Yan Zhao was stunned. Yan Zheng said lightly, "You agreed in front of the Emperor yourself. Not going would be deceiving the sovereign, a crime punishable by beheading."
Grandma Yan froze, clutching Yan Zhao's sleeve in panic.
But then she saw Yan Zhao grit his teeth and slowly pry her fingers open. "Grandmother... for your sake and for the Yan family, I must ask you to go."
Grandma Yan flew into a rage and slapped him across the face.
Five finger marks quickly swelled on Yan Zhao's left cheek, but he retreated half a step, knelt down, and kowtowed. "Your grandson respectfully sends you off!"
With this gesture, there was no room left for reversal.
The old lady looked around in panic but could not find anyone else to speak up for her... Then her eyes rolled back, and this time she truly fainted.
No sooner had she fainted than Yan Zheng ordered her to be carried onto the carriage.
The carriage sped towards the Sleeping Buddha Temple without pause. Yan Zhao watched for a long time before walking over, saying bitterly, "Third Brother, I'm sorry, it's all because of me..."
Yan Zheng raised his hand to stop him. "If you truly feel sorry, then study hard and earn the title of top military scholar as soon as possible."
Yan Zhao gritted his teeth and nodded firmly. "I will!"
At that moment, Chu Huaishan walked over and patted Yan Zheng's shoulder. "Good lad, I misunderstood you. But perhaps a blessing in disguise, Ruyan is with child. You must be even more careful from now on."
Speaking of this, Chu Ruoyan and Yan Zheng exchanged a glance. "Father, actually, this matter..."
Before she could say that Yan Zheng had bribed Chief Physician Zhang to deliberately spread the lie, Yan Zheng spoke up. "Father-in-law, rest assured. I will take good care of A'yan."
Chu Huaishan stroked his beard and left satisfied. Chu Ruoyan asked in a low voice, "Won't you tell Father the truth?"
Yan Zheng shook his head. "It is, after all, deceiving the sovereign. It's better if Father-in-law remains unaware."
Chu Ruoyan thought it made sense. The two boarded the carriage, and she continued her analysis. "Today in the Kunning Palace, the Empress showed me a handwritten letter, written personally by Grandma Yan. It's strange. She's always watched closely in the residence. How did she manage to send it out?"
Yan Zheng frowned. "Do you suspect there are still spies in the residence?"
Chu Ruoyan said, "No. Ever since you dealt with Wu An, I knew you had purged the residence. And the few people I brought with me, like Nanny Zhou, are all trustworthy. I'm not worried about internal spies, but rather..."
A trace of worry flashed between her brows. Yan Zheng understood and slowly uttered three words. "The All-Knowing Pavilion."
Only they could act within the Chief Councillor's residence without anyone noticing.
Chu Ruoyan pressed her lips together. "It's not that I suspect them... but at Cousin's wedding banquet, Princess Jiahui was very aggressive and seemed to know all about today's events. And she has been getting close to Princess Roumin lately, so..."
She didn't continue. Yan Zheng nodded. "Correct. Jiahui doesn't have the brains to think of using the Emperor to force my hand."
Chu Ruoyan's heart trembled.
If so, did that mean Yun Lang had also made a move?
The carriage suddenly halted. Meng Yang's voice came from outside. "Chief Physician Zhang? Why have you chased us here?"
Yan Zheng lifted the carriage curtain to see Chief Physician Zhang standing there panting, still holding a medicine packet.
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. He stepped down from the carriage and said, "Thank you for today's matter, Chief Physician."
Chief Physician Zhang shook his head. "You flatter me, Chief Councillor. This official merely performed a physician's duty." As he spoke, he handed over the medicine packet. Yan Zheng did not take it. "We are miles from the palace. The act is no longer necessary."
He actually still thought it was an act!
Chief Physician Zhang laughed heartily and was about to explain when Steward Fang hurried over. "Young Master, Madam, something has happened to Shadow! The men sent to follow him have returned saying he killed over a dozen people in the outskirts of the capital and has been captured by the Shuntian Prefecture for a public trial!"
"What?"
Both Yan and Chu were shocked. They could no longer attend to Chief Physician Zhang and immediately turned the carriage towards the Shuntian Prefecture.
On the way, Steward Fang briefly explained. It turned out that today, the Countess of Jianan, Madame Mei, had arranged an outing with several other noble ladies. They got separated on the mountainside and encountered a group of bandits.
Madame Mei had brought very few guards. Her son, Xiao Tian, was all show and no substance, and was subdued in no time. The bandits, seeing that Madame Mei was still attractive, developed lustful intentions. This enraged Shadow, who had been secretly following her, and he killed all the bandits.
Yan Zheng paused, rubbing his thumb ring. "That alone shouldn't be enough to bring it to a public trial."
Steward Fang sighed. "Exactly! But it just so happens one of those bandits was surnamed Yue, distantly related to Commander Yue of the Five-City Garrison. His family is refusing to let it go, hence the public trial!"
Meng Yang, listening nearby, relaxed. "If that's the case, then it's simple. As long as the Countess of Jianan steps forward and explains the situation, it should be fine, right? Daring to assault the wife of a high-ranking official—even if the Jian'an Count were here, he'd have them killed. What's there to worry about?"
A light flashed in Chu Ruoyan's eyes. "I'm only afraid she won't testify..."
"Why?" Meng Yang was astonished. Chu Ruoyan shook her head and didn't elaborate. "I hope my guess is wrong. Let's go see first."
Shuntian Prefecture, public court.
The dozen or so bandit corpses lay in the center. The family of the Yue bandit, dressed in mourning clothes, wailed loudly.
Shadow also knelt in the middle, his expression unchanged.
Then, Xiao Tian helped Madame Mei out. The Prefect of Shuntian quickly asked, "Countess of Jianan, have you rested well? If not, we can reconvene another day."
Madame Mei glanced at her son and said softly, "Your Honor, please proceed."
The gavel struck. The Yue woman wailed at the top of her lungs. "Your Honor, you must uphold justice for this commoner! My husband was no bandit, he was just hunting on the mountain with some brothers. Who knew such a disaster would befall him! I beg Your Honor to see clearly and make the murderer pay with his life!!"
The Prefect of Shuntian hummed in acknowledgment and looked at Madame Mei. "Countess of Jianan, is what this woman says true?"
Madame Mei was about to speak, but hearing her son's cough, she held back.
Yes, Tian'er was right. If she admitted it, a lone woman and over a dozen men... even if she had a hundred mouths, she couldn't explain it clearly.
Not to mention her past history of eloping with a scholar...
She twisted her handkerchief repeatedly. After a long while, she finally gave a slight nod. "Yes."
As the word "yes" fell, Shadow suddenly looked up, staring at her in disbelief.
Madame Mei dared not meet his gaze, only lowering her head and saying, "This humble wife today arranged an outing in the outskirts with several other ladies. We just got separated on the way. While searching for them, I... I happened upon this young man in the act of killing..."
A guttural sound escaped Shadow's throat. He tried to move forward on his knees but was pressed to the ground by court guards.
A flicker of disgust passed through Xiao Tian's eyes, and he also spoke loudly. "My mother is correct! I can also testify for my mother! There was no talk of bandits and assault at all!"
He would never admit he was overpowered by a bunch of bandits in moments. It was too humiliating!
He's just a beggar anyway. If he dies, he dies. Who would care?
The Prefect of Shuntian slammed his gavel with a crack. "In that case, prisoner, what do you have to say for yourself?"
