Chapter 119
"Ah!" Lin Qiao'er cried out in alarm before retreating back into the room.
"Madam, you see now? This concubine wasn’t lying. Lin Qiao'er really had a man in here..." Concubine Zhen gloated, casting a smug glance toward the room.
Madam Lan’s face darkened. She never expected Lin Qiao'er to actually bring a man into the estate. And of all places, she chose this abandoned courtyard. If not for Concubine Zhen leading her here today, the woman might have succeeded in her scheme.
At this thought, Madam Lan turned her gaze to the trembling man beside her.
At first glance, she didn’t recognize him—but upon closer inspection, wasn’t this Xiao Guozhi?
"Minister Xiao?" Madam Lan frowned. Xiao Guozhi, a Vice Minister of Revenue, sneaking into the Minister of Justice’s estate to steal a concubine?
The Lan and Xiao families had once been neighbors, and though the Lans later moved after her father’s promotion, Madam Lan still knew a thing or two about Xiao Guozhi’s character.
Yet, she couldn’t fathom why he would suddenly appear in her own home.
"Sister Lan?" Xiao Guozhi recognized her voice and flushed with embarrassment. What a disgraceful situation!
"Why are you here?" Madam Lan demanded sharply.
"Madam, you know this man?" Concubine Zhen’s heart sank. If Madam Lan was acquainted with him, would she cover up the scandal?
"Silence!" Madam Lan shot Concubine Zhen a warning look, well aware of her scheming nature.
"Madam, please save me! This man tried to force himself on me!" Lin Qiao'er, now dressed, pointed accusingly at Xiao Guozhi with a pitiful expression.
"Wha—nonsense! I don’t even know you! How could I force myself on you? You’re the one who dragged me in here!" Xiao Guozhi retorted angrily.
Madam Lan knew that with an outsider involved, she, as a woman of the inner household, couldn’t handle this alone.
"Summon the master home at once!" she ordered the steward coldly.
The group was taken to the main hall.
Lin Qiao'er wept in a corner, while Xiao Guozhi stood stiffly, his face stormy. Even a fool could tell he’d been set up.
Liu Bozheng returned swiftly.
"Madam, what urgent matter requires my immediate return?" he asked, stepping inside and addressing Madam Lan directly.
Without a word, she gestured toward Xiao Guozhi.
"Minister Xiao? Did you come to see me about something?" Liu Bozheng’s first thought was of the Emperor’s ongoing audit of the Ministry of Revenue’s accounts. Why would Xiao Guozhi have leisure to visit his estate?
"Minister Liu!" Xiao Guozhi, though aggrieved, felt a pang of guilt upon seeing Liu Bozheng.
He’d pieced it together—the woman was Liu Bozheng’s concubine.
What rotten luck! He’d only come to investigate the estate’s layout, never expecting to be dragged into an affair with the minister’s wayward concubine.
"My lord, you must uphold justice for me! This scoundrel tried to take liberties with me!" Lin Qiao'er cried, preemptively accusing Xiao Guozhi the moment Liu Bozheng arrived.
"What happened?" Liu Bozheng frowned. As the Minister of Justice, he’d seen all kinds of people and wouldn’t blindly trust his concubine’s words.
But his gaze toward Xiao Guozhi turned sharp—demanding an explanation, or there would be consequences.
"Minister Liu, this is all a misunderstanding! A maid led me to that courtyard, saying some concubine was waiting. Before I could react, she started touching me! I warned her to behave!" Xiao Guozhi explained hastily.
Yet the more he spoke, the darker Liu Bozheng’s expression grew.
"Minister Xiao, do you truly expect me to believe that?" Liu Bozheng asked icily.
No man would tolerate another touching his woman.
"My lord, he’s lying! He saw my beauty and lusted after me, forcing me into that courtyard!" Lin Qiao'er insisted, trembling. She’d witnessed Liu Bozheng interrogating criminals—she couldn’t imagine surviving his wrath.
"Bring the maid from the side gate," Liu Bozheng ordered a servant.
"Minister Xiao, why were you in my estate today?" Though suspecting espionage, Liu Bozheng was furious at the intrusion into his domain.
"Minister Liu, I demand to see Prince An." Xiao Guozhi didn’t know how to explain, but the Emperor had assigned Prince An to oversee their work.
"Once Prince An arrives, I’ll disclose everything." With that, Xiao Guozhi fell silent, stewing in frustration.
Why did such misfortune befall him?
Though furious, Liu Bozheng knew he held the moral high ground. Even Prince An couldn’t undo what had happened.
He sent the steward to summon Xu Heming.
---
Li'an County
"Cousin, you’ve been back for some time. How about showing me around Li'an County today?" Yao Shuheng smiled at Li Zhiwei.
Li Zhiwei hesitated, about to refuse, when Xu Qingshi looked up at her eagerly.
Remembering that Xu Qingshi was just a child who’d been cooped up since their return, she relented.
"Very well. Today, I’ll take you both out."
Yao Shuheng’s eyes gleamed triumphantly. If Li Zhiwei agreed to go out, his plans could proceed.
His gaze grew more fervent as he watched her.
Xu Qingshi frowned. Something about the way this man looked at his mother unsettled him.
"Mother, can I buy anything I like today?" he asked sweetly, deliberately emphasizing their bond.
"Anything you want—but nothing too large. We’ll have trouble taking it back to the capital," Li Zhiwei replied indulgently.
"Don’t worry, Mother!" Xu Qingshi patted his chest confidently.
Yao Shuheng’s brow furrowed. This child had no sense of boundaries.
"Young Master Xu, my cousin is unmarried. Calling her ‘Mother’ harms her reputation," he said gently but pointedly.
Xu Qingshi glanced at Li Zhiwei in confusion—she’d never objected before.
"It’s fine. Call me what you like," Li Zhiwei said casually. If her engagement to Prince An held, he’d be calling her that soon enough anyway.
It so happened that Xu Heming and Li Tianyou hurried to the residence of Liu Bozheng, the Minister of Justice, their minds clouded with confusion—what could have happened to Xiao Guozhi that required their urgent intervention?
