Chapter 4: The Concubine

In the official residence, the candlelight was bright. Jiwēn, the legal officer of Jingzhao Prefecture, picked up the lawsuit on the table, glanced at it, and casually placed it in the candle flame.

The flame quickly rose, consuming it to ashes, leaving only a wisp of light smoke.

A look of disdain flashed in Jiwēn's eyes as he asked, "Has Liu Ji written the new complaint?"

In the candlelight, it could be seen that he was wearing a blue official robe, as was the Wannian County Lieutenant in front of him. However, Jiwēn was seated while the Wannian County Lieutenant was standing with a bowed waist.

"Not only has he written it, but it is also eloquent and righteous."

Jiwēn asked again, "Have you taught him all the principles he should know?"

"Yes, he is now willing to distance himself from the Eastern Palace."

"Soft bones." Jiwēn chuckled and asked, "What about the evidence?"

"There is plenty. The list of those who received his bribes is countless, and his study is full of gifts. The evidence is abundant! However, his residence is within the jurisdiction of Chang'an County, and I cannot send people to retrieve it."

Jiwēn, unhurried, took a sip of tea and called out, "Xin Twelve."

A servant dressed in a high-brow, deep-eyed, and bearded man immediately entered.

Jiwēn asked, "Has the Chang'an County Magistrate not arrived yet?"

Xin Twelve replied, "Master, he sent word that he was delayed."

"Why?"

Jiwēn immediately became displeased, his face turning cold.

Xin Twelve explained, "Because the previous document did not arrive, County Lieutenant Yan Zhenqing refused to make any exceptions. He only sent people to Liu Ji's residence more than half an hour later."

"Waste of a man..."

Suddenly, there were hurried footsteps outside the room.

"Master, the watchtower reports that Liu Ji's residence is on fire!"

"What?!"

Jiwēn, startled, suddenly stood up, his eyes full of shock and suspicion. He then muttered to himself, "Could they have reacted so quickly? Impossible, impossible."

After pondering for a moment, he gestured for Xin Twelve to come closer and gave instructions.

"The Eastern Palace has already intervened to destroy the evidence, but this is also evidence directly pointing to the Eastern Palace. You will carry my token and investigate thoroughly."

"Understood."

"And you." Jiwēn turned to the Wannian County Lieutenant and said, "Go back to Shengping Fang and search Du's residence. The Eastern Palace must have received the news so quickly because someone from Du's residence informed them..."

"Understood."

~~

In the southeastern corner of Dunyi Fang, there used to be a Fajue Nunnery, which was merged into Zishan Nunnery in the second year of Kaiyuan. The nunnery was quite large.

In the night, the knocking at the door had been going on for a while.

A young nun, dressed in a robe, hurried over and asked through the door, "Who is visiting at this hour?"

"Is it Venerable Jingyin inside? It's me."

Jingyin recognized Du Yan's voice, opened the back door, and asked, "Why have you come at this hour?"

"The坊中走水了." Du Yan said, "My husband is not here, and I am afraid the fire will spread to my house. I thought of coming to your temple for the night. I will leave after the curfew ends. Is that possible?"

"Only a shed will do." Du Yan added.

"Alright, please come in, do not disturb the abbess."

After letting in the last person, the handsome young man, Jingyin felt quite embarrassed, recited two lines of Buddhist scripture, and quietly locked the door. She led the five people to the most secluded small room.

"The two male visitors can stay here, and you, please follow me."

"No trouble, I can manage with my two younger brothers for the night." Du Yan stepped forward, held Jingyin's hand, and whispered, "Thank you for your help tonight. I will never forget your kindness."

"You are too kind."

Jingyin, fearing punishment, replied and quickly left.

Liu Shang finally couldn't hold back her tears and cried, "Madam... the house is on fire... those were the dowry you brought..."

"Silence." Du Yan scolded, "Do you know what the consequences of such charges would be?! The Wei family's fate is still fresh in our minds. Many of their clan members are still dying in public houses. Are you still attached to material things?"

Liu Shang was frightened by the word "dying in public houses" and dared not speak, only sobbing softly.

Du Yan turned to Xue Bai and asked softly, "Will the fire spread to the neighbors?"

"No, the officials have already arrived and will extinguish the fire quickly."

"Give me the items you found."

"Sure." Xue Bai took out a paper ball and placed it in Du Yan's hand.

The room was dark, with only a faint moonlight.

Du Yan took a few steps, unfolded the paper, and read it by the window. She carefully folded it and, after a moment's thought, tucked it into her clothes.

She turned back, looking somewhat relieved.

Du Wulang asked in a low voice, "What is it? Can it save Grandfather?"

"The husband filed a complaint against Grandfather at the Wannian County Office..."

Before Du Yan could finish, Du Wulang was already shocked, "Was it the eldest brother-in-law who filed it?"

"This draft only mentions Grandfather forcing a marriage."

"Can he file a complaint like that?"

Du Yan said, "According to Tang law, 'mutual consent divorce' means Grandfather cannot force a divorce."

Liu Shang was still crying, muttering, "He just doesn't want to lose the status of being the son-in-law of the Crown Prince."

Hearing this, Du Yan's mood sank.

She was silent for a moment and asked, "Xue Bai, are you from Hedong Xue family?"

"I have lost my memory and do not remember."

"What do you think of this complaint?"

"I don't know much about Liu Ji and the Du family." Xue Bai asked, "What do you think?"

Du Yan didn't pay attention to his tone. In the darkness, she couldn't see his age clearly and found it easier to discuss with him.

"Grandfather never has conflicts with others, and he rarely interacts with them. If someone filed a complaint against Grandfather, it is most likely the husband. He first wrote this draft, then, in a fit of anger, crumpled it and changed it to 'falsely claiming prophecies, plotting with the Eastern Palace, and criticizing the emperor'? The complaint against the father-in-law itself is the strongest evidence, which is why the Jingzhao Prefecture dared to arrest him immediately."

Xue Bai said, "The draft has been revised, and from what I can see, the tone has become more moderate after the revision?"

"Yes."

"Does that mean Liu Ji's anger subsided somewhat while writing the complaint?"

"That's right."

"Then he shouldn't have accused the Du family of treason." Xue Bai said, "No other drafts were found in the study, so I believe he transcribed this one."

Du Yan's expression changed, and she asked, "Are you saying the husband changed his mind after going to the Wannian County Office?"

Xue Bai asked, "If someone knew about the conflict between Liu Ji and the Du family and coerced or tempted him, could he be made to falsely accuse the Du family?"

"Yes."

Du Yan didn't think much and immediately answered.

Her voice was tinged with sadness, and she sighed, "It must be so."

"If our speculation is correct, can we prove the Du family was framed by handing this draft to the Crown Prince?"

Du Yan thought for a moment, slowly nodded, and said, "Yes."

Du Wulang and Qinglan were both delighted and said, "That's great."

Xue Bai asked, "What is the lesson from the Wei family?"

Du Yan said, "I don't know all the details. I only know that the Crown Princess is surnamed Wei, and her brother Wei Jian is a key official in the court. This year, during the Lantern Festival, the Crown Prince met Wei Jian by chance, and that night, Wei Jian met with the border governor Huangfu Weiming. Therefore, some in the court impeached them for 'private meetings, intending to establish the Crown Prince.'"

"Only because they met by chance during the Lantern Festival?"

"One is the brother-in-law of the Crown Prince, and the other is a border governor. Their private interactions inevitably make the emperor suspicious." Du Yan whispered, "The Crown Prince's situation has never been good."

Xue Bai was silent, pondering the emperor's suspicion of his son from this chance encounter. Finally, he asked, "Then what happened?"

"Wei Jian was demoted, and Huangfu Weiming handed over his military power. This matter seemed to be over, but the Wei brothers filed a complaint, which enraged the emperor. The court carried out a large-scale purge, and many died. The Crown Prince had no choice but to divorce the Crown Princess Wei and have her become a nun to barely preserve himself."

At this point, Du Yan's voice trembled slightly, and she added, "This case happened at the beginning of the year, but people are still being forced to death. Grandfather, fearing he would follow Wei Jian's fate, has always been cautious, but the husband has always been the same person."

Xue Bai asked, "Last time, the Crown Prince chose to divorce Wei? What about this time?"

"Although the second sister is only a concubine, she has a good relationship with the Crown Prince."

Xue Bai hesitated for a moment, moved closer, and asked in a low voice, "Is the Crown Prince reliable?"

Du Yan said, "Don't worry, the Crown Prince is very reliable."

Xue Bai thought for a moment. At present, there was no other way but to seek help from the Crown Prince.

In the rare silence, Du Wulang sighed, "Wow, you have such skills?"

Xue Bai pretended not to know who he was talking to and remained silent.

The night grew quieter, and the five people squeezed into the small room for the night.

When the fifth watch came, the street drums sounded, and the gates of Chang'an and the various neighborhoods opened sequentially…

~~

The current emperor strictly prohibits the royal offspring from participating in politics. Therefore, large residences were built in the northeastern corner of Chang'an, in Yongxing Fang and Xingning Fang, for the princes to live separately for close supervision and strict training, known as the "Ten Princes' Residences."

Even the Crown Prince does not live in the Eastern Palace to avoid too much contact with the officials of the Eastern Palace. Instead, he lives in a separate courtyard within the Ten Princes' Residences, which allows for the passage of carriages and horses.

In the early morning.

Children were chasing each other under the willow trees on the street, singing songs.

"Jade green adorns a tall tree, ten thousand branches hang down like green silk ribbons. Who knows who cut the fine leaves, the February breeze is like a pair of scissors."

A mule cart came from the south, passing through the crossroads of Yongxing Fang.

In the carriage, Qinglan said, "The Crown Prince's residence is in the second alley ahead...”

"I recognize that person." Du Wulang was looking through the gap in the curtain and suddenly said in a low voice, "He was there when Jidali killed Duanyan."

"Which one?"

"The one with prominent eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and a full beard, sitting under the tea shop banner."

"I have seen them too." Liu Shang was surprised, "After Wulang's incident, they were loitering outside our house."

Xue Bai observed for a while and said, "They are tailing us."

"Are they here to catch us?" Du Wulang asked, "What should we do?"

"..."

Xin Twelve sat outside the tea shop, scanning the street with sharp eyes, following the mule cart as it moved away.

Last night, the Wannian County Lieutenant checked the Du residence and found that Du Wulang and a maid were missing. He already knew who to look for when the news came.

A beggar dressed person approached and whispered, "The Crown Prince's entourage left through the side gate."

"Follow them and see where they go." Xin Twelve called over two more people and instructed, "You two go as well. If you see the Crown Prince meeting someone, report it immediately to Master."

"Yes."

With this arrangement, a handsome young man and a maid walked leisurely down the street, turned into an alley, heading towards the Crown Prince's residence.

"Someone is going there."

Xin Twelve narrowed his eyes, shook his head, and said, "It's not Du Wulang, and it doesn't look like a lackey of the Eastern Palace."

"Should we still catch him?"

"Let's see."

Xin Twelve could see that the young man was wearing a bright fur coat, walking with a composed gait, clearly from a wealthy family.

He was looking for evidence but didn't want to offend the nobles of Chang'an.

In his line of sight, the young man stood with his hands behind his back, while the maid conversed with the guards and handed a jade pendant to the gatekeeper.

After a while, the gatekeeper returned with the jade pendant, handed it back with both hands, and invited him in.

"He went in?"

"The Crown Prince is not there, who could he see?"

"Du Liangdi, someone dares to see Du Liangdi?" Xin Twelve was surprised, his eyes darting, muttering, "Which family dares to get involved in this case?"

"What should we do?"

"Follow him when he comes out, or better yet, if he doesn't come out." Xin Twelve thought for a moment and coldly smiled, "Anyone involved in the Du Youlin case will not escape... Also, where is that mule cart? Go find it."

~~

The Crown Prince's residence looked very simple, with no flowers or trees in the courtyard, just a sandy area.

Xue Bai and Qinglan waited in the front courtyard for a while, and a maid ran over.

"Qu Shui." Qinglan called out with a sobbing voice.

"What happened?" Qu Shui asked anxiously, not waiting for Qinglan to answer, and led them inside, "Second Lady wants to see you... this way."

Xue Bai and Qinglan took off their shoes and followed her through the long corridor, finally sitting down in a small side hall.

"Please wait, Second Lady will be here soon."

"Thank you."

Xue Bai watched Qu Shui run off again and asked Qinglan in a low voice, "Caiyun, Qinglan, Liu Shang, Qu Shui?"

"Yes, Liu Shang and Qu Shui are house-born maids, while I and Caiyun were sold to the Du family as children."

At this moment, it was not appropriate to ask more. Xue Bai glanced around the side hall, mimicking Du Wulang's occasional reading posture, kneeling with a straight back, hands on his knees, and eyes level.

Qinglan, since the incident, had no idea what to do and had lost her usual demeanor as the head maid, standing by the door anxiously waiting.

Soon, someone came from the long corridor, and she hurriedly bowed.

"Servant greets Second Lady."

Hearing the commotion, Xue Bai turned to see a beautifully dressed lady enter the side hall, with a high hairstyle adorned with a step-shaking hairpin, wearing a silk robe, and exposing her neck and chest in the cold weather, showing a patch of white skin.

She had a graceful figure, plump where it should be, but not losing her figure, with just the right curves.

Xue Bai only realized the beauty of the Tang Dynasty's silk robes and skirts, half-covering the smooth skin, after seeing the Crown Prince's concubine, Du Second Lady.

Thinking of what Du First Lady said, "Second Lady has a good relationship with the Crown Prince," he nodded slightly.

He could only hope that the Crown Prince would still be willing to protect the Du family.