Chapter 149
Chapter 149
By the time they left, it was already past noon. When Old Madam Gu heard that Ji Hanyi and her mother still planned to visit a temple to pray for blessings, she did not urge them to stay any longer.
The weather cleared a little that afternoon. Ji Hanyi and her mother first returned to their courtyard, then set out for Fahua Temple.
In the carriage, Ji Hanyi asked Rongchun, “Was the painting delivered?”
Rongchun hurriedly nodded. “Don’t worry, miss. It’s already been delivered to the gatehouse next door. The gatekeeper said he’d send it to Lord Shen as soon as he returns.”
Relieved, Ji Hanyi asked no more.
There were not many visitors at Fahua Temple that day. Ji Hanyi had primarily come to pray for a smooth journey and a secure future.
Her father did not believe in gods or buddhas, and Ji Hanyi had never put much faith in them either. Today, however, she knelt devoutly before the Buddha statue and kowtowed three times, praying that tomorrow’s journey would go smoothly and that they would not encounter another mishap like last time.
She also prayed that they would encounter no roaming bandits or highwaymen and would reach Wei County safely.
Finally, she prayed that once they arrived in Wei County, everything would go as she had envisioned and that life there would not be too difficult.
After offering her prayers with utmost sincerity, Ji Hanyi accompanied her mother to ask a master for a Guanyin amulet and a Five Thunders talisman to carry with them.
Wanting to demonstrate even greater sincerity, Madam Gu suggested staying to eat a vegetarian meal at the temple before returning that afternoon.
Ji Hanyi knew her mother had always believed in such things. She herself also treated them with due reverence while at the temple, so she agreed.
Unexpectedly, the faint drizzle that had fallen while they ate turned into a torrential downpour as soon as they finished. The sky darkened all at once.
They certainly could not travel in weather like this. Their only choice was to spend the night at the temple and set out again at first light the next morning.
At that moment, Shen Si had just emerged from the Ministry of Punishments. Standing outside its main hall beside the Minister of the Ministry of Punishments and the head of the Court of Judicial Review, he was dealing with a corruption case involving military households. An assistant prefect had also been bribed, and both the assistant prefect and the guard’s Pacification Officer had superiors of their own. Now they were accusing one another, implicating the guard’s Commander as well.
The Jinyiwei had escorted everyone involved to the capital for interrogation. By now, the truth had largely come to light: all of them had accepted bribes. As for their final sentences, His Majesty the Emperor had ordered a joint trial by the three judicial offices.
Minister Chen, head of the Court of Judicial Review, approached Shen Si and asked whether the proposed punishment for the Commander might be too severe. What he truly meant was that there was still room for negotiation, so none of them needed to offend anyone over the matter.
As an imperial relative, Shen Si naturally had no reason to worry. Minister Chen, however, was already advanced in years. All he wanted was to reach an honorable retirement without incident, and he had no wish to invite further trouble.
Shen Si glanced at him, his irritation plain in his eyes. He did not say a word, but his meaning could not have been clearer.
One look at Shen Si’s expression told Minister Chen exactly what he meant. According to the law, an official who accepted more than two hundred taels in bribes was subject to punishment. This case, however, was unusual. The Commander had once supported His Majesty the Emperor’s accession to the throne, and His Majesty the Emperor had previously held him in particularly high regard. Who could say what His Majesty the Emperor truly thought of the matter now?
Truth be told, accepting three thousand taels in bribes was not that much. They could simply let the matter slide. The man might even remember the favor. Minister Chen had therefore persuaded Minister Wang of the Ministry of Punishments to approach Shen Si with him and suggest discussing the matter further.
Shen Si was already growing impatient. Rain poured down outside, and his carriage was waiting in the distance. Wen’an came over to him, looking as though he had something to say but was hesitant to speak.
Shen Si already possessed a naturally aloof and unapproachable air. His features were refined and noble as he cast Chen Anping a cold sidelong glance and scoffed softly.
“When officials care for nothing but profit, their subordinates follow their example. The people are driven into poverty, and bandits rise.”
“Minister Chen, if all you seek in your position is an uneventful life, then you are unworthy of holding it.”
Chen Anping’s aged face flushed at those words. He no longer dared argue and could only submit the case accordingly.
Then Shen Si added coolly, “Court Director Xie of the Court of Judicial Review was also promoted by you, wasn’t he? Minister Chen, age truly has clouded your judgment. It seems you have indeed reached the age to retire and enjoy your remaining years.”
Chen Anping’s expression froze. He wanted to say a few more words, but Shen Si had already boarded the carriage, clearly unwilling to linger.
Inside, Shen Si’s official robes had grown damp from the downpour outside. He frowned faintly, his tall, straight frame leaning slightly forward.
The glow of the brazier on the small table illuminated his aloof, aristocratic features, while an air of distance still lingered between his long brows.
He warmed his hands, picked up a dossier beside him, and flipped through it without raising his eyes. He uttered a single word. “Speak.”
His cool, detached voice made Wen’an, who had been waiting outside to deliver a message, shudder. He hurriedly lifted the curtain with care and entered.
Bending at the waist, he said, “Miss Ji had someone bring this over. She said it was for you, my lord.”
With that, Wen’an took out a long box and presented it to Shen Si.
Shen Si’s fingers paused. He lifted his gaze to the object in Wen’an’s hands, then accepted it and opened the lid.
A faint, delicate fragrance drifted out. It was Ji Hanyi’s scent.
Shen Si lowered his eyes and unrolled the painting. At the sight of its contents, he stilled.
The fine-brush work was extraordinarily meticulous. Even the court painters in the palace could not come close to matching it.
His gaze shifted to the letter resting in the long box. He rolled the painting back up and unfolded the letter.
It was very brief. After only a few glances, Shen Si reached the final words: Take care.
The candle flame flickered. His fingers tightened slightly, crumpling the paper beneath them. His gaze turned cold as he looked at Wen’an. “Where is she?”
Wen’an looked up and was startled by the Marquis’s grave expression. He hastily replied, “Miss Ji returned to the Gu Residence this morning. In the afternoon, she went to Fahua Temple with her mother. The rain was too heavy, so they decided to stay the night there.”
Shen Si pressed his lips into a tight line. Lifting the curtain, he looked out at the torrential rain pouring through the murky night.
Rain thundered all around him as he silently stared into the darkness.
Ji Hanyi was leaving.
He knew perfectly well what he was thinking.
He had missed Ji Hanyi once. He could not miss her a second time.
Even if he had to force the matter.
Even if it was not what she wanted.
After a long silence, Shen Si shifted his gaze toward Wen’an. “Head back first.”
The carriage did not return directly to Shen Residence. Instead, it went to the residence beside Ji Hanyi’s.
Shen Si changed his clothes. His gaze swept over the Dongting Spring Wine someone had gifted him, sitting on an antique display shelf. His eyes flickered, and he reached out to take it down before ordering Wen’an to prepare a horse.
Wen’an froze at the Marquis’s command, then glanced at the heavy rain outside.
The roads would surely be a muddy mess, and in this darkness, even a carriage would have difficulty making its way. But if the Marquis intended to ride a horse…
Wen’an had already guessed at the Marquis’s decision, but he did not dare delay. He hurried off to prepare a horse.
Shen Si stepped through the front gate, his tall, aristocratic figure entering the curtain of pounding rain. His fine robes were soaked through in an instant.
Wen’an stood nearby and watched anxiously. He wanted to dissuade him but did not dare, so he could only instruct the guards to protect the Marquis well.
Shen Si rarely rode, but now he swung himself into the saddle and gripped the reins. He glanced at Ji Hanyi’s courtyard next door. Not a single lamp was lit, and a hollow feeling opened inside him.
These past few days, simply knowing she lived there had been enough. No matter how late he returned, the light beneath the eaves of her courtyard had always brought a trace of warmth to his heart.
Now, the courtyard lay in utter darkness, and his heart had gone cold with it.
Rainwater streamed down Shen Si’s cheeks. He tightened his grip on the reins, then galloped through the torrential night rain toward Fahua Temple.