Outside the hall doors,
Cao Yang's brows were knitted tightly together.
Chu Ruoyan rarely saw him this solemn and couldn't help but ask, "Has something happened?"
Cao Yang glanced at Cao Yi, who replied, "My lady, it concerns Earl Changlu! We just received word—he escaped while being transferred from the Ministry of Justice to the Board of Punishments, injuring the officers in the process. But he mistakenly fled into the beast-fighting arena."
"The beast-fighting arena?!"
That was a relic from the previous dynasty, a place where ferocious beasts were kept for the entertainment of the nobility. If Earl Changlu had stumbled in there…
Sure enough, Cao Yi sighed. "Somehow, he broke into an iron cage housing a starving white-browed tiger that hadn’t eaten for three days. So…"
A chill ran down Chu Ruoyan’s spine.
Once a man entered a tiger’s jaws, not even his bones would remain.
"So, Lord Cao suspects this was orchestrated?"
The Ministry of Justice’s escorts were tightly secured, and given the gravity of Earl Changlu’s crimes, how could he have escaped so easily?
After a moment of silence, Cao Yang said slowly, "At first, I too suspected a cover-up. But those sent to the scene reported another person was present in the arena."
"Who?"
"Earl Changlu’s wife, the fourth daughter of the Yan family—Yan Shu."
Chu Ruoyan’s eyes widened. Cao Yi added, "Witnesses said the countess appeared deranged, watching as the tiger tore her husband apart, leaving not even scraps of bone behind…"
A cold shiver crawled up her spine as she recalled the fate of Earl of Changlu's Mansion in her dreams—
A great fire, consuming all 128 souls within, not a single survivor.
The murderer had stood just like this, outside the gates, listening to their screams.
"And they found this in the cage." Cao Yi retrieved a cloth-wrapped fragment from his robe—a broken blade.
Chu Ruoyan recognized it instantly. "It’s defective!"
The jagged break and cracks along the blade matched the substandard weapons Yan Zheng had shown her during his confession.
She fell silent. Cao Yang observed her reaction and murmured, "So it was him after all…"
"Earl Changlu embezzled military funds and replaced weapons with defective ones, sending Yan’s army to battle with shoddy arms. Now, Yan Zheng lured him into the same trap—trapping him in a cage with a beast, armed only with a broken blade."
Chu Ruoyan pressed her lips together.
But it didn’t end there.
Yan Shu had turned his trusted aide against him, sending Mo Zhongcheng to assassinate him. In return, Yan Zheng had drawn his fourth sister to witness her beloved’s gruesome demise…
To kill a man was one thing; to crush his spirit was another. Yan Zheng had always been one to repay every slight in kind.
"Lord Cao, Ruoyan doesn’t understand what you mean."
Her tone was icy. Cao Yang caught the implication and scoffed. "You’re remarkably unshaken, given your former husband’s ruthlessness. Does it not frighten you?"
"Why should it? Earl Changlu deserved death. As for his sister…" Remembering what had transpired behind Guardian Temple, a flicker of coldness passed through Chu Ruoyan’s eyes. "Everyone must answer for their actions, Lord Cao. Had you seen the state Yan Zheng returned in, you wouldn’t blame him either."
Cao Yang paused, then sighed. "To act without mercy is to sever fate’s thread too soon. Privately, you should advise him—what’s done is done. Must he drown himself in vengeance too?"
With that, he left with Cao Yi, clearly dropping the matter.
Of course, Yan Zheng never left evidence. Cao Yang had only come to test his suspicions, probing for confirmation.
Fortunately, he wasn’t a rigid man.
"Thank you, Uncle!"
Chu Ruoyan dipped into a graceful curtsy.
Cao Yang stiffened mid-step and tossed back, "Regarding the embezzlement case, His Majesty intends to pin everything on Earl Changlu. Now that he’s dead, tell Yan Zheng to prepare."
Realization dawned.
No wonder Cao Yang let it go—the Emperor wanted a scapegoat!
Xue Gui, Earl Changlu, and the Ministry of War’s undersecretary were all implicated, with likely more nobles involved. The Emperor had chosen the least connected—Earl Changlu—to bear the blame.
Yet Yan Zheng’s swift vengeance had unwittingly disrupted the plan…
Or was it truly unwitting?
By the time Chu Ruoyan looked up, Cao Yang was gone.
Her future uncle-in-law really had a habit of leaving her as a messenger without full explanations!
Still, she promptly sent an invitation to the Yan residence, requesting Yan Zheng meet her the next day.
"My lady, inviting him to the Duke's Mansion? What if the Duke—"
Chu Ruoyan froze, imagining her father’s fury, and hastily amended, "Then let’s meet at Tianyi Tavern. No—that’s Young Master Lang’s territory. Wangshuang Tower is worse; it’d only dredge up painful memories…"
The capital’s renowned establishments were few. After some thought, she brightened. "The Imperial Academy! We can fetch Wen Jing after his studies!"
On the appointed day, she informed Lady Jiang the Younger of her outing.
Preoccupied with arranging Chu Jing’s marriage, the lady merely urged her to return early and provided a carriage.
With Yulu in tow, Chu Ruoyan arrived at the academy. Before Yan Zheng appeared, another figure did.
"Lady Chu! I’ve searched everywhere for you!"
She turned to see a flamboyant figure in red riding attire—none other than Pei Zhuo, the young imperial uncle.
The overly familiar address made her skin crawl, and she scrambled back into the carriage.
Pei Zhuo called out, "Wait! Don’t run! I went to the Duke's Mansion first, but your servants said you’d come here. Why avoid me? Are you angry?"
The brash noble tried to climb in, only for Yulu to block him. "Young Master Pei, mind your manners!"
He glared but held back, remembering her status. Softening, he said, "Lady Chu, I only just learned you were injured at Guardian Temple! Blame my second sister for keeping it from me—and this damned leg! It’s finally healed from that fall, or I’d have visited sooner!"
"How bad is it? I brought the finest medicine. If it’s serious, I’ll hunt tiger bone and bear gall myself to ensure your recovery!"
Chu Ruoyan’s head throbbed. As she debated an escape, a voice colder than winter cut through:
"Tiger bone and bear gall won’t suffice. What she needs… is a human heart."
"Will you carve yours out for her?"
