Chapter 8: Chang'an Tong Que Ming (Melody of Golden Age)

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Chang'an Tong Que Ming (Melody of Golden Age)

 Chapter 8: 

The Buddha Swallows Sin (5)

"Grand Chief Shen, you are a young prodigy, the son of the renowned Left Envoy of the Imperial Forest Army, and you should be able to see that this matter might not be related to the Liang family at all. It is even possible that the second branch of the Liang family is not behind the murders—"

"Liuniang," Shen Du interrupted her sharply, "be cautious with your words."

Shen Du's hand, which had been resting on the hilt of his sword, was now clenched tightly, clearly warning Zhu Yan that she could either remain silent like a dead person or keep quiet like a living one.

Zhu Yan grit her teeth, holding her breath as her jaw tightened.

"... If there is another culprit, Grand Chief Shen, then you are condoning treachery," Zhu Yan said. "If someone is killing officials' children, they are clearly not afraid of the emperor’s displeasure. If you suppress this case, it will only provoke the culprit's killing intent. If their targets are specific, the next victim might also be an official's child, which would lead to widespread fear in the court. What will you do then?"

Shen Du stared at her, his eyes narrowing with a hard, cold gaze. 

His icy scrutiny soon shifted to a mocking amusement at her righteous fervor.

"No matter how clever and shrewd you are, in the end, you are still just a young girl."

Shen Du continued, "The Inner Guard was established to alleviate the emperor's concerns. Beyond that, the Inner Guard need not consider anything else. The culprit? What does it have to do with me? I only know that the emperor's order is that the second branch of the Liang family cannot be imprisoned. Do you intend to defy the emperor?..... Is that Zhang Xingwei’s intention?"

Seeing Shen Du mention Zhang Xingwei, Zhu Yan's frustration grew like a giant elephant forced into a cramped room. She felt suffocated and overwhelmed, as if the room had exploded from being too full.

Watching Shen Du turn his back, Zhu Yan rushed forward, grabbing the collar of his garment.

"I am not Zhang Xingwei’s person," she said, her voice firm and filled with anger. "If you doubt me and ignore the case’s uncertainties just to pursue power struggles, that is your own affair, Chief Guard Shen. I will not become like you now!"

Fiercely shaking off Shen Du, Zhu Yan turned and walked towards the exit. The tassels of her beaded crown caught on her shoulder cape. She pulled off the crown and threw it on the ground with a loud thud.

The crown rolled to Shen Du’s feet, its pearls trembling and the tassels in disarray.

Zhu Yan continued to walk swiftly through the corridor, and only stopped when Lu Chuichui, who had been unable to catch up, called out from a distance, "Zhu Yan!"

In the faint twilight, Zhu Yan turned her head while clutching her sleeves, and said gravely, “Second Sister, I still want to investigate this case.”

Lu Chuichui looked up, about to speak, but then turned to the source of the footsteps behind them and was taken aback. “Lord Wu, why are you here as well?”

Wu Taiming looked at Zhu Yan and said, “You want to investigate, but have you considered the consequences? If there’s no other real culprit and the matter falls into the hands of His Majesty, even the Minister of Justice won’t be able to save you.”

Zhu Yan nodded. “I understand. I know what you’re concerned about... If the real culprit turns out to be the Liang family’s second branch, I will withdraw.”

Chang’an is full of intrigue and danger. As a member of an official family, she is well aware of the consequences of angering the ruler. She has her mother, her father, her elder sister and brothers... her family; she would not gamble with their lives.

Seeing her resolve, Wu Taiming looked up at the sky, his eyes moving slightly. With a sigh, he reached into his sleeve and took out a token.

As he was about to hand it to Zhu Yan, he pulled his hand back and asked uneasily, “How certain are you that the real culprit is not the Liang family’s second branch?”

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