IN THE CAPITAL, nobles were everywhere, and officials were as common as dogs. For many dynasties, when the palace overflowed with princes and their children, even these royal scions might be regarded as worthless.
However, the current emperor and empress were exceptions.
Even back when the emperor of Sui had been an official of the previous dynasty, his wife, Lady Dugu, had accompanied him every step of the way. She wasn't the kind of woman who only knew how to hide behind her husband. Several times, when Yang Jian had suffered setbacks, it'd been Lady Dugu who'd swooped in to save the day. After Yang Jian ascended the throne, Lady Dugu had taken up her duties and became Empress Dugu. She involved herself heavily in affairs of state with her husband's wholehearted support. To their people, the emperor and empress were known as the Two Saints.
Many had noted that the relationship between this particular emperor and empress wasn't merely that of husband and wife, but an intellectual camaraderie born of mutual support. The two were inseparable. Consequently, Empress Dugu's position was more secure than that of any empress of previous dynasties, and this was without even mentioning Yang Jian's oath that he'd have "no children but hers." The princes and princesses of the current dynasty were all sons and daughters of Empress Dugu.
Thus Princess Leping's status was rather special. Not only was she the empress's daughter by birth, she was also the eldest child of the ruling couple. Due to the great upheaval she'd experienced, the emperor and empress were particularly fond of her and granted all her requests. When members of Princess Leping's household were out and about, everyone showed them commensurate respect.
But even with such a mistress, her people still found themselves bruised and bleeding after slamming into the obstacle known as the Jiejian Bureau.
Princess Leping had one child with Yuwen Yun, the emperor of the previous dynasty: a daughter named Yuwen Eying. Though she'd lost her father early in life, her mother cherished her, and her grandfather and grandmother loved her. All her relations adored her, and even the wet nurse who fed her as an infant had been uplifted in status by her. Six months prior, the nurse's son had been implicated in a case and detained by the Jiejian Bureau. The wet nurse pleaded with Yuwen Eying for help, who in turn begged her mother, Princess Leping.
Yuwen Eying was the princess's only daughter, and she was naturally unwilling to let her suffer any injustice. The princess immediately took her head guard to the Jiejian Bureau with Yuwen Eying in tow and ordered the release of the nurse's son.
The Jiejian Bureau had three bureau chiefs. The head bureau chief also held the post of Minister of Justice, so he did little of the day-to-day management. The one truly running the place was the deputy bureau chief, Feng Xiao.
Few people were present at the bureau that day. But the version of events that raced through the capital in rumors was that the princess had marched fiercely into the bureau with her people. Before the Sword-Relieving Stone, the head guard refused to remove his blade, and the princess supported him, resulting in a verbal dispute between the two sides. Feng Xiao himself had said nothing—instead, he'd snapped the head guard's sword into three pieces in front of the princess and her daughter and tossed it aside.
The head guard only felt a gust of wind. When he returned to his senses a moment later, he discovered he'd been nailed to the Sword-Relieving Stone with the three pieces of his sword driven through his clothes: one at each shoulder, and the last between his legs, pinning him firmly in place. He didn't dare move a muscle.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded. Princess Leping couldn't believe someone existed who dared humiliate her people before her very eyes. She complained to the emperor, but unexpectedly, it wasn't the Jiejian Bureau or Feng Xiao who found themselves eating crow. The emperor of Sui had laughed and said, "Feng-er4 is just direct." He'd sent the head guard out of the capital, said a few words of comfort to the princess, and that had been that.
The incident sent a clear message: the Jiejian Bureau held an important place in the emperor's mind, and he valued Feng Xiao highly. Even Princess Leping couldn't touch Feng Xiao, let alone anyone beneath her.
Feng Xiao's infamous reputation had circulated within the capital for quite a while, and those from the princess's residence were certainly aware of it. As soon as the princess's servant heard the Jiejian Bureau's Feng Xiao was here in the flesh, he paled. He lost his previous arrogance and now itched to flee.
"Ah, perhaps there's been a mistake. If the Jiejian Bureau is handling the case, we couldn't possibly interfere. Please go ahead!" The man gave a pained laugh, all solicitude.
But it wasn't so easy to shake off Deputy Bureau Chief Feng. He waved a hand and said to Magistrate Zhao, "These people are related to the case. Bring them in for questioning as well."
Magistrate Zhao was reluctant. "This…"
Feng Xiao didn't wait for him to finish; he called directly for the elite cavalry who'd come with the Jiejian Bureau and had them round up Wen Liang and his colleagues.
The man from the princess's residence was fuming, but he dared not sling any more insults. Helpless, he could only glare balefully at Feng Xiao and comply. If even Princess Leping herself was unable to stand against Feng Xiao in the capital, then out here in this backwater, Feng Xiao could kill him and walk away unscathed.
In the end, Feng Xiao didn't interrogate Wen Liang himself. Once everyone was safely at the county office, he handed the case over to Magistrate Zhao.
Liugong City had weathered one calamity after another in the last few weeks; Magistrate Zhao was bruised and battered. He had no clue where to begin, and wearily rushed to deal with each new event while terrified Feng Xiao would tell him off for slacking on the job. All he could do was throw himself into the work with everything he had. He didn't dare cross the line when interrogating Princess Leping's men, but he had no such scruples when it came to Wen Liang. He also extracted testimony from the sister of the dead man, and thus swiftly managed to put the pieces together.
A great many years ago, there were two households in Guangzhong: one surnamed Ying and the other surnamed Wen. Both had been merchant families for generations and got along well. Originally, the Ying and Wen families were both moderately wealthy. But the Wen family patriarch of the last generation was a talented businessman. He quickly expanded his trading network, and his family's business grew apace. In contrast, the Ying family had no such brilliant talents, and their circumstances remained unchanged. As they watched their neighbors become wealthier and wealthier, greed overcame the Ying family. They conspired with bandits, and when the Wen patriarch took his eldest son on a business trip, the Ying family had father and son murdered on the road. The Wen family, left with only women, children, and the elderly, became an easy target—the Ying family took over their business and gradually got rich off them.
The Wen family's youngest son had been brilliant from childhood but had grown up feeble and sickly. Since his grandfather was a doctor, he'd been left in his care when his father and brother set out on their trip. Upon receiving news of their deaths, suspicion took root in his heart, and he began to secretly investigate. In the end, he traced the murders back to the bandits, and the bandits back to the Ying family. Wen Liang knew his family lacked the strength to challenge the Ying household directly, so he discreetly left home. Over the course of his travels, he came to know various important people and gained work with Linlang Pavilion, all while gathering evidence of his father and brother's wrongful deaths.
Around the same time, a new magistrate had been appointed in Guangzhong. The man was desperate for merits, clearly hoping to climb the ranks quickly. This did not escape Wen Liang. Seizing his chance, he approached the magistrate with evidence of the Ying family's collusion with bandits. The magistrate was delighted to have such a juicy case fall into his lap; he immediately investigated the Ying family and confiscated their assets. The Ying patriarch was convicted and exiled, and died on the road.
The Ying siblings were spared due to their youth and were fortunate enough to keep their lives. Of course they hated Wen Liang to the bone—but they were also keenly aware that Wen Liang's current station made him difficult to touch. They'd therefore thought of a way to take him down with them. Ying Wuqiu would first drink a lethal poison, then confront Wen Liang, allowing himself to be injured in the tussle. Once the poison took effect, killing Ying Wuqiu, Wen Liang would be blamed for his murder.
The story behind the case was terribly complex, but Magistrate Zhao had seen how Feng Xiao treated the princess's men and was afraid a small pawn like himself might be discarded at any moment. He pushed his subordinates to investigate all night and through the next day, leaving no stone unturned. Finally, the coroner's autopsy found traces of a poisonous herb within Ying Wuqiu's body, proving Wen Liang's innocence.
The Ying family had moved against the Wen family first, and Wen Liang had taken an eye for an eye. His claim that he didn't know the Ying siblings was a barefaced lie, but after all, the feud between the two families was far too deep and bitter. Even Magistrate Zhao couldn't help lamenting as he reported to Feng Xiao.
Feng Xiao, however, showed little interest in this history. His focus remained on Wen Liang himself. "Aside from Wen Liang, are there no other living members of the Wen family?" he asked.
Magistrate Zhao shook his head. "Wen Liang's mother is alive, though she's been bedridden for many years. He's completely devoted to her: she's a Buddhist and strictly forbade him from slaughtering the entire Ying family. That was why he accused only the patriarch and spared the Ying siblings. I've already sent men to question the mother; it's all true enough. The Wen matriarch is frail and sickly, and medicine has no effect. I fear she hasn't long left."
He had hoped to use this opportunity to cozy up to Feng Xiao, but the man seemed indifferent, with no inclination to continue the conversation. Magistrate Zhao left disgruntled. Perhaps, he thought, he should privately ask someone closer to Feng Xiao what he liked and send him a gift. If he could get the great and mighty Deputy Bureau Chief Feng to put in a word or two with the emperor, his future prospects would be boundless.
As soon as Magistrate Zhao left, Pei Jingzhe spoke up. "Sir, this Wen Liang is very suspicious!"
Feng Xiao hummed noncommittally, the pitch carrying a musical upward lilt. It was enough to make one's heart flutter, but not with desire—this was an instinctive reaction in the face of beauty. Some beauties stood out in complexion, others in figure. Feng Xiao, however, was a rare example of peerless beauty.
Beautiful as he was, he had a sharpness about him, now on full display. His demeanor was intimidating, his every gesture filled with power. No one would harbor indecent desire for such a beauty; they were more likely to be entranced and bow down in worship.
Pei Jingzhe's thoughts drifted for a moment. He wondered whether Feng Xiao's parents had foreseen how outstanding their son would become, and if that was why they'd given him such an unusual name—Xiao, the high heavens. When he heard Feng Xiao click his tongue impatiently, he swiftly reeled in his fanciful musings.
"The Jade of Heaven Lake is said to possess the power to grant eternal life and raise the dead," Pei Jingzhe said. "Wen Liang's mother has been ill for a long time, and he's incredibly filial to her. A single word from his mother was all it took for him to spare the Ying siblings; if not for that, they would've had no chance to take revenge. Perhaps he plotted to steal the jade for his mother's sake. That would give him motive."
"Continue."
"If not for your lordship, Wen Liang might have died outside Linlang Pavilion today. Perhaps he was targeted because he'd been exposed somehow—perhaps his co-conspirators were terrified he'd betray them and leapt to silence him."
Pei Jingzhe went on. "Liugong City is an insignificant branch for Linlang Pavilion. They've never chosen such a remote location for their auction, yet this year they happened to select Liugong City? Couldn't Wen Liang have specifically pushed for Liugong City because it was convenient for his plans and away from prying eyes? If we examine the clues, this subordinate believes there is a high chance Wen Liang is connected to the envoy's murder, as well as the theft of the jade."
When he had finished, Feng Xiao said, "Don't you find it too convenient?"
Pei Jingzhe started. "What do you mean?"
"We scratched the surface of Linlang Pavilion and Wen Liang fell into our lap. It's like having someone put a pillow under your head right before you doze off. The coincidence is uncanny. I suspect someone is deliberately trying to confuse us."
Pei Jingzhe blinked. Privately, he thought Feng Xiao far too paranoid. "This subordinate will keep an eye on Wen Liang. I'll pry the truth out of him, whatever it takes."
Feng Xiao changed the subject. "Did you use incense of helplessness? What were the results?"
A strange expression came over Pei Jingzhe's face. "I used it, but…"
But Cui Buqu hadn't spilled a thing. Pei Jingzhe had never imagined there could exist someone so unyielding that even incense of helplessness was useless against them.