Seeing that Liu Zhenqing was truly not sad at all when he said this, Huo Yunci and Huo Yunqian no longer suspected anything. They were just angry with this Liu Zhenqing, who was dishonest and even bullied children.

However, because of Liu Zhenqing’s presence, their Second Uncle lifted their confinement and allowed them to move freely within the residence. He probably wanted them to entertain the guest, so he chose to forgive and forget.

What Liu Zhenqing said was true. The children were well-educated and would not really be angry with Liu Zhenqing. They were just a bit too gossipy. He didn’t know where they got it from, because Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo didn’t gossip back in the day, ah.

The two children were obsessed with his broken engagement, and their logic was quite strong. They felt that since Liu Zhenqing lost his memory and no longer liked their Second Uncle, then logically speaking, the engagement should not be broken.

“Why? It’s just that….the horoscopes aren’t compatible, and I got into a lot of trouble after getting engaged to her, so I broke it off.”

“That’s a lie. Everyone says that horoscope incompatibility is a fake excuse specifically used to terminate engagements,” Huo Yunci said.

“And breaking off the engagement seems to be bad for both parties,” Huo Yunqian said.

Liu Zhenqing looked at the two of them in astonishment. Didn’t these two know that their mother also broke off her engagement back then?

Yes, they had even used the excuse that their horoscopes were incompatible.

That was the legendary tale of his junior sister changing from his fiance to his sister-in-law.

It had taken a long time for Liu Zhenqing and Li Xingruo to find out about their engagement. Liu Zhenqing wasn’t blind, and naturally knew that Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo had long been in love. How could he tear the lovers apart?

He still remembered how Li Xingruo grabbed his collar and said: “Please help me find a way. It’s all because of you that he rejected me.”

Liu Zhenqing was naturally happy for the two to become a couple. He didn’t want an arranged marriage, and didn’t like his grumpy junior sister. Only the foolish Huo Feihan could handle her temper.

But Liu Zhenqing still couldn’t help saying: “This is a matter between the two of you. Why bother me, ah? Besides, what’s wrong with marrying me? You’re looking down on me too much.”

“You’re prettier than me. You should marry someone who’s more like you!”

Although it was a compliment, it made Liu Zhenqing feel a little oppressed! But he knew very well that when it came to Li Xingruo’s temper, it was fine to talk back once, but he would be beaten after the second time. In the end, he repeatedly feigned illness and then terminated the engagement because of the incompatibility of their horoscopes. The elders understood very clearly at the time. After all, the three of them had a good relationship, and this excuse was just to uphold their reputations.

Aftward, Li Xingruo got engaged to Huo Feihan, and Liu Zhenqing was naturally fine with it. But the world had changed since then, and it was probably easy for outsiders to maliciously speculate that Liu Zhenqing was unwilling to give up, which was also one of the reasons for the distorted rumors that came later on.

Now, seeing the results of the happiness between the two, he had to sigh. Fortunately, he had not been swayed by the ideals of the ancients. It was great that he had broken off his engagement.

The two of them didn’t leave after breakfast. They were truly willing to get closer to Liu Zhenqing, probably because Liu Zhenqing didn’t appear like an elder in front of them, but more like an older friend.

Soon after, they took Liu Zhenqing around the courtyard. From the quick glance the day before, he felt that it was too rich. But after a closer look today, he felt that it was very inconsistent with the mainstream beauty of courtyards in the capital. 

The small mirror lake in the past had become a flowing stream of water, filled with lots of stones and plants to create a natural effect. There were no ornamental fish inside, but chubs and grass carp. The waterside pagoda had been transformed into a pavilion where everyone could sit and fish. The former bamboo forest in the south had become a peach grove, a grape trellis was erected in the north, there was a martial arts training ground in the east, and a small two-story star observation tower had been built in the west.

The three of them went to the pavilion and sat down. Huo Yunci pointed to the waterfall at the end of the stream and said: “See the stone platform below? Standing on it to practice swordsmanship feels very artistic. It’s my favorite spot.”

Liu Zhenqing looked around. From the perspective of the pavilion, he could see the most beautiful landscape structure of the courtyard, including the stream, strange rocks and trees, the peach grove, and the waterfall. Without the touch of human development, it felt closer to a natural landscape. While Liu Zhenqing was admiring it, he felt that it seemed a little familiar, as if he had seen it on his travels, but he couldn’t remember.

Liu Zhenqing examined it carefully, and just when he was about to remember it, he noticed something suddenly enter the picture, obliterating the overall sense of familiarity and interrupting Liu Zhenqing’s recollections.

Upon closer inspection, he saw a slope not far from the pavilion. There was a willow tree on the slope. A large area of bare branches with newly sprouted buds hung over the stream, and that place was at the highest point of the ground in front of them, so it looked a little strange.

There had originally been a row of willow trees on the edge of the lake, and the reflection was very beautiful. But the catkins were annoying, and many people sneezed when the season came. It seemed they were all cut down later, so why was there still one here, ah?

At this time, the two servants who attended the Snow Catkin Courtyard brought tea and snacks again. However, the path they took was very strange. They deliberately avoided the stone path near the willow tree, even though it was obvious that they could reach the pavilion faster by going that way.

“Why did they go around?” Liu Zhenqing asked in confusion.

The two children were used to this, and said: “Because the willow tree is where Second Uncle usually trains his internal strength. He often sits there, so all the servants habitually take a detour.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhenqing burst into laughter.

“Why are you laughing?” The two were puzzled.

“Are all the servants in your house afraid of General Huo? Is he usually very fierce? Why else would no one dare to approach him, and even walk the long way around?”

“Everyone is indeed afraid of Second Uncle. We are too, but Second Uncle is never cruel to us. I think it’s because Second Uncle has a lot of troops and a high status, and he looks intimidating even when he’s not angry,” Huo Yunci said.

“Second Uncle’s commanding aura was tempered on the battlefield. When he trains here, we don’t dare to approach when we see him. Even Uncle Tian doesn’t dare, and will only talk from the stone path at most. In the whole family, only Mother dares to go up to Second Uncle when he’s training.”

“Isn’t that too dramatic? Then how do the servants usually serve him?”

“There are no servants in Second Uncle’s courtyard. Apart from the ones who come in and out every day to take care of the house, Second Uncle takes care of himself.”

Liu Zhenqing was rather surprised.

Huo Yunci said proudly: “I asked Mother, and she says that Second Uncle is strict with himself because he had to take care of himself during the war and couldn’t rely on others.”

“I think Second Uncle must have become accustomed to military life,” Huo Yunqian said. “Not only does he not need anyone to serve him, but except for the study, his courtyard is empty and rarely used. We learned later that Second Uncle usually sleeps in the pavilion or under the tree, and will only go to the inner room to rest if the weather is particularly bad.”

“Ah? Why?” Liu Zhenqing was stunned.

Huo Yunci said with pride: “Mother says that Second Uncle is used to the atmosphere of the battlefield and is not used to sleeping on a bed at home. Here, he can sleep peacefully on the ground under the cover of the sky. What do you think? My Second Uncle is amazing. Being able to develop these habits proves that he’s a super impressive general, right?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled dryly and nodded. Yes…..it was quite impressive, but also quite sad. Obviously, Er-gou was not like this when they were still around. If Huo Feihan knew that his brother had developed such habits in order to protect his family and country, he would definitely feel distressed.

The three of them passed the time in this courtyard. 

At the same time, Huo Fenglie had entered the palace. The head eunuch was waiting outside, and when he saw this person coming, he said hurriedly: “His Majesty instructed that General Huo can just go in directly.”

“Many thanks for the reminder.”

Huo Fenglie had just stepped into the hall when he heard a woman’s sharp, angry shout: “I have been wronged by Your Majesty! Why would the Imperial Examinations have anything to do with me or my cousin? If those people cheated, then just cut them down. My cousin is dedicated to raising talents for Great Zhou. How can you arrest him indiscriminately? Very good. Jinyiwei, Dongchang, do you have any evidence?”

Huo Fenglie went to take a look, and sure enough, he saw the First Princess standing in the middle of the hall, shouting arrogantly. The commander of the Jinyiwei, He Cong, and the head of the Dongchang stood on both sides with cold expressions.

“Whether there is evidence or not can only be made clear if the First Princess cooperates with the investigation.”

“First Princess, don’t make things awkward for us. We are only doing our duty.”

Yuan Jue looked grim at the Imperial desk. It was obvious that he was unhappy, and his eyes flashed when he saw Huo Fenglie. “You’re here.”

Huo Fenglie stepped forward and saluted.

“You said yesterday that you wanted to investigate this matter. Are there any clues?”

When these words were spoken, everyone present looked at Huo Fenglie in surprise.

After all, according to what they knew of Huo Fenglie, he had been indifferent to everything but war-related matters in recent years. Because he never cared about fighting for power and influence, it was natural that he would not actively ask to do things for the emperor in order to gain power.

The First Princess only thought that Huo Fenglie was still unhappy with them and wanted revenge, so she glared at him fiercely.

The Dongchang and the Jinyiwei were thoughtful. After all, they had heard about Huo Fenglie making off with the eldest grandson of the Liu family.

The Liu family…..what a sensitive thing. Thinking of this, both of them couldn’t help but think of someone with different expressions on their faces.

Facing the Emperor’s question, Huo Fenglie submitted a confession without any fanfare. That confession paper was covered in blood, not to mention that when Huo Fenglie came over, the smell of blood on his body was still faintly discernible and had not been completely removed.

Had he just come back from torturing someone?

None of them would dare to directly attack the First Princess’s cousin. Only Huo Fenglie did not have this taboo.

And when Yuan Jue saw the confession he presented, his face turned completely dark.

“Thirty-five thousand taels…..of gold. So many Imperial Examinations, and he also cooperated with many academies in the north and south. Rong Shiming has such a big appetite, ah! I didn’t know that the officials in our court were so valuable. With such good business, why doesn’t my aunt think about her nephew and help him relieve the emptiness of the treasury?”

The First Princess’s expression changed at once. The number was so accurate. Could it be…..

“Your cousin has such nerve!” Yuan Jue slapped the dragon chair, which made the First Princess tremble all over.

“Your Majesty, this must be false! Someone is trying to harm us!” The First Princess still wanted to quibble.

“It is written in black and white. Can your cousin’s signed confession still be fake!” Yuan Jue threw the confession at the feet of the First Princess.

The First Princess took a look and saw that the account was crystal clear. She understood what was going on, and looked at Huo Fenglie. “You…..you forced a confession. You forced him to say this. What did you do to him?!”

Huo Fenglie didn’t skirt the issue. “There is still one breath left.”

The First Princess’s eyes suddenly widened. “Your Majesty, how can such a confession count? General Huo’s private torture is in contempt of Imperial law.”

“Auntie really won’t shed tears until she sees the coffin, ah. Fine. He Cong, just collect the evidence for me step by step according to the confession so that the First Princess can see clearly. Take her away!”

“Yes!” He Cong accepted the order, then looked at the First Princess and said: “Your Highness, please.”

“Don’t touch me!” The First Princess was truly anxious now. She pointed at Yuan Jue and shouted: “Your Majesty, have you forgotten that I am your only biological aunt? Back then in Xiheng Kingdom, if not for my help, you wouldn’t have been able to return to the Great Zhou Dynasty. You would still be there as a hostage! But because of this Imperial Examination fraud, Your Majesty has forgotten the kindnesses of the past, doubts me, and wants to deal with me?! I am heartbroken!”

Then she pointed at Huo Fenglie and cursed angrily: “And you little brat! When you were in Xiheng Kingdom with His Majesty, I saved you at the same time I saved His Majesty, but you don’t even know how to repay such a favor!”

“Our Huo family army also sacrificed a lot to help the Eldest Princess escape from Xiheng. The favor has been repaid,” Huo Fenglie said expressionlessly.

The First Princess was so angry that her whole body trembled.

“Auntie, over the years, I have always tolerated your actions in consideration of your kindness, but the Imperial Examinations are the foundation of the country and cannot be touched. You have made the ultimate mistake, one that I cannot tolerate. If the crime is confirmed, auntie will be deprived of her status, but I will spare your life and allow you to spend your remaining years in peace.”

Seeing Yuan Jue’s cold eyes, the First Princess finally realized that all these years, Yuan Jue had actually been waiting for a chance to deal with her. Because…..she took advantage of his favor and demanded more power than she should have, which finally angered the Emperor.

Before, he had not fully secured his power and could not care about her for the time being. But now, wasn’t the time just right?

The First Princess was also a member of the Imperial family. She had seen so much, and finally understood that it was over. Whether there was evidence or not had never been the point.

The Emperor wanted to act against her.

The First Princess suddenly burst into laughter. “Good, good, good, really good, ah. Father Emperor wanted to marry me off, my mother didn’t care about me, and the person I married humiliated me in every way. Your father, the crown prince, was kind-hearted, but it is a pity that he was killed by his three Imperial uncles. You have been taught well by Liu Zhenqing. When you should be heartless, you will never show mercy. Yuan Jue, Great Zhou deserves you!”

Huo Fenglie’s expression remained unchanged, but the faces of the others present shifted, and they lowered their heads.

Yuan Jue paid her no attention. He just knocked on the table slowly and said with indifference: “Take her away.”

Then he gestured for the others to go, leaving Huo Fenglie alone in the hall.

Yuan Jue’s accumulated anger vanished in an instant. He sat on the dragon chair and slowly turned the jade ring on his finger, as if he was thinking about something.

Huo Fenglie usually wouldn’t interrupt Yuan Jue’s thinking, but now he took the initiative to say: “Your Majesty, is the Liu family really involved in the Imperial Examination fraud this time? This one has found no traces.”

Yuan Jue raised his eyes and glanced at Huo Fenglie in surprise: “Zhanyuan, you are a little strange. Just because the young master of the Liu family protected the twins, you’ve become so busy and are still harboring a suspect. Is it true that I’ve spoiled you? Aren’t you afraid that others will sue you?”

Huo Fenglie lowered his eyes: “The Huo family must repay all kindnesses.”

Yuan Jue shook his head and chuckled as if he didn’t care. “The Liu family is indeed in trouble, but it has nothing to do with the Imperial Examination fraud.”

Huo Fenglie looked at Yuan Jue in confusion.

“Do you remember when the investigation of the assassination case was hurriedly concluded? That wasn’t because I didn’t find anything.”

“The Liu family was involved in that matter? Your Majesty already knew?” Even Huo Fenglie couldn’t help but be surprised. If the Liu family was involved in the rebel assassination attempt, they would be guilty of a serious crime.

“It can be said that before the rebel assassination, I investigated and found some clues.”

Huo Fenglie said directly: “Since Your Majesty already knew there would be an assassination attempt, why did he not arrange a safer and more secure way to kill them all?”

Yuan Jue smiled. “In any case, nothing would happen to me with you by my side. Don’t blame me for not telling you. After all, you’re a terrible actor.”

Huo Fenglie lowered his eyes.

“I did know that somebody wanted to disrupt the spring plowing ceremony and assassinate me. If we caught them all in one go, it would be easy to lose the trail behind them. After all, the possibility of the assassins being dead soldiers was too high. Even if they are confirmed to be the remnants of the Three Kings Rebellion, there must be others behind them. Someone once taught me that when something happens, an emperor should not just know how to get angry, and that one cannot eat hot tofu in a hurry. Those in power must think clearly about every possibility, make choices that maximize utility, and adopt a long-term view in order to catch the big fish.”

Huo Fenglie froze upon hearing this. Only one person would say this to Yuan Jue.

Yuan Jue didn’t seem to notice what he had said. He just fidgeted with the jade ring and continued: “And I needed this assassination in order to take the military power of the City Guard from the hands of those veterans and hand it over to the Jinyiwei, whom I trust. One must naturally take risks for the sake of benefits.”

Yuan Jue said slowly: “I gave those useless officials ten days to deceive me, and it was just a matter of fooling the rebel remnants. Moreover, spring is just around the corner, and candidates are arriving in the capital one after another. If the spring plowing ceremony was disrupted, it would easily become a topic of conversation, and there would be negative rumors. It was not suitable to delay for a long time, as this could also paralyze the enemy’s attention, which is more conducive to private investigation. Then it was discovered that they had sneaked into the capital through the Liu family’s river boat. And it remains to be investigated as to how many people in the Liu family know about this, whether they are completely innocent, or whether they have used their river transportation to help the rebels in other ways.”

“Then Your Majesty used the Imperial Examination charges to imprison them so as not to alert the enemy?” Huo Fenglie asked.

Yuan Jue smiled and said: “That’s right. After all, I haven’t fully decided on my plan yet. Zhanyuan…..you want to protect that young master, but a price must be paid.”

Huo Fenglie lowered his head and said: “Of course, Your Majesty. Arrange it.”

Yuan Jue smiled and shook his head: “Don’t worry, I only spoke casually, but…..I also hope that the Liu family is innocent in this incident. After all…..they only have this little blood left. If nothing else, we should keep them in remembrance of some old feelings from back then. What do you say? Zhanyuan?”

Huo Fenglie said in a low voice: “It is Your Majesty’s decision.”

“All right, you leave first and wait while I think about it. We can continue our discussion tomorrow.”

Huo Fenglie bowed and then left.

Not long after, he met a mighty procession. This person was wearing the highest standard phoenix robes, graceful and noble, as rich as if they had been made by the heavens, but although the wearer was almost forty, her appearance was as pretty as that of a girl in her twenties. At such an age, it was impossible for her to be Yuan Jue’s biological mother, but because she was the crown princess left behind by the former crown prince and had helped Yuan Jue when he ascended the throne, he respected her as the Empress Dowager.

Huo Fenglie saluted. “This humble servant greets the Empress Dowager…..”

“General Huo, dispense with the courtesies. This one has a few words to say to you.” Her voice was clear and calm as she waved her hand to drive away the palace people around them.

“Please speak, Empress Dowager.”

“This one heard that the Imperial merchant Liu family has committed a crime, but I am not allowed to interfere in politics. It is inconvenient for me to plead with His Majesty, so I had hoped you would do your best to preserve the Liu family bloodline.”

Huo Fenglie’s expression was a little strange.

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly and said: “Huo Fenglie, this one still remembers that you regarded him as your brother back then. Even if he did something wrong later…..”

Huo Fenglie looked at the Empress Dowager and said in a heavy voice: “Please don’t worry. This servant understands.”

The Empress Dowager seemed to be relieved. Her face became a little less dignified, revealing a nostalgic trace of her old self. “By the way, the Eighth Princess has made a lot of noise recently. If you are free…..”

Huo Fenglie: “Empress Dowager, I still have something to do, so I’ll leave first.”

Seeing Huo Fenglie leave quickly, the Empress Dowager sighed. This child had never been married. Didn’t Xingruo care about this?

“Empress Dowager, the Taifei^[1] is still waiting for you to come over.”

Inside the General’s Manor, Liu Zhenqing suddenly sneezed at this time and heard a voice coming from below.

“Uncle Liu, be careful not to break the branches. We can’t be discovered by Second Uncle.”

“Uncle Liu, why don’t you come down here? It’s better to wait for Second Uncle to come back and ask him to help get the book. It’s too dangerous for you.”

Taking advantage of Huo Fenglie’s time in the palace, Bai Su, He Lan, and Qin Yu sneaked over to watch the excitement. They had just walked into the courtyard when they witnessed this scene, and were so frightened that they almost forgot to breathe.

They had wanted to catch Huo Fenglie the day before and question him about Liu Xiaozhu, but they couldn’t catch him at all. Because as soon as Huo Fenglie left the palace, he went straight back home. He didn’t even go for a stroll in the military camp, and ignored the invitations sent to him. It was so strange that people who didn’t know would think that his beloved wife was hidden at home, waiting for him to return.

But they knew that there was no beloved wife, only a young man who had escaped capture, so he probably returned in a hurry because he wanted to resolve this matter as soon as possible.

Since they had free time, the three of them gathered here and waited for Huo Fenglie to come back so that they could inquire about the situation. As brothers, they would naturally help however they could.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived, they saw a heart-stopping scene.

Ever since they realized that Huo Fenglie liked to stay under the willow tree, they had never seen any creature dare to climb up it.

There was once a gathering at the General’s Manor, and someone provoked him. Knowing that nobody dared to approach that tree, he ran up and broke a willow branch, and then…..then he was carried out of the General’s Manor with broken hands and feet.

The three of them didn’t dare get close to the place, not because they were warned, but because they always felt that if they got close, they would be forced back by the invisible cold aura around Huo Fenglie’s body. After all, everyone had their own quiet place to be alone. If he didn’t want others there, they didn’t think it was a big deal. But just now…..

This person……this person really didn’t understand anything. He should be called down quickly, or else he would truly have a reunion with his family.

The three of them called out in panic, and Liu Zhenqing, who had just retrieved the book, was so frightened that he slipped and fell.

Everyone exclaimed, but he got lucky and was tangled in several branches, landing safely in the end without any damage.

But everyone’s faces were still pale, because the willow branches were broken and looked half bald from a distance. Even a blind man could see it.

Thus, they all wore expressions of doom, except for the innocent-looking Liu Zhenqing.

Although he knew it wasn’t very good, was it really so taboo? It was just a willow tree, and he really hadn’t done it on purpose. Why did they all look as mournful as if they had lost their parents? It made him feel like the sky was falling. Did they want him to consider how to kneel down and apologize to Er-gou later?

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[1] Taifei (太妃) = the Imperial concubine of the late emperor. ⮐

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Chapter Twenty-Nine << Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-One