Rotted Corpse

In the forty-fifth year of Yuanhua, on the twenty-fourth day of the second month, amidst the lingering breath of spring, a sudden return of winter chill compelled those who had cast off their heavy garments to bundle themselves up once more in padded coats.

At dawn, the sky hung low, choked with dense, gray clouds and a persistent, fine drizzle.

The West Market crossroads served as the execution ground.

The street was a patchwork of umbrellas of every shape and hue, layered one upon another. Beneath them gleamed eager, intent eyes. As the rain pattered incessantly, the low murmurs of the gathered crowd were swallowed entirely by the sound of the storm.

A condemned criminal, head hooded in a black cloth bag, knelt rigidly upon the platform, surrendering entirely to fate without a shred of struggle.

The official presiding over the execution calmly read out the prisoner’s crimes before shouting the order to execute. The executioner’s blade flashed, and blood spurted across the ground.

A cheer erupted from the crowd, swelling like ocean waves as people surged onto the execution platform, scrambling to trample the criminal's remains. The presiding official shouted fruitlessly to hold them back, but his voice was drowned out. Within moments, the criminal's bones were crushed to dust, leaving not a trace behind.

"A well-deserved death!"

"That scourge Chen Haizhou is finally dead!"

Chen Haizhou, Left Assistant Censor of the Censorate, had thus been completely and utterly obliterated.

A sudden crack of thunder split the sky, and the rain grew heavier. People abandoned their umbrellas entirely, letting the downpour drench their clothes and cheeks. Cheers echoed through the crowd as scholars and commoners, the elderly and the young alike, ran about spreading the news: "The traitor Chen is dead!"

The rhythmic beating of gongs echoed down the street, accompanied by a steadily intensifying roll of drums. The crowd spontaneously formed neat, orderly columns that clogged every major avenue and winding alley.

The rain fell harder still, pressing the dark clouds down until they seemed ready to collapse.

In the corner of the second floor of the Hundred Flavors Tea House.

Xia Yunhe sat near the window in plain, moon-white robes, watching the spectacle with cold detachment.

She had always possessed an eye for a good vantage point. This spot was not far from the West Market execution ground, yet obscure enough to escape notice. She had sat here all morning, disturbed only by a few patrons seeking tea.

Partly because the location was secluded and hard to find, but mostly because everyone had rushed off to witness Chen Haizhou's execution, leaving the tea house naturally deserted.

A boisterous procession passed right beneath the window, the clamor of human voices driving away the lingering emptiness of the room.

At a neighboring table, several middle-aged tea patrons chatted idly.

"Word has it that Princess Lanjia took the lead, uniting the various princes of the imperial family to gather several chests of evidence before Chen Haizhou could be thrown into the imperial prison. The ministers at court joined in submitting memorials requesting his execution, yet His Majesty hesitated and delayed signing the death warrant. It was only thanks to the Duke Defending the State stepping forward that the Emperor was finally persuaded."

Someone asked, "How did the Princess come to spearhead this matter?"

"Ha! That villain tried his usual tricks of framing someone for treason, never minding who Princess Lanjia is. He accused the Princess of plotting rebellion, only to be denounced by the Princess right before the Emperor."

The men came to a sudden realization, sighing with emotion.

Xia Yunhe pinched a piece of cloud-cake, took a slow bite, and looked out the window. The street was much quieter now, save for the sheets of water cascading from the eaves.

Someone paused beside her, pulling out the chair opposite and removing a bamboo hat to reveal a relaxed, refined countenance.

She looked at the newcomer, smiled, and poured a cup of tea. Casting a casual glance at the neighboring patrons, she lowered her voice to speak.

"The Wei family's great vengeance is achieved. What do you plan to do next?"

Wei Sizhao remained silent for a long moment before replying, "Although family vengeance is satisfied, the Wei family's name has not been cleared. My father and brothers still bear the stigma of traitorous ministers..."

"Do you intend to seek an official redress?" Xia Yunhe gently swirled her teacup, watching the tea leaves rise and fall.

Her voice was calm, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. "Pardon my bluntness, but if you rake this matter up now, you, I, His Highness the Prince of Qin, and Princess Lanjia will all be inevitably dragged into it."

Wei Sizhao lowered his gaze, sighed softly, and murmured, "I know. I have already written a letter to His Highness the Prince of Qin. Rather than remaining a mere... guard in the Princess's estate, I would rather go to the frontier army, achieve military merit, and win a title or two to comfort the departed souls of my father and brothers."

"Brother Wei would do well to persuade Princess Lanjia first..." A gentle curve touched the corners of Xia Yunhe's lips. "If she refuses to let you go, even the Prince of Qin will be powerless."

She reached out to refill Wei Sizhao's cup, but the young man stopped her. His eyes swept the surroundings, and only after the patrons at the neighboring table had departed did he speak in a low voice.

"Lord Xia, there is something I wish to warn you about."

Wei Sizhao looked directly at her. "Do you know the proprietor of the Tian Family's Confectionery Shop?"

Xia Yunhe was startled, pondering for a moment. "I do."

"A corpse was fished out of the Gourd Canal this morning. Someone from our estate recognized him as the proprietor of the Tian Family's Confectionery Shop."

Xia Yunhe was taken aback. "He's dead?"

Wei Sizhao asked, "Didn't Lord Xia have any dealings with him?"

That was an interesting phrasing. Xia Yunhe gave a bitter smile and briefly recounted the events of the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month.

Having listened, Wei Sizhao contemplated for a moment before saying, "In other words, Shopkeeper Tian has been missing for over a month, and this morning he 'coincidentally' turned up dead in the Gourd Canal near the Princess's estate... discovered by us."

"Could someone be trying to frame the Princess?"

"A letter was found on Shopkeeper Tian's body. The signature on the envelope bears your name."

Before Xia Yunhe could recover from her shock, Wei Sizhao stood up to take his leave. "The Princess has ordered everyone in the estate to remain silent about this. At a quarter past the fourth hour, the Princess entered the palace. Judging by the time, she should be returning soon. Lord Xia, take care."

With those words, Wei Sizhao patted her shoulder, donned his bamboo hat, and strode away.

Xia Yunhe gazed at the yellowish-green liquor at the bottom of her cup, swirling it gently. Tilting her head, she drained the tea in a single gulp, leaned back against her chair, and closed her eyes to rest her mind.

The confectionery shop was inextricably linked to wolfbane poison. Who was the mastermind behind the scenes? And why would they want to frame her?

With Princess Lanjia entering the palace, Emperor Hui would inevitably learn of this matter. A summons into the palace for a reprimand today was unavoidable.

As she pondered, a shadow suddenly fell across her. Assuming Wei Sizhao had returned, she kept her eyes closed and asked softly, "Is there something else?"

Instead, an unfamiliar voice rang out, "Lord Xia, the Duke Defending the State is partaking of tea here today and would like to invite you over to reminisce."

Xia Yunhe snapped her eyes open. Standing before her was a pockmarked servant boy who tossed down a token bearing the seal "Estate of the Duke Defending the State" written in seal script.

A question flashed through her mind: Why would the Duke Defending the State be here?

The rain pattered on endlessly, filling her with a sense of irritation. Ever since the autumn hunt at Mount Lu, she had consistently avoided Liu Rongshan. When the Third Master discovered the Duke's token in the border town, she had been even more meticulous in steering clear of Liu Rongshan. To run into him in a place like this—if she refused to go, it would only give others grounds for gossip...

Thinking of this, Xia Yunhe exhaled, smoothing her expression into a smile. "Since my teacher is here, it is only right that this student pays her respects."

...

Xia Yunhe followed the servant boy to a private parlor. The lad knocked on the door, and Liu Rongshan's aged voice came from within: "Come in."

She pushed the door open and entered.

A four-season folding screen stood on the left side of the room. Xia Yunhe frowned slightly, an inexplicable unease washing over her.

"Yizhi—"

She offered a formal bow. "Your student Xia Yunhe pays her respects to her teacher."

"How many changes does a century of human affairs know?" Liu Rongshan stood with his hands clasped behind his back by the window, watching the noisy crowd outside. "Yizhi, it has been a long time."

With that, he motioned for her to sit as she pleased.

Xia Yunhe bowed. "This student was unaware that the Duke Defending the State was here. If I have been intrusive, I hope my teacher will forgive me."

"What are you saying?" Liu Rongshan chuckled, waving her over. "Yizhi, I specifically asked for these for you. This teahouse is terribly stingy, only giving one piece per tael of silver. Have a taste."

On the table sat a plate of sugar pastries, a purple clay teapot, and two small cyan-glazed cups with constricted rims.

Liu Rongshan poured the tea and urged, "Hurry, try it."

The man before her looked amiable and warm, yet Xia Yunhe suddenly caught a faint, ghostly fragrance...

...

In a fraction of a second, two characters flashed through her mind: Wolfbane!

There was wolfbane poison in those pastries!

Her gaze darkened, sweeping across the pastries on the plate, and she smiled. "Teacher, this student is not fond of sweets."

A flicker of emotion crossed Liu Rongshan's eyes. When he looked at her again, he tapped his forehead. "Ah, of course, I remembered incorrectly."

Xia Yunhe gave a cold, internal sneer. Liu Rongshan was actually tied to wolfbane.

Colluding with the enemy and betraying the country...

Her fists clenched tightly within her sleeves. She thought bitterly: *To catch a thief, you must catch him with the stolen goods. Evidence—a few pastries and a grain shop token—is not enough to convict him.*

Everything must be... planned with utmost care.

She relaxed her fists and took the initiative to ask, "Is my teacher's health well?"

"Well, quite well," Liu Rongshan stroked his beard. "It's just that Yizhi always avoids this old man. Were it not for today's chance encounter, as time passed, I fear you might no longer acknowledge me as your mentor."

What an unreasonable reprimand. Xia Yunhe smiled. "Teacher, how could that be? His Majesty detests factions and clique-forming among officials. My keeping my distance from the Duke Defending the State is truly for our mutual peace of mind."

"What you say is true, but..."

Before Liu Rongshan could finish, a shrill, piercing voice rang out from outside the room.

"Is Lord Xia inside?"

Someone tried to block the way outside, followed by a sharp crack as the speaker slapped Liu Rongshan's servant.

"Blind dog! Don't you know whose grandfather I am?"

"Impudent!" Liu Rongshan slammed his hand on the table and rose to his feet.

The door, however, was already violently shoved open. The newcomer was a hairless, pale-faced man draped in a heavy crimson robe. Pinching his voice, he declared, "Lord Xia, you've made this slave search high and low."

Ignoring Liu Rongshan's darkened expression, the man looked at Xia Yunhe. "His Majesty has an oral edict."

Everyone in the room dropped to their knees as the eunuch proclaimed, "Xia Yunhe, you have immense audacity! Get yourself rolling into the palace at once."

"Lord Xia, if you please."

Holding his nose in the air, the eunuch instructed the two junior eunuchs in blue robes behind him to escort Xia Yunhe out.

He gave a slight nod to Liu Rongshan and sauntered away leisurely.

Liu Rongshan watched them go with a smile. The moment they descended the stairs, the smile vanished entirely from his face.

A voice sounded from behind the screen. "Why haven't I seen that eunuch before?"

"That is the newly appointed Grand Eunuch, Wen Zheng. Aside from the Emperor, he holds no one in his eyes," Liu Rongshan scoffed. "Among all the civil and military officials at court, who would ever respect a eunuch?"

"And Grand Eunuch Li?"

"Li Fushun offended the Emperor and was stripped of his post to sweep the imperial tombs at the Divine Palace Bureau." Liu Rongshan sat back down at the table, picked up a pastry, and inspected it from all angles. "Lord Chen, why didn't Xia Yunhe eat the pastry? Didn't you say he liked sweets?"

A figure stepped out from behind the screen, bearing a triangular scar on his temple and a pair of piercing, hawk-like eyes that chilled the blood. "Duke Defending the State, I could smell the wolfbane even from behind the screen. Xia Yunhe has encountered this scent at the confectionery shop before; she has always been cautious, why would she eat it?"

These words made Liu Rongshan somewhat displeased. He stroked his sideburns and clicked his tongue. "Tch... If this old man hadn't used a death-row inmate to substitute for you, the one trampled into minced meat today would have been you, Lord Chen."

Chen Haizhou offered a smile that did not reach his eyes. "My thanks to the Duke for saving my life."

"Hmph." Liu Rongshan accepted the flattery with ease, sipped his tea, and smiled. "Until Xia Yunhe is eliminated, I will never sleep in peace. Lord Chen, since we both view Xia Yunhe as an enemy, why don't we join forces?"

Chen Haizhou stared expressionlessly at the man across from him. "Very well. It is an honor to cooperate with the Duke Defending the State."

"Straightforward!" Liu Rongshan declared. "However, for the next period of time, you must not show your face. After all, you are already a dead man."

Liu Rongshan rose, walked to the door, paused, and looked back at Chen Haizhou. "There is a residence in the suburbs; go hide there for a few days. Once Xia Yunhe is imprisoned in a few days, I will send someone to notify you to make your move." With that, Liu Rongshan straightened his robes and narrowed his eyes. "The Xia family must be eradicated down to the very roots."

Chen Haizhou watched Liu Rongshan depart, then leisurely walked over to the window. He finished the pastry on the plate, picked up a cup of tea, drank it slowly, and gazed out at the execution ground.

The rain had washed away the bloodstains, leaving the place pristine and bare, without a trace remaining.

He gripped his teacup tightly, shattering it with a sharp pop, letting the broken porcelain pierce his palm... He had other plans entirely.