Chapter 57 Coercion and Enticement

  Min was tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, his mind filled with many things. What troubled him the most was that before returning to the inn, he had run into Fei Yi, to whom he waved in greeting, but Fei Yi didn't even give him a glance.

  Isn't Fei Yan angry? But what is he actually angry about?

  Min An was about to scratch his head off, but he still couldn't figure it out. In just a short while, Fei Yi's attitude towards him had changed so drastically. Min An didn't understand what had happened, and afterwards, Fei Yi never explained either, only looking at him with an increasingly eager gaze.

  The story of course starts from an hour ago.

  Fei Bei was forced out of the government office by Li Peinan's palm strike, and he leaped into the air, landing on top of the two-zhang-high gate tower. He stood high above, looking down at the Qingyuan County town that had sunk into a deep sleep, and the chill in his chest slowly calmed him down.

  He seems to have a different idea about Min An, even Xiaoxue didn't get him to notice her like that. When he's with Xiaoxue, he's always protecting her and trying to accommodate her wishes, but when it comes to Min An, he wants to keep him by his side and not let him show any signs of distress.

  Tonight's Min An actually suffered a lot for him.

  As she thought of this, Fei's mind became clearer and clearer.

  This time, Min An rushed into the county government office despite the danger and collected evidence for him, clearing his suspicion and making him very grateful. Min An was different from others and would not deliberately try to please him in order to gain benefits; what he did for him was sincere. Think about it, a person with a relatively slender build jumped down from a galloping horse without regard for his own safety, then went alone to visit the chaotic grave mound at night. How much suffering must he have endured and how much courage must he have summoned? Non Yi still remembered that when Min An first followed him to Peach Blossom Village to capture Mao Thirteen, he walked on the night road with great care, as if he wanted to stick himself to his body... Such a timid person actually did something so brave tonight, showing that he was helping him without regard for his own life.

  Fei Yi had never felt this way before, as if he had been struck heavily in the heart, leaving him with a sour and aching feeling. He thought to himself that from now on, he should become even stronger, so that Min An would no longer have to risk his life for him alone, nor suffer injuries for his sake.

  The besieged garrison outside the county government office had long since retreated, and the guards rushed out easily, standing under the gate tower and shouting: "Young master, it's time to go in and pay respects to the king."

  He walked towards the county government office, feeling a chill in the air despite the warmth of his clothes. As he passed by the front courtyard, he saw Min An hesitating in front of a luxurious carriage, with Li Peinan holding him by the back of the neck and then wrapping his arm around his waist to help him up into the vehicle. Min An seemed to be struggling, and when he caught sight of him, he hastily greeted him, but was slapped on the back of the head by Li Peinan.

  Fei Yi saw Li Peinan and Min An's entanglement, sneered in his heart, and stepped away. As he walked into the flower hall, he was still thinking about how Li Peinan had protected Min An tightly, and became even more certain of his brother's intentions towards Min An. As for what Father King said, he didn't listen at all, only pretending to be silently listening, not even revealing any extra expression.

  Li Jingzhuo first sent away Xiao Zhiqing and Zuo Qingquan, then looked at Fei Yi who was standing with his head down and began to enumerate his mistakes one by one. He didn't let Fei Yi sit down, blaming him for being careless and bringing about a series of disasters, and also warned Fei Yi not to learn from his elder brother and mix with an unrefined and inferior minor official.

  "Min An is injured and has military doctors to treat him, what's the point of you going to bandage him yourself? Aren't you afraid of losing your status?" Li Jingzhuo flicked his sleeve at Fei Yi.

  He didn't even bow, and said lightly: "Min An is my senior fellow apprentice, so I naturally have to be more concerned about him. But as for the young master, his actions are not proper, always mentioning Min An by his side, personally teaching him swordsmanship, and even letting him sleep in the study overnight. If these things get out, it's likely that both the king and the young master will lose face."

  Li Jingzhuo asked in a low voice: "Is this really true?"

  Fei Yi didn't say a word, raised his hand and made a slight bow, then turned around and walked out of the flower hall without looking back. He left behind a team of people and returned to the backyard of the mansion first. When he entered the door, his whole body was filled with an aura that was extremely eye-catching. The soldiers who were guarding the gate of the mansion didn't dare to block him. After receiving the news that Peng Yin Xiu had already fallen out of favor, they hastily ran back to the county government office.

  Fei Yi sat in the study, not lighting the lamp, motionless against the darkness. He had lived in Beili for ten years and received his grandfather's careful guidance, learning the meditation method of transcending the world, which was to empty his mind, keep his head clear, and enter a state of Zen. He knew that many things couldn't be rushed, so he waited patiently.

  First came to find him, it was not a dark guard sent out, but Min An.

  Min An held a lantern and peeked through the window sill on the outermost side of the house, just barely able to make out the scene in the study. Fei Yi knew his eyesight was still shallow, so he took out a tinder from his sleeve, lit the lamp and asked: "What's going on?"

  Min said with a smile: "Come and see how you are."

  "I'm fine." No more words were exchanged.

  He didn't want to be cold towards Min An, but he couldn't forget the look on Li Peinan's face when he hugged Min An. He had never competed with Li Peinan for anything before, but when it came to Min An, he was afraid of losing control of his feelings, feeling both reluctant and uneasy.

  "Are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

  "No."

  Min An hesitated for a moment before finally asking: "Did the prince scold you?"

  Fei Yi pressed her lips and didn't speak, while Min An scratched his head and said: "Alright, you get some rest then." As he turned around, Fei Yi called out to him: "You have a bundle on your back, where are you going?"

  Min An hastily turned around and said: "I, I want to go keep vigil for Lord Bi, but the young master won't let me. I thought of sneaking out without disturbing him, but, but I'm also afraid of walking at night..."

  Fei Yi weighed the pros and cons in his heart, but still decided to stay behind personally to wait for An Wei's return. After all, going to Bi Shi's outer house to guard the soul was a small matter. He threw a firework pellet at Min An, telling him to go to the end of the street and set it off. The nearest An Wei who saw the signal would naturally hurry back to receive orders. This way, they wouldn't alarm the people in the inn, and could also find the bodyguards who had been escorting them along the way.

  Min An picked up a pellet and saw that it was wrapped in gold lacquer on the outside. "Is this something from the palace?"

  Fei Yan replied: "My uncle is afraid of my weak power, so he sent me a hundred attendants and several boxes of treasures."

  "Your grandfather really dotes on you."

  Fei Yi couldn't help but smile, seeing Min An still dawdling and not leaving. She asked clearly: "Is there anything else?"

  Min An said with embarrassment: "The wall is too high, I couldn't climb over it."

  The courtyard behind the mansion was pitch black, with only a faint moonlight shining through. Fei Yi walked out, her hands clasped together in front of her, looking perfectly natural. Min An understood, and stepped onto Fei Yi's palm, who then used force to toss him over the wall.

  Min An stopped and knocked on the wall: "Thank you, it's really stable. When I come back, set up a ladder inside for me."

  "You go first, we'll come pick you up later."

  With Fei's guarantee, Min An walked towards Bi's outer house with a more at ease heart. He followed the method Fei had taught him and summoned a dark guard to accompany him. The dark guard came from the distant North Li country, rarely speaking and moving stealthily, causing Min An to occasionally turn his head and ask: "Big brother is still here, right?"

  An Wei could only occasionally show his figure from under the eaves, at the entrance of the alley, and behind the ridge, to indicate that he had been following all along. The black cloak was like a bat's wing sweeping across the low sky, and even startled a night watchman.

  Min An arrived at Bi Shi's outer house and found the mourning hall empty, with only a black wooden coffin with its lid open. An old servant was dozing off under the long lamp. Min An woke him up and got some news: Bi Shi's body was still being held in the county yamen, saying that it needed to be compared with the evidence found, and the funeral could not be held within three to five days. The old servant knelt down and begged Min An to go to the county yamen to retrieve his master's body for a proper burial.

  Min An was also thinking about the old master's affairs, and immediately rushed back to the county government. White paper lanterns were burning outside the mortuary, and a memorial table had been set up in the courtyard, with white wax fruits on it. Min An stood at the stone archway, looking at Xiao Zhiqing, who was still wearing his official uniform, offering incense and paying respects to Bi Si's spirit tablet, and a heartfelt gratitude rose from the bottom of his heart.

  Xiao Zhiqing held the yellow incense high above her head, and in a low voice said: "Lord Bi's spirit under the spring is aware, he must guide me to find the murderer." After speaking, she put the three sticks of incense into the copper stove and ordered: "Bring it out!"

  Several yamen runners walked in, carrying out some large jars. Xiao Zhiqin picked up the cut rabbit meat on the chopping board and threw it into the jars, then scooped it out again. Min An unknowingly walked out, stretched his head to look at the chopping board, and saw that each piece of rabbit meat was covered with a layer of oil, exuding different flavors such as sweetness, greasiness, bitterness, and spiciness.

  Xiao Zhiqing was not surprised by Min An's turnaround, and even explained the reason for throwing the rabbit meat. "I sent the bailiffs to search for the murderer, and they found an old house with a basement where an ice coffin was built, and next to it was Mr. Bi's official uniform, which showed that this was the scene of the crime. In the corner there were some jars emitting the smell of salt, white wax, and honey, which were brought back by the bailiffs. I threw the rabbit meat in to test whether it was poisonous."

  The hunting dog ate rabbit meat of various flavors and left with a wagging tail, indicating that the liquid in the jar was non-toxic. Moreover, the jar was unusually large, enough to hold a person's body, so even if someone accidentally fell into the jar, they would not be poisoned to death.

  Min An stood still for a moment, recalling the purpose of the bottles and jars, and exclaimed: "The wax corpse technique of Xijiang!" When he was 13 years old, he studied in Qishui County and heard Zhu Muzi mention some strange rumors, including the objects used in the wax corpse technique.

  Xiao Zhi nodded: "I brought it to the house owner for examination, and the house owner said that the tenant was a foreigner who rarely showed his face, with a thin face and big hands, not looking like a local from Chu State. I called a painter to draw a portrait of the tenant, and had the doctor you invited take a look. The doctor recognized that person as being the helmsman of the Miao wax tribe from Western Frontier."

  "Where is the helmsman?"

  "He left early, and except for that official robe, he didn't leave any clues behind."

  "It must be Mr. Peng who leaked it again."

  "So, the source of the clue is still on Lord Peng's body. Investigating Lord Peng can lead to the capture of the mastermind and the military advisor behind him."

  Min An nodded in unison. Xiao Zhi paused for a moment, then suddenly said: "You shouldn't be here, the king questioned the guards at the inn last night and got very angry afterwards, he's still in the flower hall arranging things. Hurry up and leave."

  Min An asked for Bi Shi's body, Xiao Zhi detained him under the name of evidence, Min An had to leave the yard. Just as he was about to bypass the second yard, two sword-carrying guards jumped out from behind the side door and slashed at Min An's head. The hidden guard rushed over, opened his cloak, and pulled back the guards' attack. At this time, another figure flashed by, swift as lightning, and pinched the hidden guard's throat with one palm.

  Under the dim moonlight, Li Jingzhuo turned his icy face and said coldly to the Dark Guard: "I know you are a follower of Fei Yi, so I spared your life." He didn't say another word, directly knocked out the Dark Guard with a slap, threw him into the warehouse, and then called the guards to lift up Min An and drag him to the Land Temple on the east side of the gate.

  It is a convention to set up a temple of land in the county government office. In ancient times, there was a saying that if an official had embezzled more than 100 taels, he would have to undergo the "peeling and stuffing with grass" punishment. That is, the person's skin would be peeled off, coated with oil wax, wrapped around a straw effigy, and made into a "leather bag". This cruel punishment was not actually carried out, but it was spread around to intimidate corrupt officials. However, the temple of land for meting out private punishments has been retained all along, becoming an indispensable bloody venue in the government office.

  Two guards heavily pushed Min An, who fell onto the straw. They walked out and guarded the door. Min An lifted his injured left arm, knelt down on the ground respectfully, neither calling out nor begging for mercy, using a relatively wise response to calm down Li Jingzhuo's anger.

  Li Jingzhuo walked in, sat down on the only wooden chair, pointed at the dried-up leather bag hanging from the wooden frame and said: "I heard you've been loafing around the palace for a long time, you should know what this place is used for."

  Min An nodded. Li Jingzhuo continued: "It's easy to kill you, but I want you to live. However, if you take a wrong step, it will be your master who dies."

  Min An raised his head and said: "A thousand mistakes, ten thousand mistakes are all my fault, it has nothing to do with Master!"

  Li Jingzhuo chopped down at Min An's left shoulder, causing him to roll over in pain. "In front of me," he said coldly, "you have no room for haggling." Min An still didn't dare cry out, biting his lips tightly shut as he felt around with his right hand and discovered that after his left arm, a swelling had also risen on his shoulder.

  Li Jingzhuo lifted Min An up and made him kneel on the ground, saying: "Your master was the chief imperial physician twenty years ago, leaving a case in the Ministry of Punishment that has not expired yet. I still have the right to ask questions. Do you understand?"

  Min An's forehead broke out in a cold sweat, he nodded silently.

  "I've spent my heart and soul raising this child, how can I let him be ruined by you? You may not know that he has raised many dogs, every time he goes hunting, he drives one into the fire pit, in exchange for the prey to run away, and the dog that falls into the fire pit is forgotten by him."

  Li Jingzhuo covered Min Anbu's hat with his hand, gently pressing down without making any further moves. Min An remained kneeling upright, controlling his body to prevent himself from trembling and didn't respond.

  Li Jingzhuo said in a low voice, "You go back to the Hanguan, everything should be as usual, can't let the Shizi see anything unusual." Min An didn't move, Li Jingzhuo pressed his palm, and Min An could only nod silently.

  Li Jingzhuo finally said: "Zhiqing is also a child I personally raised, and in the future, the princess will be of higher birth, demeanor, and intelligence than you. Can you accept this?"

  Min An sincerely replied: "I agree."

  "Help her win the favor of the Crown Prince, and I will let your master return to the Tai Hospital, and have your adopted sister brought into the palace to be provided for. Do you understand?"

  Min An did not expect that King of Chunan would offer him a bribe instead of killing him, and he couldn't help but look up at the king's face. Li Jingzhuo's expression was cold and calm, as if he knew what Min An was thinking, and said lightly: "Killing you would dirty my hands, those who resist me often end up worse off than dead, let's see how far you can go."

  Min An recalled the dispute between the Crown Prince and Wang Ye in the flower hall tonight, as well as the troubles caused by Fei Yu's actions. He quickly made up his mind. He bowed his head: "I will do my best to live up to King Wang's trust."

  Author's note: Due to space constraints, I didn't write more dialogue between Li Jingzhuo and Anzi, trying to save you guys some silver:) If you think Li Jingzhuo could easily persuade Anzi, it's because I omitted some explanatory words, and you can imagine Li Jingzhuo rambling on about things like the reputation of the Crown Prince's Manor, the demands of being a Crown Princess, etc. Anzi never had any intention of pursuing the Crown Prince anyway, so this little intervention by Li Jingzhuo can explain his subsequent actions towards the Crown Prince.

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