Fаng Wеnxin had nо mind fоr drinking nоw аnd immеdiately shооk his head: "Тhis humble offiсiаl hаs urgеnt mаttеrs to attеnd to and must take his leavе. I hоpе Your Нighnеss will bе undеrstanding."
Just mоmеnts аgо, hе was drinking flоwer wine, and nоw hе has urgеnt matters? Feng Yuе thought this eхcuse wаs rаthеr рооr. Нowevеr, it wаs just pоlitе tаlk, and sinсe hе hаd said it, Yin Gezhi rеsрondеd accоrdingly, cupрing his hаnds аnd saуing, "Then takе саre оn уоur wау, sir."
Тhe оffiсers аt the dоor of Drеam Rеturn Раvilion wеrе quitе еmbarrassed. Тhey were abоut to ask whethеr this persоn was still tо bе arrеsted, but Xiao Zhenyu waved them away, taking them along as he left.
Mama Jin was so moved she nearly cried. She stepped forward and bowed to Yin Gezhi: "Thank you, young master, thank you. You truly have a compassionate heart, a bodhisattva's kindness..."
Yin Gezhi, with his bodhisattva's kindness, nodded slightly, shamelessly accepting the praise without a hint of modesty, and then said, "Let's find another place to talk."
Mama Jin nodded and quickly led him inside. Feng Yue lowered her head and followed beside He Chou as they entered. As they walked, she whispered, "Later, when he asks you something, answer truthfully. Don't hide anything."
He Chou was stunned, glancing at her with some confusion, her mind racing. In the end, she lowered her eyes and agreed.
The group entered He Chou's room, which was still in a state of chaos. The lamp stand had fallen over, hairpins were scattered about, and the quilt on the bed was half-dragged onto the floor. Shattered pearls and jade were strewn across half the room, making it difficult to find a place to step.
"My apologies," He Chou said with a nod, tidying up a bit before inviting Yin Gezhi to sit at the table.
Mama Jin turned to clear away the onlooking girls, and the door to the room closed. Yin Gezhi went straight to the point and asked, "Why did you want to kill him?"
Her body trembled slightly. He Chou was tempted to argue—how could he be so sure she intended to kill? But remembering Feng Yue's words earlier, she pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I have a grudge against him."
"The girls of your Dream Return Pavilion seem to have quite a few grudges against people," Yin Gezhi remarked, picking up the sharp, menacing hairpin from the table. He touched the tip, and his finger immediately bled.
"Young master," Feng Yue exclaimed softly, immediately rushing over like a sycophant with a handkerchief to press against his hand, her face full of concern. "Are you all right?"
Yin Gezhi glanced at her sideways, somewhat satisfied. He reached out and pulled her into his lap, letting her carefully hold his hand, then looked up and continued watching He Chou.
"My grudge... is not something I could ever settle on my own," He Chou said, lowering her gaze. "He is the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, while I am just a prostitute whose family has been destroyed."
"So, where does the grudge come from?" Yin Gezhi asked.
He Chou sighed. "Young master, do you know of the imperial grace from a year ago? The reward of a hundred acres of fertile land for those who returned from military service and laid down their arms. A year ago, I was the child of a farming family. We had fertile land, and when I heard of the imperial decree, I thought the emperor's grace was boundless. But when the land was being allocated, Commander Fang's subordinates forcibly took all fifty acres of my family's land and placed it under Commander Fang's name, claiming it was the emperor's decree and that ignorant commoners were not to resist."
She glanced at Yin Gezhi's impassive expression and sighed again. "Land seizures are nothing new. They are officials, and we are commoners. If they had only taken half and left my family with a means to survive, perhaps my father would have endured it."Unfortunately, there was none. They were forced to move from the home they had lived in for over a decade. In a fit of anger, her father sought out a legal clerk and filed a lawsuit against the local magistrate. Who could have known that instead of a summons from the court, what arrived was a group of armored beasts who beat her father to death right before the family’s eyes. Her mother immediately took her own life. She was too stunned to react, only knowing how to cry, and didn’t even think to run. Those beasts pinned her down in the field and violated her. Her eight-year-old brother tried to save her, but with a single swipe, he was thrown far away, his head hitting a rock, leaving a large pool of blood.
Those soldiers were He Chou’s lifelong nightmare. In the depths of midnight, what she remembered most vividly was their laughter and the wildly arrogant words of their leader: "Mere commoners, daring to accuse Commander Fang? Overestimating yourselves—better off dead!"
He Chou reached out, smiling bitterly. "Aren’t we just mere commoners? What can we use to fight against officials? Even if this lawsuit had truly reached the emperor, would His Majesty have beheaded a deputy commander of the Imperial Guard for the sake of one commoner family? No. So this servant had to take matters into her own hands."
"Unfortunately, this servant is useless. That hairpin didn’t pierce his heart; instead, I fell into his hands. Even if I escape calamity today, I’m afraid there won’t be good days ahead."
Sensing the stiffness in the person in his arms, Yin Gezhi gently stroked her hair to soothe her, then said, "Since you know there won’t be good days ahead, are you willing to risk everything?"
Slightly stunned, He Chou looked at him with a complicated expression. "What does the young master mean by that?"
"Recently, many high-ranking officials in the city have fallen from grace," Yin Gezhi said. "Perhaps if you accuse him again, he might also face retribution."
Accuse him? He Chou laughed, her laughter filled with helplessness. "This servant’s family is destroyed, and I have no evidence left. What can I use to accuse him?"
"Does accusing someone require evidence?" Yin Gezhi asked.
"No." Feng Yue, nestled in his arms, chimed in seriously, then smiled at He Chou. "Your family couldn’t have been the only ones whose land was seized, Miss He Chou. As long as you can find other victims… If you can’t, it doesn’t matter. I’ll arrange for some people to step forward and accuse Fang Wenxin. The magistrate will accept the case and investigate. Once they investigate, evidence will emerge, and you won’t have to worry about the rest."
He Chou was stunned, looking at the two of them in shock. "This… no evidence… arrange for some people?"
"Exactly. No need to talk about righteousness. First, get rid of the bad guys, then we can uphold benevolence and morality." Feng Yue grinned mischievously. "This young master here is an expert at such things."
Dissatisfied, Yin Gezhi pinched her hand and asked, "In your heart, am I just a bad person?"
"Young master, being a good person is so boring. You get bullied by the bad guys, bound by countless rules, unable to seek revenge when wronged, unable to kill when you want to. How does that suit your free and unrestrained temperament?" Feng Yue turned her head and said earnestly, "Let’s just be bad people!"
Shaking his head, Yin Gezhi sighed and said to He Chou, "She’s been a bit unruly lately, but you should take her words to heart. Why not come with us to the Envoy’s Mansion tonight? It’s the safest option."
Staring wide-eyed at the two before her, He Chou inexplicably felt a twinge of envy. Then she nodded, took two pieces of clothing, and followed them."Mama Jin." Feng Yue called out as soon as she opened the door: "A returning customer! We have a gentleman here who wants to redeem Sister He Chou!"
With that shout, many of the girls looked over. Mama Jin’s mouth fell open, and the melon seeds she was eating dropped to the floor. She hurried over, ready to calculate: "Redemption is good, redemption is good. Since you’re a regular customer, I’ll round it down for you. That’ll be three hundred taels exactly."
Yin Gezhi shamelessly said: "She’s the one redeeming her, so naturally she’ll pay."
Feng Yue looked around, wanting to ask who "she" was, when she saw a wolf-like claw reach into her sleeve and pull out three large hundred-tael banknotes.
Damn! Feng Yue glared. How shameless can you get?
Yin Gezhi remained expressionless. There was no other way—on the surface, he was a penniless hostage.
But that doesn’t mean you can take my life savings!
When you die, I’ll make your coffin.
Feng Yue: ...
In the end, she gave in. She let go, allowing him to take her banknotes and place them in Mama Jin’s hand.
Mama Jin smiled so widely her eyes disappeared, and she happily let them take He Chou away.
Guan Zhi drove the carriage with a worried heart, thinking that if his master kept bringing people back to the mansion like this, would the Envoy’s Mansion eventually turn into the Dream Return Pavilion?
Such worries were clearly unnecessary. Yin Gezhi settled He Chou in the guest courtyard, then rightfully carried Feng Yue back to the main courtyard to rest.
"Your Highness," Feng Yue said with a worried look, "will this accusation really be enough to sentence Fang Wenxin to death?"
"No," Yin Gezhi shook his head.
Her hair practically stood on end. Feng Yue’s willow-like eyebrows shot up: "Then why bother accusing him at all? Let’s just find a way to cut him down ourselves!"
Giving her a disdainful sidelong glance, Yin Gezhi stuffed a walnut into her mouth: "Use your brain more. Land seizure isn’t a capital crime, and having subordinates commit murder can be pinned on those below. But above, there’s also the Crown Prince sharpening his blade."
Even if the crime isn’t punishable by death, at this critical moment when General Yi is about to return, Ye Yuqing definitely won’t let Fang Wenxin live.
Her brows relaxed. Feng Yue grinned and leaned comfortably into his arms, sincerely sighing: "It’s really wonderful to have you here."
At least at a time like this, she didn’t have to fight alone.
His heart softened slightly. Yin Gezhi stroked her hair, then picked her up and placed her on the bed: "The doctor said you’re weak. Get more rest."
The lights in the room went out, and the Envoy’s Mansion fell into tranquility once more.
Two days later, in front of the Grand Commandant’s office, He Chou, dressed as a peasant woman, led over thirty farmers, all wearing white headbands and holding blood-red banners with the character "冤" (injustice), kneeling in a semicircle.
The scene was truly spectacular, drawing crowds of onlookers who pointed and asked about the situation. However, after kneeling for an hour, the doors of the Grand Commandant’s office remained closed. Only an official came out and said: "Civil cases should be taken to the Capital Prefecture."
He Chou loudly declared: "The person I accuse is the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, Fourth-Rank Official Fang Wenxin. The Capital Prefecture has no authority to handle this case. I implore the Grand Commandant to heed the people’s grievances!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the official was so frightened he retreated inside. The Grand Commandant’s office remained tightly shut, still refusing to open.Half an hour later, the Crown Prince "coincidentally" passed by. Seeing the scene, he was greatly enraged. He stepped forward and ordered someone to break open the gates of the Grand Commandant's Mansion, personally presiding over the court to hear the grievances of the common people.
"The Crown Prince will make a fine emperor in the future," Feng Yue remarked while sitting in Yin Gezhi's lap, sipping her tonic. "To stand up for justice like this truly sets an example for princes of all nations."
The prince of Wei Kingdom holding her sneered coldly.
Startled by the sound, Feng Yue immediately turned her head. "But no matter how exemplary he is, he can't compare to our Wei Kingdom's First Prince, who excels in both warfare and calligraphy, beloved by all the people..."
"Be quiet," Yin Gezhi scolded in a low voice.
Not intimidated in the slightest, Feng Yue smiled and offered him a sip of her tonic, then said, "This servant likes you the most!"
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