TDLC Chapter 42

by yuuki28-36 minutes 12.08.2023

Yuè Míng Quán had a firm and persistent disposition, but he did not manage to escape the scheme that Huò Wēi Lóu designed for him in the end.

The full day of confinement which induced endless unrest within him, and the embroidered emissaries’ attitude, was more than enough for him to understand that Huò Wēi Lóu was already aware of something, thus tormenting his heart with apprehensions. And yet it was also at this moment where he personally witnessed Lù Kē leading the embroidered emissaries towards Wáng Qīng Fǔ and Wú Yú’s dwellings and learned that both of them had actually been interrogated before. 

Huò Wēi Lóu has controlled the embroidered emissaries for many years; since he had the right to act first and report later, carrying out corporal punishments on them – these possible suspects – did not count for much either. It was rumoured that even the felons who were wicked beyond redemption within the imperial prison would open their mouths obediently in his hands.

Although Yuè Míng Quán was rightly frightened, he still harboured some hope in his heart.

Since the sin that could overflow the Heaven managed to stay concealed for ten long years, it goes without saying that it wasn’t the product of only his own efforts. In these ten years, Wáng Qīng Fǔ was far away in the Capital, and they had never corresponded via letters. Even when he returned to the Capital and held a post, their encounters in the court were far and few between, but for some inexplicable reason, he held a kind of reverence and trust towards that unimposing and genteel scholar in his heart.

What inspired those emotions was nothing more than the fact that he was just a small Vice-Secretary that year, and yet he had the guts to misappropriate the Śarīra.

In his audacity to hatch a plot, Wáng Qīng Fǔ was naturally aware of the grave consequences as an official serving in the Capital, but he still carried it out anyway. Yuè Míng Quán knew that when it came to fear, Wáng Qīng Fǔ had more to worry about, but he also believed that Wáng Qīng Fǔ would never confess to the crime. Since the matter took place ten years ago, all of the concrete evidence have disappeared without a trace; as long as they refused to fess up, even Marquis Wuzhao could not ascribe a sentence to them.

Huò Wēi Lóu might have restored the events of that year by seven to eight parts, but Yuè Míng Quán refused to loosen his mouth no matter how panicked he felt, but it was also at this moment where Lù Kē appeared. Lù Kē was the calvary officer next to Huò Wēi Lóu, and one of the trusted aides in his clique; with his participation from the beginning until the end, it ensured that there wouldn’t be the slightest flaw in the entire scheme. Hence, when he heard Wáng Qīng Fǔ’s voice, Yuè Míng Quán’s once sincere and unshakeable belief started to quake.

Sitting in front of him was Huò Wēi Lóu, was the Marquis Wuzhao with an impressive reputation, even if Wáng Qīng Fǔ could maintain his composure, Huò Wēi Lóu had a hundred ways to make him open his mouth. However, if he pushed the burden of guilt to him, Wáng Qīng Fǔ might have a chance of surviving even if it was a serious crime like stealing the Śarīra. At the end, Wáng Qīng Fǔ reminded Lù Kē that he was a desperate criminal…

When they killed Jìng Kōng that year, Wáng Qīng Fǔ had been equally decisive and ruthless.

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Yuè Míng Quán was so enraged that his eyes were going to bulge out of its sockets.

He originally intended to guard the secret firmly, but the agony, fear, bewilderment, and wrath that had accumulated through the entire day and night, finally, and totally collapsed at that moment. He looked at Huò Wēi Lóu with red eyes, his entire person seemingly ageing by years in an instant.

“That year, Xiaguan was the Luozhou Commander-in-Chief, and technically made some small achievements at that age, but xiaguan wanted to continue rising upwards, and that was proving to be exceedingly difficult. Although xiaguan’s background can’t be considered as poverty-stricken, but he wasn’t walking down the road of a civil official, and his family had no social connections, so he could only strive for military achievements. However, the garrison and frontier army are two different entities, xiaguan was very anxious… It was at that time, where Wáng Qīng Fǔ looked for xiaguan.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes congealed, “He made a personal appearance ever since the start?”

Yuè Míng Quán nodded, “Yes, it has always been him from the very start.”

A hint of derision rose from the depths of Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes, “He was a small Vice-Secretary from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, without any substantial authority in his hands, whilst you were the Commander-in-Chief of a prefecture; you actually believed his words?”

Huò Wēi Lóu wore a doubtful expression, which heightened Yuè Míng Quán’s anxiety, “Xiaguan didn’t believe it at the start either, but he descended from Qiangzhou-Wang clan. He might have entered the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, but he was extremely young, and he didn’t look like a lunatic at all. Someone who isn’t a lunatic, who suddenly looks for you to talk about such an earth-shattering major event with absolute confidence, from how xiaguan perceived it, he must have had something to rely on, which allowed him to act that way.”

Yuè Míng Quán gritted his teeth, “Furthermore, at the very beginning, he only said that he was looking to cooperate with xiaguan for a major event. Owing to the great importance he attached to xiaguan’s moral character and his cognizance of xiaguan’s curriculum vitae, he sought for xiaguan, and even promised a huge monetary reward and a way for promotion. Xiaguan wasn’t aware that what he wanted to steal was the Śarīra. It was only after xiaguan carried out his orders of sourcing for sideshow performing artists and altering the mechanism for the lotus pedestal, whereby xiaguan finally realised that the major event he was planning for was stealing the Śarīra. Xiaguan was genuinely frightened, but it was too difficult to get off the tiger’s back once it was ridden by then. Furthermore, quite a number of arrangements were personally made by xiaguan. Supposing that the cloven foot was revealed, the first person to suffer a calamity would still be xiaguan. It really hasn’t been easy for xiaguan to achieve that position back then, how could he possibly give up so easily? Hence, xiaguan gritted his teeth and executed the plan with him!”

A thread of resolution appeared in the bottom of Yuè Míng Quán’s retinas. Huò Wēi Lóu narrowed his eyes, “He was just the Court of Imperial Sacrifices’ Vice-Secretary, how did he manage to give you promotion opportunities? Even if it’s the Qiangzhou-Wang clan, his Qiangzhou-Wang clan is currently in the throes of decline, to say nothing of how you were a military leader even then.”

Yuè Míng Quán shook his head, “He didn’t say. Xiaguan tried to make repeated, detailed inquiries in the past, but he didn’t breathe a single word of it. However, this was part of the reason why xiaguan trusted him even more, albeit inexplicably. Upon seeing how he had a card up his sleeve, xiaguan thought, he must have his ways. Not just that, he only talked about the things he needed to relay, and he would never utter a word about the things he shouldn’t; he was mysterious and unfathomable, which constantly impressed upon xiaguan that he wasn’t simple at all.”

As Huò Wēi Lóu listened on, he felt that his confession was quintessentially outlandish: how could Yuè Míng Quán possibly collude with Wáng Qīng Fǔ under the circumstances where he didn’t even know the exact details for something like stealing the Śarīra?

“Talk about the day of the Grand Ceremony in detail—”

“Prior to the Grand Ceremony, a small mechanism had been added in the lotus pedestal by xiaguan. The method of hiding someone inside the lotus pedestal was conceived by Wáng Qīng Fǔ, though the performer was found by xiaguan. Before xiaguan served in the military, he followed his Shifu to wander around for two years, and naturally made a few acquaintances in the Jianghu. The found person was then hidden inside the night before the Grand Ceremony, it was a young man who was exceedingly proficient in softening his bones.” 

江湖 (pinyin: jiang hu) – directly translates to ‘rivers and lakes’, but it also refers to a collective of people who wander from place to place and living by their wits, or sections of society that operate independently from the mainstream society.

“The night before, xiaguan predicted that it was definitely going to rain on the second day, but for the sake of guaranteeing a fool proof plan, xiaguan prepared another method as well. On the day of the Grand Ceremony, there were Buddhist incense and candle flame lit everywhere, if it didn’t rain that day, xiaguan would have signalled for his men to start a fire. During that window of opportunity, xiaguan would then order someone to bring the lotus pedestal and Five-Fold Treasure Chest into the Hall of Great Strength for protection, and as long as it leaves everyone’s line of sight, the Śarīra can be stolen.

“The key to the treasure chest was given to xiaguan by Wáng Qīng Fǔ. When he gave xiaguan the key back then, xiaguan had jumped in fright. Afterwards, xiaguan even specifically taught that young man how to open the lock, and it was only after ensuring that there was no danger of anything going wrong that the young man was sent into the lotus pedestal.

“Later, it really did rain on the day of Grand Ceremony. The stealing of the Śarīra went very smoothly, but [we] didn’t expect that… Jìng Kōng would actually realise that the Five-Fold Treasure Chest had become lighter. Only the golden coffin and clear glass bottle was taken away and its combined weight wasn’t heavy, but Jìng Kōng was attentive to even the finest hair, he still discovered it. Back then, xiaguan was wrought with fear, but no one paid attention to the lotus pedestal.

“The lotus pedestal was treated as an ordinary object and sent back to the storehouse. Xiaguan proceeded to let that person out that night and abetted him in leaving the mountain. On that night, the martial law imposed on the entire Xixia Mountain was enforced by the Luozhou Garrison, which was led by xiaguan; where the guards were, where the leaks were, xiaguan was naturally aware of all of them. After the young man left, xiaguan assumed that everything had come to an end. His Majesty left afterwards, and while a few officials stayed behind to investigate, nothing came out of the investigation because xiaguan was present, but one did not anticipate that Jìng Kōng would discover the sold Buddhist scripture again.”

Huò Wēi Lóu scowled, “Were you the one who suggested killing Jìng Kōng, or was it Wáng Qīng Fǔ?”

“It was Wáng Qīng Fǔ.” Yuè Míng Quán did not hesitate in the slightest, “The purchase of the Buddhist scripture wasn’t done under my orders, so I didn’t take it seriously, and the person who bought the Buddhist scripture had already been dealt with by Wáng Qīng Fǔ. Even if everyone knew of this matter, it wouldn’t hinder anything, but Wáng Qīng Fǔ was very resolute, even saying that we might as well find a scapegoat to stop everyone from attempting to track down the Śarīra ceaselessly. Jìng Kōng was the Temple Head, he was also the only one who held the treasure chest that day, and if he were to suddenly disappear, the suspicion for the entire affair would completely fall on him.”

Huò Wēi Lóu narrowed his eyes, “Wáng Qīng Fǔ had a different explanation.”

Yuè Míng Quán’s eyes widened, “He would undoubtedly push all the guilt to xiaguan’s person. But everything that xiaguan has said is all true; when Jìng Kōng was murdered that year, it was he and xiaguan who acted together. Although he was not good at martial arts, he was carrying a dagger on his person, he was the one who used that dagger to stab Jìng Kōng. After Jìng Kōng stopped breathing, he said that [we] couldn’t stay in the workshop for too long, if we hide the corpse in the soil, it’s highly likely that it will be undug very quickly, but if we were to move the corpse down the mountain, it will take a lot of effort. Therefore, he stated the best solution is to hide the corpse inside the Buddha statue.

“Back then, the body of the venerable Buddha had already been crafted, and it only needed to be welded together. The artisans even had the frame built and the furnaces at the side had been burning through the day and night. Xiaguan dismembered the corpse, placed the chunks inside the Buddha’s body before attaching the head on top, and then embedded the iron core which had been softened by the heat of the furnace. Just like that, the Buddha statue was sealed fully. On the second day, xiaguan went to the workshop early in the morning, first searching the workshop before ordering the artisans to finish up the Buddha statue swifty. At that time, the leading artisan was asking who had secretly welded the Buddha statue, but it was suppressed by xiaguan. Everyone in the temple was in danger back then, so they didn’t dare to throw a fuss about it. Thus, this matter quickly passed after making small waves.

“Wáng Qīng Fǔ and Wú Yú were Capital officials and they stayed inside the temple for one month back then, but Féng Lún and xiaguan stayed for a longer period of time. Xiaguan made use his authority to clean up all the evidence that could have been discovered.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s irises darkened slightly, “But it’s not possible that Féng Lún remained wholly oblivious.”

Yuè Míng Quán squeezed out an extremely ugly grimace, “It was the issues at the workshop. Although xiaguan suppressed the oddities happening in the workshop, Féng Lún still caught wind of some of it, but he didn’t make detailed inquiries. Ten years later, Jìng Kōng’s skeletal remains dropped out from the Buddha statue, and he promptly remembered the events that occurred ten years ago. After arriving at the temple, he tried to probe xiaguan once, either wittingly or unwittingly, which alerted xiaguan to the fact that he remembered what happened that year. Xiaguan went to meet Wáng Qīng Fǔ, and he ordered xiaguan to silence Féng Lún.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s brows scrunched slightly. Yuè Míng Quán was only afraid that he did not believe him, “It’s true. Wáng Qīng Fǔ appears inconspicuous, but he’s a genuinely vicious character. The young man that was skilled at softening his bone was also dealt with because he ordered xiaguan to do so…”

Huò Wēi Lóu squinted his eyes, to which Yuè Míng Quán said: “When that person came forward to receive his silvers three months later, he was sunken into the Lancang River by xiaguan.”

Bitterness spread across Yuè Míng Quán’s visage, “Since it has already reached that step, xiaguan could no longer retract his hands, and he only thought about how he could protect his existing glory. Fortunately… It was fortunate that this plot finally subsided after that.”

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Huò Wēi Lóu continued to ask: “Despite promising that you would be given the chance for promotion, you weren’t rapidly promoted afterwards.”

Having spoken to this point, Yuè Míng Quán released a long sigh, “Yes, it wasn’t as fast as what xiaguan had expected, but it was extremely stable.”

“Entering the Zhenxi Army, was that your idea?”

Yuè Míng Quán shook his head, a strange glint appearing in his eyes, “No, it wasn’t xiaguan’s idea, and it might not necessarily be because of him upholding that promise. In these ten years, every time xiaguan felt frustrated from waiting, his external circumstances would always become slightly better, though entering the Zhenxi Army afterwards did conform with xiaguan’s aspirations. It felt like Wáng Qīng Fǔ was capable of magic, since he seemed to be aware of what xiaguan was thinking.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s phoenix eyes became half lidded, “What you mean to say is that, in all these years, both of you did not have any other contact?”

Yuè Míng Quán replied with a yes, before Huò Wēi Lóu posed another question: “When he came to look for you that year, there isn’t any concrete evidence, is there?”

Yuè Míng Quán nodded again, which caused Huò Wēi Lóu to issue a cold sneer, “With all that has been said, it is quite possible that you committed all the crimes on your lonesome, while Wáng Qīng Fǔ was merely dragged into your machinations.”

Yuè Míng Quán immediately exclaimed: “No! That’s not true!” His eyes shifted in panic, “Śarīra! The Śarīra was taken away by him, and… and that key, right, xiaguan kept that key.”

Yuè Míng Quán seemed to grapple onto that life-saving straw, “When that young man returned that year, xiaguan might have sunk him into the river, but he was slightly unsettled in his heart, so he reclaimed the key. At that time, Wáng Qīng Fǔ sent over a letter, and xiaguan simply said that the key had been thrown inside the river as well, and it definitely wouldn’t be found. He must have believed it since he didn’t continue asking.

“Presently, that key is being stored in an old compound in xiaguan’s old Cangzhou home. The shape of the key is strange, it must have been casted by a talented craftsman. Once Hou’ye obtains the key, he will definitely be able to discover something.”

Huò Wēi Lóu remained silent, which caused another layer of cold perspiration to ooze out of Yuè Míng Quán’s forehead again. He carefully searched his memories once, but he only came to irrefutable realisation that he did not leave behind any evidence of his intersections with Wáng Qīng Fǔ in these ten years, especially when it came to the material objects that were related to that year, even taking the pains to avoid them. Considering how he appeared personally to finalise everything, it was completely within Wáng Qīng Fǔ’s means to remove himself from the situation.

Suddenly, Yuè Míng Quán stared at Huò Wēi Lóu, his entire body becoming rigid right then and there.

Upon seeing his reaction, Lín Huái furrowed his eyebrows slightly and Fu gonggong was similarly confused, whereas Huò Wēi Lóu hooked up his lips faintly, “There can never be too much deception in war.”

Cold sweat started dripping down from Yuè Míng Quán like rain, his complexion alternating between green and red in waves. His whole person was teeming with anger and resentment, which caused his body to tremble.

However, Huò Wēi Lóu said in an apathetic voice: “Since you can figure it out, you can’t be considered as stupid.”

Yuè Míng Quán clenched his fist tightly, gnashing his teeth so hard it was on the verge of shattering. After he fell into Huò Wēi Lóu’s trap, he had divulged most of the past secrets, but when he was confronted with the need to prove that Wáng Qīng Fǔ was the actual culprit, he abruptly realised that Wáng Qīng Fǔ had already extracted himself cleanly, but since that was the case, what kind of iron-clad evidence did Huò Wēi Lóu use to make Wáng Qīng Fǔ speak?

Moreover, Wáng Qīng Fǔ had always been very tight-lipped.

The only explanation was that Huò Wēi Lóu was deceiving him, but just now, it was clearly Wáng Qīng Fǔ…

Yuè Míng Quán seemed to understand and yet it was like he never comprehended anything; his entire body shook like he was hyperventilating, his eyes widening to the point where he looked like he was going insane. When Huò Wēi Lóu saw him reacting in such a manner, he shouted: “Lù Kē—”

Lù Kē, who had been awaiting his orders, immediately stepped through the room doors. Huò Wēi Lóu raised his chin, “Let General Yuè have a listen.”

Lù Kē shifted his pupils and promptly understood Huò Wēi Lóu’s intentions. Hence, he coughed lightly and used a voice that was exceedingly similar to Wáng Qīng Fǔ to state: “General Yuè.”

Yuè Míng Quán jumped in fright, his pupils trembling. It was clearly Lù Kē’s face, and yet his speaking voice had turned into Wáng Qīng Fǔ’s voice. This made Yuè Míng Quán feel extremely baffled, but he immediately grasped how the previous scheme was set up. He had once heard that Huò Wēi Lóu had a lot of talented people under him, but he did not expect Lù Kē, whose class origin was an embroidered emissary, would be capable of imitating the voices of others.

Yuè Míng Quán was soaked through with cold sweat, looking as though all the strength had been sucked out of him. If Wáng Qīng Fǔ had been the first to confess, then he was only being compelled by helplessness, and it would not be considered as a moral violation; but he had been fallen into the scheme that Huò Wēi Lóu plotted due to his extreme stupidity, he had admitted to countless of past events, especially the existence of that key. With all that was said and done, he no longer had the chance to withdraw his confession.

Yuè Míng Quán barked out a miserable laugh, “Hou’ye is a brilliant strategist.”

Huò Wēi Lóu raised his sword-like brows lightly, “Losing at the hands of benhou, is not because you were incompetent.”

Yuè Míng Quán’s stature crumbled, to which Huò Wēi Lóu sighed audibly, “Since you’ve spoken to this point, it is assumed that you are know what the consequences are. Given all the evildoings you have committed on your lonesome, the least you could do now is not implicate your family. Benhou is aware that you have a wife and son in Cangzhou, you don’t wish for your young son to be dragged into this, do you?”

Yuè Míng Quán laughed wretchedly again, clenching his teeth and screwing shut his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, a bit of calmness could be perceived at the bottom of his eyes, “Hou’ye can rest assured, each and every sentence that was spoken previously is the truth. Xiaguan… no… zui’chen, zui’chen can testify against Wáng Qīng Fǔ in court.”

罪臣 (pinyin: zui chen) – this guilty official.

The previous paper and brush were just for show. It was only at this instance where he was genuinely writing a testimony to present to the court. Yuè Míng Quán’s hand was shaking as he held the brush, but he had no choice but to carefully write down the events from that year in meticulous detail, word by word. He continued to write for the bigger part of a double-hour, and it was only when he put down his brush that he remembered that the time he spent writing in the right wing-room just now was too short. However, with how panicked his mind was, he could only care about maintaining the composure on his expression, so how could he possibly have the headspace to pay attention to these minor details.

Lín Huái kept the supplied evidence properly, piece by piece. Huò Wēi Lóu posed another question: “Do you know what Wáng Qīng Fǔ wanted the Śarīra for?”

Yuè Míng Quán shook his head, “No. He relayed what was necessary, and spoke naught a word of what was unnecessary. Sometimes, it was even to the extent where zui’chen felt that his person was filled with a type of righteous cause that he would defy life and death for; if he doesn’t wish for it, no one can pry open his mouth.”

“However…” Yuè Míng Quán gazed at Huò Wēi Lóu, “However, if it’s Hou’ye, it would be different. If the main official was anyone else today, zui’chen would not have opened his mouth so easily.”

That sentence sounded rather ingratiating, but Huò Wēi Lóu retorted: “Don’t besmirch the two words ‘righteous cause’, if all the criminals in the world called their deeds ‘righteous causes’, then what about the officers and soldiers who risk their lives fighting to defend the frontier in the Zhenxi Army, what should be used to describe them?”

In an instant, a shred of sorrow emerged on Yuè Míng Quán’s visage. Subconsciously, he turned his head to look outside the window, as if he wanted to pass through the window lattice to view the desolate and vast night of the Northwest. However, he would never see it again; what awaited him was countless court hearings and imprisonment, and finally, his life would end on the beheading platform on a certain windless and quiet day.

Originally, he could have given his life to battlefield and return (to his homeland). In the end, he landed himself in such a dismal and humiliating conclusion.

As he walked out of the main door, Yuè Míng Quán’s back and shoulders were no longer ramrod straight; his back was stooped and his steps heavy, as if he was an elderly in his declining years, and he also understood that he really didn’t have many days left to live.

The room quietened down. Lín Huái kept Yuè Míng Quán’s testimony before he asked: “Hou’ye, are [we] going to proceed with Wáng Qīng Fǔ’s interrogation?”

Huò Wēi Lóu peered at the sky. The night was already deep, and it was certainly suitable for interrogating suspects who were in a taut mood, but he felt like something was lacking by his side. He looked left and right, suddenly realising that he hadn’t seen Bó Ruò Yōu for more than half a day.

After waking up this morning, there were no post-mortem autopsies or deductions to make, so Bó Ruò Yōu returned to her room after dawdling outside for half a day. Since he was setting up this plot, it was natural that he didn’t ask Bó Ruò Yōu to come forward. Yuè Míng Quán was a military leader with a cultivated and cutting aura of death; though his mind was lacking in meticulous wit, he was rather firm and persistent. He wanted to scare and pressure Yuè Míng Quán with might and power, which meant that Bó Ruò Yōu was not suitable for this kind of scene.        

After muttering irresolutely to himself, Huò Wēi Lóu kneaded the space between his brows. “Wáng Qīng Fǔ is quite a strange character, one fears that he won’t open his mouth easily.”

Fu gonggong wiped off the sweat on his palms as well, “Yuè Míng Quán is already hard to deal with, perhaps [we] should retire for the night?”

Huò Wēi Lóu nodded and Lín Huái exhaled in relief as well. Although Huò Wēi Lóu was the only one crossing swords with Yuè Míng Quán verbally, having to stand at the side while ensuring that they didn’t reveal a single hint of guilt for the whole scheme was physically taxing for him and Fu gonggong. Furthermore, Huò Wēi Lóu’s oppressive imposing manner didn’t stop at just shocking Yuè Míng Quán, it had been difficult for them to withstand it too. With this comparison, Lín Huái could not help but regard the young Marquis Wuzhao with growing admiration as he looked at him.

Lín Huái responded: “Then xiaguan will be going back to re-organise Yuè Míng Quán’s confession.”

After Huò Wēi Lóu nodded, Lín Huái proceeded to take his leave.

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Fu gonggong breathed out a mouthful of air, “One did not expect that it was really the Wáng-Yuè pair who colluded to commit the crime that year. If it were not for Yōu Yōu noticing the strangeness between the two, it would have been really difficult to discern it.”

Upon hearing that, Huò Wēi Lóu said: “Call her over.”

Fu gonggong did not doubt him, stepping out of the door to go to the wing-room at the side. He knocked the door, “Yōu Yōu, come, Hou’ye wants to see you.”

Bó Ruò Yōu opened her door very swiftly. She could distinctively hear the movements in the meditation hall, and when she saw Fu gonggong, she asked: “Gonggong, did it go smoothly tonight?”

Fu gonggong smiled and nodded, “It went smoothly, Yuè Míng Quán confessed to everything.”

Bó Ruò Yōu also sighed in relief once she heard that. Subsequently, Fu gonggong pointed at the principal room. “Go quickly, Hou’ye is waiting for you.”

Bó Ruò Yōu responded in the positive before she headed to the principal room. When she stepped through the door, Huò Wēi Lóu was no longer in the main hall, though there was some noise coming from the left wing-room, so Bó Ruò Yōu moved towards the left wing-room. Once she entered, she saw Huò Wēi Lóu sitting on the couch in front of the window like she had anticipated.

“Greetings to Hou’ye, does Hou’ye have any instructions?”

The dim lights were spilling over, illuminating Bó Ruò Yōu’s tall and graceful bearing, her flesh and bones serene and just. Especially those limpid and intelligent eyes, when it was trained on Huò Wēi Lóu, fragmented light sparkled in the depths of her eyes, as if a river of stars had fallen inside.

Huò Wēi Lóu stared at her for a long moment, “Yuè Míng Quán has already confessed. Jìng Kōng was indeed murdered by him and Wáng Qīng Fǔ, while the Śarīra was taken by Wáng Qīng Fǔ, that person is not simple at all.”

Bó Ruò Yōu was slightly surprised, because she didn’t anticipated that Wáng Qīng Fǔ would be the one who took away the Śarīra, “What can min’nü do then?”

Huò Wēi Lóu replied in a straightforward manner, “At this stage of the case, there’s nothing left for you to do.”

Bó Ruò Yōu was somewhat perplexed. Since there was nothing she could help with, why did he summon her?

“You’ve already done what you ought to do, and you have done well. Now, you can say what your request is.” Huò Wēi Lóu’s tone of voice was placid, as if he was only talking about a very normal work-related matter. However, his phoenix eyes were slightly narrowed, and in the deepest part of his eyes, it only reflected and solely contained the delicate figure of Bó Ruò Yōu.

The hands by Bó Ruò Yōu’s side curled out of slight nervousness, as if she did not expect that this moment would arrive so quickly. She lowered her eyes briefly, but she made up her mind exceedingly quick. When she raised her eyes again, only candour remained in her gaze, “Min’nü is not willing to abandon the skills of a coroner, therefore, min’nü would like to ask Hou’ye to recommend min’nü to a government office. Min’nü does not ask for an official position, just a place where min’nü can exhaust her forte would suffice.”

Huò Wēi Lóu knitted his brows slightly. Although he had long expected that Bó Ruò Yōu’s request would be related to her coroner work, he did not think that his request would be so simple. After all, Hè Chéng did attach a fair bit of importance to her; as long as she wished for it, Hè Chéng would even go out of his way to ensure that she could set up a home in Qingzhou City.

Huò Wēi Lóu asked: “Which government office do you want to go to?”

“Min’nü wants to go to…” Bó Ruò Yōu looked at Huò Wēi Lóu with a calm and steadfast gaze, “The Capital’s Metropolitan Government Office.”