Chapter 62: The Banquet

Wu Fen walked along the corridor with his hands clasped behind his back, He Yuan Kai by his side. Glancing into the garden, he suddenly remembered and asked, “That Zhou Tan from Bian Du, and his wife—are they attending the banquet today?”

He Yuan Kai replied, “The invitation was sent, but I’m not sure if they’ll come.”

Wu Fen snorted and chuckled, “I thought he was some formidable character, but it seems he really isn’t coming for the handover. He’s been idling these days, spending all his time accompanying his wife on leisurely outings. Did he come to Ruo Zhou just to relax?”

He Yuan Kai lowered his eyes and flattered him, saying, “These officials from the capital know nothing about frontier affairs. When it comes time for the handover, you can intimidate him a bit more, and he’ll likely be so scared that he’ll abandon everything and refuse to take responsibility.”

“That’s right,” Wu Fen said cheerfully, “But still, keep an eye on him. They say officials from the capital—especially civil servants—have the most convoluted minds. What if he’s deliberately playing dumb now?”

“He’s unfamiliar with Ruo Zhou. Even if he’s observing you, what trouble can he stir up?” He Yuan Kai scoffed, “You and General Wang have a close alliance. You hold both soldiers and power here. Even if he’s as influential in Bian Du as rumored, what can he do now? Even if we...”

He made a cutting gesture with his hand and joked, “No one will save him.”

“If he comes today, let’s test him one last time,” Wu Fen said, unconsciously reaching to touch the large mole on his cheek. “Whether he’s genuinely afraid or pretending, as long as he’s smart enough, we can still spare his life in Ruo Zhou.”

As they talked, they reached the end of the corridor. A soldier approached and bowed, saying, “Master, Lord Zhou has arrived with his family.”

“Speak of the devil,” He Yuan Kai bowed and stepped aside, humorously singing in a theatrical tone, “Master~ Please.”

“What a jokester.” Wu Fen laughed and scolded lightly.

Meanwhile, Zhou Tan and Qu You had disembarked from their carriage and were walking hand in hand toward the mansion. Qu You brought only Hexing, while Zhou Tan brought only Hei Yi. At the entrance, two soldiers inspected the invitations. Seeing Hei Yi’s masked face, they hesitated and stopped him, saying, “Excuse me, sir, please remove your mask before entering.”

Hei Yi coldly replied, “This mask is permanently fused to my face. It cannot be removed unless I die.”

Zhou Tan coughed gently and explained good-naturedly, “Years ago, this subordinate saved me during a fire, disfiguring his face. Since then, he has worn this mask and never takes it off, also to avoid frightening others.”

The two soldiers exchanged glances, hesitant. But Hei Yi’s raspy, unpleasant voice indeed sounded like someone whose throat had been damaged in a fire. After much deliberation, they finally waved them through.

Qu You noticed one soldier quickly leave the gate and head inside, seemingly to report. She tugged Zhou Tan’s hand and whispered, “Wu Fen has stationed soldiers to guard the mansion. Isn’t he being overly cautious? Is he feeling guilty?”

“There must be many people in Ruo Zhou who want to kill this corrupt official,” Zhou Tan said casually, looking ahead. “At the beginning of the year, when Teacher received a letter, he intended to send someone to deal with Wu Fen. At that time... he chose one of my classmates. The transfer order was already issued, but Peng Yue and Fu Qing Nian suppressed the Ministry of Officials’ documents. Not long after, there was the Candlelight Case...”

He pressed his lips together. “The next day, my classmate died in prison. At that time, His Majesty hadn’t even decided to execute him. The torturers in the imperial prison were bribed by Fu Qing Nian. The methods they used... you might not even imagine.”

He often had nightmares in the past. Closing his eyes, he could vividly recall his classmate’s hand stretching out from a mountain of corpses and blood. A jailer cackled strangely, pressing his face into the pool of blood and hammering the first nail into his shoulder.

Every time he recalled it, he felt spine-chilling terror.

However, after returning from Jing Hua Mountain, Qu You ensured that a lantern was hung outside Song Feng Pavilion every night. Lying on his bed, he could see the warm yellow light through the window paper.

Since then, his nightmares had lessened.

Qu You tightened her grip on his arm and reminisced, “The round scars on your shoulder blades—are they from those tortures? What kind of torture was it? They haven’t healed completely even now. The cruelty back then must have been unimaginable.”

Zhou Tan turned his head slightly and smiled faintly. He rarely used to smile, but Qu You often praised how handsome he looked when he did, and he wanted to make her happy. “I’m afraid it might scare you if I told you.”

“I’m not afraid,” Qu You said.

Zhou Tan conceded, “Then I’ll tell you tonight when we return.”

He coughed softly and continued, “Later, I went through all the people involved in those tortures and impeached the officials. Anyone implicated in old cases—I arrested them all and brought them to the Ministry of Justice, making them pay.”

Qu You responded ambiguously with an “Ah.”

Zhou Tan felt a bitter taste in his words. “Enough, I won’t talk about this anymore. However, framing me for this charge wasn’t entirely unjust. I did it intentionally...”

Before he finished, Qu You interrupted, “Tsk. They had committed actual crimes in the past. You unearthed their cases and arrested them according to the law. How is that framing? These villains committed crimes and tried to absolve themselves. Yet here you are, adding guilt to yourself.”

She angrily continued walking with him, grumbling, “Speaking of which, it’s a problem with the penal code and the authority of the judicial department. These people committed crimes but were never punished. Their cases were shelved. Without you, they would’ve escaped. The Ministry of Justice should establish detailed accountability and oversight laws. The current penal system is practically useless. Who can seek justice from it? The court is full of power struggles and factional disputes. Earlier, both you and Zhi Ling encountered such issues—even the elderly woman buying supplies for the Liu family thinks seeking justice from the government is futile. If this continues, what will become of us?”

Realizing she had said too much, she awkwardly fell silent. Zhou Tan touched her hair with mild surprise and said seriously, “There are too few people like you in the court... My lady, if you were to serve as an official, you’d surely be as upright and clear-minded as Chao Ci.”

Qu You felt somewhat embarrassed by his praise and quickly changed the subject, “By the way, what you were saying earlier...”

“I mentioned all this to let you know that even if this Wu Mansion is a den of dragons and tigers, you needn’t worry,” Zhou Tan said softly. “The most dangerous person in the entire mansion is by your side. After staying in the Ministry of Justice for so long, unless I wish it, no one can threaten me.”

His tone was calm and indifferent, as though narrating the most ordinary event. Yet his arrogance and confidence were almost overflowing. Qu You felt dizzy with admiration. In truth, she hadn’t worried at all.

After all, Zhou Tan might have forgotten that today’s plan was devised by both her and him.

As they approached the main hall, they heard the sound of men laughing. Wu Fen personally greeted Zhou Tan from afar upon seeing him. “Lord Zhou! I was just telling everyone about you. I didn’t expect you to honor us with your presence today, bringing your wife along... Separate seating arrangements for men and women; I’ll have someone guide the lady to the female guests’ side.”

Seeing the people in the main hall, Qu You quickly raised her fan to cover her face. She made a funny face behind the fan. Zhou Tan lowered his eyelids slightly to signal her to go. She pretended and said politely, “Thank you, Lord Wu.”

Wu Fen had only seen Zhou Tan leading a graceful woman from afar before and hadn’t clearly seen her appearance. When he came out to greet them, he intended to get a closer look, but unexpectedly, the woman from Bian Du was so proper that she immediately raised her hand to cover her face.

Through the gauze fan, he caught a glimpse of her features and instantly felt captivated. Her voice was equally enchanting, causing him to involuntarily exclaim, “Lady Zhou, you’re too kind.”

Zhou Tan seemed to notice Wu Fen’s gaze, his expression turning cold. He immediately strode into the hall. Wu Fen watched regretfully for a moment before following Zhou Tan back into the hall.

Qu You, accompanied by Hexing, was led to a side room by a young maid.

Today was the thirtieth birthday of Wu Fen’s wife, Wang Yi Ran. Wu Fen held absolute authority in Ruo Zhou, and Wang Yi Ran’s brother was Wang Ju Qian, so naturally, everyone paid their respects. Virtually all the prominent women of Ruo Zhou were present.

“My old lady said yesterday that she was unwell and couldn’t attend Lady Wang’s birthday banquet. She asked me to bring a pair of jade bracelets as an apology, saying they’re fine goods from Liangzhou. I hope Lady Zhi doesn’t mind.”

Wang Yi Ran sat listlessly in her chair as a plump middle-aged woman chattered incessantly, smiling broadly. “...My son and nephew are under General Wang’s command. Please, Lady Wang, take care of them.”

Wang Yi Ran managed a strained smile, “Of course, Lady Zhongjiang is too polite.”

The woman referred to as “Lady Zhongjiang” returned to her seat, laughing and chatting with those on either side while drinking tea. Amidst their conversation, they suddenly mentioned Qu You: “Earlier, someone said the new deputy governor’s wife has arrived. Oh my, I hear she’s a noblewoman from Bian Du, with high standards. But in the end, she still came to show respect to our Lady Zhi. Come to think of it, I’d like to see what differences there are between the girls raised in Bian Du’s affluent circles and ours.”

Compared to those from Bian Du, we are coarse frontier folk, unworthy of mention,” another woman beside her laughed. “I fear this noblewoman won’t tolerate the hardships of Ruo Zhou’s wind and sand and will look down on us.”

Laughter filled the room. As Qu You approached the hall, she heard a sharp laugh. “I invited her to a spring outing earlier, but she declined. Whoever she is, does she think she can put on airs in Ruo Zhou? I want to see what kind of beauty Bian Du produces. Can any random girl compare to the top beauty of Ruo Zhou under the Left Commandant’s household?”

The young Miss Zuo performed a courtesy behind her mother’s back and arrogantly said, “Auntie flatters me.”

Before she even appeared, how had she drawn so much animosity? Back in Bian Du, despite her fame spreading widely, few dared to offend her. Gong Yu Ying disliked her because of her drumming, which was considered inappropriate behavior for a woman.

The usual drama of women bullying each other and seeking revenge was something she rarely experienced firsthand.

Thinking of this, Qu You became highly intrigued. She coughed lightly, holding her fan in front of her face, mimicking the delicate lotus steps that Gao Yun Yue once demonstrated when criticizing her for walking too boldly. With graceful strides, she entered the room.

The room fell silent.

Holding her fan, she couldn’t see the expressions of the crowd. She curtsied slightly and said gently, “I’ve been unwell these past few days and missed the ladies’ invitations. I apologize here.”