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“You… You’re blatantly slandering me! Sheng Yichen! It’s one thing for you to fool around in private, but in front of Commander Zheng and the officials, you can’t just spout nonsense!”
For some reason, seeing Sheng Yichen’s carefree demeanor sent a chill down Sheng Dehai’s spine.
“Slandering you?”
Sheng Yichen seemed amused by his words, the corners of his lips curling into an arrogant smirk.
“Second Uncle, I think you’ve got the wrong person. Just now, the one who was shouting about me secretly burying cursed objects, bringing thousands of Imperial Guards to raid my house, and then finding absolutely nothing… wasn’t me.”
“Tsk—if I recall correctly, according to Southern Qi law, falsely accusing someone is punishable by flogging. Second Uncle, as an official of the court, you should know this better than I do, right?”
By now, Sheng Dehai had begun to realize something.
The eldest branch of the family must have known about their plan in advance and prepared a countermeasure.
His face alternated between pale and red with rage, but he was at a loss for words.
Zheng Jichang also looked extremely displeased.
What should have been a smooth operation had taken such an unexpected turn. He quickly cut off Sheng Yichen before he could say anything more.
“Enough! Sheng Third Young Master, I know you are used to being carefree, but this is not the place for your nonsense. Step aside immediately!”
“How am I supposed to file a report if I step aside?”
Sheng Yichen’s playful expression disappeared. He straightened up, gave Zheng Jichang a formal bow, and then loudly repeated what he had just said:
“I heard that Deputy Commander Zheng is investigating a major case of sorcery. I, Sheng Yichen, am here to report my Second Uncle, Sheng Dehai, for secretly possessing cursed objects!”
The moment he finished speaking, Sheng Yichen caught sight of Sheng Dehai and Zheng Jichang’s expressions—uglier than if they had just eaten dung.
He sneered, giving them no chance to react. Channeling his inner force into his voice, he shouted:
“What’s wrong? Does a report only count when it comes from an official? When a commoner reports something, the Deputy Commander just ignores it?”
“So, all that talk about the Emperor’s benevolent policies toward the people was just nonsense?”
His voice, infused with internal energy, spread several streets away, ensuring that many people heard it.
Earlier in the year, the young Emperor had implemented policies to improve the people’s welfare in order to suppress a few uprisings. Now, Sheng Yichen was using those very policies to corner Zheng Jichang into compliance.
As expected, Zheng Jichang’s face darkened even further.
After a moment of contemplation, he waved his hand and ordered in a low voice, “Send a team to search the location indicated by Sheng Third Young Master!”
“D-Deputy Commander Zheng! How can you listen to this wastrel’s nonsense?!”
Sheng Dehai felt as if an invisible force was dragging him into an abyss, yet he was powerless to escape. He instinctively tried to stop the Imperial Guards from searching the second branch’s residence.
“Shut up!”
Zheng Jichang flung his sleeve and glared at Sheng Dehai viciously.
To put it bluntly, he was only here today to carry out the Emperor’s orders.
The fact that they hadn’t found any evidence against the Qin Prince’s faction was entirely Sheng Dehai’s failure—it had nothing to do with him.
But after Sheng Yichen’s loud declaration just now, everyone in the surrounding streets had heard him.
If he refused to investigate, he would be confirming the rumors that the Emperor did not truly care for his people. And if that happened, he would be the one taking the fall.
“Heh! I knew it—Commander Zheng is a just man who would never cover for a criminal!”
Sheng Yichen toyed with his pair of white jade walnuts, looking completely relaxed.
“May I accompany the investigation as a witness?”
Zheng Jichang’s face was thunderous, but he still gave a stiff nod.
“Third Brother, I’ll go with you.”
A clear, calm voice rang out from behind him.
Sheng Yichen turned around and saw Sheng Yuhan approaching slowly in his wheelchair.
Draped in a snow-white fox fur cloak, he looked delicate and frail, his hair tinged with silver and his face as pale as paper.
He resembled a porcelain doll—exquisitely crafted, yet so fragile that a single touch might shatter him.
This was none other than Sheng Yichen’s eldest brother, the scholar who had been poisoned and left paralyzed.
“Big Brother, I can handle this alone. You should stay and accompany Grandmother.”
Noticing how the cold wind was making Sheng Yuhan’s complexion even paler, Sheng Yichen’s expression was filled with concern, his tone carrying a hint of disapproval.
“No matter. Grandmother and the others don’t need me with them right now.”
Sheng Yuhan’s voice was calm and indifferent. Without hesitation, he pushed his wheelchair forward, keeping pace with Sheng Yichen.
Ever since Sheng Yuhan was poisoned and left paralyzed years ago, he had lived a reclusive life. Upon hearing rumors that the Qin Prince’s residence might be raided, Sheng Yichen had deliberately kept it from his elder brother to prevent him from worrying.
However, having grown up together, the brothers understood each other well. Sheng Yuhan had already pieced together most of the truth from Sheng Yichen’s actions.
Now that things had come to this, he wouldn’t allow his younger brother to face the scheming second branch and the court’s forces alone.
“Brother, brother! I want to go too! Take me with you!”
A small, lively voice called out as Sheng Nanxi ran toward them on her short legs, flinging herself at Sheng Yichen.
She loved watching dramatic slaps to the face—especially when it involved seeing Sheng Dehai get humiliated up close. How could she miss such a grand event?
“Xiao Nan, don’t be naughty. Go back to Mother,” Sheng Yuhan said with a hint of worry.
Sheng Yichen, however, knew that their little sister was more than capable of protecting herself. Laughing, he picked her up and spun her around.
“Alright! Since Xiao Nan wants to watch the fun, I’ll take you along!”
Sheng Nanxi giggled in delight.
Seeing the siblings’ carefree attitude, the Qin Princess Consort sighed but did not stop them. She only warned them sternly:
“Yuhan, Yichen—you two take good care of your sister. If she so much as loses a strand of hair, I’ll have both your hides!”
“Got it, my dear mother,” Sheng Yichen replied, his tone impatient.
“Yes, Mother,” Sheng Yuhan answered politely.
A large group of people made their way toward the second branch’s rear garden in a grand procession.
As expected, it didn’t take long for the Imperial Guards to dig up a dozen wooden dolls wrapped in yellow cloth.
This entire scheme had been orchestrated by the royal family. Naturally, the dolls weren’t marked with the Emperor’s birth characters or an actual curse.
But a dozen objects resembling cursed effigies were already enough to convict someone.
Sheng Dehai’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull as he stared at the familiar-looking dolls. Panic overtook him, and he shouted:
“These things—how could they possibly be in my garden?! Sheng Yichen! You set this up! You planted these dolls to frame me!”
“Heh, Second Uncle, aren’t you afraid of biting your own tongue with all that blustering?”
Holding Sheng Nanxi in one arm and idly playing with a white jade walnut in the other, Sheng Yichen smirked.
“The second branch is always heavily guarded by shadow guards. Anyone unaware would think you were plotting something huge.”
“With that level of security, do you really think I could sneak in and frame you right under their noses?”
Sheng Yuhan, unable to suppress a cold chuckle, added:
“If Second Uncle refuses to admit guilt, why don’t we investigate further? These wooden figures have a warm hue and clear grain—definitely not ordinary willow wood. They appear to be Jinghong wood from Jinghong Town.”
“Jinghong Town isn’t large. If something happens in one village, the rest will surely hear about it. All we need to do is trace the origin of this wood.”
“I believe it won’t take long before we find out exactly who made these dolls.”
Sheng Dehai’s face turned ashen with fright.
If they truly investigated, it would drag in powerful figures he couldn’t afford to offend. At that point, his crimes would become even more severe.
Zheng Jichang, realizing the gravity of the situation, quickly tried to intervene.
“Enough! There are still many uncertainties in this case—”
“Uncertainties?” Sheng Yichen cut in, his tone lazy yet deliberately loud.
“When the dolls were found in our residence, we were immediately treated as suspects. But now that they’re found in the second branch’s residence, it suddenly becomes ‘uncertain’?”
“What kind of logic is that?!”
Since the royal family wanted to quietly pin a crime on the Qin Prince’s faction, Sheng Yichen was determined to tear their facade apart and expose their scheme for all to see.
With his voice infused with full internal energy, he made sure his words echoed through the entire northern district, reaching the ears of nobles, merchants, and commoners alike.
“Or maybe I was mistaken all along. Perhaps Commander Zheng’s true intention was never to uphold justice—”
“Perhaps he simply wants to eliminate loyal ministers and falsely accuse those of the Qin Prince’s lineage!”
“So, when others accuse us, it’s treated as an official case. But when we accuse others, it’s dismissed as slander?!”