FID – Chapter 987

Chapter 987: The King, Beautiful as a Delicate Flower

“Alas, such fine-looking girls… Now that they’ve gone… ruined, utterly ruined.”

“In our Cangzhou city, being beautiful isn’t a blessing. You can only blame their bad luck. How did they happen to run into him?”

“Once they enter the yamen, who knows if they’ll even have a home to return to…”

Only after the soldiers escorting them had gone a fair distance did people in the corners of the street dare to speak, shaking their heads and sighing.

Such incidents weren’t uncommon in Cangzhou. Zhu Xian was lecherous and relied on his family background. Anyone he took a fancy to, whether unmarried girls or married women, could not escape his grasp. His method was always the same: find some seemingly legitimate reason to seize them and bring them to the yamen, where he would abuse them.

Countless women had taken their own lives because of him, and countless families had been torn apart.

There was no justice, no one to appeal to. The common people swallowed their suffering along with their blood and tears, while the true culprit roamed free, growing ever more brazen.

Cangzhou had no blue sky.

The villagers spoke quietly, believing the men were far enough away not to hear. But what they didn’t realize was that every word had reached the ears of the man surrounded by soldiers.

At the end of the street stood the Cangzhou yamen.

Two massive stone lions flanked the entrance, and under the eaves above the steps hung a ‘Redress Drum’ for the people to beat when seeking justice.

Liu Yusheng glanced at the drum with a hint of irony.

The yamen’s clerks and soldiers were all at the beck and call of the nobility. How could this place be called upright or just?

Just as the group was about to enter the yamen, the sound of hooves echoed from a nearby alley. A carriage emerged from the alley and stopped just in front of the yamen.

The carriage curtain lifted, and a maid stepped down first, followed by a young woman of delicate beauty. She held an oiled-paper umbrella and walked toward them, finally stopping in front of Zhu Xian.

“Young Master Zhu, I just saw you bringing people into the yamen. May I ask what crime they’ve committed?”

Zhu Xian glanced at the woman up and down, puzzled at her sudden question. 

Couldn’t Su Manyu possibly know what kind of temper he had? Anyone with eyes would know that if there were two beautiful women among those being escorted, trouble was bound to follow.

Besides, it was she who had earlier pointed out the beautiful woman at the inn opposite. Why the pretense now?

Thinking this, he still played along, replying, “They are fugitives from another region, pretending to be merchants passing through Cangzhou. Fortunately, I found their suspicious behavior, or they would have gotten away.”

Hearing this, Su Manyu turned her gaze to the four people standing behind Zhu Xian, examining them one by one. “I don’t see any signs of banditry in them. Young Master Zhu, could it be that you’ve made a mistake? You wouldn’t want to wrong the innocent, would you?”

Zhu Xian raised an eyebrow again. Following Su Manyu’s gaze, he noticed she was looking more at the man in purple. He laughed knowingly. 

So that’s how it is. 

She wasn’t concerned with justice at all; she was just pretending to care because of a handsome man.

“Whether they’re wronged or not, a trial in the yamen will make it clear. Miss Su, as a lady, it’s better not to meddle too much in these affairs.”

With that, he waved his hand. “Take them in!” He bypassed Su Manyu and strode into the main hall first.

“Wait!” Unable to stop Zhu Xian, Su Manyu turned to block the officers escorting the group. Because she was the daughter of the county magistrate, the soldiers dared not act against her, so they halted.

Su Manyu looked at the four people trapped in the middle and furrowed her brows. “Young Master Zhu can be a bit capricious at times, but I don’t think you four are fugitives who have committed heinous crimes. I’ll go find my father to have him take a look. If you are truly innocent, he won’t wrong good people.”

“Heh, when did it become your business? Miss Su, I advise you to be sensible and leave quickly!” Inside came Zhu Xian’s snicker, tinged with anger.

Liu Yusheng looked at the woman still standing before the officers and gave a faint smile, stepping subtly in front of Feng Qingbai. “Thank you for your concern. I believe that the innocent will prove themselves innocent. We truly are blameless, and the yamen will restore our name. Aren’t yamens established by the court precisely to give the common people a place to seek justice and redress grievances?”

Behind her, Feng Qingbai watched the woman standing as if justice still existed in the world, a faint, amused smile spreading in his eyes, mixed with strands of affection—let her act.

“You’re right, Madam. We are innocent; the innocent will always prove themselves innocent!” Behind them, someone truly naive, mustering courage, echoed her words.

Wei Zi’s face, for once, showed more than just a neutral expression; there was a trace of helplessness.

To say just a single sentence could make her entire palm sweat. It was probably only this person in his hand could manage that.

Su Manyu glanced at the expressions of the group; her pupils darkened slightly in a way invisible to others, and she stepped back.

The yamen officers immediately escorted the group inside. As they walked in, Liu Yusheng made a point of tightly holding Feng Qingbai’s hand, pulling him closer to her side.

“Shengsheng?” Feng Qingbai lowered his voice, a laugh rippling softly through it.

“Your Highness is as beautiful as a delicate flower, attracting bees and butterflies; as his wife, it makes me feel quite displeased,” Liu Yusheng teased.

She had seen it clearly just now: although Miss Su appeared to be looking at all four of them, her attention was entirely on Feng Qingbai. Every glance, every flick of her eyes, was subtly sneaking peeks at her man. Did that Miss Su really think she wouldn’t notice?

Even though she knew Feng Qingbai would not engage with anyone else, having someone covet the person she belonged to was an intensely unpleasant feeling.

She has a possessive streak too. 

“Was that Miss Su just now pretty?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t look at her. My eyes were on Shengsheng the whole time.”

Liu Yusheng was satisfied.

At this moment, Su Manyu was still standing by the stone lion at the entrance of the yamen, her gaze thoughtful as she watched the hall inside.

“Miss, the rain’s getting heavier; it probably won’t stop for a while. Do you want to return to the manor first?” her maid asked, holding an umbrella.

Su Manyu shook her head. “No. Go immediately and have someone investigate the identities of these people— the more detailed, the better.”

“Miss, do you think there’s really something wrong with them?”

“They were being escorted into the yamen by officers, yet they remained calm and composed. Do you think ordinary civilians could manage that?”

When she had taken the opportunity to speak to the four earlier, although her attention had been mostly on the man, she had also quietly observed their expressions.

They were far too calm, so calm it unsettled her. This was absolutely not the reaction of ordinary people.

Commoners fear officials above all. Anyone being brought into the yamen would usually appear flustered, anxious, and unsettled. Even middle-class gentry with some backing would show serious, uneasy, and hesitant expressions in such circumstances.

And of these four, only the one who looked like a maid reacted somewhat normally; the other three remained completely calm.

When entering the yamen, they acted as if they were simply strolling into their own backyard, composed and unhurried.

To behave this way, it could only mean one of two things: either they truly and innocently believed that the yamen would recognize their innocence, or they simply didn’t regard the yamen at all.

And they didn’t even take Zhu Xian, the son of the Commandery Administrator, seriously!

The luxurious carriage, the noble bearing in every gesture, the unshakable composure…

This was the aura of someone accustomed to power!