never paid attention to foreign affairs, she knew that Tingwei Prison was not a place for drinking and eating.

Shaoshang looked at Wang Yanji’s fiercely panicked gaze and smiled bitterly. “To be honest, I’m not too clear about the situation.” She turned to Yuan Shen. “Why did Master Shanjian also come?”

Yuan Shen let out a weak sigh and continued to stay silent.

“Lou Ben colluded with Peng Nian’s General Ma Rong, lured the county magistrate of Tongniu, Yan Zhong, to entrust his family and refined copper, and then slaughtered them all,” Ling Buyi said coldly. “He then instructed Ma Rong to win Tongniu County’s city and finally pretended to persuade Ma Rong to surrender. The two of them cooperated inside and out, and devised this three-birds with one-stone plan!”

“Where did this start?” Grand Servant Lou was shocked. “How could this be…?”

Eldest Madam Lou had a tense face, her eyes fixed on Lou Ben was both fierce and contemptuous. Second Madam Lou had already fallen on her daughter-in-law Wang Yanji, sobbing uncontrollably.

“I’ll stick to that old saying,” Lou Ben said calmly. “If you want to convict me, you can’t just rely on speculation. Show me the evidence!”

“I came to the entrance of your mansion today to fulfill your wish,” Ling Buyi said.

“I’m all ears,” Lou Ben said. His face twitched.

“You are nimble, almost all the people involved in the incident have been wiped out, even Ma Rong…”

“Oh, I’ve even killed Ma Rong, now?”

“You didn’t want to kill Ma Rong, but it seems like you couldn’t kill Wan Songbai, so you could only kill Ma Rong…”

Lou Ben gave a cold smile and declined to comment.

“I thought that if even a woman who was a small official’s wife knew to leave some clues in case of an accident, Ma Rong wouldn’t be completely unprepared,” Ling Buyi said. “In the end, you were just sharing interests, how could you trust each other? Besides, witnessing the tragic death of Yan Zhong and his family, who truly believed in you, I don’t think Ma Rong would be touched! So, I went to investigate Ma Rong’s whereabouts and found out that he never returned home since he came to Tongniu County. First, I guarded it. The county seat was then ‘persuaded’ to surrender, and then he worked under the account of Marquis Cui. If he wanted to hide something, where should he hide it?”

Shaoshang was hit with a flash of inspiration. “Tongniu County?!” she blurted out.

“Correct,” Ling Buyi said, glancing at her. “Tongniu County. Not only did Ma Rong stay there for nearly a month, but he also walked the streets and alleys every day, claiming to be ‘observing the suffering of the people.’”

“Where did you find them in the end?” Yuan Shen couldn’t stop himself from asking. He was mesmerized by the events.

“Ma Rong has traveled almost all over the county town. If he really searched everywhere, it might not take ten days or half a month. However, Ma Rong is just a soldier and doesn’t pay that much attention to detail…” He smiled and looked at Lou Ben. “To the north of Tongniu County, there is the Bull’s Head tavern, and there is a shop between the places called ‘Mare.’”

Shaoshang quietly wrote those words in the middle of her palm. Grand Servant Lou, Yuan Shen, and some others immediately understood and looked at Lou Ben. Bull Head + Mare = Three Bulls.

Lou Ben began to lose his composure.

“In that tavern,” Ling Buyi continued, “my subordinates discovered traces of drilling on one of the elegant walls. When they excavated, they found a large bundle of letters you had written to Magistrate Yan in recent days. From your acquaintance, meeting each other, inciting Yan Zhong to relocate his mother and children, even agreeing on a time and place… everything. I guess you asked Ma Rong to destroy these letters written to Yan Zhong after entering the city. Who knew that he kept them.”

Shaoshang thought that when Ling Buyi was investigating Li Feng’s wife, he probably also started to investigate Ma Rong.

Lou Ben remained calm. “Oh, was it really me who wrote them? Zisheng, you must have read it wrong, right?”

“Those letters don’t specify names, only a small, diamond-shaped mirror was depicted as the signature,” Ling Buyi said.

Wang Yanji looked at her husband in confusion.

“Not only that, I have seen the local customs and traditions presented by Ziwei before His Majesty’s imperial case. The handwriting does not match those words on those letters.”

Lou Ben’s face regained a hint of color. “Since there is no specific name and the handwriting is different, why do you say all those letters were written by me to Magistrate Yan?” he smiled.

“That’s why I kept these letters hidden,” Ling Buyi said. “However, I thought of Palace Attendant Yuan. His Majesty has praised him several times in front of me for his ability to use ink and write various calligraphy fonts. So, I thought that Ziwei and Palace Attendant Yuan were from the same school. If Palace Attendant Yuan has such a talent, Ziwei would definitely not be inferior.”

“However, Master Ouyang has been wandering around the world for a long time, and it’s difficult for us to call him back. Besides, Master Ouyang is known for his unruly personality. Not to mention what his disciples wrote, even his own handwritten works are also lost at will. It’s really difficult…”

“That shouldn’t matter,” Yuan Shen said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Isn’t that why I’m here?”

Ling Buyi smiled at him. “Although Palace Attendant Yuan is young, he has a calm and steady nature. You have collected bamboo slips and a silk scroll that His Majesty has bestowed upon you, and they are well organized. I wonder if when Master Ouyang left, he also entrusted his letters to bamboo slips…”

“Master didn’t entrust them to me, it was my own fault,” Yuan Shen said as he smiled. “I collected all the letters and slips that Master had left behind, dried them, and covered them with oilcloth for proper storage.”

Shaoshang sensed a deep pain in his tone.

“Palace Attendant Yuan and I looked in the Yuan mansion for several days and finally found the poems, essays, and articles that you wrote to your mentor and classmates before the age of twenty. There were all kinds of fonts, including those that were identical to those in the letters you wrote to Yan Zhong! His Majesty still couldn’t believe it and invited several master calligraphers to examine it. They all said, ‘Although the running script has the difference between old and young, it is indeed written by the same person and is not fake.’ Lou Ziwei, if an expert takes action, he will definitely not accuse you. What else do you have to say?” Ling Buyi placed his hand on the table, standing tall and imposing.

Grand Servant Lou trembled and sat down on the ground. Second Madam Lou covered her face and wept in sorrow. Eldest Madam Lou took a step forward and sneered, “I thought you had made a lot of great contributions outside. These past few days, you’ve been showing off your strength at home, but it turns out that you have done such shameful things!  I have to say, no talent is no talent. Why not learn from your cousin and live a peaceful life? Why do you insist on biting off your own head? Now that you’ve committed a serious crime, you’ve implicated the whole family…”

Shaoshang couldn’t bear to listen anymore and was about to make a sarcastic comment when she saw Wang Yanji’s skirt swaying as she walked a few steps to Eldest Madam Lou. There was a loud smack as she slapped her across the face. Everyone was stunned as Eldest Madam Lou was knocked to the ground. She propped herself up on the floor with one hand, the other covering her face. She was both surprised and angry, “You… how dare you?!”

Wang Yanji pulled out a golden hairpin from her hair and slammed it hard on the floor. “If you dare to say one more word,” she said fiercely, “I will make your blood splatter five feet!”

Eldest Madam Lou was frightened by the look in her eyes. Everyone looked and saw that the golden hairpin had landed between Eldest Madam Lou’s fingers, almost piercing her palm.

“Shut up and don’t talk anymore,” Grand Servant said, standing back up.

Wang Yanji looked at her husband in a daze. “This… is this all true…?”

“That’s right,” Lou Ben smiled sadly. “It’s all true.”

“Why did you do such a thing?” Wang Yanji shed tears. “Isn’t it that you can’t make achievements?”

“For the injustice of my father, for our future, and my own aspirations…” Lou Ben said. “At this point, I have no face to see you. You can go home from now on. You are still young, it isn’t too late to remarry.”

“Are you taking my life by saying such things now?!” Wang Yanji said hoarsely. “But don’t worry, I will naturally remarry and I will never waste my life for you!”

Lou Ben smiled at his wife and turned his head. “Zisheng knows that everyone hopes to be in a peaceful and prosperous era. I hate not being born decades earlier.”

“Emperor Li was tyrannical, and many powerful figures rose together,” Ling Buyi said. “If you could seize the opportunity at that time, you would surely overturn the world, guide the country, and create a great cause.”

Lou Ben arched his hand and gave a smile. “Zisheng said it well. I would like to express my gratitude to you for being a confidant.”

“I know your aspirations in my heart,” Ling Buyi said. “However, gradually accumulating official ranks and becoming the backbone of the country is also a path to success.”

Shaoshang originally intended to say that her third uncle started as a county minister and was promoted to county magistrate only this year, which was quite good.

“I was born with this kind of temperament. I can’t be inferior to others,” Lou Ben smiled arrogantly. “If I were to start as a minor official, I would spend my ambitions in insincere flattery, in painless maneuvering. I would rather not step into the court.”

Shaoshang thought that Third Uncle was just shot in the cellar. Turns out the county magistrate was also considered a petty official.

“So, you slaughtered Yan Zhong as a stepping stone to advancing your career!” Ling Buyi’s tone gradually became stern.

“Marquis Cui is cautious,” Lou Ben shook his head. “Military and national affairs don’t allow me to point the blame at you with my bare body. I ran around to advise Marquis Cui. Who can listen to me, who can obey me? I must rely on some means to convince people.”

Grand Servant Lou tearfully tugged at his nephew’s sleeve. “Ziwei, why did you have to do this? Our Lou family is not unknown. If you take your time…”

“Uncle, don’t put on airs,” Lou Ben interrupted with a sneer. “Everyone says that Grand Servant Lou is honest and upright, but all of us in our family know your little tricks.”

Grand Servant Lou choked.

“Speaking of which, I also want to thank you, Zisheng. A few years ago, you recommended me in front of the Eastern Palace,” Lou Ben continued to speak to Ling Buyi. “I once heard Zisheng say to the Crown Prince, ‘Lou Ziwei is a talented strategist and political director. It’s a pity to leave him in the Analects Office to take notes and copy sentences. He should be given a chance to show his skills.’”

“I only saw your talent,” Ling Buyi whispered, “I didn’t see your character.”

“Although I have never had a deep conversation with you. I already regarded you as a confidant in my heart,” Lou Ben said.

Shaoshang thought to herself the last person he treated as a confidant had been killed. It wasn’t worth being his confidant.

“Unfortunately, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince didn’t listen to you. Do you know why?”

Shaoshang’s interest was piqued.

Lou Ben glanced at Grand Servant Lou and sneered. “Because of my good uncle, he humbly declined the Crown Prince’s recommendation, saying that I am still young and should still experience the world for a few more years before taking on the role.”

“It’s all my fault, isn’t it?” Grand Servant Lou sighed, a look of regret on his face. “I heard from your aunt…”

“Don’t push this onto Aunt, anymore.”

“As a man, everything can be pushed to a woman,” Lou Ben said coldly. “It’s also a shame that you can do it! If you want to recommend me to the court as an official, Aunt can still eat you! You secretly hope your son will rise to fame. Unfortunately, several of my cousins are all fools.  When you argued with your father, you were afraid that I would make a mistake and suppress your sons in the future. You’ve been blocking my future, haven’t you?!?

Grand Servant Lou’s face turned red as he was scolded. “You, why are you spewing blood” he stuttered.

Lou Ben ignored him and slowly walked to the window where a long sword adorned with gemstones and jade hung by the wall.

He sighed deeply. “Over the years, I have traveled to all corners of the world, but His Majesty only praises my literary talent and knowledge. He didn’t know that my ambition was to play chess by combining mountains and rivers with the stars. The Crown Prince obeys my uncle’s orders. I have no way forward but there are pursuers behind me. Seeing Master Yuan already finding his place in Shangshu Terrace at twenty-one years old, but I don’t have a place to stand…

“Eagles cannot fly under low eaves, nor can Kunpeng swim in shallow pools. I have been focused on entering the center of control since childhood, I didn’t want to fall to this point. This is also fate…” He turned around and smiled slightly at his wife. “A’Yan, it seems like I can’t accompany you to the East China Sea to visit Penglai…”
[Kunpeg is a mythological beast, it is a large bird that is transformed from a giant fish. Penglai is one of the three fabled islands in the Eastern Sea where immortals live.]

Warning alarms trembled in Ling Buyi’s head and he sternly exclaimed, “Don’t move!”

In the blink of an eye, Lou Ben had already pulled out his long sword from the wall and swiped it across his neck.

Grand Servant Lou and Second Madam Lou let out screams, Wang Yanji rushed forward like a mad woman. She saw her husband’s throat was already bleeding, he suffocated and died.

…

Three days later, the Emperor imprisoned Peng Nian and his followers, intending to wait for a good day to execute them in the future. He also rewarded people for their contributions to the Shouchun War. Because Uncle Cui arranged it well, except for a few impressive young heroes, the rest were distributed according to the severity of injury, and almost everyone was satisfied. Even Young Marquis Ban, who only did the paperwork, was rewarded and ranked.

Except for the Lou family.

Lou Ziwei, who had made the greatest contribution to the war, suddenly committed suicide. At the same time, the Emperor exiled Magistrate Lou and several of his sons for thousands of miles and dismissed all official positions of the Lou family. He ordered Eldest Uncle Lou to immediately return to his hometown with his whole family so he could reflect in seclusion.

Although the crime was not publicly announced, many of the old officials in court already knew of it.

The only exception was Lou Yao.

It was said that the day before the Emperor was about to convict the Lou family, several former comrades of General He suddenly requested an audience with the Emperor to at least open up for the sake of the He family’s loneliness.

The Emperor was a nostalgic person, and Lou Yao did not know of his brother’s wrongdoing. If Lou Yao wasn’t pardoned, would He Zhaojun remarry or go into exile and hardship together? And who will the He family’s children find to provide for and care for in the future?

After gnashing his teeth and hesitating for a long time, the Emperor finally raised his finger to Lou Yao. Not only did he not allow him to be exiled, but he also found a small place for him to be a county magistrate, and the rest of the He family could accompany him.

The day was windless and snowless, making it a rare sunny day in the dead of winter.

Shaoshang, as usual, was ordered by the Empress to deliver a memorial to the Emperor (the Empress had written a report for him) and was then pulled by Ling Buyi to stand under the corridor in the sun. Soon after, Yuan Shen also came over. She didn’t know who started it, but the three of them couldn’t stop talking about Lou Ben.

“It’s a pity for Brother Ziwei. In terms of talent alone, no one in the sect could surpass him,” Yuan Shen sighed. “I had a momentary thought and it’s impossible to recover. Now that the whole family has been punished, Madam also returned to her mother’s residence. I really don’t know why she came.”

“It’s no more than that. We have seen through his carefully planned scheme in just a few days,” Shaoshang mocked.

Ling Buyi raised his eyes and looked at her. “You also saw through it?”

Shaoshang gave him a blank look.

“If it weren’t for Prefect Wan’s accident, Lou Ziwei’s plan would have been successful,” Yuan Shen said.

“It’s called the net of heaven is wide open!’” Shaoshang said. “Everything has a bottom line and Lou Ziwei crossed that line!”

“So, Mistress Cheng is as cynical as she is hateful,” Ling Buyi said.

Shaoshang gave him another blank glance.

“Who doesn’t like fame and fortune, but gentlemen love wealth and have a way to do so!” Shaoshang exclaimed indignantly. “What eagle? What Kunpeng? Who doesn’t want to soar to the sky in one fell swoop, but he can’t become a wealthy person in just one bite? He has to take it step-by-step. The sun, moon, and stars have to revolve around him. Does he have to be ranked among the three nobles? It’s not that easy. Is His Majesty his biological father? Oh, the biological father is useless. Can we kill innocent people indiscriminately if we don’t follow his instructions? Ha, don’t make me laugh. This excuse isn’t novel or sophisticated at all! Just like Young Master Yuan, is the status of the Yuan family that much worse than that of the Lou family? Young Master Yuan started his career as a scholar at the age of fifteen and was honest and steadfast, taking one step at a time. Now, he’s favored by His Majesty and selected as a scholar in the Imperial Secretariat, able to participate in important national affairs. These aren’t just things that have fallen from the sky!”

Listening to the girl’s strong praise, Yuan Shen saw Ling Buyi’s expression as if someone had stabbed him. He couldn’t help but smile, avoiding his gaze and chuckling happily.

“Oh, by the way.” Shaoshang finished expressing her feelings and turned her head. “Young Master Yuan, didn’t you mention last time that you were in a five-to-three relationship? How is that going?”
[I think this is about the Three Bonds and Five Relationships in Confucianism.]

Yuan Shen’s laughter abruptly stopped, as if he had been choked. Now it was Ling Buyi’s turn to burst out in equally joyful laughter.

“Lady Shaoshang, you don’t have to worry about it. It’s already three or two!” Yuan Shen’s face stiffened and he shook his long sleeves before he left with a sigh.

Shaoshang shouted out to Yuan Shen’s back. “Master Shanjian, put in more effort! Next time, you’ll have to choose between two. You can hold an engagement banquet!”

Yuan Shen stumbled and then continued walking forward as if nothing happened.

Seeing that no one else was in the corridor, Shaoshang quickly tugged at Ling Buyi’s collar. “Don’t laugh, don’t laugh now. This is the place where the Emperor discusses matters. You laugh so loudly, be careful not to be accused by the Imperial Censor for not acting properly!”

Ling Buyi easily stopped laughing, his shoulders still shaking.

“Because I have been speaking ill of Yuan Shen, that’s why you’re still polite to him while A’Yao is the opposite, right?” Shaoshang said.

“I haven’t settled accounts with you yet,” Ling Buyi glared at her. “You should come and question me first. Where did you go a few days ago, did you go find He Zhaojun?”

Shaoshang stretched out on the railing with a sigh. “I didn’t think the Lou family could be saved at the time. Even the lightest exile would cost lives, but A’Yao is really innocent. I couldn’t just turn a blind eye, could I? So, I went to find He Zhaojun.”

“I wondered why they approached His Majesty so promptly,” Ling Buyi said. “It turned out to be because of you.”

“There’s nothing we can do,” Shaoshang shrugged helplessly. “The old uncles of the He family are not always in the Capital. His Majesty was in a state of anger at the time, and it would be too late for him to issue a punishment edict. I had to ask He Zhaojun to bring the old uncles over from nearby counties in advance and plead with His Majesty as soon as possible.”

“You were still pretending to be skeptical at the time,” Ling Buyi sneered. “Who knew you would turn around and ask He Zhaojun to bring in reinforcements, you little two-faced rascal!”

Shaoshang thought about his words for a moment. “I was indeed skeptical at the time. How could I convict someone without evidence? You didn’t tell me about Lou Ben’s letters at the time. However,” she sighed, “I was thinking that I should believe you. You rarely do things with uncertainty.”

Ling Buyi snorted lightly and turned his head. The corners of his mouth curved slightly.

“In a few days, I will go see off A’Yao and He Zhaojun. In order to avoid you showing me your face again, it’s better to make some things clear right now.” Shaoshang walked around to Ling Buyi and looked directly at him.

“Third Brother said that the reason you hold a grudge against A’Yao is because if I didn’t care about the Emperor’s orders and only let me choose between you and A’Yao, I would choose A’Yao… I… I think he’s right.”

Ling Buyi became furious and turned his head to leave, but the girl pulled on his sleeve tightly. “That was before!” she shouted.

Ling Buyi stopped moving but didn’t turn around.

“Before, I didn’t know you very well. You were like this big tiger with scary eyes and sharp teeth, trying to eat people. You were so vicious all day long and A’Yao was honest and obedient. He would listen to whatever I said, of course, I would choose him!” Shaoshang whispered.

Ling Buyi snorted from his nose, turning around. “And now?”

“Now?” Shaoshang quickly said. “Is that even worth talking about? If I were to put you and A’Yao on the dining table together, even if A’Yao was already roasted with oil and delicious food and you were a raw piece of meat, I would only pounce on you!” She couldn’t help but use the words of her godly brother.

Ling Buyi couldn’t help but laugh. He gently rubbed the girl’s forehead. “Use your best words to try and coax me!” He felt joy in his heart, his eyes were shining brightly like stars in a clear night sky.

Shaoshang touched him for a while, then her fingers touched the strange iron wires on his wrist. “What is this?” she asked. “It’s not rope, not a silk thread. What are you doing by wrapping it around your wrist?”

Ling Buyi suddenly pushed her away and stood with his back straight, his handsome face going red. After a while, he muttered to himself, “You probably never knew, but I’ve been thinking about you all along.”

…

Marry him. Right now. Screw waiting until March! In case you don’t get it (or forgot), Shaoshang and Shaogong are named after strings on the qin. Ling Buyi has a shaoshang wrapped around his wrist to constantly remind him of her.

Next Chapter: Meritorious service is not the only way to achieve glory, wealth, prosperity and rank