Chapter 58

“It’s still usable!” Shen Qing snapped.
Li Daoxuan released it. “Suit yourself.”
Shen Qing froze. Li Daoxuan shot her a questioning look.
“Wait! I’ve got it!”
She turned toward Liu Siyuan, who was being led inside by the guard, and spoke softly. “May I ask, Your Highness, if a woman is unwanted by her parents, and even her foster mother refuses to let her receive clients, why would that be?”
Li Daoxuan began, “How would I” but Shen Qing raised the paper in her hand and scribbled a few careless strokes. When she flipped it over, it was a clean sheet again.
Instantly inspired, Li Daoxuan’s lips curved faintly. He had clearly arrived at the same conclusion. The two of them turned toward Liu Siyuan in unison.
“Because she bears a physical defect, something the world finds taboo.”
That alone explained why Ah Chou, despite her striking beauty, was avoided by Madam Xing and banished to the rarely visited back courtyard.
If the defect weren’t something others deeply feared, how could Liu Siyuan have been so ruthless as to send his own daughter into a brothel?
Shen Qing felt her mind snap open, her heart pounding. The mystery that had plagued her across two lifetimes was finally close to unraveling. What mattered now was learning where Ah Chou’s body had gone, from Liu Siyuan’s mouth.
She could barely suppress her excitement.
“Minister Liu,” Li Daoxuan said calmly, beginning the interrogation, “there is something I wish to ask.”
Liu Siyuan forced composure. “Your Highness, please.”
“There was once a servant girl named Ah Chou who died at Yuanchun House. May I ask, what relationship did you have with this deceased?”
“Reporting to Your Highness, this humble official does not know anyone by that name.”
Shen Qing interjected, “Minister Liu, this concerns your daughter’s life. If you don’t wish for her to lose her life, perhaps you should think more carefully before answering?”
Liu Siyuan raised his gaze toward Shen Qing, who stood openly beside Li Daoxuan, frowning slightly. “My daughter was treated by Miss Shen of the Mysterious Pavilion and is already close to recovery. How is her life in danger, as this young sir claims?”
Shen Qing smiled faintly and gave a junior’s bow. “This one forgot to introduce herself. Shen Qing of the Shen family. Greetings, Minister Liu.”
A flash of surprise crossed Liu Siyuan’s eyes.
“I imagine Madam Liu hasn’t yet told you,” Shen Qing continued, “that she handed over an item belonging to Liu Wanxiu’s elder sister.”
The muscles in Liu Siyuan’s face twitched uncontrollably. His wife truly hadn’t told him. What he didn’t know was that she had already exposed them, completely unaware.
After sending Shen Qing away, Madam Liu had been filled with worry, yet she hadn’t mentioned Shen Qing’s request for her daughter’s elder sister’s belongings. She had only said Shen Qing was already devising a way to save their daughter, and that recovery was imminent. Liu Siyuan had believed her.
Shen Qing then drew a jade ornament from her sleeve, a carp-shaped jade pendant. The koi was plump and rounded, small and exquisite, no larger than half a woman’s palm. Time had dulled its sheen, and there was a small chip at the tail.
The moment Liu Siyuan saw it, even his hands began to tremble.
“I trust Minister Liu recognizes this. Madam Liu sent it.”
This jade pendant had been sent earlier by Madam Liu, frantic over her daughter. The moment Shen Qing received it, she had Li Daoxuan summon Liu Siyuan back.
Using Liu Wanxiu’s life as leverage, Shen Qing had deceived Madam Liu into producing an item belonging to her so-called “elder sister,” claiming it was necessary to summon the soul and save her daughter.
She hadn’t underestimated a mother’s love. In less than a day, Madam Liu had found the pendant and sent it over.
Along with the Red Carp Jade came Madam Liu’s words: “Time does not wait for us. It is only because I have grown old that I have forgotten many things. Wan’er did once have a close elder sister in childhood, a cousin from the main family. I now present an item left behind by that cousin, and ask Miss Shen to take a look.”
The more she explained, the more it sounded like concealment. It only confirmed to Shen Qing that Madam Liu clearly knew of the elder sister’s existence.
Shen Qing asked, “Since she was your own daughter, Minister Liu, why did you send her into a place of debauchery? Not only that, you deceived everyone, hiding the fact that you had another daughter.”
Liu Siyuan erupted in anger. “I do not know what Miss Shen is talking about! And how could I ever send my own flesh and blood into such a place?! Only beasts would do such a thing!” His words rang with righteous indignation.
Seeing his fury, Shen Qing hesitated. She leaned toward Li Daoxuan and whispered, “Could it be that you’re wrong? That Ah Chou really was Liu Siyuan’s illegitimate daughter, but it wasn’t him who sent her there. It was his wife?”
If Madam Liu had discovered his illegitimate child, sending her to Yuanchun House in a fit of rage wasn’t impossible.
Yet Shen Qing dismissed the thought almost immediately. With Liu Siyuan’s means, protecting one person wouldn’t have been difficult at all.
Li Daoxuan shook his head. “Never jump to conclusions before the truth comes out.”
Taught a lesson, Shen Qing pouted. “You’re the one who knows everything.”
Liu Siyuan, old as he was, had a mouth as hard as black iron. No matter how they probed, he stubbornly denied ever knowing Ah Chou.
Patience had its limits. At last, Li Daoxuan’s face darkened. “If you won’t speak now, then go keep that foster mother company.”
“Men, take Liu Siyuan away. He will be released only when he decides to talk.”
Liu Siyuan turned pale with shock. “I am an official personally appointed by His Majesty! Under heaven and across the land, does Your Highness truly believe you can act like this and still claim to uphold the law?!”
“The law?” Li Daoxuan toyed with a bronze command token, the words Jinwu Guard engraved clearly upon it. A scornful smile flickered in his eyes. “Within the imperial city, I am the law.”
“J–Jinwu Guard…” Liu Siyuan jerked his head up, staring at Li Daoxuan in disbelief. “Impossible…”
The former commander of the Jinwu Guard had died in the line of duty, leaving the post vacant. Everyone had coveted the position, yet the Emperor had made no move, and none dared act rashly. And yet today, the Fourth Prince held the Jinwu Guard token, did that not mean His Majesty had appointed him long ago?
No wonder the Fourth Prince dared seize people openly today.
“What’s impossible about it?” Li Daoxuan said coolly. “Liu Siyuan, Grand Judge of the Court of Judicial Review, bears blood on his hands and has violated the laws of the Li dynasty. Today, in the name of destabilizing the court, I arrest you. Do you admit your guilt?”
Wrongly saddled with a monstrous charge, Liu Siyuan’s eyes split with fury as he knelt. “I do not admit it! Even if I had killed someone, it would require an imperial decree from the Censorate and Ministry of Justice. Your Highness cannot abuse your authority simply because you command the Jinwu Guard!”
Li Daoxuan replied lightly, “Whether right or wrong is not for you to decide. Minister Liu should instead consider how to explain the matter of Yuanchun House’s account books to His Majesty.”
Liu Siyuan froze completely, lips moving soundlessly, unable to utter a single word.
How did he know?
“Take him away.”
As he was being dragged off, Shen Qing stopped him.
“May I ask, Minister Liu, if Liu Wanxiu were born with a disability, would you abandon her?”
“No!” Liu Siyuan answered firmly.
“And if,” Shen Qing pressed, “she bore something upon her body that was considered cursed?”
Liu Siyuan trembled. “No! Impossible!”
His tone was still resolute, yet Shen Qing clearly caught the fleeting hesitation beneath it.
Her heart cleared a little more.
After Liu Siyuan was taken away, Shen Qing couldn’t help her curiosity about the account books. She asked, “Can you really tell who’s colluding with whom just from a single ledger?”
“That’s not something you should concern yourself with,” Li Daoxuan replied. The matter of Yuanchun House’s accounts was another case entirely, tangled and dangerous, likely involving others as well. The less Shen Qing knew, the safer she would be.
She didn’t catch his unspoken warning. To her, it sounded like he had suddenly turned cold. Annoyed, she decided out of sight was out of mind and turned to leave.
Li Daoxuan grabbed her. “Where are you going?”
Shen Qing answered sarcastically, “Personal business. I shouldn’t have meddled in the first place. Your Highness can continue handling your affairs, I have mine. You’an takes her leave.”
“The Bai Shuisha may return at any moment. You shouldn’t wander off. Stay by my side, or if something happens, I won’t take responsibility,” Li Daoxuan warned.
Shen Qing turned her back to him, rolled her eyes, and grew even more irritated. “Got it.” He was just afraid she’d die and ruin the Glass Heart, that was all.
Li Daoxuan thought she would obediently stay.
Instead, Shen Qing shook him off and ran, vanishing without a trace in moments.
He pressed his lips together in displeasure, the air around him sinking into a low, oppressive calm.
One of his subordinates, keenly perceptive, leaned in and suggested, “Shall I send men to protect Miss Shen?”
Li Daoxuan said coldly, “Those who want her dead aren’t just humans, there are demons as well. Sending them would only be sending them to their deaths.” What was more, she wasn’t without protection at her side.
From the moment they first met, those few presences around Shen Qing had never once loosened their hold. Would Shen Qing really fear assassination?
The subordinate swallowed his words and fell silent.
Yet moments later, another order came down. “Follow her. Report her movements at all times.”
“Yes,” the subordinate replied, turning to leave.
After leaving Yuanchun House, Shen Qing did not depart in haste. Instead, she went to the adjoining guesthouse.
Li Daoxuan’s people worked swiftly. The unconscious Liu Wanxiu and Madam Liu had both been settled in rooms there. Following the waiter’s guidance upstairs, Shen Qing unexpectedly caught sight of a familiar face.
That person froze when he saw her, surprise filling his handsome features. “Miss Shen! What are you doing here?”
Shen Qing was equally surprised. Gu Yun, who should have been at Dongshan Temple, had appeared in this small guesthouse. She gathered her sleeves and bowed. “Young Lord Gu.”
Gu Yun instantly flustered. He reached out to help her up, then awkwardly withdrew his hand halfway, mindful of propriety. Scratching his head, he said, “Miss Shen, you’re too polite. We’re practically family already, you really don’t need to stand on ceremony.”
Shen Qing found his words baffling at first, but then recalled that Gu Yun was the Emperor’s nephew and thus a blood relative of Li Daoxuan, a cousin by lineage. In that sense, they were indeed family.
She smiled without warmth. “The Young Lord speaks truly.”
“There are no outsiders here,” Gu Yun said. “You don’t need to be so formal. Just call me Gu Yun.”
“In that case,” Shen Qing replied, “you may call me Shen Qing.”
From their brief exchange, Shen Qing learned that Gu Yun had been specially summoned by Li Daoxuan to assist him.
When Li Daoxuan had forcefully moved Liu Wanxiu and Madam Liu from the Liu residence to the guesthouse, it had stirred up no small amount of gossip. Gu Yun himself had been startled at first, fearing that this troublesome ancestor was about to do something morally outrageous. Only later did he learn that both Madam Liu and her daughter were under mortal threat, and that keeping them under close watch was the safest course.
Yuanchun House was a place of debauchery; it would be inappropriate for the Liu mother and daughter, both of untainted reputation, to enter it. Thus, they were placed in the neighboring guesthouse, where they could still be guarded.
But Li Daoxuan needed to remain at Yuanchun House. To guard against any mishaps, he had called Gu Yun over to help watch over the Liu mother and daughter.
“I need to ask Madam Liu a few questions,” Shen Qing said. “Would that be convenient?”
“Of course,” Gu Yun replied. “Go right ahead.”
“Thank you.”
“Miss Shen went to the neighboring guesthouse, ran into the heir, and the two chatted quite pleasantly for a while. After that, Miss Shen entered Madam Liu’s room.”
As he reported, the subordinate deliberately emphasized the word “pleasantly.”
Li Daoxuan’s grip on his sword tightened, exactly as expected.
“Understood.”
“Your Highness,” the subordinate ventured carefully, “would you like to go… check on Miss Shen?”
Li Daoxuan tugged at the corner of his mouth and let out a soft scoff. “I’m not a dog. If I’m not welcome, why would I rush over just to embarrass myself?”
The subordinate shut his mouth.
The sword in Li Daoxuan’s hand began to tremble faintly. The red stone embedded in the hilt flickered like an eye, glowing dimly on and off.
Li Daoxuan lifted the sword and said, “Leave.”
With the command given, the room emptied at once.
“What are you trembling for now?” he said to the sword.
The mysterious sword seemed to understand him. The red stone flashed more rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, a thumb-thin black snake wriggled out from the eye-like gem.
Qiuren flicked its tongue, blinking its snake eyes in obvious dissatisfaction.
“I didn’t hurt you. What are you getting worked up about?”
Qiuren’s body visibly expanded, swelling until it was as thick as a grown man’s arm. Only then did it twist its head, slip out from beneath Li Daoxuan’s palm, and dart toward the window.
A large hand pressed down on its head. The so-called “dog owner” pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, staring at this traitorous “dog,” and couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.