Three days later, the execution ground.
Zhong Li sat beside Dong Qing, watching the man with disheveled hair kneeling on the platform opposite. In just three days, he had endured immense torment. His prisoner's clothes were stained with mud and dried blood, his once handsome face swollen from beatings, his mouth slit open, thick blood and saliva dripping from his chin.
Zhong Li knew whose handiwork this was. She glanced up at the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Ding standing at the front of the crowd. She wondered how much money they had paid the jailers to have Meng Yuan reduced to such a grotesque state.
"Execute!" Dong Qing threw the execution token to the ground. The executioner spat in his palm, ripped the death warrant from behind Meng Yuan, and raised his sword high. Zhong Li couldn't bear to watch and averted her gaze to the crowd. Suddenly, she thought she saw a flash of fiery red moving amongst the people. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her and blinked hard to get a clearer look, but the crowd watching the Meng Yuan incident was too dense. In the blink of an eye, the figure had vanished.
"Good! Well executed!" By the time she recovered, Meng Yuan's head had already rolled to the base of the platform, and the crowd's cheers erupted. Zhong Li disliked such spectacle. After concluding her official duties, she stood up and walked away from the throng.
Suddenly, she felt a coolness and dampness on her nose. When she came to her senses, an umbrella was held over her head.
"Even the Crown Prince has come to witness the execution?" Zhong Li asked, turning her head to look at the man beside her, dressed in a dark brocade robe.
Lu Wuxie shook his head. "I was waiting for you over there. You were lost in thought and didn't notice me."
Zhong Li followed Lu Wuxie's gaze back towards the exit of the execution ground. She smiled apologetically. "I was just worried about Feng Niannian. She exchanged all of the Meng family's assets for her freedom. How will she live from now on?"
"Everyone has their own way of living. Meng Yuan is dead, which is good for her. Otherwise, she would have eventually tortured herself to death," Lu Wuxie replied. Zhong Li nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. She remembered the first time she went to Feng Niannian's room, the blood-stained walls, and the deep bruises under Feng Niannian's eyes. Meng Yuan should let go.
"By the way, there's something I don't understand. Is the Temple Master Zhong willing to enlighten me?" Lu Wuxie tilted the umbrella slightly towards Zhong Li, asking with a smile.
"Does the Crown Prince not know how Meng Qian came to be?" Zhong Li guessed.
"Yes." Zhong Li frowned. She didn't know how to explain split personality to Lu Wuxie. It would be too difficult for an ancient person to comprehend.
"Just think of it as Meng Yuan being ill. After all, this kind of illness is a form of madness. As for Meng Qian, it's likely that after Feng Niannian lost her child, Meng Yuan, resentful of his mother and constrained by filial piety, suppressed his emotions and developed a split personality. This personality is still him, just his other side that is murderous and bloodthirsty," Zhong Li explained.
"Speaking of which, do you really think Meng Yuan was incapable of stopping Meng Qian's actions?" Lu Wuxie asked. Zhong Li walked a few steps and stopped, looking at him. In modern times, murder committed by someone with schizophrenia might not be punishable. In ancient times, there was no such concept. Therefore, both Meng Yuan and Meng Qian deserved to die. As for Lu Wuxie's words...
Just as she was about to answer, Lu Wuxie's gaze sharpened. "I believe that since he knew there was a demon within him, and could even recall everything that this fiend had done afterward, he should have stopped it immediately. The fact that he waited until we caught him to confess is merely him being cowardly, selfish, and greedy." With that, his face regained its usual charming, gentle, and harmless smile. Zhong Li withdrew her gaze from Lu Wuxie's face, shrugged, and thought to herself, "Who knows."
"Oh, do you remember 'Dream Fragrance'?" she asked, walking a few steps and suddenly remembering a lingering mystery in the Meng Yuan case. She turned to ask the man following her.
Lu Wuxie said, "I thought Temple Master Zhong had forgotten. One of the ingredients in the 'Dream Fragrance' recipe you gave me is psilocybin. Do you remember?" Zhong Li nodded.
"I searched every herbal shop in Yongcheng and couldn't find it. Where do you guess I finally found it?" Lu Wuxie asked. Zhong Li shook her head.
"The yamen."
The yamen? Zhong Li was stunned for a moment, then recalled Lu Wuxie's mention of the unclear relationship between Dong Qing and Meng Yuan. She understood. "So, Dong Qing was also involved in this case?"
Lu Wuxie shook his head. "Not so. It's likely Dong Qing was deceived by Meng Yuan. However, he cannot escape the crime of using public funds for private use. I will write a formal report to the Emperor, and Dong Qing's fate will depend on the Emperor's decision." Zhong Li looked towards the direction of the execution grounds. "People make mistakes mostly because of greed."
"Yes, that's why people like me, who are content with the status quo, are least likely to be caught with fatal flaws," Lu Wuxie said with a smile, leaning closer to Zhong Li.
Just as the two were about to walk towards the only arched bridge in Yongcheng, a voice reached Zhong Li's ears. "Li'er!" Lu Wuxie stopped, his brow furrowing unconsciously. Zhong Li looked back. Lan Heng stood behind them, accompanied by a cute little girl with a double topknot. Zhong Li recognized her. Her name was... Hua Yao.
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Jincheng, the Imperial Study.
"Your humble son greets Father Emperor. May Father Emperor live for ten thousand years!" Lu Yuanhong bowed to the man sitting on the dragon throne, holding a beautiful woman in his arms. Lu Jing'an looked up, clearly identifying the newcomer, and whispered a few words to the woman in his embrace. The woman raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat displeased, and stood up, sitting on a stool nearby. Lu Jing'an glanced at her, smiled, and pinched her soft hand, confirming she wasn't truly angry. Then, he turned his attention to Lu Yuanhong. "Hong'er, what business do you have with me?"
Lu Yuanhong glanced at the woman sitting beside Lu Jing'an, his expression slightly grim. "Father Emperor, in two months, envoys from Ying Kingdom will visit our Nanyue Kingdom. This is the banquet menu I have drafted according to your instructions. Please tell me if anything needs to be adjusted." As he spoke, he took out a memorial from his embrace.
Eunuch Hua glanced at Lu Jing'an. Lu Jing'an nodded. Eunuch Hua quickly took the memorial and handed it up. Lu Jing'an took it without opening it and casually said to Lu Yuanhong, "Hong'er, I am busy today. Tomorrow, when I have time, I will review it. If anything is unsuitable, I will have Eunuch Hua seek you out." Eunuch Hua nodded to Lu Yuanhong. Lu Yuanhong frowned slightly, wanting to say more, but Lu Jing'an had already waved his hand. "Withdraw now. I have other matters."
"Yes, your humble son takes his leave." Lu Yuanhong swallowed the words he was about to say and bowed, retreating step by step from the Imperial Study.
As the study door slowly closed, Lu Jing'an looked at the woman sitting aside, pouting, and beckoned her. "Is Xiao Die angry again?" Nangong Xiao Die glared in the direction Lu Yuanhong had left, then stood up and sat on Lu Jing'an's lap. "Your Majesty, didn't you say that this Crown Prince..."
"Shush!" Lu Jing'an gently placed his hand on Nangong Xiao Die's lips. "I will do as you ask, but deposing the Crown Prince is not a matter of a single day. Everything must be done with reason and principle. Don't worry, Lan Heng has already gone to Yongcheng to meet with Lu Wuxie. Regardless of the outcome this time, the Crown Prince will surely be implicated."
"Really?" Nangong Xiao Die pouted and asked coquettishly. Lu Jing'an smiled, cupping her delicate chin with one hand. "Why would I lie to you? I have held this throne for so many years. Can a mere boy with a youthful appearance compare to my cunning?"
"Your Majesty is so wise!" Nangong Xiao Die smiled and poked Lu Jing'an.
Lu Yuanhong walked out of the Imperial Study, the forced smile on his face turning ashen. He looked back and glared coldly at those behind him.
"Crown Prince, why are you so enraged?" a voice sounded in his ear. Lu Yuanhong came back to himself and saw the person. He quickly smiled. "Eunuch Yun." Eunuch Yun glanced at the Imperial Study. "Crown Prince, what is troubling you?"
Lu Yuanhong said, "Father seems to have many dissatisfactions with me."
"It's nothing," Eunuch Yun smiled. "With me here, no matter what happens, the Crown Prince will smoothly become the next Emperor."