That afternoon, Shu Changyu was finally released from the Court of Judicial Review.
According to rumor, Lord Jing Mu, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, had followed the discrepancies in the account books all the way to Minister of Works Qian Rubin. At Minister Qian’s residence, not only did Lord Jing recover the missing ledgers that had never been found in Shu Changyu’s home, but he also followed the trail and uncovered the enormous fortune Qian had embezzled.
The amount was so staggering that the entire court was shocked.
It was said that the money Qian had stolen equaled two full years of the imperial treasury’s expenditures. Ever since taking office, he had quietly pocketed nearly half of the Ministry of Works’ operating funds.
As for Shu Changyu’s case, the truth had finally come to light.
Minister Shu had been incorruptibly honest. When Qian Rubin failed to extort a bribe from him, he framed him instead, pinning the missing funds he himself had stolen onto Shu Changyu.
And Shu Changyu’s innocence was proven by the account books, by every official and laborer involved in repairing the imperial roads, and by heaven and earth themselves.
As Shu Changyu listened to the young prison guard chattering nonstop while escorting him out, he thought to himself that Jing Mu must have learned from someone how to weave lies together with the truth into such a convincing story.
“How is the First Prince?” he asked the guard.
The young jailer sighed.
“I heard he hanged himself in the palace.”
Shu Changyu went directly into the palace to see the emperor.
Emperor Qianning personally held his arm, offering heartfelt comfort and generous praise before promoting him another rank to become an Assistant Minister of Works.
The emperor possessed a remarkable talent.
He suspected everyone deep down and was quick to convict them at the slightest hint of wrongdoing. Yet once the truth emerged and the accused was cleared, he could still put on a warm, intimate expression, speaking as though they had always shared complete trust.
Shu Changyu respectfully expressed his gratitude.
After Emperor Qianning ordered him to return home and rest for two days, he withdrew and headed straight back to the General’s Manor.
On the way, he happened to run into Jing Mu, who was entering the palace.
Jing Mu looked at him deeply.
A faint smile crossed his lips.
Without slowing his pace by even half a step, he brushed past him.
By the time Shu Changyu arrived at the General’s Manor, Madam Li and Gu Lanrong were already waiting outside.
“My son, you’ve suffered so much!”
The moment Madam Li saw him step down from the carriage, tears streamed from her eyes.
She hurried over, grasped both of his arms, and cried,
“At last your name has been cleared!”
Beside her, Gu Lanrong wiped away her tears.
“It’s enough that you’re home. You’re finally home.”
Madam Li carefully looked him over from head to toe.
Seeing that he was completely unharmed—and even looked healthier than before, perhaps having gained a little weight—she sighed with relief.
“His Highness the Second Prince truly kept his word. He told me not to worry and promised he’d take good care of you.”
“…Jing Mu?” Shu Changyu frowned.
“How did Mother meet him?”
Gu Lanrong answered from the side.
“You didn’t know? After you were imprisoned, His Highness came once to reassure Mother and me. After that, whenever he found the time, he’d visit the manor every few days.”
Shu Changyu let out a silent snort.
Everything started because of that brat.
Yet somehow he managed to play the hero through the whole thing.
Seeing that her son was safe, Madam Li no longer lingered.
She instructed Kongqing to help him back to his room to rest.
As soon as Shu Changyu stepped into the courtyard, he spotted the little chubby bird perched beneath the corridor on its bird stand.
It had clearly been very well cared for.
Its feathers gleamed with health, and it seemed to have grown even rounder than before.
Standing on the perch with its dainty little tail cocked upward, it chirped lazily as though basking contentedly in the afternoon sun.
Shu Changyu frowned.
“Do we have the key to that perch?” he asked Kongqing.
“Yes, Young Master.”
Shu Changyu lifted his chin toward the bird.
“Go release it.”
“Huh…?”
Kongqing froze.
Then, looking rather reluctant, he tried to persuade him.
“Young Master, this bird is adorable. It’s very lovable. It never makes noise at night and is incredibly well-behaved…”
Listening to Kongqing shower the bird with praise made Shu Changyu inexplicably uncomfortable.
It felt as though Kongqing were standing right in front of him endlessly praising Jing Mu instead.
Growing impatient, he interrupted.
“Release it.”
After speaking, he remained standing there, clearly intending to watch until Kongqing set the bird free.
Having no choice, Kongqing fetched the key and unlocked the tiny shackle around the bird’s leg.
Unexpectedly…
The plump little bird merely stretched its wings lazily, gave itself a comfortable stretch, tucked its wings back into its feathers—
And remained exactly where it was.
Kongqing burst into laughter.
“Young Master, look! It can’t bear to leave you!”
Seeing the bird shamelessly settling in as though it belonged there, Shu Changyu couldn’t help seeing Jing Mu in every single one of its actions.
His face darkened.
He strode over and reached out to shoo it away.
The little bird gave two pitiful chirps, fluttered awkwardly into the air, and landed on Shu Changyu’s writing desk.
Then…
It stopped moving again.
It couldn’t even be bothered to fly any farther.
Squatting there with its head tilted, it gazed at Shu Changyu with a pair of innocent, glossy black eyes.
Shu Changyu’s brows knit tightly together.
Whoever caught this little creature…
It really did take after its owner.
That shameless refusal to leave—
It was practically Jing Mu himself.
After giving it one last glance, Shu Changyu ignored it and returned to his bedroom.
Seeing that his young master had finally stopped arguing with the tiny creature, Kongqing secretly rejoiced.
He immediately picked the little sparrow up from the desk and placed it back on the stand beneath the corridor.
One of the maids nearby watched him curiously.
“Didn’t Young Master say he dislikes the bird now? If you put it back, won’t he be upset?”
Kongqing smiled confidently.
“He may dislike it now, but when has he ever disliked it before? He used to feed it and give it water every day, treating it like a treasure. You’ll see. This is only temporary. Before long, Young Master will love it again.”
That afternoon, after finishing his shift, Dai Wenliang slipped over to the General’s Manor.
“I told everyone you weren’t the type to take bribes!”
He slapped his chest confidently.
“See? It was that old bastard who framed you!”
“Well, thank you for believing in me,” Shu Changyu said with a smile.
“If your health weren’t so poor that you couldn’t serve in the military,” Dai Wenliang continued, “I’d tell you to quit this civil official nonsense and go join your brother leading troops into battle! These civil officials… every last one of them is rotten.”
Shu Changyu reminded him,
“You can’t judge everyone by a few examples.”
“Pah! And you’re still defending them?”
Dai Wenliang huffed indignantly.
“One thing has nothing to do with another,” Shu Changyu replied seriously.
“If you say that, aren’t you wronging the good officials too?”
Dai Wenliang curled his lips and wisely abandoned the subject.
“I actually wanted to bring you a jar of apricot blossom wine from Wangyue Tower today to celebrate.”
Then he changed topics.
“But a couple of days ago, some brothers dragged me over to one of the brothels on Chunshui Alley. There’s a place there whose apricot blossom wine tastes even better than Wangyue Tower’s.”
“You went to a brothel?”
Shu Changyu burst into laughter.
“What? Aren’t you afraid that jealous Miss Xie Second will be angry?”
“Pah!”
Dai Wenliang smacked him on the shoulder.
“Going to a brothel doesn’t mean you have to do that! We just drank wine and listened to music. It’s no different from going to a restaurant.”
Shu Changyu nodded thoughtfully.
“So Young Master Dai has finally learned to appreciate refined pursuits. Wonderful.”
“You dare make fun of me?”
Dai Wenliang raised a fist threateningly.
“Want a beating?”
Shu Changyu simply kept laughing, paying no attention whatsoever to the threat.
After a while, feeling refreshed, he asked,
“But the brothels must be lively these days, right? I heard all the provincial examination candidates from Huzhou have been summoned to the capital to retake the exams.”
Brothels were strange places.
Despite their reputation as dens of worldly indulgence, they had always been favorite gathering places for scholars and literati seeking elegance.
Where there were scholars, there were brothels.
“Exactly.”
Dai Wenliang grimaced.
“The last time we went to listen to music, the people next door were holding a poetry contest.”
He looked as though merely remembering it made his teeth ache.
“If they want literary gatherings, fine—but why hold them in a brothel?”
Then something occurred to him.
“Oh, right! Last time I even ran into some fellow they called the ‘Number One Talent of Huzhou.'”
“He himself didn’t say much, but everyone around him kept praising him.”
“The Number One Talent of Huzhou?” Shu Changyu repeated.
“That’s right.”
Dai Wenliang nodded.
“I wonder whether he could match you if the two of you competed.”
Shu Changyu thought to himself—
He certainly could.
In his previous life, this very scholar had written brilliantly during the provincial examinations and won first place.
But when he was summoned to the capital to retake the examination, he became so nervous before the emperor that his whole body trembled.
He filled his paper with incoherent nonsense.
He was the very first candidate accused of cheating…
And executed.
Shu Changyu had once been fortunate enough to read the man’s original examination paper.
Its arguments were brilliant, insightful, and fully worthy of the title “Number One Talent of Huzhou.”
Unfortunately…
The scholar was simply too timid.
One ordeal like that had cost him his life.
After thinking it over, Shu Changyu smiled.
“Brother Dai, now that you’ve mentioned it, you’ve made me curious about the apricot blossom wine on Chunshui Alley.”
“Since you’re free today and I’m resting at home, why don’t we go drink together?”
Southern scholars had always possessed their own unique elegance.
When traveling away from home, they generally preferred staying in brothels instead of ordinary inns, believing the latter reeked too strongly of commerce.
Sleeping in brothels while composing poetry and appreciating music had become fashionable ever since the famous scholar Liu Yong of the previous dynasty.
By now, the custom had become impossible to stop.
Thinking about it now, however, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The moment Shu Changyu heard that the Number One Talent of Huzhou had appeared at that particular brothel, he knew the man was almost certainly staying there.
A gathering place full of scholars composing poetry, painting, and debating literature would be easy enough to search.
Since fate had allowed Shu Changyu to meet him again in this life, he intended to seek the scholar out.
Perhaps by saving his life…
He could preserve a true talent for the empire.
What Shu Changyu did not know was that, that very afternoon, Jing Mu, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, had also gone out investigating a case.
The brothel secretly operated by the corrupt official he was investigating…
Was located on Chunshui Alley.
Author’s Note:
I stayed up all night yesterday reading Shui Qiancheng’s Yet You’re in Love with an Idiot!
I cried the entire night… orz
Tragic novels really do make your hair fall out…
But!!
I couldn’t stop reading!
Shui-da is amazing!
—
Also, the scholar appearing in the next chapter is based on a real historical figure.
During the Kangxi era, corruption in the Jiangnan provincial examinations led to all the candidates being summoned to Beijing for a retest. Among them was the famous scholar Wu Zhaoqian, who became so nervous during the examination that he performed terribly. He was falsely judged guilty of cheating and exiled to Ningguta.
Later, his close friend Gu Zhenguan traveled to the capital in an effort to save him, eventually becoming Nalan Xingde’s teacher. Gu presented Nalan Xingde with the poem “Jinlü Qu” (Song of the Golden Thread). Deeply moved by it, Nalan Xingde wept and persuaded his father to rescue Wu Zhaoqian.
The famous line:
“I too have drifted for so long; for ten years I have failed profound kindness, failed both life and death, failed my teacher and my friend.”
comes from that very poem.