Chapter 92: She Might Want Our Heads
When Dou Yun walked out of the yamen, it was already completely dark.
The person picking him up had long since driven the horse carriage and stopped under the big locust tree outside the door.
“Lord Dou!”
As he descended the steps, a call came from behind. Two officials from the Three Judicial Offices smiled and caught up to his footsteps, cupping their fists toward him: “You have served in the Imperial City Department for many years, with rich experience in handling cases. Regarding the He Family blood case, this official still has many points to consult with you.
“I wonder if you could do us the honor of having a couple of drinks up ahead?”
“What unfortunate timing,” Dou Yun said with a amiable expression, “My wife has caught a cold these past couple of days and is seeing a doctor. I can only gratefully decline the two lords’ kind invitation.”
The two exchanged a glance, then said again: “Since it’s inconvenient for you to go out, how about we two accompany you back to the mansion and bother you for a moment?”
Dou Yun’s expression remained unchanged: “My wife injured her vitality early on during pregnancy. Every day at this time, I must apply hot compresses for her, which takes at least an hour or more. I’m afraid I would neglect the two lords.”
The two then fell silent.
Dou Yun glanced at the two again, then cupped his hands and turned, descending the steps.
After getting into the carriage, he first lifted a corner of the curtain, twisted his head to look at the left and right behind, then said: “Let’s go.”
The horse carriage was gradually swallowed by the night.
The two under the steps turned back to exchange a glance, then looked toward the threshold behind them. At this point, two more people stepped out, leaned in to hear the two’s instructions, and likewise vanished into the night…
Dou Yun had always been the Imperial City Department Deputy Envoy, on equal footing with Du Minghuan before, and later on par in position with He Jianzhong and the others. In the Capital City where the powerful and noble were as numerous as clouds, the Dou Family had always been an unremarkable presence.
But ever since Yan Bei suddenly named him on the Imperial Court to oversee the He Family blood case, everyone inquiring into this case would specify for Dou Yun to join, and now Dou Yun’s status on the Imperial Court had risen sharply. Such deliberate overtures as just now happened almost every day.
In the past, Dou Yun would always stay behind to deal with them, or simply wait until everyone had left before returning to the mansion.
But today, he lacked that patience.
Just before last night, nearly everyone’s attention on the Imperial Court had been focused on the connection between the He Family blood case and Princess Yongjia’s death. Ever since he personally dragged the Du Family into this vortex, the Du Family had become the focus of public discussion again.
Moreover, before this case was cleared up, a large number of petitions suddenly appeared accusing Du Minghuan and sending him into prison.
It could be said that in the previous few days, the Du Family had dominated all public opinion in the Capital City.
Then Du Minghuan was bailed out, and immediately after, last night the Xu Family suddenly had a major incident, with both the Du Family and Chu Family implicated!
If it were in the past, Dou Yun would naturally be as clueless as everyone else.
But Yan Bei had pushed him to the forefront, and now he was overseeing the entire core case. These days, he had access to all the details—the twists and turns, the possible connections between the families, and what those connections implied—he couldn’t possibly fail to notice!
He had worked with Du Minghuan for many years, and they had never been close before. After he took office as Imperial City Department Envoy, it was impossible not to see something off about him.
But seeing it was one thing; whether he could say it was another.
The high-and-mighty Chu Family Eldest Young Master actually appearing together with the unrelated Du Yu at the Xu Family for the assassination of his madam—this was a string of how novel and bizarre words!
From the moment he heard the news in the middle of the night, Dou Yun hadn’t dared to close his eyes.
In the early hours, he was summoned by Yan Bei to the Supreme Court, accompanied him until dawn before returning home, but his mind grew clearer and clearer. Forget sleeping—he couldn’t even sit still.
In the afternoon, Yan Bei returned to the yamen again, and Dou Yun immediately came over. But facing this Prince Jingyang who wielded power that shakes the world, had been in the capital for three years without ever deeply associating with anyone, the words that surged to his throat were forcibly swallowed back down.
“Master, we’ve arrived at the mansion.”
Only when his attendant’s voice rang from under the horse carriage did Dou Yun snap back to attention. After getting off the carriage, he walked to the drooping flower gate, paused to look at the couplet hanging there, then silently walked inside, straight into the inner residence.
“Old Dou!”
He was still in the second courtyard when a familiar call came from the outer courtyard.
Dou Yun stopped, turned his head to look, then unconsciously went to meet him: “Old Guo? How come it’s you?”
Guo Yin rushed up to him in two strides of three: “Why are you only back now?”
Dou Yun hesitated to speak, glanced at the already closed gate, and gestured for him to go inside: “To the study.”
The Dou Family’s residence wasn’t large; the study was just around the bend in the front courtyard.
A servant lit one lamp, which wasn’t bright enough. When he went to light the second, Dou Yun already waved him out.
“You have urgent business with me?” He closed the door.
“Not urgent, but with incidents piling up lately, I felt I should come see you.” Guo Yin circled in front of him. “You’re with the Three Judicial Offices every day. Tell me, is the Chu Family the one behind the Du Family?”
Dou Yun furrowed his brow: “I don’t know.”
“How could you not know?” Guo Yin was a bit anxious. “Last night’s incident was clearly led by Prince Jingyang. Both the Du Family and Chu Family fell into his hands. But if the Chu Family isn’t the one behind the Du Family, why would Prince Jingyang, who has been relentlessly pursuing the He Family blood case, suddenly do this?
“You know his Prince’s Mansion never interacts with anyone. Over these three years, this Prince Jingyang has never openly made enemies with anyone. Last night, he personally had the Chu Family sent to prison—this is openly opposing the Chu Family, and it’s the first time he’s stated his position among the three families on the Imperial Court.
“How could the Chu Family not be the one who instigated the Du Family to kill the prince and the princess?”
Dou Yun looked at his bloodshot eyes so close at hand, his own breathing becoming unsteady.
He walked to the window and closed it as well.
“You say all this is led by Prince Jingyang—how can you be sure it’s him leading it, and not someone else?”
He kept his voice extremely low, but every word he uttered was clear.
“What do you mean?” Guo Yin’s eyes filled with shock and suspicion. “Besides Prince Jingyang, who else?!”
Dou Yun slowly straightened up: “Have you forgotten the princess? Have you ever thought that if all this is led by Prince Jingyang, then who killed the He Family people?”
Guo Yin froze.
“At this point, you’re not going to tell me you’ve never suspected the princess is still alive, are you?” Dou Yun stopped in front of him, the reflection of the lamp flame in his eyes. “If there’s such a mastermind behind this, it can only be the princess!”
Light burst in Guo Yin’s eyes. “How do you know? Do you have evidence?!”
“No evidence.” Dou Yun shook his head. “I don’t even know where she is. I only know that Prince Jingyang has already allied with the princess, so they wouldn’t act without aim—they wouldn’t suddenly strike at the Chu Family without reason!”
“Then why don’t you just ask Prince Jingyang directly? He must know!”
“I want to.” Dou Yun exhaled. “But after such a major incident at the Prince’s Mansion, you and I as his close attendants have stayed silent all along. The princess may not necessarily be willing to see you and me now.”
Guo Yin’s shoulders slumped, but he quickly shrugged them up again: “Then can you think of a way? Your brain works better than mine. The prince has treated us with great kindness. Since the princess is still alive, we should at least go see her.”
“I’m not already thinking of a way?!” Dou Yun shot him an annoyed glance. “The key is I haven’t even seen her much. I really don’t know how to make her trust you and me.”
“True.” Guo Yin felt worried. “Given how ruthlessly she dealt with the He Family people, she might see us two as traitors too. The moment we meet, before two words are spoken, she might just cut off our heads with one knife.”
Dou Yun let out a long breath.
While still concentrating, a faint sound came from the rooftop.
He instantly held his breath, and moments later immediately looked toward Guo Yin.
Guo Yin blew out the lamp in one breath, quietly picked up his sword, and in the darkness met Dou Yun’s burning gaze!
Energy a bit low these two days, about to push into new plot soon, I’ll take a break first. Stopping here for today.
