Chapter Forty-Seven: One Tumultuous Event After Another

As Qin Jinghao's voice trailed off, Luo Yunyao and Ouyang Jingxu exchanged glances. Naturally, both of them understood that this matter could not possibly be revealed to Qin Jinghao.

Such an unimaginably bizarre occurrence—even if Luo Yunyao were given a hundred times her usual courage, she would never dare use Qin Jinghao as an experiment. It was not that she did not trust Qin Jinghao; on the contrary, she trusted him far too much. właśnie for that very reason, she worried even more that an encounter brought about by this temporal anomaly would plunge Qin Jinghao into panic regarding an unpredictable and unknown future. This kind of heavy burden was something she could simply worry about by herself during the lonely hours of midnight waking; after all, she was someone of a rather thick-skinned disposition.

Ouyang Jingxu caught Luo Yunyao's meaning, and he also understood that this was a matter between a pair of lovers in which he ought not to meddle too deeply. Just a moment ago, his well-intentioned attempt to offer a defense had been thoroughly rebuffed by Qin Jinghao, leaving him in a rather tight spot.

Ouyang Jingxu had finally seen the light: the grand general's temper was not something a person of his caliber could smooth over—indeed, it was probably something no mortal could handle.

Only tender affection could temper a hundred-refined steel into yielding, gentle threads.

Luo Yunyao had already decided not to disclose her and Ouyang Jingxu's true identities to Qin Jinghao, yet naturally, she could not say nothing either. Lowering her head to search for the right phrasing, she spoke in a low, measured voice: "Does the Grand General still remember when I first assumed the post of the Minister of War and came to your manor to take over the various duties of the Ministry? At that time, I saw a piece of calligraphy in your study. It was *The Preface to the Orchid Pavilion*. You asked me if I had ever seen this work, and then remarked that it came from a friend, someone to whom he had never shown the piece before."

Luo Yunyao spoke simply. Mustering her courage, she raised her head and looked into Qin Jinghao's eyes with a sincere, wide-eyed gaze. "After having a conversation with Ouyang, a sudden flash of inspiration reminded me of this incident, so I wanted to test whether my guess was correct." Luo Yunyao gestured slightly toward Ouyang Jingxu and concluded, "It was truly by sheer luck. I never expected that I would actually guess right."

Earlier, Ouyang Jingxu's utterance of "May I find one single-hearted person, and never part until our hair turns white" had caught Luo Yunyao's attention, though she dared not be certain and had tested him further with familiar lines from the *Classic of Poetry*—specifically, "Druming" from the "Airs of Bei". That had basically confirmed that Ouyang Jingxu hailed from the same world as her. Yet she still could not be sure whether Ouyang Jingxu was a person of ancient times who had transmigrated here, or a person of the future who had done the same, so she had casually thrown out a modern pop song. The fact that Ouyang Jingxu was able to sing it indicated at the very least that the eras in which Ouyang Jingxu and Luo Yunyao had lived were not too far apart in time.

Yet how could any of these things possibly be explained to Qin Jinghao?

Qin Jinghao's gaze remained contemplative and thoughtful.

Seeing Luo Yunyao lower her head, consumed by intense guilt and entanglement, Ouyang Jingxu finally understood something. He realized that this woman, who had transmigrated from the twenty-first century—someone who possessed new ideologies, a new horizon, new capabilities, and absolute independence—was actually unable to lift her head in front of an ancient man from another world. Ouyang Jingxu deeply felt that Luo Yunyao was losing face for their era, and his previous conclusion about how difficult it was to untangle lovers' disputes was instantly thrown to the winds.

"In this vast sea of humanity, we truly ought to thank Brother Jinghao," Ouyang Jingxu said lightly, steering the topic away. He reached out a hand, making a polite, gestural invitation. "Are we truly going to continue discussing this right outside the gates of the Grand Court of Revision? If word of this gets out, people might say that my Court is inhospitable to guests and slack in its investigation."

Qin Jinghao stared fixedly at Luo Yunyao for a long moment, knowing full well that she had made up her mind not to reveal the ins and outs of this suspicious puzzle. At the same time, he simply could not bear to push Luo Yunyao into a corner.

Just seeing her looking so wronged made his heart ache with uncharacteristic softness; how could he possibly bring himself to interrogate her further? Besides, his woman was a person of sound judgment. Sooner or later, Luo Yunyao would tell him—the time simply was not right yet.

Following the opening Ouyang Jingxu had provided, Qin Jinghao stepped down from his stance. "Does the Minister of the Court of Revision already have a lead in the case?"

Ouyang Jingxu smiled. "Since Brother Jinghao has already shared the entire story with me, the investigators have long since gone to inspect the Ministry of War and the Grand General's Manor. Ouyang is merely inviting the two of you to my court to share a cup of tea. I wonder if Ouyang might have such an honor?"

Luo Yunyao no longer had the energy to mentally roast this Eurocentric framing of "I wonder if I might have the honor of inviting this lovely young lady to dance." If she and Qin Jinghao hadn't been on slightly awkward terms, making sarcasm inappropriate, she would have unhesitatingly and viciously twitched the corner of her mouth to mock: "The Minister of the Court of Revision certainly has refined tastes."

Drinking tea at the Court of Revision? Would the occasional dying shriek of a criminal serve as background music? What was the difference between this and eating ice cream while examining a corpse? Were all people who investigated cases this perverted?

***

Though that was what she thought, Luo Yunyao nonetheless trotted along submissively to drink tea with Qin Jinghao and Ouyang Jingxu, the Minister of the Court of Revision.

During this time, Ouyang Jingxu inquired further about the detailed plot of the entire case.

Once they moved into the Court of Revision, they stayed for a full day and night. Qin Jinghao would come to check on Luo Yunyao as soon as his court duties ended, staying by her side through rain or shine until nightfall before returning home.

Had it not been for strict considerations regarding propriety between men and women and various unpredictable elements in the dead of night, Qin Jinghao would truly have stayed to keep Luo Yunyao company around the clock.

Speaking of this, Ouyang Jingxu was actually giving himself a massive headache. Although these two individuals had special relationships with him—one was his longtime friend, and the other hailed from the same world as him—how could an upright, sterling Minister of the Court of Revision, the finest the Western Qin had seen in three centuries, tolerate such blatant abuse of official power for personal favors? Though he himself occasionally bent his authority just a tiny bit to make things convenient for his own private matters, he had already exerted every ounce of his primordial strength just to provide cover for these two lovebirds' all-day trysts!

Thus, when Qin Jinghao made the unreasonable demand to stay overnight, the Minister of the Court of Revision rejected it outright without a second thought. Of course, his refusal proved useless; Ouyang Jingxu had to spend a great deal of time reasoning with the Grand General, all while fending off Luo Yunyao's meddling and inflammatory remarks from the sidelines.

The interrogation regarding the detailed plot of the case also lasted a full day and night.

Luo Yunyao recounted everything in detail, highlighting the key points of her previous analysis for Xiao Limo and Qin Jinghao. She pointed out the crucial investigative clues for Ouyang Jingxu, such as the references to "roads" and the maid's recent experiences.

As she drifted off to sleep, Luo Yunyao's mind wandered back to the scenes of the daytime.

Tasting fine tea brewed over spring water, the lingering fragrance of the brew, the fresh vitality of the stone spring water enhancing the flavor.

The fragrance remained lingering on the lips and teeth.

While Luo Yunyao spoke eloquently, she would occasionally share a cup of tea with Qin Jinghao. With such striking beauty, fine tea, and picturesque scenery before her, life was truly complete.

Perhaps the heavens arranged things simply to fulfill that sentiment, or perhaps to prove just how complete life was.

As soon as the investigative officers returned from their mission outside, Luo Yunyao felt the world go black before her eyes.

"Reporting to the Minister of the Court of Revision, my subordinates discovered the corpse of a female covered in whip marks at the manor of the Minister of War, Lord Luo," said one voice, kneeling on one floor and kowtowing.

Before Luo Yunyao and Ouyang Jingxu could even process this news, another voice immediately chimed in: "Reporting to Lord Ouyang, Minister of the Court of Revision, we have received word that at the drum for lodging grievances before the palace, a maid from the Ministry of War manor is lodging an imperial grievance. We hear the content concerns Lord Luo..." That voice faltered at the critical moment. The person bowing respectfully and properly raised their head ever so slightly, casting a cautious glance at the expressions of Luo Yunyao and Ouyang Jingxu.

Luo Yunyao was tortured by his hesitation, desperately wanting to snap "Speak!" at him.

It was Ouyang Jingxu who calmly reached out to hold Luo Yunyao back, instructing the owner of the voice, "Speak freely without reservation."

***

"That maid accuses Lord Luo, Minister of the Ministry of War, of trafficking in official ranks and titles, beating a maid to death, stealing military secrets from the Grand General's camp, and even attempting to frame the Grand General!"

Luo Yunyao, who had been kneeling, suddenly cried out, "What?!" Staring at the man with wide, disbelieving apricot eyes, she nearly leaped straight to her feet.

Seeing that the reporting officer was faltering under the pressure, the guards nearby couldn't bear it and chimed in to report the confirmed findings and the ongoing progress of the case: "My Lord, it is all entirely true. As a human witness, that maid has also brought physical evidence."

The maids in Luo Yunyao's manor were already few in number; furthermore, some had been brought along from Biluo, and most domestic matters were managed by Qingzhu, whom she naturally trusted completely.

Luo Yunyao recalled how she had previously lectured Qin Jinghao for failing to realize that a spy had infiltrated his own estate. Now, it seemed she had been laughing at fifty steps while running a hundred herself—or perhaps her situation was even worse. Qin Jinghao's spy had merely set up an inconsequential trap in an inconsequential position.

Yet the spy within Luo Yunyao's own manor had climbed deep into her household and delivered a fatal, plunging stab right at the most critical juncture.

Luo Yunyao gave a bitter laugh, snapping back to her senses under Ouyang Jingxu's gaze.

Using the pretext of a private interrogation, Ouyang Jingxu dismissed the superfluous onlookers.

Ever since learning of these new developments, Luo Yunyao's complexion had remained ashen. Ouyang Jingxu saw her lips move several times, but that sharp, eloquent mouth of hers had lost all its color and could not produce a single sound.

Ceasing his gaze upon her, Ouyang Jingxu spoke instead. His robust voice carried the ruthless, unfeeling tone exclusive to criminal investigations, devoid of any hint of comfort: "Looking at it now, it would seem this is not the culprit you deduced earlier."

Luo Yunyao looked at Ouyang Jingxu in confusion with her wide apricot eyes.

Her muddled thoughts, like a rusted old machine, finally began to slowly turn their corroded gears.

Indeed, it could not be Xiao Limo. Though he could have seized the opportunity of Luo Yunyao stealing military intelligence from Grand General Qin Jinghao to thoroughly investigate all of Qin Jinghao's forces and military power, or even used this chance to repeat his old tricks and frame Qin Jinghao once more—thus removing Qin Jinghao's military authority and eliminating the greatest threat to his own future ascension as Crown Prince—

Yet, if Xiao Limo truly fancied Luo Yunyao—no, forget fancying her, even if he held just the slightest shred of goodwill toward her—he would never have done such a thing.

This trap was clearly aimed squarely at Luo Yunyao.