This was my first time entering the Wen family’s main hall to meet external guests. At a glance, the room was filled with people standing and sitting. Wen Shu sat precariously on a chair near the door, her slender frame looking fragile. At least she had a seat; it seemed the situation wasn't as dire as it could be.
I entered the room with poise, lifting my skirt slightly and performing a proper salutation. All four masters of the Wen family were present. The Eldest Master sat in the upper guest seat, while the primary seat was occupied by a young official clad in a deep black robe. Two bailiffs stood behind him—likely men from the Ministry of Justice. The Fourth Master sat at the very end of the row of chairs, right next to Wen Shu. Below the official sat a middle-aged couple. The man looked livid, his breath huffing through his beard and his eyes wide with rage. The woman, though dressed simply, maintained a refined posture, appearing to be a lady from a prominent family. As I entered, the man nearly slapped the arms of his chair to stand up, but a sharp side-glance from the official forced him to remain seated.
"This humble daughter, Wen Qi, greets the honored lords."
The Eldest Master nodded and pointed toward the official. "Qi’er, this is Director Wei Maode of the Ministry of Justice. He has some questions for you. There is no need to be afraid; simply tell the truth."
"Yes."
Director Wei offered a polite, cupped-hand gesture to the Eldest Master before turning his gaze toward me. He asked unhurriedly, "Miss Wen Qi, do you know a young gentleman by the surname Tang, named Tang Xinghuai?"
I shook my head. "I have never known him."
"Very well." Director Wei nodded. "Then I shall inform you: he was the person who accidentally fell into the imperial tomb with you on the night of the fourth day of the third month."
I looked up and glanced at Wen Shu. Her expression remained steady, and she gave me a subtle blink. Director Wei continued, "Do not be nervous. Miss Wen Shu has already provided a statement. The two of you had a conflict with Tang Xinghuai while attempting to evade the pursuit of Cao Chengshuo, the second son of Prince Xuan."
His words seemed to subtly shift the responsibility toward Cao Chengshuo. Only then did I lower my head and say, "I ask for your Excellency's forgiveness. This matter concerns my sister’s reputation, so I had some reservations."
"That is only human nature," Director Wei said with a smile. "As for what happened afterward, I hope Miss Wen Qi will enlighten us."
"Yes." I straightened my back and spoke clearly, word by word. "I did not know Young Master Tang previously. After falling into the tomb that night, I discovered another person had fallen in as well. He was afraid of the dark and refused to move, so I had no choice but to search for an exit alone. Unexpectedly, I could not see in the darkness and lost my way. Fortunately, I was rescued by several immortals from the Wujing Sect. After emerging, I returned to the Red Smoke Villa with my family."
"So you are saying the two of you were separated very quickly?"
"Yes."
"And you did not encounter him again for the rest of the night?"
"Yes."
"Are you aware that he died inside the tomb that night?"
I was genuinely shocked. I let out a small gasp and said, "I did not know."
Young Master Tang’s father could no longer restrain himself. He slammed the armrest of his chair and glared at me with fury. Director Wei remained smiling as he threw out another question: "Since you were both in the same peril, why did Miss Wen Qi not say a single word about him after you escaped?"
"I sat in that cold, dark tomb for an entire night—cold, hungry, terrified, and shaken. By the time I emerged, my mind was in a daze. I only wanted to return to the villa as quickly as possible, and I fell asleep the moment I sat in the sedan chair. By the time I remembered, half a day had passed. I was also worried that this matter would damage my reputation and my sister's, so I did not dare speak of it."
Master Tang suddenly stood up and roared, "How selfish of you! For the sake of your reputation, you left Xinghuai to his fate! If you had sent word sooner, how could Xinghuai have died!"
I looked at him coldly and spoke without politeness. "Send word? Young Master Tang was acting as a lackey for the Prince’s son. After he fell into the tomb, shouldn't the young prince have sent word immediately? Shouldn't he have sent people to rescue him? And you, as his father—shouldn't you have searched through the night when your son failed to return? When I escaped the next day, there were only members of the Wen family nearby. I saw no one from the Tang family, nor anyone from the Prince’s manor! Cao Chengshuo was free to move and chose not to report it, yet you expect me, who was trapped in a desperate situation, to be the one to send word?"
"You..." Master Tang’s neck turned red, veins bulging. "Pure sophistry! I am asking why you didn't speak up after you got out!"
"Master Tang," Director Wei cut him off. "We are only inquiring about the circumstances, not passing judgment." He then asked me, "When did Miss Wen and Tang Xinghuai separate?"
"I do not know exactly when I fell into the tomb, but I only stayed at the entrance for less than half a cup of tea's time before walking away on my own."
"Hmm, so that would be around the hour of Xu (7-9 PM)."
I knelt on the floor and said, "Now that I know of Young Master Tang’s passing, I feel sorrow and some regret. Perhaps if I had mentioned it to my family after getting out, things might have been different. But Young Master Tang’s death truly had nothing to do with me."
Master Tang’s eyes were wide with rage, but his wife kept tugging at his sleeve. Compared to the father, the mother was the one truly grieving—so consumed by sorrow that she didn't care about the blame, only about mourning her son. I knew a profligate like Tang Xinghuai likely stayed out often, so it was normal for his parents not to know his whereabouts. Perhaps they had missed the window to save him because of it. But Master Tang’s anger was directed solely at me, a "weak" girl of the Wen family, which felt far too targeted. It was as if his son's cause of death didn't matter as much as pinning a crime on me.
I recalled Tang Xinghuai saying he "wanted money" back then, and I began to understand. This must be Cao Chengshuo’s retaliation—instigating the Tang family to cause trouble!
Director Wei asked again, "One more question. The fourteen guards from Prince Xuan’s manor who were present all claimed that you, Miss Wen Qi, possess cultivation and use a chain hammer?"
I knew the Prince’s manor would bring this up. Furthermore, if Wen Shu and I were truly defenseless, it would have been illogical for us to escape the guards' encirclement. Thus, I admitted it frankly: "Yes. I spent many years traveling with my father and learned a bit of martial arts for self-preservation."
Having said that, I looked at the Fourth Master. Since my "employer" had hired me for this role and the task wasn't finished, he couldn't exactly disown me now, could he? The Fourth Master coughed and said softly, "Yes, yes... my daughter... ahem, knows a bit of martial technique."
Master Tang sneered. "See? Perhaps this girl is the one who beat my son to death!"
Director Wei turned a cold face to him. "Master Tang, watch your words." He then turned back to me, his expression softening. "Would Miss Wen Qi please bring the chain hammer used that night for inspection?"
I sent a servant to fetch it. Director Wei took it and examined it closely for a while before saying, "The Ministry of Justice will need to keep this for a few days." With that, he asked nothing more and bid farewell to the masters. Master Tang was still unwilling to leave, but his wife, weeping, pleaded with him until he finally snorted and stormed out.
Once the crowd had cleared, the Eldest Master took a few sips of tea and sighed. "The two of you are not to go anywhere for the next few days." Wen Shu and I obeyed and retreated from the hall.
"Sister Shu, you weren't frightened, were you?"
Wen Shu’s face was somewhat pale, but she smiled. "I'm fine. I only fear my father... will have a difficult time."
Wen Xiang, Wen Shu, and I waited anxiously for a few days until we were summoned to the hall again. It was shortly after the hour of Shen (3-5 PM). The masters had not yet returned from their official duties, save for my "father," who was at leisure and came out to greet the guests. This time, Director Wei was not in his official robes and had few attendants. Dressed in light blue casual attire, he looked even younger. He walked in smiling, and behind him followed another person—it was actually Dantai Ye.
"Brother Dantai, you still remember which one is Miss Wen Qi, I presume?"
Back in the tomb, I had shown my true face. I hadn't expected such a complication and suddenly felt tense. Dantai Ye, however, unhurriedly cupped his hands in a polite greeting. "Miss Wen Qi, that was quite a harrowing night. Have you rested well since?"
I finally forced my heart back down from my throat and performed a deep curtsy. "Thank you for your rescue, Young Master Dantai."
Wen Shu and the Fourth Master exchanged a few pleasantries, and the guests were seated. Since they were in casual clothes, they didn't strictly follow official protocol. Director Wei took the guest seat and said, "Brother Dantai, at approximately what time did your group encounter Miss Wen that night?"
Dantai Ye thought for a moment. "Around the third quarter of the hour of Xu. Shortly before that, my junior brother checked his watch to set up a talisman array."
I calculated the time in my head. It was indeed around then that Wei Qingming and I had reached the hall before the main burial chamber and met Dantai Ye’s group.
Director Wei hummed in acknowledgement. "And you were never separated from Miss Wen after that?"
Dantai Ye smiled. "Having met her, how could we let a young lady face such danger alone?"
I noticed Director Wei was holding something in his hand. Looking closely, it seemed to be a device equipped with sophisticated illusion-piercing magic, shaped like a palm-sized array plate. It could likely test a person's sincerity; if Dantai Ye were lying, the device would surely react. Dantai Ye’s words were clever—he didn't explicitly say I was with them every second, but he made it clear I was under their watch, making it impossible for me to have secretly killed Tang Xinghuai without the Wujing Sect disciples knowing.
"If called upon in a court of law, could Young Master Dantai testify to this?"
"Naturally."
Director Wei nodded as if relieved. He packed away his things to leave, then paused as if struck by a thought. "May I be so bold as to ask why the honored members of the Wujing Sect entered the imperial tomb that night? Was it to maintain the arrays?"
Dantai Ye appeared to hesitate, deliberating for a moment before saying, "Partially so, but... the catalyst was this." As he spoke, he produced a translucent, cyan stone the size of a baby’s fist and placed it gently on the table.
Director Wei’s expression froze. He quickly picked it up to examine it. "A Feiyu Stone?"
"Indeed," Dantai Ye said. "To be honest, a month ago, our Wujing Sect rescued a woman outside our main gate in Qingzhou. She was carrying a Feiyu Stone of a size only found on official vessels capable of voyages over five thousand li. The elders of our sect found it suspicious. Upon testing it with the Emblem Discernment Instrument, they discovered its owner was..."
"Zhong He."
"Correct. Zhong He has been dead for nearly eight hundred years. It is rare for his possessions to remain among the common folk, especially since this is an official vessel component that should have been buried with him. Our Wujing Sect has guarded the world's imperial tombs for generations. We suspected a breach in Zhong He’s tomb and felt it our duty to investigate. Especially with the Qingming Festival approaching and Lengquan Mountain being a vital area near the capital, with nearly ten thousand people expected to ascend the mountain, we could not afford any negligence."
Cold sweat actually broke out on Director Wei’s forehead. As he wiped it away, he complimented, "The immortal masters of the Wujing Sect have secretly guarded our Great Jing for a thousand years, resolving countless hidden dangers. This lowly official is filled with the utmost admiration and gratitude."
Dantai Ye gave a modest smile, though his words were anything but. "It is our duty. The tomb was breached by thieves, which is why Miss Wen Qi fell directly through the protective array shield into the tomb. We have already repaired the breach in Zhong He’s tomb. We haven't had the chance to hand over the array keys yet, but if you, Director, need to inspect the site, just say the word, and my brothers and I will naturally accompany you."
"Many thanks, Brother Dantai..."
Hearing this, I understood everything. Dantai Ye had been sent by Wei Qingming to blow this matter out of proportion. Even this Director Wei might very well be part of the double act...
Director Wei held the Feiyu Stone, looking at it several more times before handing it back to Dantai Ye. "This matter is of great importance. A minor official like myself does not dare keep this. I must trouble Brother Dantai to bring this to the Ministry of Justice tomorrow to officially open a case."
"No problem."
I guessed that given the sensitive nature of this matter, it couldn't be handled openly. It would likely be circled back to the Yingzhao Temple. From there, wouldn't they be able to investigate Prince Xuan however they pleased? Furthermore, Wei Qingming held the most important witness—Duan Jianbai and his gang of tomb raiders, who were acting on Prince Xuan’s orders. Thinking of it this way, the Eldest Master breaking ties with Prince Xuan early because of Wen Shu might have actually been a stroke of good fortune!
***
