Yin Gеzhi, whо was piсking uр fооd bеside them, spоkе quietly, "Тhere аrе unсlеаn things in thе backуard. For the sake of Yоur Еxсellеnсу's hоusehоld реасe, it wоuld be best to trоublе Cоmmander Lian tо cleаn it up."
Lian Неng wаs knоwn аs thе mоst impartiаl аnd incоrruрtiblе figure in thе Wei Кingdоm, showing no fаvоr to аnyone аnd granting no onе sреciаl treatment. Не wаs selflеss аnd dеtеstеd еvil. Prеviоusly, whеn Feng Yuе heard hе was guаrding thе сity gаtеs, shе dаred not takе any risks, precisеly becаuse he wаs toо diffiсult to dеceive.
Yesterday, she had been thinking: the Grand Commandant was the one in charge of the nation's military power. Not to mention the capital's government offices, even the Grand Commandant's own office was under his influence. Even if there were issues in his courtyard, who would dare to investigate?
She never expected Yin Gezhi to invite Lian Heng.
When Lian Heng took action, he was worth two men! Just as Zhao Xu stared at Yin Gezhi in shock, this great commander had already kicked open the locked door to the backyard and ordered his men to dig up the soil with shovels.
"How dare you!" Zhao Xu roared as he snapped back to reality. Lifting the hem of his robe, he was about to confront Lian Heng, but as soon as he stepped out of the courtyard gate, he was hit by a nauseating stench of decay.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the Grand Commandant!" a quick-witted City Garrison soldier ran over and said, "Many female corpses have been discovered in the backyard. Three have already been unearthed, and the rest are still being excavated."
Staggering unsteadily, Zhao Xu collapsed to the ground, his lips trembling.
With the corpses already unearthed, there was nothing he could do to stop it now.
As the foul stench spread, Yin Gezhi set down his chopsticks, elegantly wiped his mouth, and turned to Feng Ming. "General Feng, such a major incident should be reported to His Majesty."
Feng Ming frowned. "I'm on leave."
But as soon as he said it, he realized it was inappropriate. He stood up, flicking his sleeves, and said solemnly, "Even on leave, I cannot hinder my determination to protect the imperial city! I shall take my leave first."
Feng Yue curtsied to Yin Gezhi and said quite naturally, "Then this servant will also take her leave."
A cold glint flashed in Yin Gezhi's eyes, his jaw tightening. He reached out and grabbed her skirt. "Where do you think you're going?"
Feng Yue turned her head and chuckled softly. "Your Highness, this servant is the general's maid. Since the general has left, what reason do I have to stay here?"
Was she not concerned about the follow-up to this case either? Yin Gezhi frowned, loosening his grip, and she respectfully followed Feng Ming out.
As she stepped out the door, Feng Ming glanced back, his head slightly lowered, his deep features outlined beautifully in the sunlight. The corner of his mouth lifted, leaving Yin Gezhi with a look that seemed both mocking and scornful.
I'm taking her with me.
Yin Gezhi glanced expressionlessly, sneered, and turned his head away.
Zhao Xu was confronting Lian Heng outside. When Feng Ming left, he politely chose not to disturb them, opting instead to climb over the wall.
The atmosphere in the Grand Commandant's Mansion was tense. As soon as Feng Yue left, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Have you accomplished what you wanted to do?" Feng Ming turned his head and asked her.
Feng Yue smiled. "I've completed the first step. Thank you, General. I'll handle the rest myself."
"Yue'er..."
"Stop!" Unable to hold back, Feng Yue frowned, raised her hand to cover his mouth, shivered, and looked at him strangely. "Why are you calling me that?"
Feng Ming raised an eyebrow. "I'm used to calling you Guan Qingyue, not some 'Feng Yue.' But I'm afraid calling you by the wrong name might cause trouble, so 'Yue'er' is best."
Yue'er, Yue'er. It's all the same anyway.
Feng Yue found this reason acceptable and nodded. "Alright then. At the intersection ahead, we'll go our separate ways. I'll return to the tenement, and you, General, will head to the palace."
"Fine, you go first.""Hmm." Turning to run toward the tenement courtyard, Feng Yue fled without looking back, so she couldn't see the person who remained standing in place, motionless, until she had vanished from sight before turning to head in another direction.
The three of them had somehow ended up dividing the work, but for some reason, after Feng Yue returned to the tenement courtyard and waited all day, there was no news at all from the Grand Commandant's Mansion.
Turning to look at Madam Qiu, Feng Yue asked with a strange expression, "Have you heard any rumors from outside?"
"Only that something happened at the Grand Commandant's Mansion, and many City Garrison troops rushed over. But as for what exactly happened, there's no news at all." Madam Qiu raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask? We've already made all the arrangements. No matter what happens inside, as long as the emperor goes to the Grand Commandant's Mansion again, our plan will succeed."
Feng Yue fell silent, then let out a laugh.
She had wanted to see whether Yin Gezhi would win or lose, but she never expected that this time, the ever-calculating First Prince would lose so miserably—and to his own father at that.
With such a major murder case occurring and Feng Ming having reported it to the emperor, if the emperor had acted impartially, the Grand Commandant's Mansion would have been in chaos by now. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The fact that no rumors had leaked out meant that even Yin Gezhi hadn't been able to escape.
Yin Gezhi entered the palace and knelt in the imperial study, calmly tilting his head to dodge the jade paperweight his father threw at him.
"Grand Commandant Zhao has served our Yin family for over ten years! How dare you investigate him without permission?!" Emperor Wen of Wei thundered in fury. "Chenbi, you've always been filial. How is it that after one trip to the Wu Kingdom, you've become a different person?!"
Slowly raising his head, Yin Gezhi stared at his father and said leisurely, "Until I went to the Wu Kingdom, the father I saw in my eyes was a wise ruler—one who respected the virtuous, distinguished right from wrong, and rewarded and punished appropriately. Because of this, I never even questioned whether there might be ulterior motives in your claim that General Guan had committed treason. I believed you wholeheartedly."
So when he heard the conversation between Yi Guoru and Feng Yue before Yi Guoru's death, no one knew how shocked he was. It was the first time he thought to examine his father's actions. What his father had taught him was indeed loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness—but what about his father's own actions?
He had thought it was the work of treacherous officials deceiving his father, so he returned to clear the Guan family's name and redeem his father's sins. But when he saw the Crown Prince's court robes on his second brother and the evasive look on his father's face, he suddenly realized that the one who had been deceived all along might have been him.
The last glimmer of hope was extinguished by Emperor Wen of Wei's edict: "Anyone who mentions the Guan family case again shall be executed." He had thought his father would listen, but his father not only refused to listen but grew angry out of shame. That meant...
His father had known all along that the Guan family was innocent. Even so, out of fear of Guan Canghai, he had ruthlessly sacrificed over a hundred innocent and loyal lives.
This version of his father felt both unfamiliar and bewildering to him. If the person who had taught him everything since childhood was wrong, then what about himself? Was he right or wrong?
The only thing he could understand clearly was that he had wronged Guan Canghai, wronged Guan Qingmu, wronged all the innocent members of the Guan family who had died, and most of all, wronged Guan Qingyue.
He had once mocked her, saying a prostitute was unworthy of armor, never realizing that the armor she once possessed had been shattered by his own hands.
Closing his eyes, Yin Gezhi let out a derisive laugh, his eyes glistening. He looked at his father and asked, "Father, are you truly worthy of my trust?"Emperor Wen of Wei was shaken, his expression shifting immediately.
Yin Chenbi was his first-born prince, the legitimate son left by his late empress, and naturally, he cherished him deeply.
But someone had once told his fortune, saying Yin Chenbi was "at odds with his father."
For this reason, Emperor Wen of Wei spared no effort in nurturing him. He cultivated their bond, raised him by his side, all to avoid this fate. How could his own son be at odds with him? Moreover, this prince was exceptionally gifted and destined for great achievements, making it even more imperative that he not defy him!
Yet, after more than twenty years, Yin Chenbi had been obedient for over two decades, only to ultimately fail to escape this fate.
Clutching his chest, Emperor Wen of Wei slammed the table, furious beyond measure: "You are insolent! I am your father, how dare you utter such treasonous words!"
The person kneeling below lowered his gaze, no longer avoiding the objects thrown from above. A jade brush rest struck his forehead, and a stream of blood flowed down, turning his vision crimson.
His father had clearly taught him: In this world, there are bonds of closeness and distance, but there is also right and wrong. If someone is wrong, even if they are close, they must be punished. If someone is blameless, even if they are distant, they must not be wronged.
So who was the one standing above him now?
In the imperial study, Emperor Wen of Wei’s scolding continued for a long time. Yin Gezhi knelt motionless until, at the very end, he heard him say: "Do not concern yourself with the affairs of the Grand Commandant's Mansion. I know how to handle it."
Know? Yin Gezhi nodded and rose, ignoring the blood on his face, and said calmly, "Then this son will await Your Majesty’s handling of the matter."
Chilled by the tone of these words, Emperor Wen of Wei shivered, frowning as he watched his retreating figure, both angry and distressed.
"Your Highness!" As soon as he left the imperial study, many palace maids were startled by his appearance, some hurriedly offering handkerchiefs. But Yin Gezhi seemed to see nothing, walking slowly toward the palace gates.
Dark clouds blocked the sun, casting a cool shade over the world. A fierce wind howled, lifting the hem of a robe embroidered with three-clawed dragon patterns. His ink-black hair fluttered wildly as he walked with extreme slowness, his figure from behind a heartbreaking sight. Unconsciously, many palace maids followed behind him until they were stopped by guards near the boundary of the imperial study.
One palace maid began to sob, and another chided her: "Why are you crying? You’re making me want to cry too."
The young maid choked back tears: "I don’t know either. Seeing Prince Xiao like this, my heart aches along with him. What has happened…"
Just as the figure was about to step through the Clear Moon Gate, a eunuch hurried out from the imperial study. Yin Gezhi was stopped at the gate.
"Your Highness," the eunuch by Emperor Wen of Wei’s side said tremblingly, "His Majesty decrees that you are to stay in the palace for a few days."
The chill deepened, but Yin Gezhi let out a laugh, his eyes shimmering with light. His posture, like a jade mountain about to collapse, was so captivating that even the eunuch was momentarily entranced.
"Very well," he said. "If my father wishes me to stay, then I shall stay."
Feng Yue found it strange. Usually, Yin Gezhi would often visit the tenement courtyard for tea, but three days had passed since the incident at the Grand Commandant's Mansion, and he had yet to appear.
Just as she was about to go ask Feng Ming, Yin Yanzhong’s side suddenly made a move.
"Young Master, the Grand Commandant's Mansion is preparing to receive the imperial carriage."
Receive the imperial carriage? Her eyes lit up. Feng Yue immediately pushed Yin Gezhi to the back of her mind and, leading her people inside, began planning the next steps.The emperor went out of the palace in plain clothes, bringing Yin Gezhi along, and arrived at the Grand Commandant's Mansion.
Zhao Xu knelt at the entrance to respectfully welcome them, dressed in casual attire, with no one else around.
Emperor Wen of Wei stepped forward to help him up, sighing with emotion: "I have wronged you, my dear minister."
"I am not wronged," Zhao Xu choked up, "I thank Your Majesty for your forgiveness."
Yin Gezhi stood to the side, his eyes showing not the slightest ripple.
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