Li Fuxiang listened to her words, sensing there was more to them, but couldn’t immediately figure it out. Just as he was about to ask further, a Jinyiwei guard suddenly appeared beyond the screen, as elusive as ever: “Your Highness Prince Xiang, it’s time.”
Li Fuxiang asked, “Time for what?”
The Jinyiwei replied, “We’ve reached the street corner.”
Li Fuxiang let out a hum, lifted the teacup in his hand, and extended it out the window.
On the quiet street outside the residence of the influential official, the sound of the cup shattering was crisp and resonant.
Gao Yuexing’s eyes didn’t blink. She glanced first at Li Fuxiang and then at the scene outside, afraid she might miss something.
Half a cup of tea later, a commotion erupted inside the Chen residence.
From somewhere on the street came a deafening clang of a gong. It was just one strike, then silence again. The source of the sound was untraceable.
The good show was about to begin.
Gao Yuexing propped up the bamboo curtain at the window, and she and Li Fuxiang both looked outside.
The waiter came upstairs to refill their tea.
Sipping her tea, Gao Yuexing saw Gao Jing and Chen Jingchen’s carriages approaching from the east end of the street, Gao Jing in the lead and Chen Jingchen following behind. The gates of the Chen residence were violently kicked open, and the sounds of clashing weapons rang out, carrying far into the distance.
Chen Jingchen poked his head out of the carriage, still unaware of what was happening at his home. However, guilt and unease gnawed at him. He clenched his fists, filled with anxiety, yet Gao Jing’s carriage leisurely ambled along in front, blocking the way. Chen Jingchen was scratching at his heart with impatience. When they reached the gate, he couldn’t wait and leaped out of the carriage, stumbling awkwardly before barely managing to steady himself by holding up the hem of his robe.
The timing was perfect.
Almost simultaneously, from inside the Chen residence, a woman stepped out, holding a knife and treading through blood, crossing the threshold.
It must have been Lady Jiang, the concubine of the Chen family.
Lady Jiang’s attire subverted Gao Yuexing’s impression of alluring concubines and beautiful mistresses. Her appearance was unremarkable, devoid of makeup, her face bare, and she wore no silks or satins—just a plain yellowish-green cotton and linen dress. Her hair was simply tied in a bun, adorned with only two thorn hairpins, without any other decoration.
For Chen Jingchen to have taken such a woman into his household as a concubine, it was either true love or due to some unspeakable reason.
Gao Yuexing felt she might have been overthinking it and refocused her attention.
At that moment, Lady Jiang confronted the returning Chen Jingchen. Raising her knife, she pointed it at him and cursed, “Chen Jingchen, you deceitful scoundrel!”
Chen Jingchen waved his hands, his face full of confusion, his mouth agape in disbelief.
Lady Jiang advanced step by step, pressing him, “You wretch! I sympathized with your predicament and was willing to turn myself in to clear any association with your Chen family and flee the capital. But you refused! You said you had a solution that would benefit both sides. Was your solution to silence me for good, to turn me into a corpse that would never have the chance to speak out against you?”
Chen Jingchen, flustered, slapped his thigh in frustration, exclaiming, “What nonsense are you spouting? Where is this coming from?”
Suddenly, Gao Yuexing had an epiphany. Tugging at Li Fuxiang’s sleeve, she whispered, “Did you have the Jinyiwei do this?”
Li Fuxiang replied cheerfully, “Of course.”
Gao Yuexing felt her question had been unnecessary. To pull off such a bold disruption at the Chen residence, only the Jinyiwei could do it—and only they would dare.
The Jinyiwei were notorious for their heavy-handed methods in handling cases. If they had evidence, they would arrest directly; if they had none, they would find ways to fabricate it.
The unfortunate Chen Jingchen and Lady Jiang had clearly fallen into their trap.
The Jinyiwei, disguised as assassins dressed in black, charged out of the Chen residence, unleashing lethal moves at Lady Jiang without the slightest mercy, as if determined to kill her on the spot.
Gao Yuexing found the scene dazzling and chaotic.
Lady Jiang, trapped in the encirclement, could hardly match the strength and stamina of these men. Chen Jingchen shouted himself hoarse in desperation:
“Stop—!”
No sooner had his voice fallen than the Jinyiwei assassins halted their attacks. They clasped their hands in salute to Chen Jingchen, took a few steps back, and retreated into the Chen residence.
Chen Jingchen stood frozen, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Lady Jiang sneered coldly, “You scoundrel, do you still dare to argue?”
Chen Jingchen stammered, “I…”
From the upper floor, Li Fuxiang chuckled lightly and leaned close to Gao Yuexing’s ear, whispering, “The officials Prince Wen can bribe in the capital are all fools. Can you guess why?”
The tingling sensation at Gao Yuexing’s ear crept uncontrollably upward. She quickly moved a bit further away and replied, “Don’t make me guess. I can’t. If you want to say it, just say it; if not, then forget it.”
Li Fuxiang smiled and explained, “Because in times of peace, no intelligent person would follow him in rebellion… Why are you suddenly upset?”
Gao Yuexing averted her gaze, avoiding eye contact with him. “I’m not upset.”
Li Fuxiang asked, “Then why did you move away?”
As he spoke, he leaned closer again.
Gao Yuexing frowned and ordered, “Sit there and don’t move.”
Li Fuxiang asked, “Why?”
His expression was one of innocence, as though he had done something wrong. Gao Yuexing couldn’t bring herself to be harsh with him. After glancing around to ensure no one was watching, she swiftly leaned toward his ear. Her eyes fell on his pale, delicate skin and the faint blue veins extending from his neck to beneath his collar.
She exhaled gently toward that spot.
Li Fuxiang immediately recoiled, rolling onto the mat below. He curled into a ball uncontrollably, rubbing the back of his ear as he looked at Gao Yuexing in confusion.
Looking down at him, Gao Yuexing sighed inwardly and said, “Got it now? Don’t lean in so close when you talk. It’s uncomfortable.”
Li Fuxiang nodded vaguely, staying silent for a long while.
Gao Yuexing shifted her gaze back to the window.
Down below, no matter how Chen Jingchen and Lady Jiang tried, they couldn’t make themselves clear to one another.
Gao Jing, standing not far away, listened to their barking exchange. Once Lady Jiang’s anger had mostly subsided, he finally spoke, asserting his presence: “Ah, Lord Chen, this is quite the mess. Could it be that you’re involved in this case as well? Why don’t we move to the Dali Court and sort this out properly in court?”
Lady Jiang shot him a cold glance and retorted, “Take me to the Dali Court? Dream on!”
Gao Jing had only brought a handful of scattered soldiers with him. To an average onlooker, capturing a concubine shouldn’t have been too difficult—especially since Chen Jingchen had previously claimed that she had already been subdued.
Therefore, Lady Jiang had no fear at all. She raised her voice and shouted, “Lord Gao, you’re here to investigate Miss Chen’s case, right? I confess, I was the one who killed her. But the order came from Chen Jingchen. He instructed me to kill his own biological daughter. Hahaha…”
Chen Jingchen hurriedly explained, “Lord Gao, this madwoman’s words cannot be trusted! Even a tiger does not eat its cubs. How could I possibly harm my own daughter?”
Lady Jiang ignored his defense and said, “Lord Gao, let me tell you something else. Carefully check the correspondence in Chen Jingchen’s study over the years. Under the third floor tile below the desk, there’s a hidden compartment. You might find more surprises there—solving such a major case will be your achievement. Congratulations in advance on your promotion!”
As Lady Jiang spoke, she retreated to the base of the wall, gathered her energy, vaulted over it, and fled.
Gao Yuexing exclaimed anxiously, “She escaped?!”
Li Fuxiang replied calmly, “Let her run for now.”
He wasn’t worried at all. With Jinyiwei stationed outside, how could she possibly escape? However, for now, letting her run gave Gao Jing the perfect reason to shift the focus directly onto Chen Jingchen.
With such a commotion, the day drew to an end, and the fugitive’s escape conveniently stripped away Chen Jingchen’s facade, revealing his sinister true face.
Chen Jingchen forced a stiff smile and said, “Lord Gao…”
Gao Jing raised a hand slightly and said, “Lady Jiang just mentioned your study. What do you think…”
Chen Jingchen knew the situation was dire. He no longer bothered maintaining a veneer of respect and, with a wave of his sleeve, said, “Lord Gao, I am, after all, an official of the court, not one of your Dali Court criminals. You probably don’t have the authority to search my private residence.”
Gao Jing remained unflustered, his demeanor still refined. “Master Chen, please calm down. Lady Jiang’s words just now were ambiguous. I believe she was desperately grasping at straws and randomly accusing others. But these words cannot escape the Emperor’s notice. If His Majesty starts to harbor suspicions and investigates further, that would be another matter entirely.”
Chen Jingchen found himself at a stalemate with this soft-spoken yet persistent opponent, his expression turning increasingly grim.
Gao Jing reasoned patiently, “As long as Master Chen has a clear conscience, why fear Lady Jiang’s baseless accusations? Since we’re already here, why not let me take a look? That way, I can report the truth in my memorial.”
Chen Jingchen wanted to spit in his face.
Who didn’t know the saying, “A clear conscience fears no shadow”?
The problem was, his conscience wasn’t clear, and he had long sided with Prince Wen.
If he resolutely denied Gao Jing entry, he might buy time to destroy the incriminating letters.
However, if the Emperor grew suspicious because of this, it would be an even graver problem.
Standing outside the door, Chen Jingchen’s expression shifted unpredictably.
Under Gao Jing’s watchful gaze, he couldn’t make any moves. If only he had a trusted subordinate who could retrieve the incriminating letters at this critical moment…
As he turned back anxiously, he saw his youngest daughter crouching at the hanging flower gate, peeking at him.
Chen Jingchen’s heart lifted with hope. He signaled to his daughter with his eyes but spoke to Gao Jing, “Very well. Since that madwoman accuses me of hiding something incriminating in a hidden compartment under the third floor tile of my desk, I will take you there to investigate and prove my innocence.”
Miss Chen’s second daughter immediately understood and turned to dash toward the study.
Gao Yuexing and Li Fuxiang, seated on the second floor, couldn’t see what was happening inside the gate despite their clear view. Chen Jingchen’s desperate move was clumsy and obvious. Gao Yuexing frowned, “Who is he signaling to?”
Li Fuxiang replied, “Not sure. Doesn’t matter.”
Gao Yuexing turned to look at him. “Have the Jinyiwei already gone to investigate the study?”
Li Fuxiang, looking absent-minded as if lost in thought, responded perfunctorily, “Yes.”
He lounged lazily in his seat, a few strands of hair falling along his cheeks. Gao Yuexing couldn’t help but reach out to brush them aside. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked.
Li Fuxiang met her gaze and suddenly raised his hand, pointing to the area behind his ear. “Why do I feel that way?”
Gao Yuexing realized what he was implying and found herself momentarily speechless.
Li Fuxiang leaned closer to her and asked, “Blow on it again?”
Gao Yuexing immediately sensed trouble. Could it be that this dense blockhead had finally figured something out because of her actions today? She pressed a hand against his forehead, pushing him far away, and scolded, “Stop fooling around.”
But Li Fuxiang wouldn’t let it go, pestering her persistently. “Why not?”
His most sensitive spot was right there. Normally, he wouldn’t even allow her to touch it, let alone blow on it. But now, Li Fuxiang didn’t even seem to realize what was going on.
Gao Yuexing had a sudden idea. “Why don’t you go ask your father?”
Li Fuxiang frowned. “What?”
He instinctively felt that Gao Yuexing wasn’t giving him a serious suggestion.
But she argued confidently, “After all, there’s a difference between men and women. In most households, the inner quarters and the outer world are strictly separated. Daughters are raised and educated in the inner quarters by their mothers, while sons are guided by their fathers, who teach them how to study and navigate the outside world.” She poked a finger at his chest and continued, “If there’s something you can’t figure out, asking me probably won’t help much.”
Li Fuxiang was successfully led astray by her words. He nodded hesitantly, “You might have a point.”
Gao Yuexing took a sip of tea, hiding her face behind the cup. She couldn’t help but wonder how the Emperor would react if Li Fuxiang actually asked him about this after returning to the palace.