Chapter 61: A few days ago, your master was still mentioning that…

The young man nestled in her arms had rosy cheeks, his beautiful phoenix eyes sparkling brightly as he looked up hesitantly.

Li Ruantang chuckled softly and tapped his nose, saying, “I’ve already mentioned it to Madam Meng, we’ll wait until the Golden Elixir case is over.”

“Then let’s pinky promise.” Meng Jun eagerly extended his little finger, hooking it with hers. His upturned lips couldn’t contain his joy, “Tangtang, don’t worry, after we’re married, I’ll treat you well!”

He imitated the phrases from those story books, very seriously patting his own chest.

Li Ruantang found it hard to hold back her laughter, and deliberately teased him, asking with a straight face, “Well… specifically, how will you treat me well?”

“Eh?” The young man had no idea how specific “specifically” meant, as the story books didn’t write about that. The male friends he was familiar with were at most engaged. In daily conversations, they wouldn’t talk about such things, let alone the situation at home, where his mother was often out and Han Fushi managed everything alone.

How to treat her well?

Meng Jun was stunned for a moment, pondered for a while, and then said cautiously, “Um, during the day I’ll prepare delicious food for Tangtang, and at night, I’ll accompany Tangtang to rest.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the young man felt it was a bit perfunctory. He nervously glanced at Li Ruantang’s expression, and with a burst of courage, he added, “I, I also know flower arrangements.”

His face burned hot.

Li Ruantang recalled the young man’s previous earnest words and chuckled, nodding, “Mm, that’s quite special.”

Meng Jun’s heart trembled, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Sang Shen had told him before that ladies all like men with many skills. Now that Li Ruantang had stayed on the flower boat for several nights, the four sentences taught by Zhou Fulang might not be enough. He wondered if he would also get a pair of small wooden figures like the ones in Sang Shen’s family when he gets married.

The young man pondered worriedly, but after all, he had been running around half the night and could no longer resist the drowsiness. He habitually found a comfortable position in Li Ruantang’s arms, closed his eyes, and fell into a sweet, deep sleep.

The next morning at dawn.

Meng Jun rubbed his eyes as he woke up, just about to stretch lazily. Suddenly remembering that he hadn’t returned home last night, the young man immediately became reserved. He had just put on a gentle smile when he saw the servant kneeling quietly behind the gauze curtain, waiting.

“Zhiqiu?” Meng Jun was startled, rubbed his eyes again and opened them, but the servant who had lifted the gauze curtain and entered was still the same.

The young man’s joyful expression froze, slightly disappointed, “When did I come back yesterday?”

“In response to the young master, it was around 1-3 am,” Zhiqiu carefully handed over the willow twig ginger paste and tooth-wiping cloth. Meng Jun took them casually and frowned, asking, “Why not use the toothbrush?”

Zhiqiu dared not conceal anything and hurriedly explained, “Last night, Miss Li specifically instructed that since the young master had eaten something that might cause swelling, his lips might still be a bit swollen this morning, so we must use something gentle to serve him.”

Swollen?

The young man belatedly touched his lips, then took out a small mirror to look, and his face immediately turned crimson.

“Young master?” Zhiqiu called softly to the distracted Meng Jun.

On the corridor, the morning light was just right, filtering through the green gauze windows, reminiscent of her tender and affectionate gaze last night. The young man suddenly felt flustered, his beautiful eyebrows and eyes becoming even more alluring. He clutched the white jade hanging around his neck, absentmindedly responding with a sound.

Since Secretary Qin had agreed to join forces with Li Ruantang last night, does that mean the Golden Elixir case is about to conclude?

Meng Jun secretly curled up the corners of his mouth and instructed Zhiqiu to bring over a small booklet.

He shooed away all the servants and hid alone in the room, writing and sketching. Zhidong brought over some fragrant tea but was also stopped outside the beaded curtain.

The two servants looked at each other, then simultaneously glanced towards the neighboring Shuqin Prince’s Mansion.

“By the way, I just heard from the servants in Han Fushi’s courtyard that the madam has been staying at the Censorate these past few days. It seems our mansion is about to see some changes.”

“Shh, lower your voice.” Zhiqiu cautiously looked around before whispering, “No matter what they say, this mansion is still under the Meng family. Han Fushi has served the madam for many years, even if he’s to be thrown out, it should be by the master’s order. In any case, it’s not for us servants to discuss.”

“Now that they’ve deliberately let you hear this, whether it’s true or false, we should be careful to guard this courtyard, lest Han Fushi use this to stir up trouble.”

Zhidong was stunned for a moment, then said nonchalantly, “What waves can he still make? Now that the young master has Miss Li’s support, these past few nights you and I have seen clearly, they—”

“Zhidong!” Zhiqiu suddenly cut him off, glancing at a figure that flitted past the hanging flower gate, slightly furrowing his brow.

“Why are you calling me?” Zhidong had his back to the hanging flower gate, and now seeing Zhiqiu looking behind him, he also turned to look, but apart from the well-trimmed flowers and plants, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

He had always been carefree by nature, and whispered with a laugh, “You’re being too paranoid.”

Zhiqiu silently lowered his head. Had he really seen wrong just now?

*

At the Censorate.

Meng Xiaozhi, who had been poring over documents all night, had just closed the last page. She rubbed her sore shoulders, leaned back in her round-backed armchair, and let out a long sigh.

If not for Li Ruantang’s scheme, Qin Rong wouldn’t have obediently handed over so many account books. Every entry in here clearly stated the time and place of the transaction, and even detailed descriptions of the appearance and attire of the people involved.

With her defection, dealing with the remaining few would be much easier. Now the only tricky one was Wei Junshi. The Emperor wanted to investigate him, yet also favor him. So how to write this memorial became a common difficulty for them all.

Meng Xiaozhi picked up the cold tea on the table and took a big gulp. The chill running up her spine instantly refreshed her scattered mind.

She hadn’t been home for several days, and just as she was about to get up, a carrier pigeon arrived under the eaves. Meng Xiaozhi untied the bamboo tube and looked at it, her expression immediately turning grim.

“Come here!” She stood up and called for the waiting maid, whispering a few words in her ear.

Soon after, a fast horse galloped out of the Censorate, heading towards the Imperial Palace.

The majestic palace walls, a streak of vermilion fluttering, the red tiles and glazed roof tiles gleaming with a faint golden light in the morning sun.

Linhua Palace.

The Empress, leaning against soft cushions, raised her eyes slightly, glancing at the master and disciple who had been waiting here since early morning.

“Someone, bring seats.”

In recent years, she had been indulging in elixirs, leaving state affairs entirely to Su Jin to lead the cabinet.

Looking closely now, this scholar lady who had narrowly escaped death in Copper Village years ago now had streaks of white in her temples. As the years passed, she had become increasingly steady.

“We subjects have not failed Your Majesty’s trust. The Golden Elixir case has now shown initial results,” Su Jin lowered her gaze, respectfully presenting the evidence compiled overnight.

She had always been meticulous and extremely logical. Even in organizing, everything was categorized, allowing one to see the connections at a glance.

The eunuch carefully presented it. The Empress only glanced at it briefly before tossing it onto the desk, angrily saying, “It’s the Prince of Qing again!”

“Your Majesty, please calm down.” Su Jin was not surprised by the Empress’s reaction. The struggle for the position of Crown Princess was only the beginning; the current Golden Elixir case was far from the end.

Unless…

She pondered for a moment, then spoke directly, “The likes of the Prince of Qing are not after this money. Moreover, we have also ascertained that Wei Junshi is actually a descendant of the Ling family from back then.”

“Ling Yu?” The Empress frowned slightly.

After the Crown Princess struggle back then, Ling Yu had been relegated to Qing Prefecture. All forty-five members of her family registered were now dead in the official kilns of Qing Prefecture.

“That’s right.” Su Jin paused, “While investigating the case, we discovered that when the Ling family was exiled, Madam Ling’s pair of children were harmed by mountain bandits during the escort. Because the bodies were left in the wilderness, when the local officials reported, they included the deaths of this sister and brother as occurring after they entered Qing Prefecture.”

“Was there a Hanlin scholar surnamed Wei at the imperial lectures in the Hanlin Academy earlier?” The Empress’s expression was bland as she swept her gaze over the pile of evidence on the desk. “What a pity.”

Li Ruantang, who had been sitting for a while, understood. It wouldn’t be difficult to hand Wei Yunruo over to the Ministry of Justice, but now there was also Wei Junshi, who was carrying the imperial child and about to give birth. If she were to be shocked by this, the crime of harming the royal bloodline was something no one could bear.

Su Jin had also thought of this point, which was why she had the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice temporarily delay submitting the memorial.

“As for Wei Junshi, let’s leave it to the Empress Consort,” the Empress paused, waving her hand. Su Jin and Li Ruantang respectfully withdrew.

The window lattice let in some crisp morning light, and Linhua Palace fell silent for a moment.

After a while, there was movement in the hidden compartment.

The Empress looked up at the young man kneeling inside, trembling all over. His black hair was disheveled, the loose clothes barely covering his smooth shoulders. His face still bore traces of spring passion, but having suddenly heard something he shouldn’t have, his eyes were full of tears.

“Your, Your Majesty.” Lin He prostrated himself, his face touching the ground, regretting so much that his back ached. His family had spent a lot of money to establish some kinship with Wei Junshi, who would have thought it would turn out to be a death warrant.

He stuttered out an explanation, but the Empress, sitting in the morning light, still showed no expression.

Just like during the few times he had served in her bedchamber, even though he had cast aside his dignity and used all sorts of methods to please her. Except for that moment of ecstasy when he could see some liveliness on her face, most of the time, Her Majesty was indifferent.

Moreover, even the matter of serving in the bedchamber was a secret he couldn’t speak of.

Lin He felt miserable.

“Come here,” the Empress said impatiently. When the crying young man, face full of tears, knelt over, she gestured for him to stand up.

She gently embraced him, and in an instant, her eyes were full of tenderness. “Why are you crying? You are you, and he is he. Don’t you know how I’ve treated you these days?”

“Your Majesty.” The aggrieved young man took the opportunity to nestle into her warm embrace. He knew very well, and understood that this momentary favor was nothing more than her idle amusement.

The slipping clothes were casually tossed by the Empress, covering the pile of evidence on the desk.

The palace doors of Linhua Hall closed.

In the wind, there seemed to be a light, lazy voice, “He’er, bear an imperial daughter for me.”

The palace walls stretched long.

Su Jin walked with her hands behind her back, Li Ruantang half a step behind. The master and disciple chatted casually as they walked together.

“After not seeing you for a few years, your temperament has become much more steady,” Su Jin said with a sigh. “I remember when your master was teaching you to play the zither, you had only learned half a song before you were eager to go out and play it for others.”

“Now, you know how to assess the situation and act accordingly.”

“It’s all thanks to my teacher’s guidance,” Li Ruantang said, showing rare shyness. As a child, she was mischievous, climbing trees and catching fish, never willing to study.

The Shuqin Prince had found many tutors to teach her lessons, but they all shook their heads, saying that a rotten wood cannot be carved.

Until that year when she met Su Jin, who had recently entered the Hanlin Academy, things finally took a turn.

Thus, the cold-faced war goddess in the eyes of the common people was now obediently lowering her head, listening to her mentor’s words.

“By the way, a few days ago, your master was still mentioning that he wanted to arrange a marriage for you.”

“Mentor.” Li Ruantang’s face stiffened, “I, I…”

Su Jin glanced at Li Ruantang, who had suddenly become flustered, and chuckled softly, “What do you think of Madam Meng Xiaozhi’s son?”