The ban on entering and exiting at will was lifted by the afternoon. The people in the residence were feeling anxious, but the lady’s words that the master was assisting with a case at the yamen and could not return home temporarily calmed them down for the moment.

When Liu Fu came to report, Zhuang Dongqing glanced at the Xuan paper and sighed, “Wrote it wrong again.” Aside from the articles he had memorized, whenever he wrote traditional characters on his own, he always ended up missing strokes. If he forgot even a little, it turned into simplified characters. The power of compulsory education was vividly reflected here.

Liu Fu was more concerned about Zhuang laoye, “Young master, is it really like that?” Of course not. But Zhuang Dongqing didn’t elaborate, instead asking, “What do you think?”

Liu Fu hesitated, glancing back at the courtyard gate, seeing no one, and lowered his voice, “There are all sorts of rumors in the residence, and some say the master might not come back…” If this were to be dug deeper, it could mean a lot. But Zhuang Dongqing was already annoyed by this matter and didn’t want anyone else to worry along with him. The key point was that their anxiety was of no use.

“The lady isn’t worried, so why should we be?” Zhuang Dongqing reassured him, “Besides, the lady’s surname is Bi, and she has connections in the current royal family. Even if something happens, it might not be impossible to handle it properly.”

Liu Fu nodded, “…That’s true.”

Zhuang Dongqing took the opportunity to change the subject, “Help me get some more Xuan paper; I’m running out.”

“Okay, young master.”

*

The horse galloped swiftly, and at the entrance of Daci Temple, Cen Yan pulled the reins tight and dismounted. A young monk had been waiting to one side, and after all the guests dismounted, he stepped forward to take the reins and led the horses to drink water and rest.

After the secret report was sent back to the capital, the imperial decree was issued quickly. Three days later, the official in charge of the royal family, the Zongzheng Si Qing, arrived with the imperial edict to take over the investigation and handling of the subsequent case from the Dali Si.

Cen Yan didn’t care. The officials from the Dali Si and the Zongzheng Si let out a sigh of relief. It was clear that no one wanted to get involved with this hot potato. After several days of handover, they finally managed to extricate themselves and set off back to the capital.

“Amitabha, Wangye, long time no see.” A familiar high monk walked out from inside, his left hand wrapped around a string of sandalwood prayer beads, and bowed to Cen Yan.

“Master Xuhui.” Cen Yan returned the bow.

“Are you here to pay respects to the late Wangye?”

“Yes.”

“Please follow me.”

Master Xuhui was the high monk responsible for chanting scriptures for the late Wangye, and they had known each other for many years.

Upon entering the temple, the group split into two. Hao San and Xu Si led the others to have tea and rest, while only Liu Qi followed Cen Yan, guided by Master Xuhui, as they walked deeper into the temple.

Arriving at the familiar Buddha hall, the kind-eyed Bodhisattva sat high, with only a long-lasting lamp on the altar, its light flickering like a bean. Liu Qi stayed outside the hall to wait.

Cen Yan entered the hall, lit a stick of incense, and after three bows, placed it upright in the incense burner.

“Still the same as before?” Master Xuhui asked.

Cen Yan nodded, “Thank you for your trouble, Master.”

After adding oil to the lamp, amidst the curling blue smoke, Cen Yan knelt on the mat, his expression respectful. Master Xuhui chanted a Buddhist name, slowly moving the prayer beads, and soon Liu Qi heard the sound of scriptures being recited.

The scriptures surrounded him, the sound of the wooden fish accompanied by the fragrance of sandalwood, under the compassionate gaze of the Buddha, Cen Yan sat quietly at the lower end.

His long eyelashes cast a shadow over his face, which seemed to be in a meditative state, neither happy nor sad.

The red sun gradually slanted to the west, nearing noon, when the scriptures were finally finished.

After thanking Master Xuhui again, knowing that Cen Yan wanted to stay alone for a while, the master bowed and left.

Only Cen Yan remained in the Buddha hall. Liu Qi had also moved a bit further away to wait.

After a couple of cups of tea, Cen Yan finally came out. Since he often came here, the way was familiar, and he led Liu Qi to find Hao San and Xu Si, but unexpectedly ran into the abbot.

“Wangye.” The abbot greeted with a Buddhist name, saluting with one hand, his expression showing surprise.

“The old monk saw an unusual sign today and came to look for you, but didn’t expect… to meet Wangye here…”

As he spoke, his tone became increasingly quiet, his gaze lingering on Cen Yan, constantly scanning.

Cen Yan remained calm, “Did the abbot see something?”

Although Daci Temple was not an imperial temple, all the high monks here were quite accurate in divination and fortune-telling, deeply loved by the commoners and nobles in the capital, with a steady stream of visitors.

The abbot looked at Cen Yan for a moment and suddenly said, “I wonder if what Wangye offered at the incense table can be taken away, and if the heart’s knot can be untied?”

“…No.”

The abbot smiled, his white beard long and kind, “A foreign star has entered the world; the old monk observes that you have a connection with Wangye, perhaps it is Wangye’s lucky star.”

He looked at Cen Yan, calculating with his fingers, and said softly, “Earlier, I predicted that Wangye’s offspring would be few; if there are any, there will only be one son. If you encounter him, I hope Wangye thinks deeply.”

“Amitabha.”

*

After resting at home for a day, the next day, Zhuang Dongqing still took Liu Fu out. The weather was gradually getting warmer, and he no longer felt cold in his hands and feet while moving around.

After another two days, the number of officials detained by the Ministry of Rites increased, and rumors began to spread in the teahouses.

On the surface, Zhuang Dongqing seemed unaffected, continuing to play as usual, but in reality, it still affected him. At night, he tossed and turned, finding it hard to sleep. The matter of family extermination, even if he had known about it in advance, was impossible to remain completely indifferent when it came to his doorstep.

After all, he was also caught in this deadlock.

The next day, during the morning court, the emperor was furious, reprimanding the Crown Prince’s tutor in court and ordering the Crown Prince to be confined to the East Palace.

The scandal of the imperial examination fraud shook the court and the people.

The rumors that had been circulating for several days were confirmed, and after noon, the Ministry of Justice, the Supervisory Court, and the Dali Si all mobilized, sending officials to visit several residences and inns, taking away many candidates who had participated in this spring examination.

Of course, the Zhuang family was also among them.

A commotion erupted at the entrance, interspersed with the sounds of swords clashing. In the courtyard, Zhuang Dongqing heard it clearly, his fists clenched, palms sweaty.

The three young masters were all called out. When the officials glanced at the list in their hands, their eyes swept between the eldest young master and Zhuang Dongqing. At that moment, Zhuang Dongqing’s heart raced as if it would leap out.

They didn’t take Zhuang Dongqing, but they took the eldest young master.

Quick, concise, and brutal.

The whole process took no more than ten minutes.

But once the people were taken away and the officials left, Zhuang Dongqing moved, only to find that his legs were weak.

Having been born in modern society, in the safest country, he had truly never seen such a blatant display of power.

The lady and the third young master were in disbelief, their faces pale as they rushed out.

The servants all watched, and even though Zhuang Dongqing was a beat slow, he was still swept along by the situation and followed out.

The lady argued fiercely with the officials, saying that a higher official could crush a person. The lady’s noble status and the many high-ranking officials among her relatives allowed her to argue her case, and gradually, the officials began to sweat under the pressure.

The lady protected her son, resolutely refusing to let them take the eldest young master. The officials, unable to act against a noble, were at a standstill and went outside to fetch reinforcements.

Zhuang Dongqing unexpectedly saw Cen Yan.

Unlike the wealthy idler at the spring banquet, this time, Cen Yan had a serious expression, a sword at his waist, dressed in official robes, exuding an imposing aura that made people afraid to look directly at him.

At least Zhuang Dongqing lowered his head, swallowing hard.

Nervous.

Cen Yan didn’t act violently towards the lady, but he reasoned with her.

However, it sounded somewhat aggressive.

He took the eldest young master’s examination paper and asked the lady to step aside, regardless of how many people were present, questioning on the spot, one sentence after another, hardly glancing at the examination paper, as if he had memorized all the details in his mind. Under several oddly connected phrases, the eldest young master panicked, his gaze wandering, revealing his fear.

Zhuang Dongqing: “…”

He had initially thought the Zhuang family was implicated, but now it seemed not entirely so.

In ancient imperial examinations, if an examiner leaked questions, there was a method called “passing the key.”

The examiner would first give the candidates one or several agreed-upon secret signals, which were often uncommon words or verses, allowing candidates to insert them into their essays during the examination, making it easier for the examiner to identify them when grading.

The vocabulary and verses Cen Yan was questioning were the so-called secret signals.

“Since you forgot the thought process for answering that day, then the eldest young master should come with us for a while to think it over.”

The eldest young master couldn’t answer, and the lady was already in a state of panic. Hearing Cen Yan speak, she was supported by her trusted maid and still wanted to say something.

But with a single glance from Cen Yan, she was frozen in place, “If the lady continues to obstruct, then this prince will have to take the lady along as well.”

The lady was taken aback.

Cen Yan waved his hand, “Take him away!”

The eldest young master was immediately forcefully taken out the door.

Once the officials had left, Cen Yan took a step forward, and just before leaving, he suddenly glanced in Zhuang Dongqing’s direction, very quickly, but Zhuang Dongqing knew that he was looking at him.

His hands and feet felt as if they were frozen, and before he could react, Cen Yan had already turned and left.

The Zhuang residence once again prohibited random entry and exit.

The lady was supported by the third young master and the fourth young lady as they walked away.

People gradually dispersed, and Zhuang Dongqing and Liu Fu returned to the courtyard.

After sitting restlessly for a while, unable to calm down, Zhuang Dongqing picked up a brush and paper to write.

With something to do, his breathing gradually steadied.

That night, he had another bad dream, but this time, the pair of eyes watching the show from the high seat no longer held a smile; they were all cold and stern.

The next day, Zhuang Dongqing woke up to find that the lady had left early in the morning.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, he thought that he was probably a bit afraid of Cen Yan.

Unconsciously placing his hand on his lower abdomen, Zhuang Dongqing was puzzled—did that mean he really had to go find the male lead?

*

In the following days, the situation in the capital became increasingly severe. Amidst the rising winds and the cries of the cranes, the fraud case was being investigated more rigorously day by day. Coupled with the continuous demotion of officials from the Crown Prince’s faction, it was clear that this case could not end well. Many wealthy families chose to close their doors and refuse guests, seeking to protect themselves.

The lady went out every day.

Although Zhuang Dongqing had not made up his mind yet, Li Yang’s personal eunuch, San De, came to the Zhuang residence.

He found Liu Fu and delivered a few messages.

The message was simple.

He asked how Zhuang Dongqing was doing, if he needed help, and finally, the most important part, left a contact address.

He told Zhuang Dongqing that if he needed anything, he could just send someone to report.

At this critical moment, to have such a gesture was undeniably touching.

One must know that it is easy to add flowers to a brocade, but it is difficult to send charcoal in the snow; this has been true since ancient times.

But—

Being moved was one thing, but Zhuang Dongqing still couldn’t make up his mind.

He had come here by a twist of fate, which was not his original intention.

He… fundamentally did not have a servile nature…

If he had to use every piece of flesh and blood, including the flesh and blood in his belly, to repay Li Yang’s kindness, he was afraid he couldn’t do it.

Just thinking about turning to Li Yang and the suffering he would face afterward, Zhuang Dongqing even felt that such an ending might not be a bad resolution.

Killing someone is just a matter of a knife’s stroke.

To survive, he would instead end up with his whole body wounded and full of holes; today he blocks a bullet with his shoulder, tomorrow he takes an arrow to the chest. The slow slicing of flesh is not meant to be this way; he would have to strategize and exhaust his mental energy. What meaning is there in living like this?

Zhuang Dongqing couldn’t think it through, feeling caught in a dilemma.

Liu Fu was also asking him what his thoughts were.

Zhuang Dongqing sighed, “Let’s wait and see.”

What he was waiting for, he didn’t say, but his tone was firm, and Liu Fu listened.

Zhuang Dongqing’s mind was restless, and he practiced writing more frequently. Aside from eating and resting, he spent all his time on calligraphy.

He had previously come across the large characters that his original self had practiced at the bottom of the Xuan paper.

The writing was… truly far better than his.

Zhuang Dongqing found it beautiful and placed it on the writing desk to copy.

Most of the characters were quite difficult, but there were also simple ones, like “he,” “zhi,” and “yu,” which had many ways to write them.

Zhuang Dongqing even counted; a single “he” character had seven different styles from beginning to end.

He couldn’t help but marvel that his original self was indeed talented.

In comparison, he felt like a useless person, wanting to live but afraid of hardship and difficulty, wanting to die but afraid of pain.

The lady had been out for several days, and not only had Zhuang laoye not returned, but officials from the Bi family had also been imprisoned.

The empress’s maternal family was connected to the lady, and on the day the news returned, the lady fell ill.

The entire Zhuang family was in turmoil.

In the afternoon, while Zhuang Dongqing was practicing the “he” character, a trusted maid from the lady’s courtyard came to say that the lady wanted to see Zhuang Dongqing.

Calmly finishing the last two strokes, Zhuang Dongqing put down his brush.

Standing up straight, he said calmly, “Then let’s go.”