Chapter 337
Chapter 337
“I hereby decree: the title of Provincial Graduate is conferred upon Jin Mucong.”
Jin Mucong was already a student of the Imperial Academy, so merely participating in the metropolitan examinations would have qualified him as a Provincial Graduate. Bestowing this title upon him now was not only justifiable in the eyes of the world but also a way to placate the Jin Clan.
“I hereby decree: transfer Shen Lang to the Court of Judicial Review for trial. The Blackwater Terrace will dispatch a dedicated official to assist the Court in its thorough investigation of this case.”
Having calmed down slightly, the King issued two more edicts. This was just over an hour after he had ordered Shen Lang's arrest. This way, even with the change in jurisdiction, the formidable power of the Blackwater Terrace would be maintained, and the reputation of Yan E, the King of Hell who specialized in clan annihilation, would not be tarnished.
***
The fortress of the Blackwater Terrace.
Yan E, the Grand Director of the Blackwater Terrace, had not wanted to take on Shen Lang's case for that very reason. It was too small a matter! Shen Lang was too insignificant, and it wasn't a major case warranting the annihilation of a clan, making it unworthy of a Blackwater Terrace trial. This world was just that pragmatic. Even to be killed, one had to be qualified. Someone of too low a rank didn't even have the right to be killed by a powerful figure. And just as he expected, after a short wait, a new royal edict arrived.
“Escort Shen Lang to the prison of the Court of Judicial Review. The Court will preside over this case, and the Blackwater Terrace will send a dedicated official to assist.”
And so, the warriors of the Blackwater Terrace once again escorted Shen Lang, this time to the prison of the Court of Judicial Review.
***
The Jin Clan's Villa.
The Fifth Prince's wife, Lady Zhuo, was desperately trying to console Xiao Bing. Xiao Bing's belly was quite large, her beautiful, wide eyes were bloodshot, and her lips trembled incessantly. The two children, Ye Jiajia and Ye Huihui, dared not be playful, their own eyes welling with tears as they hugged Xiao Bing's legs, trying to comfort her. Xiao Bing clutched a dangerous hidden weapon, a Storm of Pear Blossoms, fidgeting with it in her hand. She knew no martial arts, but she had an extreme personality. Though Shen Lang had warned her beforehand that something like this might happen, seeing him actually taken away made her feel as if she would explode.
Unlike others, she had no other family; there was only Goya. She was like a vine wrapped around his body, and now that someone was trying to burn that vine, Xiao Bing was consumed by the desire to destroy everything. It was a pity the Storm of Pear Blossoms in her hand was so small. It could only kill a few people; if only she had a weapon with greater killing power, she would have killed them all.
Inside the study.
Jin Mucong was copying a book.
For some reason, the text Jin Mucong was copying was filled with a brutal, murderous intent. His brother-in-law had warned him repeatedly not to leave the house for a while and not to do anything, so he could do nothing. Soon, a eunuch entered the Jin Clan's Villa and read out the King's edict.
“To Jin Mucong, heir to the Count of Xuanwu, the title of Provincial Graduate is conferred. By His Majesty's command.”
After reading it, the eunuch left immediately. Jin Mucong fiddled with the edict in his hand.
“Jin An!”
A warrior quickly entered the study.
“Return home as fast as you can and tell my parents about this. If anyone kills my brother-in-law... tell them our family should turn its back on them.”
Shen Lang had constantly told Jin Mucong not to do anything, but Jin Mucong simply couldn't stand by and do nothing.
“Yes, sir!”
Jin An shot out like an arrow.
***
Ning Yan seemed to have become strange after tumbling in bed with Shen Lang. Her mind was filled with wild thoughts, her heart was in turmoil, and she was astonishingly flustered. She couldn't even close her eyes, because the moment she did, the things she had done with Shen Lang would flash through her mind.
“Ning Yan, aren't you being pathetic? It's just a man and a woman sleeping together, that's all. Look at the courtesans in the brothels. They sleep with more than ten men a day and act as if nothing happened. Don't tell me I, Ning Yan, am worse than a prostitute?”
Hah! The big-bottomed princess's analogies were always so... unique. Just then, an incredibly sturdy female warrior rushed in from outside.
“Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Young Master Shen Lang has been arrested by the warriors of the Blackwater Terrace.”
It was the female warrior, eight feet tall with an eight-foot waistline, who secretly admired Shen Lang. Hearing this, Ning Yan erupted in fury.
“What? Where was he taken?”
“To the prison of the Blackwater Terrace, I presume.”
Without a second thought, Ning Yan raised her treasured sword, but feeling that wasn't enough, she snatched up a greatsword as well and stormed out.
“Gather all the warriors. We're storming the prison.”
Ning Yan led several dozen sturdy female warriors out of the residence. But Yun Mengze blocked her path.
“Where are you going?”
“To storm the prison of the Blackwater Terrace.”
Yun Mengze looked at Ning Yan with an exasperated expression.
“First, while you are favored by the King of Yue, you're not favored enough to mess with the Blackwater Terrace. You're not that important, so King Yan wouldn't give you a second thought, but the moment you storm the Blackwater Terrace, you'll give him a reason to execute you himself. That would be like an egg hitting a rock. Though, of course, you don't have any eggs. Second, Shen Lang has been moved to the prison of the Court of Judicial Review. But even so, you can't just attack their prison either. Storming the prison won't help Shen Lang; it will only make things bigger and more complicated.”
The tigress asked.
“Then what should I do? Am I supposed to just stand by and watch my man... my brother die?”
“Don't worry, this is all part of Shen Lang's plan. The most important thing right now is to prevent someone from the Blackwater Terrace from using this opportunity to torture him. The one who arrested Shen Lang is Yan Weiyi, a disciple of Yan Nanfei from the Xue Clan of the Count of Wu'an's Estate. Do you have any idea how much the Xue Clan despises Shen Lang? Ah, you probably don't.”
The big-bottomed princess, Ning Yan, was empty-headed and knew nothing.
“Stop spouting useless nonsense and say something helpful. So, what should I do?”
“The Fifth Prince will enter the palace to plead his case. You should go to Grand Princess Ning Jue immediately and get her to stop the Blackwater Terrace from torturing Shen Lang.”
“Why would the people of the Blackwater Terrace listen to my master?”
“Because your aunt was once part of the Blackwater Terrace.”
“You talk too much nonsense! You should have led with that from the start.”
Ning Yan turned her horse and charged toward Grand Princess Ning Jue's residence.
***
Princess Ning Yan barged into the old mansion.
“Master, Master! It's terrible! Shen Lang's been arrested! They say he was taken to the prison of the Court of Judicial Review. The Blackwater Terrace is going to torture him, you have to go save him, quickly!”
Grand Princess Ning Jue opened her beautiful eyes and said.
“Shen Lang was arrested. Why are you so restless?”
If Big Dummy had been arrested, Ning Jue would have been more concerned. But she cared little for Shen Lang.
“Never mind that, just please, Aunt, save him quickly.”
“Shen Lang has committed a great offense this time, and His Majesty is furious. No one will be able to save him.”
Ning Yan was startled.
“How do you know that, Aunt?”
The Grand Princess Who Never Hardens glanced at Ning Yan. There was a reason she had always told Ning Yan not to call her 'Master.' It was because she was deeply embarrassed by this big-chested, empty-headed girl. Ning Jue's martial arts were so powerful that she was ranked among the top grandmasters, and for a very long time, she had held an important position in the Blackwater Terrace on behalf of the King. Though she had since retired to her old mansion, she still knew almost everything that happened. Her status within the Blackwater Terrace was so great that a great deal of information was still reported to her.
This woman was a peerless beauty, so why did Shen Lang always feel uneasy whenever he saw her? It was because her long tenure at the Blackwater Terrace, where she had killed too many people, had twisted her very soul, causing it to overflow with negative energy. And why was she so cold toward Shen Lang? That, too, was because she had killed too many, tortured too many, and witnessed too many sins, leaving her no choice but to be cold.
Ning Yan said.
“Aunt, can really no one save Shen Lang? Not even if I plead with Father?”
“No one can save him. If you go to His Majesty to plead, you will only add to his crimes. But... did he sleep with you?”
Ning Yan flinched for a moment, then puffed out her chest and said.
“No. I slept with him. I couldn't resist.”
“So you have sinned. Such matters between a man and a woman are nothing. So don't concern yourself with him, and just consider him dead. There are plenty of men in the world; it doesn't matter if Shen Lang dies.”
Ning Yan wailed.
“No! He saved my life, and we're brothers! How can I just sit by and pretend I don't know? I have to save him!”
Ning Jue didn't bother with her any longer and closed her eyes.
“Do as you wish. I won't interfere even if you storm the prison.”
The Grand Princess Who Never Hardens certainly wouldn't stop her. Even if the tigress Ning Yan were to storm the prison, it would only compound Shen Lang's crimes, while Ning Yan herself would merely be punished with confinement to reflect on her misdeeds. Besides, storming the prison with just her subordinates? That was nothing more than a child's foolish dream.
“I'm tired. You may leave now.”
The Grand Princess Who Never Hardens said calmly. The tigress Ning Yan stared at her aunt in shock. For the first time, Ning Yan saw her aunt's true face and understood it clearly. When Ning Jue had always told her not to call her Master, but Aunt, Ning Yan had thought it was just a joke. But now she saw that Ning Jue truly disliked her.
Ning Jue allowed no one into her old mansion, yet Ning Yan had always done as she pleased, barging in without a care. Every time she had asked her aunt for help, Ning Jue would frown but ultimately step in to assist. That was why Ning Yan had thought her aunt cared for her and liked her, but now she realized she had been terribly mistaken.
Her Aunt Ning Jue's heart was as cold as iron, and she considered Ning Yan a nuisance. She had only been desperately tolerating her, thinking of her as a noisy child. In Ning Jue's heart, Ning Yan was an insignificant being. The moment she realized this, tears streamed down her face.
'So this is how cold a person's heart can be. How painful it can be. It was a blessing I was too foolish to see it before. All this time, I've been boasting that I'm a big shot in the capital who can do anything. In reality, it was all a joke. I can't do anything. I'm nothing.'
Princess Ning Yan, the tigress, left the old mansion. Once outside the gate, she tried desperately to hold back her tears, but they eventually burst forth. The tears soon turned into sobs.
'No one cares about me. I, Ning Yan, am nothing. I can't do anything. My father the King lets me do whatever I want, but he doesn't care about me either. Otherwise, he wouldn't have married me off to that pervert. My aunt doesn't care about me. She never thought I was important, and she's even ashamed of me. None of my other brothers or sisters care about me either.'
Ever since her mother passed away, there had been no one who truly cherished her. In that moment, Ning Yan realized she was utterly alone, with nowhere to turn in this vast capital. But as she lifted her head, she met a pair of caring eyes. It was Yun Mengze, the Grand Scholar of the empire, her one and only true friend.
“Brother...”