A Minister's Capricious Affection | Chapter 12 | The Hidden Ledger | Novela.app

Chapter 12 - The Hidden Ledger "Exquisite beauty," He Anchang murmured, his voice breaking his usual cold reserve. A rare softness touched his features as he looked upon the woman. "Truly, she does not fail the promise of her name." Xie Jingsheng chuckled, leaning back with an easy air. "A hidden wonder indeed. Only in a secluded temple deep within Mount Luyi could one find such a countenance. Well, Ruxu—how do you feel now? Surely this trip was not in vain." Beside them, Miaoshan teased with a playful pout, "Look at that, Sister. Now that you’ve arrived, it’s as if I were never here at all." Miaoyin offered a faint, elegant smile as she stepped into the room. Every movement was a study in grace, her gait as light and swaying as a lotus in the breeze. She took a seat beside Xie Jingsheng, her presence radiating a mature, magnetic charm. "You are a fresh blossom of the morning, little sister. Why fret over the fading beauty of a sunset flower like me?" She turned her gaze toward Xie Jingsheng, her eyes shimmering like autumn pools. "Though your face is unfamiliar, sir, that aura of martial authority you carry is one I know all too well." Xie Jingsheng wasn't surprised that she had seen through his disguise so quickly. He remained unruffled, pouring himself a cup of wine with a grin. "Marvelous. Truly marvelous. However, even a man of 'martial authority' needs a bit of sustenance. We set out early this morning and our bellies are quite empty. It would be a shame to offend such lovely ladies with a growling stomach later." Miaoshan took the hint and stepped out to order some refreshments. When the food arrived, Xie Jingsheng took a plate and pushed it toward He Anchang’s hand. He Anchang glanced at him, surprised by the small gesture of care, but Xie Jingsheng acted as if he hadn't noticed. Turning back to Miaoyin, Xie Jingsheng’s expression sharpened. "Since you know who I am, I presume you know why I’ve come." Miaoyin’s eyes flickered. "I don't just know; I have been waiting for you for a very long time." "I like a woman who gets straight to the point," Xie Jingsheng said, then glanced at Miaoshan. "Though I suspect Miss Miaoshan wasn't exactly waiting for me in the same way." "My sister and I are of one heart," Miaoshan replied. "Even if I wasn't waiting, I know everything she knows." "Aren't you afraid I might be a wolf in sheep's clothing? A dangerous man?" Miaoyin’s slender fingers toyed with the silk tassels of the table runner. "Someone once taught me how to read people. I see no righteousness in your eyes, sir, but neither do I see the fires of Shura’s hell. Besides, in this day and age, the only people capable of tracking me down are either the wolves or yourself. Even hidden in this nunnery, I can tell a loyal hound from a scavenging jackal." "Interesting." Xie Jingsheng drained his cup. "Then let us open the windows and speak plainly. What can you tell me?" Miaoyin straightened her back, suddenly shedding her flirtatious air for a dignified, almost noble bearing. Her voice was clear and resonant as she spoke: "I wish to lodge a formal accusation against Xin Wen, the Heir of Prince Qin, and He Xu, the Registrar of the Court of the Imperial Clan. They have conspired together to treat human life as grass, forged imperial seals for profit, and forced daughters of good families into prostitution!" Though Miaoyin looked like a peony—a woman seemingly content to live a life of pampered decadence—she harbored a heart of ice and a thirst for vengeance. Born into the Chen family of the capital, she was the illegitimate daughter of a high-ranking official. her mother had been a famous actress from the south, a woman of legendary beauty whom Minister Chen had fallen for during a tour. When he was promoted to Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, he couldn't bring a mistress of such low birth into his household, but he couldn't bear to abandon his flesh and blood. He brought Miaoyin to the capital and raised her under his wife's care. But fortune is fickle. When Miaoyin was barely six, her father was demoted following a political scandal and died soon after in a fit of depression. His widow, harboring years of resentment, wasted no time in selling the young girl to the He family as a concubine for their fifth son, He Ming. He Ming, known as He Wu-ye, was a man with a crippled leg and a volatile temperament. Rumors claimed he abused his servants, but to Miaoyin’s surprise, he treated her with profound tenderness. For seven years, he raised her in seclusion, teaching her to read and write, shielding her beauty from the world's prying eyes. But fate intervened in the form of He Ming’s brother, He Xu. A scholar and a painter, He Xu was a weak, envious man who coveted what his brother had. When he caught sight of Miaoyin, he became obsessed. He began to draw her likeness in secret. At the same time, the young and tyrannical Xin Wen, the Heir of Prince Qin, had forced He Xu to paint erotic scrolls for him. When Xin Wen saw a sketch of Miaoyin, he demanded to have her. He Xu, terrified of the Prince’s power and fueled by his own twisted desires, eventually led Xin Wen to his brother’s courtyard. It was during the height of summer, on the Dragon Boat Festival. Miaoyin remembered the young prince looking down at her from the wall with a predatory grin. That night, Xin Wen and He Xu plied He Ming with wine. In the ensuing struggle to take Miaoyin, He Xu pushed his brother. A heavy desk toppled over, crushing the crippled He Ming. He died without ever regaining consciousness. To cover their tracks, they threw the body into a pond and claimed he had drowned in a drunken stupor. Xin Wen then threatened Miaoyin: "Do you know who rules this capital? Even if you scream the truth, no one will listen. My grandfather is the Emperor. If word of this reaches him, it is your precious He Ming who will be remembered as a disgraced lecher." Miaoyin didn't care who ruled the capital; she only cared for retribution. She was sent to Jinghua Nunnery, a high-end brothel disguised as a temple. There, she honed her beauty into a weapon, becoming the "Miaoyin" that Xin Wen and even He Xu could not resist. She pretended to be greedy, demanding gold and jewels, all while gathering evidence. Over the years, Xin Wen’s crimes grew. He began a human trafficking ring, kidnapping the daughters of officials and commoners alike to be "trained" at the nunnery and sold to the elite. He Xu, bound by the murder of his brother, kept the ledgers of every transaction and every victim. "I have the ledgers," Miaoyin said, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. "He Xu kept copies of everything to protect himself from Xin Wen. I made sure he kept them with me." She explained how the tension between Xin Wen and He Xu had peaked during the recent palace banquet. He Xu, drunk and resentful, had threatened to expose the ledgers. Xin Wen, a man who killed without hesitation, had him silenced. As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the room, Xie Jingsheng finished his wine. "Did Xin Wen tell you about what happened at the banquet?" "No," Miaoyin shook her head. "I knew those two men too well. When I heard He Xu was dead, I knew it was Xin Wen’s hand. To be honest, if Xin Wen hadn't killed him, I would have found a way to do it myself." "You’ve endured this for years," Xie Jingsheng noted. "Why come forward now?" "Because I cannot wait any longer," Miaoyin’s eyes turned cold. "Prince Ping is dead, and the Shanyin fief is vacant. Prince Qin is already making moves to secure that territory for himself. If Xin Wen leaves the capital, I may never get another chance to destroy him." Xie Jingsheng turned to the silent He Anchang. "Anything to ask, Lord He?" "Only one thing," He Anchang said. "Are you willing to hand over the ledgers?" Miaoyin stood and performed a deep, formal bow, her forehead nearly touching the floor. "I know who you are, Lord He. They say you are the most upright man in the imperial court. Since my Ming-lang died, I have lived in agony. I have sought help, but no one dared touch the Prince of Qin. If you promise to see this through, I will give you the books and testify in court. I want Xin Wen’s crimes shouted from the rooftops. I want him executed!" He Anchang looked down at her. Her shoulders were shaking, her voice thick with tears. "I cannot promise you that," he said softly. Miaoyin stiffened, her sleeves soaking with tears. "This matter is grave," He Anchang continued. "Even with the ledgers, there are too many variables. I cannot guarantee the final sentence. I can only promise you this: I will do everything in my power to ensure that justice is served." Miaoyin handed over the hidden ledgers. As they rode away from the nunnery, the clip-clop of hooves echoed in the twilight. He Anchang remained silent, his mind heavy with the weight of the documents tucked into his robes. Xie Jingsheng loosened his reins and sighed. "Well, Lord He, your burden just got a lot heavier." He Anchang didn't respond. "You know these books are made of fire," Xie Jingsheng continued. "Even if you want to take down Xin Wen, will your mentor, Lord Zhang Taiyan, allow it? He’s a veteran of two reigns. He knows that the current balance of power is what keeps the peace. Attacking the Prince of Qin’s heir will trigger a bloodbath in the court." "I know," He Anchang said, pulling his horse to a stop. He looked out at the autumn leaves, painted orange by the dying sun. For a moment, his cold mask slipped, revealing a young man who looked even younger than his years. "A prince’s son acting like a tyrant is one thing," Xie Jingsheng said, his voice uncharacteristically serious. "But to have his hands in the bureaucracy without being stopped... that’s not just Prince Qin’s doing. It’s not Lord Zhang, and it’s not my master, Bai Jiu. We both know who is really looking the other way. Without Lord Zhang’s backing, you are walking into a den of lions. And yet, you’re still going to do it." He laughed, a sound of genuine admiration. "You really are a fool." "Since I was a child, my father told me that an official must be just and clear," He Anchang said, turning to look at Xie Jingsheng. A small, proud smile touched his lips. "My grandfather did it, my father did it, and my uncles did it. Every man of the He family has done the same. We are fools, but we are fools with our heads held high." Perhaps it was the beauty of the sunset, or perhaps it was the sheer, stubborn nobility of the man beside him. Xie Jingsheng felt his heart skip a beat—not out of lust, but out of a sudden, fierce desire to protect that light. It was a level of integrity he knew he could never achieve. Xie Jingsheng suddenly snapped his reins, his horse leaping forward like an arrow. "He Anchang!" he shouted over his shoulder. He Anchang spurred his horse to follow. "What is it? How will Bai Jiu ever agree to this?" "The Master understands me!" Xie Jingsheng’s voice drifted back on the wind. "I’ll walk this path of thorns with you... for a little while, at least!" The sound of galloping hooves filled the mountain pass, startling the deer in the brush as the two riders disappeared into the gathering dark. ***