Chapter Thirty-Seven: An Explosion at the Festival!

The two bailiffs who were supposed to arrest Su Ruowei suddenly changed direction and lunged straight at Li Yuanwang!

Li Yuanwang knew that if he fell into the hands of the Divine Catcher Bureau, he would be lucky to escape with his life, even if he didn't lose his skin. Moreover, once Prince Yu learned of this, he would certainly send men to silence him; after all, he knew far too many of the Prince's secrets.

A desperate instinct for survival seized him. He shoved the two bailiffs aside, leaped out of the window, and plummeted into the water with a splash.

When Chen Zaidao saw this, he was overjoyed and immediately signaled his son, Chen Qishan. Chen Qishan, understanding his father's intent, jumped out the window after him. Catching up to Li Yuanwang in the water, he drew a dagger and plunged it deep into the man’s throat.

To them, Li Yuanwang had to die. While Chen Zaidao and his son had not been involved in the conspiracy with the feudal princes, they were deeply implicated in the unjust case against the Su family. If Li Yuanwang were to start spilling secrets, it would spell disaster for them.

Li Yuanwang gurgled as blood bubbled from his mouth, staring in disbelief at the young man who had once called him "Uncle," shocked by such cold-blooded ruthlessness.

After killing Li Yuanwang, Chen Qishan immediately turned to the two agents from the Divine Catcher Bureau who had followed them down. "My apologies, gentlemen, but this corrupt official committed suicide. I was unable to stop him in time!"

The two agents, A-Qi and A-Ba, looked at Chen Qishan with suspicion, but there was nothing they could say. By the time they hauled Li Yuanwang’s body up, he was already dead.

Chen Qiluo frowned, feeling annoyed. Why was it that every case she handled lately ended in a death with no evidence? Still, she had the letter in her possession—a material witness. Delivering it to her brother-in-law, the Emperor, should at least serve as a warning, making him aware that Prince Yu was intensifying his cultivation of power in the Jiangnan region. With the feudal princes growing stronger, the open struggle between the imperial court and the princes was now plain to see; such intelligence was invaluable.

Thinking of this, Chen Qiluo turned to glance at Xue Yuan again. She thought to herself that, honestly, this fool actually looked quite handsome when playing the zither... No, that wasn't the point.

She said, "Your Highness, I owe you another favor."

Xue Yuan chuckled and replied, "All right, all right, just remember to pay it back." He suddenly felt something was missing and quickly added, "Oh dear, but now that Magistrate Li has been taken, what will become of Young Master Li? A child without a father is like a blade of grass in the wind!"

He couldn't give Li Changheng time to escape; if that brat ran off, he might take a mountain of silver with him! Xue Yuan insisted that the Prince’s manor was, and must remain, the sole heir to Li Yuanwang’s estate, though they would not be responsible for paying for his funeral!

Upon hearing this, Chen Zaidao immediately turned to Zhou Shen, the Ning'an County Lieutenant. "Magistrate Zhou, why haven't you ordered your troops to seal the county and hunt down the family of the traitor Li Yuanwang? If even one person is missing, I will hold only you accountable!"

There was no mistake here; treason was a capital offense punishable by the execution of one's entire clan, and Li Changheng was certainly included in that! Zhou Shen leaped up as if galvanized and replied, "Yes, sir! I will attend to it immediately!"

The way these people changed their expressions was faster than flipping a book. Now, they were all eager to see Li Yuanwang dead so they could scrub themselves clean of any association with him.

After Zhou Shen ran off, Chen Qiluo looked at Chen Zaidao and said, "I read the contents of the letter. It vaguely mentions that Li Yuanwang used the Su family case to forcibly seize their inventory, intending to manipulate the price of silk in Jiangnan to reap huge profits for Prince Yu. Based on this, do you think it’s possible the Su family case was a miscarriage of justice?"

Chen Zaidao pondered for a moment before saying, "As far as this prefecture knows, the case was supported by both human and material evidence and has already been sent to the Ministry of Justice for review. I expect the approval documents will arrive soon, so I fear..."

Chen Qiluo nodded. "True. In that case, I shall ask my grandfather to personally review it."

Chen Zaidao’s face stiffened. He had forgotten that Chen Qiluo’s grandfather was the Minister of Justice and Grand Preceptor to the Crown Prince. He immediately assumed a tone of righteous indignation. "Magistrate Chen, you misunderstand! What I meant was that it is highly probable this case is a miscarriage of justice. As soon as the Ministry of Justice sends it back for retrial, I will personally ensure justice is served for the Su family!"

"That’s good!" Chen Qiluo stretched and turned to look at Su Ruowei. She had taken quite a liking to this girl. There were many reasons for this—her unyielding nature, her determination to clear her parents' names—but the initial spark was likely their mutual agreement that Xue Yuan was a complete fool.

Among women, a shared opinion on gossip always brought them closer. If they were to get together later to vent about that big fool Xue Yuan, their friendship might reach an even higher level.

At this moment, Su Ruowei, stunned by the dizzying and incredible turn of events, stood with wide, starry eyes, dumbfounded. Yet, her entire being was wrapped in an unprecedented warmth, as if she had been trekking through a frozen wilderness for days and suddenly stepped into a cozy wooden cabin filled with fire, light, and heat. The light came from Chen Qiluo, but the heat came from that big fool!

Su Ruowei wasn't sure if the crucial letter had been part of Xue Yuan’s plan all along, but she was certain that if not for him, she would never have lived to see the day the Su family’s name was cleared. He had once said he would clear her name, and he had once said that if he believed she was a good person, then she was a good person! She had once thought that was just the naive confidence of a fool, but she never expected he would actually pull it off!

Su Ruowei suddenly remembered what she had once said: "If Your Highness clears the Su family of this injustice, this girl is willing to serve you for the rest of her life!"

The Su family had been merchants for generations, considered as lowly as duckweed, but they had always held the principle of "integrity" as the foundation of their lives. Without further hesitation, Su Ruowei performed a deep, formal bow to Xue Yuan. "Your servant, Su Ruowei, thanks Your Highness for your great kindness!"

Xue Yuan was very pleased; this girl kept her word after all! Let’s see: he had the martial prowess of Jian Qi, the scholarly support of San Tai, the financial acumen of Su Ruowei, and the backing of Zhao Huaichun and the great Confucian scholar Chu. If he could also win over Wang Yu'er to develop an underground network, then he would be officially in business!

One had to ask: could he now stand tall and negotiate terms with Prince Yu?

Thinking of the great scholar Chu, he went up to him and said, "Heh, Master Chu, does what you said earlier still stand?"

Chu Yanshu smiled. "Naturally! Are you willing to go?"

"Of course!"

Chen Zaidao and the others heard this and immediately stepped forward to offer their congratulations. "Congratulations, Your Highness! We are truly envious that you will be able to listen to the teachings of the great scholar Chu!"

Xue Yuan realized that these people had suddenly become very obedient. Human nature, indeed!

...

This small interlude did not delay their journey. The fleet soon arrived at Juyang Wharf on the upper reaches of the Ning'an River. The name Juyang Wharf, it was said, was bestowed by the founding Martial Emperor.

According to unofficial history, the Emperor was passing through with his troops and stopped to water his horses and pitch tents. Seeing a perilous peak in the distance, rising straight into the clouds, he remarked it was "Juyang" (Great Yang), and thus the riverbank was named Juyang Wharf.

However, historians later worked through the night to debunk this, claiming "Juyang" meant the Sun, signifying fairness and openness. It was impossible to verify who was right or wrong, but the author of that unofficial history had been arrested shortly after. Regardless, since the Martial Emperor had been here, this was the natural site for the sacrificial ceremony.

Xue Yuan disembarked and saw a platform over ten meters high built on the shore. Below it, hundreds of people dressed in various fine robes gathered, craning their necks to look at him. These were officials of various ranks and local gentry; it was said that many paid a high price for the privilege of attending the ceremony up close, viewing it as a great honor.

Beyond these hundreds, countless torches stretched endlessly into the distance—these were the commoners who had rushed to attend, likely numbering in the tens of thousands. Every year, these people followed the Prince in piously kowtowing to the Martial Emperor. It was said that after founding the Great Qian, the Martial Emperor had ruled with benevolence for seventy-two years, bringing favorable weather and peace to the people. Such an emperor was naturally missed by the masses.

With so many people, even though Su Ruowei was keeping an eye on potential troublemakers, Xue Yuan still felt a bit uneasy. He asked Jian Qi, "Why doesn't Su Ruowei arrest them now?"

Jian Qi replied, "She wants to see what they are truly planning. Your Highness, rest assured, their martial cultivation is reportedly not very high!"

Xue Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "I don't think that's necessarily safe. From now on, don't leave my side. Oh, and invite Master Chu over; have him stand next to me."

"You don't trust me?" Jian Qi frowned, appearing offended.

"Not at all! I just mean that if something happens, he can assist you," Xue Yuan insisted.

"He has to read the sacrificial text, so he would be by your side anyway," Jian Qi said flatly.

Only then did Xue Yuan feel slightly more at ease. At this moment, a ceremonial officer from the Prince's manor shouted, "The ceremony begins!"

Accompanied by a mighty blast of horns, Xue Yuan, escorted by Jian Qi and Chu Yanshu, walked up the steps to the high platform. Standing there, Xue Yuan listened to the wailing night wind and looked down to see the countless torches, like a sea of stars.

At that moment, Chu Yanshu waved his large sleeve, and a sacrificial manuscript floated into the air. Suddenly, energy surged through the atmosphere, causing the manuscript to emit a golden glow, and soon, giant golden characters appeared in the air! They shone brilliantly in the night sky, leaving Xue Yuan marveling in wonder.

Then, the great scholar Chu began to read the text in a resonant voice!

"On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, in the twenty-first year of Longxing, we offer this sacrifice to the ascended..."

Just then, a red, meteor-like streak of light flashed across the sky! Simultaneously, several massive explosions erupted from beneath the platform!

"Boom! Boom!"

The tremendous blasts caused the platform to shake violently, and Xue Yuan almost tumbled off the edge.

"What is going on?"