When Yu Shu came out of the Xin family's mansion, the sky had just turned dark. Xu Qing and Lu Hong followed closely behind, holding two big boxes in their hands. These were the thank-you gifts that Xin Ya gave her.
On the sixth of June, she showed her "Death Sealing Technique" at the Hibiscus Gentlemen's Banquet, which shocked the 12 families. Some people coveted her skills, and some people tried to recruit her to be the signboard of the Da Yi Shop, but she rejected them all. Xin Ya repeatedly showed her goodwill, and even used a replica of the Tai Qing Cauldron as a trade in exchange for her divination of the life and death of a few people. The first person was a man born in the year of Xin You.
Xin Ya probably did not expect that Yu Shu would coincidentally guess that the original identity of this "Mr. Xin You" was Yun Hua's son.
Yun Hua did not die at all. Xin Ya was very sure that she had seen him in person, but she did not tell Xin Ya the truth. Instead, she made up a very credible story based on what happened twenty years ago. She told Xin Ya —
"You asked me to divine that you have wealth but no life to enjoy it. In the first month of the thirteenth year of Baotai, because of a villain, your relatives died, and there were signs of separation."
In fact, at the end of the twelfth year of Baotai, Yun Hua sent Zhuge Tong to Xin Lishan, but Xin Ya intercepted it and hid it. In the first month of the thirteenth year of Baotai, Yun Hua's first wife, Madam Han, did a divination and knew that his wife had died, and his eldest son was missing.
Xin Ya had a guilty conscience, so she believed it immediately.
She said, "In the second month, there was a fire, and he did not die. In the fourth month, he lost his wife. In the sixth month, he died. He died in a foreign land. "
Yun Hua told her personally that when he heard the bad news of Madam Han's death, he set fire to the Celestial Commissioner, stole the Book of Mystery Maiden, and fled the capital city.
The late emperor and the previous emperor had concealed the fact that Yun Hua had stolen the treasure and escaped. Princess Luyue had passed away after giving birth to Jing Chen. After she died, the palace announced to the public that Yun Hua had sacrificed his son for the princess, and the two of them were buried together in the Princess Mausoleum.
Yu Shu was an expert in lying. After Xin Ya heard the results of Yu Shu's divination, she would definitely fill in the blanks on her own. Even if she was not 100% convinced, there was still a 99% chance that she was telling the truth.
.....
After leaving the Xin family, Yu Shu turned around and went to the Wangji Tower. She had managed to scare Xin Ya, but she still owed Xin Lishan an explanation. Both father and son were very concerned about the 'truth' of Yun Hua's death in the past.
Wang Ji Lou had been closed for several days, and the restaurant in front was not open for business. Lin Fu fired a few of the hired waiters and vegetable washers, and the rest of the people became idle.
Xin Lishan still refused to leave, treating this place as his refuge. After two months, he also realized that the waiters and servants in this restaurant were all skilled in martial arts. One of them could take on three people, so he was not afraid that Xin Ya would find out where he was and come to arrest him.
Yu Shu finds Xin Li Shan on the balcony of the third floor. He successfully extracted Tihu incense half a month ago. In exchange, Yu Shu allows him to visit the Fengshui Pool on the top floor.
Xin Li Shan is an out-and-out scholar. She heard from Xiao Die and Xiao Qing that he can squat in front of the Fengshui Pool without eating or drinking for two days and two nights to write and draw. On such a cold day, he actually made a mattress on the balcony, just so that when the sun rises, he can be the first to see the changes in the Fengshui Pool.
"Fifth Uncle, I have calculated the result of the matter that you entrusted to me."
As soon as Yu Shu opens her mouth, Xin Li Shan, who was lying lazily on the side of the patio, immediately got up and offered his seat to her, "Sit down and talk, sit down and talk."
"Okay."
Yu Shu can deceive Xin Ya with a clear conscience, but she can't bear to deceive Xin Li Shan. Back then, he was deceived by his father and missed the task that Yun Hua entrusted to him. He inadvertently became a villain.
However, after many years, he found out the truth and resolutely broke off the relationship between father and son with Xin Ya, giving up a bright future and a rich family. The dignified First Rank of Dayan Rankings, a third-class Great Changer, and a Celestial Commissioner, but he is willing to conceal his identity and be a common man.
Such a responsible Fifth Uncle Xin is a real man. Even if he knows that Yun Hua is still alive, he will not leak it out.
Facing Xin Li Shan's eyes full of expectations, she did not keep him in suspense and told him directly, "The person that you want me to calculate, he is not dead."
Xin Li Shan's eyes widened, and his eyes were frighteningly bright. He grabbed Yu Shu's arm with a little excitement and asked, "If he is not dead, then he is still alive? You didn't make a mistake, right? "
Yu Shu did not care about his doubt of her, but told him with certainty, "Yes, that person is still alive."
Then, she repeated what she said to Xin Ya, except that the last sentence, "he died in a foreign land, died a violent death", was changed to "his lifespan is not up, he is still alive."
For a moment, she saw tears glistening in Xin Li Shan's eyes, and thought that she saw it wrong. When he turned his head to wipe his face, she realized that he was really crying.
Xin Li Shan's shrewdness was not inferior to his father's, but at this time, he forgot to hide his emotions. As he wiped his tears, he kept saying, "Great, great, he is not dead, he is not dead."
Between him and Xin Ya, one hoped that Yun Hua was alive, and the other hoped that Yun Hua was dead. Yu Shu watched this scene coldly from the side. She thought that if she were Yun Hua, she would probably forgive Xin Li Shan, but she would never let Xin Ya go.
***
At the end of the month, there was finally a good news that made people excited — Xue Rui was reinstated.
This confused people who thought that the Xue family was going to fall. In this generation of the Xue family, Xue Rui was the only outstanding one among the descendants, and he was undoubtedly going to inherit Xue Lingnan's mantle in the future. Previously, Emperor Zhao Qing had personally asked about Xue Rui's disappearance and ordered him to be suspended from his post for investigation. Everyone saw this as a sign that the Xue family was going to be demoted.
Now, not only had Xue Lingnan returned to the court, but Xue Rui had also returned to the Supreme Court. Emperor Zhao Qing's action was thought-provoking.
Most people felt that the Xue family was innocent victims, and now that they were cleared of suspicion, Emperor Zhao Qing would naturally be lenient. However, a few people noticed a detail. The cause of the whole incident — the Xue family's chief who was wanted by the emperor had not been released yet.
In any case, the Xue family's courtyard was bustling again these days, and it was not as quiet as it was half a month ago.
.....
When Yu Shu got the news, she immediately asked Zhou Hu to prepare a congratulatory gift and sent it to the Right Minister's residence. She was wary of Xue Lingnan, so she did not go in person.
But the next day, she went to the Supreme Court. The guards all recognized this young lady and let her pass. Yu Shu walked to the backyard with familiarity. On the way, she also saw some officials playing chess and drinking tea in the warm pavilion. It was very leisurely, but when she found Xue Rui, she saw another scene.
Two writing tables were facing each other, and stacks of files and legal books were placed on top of them. There was only an empty corner where brush and ink were placed. Xue Rui sat at the edge of this corner, and the petty official and the registrar stood on both sides of him. They kept passing files into his hands, and after he finished reading one, they would find another one. If they had any doubts, they would search for the legal books on the table.
Yu Shu stood under the window and looked in for a while. She found that Xue Rui did not notice her at all, so she had to clear her throat and call out to him.
"Why are you here?" Xue Rui was a little happy to see her. He put down his writing brush, told his subordinates, and walked out the door.
"You asked Hōtoku to send me a letter yesterday, and I know that you have returned to the Supreme Court. Of course, I have to come and see." Yu Shu raised her chin towards the room and said, "How did I know that you are so busy? It seems that I came at the wrong time."
Xue Rui shook his head and said, "I have been idle for a month, and many official matters have been delayed. The local authorities are waiting for the Supreme Court's warrant and approval. If I do not solve it quickly, it will pile up until next month, and I don't know how many unjust and false cases will occur."
In the blink of an eye, it was already Lidong. He was wearing a cotton coat, but Yu Shu saw that there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. Not only did she feel sorry for him, but she also complained, "When you were suspended, there was no one to defend you, and yet you have the nerve to pile up all these official matters. When you come back, I will push all of them to you. You are not the only Shaoqing in the Supreme Court. On my way here, I have seen people who are so idle, but other than you, are they all dead people?"
When she was angry, her mouth was unforgiving. Xue Rui laughed involuntarily. If they were not in the yamen, he could not help but pinch her angry face.
"What are you laughing at?" Yu Shu glared at him. "You have such a good temper, and you let others bully you for nothing."
Xue Rui pulled her along and walked a few steps further away so that the bystanders would not hear their conversation and gossip again. Today was different from the past. Even though he had returned to the Supreme Court, his power and influence were not as great as before. It was just that his heart was not here, and he did not care.
"When you were in Kun Ling Bureau, didn't Jing Chen also do nothing and push everything to you? Do you feel wronged?" he asked.
"How is that the same?" Yu Shu rolled her eyes and said, "He delegated power to me. The more I do, the more power I have. You are busy, but you do not get any benefits."
As an official in the Supreme Court, one was either clean and uncorrupted, offending people everywhere, or smooth and slick, with a body full of small braids. Xue Rui was clearly the former. He was smart, but not worldly. He was probably the only clean person in the yamen.
"How can that be?" Xue Rui smiled faintly and said, "I get benefits, it's just that you can't see it."
Yu Shu snorted coldly and was too lazy to argue with him. She took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and covered his forehead. Her tone was not so gentle as she said, "No matter how busy you are, you are not allowed to stay up late. The weather is cold, and it is hard to recover from an illness."
A cold fragrance assailed his nostrils. Xue Rui suddenly felt his mind clear. He caught her handkerchief, and did not bear to wipe his sweat. He folded it twice and put it in his chest. He did not feel embarrassed at all. Yu Shu saw him hide her handkerchief in front of her and did not know whether to laugh or cry. She could not ask him for it back.
"There is something I forgot to tell you," she mentioned, "On the first of next month, I will be able to enter the palace for court. It will be just in time for you to resume your position and be my companion. "
Xue Rui smiled and said, "I know. I will go pick you up that morning. Don't oversleep."
The morning court began at 7 AM. The civil and military officials had to rush to the palace gates before 7 AM and wait for the morning bell to enter the palace. Regardless of whether it was day of the month, whether it was windy or rainy, they had to stand outside for two hours. Those who were late and those who were absent would be recorded by the censors in charge of inspection. So whenever there was a court meeting, the officials would wake up in the middle of the night to wash up and leave before dawn.
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