Chapter 50
Two hours earlier .
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Since Third Prince Xuan Jin’s passing, because of overbearing sorrow, Emperor Chongan had changed the frequency of morning assemblies from once every three days to once every five days . Then, he changed this again from once every five days to once every ten days .
According to Yu She’s official grade and ranking, he was originally only supposed to attend morning court once every five days . Now, he technically needed to attend every assembly . However, he had always attended only occasionally . These years, the number of pamphlets handed to the emperor by the Imperial Censorate criticizing Yu She for unreasonably skipping assembly were enough to bury all of Dali Temple . Each time, Emperor Chongan used the excuse of “Ziyou is in poor health” to refute all of them . Either way, ever since Yu She had been assigned the position of head of Dali Temple, the number of cases at Dali Temple became fewer and fewer . Any work that needed to be done was completed by the other two vice-heads . With time, everyone started turning a blind eye . They weren’t shocked when Yu She didn’t attend; when he did, they only treated it as a surprise .
Prior to morning court, Xuan Qiong noticed Yu She . His heart skipped a beat before he decided that it didn’t matter . How real were Yu She’s feelings for Zhong Wan? It wasn’t even certain if he would speak up for the other . It had been so many years already . Aside from yelling back at the monitor censors when they yelled at him during assemblies, Yu She never made his opinion known regarding anything .
Besides, even if he did speak up, real and material evidence remained in Shi Hong’s hands . What could Yu She do?
On the way to Dali Temple, Zhong Wan was immensely confused too . How did Yu She manage to get this case transferred from the Ministry of Justice to Dali Temple?
The Dali prison aide in charge of arresting Zhong Wan didn’t know either . “We really aren’t clear about this . We only heard that during today’s morning assembly, our Young Prince Yu opened his honorable mouth, which is rare, and debated several rounds with Lord Shi from the Imperial Censorate . In the end…”
It was hard for Zhong Wan to imagine Yu She, who had been in a dazed mental state merely two days ago, logically and reasonably debating with someone during morning court . He asked, shocked, “What happened in the end?”
The Dali prison aide swallowed . “In the end… it didn’t matter . The people in the Imperial Censorate were within reason and had evidence . They even brought out your letters in communication with those lowly officials . Everything was written with black ink on white paper . Young Prince Yu honestly had no way of completely exonerating you . ”
Zhong Wan said, “So…”
“So what?” said the Dali prison aide said . “If exoneration isn’t possible, we can choose another path . On the spot, Young Prince Yu asked the emperor to move your case to our Dali Temple . Naturally, the Imperial Censorate exploded again . However, our Young Prince stopped reasoning with them . Refusing to reason things out makes things much easier . See? Now we’re in charge of picking you up . ”
For a moment, a mess of emotions rose in Zhong Wan’s heart .
“He…” Zhong Wan’s heart felt both pained and sore . “Why did he get involved in this?!”
The Dali prison aide chuckled . “If he didn’t, you would’ve been thrown into the Ministry of Justice’s jail . ”
Another prison aide added, “The Ministry of Justice is Fifth Prince’s territory . ”
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Zhong Wan understood . If he went to the Ministry of Justice, he would probably end up getting practically skinned during the trial . Yu She… recognized this threat too .
“After the morning assembly, Young Prince Yu stayed behind, probably because he had something to say to the emperor,” another prison aide said . “So, the vice-head told us to first bring you over . In less than two hours, Young Prince Yu should be able to return . ”
Zhong Wan was brought into the Dali Temple . Upon noticing that Zhong Wan had been so difficultly attained by Yu She, the vice-head of Dali Temple didn’t dare to mistreat him . He ordered a brief body search of the other before locking him up in a clean room .
Only a table and chair were in the clean room . Zhong Wan sat down and offhandedly tied up his hair that had just gotten let down . He silently pondered how to get out of this situation without involving Yu She .
The focal points for this case weren’t actually the acts of bribing or accepting bribes . Tang Ming and Xuan Qiong would definitely try to push for the main offense being “Prince Qian An privately colluding with local officials . ” He needed to spin the story so that he was the focal point instead .
How to spin it?
Zhong Wan understood that as long as Yu She presided over this case, he most likely would simply force all the blame onto Xuan Rui . This way, Zhong Wan would be able to be released earlier .
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In a bit, he would try to convince Yu She by using pathos while trying to make him understand by using logos . He would do his best to persuade the other to judge the case as fairly as possible .
Zhong Wan thoroughly turned the two words “Tang Ming” over and over in his mouth . He wanted to bite that old thing to death, but also couldn’t help feeling admiration .
Even if the unexpected happened today and Yu She saved him, this wouldn’t affect the other’s plan at all .
That old thing could even lie to himself and feel that he had lived up to Old Imperial Preceptor Shi’s expectations . He truly hadn’t attempted to take Zhong Wan’s life, after all .
Zhong Wan muttered to himself, “Has Lin Si received the news yet… Might as well kill that old thing earlier and be done with it . ”
Though he thought this, Zhong Wan believed that Tang Ming had probably already run away .
Zhong Wan stood up and walked around in a circle in the empty room . An idea slowly formed in his mind .
He waited for the entirety of two hours before hearing people outside say that the head of Dali Temple had arrived . Another hour later, someone came to summon him .
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Zhong Wan straightened out his clothes, stood up, and followed .
Zhong Wan didn’t get taken to the official courtroom . Instead, after circling twice, he got directly taken to the room where Yu She read through his case files .
Yu She had yet to change out of his court attire . He sat at his desk, expression cold as ice .
There were a few letters set on Yu She’s desk, in addition to a gift list . Yu She didn’t look at Zhong Wan . He lifted his head and calmly gave the vice-head a few orders .
Ever since he had returned to the capital, each time Zhong Wan met with Yu She, Yu She had never managed to calmly speak more than a few sentences . In his heart, Zhong Wan felt extremely remorseful and pained for Yu She . He also knew that the other had first been emotionally wounded by his background, then physically wounded by the cold food powder . He felt that it was normal no matter how insane Yu She acted . This was his first time witnessing Yu She taking care of official business in such an organized manner . For a moment, Zhong Wan blanked out .
Yu She sent the vice-head away . “Go . Write a case file out first . ”
The vice-head retreated .
Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan, expression dark .
Nobody else was in the room . If he bowed and kowtowed now, he would seem too inconsiderate .
Zhong Wan’s lips moved . “It must have taken a lot of effort… to bring me here . ”
Yu She coldly glanced at Zhong Wan . “How well you’ve completed your tasks these past few years . ”
Zhong Wan lowered his gaze . He didn’t know either how much evidence Tang Ming had compiled . Simply looking at the thick envelopes on Yu She’s table, he could tell that there was a lot .
Zhong Wan admitted his guilt very obediently . “Yes . ”
Zhong Wan was too lazy to argue with Yu She about how difficult things had been for him when he had first arrived in Qian An . So much time had passed . If he said anything else now, that would be overdramatic .
“But…” Zhong Wan said with a lowered voice . “At the time, Prince Qian An was only just past the age of ten . He really didn’t know anything . Everything was my idea . ”
Yu She looked at Zhong Wan, gaze conflicted .
Zhong Wan wasn’t actually planning on dying because of this case . There were some crimes he couldn’t rid himself of guilt for, but there were others he could explain clearly . Just as he was about to speak, Yu She interrupted, saying, “Back then, did you only survive because of all this begging you did?”
Zhong Wan pressed his lips together . He suddenly felt a bit regretful .
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He was more willing to go to the Ministry of Justice and look at Xuan Qiong’s pleased expression than let Yu She know how difficult things had been for him back then .
Zhong Wan flattered himself by being concerned that Yu She might feel bad for him .
Zhong Wan said, “And… It was so-so . ”
Yu She calmly stared at Zhong Wan . “Just now, before you arrived, I first interrogated two officials who had originally worked in Qian An but are currently staying in the capital . ”
Zhong Wan thought to himself, it’s over .
“Before I could even torture them, they had already gone into great detail . ” Yu She gently knocked on the desk . “You truly would rather bend than break . ”
Zhong Wan lowly said, “Let’s first not talk about this . The case…”
“There’s nothing to talk about regarding the case . ” Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan . “I vouched for you . ”
Zhong Wan was shocked . “What?”
Yu She said, “After morning court, I admitted this case to the emperor . Technically, I didn’t even vouch for you . It’s true that the original prefecture magistrate of Qian An found me, and it’s true that I met with him and agreed to complete a favor for him . Didn’t you know that?”
“No,” Zhong Wan hurriedly said . “That can’t be considered in the same case! I was the one who accepted the bribe! Besides, you only participated once . You…”
“Don’t repeat Shi Hong’s words!” Yu She’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed together . Slight fury appeared in his eyes . “If not for the fact the Shi Jin taught me lessons for a few days, I would’ve killed him today…”
Zhong Wan said in agitation, “What did you actually admit to?! Don’t be worried . I already have an idea . I…”
“What idea could you have?” asked Yu She in response, calmly leaning against the back of his chair . “They’re investigating you outright, but in secret, have already sent people to ask around in Qian An . In order to keep Xuan Rui out of things, what were you planning to do? Admit everything? Be his scapegoat?”
Yu She’s tone was cold . “How much silver is this in total? Are they worth causing a commotion during morning court? It’d be impossible for the emperor not to be able to tell that someone with an ulterior motive wants to use this as an excuse . But if the emperor himself could use this as an excuse to take away Xuan Rui’s noble title, he would be more than willing to . Don’t you understand? If you don’t stop things now, are you waiting for your entire estate to be searched too? So that things will be never ending?”
Zhong Wan got out with difficulty, “You… what did you say?”
Yu She calmly stated, “I admitted all the crimes I could for you . ”
Zhong Wan looked at Yu She . His thoughts drifted to a time several years ago .
Back then, many people in Qian An believed the stories about Zhong Wan and Yu She’s relationship . The estate’s steward, Yan Pingshan, was incredibly anxious . He felt that this ploy would eventually become exposed . He once asked Zhong Wan, if the rumors happen to spread to the capital and Young Prince Yu finds out, what are you preparing to do?
At the time, Zhong Wan had been so ill he hadn’t been able to get out of bed . Like a hooligan, he answered, “I’ll live every day I can and think about that when he actually finds out . It’s up to him whether I live or die . ”
No matter what, Zhong Wan hadn’t expected that several years later, the Yu She of today, the one who had been tricked by him, would silently shoulder all the burdens for him .
Yu She’s expression was natural . He scoffed, saying, “What were you planning to do? The same thing you did when we were young? Get your hand slapped in Xuan Rui’s stead when he couldn’t memorize his books as a kid?”
Yu She picked up the gift list on the desk . He muttered, “But this time, it’s no longer an incident that can be resolved simply by getting hit in the palm…”
Zhong Wan blankly stared at Yu She . His heart hurt so much that even his hands slightly trembled .
After reading all of the “evidence” on his desk, Yu She lifted his head . Once he noticed that Zhong Wan’s expression was off, the smile on Yu She’s face slowly dissipated .
Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan judgingly . His eyes slightly narrowed . “I understand . From start to finish, you never expected that I would help you . ”
Zhong Wan was worried that Yu She would misunderstand . His voice trembled as he said, “That’s not it . It was my own fault originally anyways . I can’t let you—”
“Zhong Wan . ” Yu She stared calmly at Zhong Wan . Out of the blue, he asked, “It’s been many years since anyone has treated you well, right?”
For a moment, Zhong Wan didn’t understand what Yu She was trying to say with his disconnected phrases . He instinctively wanted to refute the other, but when he opened his mouth, he surprisingly didn’t manage to get anything out .
Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan . He calmly said, “Otherwise, how come when I simply helped you a bit… you became so panicked?”
Zhong Wan was speechless .
Since he had gone to Qian An, everything had fallen onto Zhong Wan’s shoulders . He had no one to discuss with and no one to rely on . Zhong Wan had long since gotten used to taking the blame for anything first, regardless of what had happened .
“These years . ” Yu She threw the letters and gift list in his hand into the brazier . The flames engulfed them . He softly scoffed . “I haven’t lived smoothly, but neither have you, right?”
Yu She poked at the charcoal . “If you’re unused to this, don’t understand it, can’t comprehend it, can’t sense it, or sense it but feel like there’s something else involved… then I’ll be a bit more clear . ”
Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan . “I’m caring for you . ”