Scholar Chu glanced at the bailiffs on the public hall, then at his elder brother collapsed on the floor. His expression grew solemn. “Wise Brother, let us speak privately.”
County Magistrate Gu rose to his feet and gestured for him to follow to the rear hall.
Liu Da watched the two men leave the public hall, a wave of uncertainty washing over him. Should he continue with the flogging or not?
After a moment’s thought, he turned, grabbed Chu Father by the collar, and dragged him toward the punishment room. “Old pal, give him a good beating with the rod to wake him up. No, forget it—I’ll do it myself.”
The magistrate hadn’t rescinded his order earlier, so the punishment had to be carried out in full.
Meanwhile, County Magistrate Gu and Scholar Chu took seats in the rear hall, where Scholar Chu dropped his bombshell.
“Wise Brother, that man is my elder brother, the former Prime Minister Chu Boguang. We must handle this matter with utmost care.”
County Magistrate Gu asked urgently, “What is going on? Why has Prime Minister Chu… Why has Chu Boguang come to my Ping’an County to cause trouble?”
“It’s a long story…”
Ten years ago, the Chu Clan had been one of the four great families of the Imperial Capital, ranking second in influence. The other three were the Li Clan, the Jiang Family, and the Qiu Family.
At that time, since both the Empress Dowager and the Empress hailed from the Li Clan, all the noble houses deferred to them as leaders.
Chu Boguang had married a woman from a humble family, defying the Chu Clan’s wishes. Politically, he had also pursued his own path.
The Chu Clan had secretly backed the Second Prince back then, while Chu Boguang supported the Eldest Prince, son of Empress Li.
No one could have foreseen that the Third Princess would ultimately claim the throne.
Though the Chu Clan had backed the wrong horse, their actions hadn’t been too outrageous, so they escaped severe repercussions. They remained one of the four great families, albeit dropping to fourth place.
Chu Boguang, however, had openly supported the Eldest Prince and thus suffered greatly. His family was confiscated, and he was demoted.
Ten years prior, County Magistrate Gu had just become a Provincial Graduate and was in the Imperial Capital preparing for the Metropolitan Exam, so he had heard rumors of these factional struggles. He knew the basics of what Scholar Chu described.
But what Scholar Chu said next was the real crux of the matter.
“After his demotion, Elder Brother should have returned to his ancestral home in Rangbei Prefecture. Instead, he detoured to Pingman Prefecture and rallied the old folks from our homeland, proclaiming himself the true heir of the Chu Clan line. Do you know why, Wise Brother?” Scholar Chu’s tone remained even as he lifted his teacup but did not drink. Instead, he dipped his finger in the tea and wrote three characters on the table.
County Magistrate Gu’s pupils contracted, a storm of shock surging in his heart. “This…”
The three characters written in tea water faded in an instant, leaving only faint damp stains that revealed nothing of their shape.
Scholar Chu’s voice stayed calm. “Wise Brother, this is no small matter. If you and I are not cautious, we may not escape unscathed.”
County Magistrate Gu felt a chill crawl up his scalp. “Her Majesty the Female Emperor has always ruled with benevolence. Back then, ministers warned that this was letting a tiger return to the mountains, but…”
He dared not finish the sentence.
Scholar Chu understood the unspoken implication and gave a wry smile, shaking his head.
County Magistrate Gu pondered with furrowed brows for a moment before standing. “Brother Chu, come with me.”
This involved the imperial family, and after a decade in office, he knew better than to take it lightly.
Once he dismissed the attendants and carefully shut the study door, he continued where they had left off.
“Does Brother Chu mean that Chu Boguang settled in Pingman Prefecture with designs on the Xiaoyao Prince?”
The Xiaoyao Prince was, of course, the former Eldest Prince, and Pingman Prefecture was his fief.
Scholar Chu let out a long sigh and shook his head again. “To be honest, even I can’t quite fathom it. Do you know whom my elder brother plans to send his legitimate daughter to as a concubine?”
“Surely the Xiaoyao Prince? No… no, that doesn’t fit. The Xiaoyao Prince is said to lack cunning and ruthlessness. Rumors say he shares a deep sibling bond with the Female Emperor; after his demotion, he behaved himself and earned her forgiveness. Could it be…” County Magistrate Gu thought of a possibility, his face filled with disbelief.
Scholar Chu nodded this time. “You guessed right, Wise Brother. That’s why I can’t make sense of it.”
His elder brother had backed the Eldest Prince while serving as Prime Minister in the Imperial Capital, yet now he intended to offer his daughter as a concubine to the Second Prince.
County Magistrate Gu paled in shock. “It’s truly so!”
Back then, the Eldest Prince had been enfeoffed as the Xiaoyao Prince, granted Pingman Prefecture as his domain. The Second Prince, having pulled back from the brink, also survived but at a lower rank: Prince An, assigned to the same Pingman Prefecture.
The two brothers, once locked in mortal combat, now shared a prefecture uneasily.
The once-compliant Eldest Prince outranked the ambitious Second Prince. One held a princely title with real authority over a prefecture; the other was merely a county king with an empty post.
The Female Emperor’s arrangement carried a clear warning.
Remembering all this, County Magistrate Gu couldn’t help sighing. “In the end, the Female Emperor is too merciful.”
Scholar Chu slowly shook his head. “Our Majesty rules with benevolence for the people, but she is ruthless toward those with treacherous hearts.”
“Then why…”
“Wise Brother had yet to enter officialdom back then, so you may not know. They say that when the Previous Emperor passed the throne, he urged the Female Emperor to treat his two sons well. To honor her father’s wishes, she kept her promise after ascending and released the tigers back to the mountains.”
But the Female Emperor was no fool. Before freeing the Second Prince, that tiger, she had clipped his claws and teeth, placing the Eldest Prince above him to cut off his paths forward.
Yet a tiger was still a tiger. Even declawed, it harbored dreams of kingship.
Hearing these secrets for the first time, County Magistrate Gu fell into deep thought. Suddenly, he shot to his feet. “This is bad. Brother Chu, come with me quickly.”
When they reached the public hall and inquired, they hurried straight to the punishment room.
Outside the punishment room, hearing the wails within, County Magistrate Gu paused and signaled the bailiffs to silence.
The two men exchanged a glance and quietly took up positions by the door.
The beating was already underway; stopping it now would be pointless. Better to assess the situation first.
Inside the punishment room, Liu Da wielded an iron whip, lashing out steadily.
Chu Boguang’s cries came in ragged bursts, interspersed with shouts. “You insolent wretch! I will impeach you!”
Liu Da sneered and brought the whip down again. “Who do you think you are, talking of impeachment? Speak! Who sent you to make trouble at the Little Restaurant?”
Blood already seeped through Chu Boguang’s clothes, but he remained defiant. “I… I came to remonstrate unto death…”
“Remonstrate? You’re just begging for it.” Liu Da set the whip aside and picked up a red-hot branding iron. “Tell me—should I brand your face first or your forehead?”
The glowing iron hovered before Chu Boguang’s eyes.
Panic gripped him, and he nearly fainted on the spot.
“Wait! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”
Liu Da snorted coldly. “If you’d been this honest from the start, you could’ve spared yourself the whip. Come on—go confess everything to the magistrate.”
Outside the punishment room, County Magistrate Gu shot Scholar Chu a meaningful look, and the two turned back silently.
On the way, County Magistrate Gu couldn’t resist a jab. “Brother Chu, our former Prime Minister Chu… I mean, your elder brother certainly knows how to bend with the wind.”
Scholar Chu touched his nose. “He is a civil official, after all—his body isn’t strong.”
County Magistrate Gu smiled faintly. Unable to endure even this mild punishment? Hardly the mettle of a true scholar-official.
“What do you think we should do with him, Brother Chu?”
Scholar Chu chuckled. “In my view, lock him up for a few days and see.”
“Just what I was thinking.”
“I’ll leave it in your hands then, Wise Brother.”
The two parted on good terms with smiles and banter. No sooner had Chu Boguang been dragged to the public hall than he was tossed into a cell.
County Magistrate Gu thoughtfully instructed, “Fetch a physician to tend his wounds. Don’t let him die.”
This matter required careful deliberation.
Scholar Chu left the county yamen and checked the sky before heading home first.
Meanwhile, at the Little Restaurant.
Tang Jin eyed Chu Shaoyang, who had arrived uninvited, then considerately retreated to the kitchen to read.
Chu Shaoyang glanced at her retreating figure. “She feels different from before, doesn’t she?”
In the past, this woman would gawk at her with eyes practically popping out, sticking like a plaster. Now she was proper and polite.
Chu Lingyue couldn’t help laughing. “Everyone has wild days in their youth, but people must move forward. Only by reflecting and reforming can they advance further.”
Hearing this, Chu Shaoyang couldn’t resist asking, “Sister, is this how you’ll spend the rest of your days?”
As she spoke, she sized up Chu Lingyue.
Her sister seemed to favor white. Even in simple cloth garments of off-white tones, she exuded an air of spotless purity and elegant poise, her skin like fine jade.
Gone was the haughty arrogance of old; in its place was gentle composure. The sheltered flower of her youth had matured into an orchid of the secluded valley, unafraid of storms.
Chu Lingyue’s lips curved slightly. “This… is quite nice.”
Chu Shaoyang raised an eyebrow. “Sister, do you prefer women, then?”
She asked because, though only ten when she left the capital a decade ago, she had understood much. Back then, sixteen-year-old Chu Lingyue had seemed to fancy someone.
Chu Lingyue replied calmly, “Youthful folly—I mistook a moment’s gratitude for love.”
At thirteen, she had once fallen into the water and been rescued by a young man. In that brush with death, she had confused her racing heart for affection. Later, she realized it was merely the illusion of surviving calamity.
As for liking women…
Chu Lingyue had no answer in her heart. She had never truly been moved by anyone.
Chu Shaoyang propped her chin on her hand. “Sister, you should look at others more. As you said, gratitude isn’t love. You can’t promise yourself to Tang Jin just because she saved you.”
All right, she still felt Tang Jin wasn’t good enough for her sister. Her sister was simply too wonderful.
Chu Lingyue unconsciously glanced toward the back courtyard and murmured softly, “A-Jin did save my life, but I feel no… I mean, she is a good person.”
She paused and corrected herself, holding back the words “no romantic feelings.”
What lay between her and Tang Jin began with that life debt but had evolved into mutual benefit. They both knew it well enough; no need to explain to outsiders and invite trouble.
For now, she had no interest in romance. She only wanted to save enough silver to pursue her own goals.
But Chu Shaoyang caught the hesitation in her words. “Sister doesn’t like Tang Jin, does she?”
Chu Lingyue’s breath hitched, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. She fell silent for a moment.
“Sister, why not divorce her soon? As for the life-saving grace, we can simply give Tang Jin more silver. Afterward, Father and I will protect you.” Chu Shaoyang pressed on eagerly.
Chu Lingyue shook her head lightly and forced the words out against her heart. “Shaoyang, you’re mistaken. Marrying A-Jin wasn’t out of gratitude—it was because I… admire her.”
She didn’t want to reconcile with her father yet. Accepting Chu Shaoyang’s kindness would entangle her too deeply with her uncle’s family, complicating matters.
Besides, one had to rely on oneself. Tang Jin needed her cooperation now, just as she needed her share from the Little Restaurant. Each got what they needed; maintaining the status quo was the safest path, no matter the angle.
Chu Shaoyang was about to argue further when Old Madam Tang walked in.
“It is time for lunch. Would Miss Chu care to stay and join us?”
