Chapter 67

Liang Jianfang looked up as the person at the door fiddled with the lock and stepped into the cell.

Shen Yu was dressed as a prison guard today, and Liang Jianfang almost didn’t recognize her. When he realized who it was, he hurriedly got off the bed.

“I’ve made up my mind! I’ve made up my mind!” Since seeing the dead rat that morning, Liang Jianfang had not dared to eat or sleep all day, finally waiting for someone to arrive.

Shen Yu lowered her eyes and stared at him. “Speak.”

“It’s a long story,” Liang Jianfang’s eyes darted around. “May I ask what method this young man has to save my life?”

A cunning person like Liang Jianfang would always seek assurance of survival before speaking.

“Do you still have a choice now?” Shen Yu sneered. “You’ve already walked into a dead end. You’ve survived today, can you survive tomorrow? Trust me, you still have a chance.”

Though Liang Jianfang was taken aback by her words, he also knew they were not false. After pondering for a moment, he said, “This matter must start from the invasion by the Western Jue people last year…”

In September of the previous year, when the Western Jue people invaded, Liang Jianfang, as a civil official, was appointed as a military supervisor by the emperor, a temporary assignment placed within the army to oversee the generals on expedition.

He was given a death order: Shen Zhong’an and Shen Zhao could only go and not return, regardless of the means.

“So you leaked the military deployment plans to the Xijue people? You actually colluded with the enemy to kill your own people,” Shen Yu gritted her teeth, barely restraining herself from tearing the man in front of her apart.

Intimidated by the hatred in her eyes, Liang Jianfang hurriedly said, “I didn’t steal the plans. Such a big matter couldn’t have been entrusted to me alone. There must have been others arranged within the army.”

Shen Yu remained skeptical. “If you didn’t steal them, how could you ensure the defeat in battle? How could you accomplish the task?”

“You don’t know,” Liang Jianfang glanced around the doorway, then whispered, “Because of the grain and fodder.”

“Grain and fodder?”

“Liang Jianfang nodded.”

Several events quickly connected in Shen Yu’s mind.

Shen Zhong’an received news that the grain and fodder were already on the way.

Later, when the supplies didn’t arrive, subsequent messages claimed they were about to arrive, clearly stalling for time and preventing them from finding alternative sources of provisions.

If they had known earlier, it would have been possible to urgently procure supplies from other provinces.

But from the beginning, there was no mention of grain and fodder!

Shen Yu focused her mind and continued, “The grain and fodder are coordinated by the Ministry of Revenue and distributed from various granaries. How could he ensure they wouldn’t arrive?”

“I don’t know about that,” Liang Jianfang said. “I’m not responsible for that part.”

“Keep going!” Shen Yu demanded.

Liang Jianfang shrank back in fear. “Later… later, you also know, I hid in the city. Later, Shen Zhong’an somehow managed to procure a batch of grain and fodder.

If the supplies entered the city, then we wouldn’t have lost the battle. Before we left the capital, an order was issued that either Shen Zhong’an dies or I die. I had no choice but to… had to order the city gates closed.”

Shen Yu couldn’t take it anymore. She drew her knife and placed it horizontally against Liang Jianfang’s neck. “That’s a hundred thousand lives!”

That’s… that’s my father, my brother…

Her hands were trembling, and Liang Jianfang could already feel the sting on his neck.

He recoiled in horror, stuttering, “I-I-I still have value, don’t kill me.”

Shen Yu held the knife tightly, slowly withdrawing it, and pulled out something from behind her waist, tossing it in front of Liang Jianfang. “Write! Write down everything you just said!”

Liang Jianfang looked at the paper and pen on the ground, his hands shaking as he reached for them.

“You better write it well,” Shen Yu warned.

At night, the Guanghua Gate was tightly closed, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.

The gate wouldn’t open until the hour of the tiger (3-5 AM) within the inner city. By the hour of the rabbit (5-7 AM), it was the time for various shifts to change.

Shen Yu, holding her waist token, walked out of Guanghua Gate with another prison guard. After crossing Yongning Street, the two exchanged a glance and parted ways.

She stood still, feeling even sadder despite knowing some details and who the mastermind behind it all was.

Because she suddenly realized that even if she knew everything and caught the culprit, her father and brother would never come back.

Scenes from that day flashed before her eyes.

The sky was so cold, the snow so thick. She searched through the corpses, praying silently before opening each one, hoping it wouldn’t be them.

But in the end, she was disappointed.

A carriage stopped in front of her. Xifeng looked at Shi Yu, who remained silent, and instead of speaking, he lifted the curtain.

Xie Tingzhou lowered his gaze and said softly, “Come up, let’s go back.”

Shen Yu boarded the carriage and leaned against the window sill, lost in thought.

Xie Tingzhou glanced at her silently, but didn’t speak. Instead, he waited quietly, giving her space in silence.

After a moment, Shen Yu took out two pieces of paper from her sleeve and handed them to him.

Xie Tingzhou took them and asked, “Liang Jianfang’s confession?”

Shen Yu nodded gently.

Xie Tingzhou read through it quickly, his brows furrowing, and his hand holding the confession trembling slightly.

Such absurdity was unheard of.

Xie Tingzhou folded the papers and said loudly, “Xifeng, go to the Ministry of Justice.”

Xie Tingzhou held the rank of third-grade official and needed to attend court daily. However, as the eldest son of the Northern Lin Prince, his appointment by the Emperor was merely symbolic, exempting him from daily court attendance.

The gates of the Fengtian Hall were wide open, with princes and ministers lining both sides.

Since Xie Tingzhou entered the hall, he had attracted astonished glances. Despite the passage of several days, it was still the first time they had seen him attend court.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the hall.

Left Censor-in-chief of the Ministry of Justice, Wan Ruixian, entered the hall wearing crimson robes.

As the chief supervisor of the Ministry of Justice, responsible for inspecting and rectifying, even a minor censor could impeach a high-ranking official regardless of rank.

Wearing crimson robes was just the beginning, indicating that today Wan Ruixian was going to impeach a government official.

When the time came, Emperor Tongxu entered the hall and immediately noticed the figure dressed in crimson among the crowd.

Emperor Tongxu’s expression turned solemn. “Minister Wan, whom do you intend to impeach today?”

Wan Ruixian presented his memorial and solemnly declared, “Reporting to Your Majesty, the Yanzhou Pass incident was investigated by the Three Departments. I, as the deputy left censor-in-chief, Wan Ruixian, hereby report the Yanzhou Pass incident today and impeach Ge Liangji, Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, for colluding with traitors to harm loyalists, resulting in the defeat at Yanzhou Pass!”

The hall erupted into chaos.

Emperor Tongxu quickly read through the memorial, already having an idea. He said in a deep voice, “Proceed.”

“Yes.” Wan Ruixian took a step forward. “In the ninth month of last year…”