The beautiful young gentleman looked shy and bashful as he gently tugged at his loose sash and called him, “Xi-lang.”

By rough estimation, it was just about time.

Only then did Ji Linxi get up from the bed and say in a low voice, “I’ll go out later and have them seal off this courtyard. Find a chance to leave on your own.”

“I know.” The sharp female voice had become a calm male voice.

Ji Linxi flicked his sleeves, made his hair even messier, smeared some blood from Chang Gui’s clothes onto his own face and body, then carried the peachwood sword and went out.

Outside, Young Master Wang had already fainted from blood loss. Mrs. Wang was holding him and crying uncontrollably, blaming her husband for being too harsh on their son. Mr. Wang said coldly, “This disaster was brought on by him in the first place, and now he’s dragging the rest of the Wang family down with him. I only took a little blood from him — I didn’t kill him. Woman, how foolish can you be? Hurry and send for a doctor!”

Mrs. Wang finally reacted and hurriedly sent someone to fetch a doctor.

When she saw Ji Linxi come out, Mr. Wang quickly walked over and said eagerly, “How is it now, Daoist Chu?”

Ji Linxi looked utterly exhausted. “I’ve temporarily suppressed that fierce ghost. Later I need to restore the formation and continue suppressing her for several days before I can completely destroy her.”

“In the meantime, this courtyard must be sealed. No one is allowed to enter.”

At this point, whatever he said, Mr. Wang believed and obeyed. He immediately ordered the courtyard sealed. Young Master Wang, still unconscious, had already been moved to another courtyard. Left behind were Daoist Chang Weng and his apprentices.

The steward bent over and asked, “Master, these few… how should we deal with them…?”

A vicious glint flashed in Mr. Wang’s eyes. “Lock up these liars!” If not for these frauds, how would he have offended Daoist Chu? Not only had he spent more silver than necessary, but he had also made his son lose so much blood.

Upon hearing Mr. Wang’s words, Daoist Chang Weng hurriedly pleaded for mercy, and his apprentices followed suit, crying out in desperation — but they were still dragged away.

“Daoist Chu, thank you for putting aside past grievances and helping our Wang family.” Mr. Wang’s face once again broke into a smile. “This old man is deeply grateful to you. It’s already late, so I’ll have them arrange a room for you. Please rest early. Whatever you want to eat, just say the word — our Wang family will satisfy you.”

Under Mr. Wang’s arrangements, Ji Linxi took a bath and changed into clean clothes, though he still kept his face disguised.

When he entered the elegant side courtyard, the door opened and warm air rushed out from the heated room.

Sleeping beneath the warm brocade quilt, Ji Linxi stretched out his limbs in comfort. After thoroughly enjoying this luxurious treatment, he thought of the beautiful young gentleman he had met today and felt his mouth go dry with longing.

How could there be someone so beautiful?

He turned over.

How could there be someone so beautiful?

He turned over again.

How could there be someone so beautiful?

After tossing and turning, he finally closed his eyes slowly in his excitement and lust.

As the saying goes, what one thinks by day comes in dreams by night.

Ji Linxi entered his dream on this snowy, windy night. In the dream, he was a magnificent new top scholar. In the great hall, the emperor said he would marry his precious princess daughter to him. On the wedding night, he bent down and lifted the red veil with a jade ruyi. Beneath it was the same face as the beautiful young gentleman he had seen in the daytime — lips like spring peach blossoms, eyes like glazed jade, eyelids lowered delicately.

The beautiful young gentleman looked shy and bashful as he gently tugged at his loose sash and called him, “Xi-lang.”

Ji Linxi could still endure that much, and immediately transformed into a fierce beast, rolling in red waves with his lovely bride, feeling as though he would ascend to immortality in the next moment from sheer bliss.

…

A bug landed on his clothes, and Chu Yu, expression unchanged, flicked it away lightly. The snow outside had not yet melted. He looked at the snowy scenery outside, while beside him a subordinate named Yunsheng had brought a pair of elderly couple before him.

The old couple knelt on the ground and told of their miserable suffering, begging Chu Yu to uphold justice for them.

“That Wang family’s young master, Wang He, seized my daughter in broad daylight. After violating her, he threw her corpse outside the Wang residence! My wife and I waited three days and three nights, only to receive our daughter’s body!”

“My poor daughter — she had only just turned seventeen this year! A few days ago, she was still telling us she had found someone she loved and wanted to marry as a bride. We didn’t even get to send her off in a bridal sedan chair before she was killed by Wang He!”

“My daughter’s corpse and I went to the county yamen to seek justice, but the people there, upon hearing it involved the Wang family, drove us away and refused to uphold justice for us! All because the Wang family has a high official backing them in the capital! We went to the prefectural yamen too, but the gatekeeper, upon hearing we were there to accuse the Wang family, told us to go back to the county yamen, saying that matters in Yong City should be handled by the Yong City magistrate, and that their prefectural office wouldn’t deal with such a minor matter unless it was first submitted by the county yamen. But the county yamen simply refused to stand up for us! They wouldn’t even let us in! We really had no other choice!”

Yun Huai, who had been standing nearby holding a sword, had already turned cold-faced after hearing this. “This Jingzhou prefecture office actually fears the Wang family too. To do such things, how are they any different from beasts?”

“Your Highness… my lord.” He clasped his hands toward Chu Yu. “I’ll go to the Wang family right now and bring that whole family here to give the girl justice.”

Chu Yu raised a hand. “Wait.”

The sound of a jade pendant striking softly rang out as a tall, elegant figure rose from his chair. “Chen Deshun, who is the Wang family’s backing in the capital?”

Eunuch Chen thought for a moment, then hesitantly said, “It should be Lord Wang Yang, the Prime Minister.”

“…If I’m not mistaken, the Prime Minister comes from Yong City.”

“Prime Minister…” Chu Yu repeated the words once.

Hearing this, the old couple’s faces filled with despair. Even though they were uneducated, they still understood what a minister of such rank meant. No wonder the county and prefectural offices refused to take the case.

Prime Minister Wang Yang —

Yun Huai’s expression changed slightly.

Wasn’t that His Highness’s…

While he was still thinking, Chu Yu had already walked up to the old couple and helped them to their feet. In a gentle voice, he said, “Within three days, I will give you and your daughter an explanation.”

“In my Liang Dynasty, I will never allow the powerful to bully the common people.”

After giving them a sum of compensation silver and having Yunsheng send the old couple away, Chu Yu gave a faint laugh. “Tomorrow, accompany me to the county yamen. I want to know whether the Wang family is truly so lawless that they could even throw a corpse in the street. Do they think my Liang Dynasty law is nothing?”

Seeing the coldness in his eyes, Eunuch Chen carefully said from the side, “Those two old people truly are pitiful. His Highness has already given them compensation silver, enough for them to live without worry for the foreseeable future. Prime Minister Wang is on the side of His Highness. If because of a common girl you end up clashing with the Prime Minister…”

Chu Yu lowered his eyelids slightly and looked at him.

“Eunuch Chen.”

“I am the Crown Prince.”

With those words, Eunuch Chen understood that he could not say more. He could only wear a bitter expression.

If His Highness really insisted on seeking justice for that elderly couple, then once they returned to the capital, how would he explain things to the Empress?

At present, Concubine An’s Sixth Prince was the most favored, and he was eyeing the Crown Prince’s position like a tiger watching its prey. If the Prime Minister fell out with His Highness over this matter and sided with the Sixth Prince instead, the Empress would not be able to blame Young Master Yan — she would blame him instead.

It was Yunsheng’s fault after all. His Highness had told him to take a look around Yong City, just a proper cursory inspection would have been enough. But no — he had to go out into the street and bring back a pair of elderly couple. It was His Highness’s first time outside the palace, and youthful vigor made it natural to want to right the injustices of the world. But Yunsheng was such a fool — instead of choosing one or two harmless things, he had to pick something that tied directly to the Prime Minister.

Chu Yu gathered the wide sleeves of his robe.

“Tomorrow, tell Second Young Master Shen to rest well at the inn. If he wants to go anywhere, have Yunsheng and the imperial guards I brought accompany him. I have matters to attend to, so I won’t be seeing him for the next two or three days.”