Сhаpter 319: Тhе Firе Моth Party 51
Мо Qianzhi stoоd for a mоmеnt, but thеrе wаs nо movemеnt inside, nor did anyone соme оut. Onlу thеn did hе turn аnd leаvе.
Rеturning tо his tеnt, he triеd to lie down, but his mind wаs rеstless. Тhe thought of Lаi Luofu saуing "there is nо аntidоtе" lеft him fееling stifled. Clоsing his еyеs, his mind wаs fillеd with Shen Shijiе’s pаlе facе.
Shеn Du was gоing to die. Who wоuld be next?
Тurning оvеr in the dаrkness, where nоt еvеn a glimmеr оf light соuld bе sеen, Мо Qianzhi stаred intо the pitсh-blaсk vоid, hеaring оnlу thе bеating of his own hеart, pounding relentlеssly, keeрing him from sleеp.
Аn оverwhеlming sense of loneliness swept over him, and the deep-seated solitude in his heart could not be dispelled.
That day, his wife and child had jumped from the walls of Yingzhou City, which he had managed for over a decade. Those walls, built with his own hands to defend against foreign enemies, were made of bricks and stones cemented with glutinous rice and lime, unbreakable.
His wife was just an ordinary woman of the inner chambers, devoted to supporting her husband and raising their children. Even before jumping, her only thought was not to become a burden to him.
She had said, "Do what you want to do." He asked himself, what exactly was it that he wanted to do?
He had not lost his mind, nor had he been deceived by Chen Huo'e of the Fire Moth Party. What he was plotting was a monumental undertaking—to overthrow the Great Zhou and establish a new world.
Why overthrow it? Because this woman had ascended to the throne through unscrupulous means. That alone might have been tolerable, for since ancient times, emperors had been ruthless, their power hard-won. The problem was that even if she wanted to eliminate dissidents, she should not have employed a petty person like Lai Luozhi.
Back when he had studied statecraft under Shen Shijie, Lai Luozhi had been committing all sorts of vile deeds among the lowest of society. Even after being imprisoned by the Tongguan County authorities, he had used his silver tongue to falsely accuse fellow inmates, deceiving others to secure benefits for himself.
Such a person was despised even by dogs and cats, utterly without principles. Yet the Empress had taken a liking to him, establishing the Judicial Affairs Bureau specifically to house Lai Luozhi and granting him the rank of First-Class Junior Minister. His duty was to denounce officials suspected of disloyalty throughout the court. Once captured and brought to the Judicial Affairs Bureau, they were subjected to all manner of extreme tortures, with countless dying before they could even defend themselves.
Death was one thing—a true man might die for his convictions. But to die at the hands of such a despicable, petty person was utterly worthless.
Just like Shen Shijie—his death was too worthless, tarnished by infamy and serving as a stepping stone for Lai Luozhi’s rise. It was not worth it.
Since the Empress trusted such a person, what reason was there to remain loyal to her?
He, Mo Qianzhi, would be the first to rebel, to resist to the end, never living in cowardice.
Shen Du said he had been bewitched, but no—he had not lost his mind. He had always held himself firmly in his own hands. If his will had been so weak, he would have chosen sides long ago, stepping forward to give false testimony for his teacher to escape punishment and gain rank and titles, like some of his teacher’s other students.
But he had not. Once a teacher, always a teacher. Even now, in his heart, Shen Shijie remained his only true mentor.
Yet, was his persistence truly right?
The plan to overthrow the Great Zhou had made no progress so far.
The entire Fire Moth Party was filled with a strange atmosphere, and that Chen Huo'e was utterly perplexing.
And now Shen Du was about to die. No one would stand in the way of his cause anymore.
Recalling the events he had experienced over this period, Mo Qianzhi felt that tonight, some matters had to be brought to a conclusion.
Otherwise, there might be no more opportunities.
Changing into his night attire, he strapped on his sword and dagger. After taking a few steps, he turned back and casually grabbed some knockout powder.Yingzhou City was built by his own hands, from desolation to its current prosperity; he knew every corner of it like the back of his hand.
Thus, defenses that seemed impregnable to others were as easy for him to traverse as coming and going at will.
It was laughable to think that Yingzhou City, which he had established, now required Shen Du to guard it, while he had become the one barred from entering.
Shen Du, do you know that if I wanted to storm the city, it would be effortless? It’s just, just… do you understand?
Shen Du’s residence had not changed locations. Crossing the corridor and evading the patrols, he easily arrived at Shen Du’s door. Pressing close to the window frame, he peered inside.
Inside the room, Zhu Yan had just finished organizing the medicine prescribed by the physician. Looking around and finding nothing more to busy herself with, a trace of loneliness flickered in her eyes. She pulled out a silk handkerchief, wiped her hands clean, and sat down by the bed, silently gazing at Shen Du, who remained unconscious.
Before long, only a soft sigh from Zhu Yan could be heard in the room. She reached out and gently touched his face, but there was no response.
As if unwilling to give up, she slipped her hand under the brocade quilt, took Shen Du’s hand out from under the covers, and gently pressed it against her own face, feeling his warmth.
After days without food, Shen Du’s complexion was haggard, his cheeks sunken. His fan-like eyelashes concealed his deep, pool-like black eyes, and she could no longer see his intimidating, sinister, or mocking gaze.
After a long while, she reluctantly placed his hand back down and covered him again with the brocade quilt.
“When will you wake up?” she murmured to herself, her eyes somewhat vacant.
She was deeply afraid and felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness. Only now did she realize that from the day of their wedding, she had always been under Shen Du’s protection. He was so strong, providing her with all the support she needed, allowing her to investigate cases freely and come and go as she pleased.
“You’ve always protected me. Now it’s my turn to protect you.”
Zhu Yan stared blankly at Shen Du, calculating in her mind how long it would take Pan Chi to travel to and from the Western Regions, and how many days it would take to arrive.
When she became aware of rustling sounds behind her, before she could turn around, the person was already close to her back.
Instinctively, she reached for the dagger in her sleeve, but a handkerchief covered her mouth and nose—it was knockout powder, the substance she had most frequently identified during autopsies.
“Shen…” Du.
Zhu Yan lost consciousness and collapsed by the bedside.
Mo Qianzhi withdrew his hand, tossed the handkerchief aside, and walked around from behind Zhu Yan to see the unconscious Shen Du.
So Chen Huo'e had not lied—Shen Du really was on the verge of death, his life visibly fading away bit by bit.
Unintentionally, Chen Huo'e had made the choice for him: to kill Shen Du, leaving him with no way out.
Suddenly, Mo Qianzhi stumbled backward several steps, nearly tripping over the footrest of the bed, his tongue tied in shock:
“You…”
To his astonishment, Shen Du had opened his eyes. In the depths of his gaze, which were difficult to read, a layer of icy frost had formed, much like the autumn weather.
Shen Du first glanced at Zhu Yan to ensure she was unharmed, then turned his gaze to Mo Qianzhi.
Mo Qianzhi pursed his lips, swallowed hard, and remained silent.
After a long while, Shen Du reached out and gently stroked Zhu Yan’s face, his heart aching as he pulled the brocade quilt over her, as if oblivious to the presence of another person in the room.
Mo Qianzhi could wait no longer and broke the silence himself: “I wondered why there were no hidden guards outside the residence of the esteemed Great Pavilion Commander of the Inner Guard.”
But Shen Du only looked at Zhu Yan, his eyes overflowing with tenderness, as if wanting to envelop her completely.
“You must have noticed my presence outside the room from the moment I arrived. Though you’ve been poisoned, your senses haven’t failed you—they’re sharper than most.”Observing the scene before him, Mo Qianzhi was somewhat puzzled.
"Could it be that you weren't actually poisoned?"
Was it all an act to lure him here?
The emptiness in Mo Qianzhi's heart grew larger and larger, cold winds rushing in, causing a sharp ache.
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