CHAPTER 364: CHAPTER 362: DOES ASSISTANT MINISTER CUI WANT TO SENTENCE ME TO DEATH?

"Wait."

Cui Ji stopped the proceedings, stepped out of the carriage, and retrieved a delicate porcelain bottle from his sleeve.

He poured the liquid inside the bottle over the corpses of the six servants. In an instant, the bodies dissolved into pools of blood.

Cui Ji calmly put away the bottle. "Rain will fall in the latter half of the night. Once the rain washes away the bloodstains, no one will know what happened here."

Shen Yinning rested her chin on her hand, observing him curiously. "You’ve grown bolder."

"So long as it’s for the Commandery Princess, Cui Ji dares to do anything."

The two of them took the carriage back to Shen Garden, where Shen Yan had already been detained in the North Garden.

Shen Yinning had set up a shrine and memorial tablets for her parents and elder brother here. At this moment, Shen Yan had been tied up with his hands behind his back and thrown into the courtyard outside the shrine. He had long since sobered up from his drunken state.

The guards of Shen Garden stood on both sides of the courtyard. Having all benefited greatly from Shen Zhi’s kindness, they glared at Shen Yan with hatred, wishing they could peel off his skin and snap his bones.

Shen Yan, feeling anxious, saw Shen Yinning approaching at a leisurely pace and instantly understood that the mastermind behind tonight’s ordeal was none other than his "good niece."

A mere girl—what could she do even if she had him tied up here?

He barked in a harsh voice, "Yinning, have you gone mad?! How dare you tie me up and drag me to this godforsaken place?! If you don’t let me go this instant, you’re in for it!"

"Since opening the Commandery Princess Mansion, Uncle has never once come to visit," Shen Yinning said with a slight smile. "Tonight, I invited Uncle for tea, yet the tea hasn’t even been served, and Uncle is already in such a hurry to go?"

Tea?

Dragged to the shrine’s doorway to have tea?

Shen Yan knew she was seeking revenge for her father and brother. Impatiently, he said, "If you want revenge, you should at least consider my status! I am now an official of the court. Do you know the consequences of abducting and killing a court official? Yinning, you are now a Commandery Princess. You should cherish the good fortune that did not come easily to you and not do anything foolish!"

Shen Yinning adjusted her golden hairpin and looked smilingly towards Cui Ji. "I have never enjoyed reading books about the law, so I truly don’t know what the consequences are for abducting and killing a court official. Assistant Minister Cui, could you enlighten me?"

Only then did Shen Yan notice that Cui Ji was also present.

His expression shifted slightly, and in the commanding tone of a Duke, he shouted, "Cui Ji, Yinning is being foolish, but do you have no sense either? Untie me immediately, and I will overlook tonight’s idiocy. Otherwise, if I report this to the Emperor tomorrow, your career will be over!"

Cui Ji ignored him and merely responded respectfully, "According to the laws of Great Zhou, abduction and murder of a court official is a capital offense."

Shen Yan’s face, which had been ashen, suddenly eased. "Yinning, did you hear that?"

Shen Yinning drew a sword from the waist of one of the guards. "If I were to kill Shen Yan, would Assistant Minister Cui preside over the case and sentence me to death?"

The young woman was breathtakingly beautiful.

The embroidered shoes adorned with Bright Pearls peeked out beneath the pomegranate red silk skirt. The silver-red belt accentuated a waist so slender it could barely be gripped. Her wide sleeves carried a faint fragrance, her skin was as fair as snow, and her entire being seemed wrapped in a luminous glow.

The three-foot sword glittered coldly in her hand, but it was her phoenix-shaped eyes that were colder still, radiating a bone-chilling frost beneath the moonlight.

The lanterns cast shadows in the moonlight, while fallen petals scattered outside the shrine.

Cui Ji stared at her, his voice softer than the falling flowers. "If the Commandery Princess kills Shen Yan, it must be because Shen Yan was in the wrong. The Commandery Princess has lived her life upright. How could she be guilty?"

Shen Yinning smiled, twirling the sword in her hand in an elegant flourish. The blade’s tip pointed directly at Shen Yan. "Uncle, did you hear that clearly?"

Shen Yan’s face changed dramatically.

He had long known that Cui Ji was Shen Yinning’s man, but he had never imagined the man could be so deranged! He actually dared to indulge Shen Yinning in killing him!

He was a Duke personally ennobled by the Holy Emperor, his status immeasurably high. How could these two... how dared they?

"I hear Uncle’s swordsmanship was taught directly by my father," Shen Yinning said, tossing a sword to Shen Yan and signaling the guards to untie his hands. "During my three years in Gan State, I, too, studied a bit of swordsmanship. Tonight, I would like to spar with Uncle. I hope Uncle won’t hold back."

Shen Yan rubbed the bruises on his wrists and quickly grabbed the sword.

He eyed Shen Yinning warily.

This niece of his was pampered from a young age—how could she possibly know how to wield a sword?

Surely, she must have some hidden trick in store...

Frowning deeply, he weighed the sword in his hand, his gaze discreetly sweeping over Shen Yinning.

No matter what schemes Yinning was playing, if he could take her hostage, wouldn’t that be his chance to escape?

With that thought, he immediately struck with his sword, thrusting mercilessly at Shen Yinning.

Shen Yinning dodged aside.

In terms of swordsmanship, she had indeed only learned the basics, originally as a means to strengthen her body.

Though Shen Yan had lived in luxury for years and neglected his practice, his foundation was solid, and she soon found herself struggling to keep up.

Her flowing raven-black hair swayed in graceful arcs with her swift movements.

The sword’s edge whistled through the air as she bent backward to narrowly evade Shen Yan’s thrust.

Under a sparse night sky of hidden moon and dim stars, lanterns glimmered faintly. In the distant high tower—

From the rear window of the chamber where Lu Ying was confined, this scene unfolded clearly in the courtyard of the shrine.

Lu Ying stood behind the paneled window, idly twisting the Moyu Ring on his hand.

Only today had he learned that Shen Yinning spent her three years in Gan State also studying swordsmanship.

In antiquity, King Goujian of Yue endured hardship and bided his time. It seemed Shen Yinning, too, had endured her own trials those three years.

His gaze shifted to Cui Ji’s face.

With his excellent night vision, he clearly captured the adoration and obsession in Cui Ji’s expression.

Thin lips curved into a mocking smile.

It seemed he was not mistaken. Over those three years in Gan State, Cui Ji had stayed by Shen Yinning’s side without fail.

What exactly the two had done in private—well, it certainly stirred the imagination.

At the shrine’s entrance—

Shen Yan, seeing Shen Yinning’s defenses faltering more and more, believed his victory was near. Just as he eagerly swung his sword to slash at her arm, a guard suddenly fired a sleeve arrow.

The arrow struck directly into Shen Yan’s shoulder, causing him to break into a cold sweat from pain. The sword in his hand instantly fell to the ground.

He stared in disbelief. "What is this? Ganging up? Cheating?!"

Shen Yinning, smiling sweetly, raised her sword tip to point at his face. "Uncle, you’re a grown man bullying a little girl. What’s wrong with me calling for help? But really, Uncle, your swordsmanship is nowhere near my father’s. To use what my father taught you against me—your character is as rotten as your skills. Uncle, you owe my father ninety-nine kowtows before his tablet."

The girl spoke in a lively and soft tone, as if discussing something amusing.

Shen Yan glanced at the shrine behind him.

Inside, the Everlasting Lamp burned brightly, and the memorial tablets of Shen Zhi, his wife, and Shen Xingye stood there. The altar was laden with fresh fruits.

His face turned as dark as ink, his cheeks trembling faintly.

"You want me to kowtow to your father?" His voice quivered slightly. "What kind of joke is this? That man... that washed-up loser, does he deserve my kowtows?"