Look аt this, dоеs shе аctually hаvе a bit of bаckbonе nоw? Yin Gеzhi snоrtеd, сasuallу glancing at the skeletоn in thе cоffin besidе him. Just аs hе wаs thinking of рауing his rеsрeсts, he suddenly fеlt sоmething wаs off.
"Feng Yue, hаve yоu taken а сlоsе lооk аt these rеmаins?"
She wаs trуing hаrd to сalm hеr еmotions whеn shе heаrd this from the pеrson beside hеr. Fеng Yuе gritted hеr teeth, turned hеr hеаd, and snарреd, "Dо уou еvеn know whаt resрect mеans? Еvеn if I didn’t shоw much rеsресt to the old mаn when he was alive, dо you reаlly havе to kееp stаring at his bones now?"
Yin Gezhi was indeed staring intently, so much so that Feng Yue, disregarding propriety, kicked at him. Yet, without even looking at her, Yin Gezhi easily dodged, pulled her over, and forced her head to look into the coffin.
Feng Yue frowned, her grief still unresolved. As soon as she saw Guan Canghai’s remains, tears threatened to well up again.
Hmm? Wait.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of something dark. Feng Yue blinked hard, pushed Yin Gezhi’s hand away, and leaned in for a closer look.
Four tall candlesticks burned beside the coffin, casting light that made the black marks on the ribs especially clear.
"If I remember correctly, they said General Guan committed suicide out of guilt," Yin Gezhi frowned slightly. "But this looks more like poisoning."
Feng Yue was stunned, then let out a bitter laugh. She turned and glared at him. "Do you actually believe Guan Canghai would commit suicide out of guilt? He didn’t betray his country, so what guilt was there to fear? A man with such unyielding integrity, how could he take his own life? These remains clearly show he died from poisoning. As for where the poison came from in the imperial prison, I don’t need to explain, do I?"
Yin Gezhi closed his eyes and murmured softly, "Could such a thing happen in the imperial prison?"
Feng Yue scoffed. "Your Highness, I’ve even entered the Wu Kingdom’s imperial prison to kill someone. How secure could your Wei Kingdom’s prison be? Besides, at the time, accusations of Guan Canghai’s betrayal were rampant, from court officials down to commoners. Guan Canghai refused to confess, and the prison couldn’t produce an explanation. What other path was left?"
So, Guan Canghai was poisoned to death in the prison and then labeled as having "committed suicide out of guilt"? Yin Gezhi’s expression darkened, his eyes suddenly sharp.
This was the judicial system he had once trusted! This was the impartial Chief Justice Shi he had believed in! After meeting Shi Youxin today, he even said it was a pity about General Guan. But now it seemed Guan Canghai’s death was inextricably linked to him! As the presiding judge of the case, how could he not know if someone was killed right under his nose?!
Sniffling, Feng Yue couldn’t be bothered with him. She squatted beside the coffin, her lips trembling as tears continued to fall. The tears dripped onto the soil beneath her feet, seeping into the ground one by one.
After a moment of thought, Yin Gezhi turned to look at her. He had intended to leave, but hearing her intermittent sobs, his chest tightened with pain.
What a cursed fate...
He closed his eyes, bent down, and lifted the crouching figure from the ground, whispering softly, "Stop crying."
Too weak to resist, Feng Yue tried to pull his hands away but to no avail. She said resentfully, "What business is it of yours?"
"If it’s not my business, then have the courage to seek revenge yourself and stop crying!" Yin Gezhi frowned. "Your crying is too annoying."
"I’ll take revenge myself. But you, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Feng Yue roared. "Why don’t you just leave if you find it so annoying?"
"..." Since childhood, no one had ever dared to yell at him like this! Even if he owed her something, hearing this, he should have left!Yet, with someone in his arms, his heart felt so full that he had no desire to let go.
Yin Gezhi pursed his lips and asked softly, "I have several pieces of high-quality golden-thread nanmu. Would you like them?"
The crying stopped abruptly. Feng Yue was taken aback and asked, "What is that?"
Taking a deep breath, Yin Gezhi chuckled softly, "The best wood for making coffins, unavailable anywhere else."
Since he hadn’t been given a proper farewell when he left, he certainly deserved the finest things now! Feng Yue thought for a moment, nodded shamelessly, immediately forgetting her earlier shouts telling him to leave. Blinking her eyes, she asked, "If I want it, will Your Highness give it to me?"
"Mm, I’ll have it made into a coffin and delivered once it’s ready."
"Alright then." Wiping her face, Feng Yue nodded, "I won’t cry anymore."
Could she really stop crying just like that? Yin Gezhi shook his head, casually picked up some incense nearby, lit it on the candle stand, and respectfully bowed to Guan Canghai. Then he turned, found the funeral shop’s manager, and whispered with him for quite a while.
Thus, when the group from the tenement courtyard arrived at daybreak the next day, they found the mourning hall already set up. Everything had been properly arranged. Feng Yue, her eyes swollen and red, was resting her head on Yin Gezhi’s lap, looking exhausted even in her sleep.
Hearing some movement, Feng Yue immediately opened her eyes. Seeing Luo Hao and the others, she sighed in relief, sat up, and said, "It was late last night, so I didn’t inform you."
Madam Qiu looked anxious and was about to say something when she saw the characters engraved on the memorial tablet. She immediately fell silent. Everyone stood solemnly and performed nine deep bows toward the coffin temporarily holding the remains. Afterward, Madam Qiu choked back tears and said, "General Feng sent someone to inform us yesterday. We knew the young master must be grieving deeply, which is why we didn’t return. But none of us could sleep well all night!"
"Sorry." Feng Yue stood up and handed them incense from nearby.
Madam Qiu wanted to say more but was startled by Yin Gezhi’s displeased gaze from the side. She fell silent, refrained from further chatter, and efficiently lit incense and chanted sutras.
The few burly men, seeing the remains, had reddened eyes and gritted their teeth in anger. After finishing the sutras, they gathered around Feng Yue and whispered, "Young master, we want to avenge the general!"
"Haven’t we been doing that all along?" Feng Yue smiled faintly. "As for how my father died, we’ll find out by asking the chief judge."
"But the Court of Judicial Review... isn’t easy to enter." Yin Yanzhong frowned. "Even our people placed there say that Shi Youxin is extremely cautious and unwilling to meet people easily."
"That’s easy to handle." Madam Qiu said, "Isn’t His Highness still here? If His Highness invites him for a chat, he likely won’t refuse."
Everyone turned their gazes toward Yin Gezhi. Feng Yue thought it made sense and was about to speak when she heard him say indifferently, "I won’t invite him."
Madam Qiu was taken aback but quickly understood. She nudged Feng Yue with her elbow and whispered, "You say something."
Say what? Feng Yue narrowed her eyes. She couldn’t stand Yin Gezhi’s arrogant demeanor, as if nothing could be accomplished without him! If it weren’t for the golden-thread nanmu coffin that hadn’t been delivered yet, she would have cursed him!
Turning her head away, she smiled and said, "What good would it do to invite the Court of Judicial Review’s minister? He won’t tell the truth anyway. Let’s find another way to make sure he gets what he deserves."
Yin Gezhi nodded, "Since that’s the case, then I’ll take my leave."
With that, he stood up gracefully and walked away without looking back.Feng Yue bared her teeth, watching his back disappear through the doorway, and said indignantly, "Who taught him such a temperament? It's so infuriating—he insists on being begged before he'll help. Well, I won't beg him, let him stew in it!"
Luo Hao sighed helplessly, "Young Master, if he doesn't help, he won't suffer any loss. How could he possibly stew in it?"
"You don't understand," Feng Yue said, placing a hand on his shoulder and stepping onto a nearby bench with one foot. She spoke in a casual, careless tone, "People like Yin Gezhi care about face. If you make him lose face, he'll be the one stewing!"
Nodding, Luo Hao found this quite reasonable and asked another question, "But what good does that do for us?"
Everyone fell silent.
Feng Yue withdrew her hand and said with a serious expression, "Let's prepare for the funeral first. Once the coffin arrives, we'll march out of the city gate with dignity, scattering paper money and holding white banners. Then we'll choose a feng shui treasure spot to let the old master rest in peace."
"Alright," the people in the courtyard responded and began making arrangements.
Feng Ming had originally planned to visit Feng Yue the next day, but before he could leave, his father blocked the doorway with a stick in hand.
"Where do you think you're going?!" the Marquis of Zhenguo said sternly. "Running off like this has already angered His Majesty. Can't you behave?"
Leaning helplessly against the doorframe, Feng Ming replied, "Father, even if I stay at home, His Majesty won't look favorably on me. It's better to let me go out and roam."
"You unfilial beast!" the Marquis of Zhenguo roared. "There's a banquet at the Zuo family at noon. You must come with me!"
The Zuo family? Thinking of the young Miss Zuo, who always acted coy and affected in front of him, Feng Ming shook his head repeatedly. "I'm not going!"
"You're going whether you like it or not!" the Marquis of Zhenguo bellowed. "How old are you? In other families, you'd already be the father of two children! So many girls keep throwing themselves at you—can't you just settle down, marry a few, and give your father a grandson to hold?"
Scowling disdainfully, Feng Ming said, "I don't like any of them."
"Then who do you like?!" the Marquis of Zhenguo demanded angrily. "Tell me, and I'll arrange the betrothal for you!"
"Really?" Feng Ming raised an eyebrow slightly, delighted. Without hesitation, he said, "Then I want to marry the eldest daughter of the Guan family, Guan Qingyue."
The Marquis of Zhenguo: "..."
The stick in his hand wasn't for nothing. The Marquis of Zhenguo promptly beat Feng Ming until he was covered in bruises, then locked him in the woodshed to cool off for a few days.
Hearing this news, Feng Yue was amused. "He really should get married. Wasn't he busy before? Now that he has time, he can consider it."
"Young Master," Madam Qiu sighed. "General Feng wasn't busy before. Before going to the battlefield, so many girls were willing to offer multiple dowries, but he just refused to marry. Once, he accidentally said in front of everyone that he wouldn't acknowledge any marriage except the original one. When this reached the emperor's ears, the Marquis of Zhenguo knelt outside the imperial study for half an hour. The emperor even intended to arrange a marriage between him and Princess Nan Ping, but he wasn't willing. That's why the emperor quickly stripped him of his military authority and gave him the duty of guarding the palace gates."
Feng Yue's mouth fell open, and her heart sank like a stone tied to it, plummeting into an unknown abyss.So... everything he had said before was all lies?
Thinking of Feng Ming's face, always wearing an expression of indifference, Feng Yue frowned, suddenly feeling very upset.
What virtue did she possess? She hadn't treated him well to begin with, so how could she possibly deserve such generous treatment from him?
Feeling low, Feng Yue crouched in the corner, ignoring anyone who called out to her. She just silently pondered things. When the golden nanmu coffin arrived, everyone was astonished, but seeing her in this state, no one told her that golden nanmu was the immortal coffin wood exclusively reserved for the royal family...
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