The Changfeng Pavilion, a renowned establishment in the capital, was a favorite haunt of nobility and officials alike.
Spring Blossom and Autumn Harvest were two adjoining private rooms within the pavilion. At this moment, Wang Sheng sat outside Spring Blossom, accompanied by seven or eight attendants, their presence making the corridor feel crowded and oppressive.
What he didn't know was that in the neighboring Autumn Harvest room, two others were also present.
One was an elderly man, the other a younger one. Both were still dressed in official robes, having just left their respective duties.
The elder was Gu, the venerable Minister of Justice, his stern demeanor unsoftened despite his advancing years. Across from him sat Xie Ziyuan, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, casually sipping his tea. Though distinguished by their age difference, the two shared a long history as teacher and student.
Minister Gu had an impatient temper that had only sharpened with age. He set his teacup down with a thud, his expression displeased.
"Ziyuan, you dragged me out of the Supreme court office early, and it turns out it's just to drink tea here?" His tone carried a distinct edge, reflecting his frustration. The minister's mind remained preoccupied with the documents and records Xie Ziyuan had handed him earlier in the day.
Two major cases weighed on his shoulders: one concerning corruption and the other, the trafficking of children. The implicated parties included none other than the Minister of Revenue and his deputy—a scandal of sufficient gravity to shake the entire court.
Upon receiving the evidence earlier, Minister Gu's reaction had been succinct: "Handle this severely!" Yet, while pursuing justice was straightforward in theory, the web of connections behind the accused complicated the task immensely. Even the House of Yun had to be considered, let alone Wang Sheng's role in the trafficking case. Without solid evidence, it would be impossible to convict him outright, no matter how incriminating the records appeared.
Just as Minister Gu was stewing over his dilemmas, Xie Ziyuan had unexpectedly invited him out for tea, even suggesting they sneak off before the official end of their duties—a most unusual request coming from someone so notoriously disciplined.
At the table, Xie Ziyuan gently refilled Minister Gu's cup and spoke in his usual composed tone. "Teacher, there's no need to hurry. We're merely here to await a good show."
Minister Gu tapped the table with two fingers, pointing them in Xie Ziyuan's direction, his gaze scrutinizing. Taking a sip of tea, he asked, "The Dread King was at your residence yesterday. Today, you bring me these documents and ledgers…"
His words trailed off meaningfully before continuing, "If these two cases go public, the Duke of Dingguo's household and the Dread King's manor will be irreversibly tied together."
Xie Ziyuan smiled faintly. "In the eyes of others, haven't these two families were always been intertwined?"
The elder minister shook his head, feeling a storm brewing. The Dread King's return to the capital and the sudden reemergence of the Duke of Dingguo's influence made it clear that the tides of court politics were shifting.
"Well then." The old Gu minister's eyes gleamed with a sudden sharpness, his spirit invigorated. "It's long overdue to clean out those cancers in the court."
"The Dread King spent a decade in the northern frontiers. Since his return, he's remained silent for a month. But now, with this move, he's making his presence impossible to ignore! It seems the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review will have plenty jobs to do in the days ahead."
A chuckle escaped him, tinged with admiration and curiosity. "I hear he even taught your second uncle a lesson yesterday?"
A flicker of amusement passed through Xie Ziyuan's eyes. "It wouldn't exactly be fair to call it his lesson."
Minister Gu raised an eyebrow. Other than Xiao Chenyuan, who else would dare to stir trouble within the Duke of Dingguo's residence?
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, a commotion arose in the neighboring room.
Inside the Spring Blossom room, QingWu, dressed up as a maid, stood protectively behind Mu Ying. Before entering, she had assured Mu Ying to cause as much of a scene as needed, confidently vowing to shield her.
The moment Wang Sheng laid eyes on Mu Ying, a cold snort escaped him.
With a loud bang, one of his attendants shut the door, locking them all inside. The atmosphere grew tense as the three of them—Wang Sheng, Mu Ying, and QingWu—faced off.
Mu Ying, however, remained calm. With a decisive gesture, she slammed a written divorce document onto the table. "I'm here. Stamp it, and we'll be done!"
Wang Sheng wore a hood over his head. Having been brutally beaten at the entrance of the Dread King's Manor not long ago, he couldn't bear to show his face in public without covering up. "So, it seems someone's got your back now. Mu Ying, why aren't you continuing your act of madness?"
Mu Ying sneered coldly. "Cut the nonsense. Stamp the seal, and you and I will have nothing more to do with each other anymore. You can go on colluding with that Madam Zhou of yours."
Wang Sheng's heart skipped a beat. He had come to see Mu Ying today to test the waters.
Over the years, he and Madam Zhou had done numerous despicable deeds, believing Mu Ying to be insane and not worth guarding against. Many times, they didn't bother avoiding her when discussing their plans.
Now, he had no idea how much she had overheard and remembered.
Such matters must never come to light!
Hearing Mu Ying's words now made him feel guilty. His tone softened. "Ah Ying, we've been husband and wife for so many years. Can't we just sit down and talk things through?"
"In the past, it was my fault. I neglected you. Please come back home with me. I promise I'll find Yulang and we'll live a good life together."
Mu Ying felt nothing but disgust as she listened. "Live a good life? Go back to the Minister of Revenue's residence, continue suffering, and watch as Madam Zhou harms my son again and again?"
"Wang Sheng, Yulang is your own flesh and blood! Even a tiger won't eat its cubs, yet you allowed Madam Zhou to abandon him in the mountains!"
Under the hood, Wang Sheng's face twisted with shock.
This wretched woman! She remembered everything!
"Yulang is still alive?"
Mu Ying's eyes were icy. "He's alive, much to your and Madam Zhou's disappointment!"
Wang Sheng began breathing rapidly. When Wang Yulang was taken away, he had been conscious. Now that Mu Ying had the backing of Xiao Chenyuan, if she were instigated to file a complaint against Madam Zhou, things would spiral out of control!
He couldn't let Madam Zhou be dragged into an investigation. Setting aside the fact that his career relied entirely on her family's support, Madam Zhou had been deeply involved in abducting children—especially sending them to Shiying Mountain.
Wang Sheng was terrified someone might connect the dots about Shiying Mountain. He had to suppress the situation before Xiao Chenyuan could intervene on Mu Ying's behalf.
But given Mu Ying's current stance, she clearly wouldn't back down from pursuing a divorce. He had to try another approach.
"Fine. I'll stamp the seal, but my son must return to me."
"He's a child of the Wang family. It makes no sense for him to stay with someone else." Wang Sheng was convinced that holding onto his son would give him leverage over Mu Ying.
"Ridiculous!" Mu Ying slammed the table. "If you cared about Yulang's well-being, would you have allowed Madam Zhou to abandon him in the mountains?"
Wang Sheng's heart pounded with panic. He shouted back with feigned bravado, "What nonsense are you spouting? What does Yulang's disappearance have to do with Madam Zhou?"
"It's you who pretended to be insane! Why would the Dread King help you for no reason?"
"Oh! I understand now! You've known the Dread King for years. The moment you saw him, you started clamoring for a divorce. What ulterior motives do you have?"
Mu Ying laughed in fury. The angrier she became, the clearer her mind grew. Recalling QingWu's earlier warning, she deliberately said, "You refuse to stamp the seal and insist on fighting for Yulang. Isn't it because you're afraid I'll expose what you and Madam Zhou have done over the years?"
"Wang Sheng, you and Madam Zhou abducted those children and sent them to the mountains to die. Aren't you afraid of retribution?"
Wang Sheng, already flustered, turned pale at Mu Ying's accusations.
"What nonsense are you spewing? What child abduction? I've done nothing deserving of retribution!"
A chilling laugh echoed behind Mu Ying. It wasn't hers.
A strange gust of wind blew through the room, knocking off Wang Sheng's hood, exposing his terrified, swollen face.
"Since you've done nothing wrong, why are you so panicked, Minister Wang?" QingWu drawled lazily. "Look at you, sweating all over… Could it be guilt?"
Wang Sheng had never met QingWu and didn't know who she was. But her every word was like a needle stabbing into him, sending chills down his spine.
In his ears, the faint voices of children seemed to grow louder:
"Why did you hurt me?"
"Why did you hurt me?"
Wang Sheng screamed hysterically, barking at his stunned attendants, "What are you standing there for? Grab Mu Ying and bring her back to the residence!"
The attendants moved to act, but before they could, a ghostly wind howled through the room. Furniture clattered violently, as if invisible hands were dragging it around. The attendants turned pale.
QingWu laughed again. "Now, now. Revenge has its proper sequence. Don't rush, little ones. One at a time."
Her words sent shivers down their spines.
Wang Sheng screamed again, clutching his neck as though something had bitten him. Though there were no visible wounds, he felt the pain vividly.
The biting sensations moved across his arms, legs, wrists, and back.
"Don't bite me! Don't bite me! Aaaaahhh!"
"It wasn't me who hurt you! I just sent you to Shiying Mountain! Whether you lived or died had nothing to do with me!"
"If you want revenge, find Madam Zhou! I was dragged into this, too!"
The attendants were paralyzed with fear as Wang Sheng thrashed and rolled on the floor, shouting for mercy. He scrambled to escape, rushing toward the door.
The door was already open, and a crowd had gathered to watch the commotion. As Wang Sheng dashed out, QingWu casually tripped him.
With a resounding crash, Wang Sheng fell face-first onto the ground.
Simultaneously, QingWu tossed a small seal to Mu Ying, which turned out to be Wang Sheng's personal stamp.
Mu Ying acted swiftly, pressing the stamp onto the divorce papers.
The fall left Wang Sheng in agonizing pain, his nose likely broken. Though the eerie voices vanished, clarity returned to his mind.
"Minister Wang! How dare you, a Minister of Revenue official, break the law and abduct children!"
Looking up, Wang Sheng saw the venerable Minister of Justice, Gu Huai. His vision darkened.
He trembled, attempting to explain himself, but his earlier confession about abducting children and Shiying Mountain had been heard clearly by everyone in the tavern.
Worse, why was Gu Huai here?
Before he could react further, a group of officers stormed in and shackled him, gagging his mouth to prevent any further outbursts.
A cold voice spoke from another room. "Minister Wang, if you have anything to say, you can explain it to the Court of Judicial Review."
From the adjacent private room, Xie Ziyuan emerged, exuding an air of authority. The sight crushed Wang Sheng's remaining hope, and he slumped like a lifeless dog as he was dragged away together with his attendants.
The other patrons quickly dispersed, whispering among themselves.
Although the divorce papers were stamped, Mu Ying still needed to file them with the authorities. QingWu instructed Hong Rui to accompany her to speed up the process.
Xie Ziyuan handed Hong Rui an official token. "Use this. It should expedite matters."
Upon receiving a nod of approval from QingWu, Hong Rui accepted it.
Since Mu Ying was officially filing for divorce, it wouldn't be appropriate to use the Dread King's Manor's influence, as it could tarnish her reputation. However, with Xie Ziyuan, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, lending his name, there were no such concerns.
As for Gu Huai, though he took note of QingWu, he was more concerned with interrogating Wang Sheng and left without further questions.
Xie Ziyuan, however, stayed behind, smiling as he said to QingWu, "Once again, the Queen has done me a great favor!"
"This is just a win-win situation!" QingWu replied, her tone teasing. "But I wouldn't mind a little thank-you gift from you. I heard the food here at Changfeng Pavilion is excellent."
Xie Ziyuan chuckled, his crimson robes accentuating his striking figure. He gestured invitingly.
QingWu didn't hesitate to accept but glanced back as they entered the room.
Through a slightly ajar door of another private room, a man sat with perfect composure, holding a string of prayer beads.
Xiao Chenyuan's gaze was fixed on the two of them, watching as they shared a smile and entered together.