That afternoon, Shu Changyu was released from the Court of Judicial Review.
According to rumor, Lord Jing Mu, Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, had followed the discrepancies in the account books and ledgers all the way to Minister of Works Qian Rubin. Not only did Lord Jing recover the missing account books that had not been found in Shu Changyu’s residence, but he also uncovered the enormous fortune Qian had embezzled by following the trail.
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 national treasury’s expenditures. Since taking office, he had siphoned nearly half of the Ministry of Works’ budget into his own pockets.
At the same time, Lord Shu’s case was finally brought to light. It was said that Lord Shu had been as incorruptible as pure water, and because Qian Rubin had failed to extort bribes from him, he had framed Shu Changyu, pinning his own financial shortfall on him instead.
As for Lord Shu’s innocence, the account books bore witness, the officials and laborers who had repaired the roads bore witness, and heaven and earth themselves bore witness.
Listening to the young prison guard chatter all the way as he escorted him out, Shu Changyu thought to himself that Jing Mu must have learned from someone how to weave lies together with the truth so seamlessly.
“How is the First Prince?” he asked the guard.
The guard sighed. “I heard he hanged himself in the palace!”
—
He went straight into the palace to see the emperor. Emperor Qianning held his arm, spoke earnestly with him, comforted him, praised him, and even promoted him another rank to become Vice Minister of Works.
Emperor Qianning truly had a remarkable talent for such things. Deep down, he suspected everyone. The slightest disturbance was enough for him to pronounce someone guilty. Yet once the truth came out and the charges were cleared, he could still put on a warm, affectionate face, speaking as though from the heart.
Shu Changyu properly expressed his gratitude for the imperial favor. When the emperor ordered him to return home and rest for two days, he withdrew and headed directly back to the General’s Manor.
On the way, he happened to meet Jing Mu entering the palace. Jing Mu gave him a deep look and a faint smile, never slowing his steps as they brushed past each other.
When Shu Changyu arrived at the manor, Madam Li and Gu Lanrong were already waiting at the entrance.
“My son, you’ve suffered so much!” Madam Li burst into tears the moment she saw him step down from the carriage. She hurried over, grasped both his arms, and cried, “You’ve finally been vindicated!”
Beside her, Gu Lanrong wiped away her own tears. “It’s good that you’re home. That’s all that matters.”
Madam Li carefully looked him over from head to toe. Seeing that he was completely unharmed—indeed, looking healthier than when he had left, even having put on a little weight—she sighed in relief.
“The Second Prince truly kept his word. He told me not to worry. He said he would take good care of you.”
“…Jing Mu?” Shu Changyu frowned. “Mother, how did you meet him?”
Gu Lanrong answered from the side, “You didn’t know? The day after you were imprisoned, His Highness came to the manor to reassure Mother and me. Ever since then, whenever he found time every few days, he’d come to visit.”
Shu Changyu let out a cold snort inwardly.
Everything had started because of that brat, yet he was the one who got to play the hero.
Now that Madam Li’s worries had been put to rest, she did not keep Shu Changyu outside any longer. She had Kongqing escort him back to his room to rest.
The moment Shu Changyu stepped into the courtyard, he saw the little plump bird perched on the bird stand beneath the corridor.
The bird had clearly been pampered these days. Its feathers were glossy and sleek, and its little body had grown even rounder. It stood lazily on the perch, flicking its delicate tail while chirping softly in the afternoon sun.
Shu Changyu frowned.
“Do we have the key to the bird’s shackle?” he asked Kongqing.
“Yes, Young Master.”
Shu Changyu tilted his chin toward the bird.
“Go release it.”
“Huh?” Kongqing froze, then said reluctantly, “Young Master, this little bird is adorable. It’s pretty too. It never chirps at night and behaves so well…”
Listening to Kongqing praise the bird, Shu Changyu felt strangely irritated, as though Kongqing were standing in front of him lavishing compliments on Jing Mu instead.
He impatiently cut him off.
“Let it go.”
Then he simply stood there, clearly intending to watch until Kongqing released the bird.
Left with no choice, Kongqing fetched the key and unlocked the tiny shackle fastened to the bird’s leg.
To everyone’s surprise, the little chubby bird merely stretched its wings lazily, gave itself a leisurely stretch, tucked its wings back into its fluffy feathers, and continued standing there without moving.
Kongqing couldn’t help laughing.
“Young Master, look! It doesn’t want to leave you!”
Seeing the bird stubbornly lounging there so comfortably, Shu Changyu thought it resembled Jing Mu to an uncanny degree.
He walked over with a dark expression, raising his hand to shoo it away.
The little bird gave two pitiful chirps, fluttered a few times, and landed on Shu Changyu’s writing desk before refusing to move again.
It couldn’t even be bothered to fly another inch. It simply squatted there with its head tilted, gazing at Shu Changyu with innocent, bright black eyes.
Shu Changyu’s brows knitted tightly together.
Whoever had caught this little creature must have raised it to match its owner’s personality exactly. This shameless refusal to leave was a perfect replica of Jing Mu.
After glaring at it for a moment, Shu Changyu ignored it and returned to his bedroom.
Seeing that his young master had stopped competing with the little bird, Kongqing was delighted. He hurried over, carefully picked up the little bird from the desk, and placed it back on the stand beneath the corridor.
“But didn’t Young Master say he disliked the bird?” one of the maids asked. “If you hang it back up, won’t he be upset?”
“You only see that he dislikes it now,” Kongqing replied confidently with a smile. “Before this, when did you ever see him dislike it? He fed it every day, gave it water, and treasured it dearly. Just wait and see. He’s only upset for the moment. Before long, he’ll love the bird again.”
—
That afternoon, after finishing his shift, Dai Wenliang slipped over to the General’s Manor.
“I knew you weren’t the type to take bribes!” Dai Wenliang declared, thumping his chest. “See? It was that old bastard who framed you!”
“Well then, thank you for believing in me,” Shu Changyu laughed.
“If your health weren’t so poor that you couldn’t serve in the military, I’d tell you to quit this government post altogether and go lead troops with your brother!” Dai Wenliang grumbled. “Those civil officials… every last one of them…”
“You can’t lump everyone together,” Shu Changyu reminded him.
“Bah! And you’re still defending them!” Dai Wenliang snorted.
“One matter is one matter,” Shu Changyu replied. “If you say that, aren’t you wronging the good ones too?”
Dai Wenliang curled his lips and dropped the subject.
“I actually wanted to bring you a jug of apricot blossom wine from Wangyue Tower today to celebrate,” he said instead. “But a few days ago, several brothers dragged me to a brothel in Chunshui Alley. There’s a place there whose apricot blossom wine is even better than Wangyue Tower’s!”
“You went to a brothel?” Shu Changyu burst into laughter. “What? Aren’t you afraid Miss Xie Second will get jealous?”
“Pah!” Dai Wenliang slapped him on the shoulder. “Going to a brothel doesn’t mean you’re doing that! We were just drinking and listening to music. It’s no different from going to a restaurant.”
“Oh?” Shu Changyu nodded solemnly. “Young Master Dai has learned to appreciate refined pleasures now. Wonderful.”
Dai Wenliang raised his hand threateningly.
“You dare make fun of me again? Want a beating?”
Shu Changyu simply laughed, 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 examinees from the Huzhou provincial examination have been summoned to the capital to retake the exam.”
Strangely enough, brothels were the favorite gathering places of scholars and literati. Wherever scholars gathered, brothels flourished.
“That’s right. Last time we went to hear music, the people next door were competing in poetic couplets.” Dai Wenliang scrunched up his face as though he’d tasted something sour. “If they want to hold literary gatherings, fine—but why do they have to hold them in brothels?”
Then something occurred to him.
“Oh right! I even ran into some so-called ‘Number One Talent of Huzhou.’ He didn’t say much himself, but everyone around him wouldn’t stop praising him.”
“‘Number One Talent of Huzhou?'” Shu Changyu repeated.
“That’s him.” Dai Wenliang nodded. “I wonder if he’d be able to compete with you.”
Of course he could, Shu Changyu thought.
In his previous life, this very “Number One Talent of Huzhou” had written brilliantly during the provincial examination, earning first place with overwhelming success.
But when he was summoned to the capital for the reexamination, he had become so nervous in the Golden Hall that his entire body trembled. The answers he wrote were complete nonsense. He was the very first person accused of cheating and sentenced to be beheaded.
Shu Changyu had been fortunate enough in his previous life to read the man’s original examination paper. The answers were nothing short of brilliant and entirely worthy of the title “Number One Talent of Huzhou.”
It was simply a pity that the scholar’s courage was far too small. Faced with such an ordeal, he had lost his head.
Thinking this over, Shu Changyu smiled.
“Brother Dai, now that you’ve mentioned it, I’d quite like to try that apricot blossom wine in Chunshui Alley myself. Since you’re free today and I’m on leave, why don’t we go have a drink together?”
The southern scholars had their own unique style. When traveling away from home, they often refused to stay in ordinary inns that reeked of commerce, preferring instead to lodge in brothels to display their elegant, romantic tastes. This custom had begun with the famous poet Liu Yong of the previous dynasty and had only grown stronger over time.
But now it seemed that the custom wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
The moment Shu Changyu heard that the Number One Talent of Huzhou was staying in that brothel, he knew the man was almost certainly lodging there. A cluster of talented scholars living together in such a romantic place, composing poetry and discussing literature, would be easy enough to find.
Since fate had allowed Shu Changyu to encounter him in this life, he intended to meet the scholar. Perhaps by saving him, he could preserve a talent that would one day benefit the nation.
What Shu Changyu did not know, however, was that this very afternoon, Chief Justice Jing Mu had also led men out on an investigation.
The brothel being investigated for secretly operating under the corrupt official’s control… was located in Chunshui Alley.