Chapter Eight: From Dawn Till Eleven, No Days Off All Year Round!

Li Yunjie, triumphant after his victory, walked with an air of swagger. On the way, he purchased a roast goose and gnawed at it as he went.

“Master,” Eleven mumbled as he chewed on a goose leg, “why do you think Chancellor Su would risk opposing the Crown Prince, just to protect the Taihu Academy?”

Li Yunjie smacked his lips. “Eleven, how much do you know about the affairs of the court?”

“Not a clue.” Eleven shook his head. After so many years by Li Yunjie’s side, he understood the ladies of Drunken Moon Pavilion and the musicians of the Music Bureau well enough. As for the court… well.

Li Yunjie casually handed the roast goose to a beggar by the roadside and sighed lightly. “Above the third rank, every minister in the court is from a noble family.”

“Some are born in Rome, while others can never reach Rome in their lifetime.”

“Where’s Rome?” Eleven scratched his head, puzzled.

Li Yunjie chuckled. “This capital city is Rome.”

He wiped his hands on Eleven’s sleeve and continued, “The Imperial College prizes pure bloodlines and pedigree.”

“The Taihu Academy believes in teaching all, regardless of status or birth.”

“The academy stands rooted in the world beyond the court.”

“The Imperial College, however, is loyal to the halls of power.”

Hearing this, Eleven seemed to grasp something, his eyes widened as he interrupted, “Master, I get it! The Taihu Academy is the path for the commoners to reach Rome!”

Li Yunjie smiled with satisfaction. Although Eleven was still immature, he was quick-witted.

The two hummed tunes, chatting and laughing as they returned to the Chancellor’s residence.

As soon as they entered, they bumped into Su Qingmeng, fully armored.

“Has the house been robbed?” Li Yunjie teased.

Su Qingmeng’s expression was awkward—neither quite happy nor surprised.

“No!” she replied.

“Then what’s this?” Li Yunjie eyed the purple-gold iron armor she wore.

“On duty!” Su Qingmeng declared firmly. “Yes! On duty!”

She certainly couldn’t tell Li Yunjie she was planning to storm the execution ground.

“Oh.” Li Yunjie glanced at the sky. “Commander of the Imperial Guard, and you have night duty?”

Su Qingmeng grunted, heading north.

“The Imperial Guard is south!” Li Yunjie reminded kindly.

Without a word, Su Qingmeng changed direction, marching south.

“Eleven,” Li Yunjie stroked his chin, “don’t you think she’s acting a little strange today?”

“What’s strange?” Eleven was baffled.

“Never mind,” Li Yunjie sighed. “Talking to you is like speaking to a child.”

Back in his room, Li Yunjie lounged comfortably on his bed, letting go of his fatigue.

Now that his life was no longer threatened, he finally had time to ponder other matters.

For example: as a fallen heir, why would Su Ming invite him to marry into the family? What did he stand to gain?

Li Yunjie tried to search the memories of his predecessor for answers.

Yet every time he closed his eyes, his mind filled with indecent scenes.

There was a mole on Shishi’s foot from Drunken Moon Pavilion.

Wan’er from the Music Bureau had a scar on her thigh.

And so on…

No wonder this body was as frail as a youth who lived for only thirteen days.

Li Yunjie beat his chest in frustration.

How long would it take to recover!

Clearly, relying on his own memories wouldn’t yield any answers.

So Li Yunjie tentatively asked Eleven, “Do you know what the old master of the Su family saw in me?”

Eleven snorted, “I’m puzzled too.”

“Master, apart from your looks, you don’t really have much else.”

“What exactly did Chancellor Su see in you?”

As always, Eleven was blunt.

Li Yunjie’s heart sank, and he sighed inwardly.

He might as well not have asked.

Just as he was about to rest, there came a knock at the door.

“Son-in-law, Miss Qingmeng wishes to discuss something with you.”

Su Qingmeng?

Li Yunjie frowned. Off duty so soon?

Indeed, slacking off seemed to be a universal habit, regardless of era.

He arrived at Su Qingmeng’s chamber. She had removed her armor and donned a deep purple dress.

No sooner had Li Yunjie entered than he felt a wave of pressure.

Once he was seated, Su Qingmeng got straight to the point, “May I ask, how did you solve the case?”

Seeing the curiosity in her eyes, Li Yunjie felt secretly pleased.

His posture straightened instantly.

“Well,” Li Yunjie smirked, “it was nothing, really—a minor trick.”

Su Qingmeng’s face darkened. “Speak.”

Just one word, yet full of authority.

“Why so fierce?” Li Yunjie pouted. “Is this how you ask for guidance?”

Rolling his eyes, Li Yunjie then recounted the process of solving the case.

“So yesterday, you went to Drunken Moon Pavilion to find a witness?”

After hearing the story, Su Qingmeng felt a bit guilty for having wrongly accused him the day before.

“What else? My life was in danger—did you think I went there for music and wine?”

“That makes sense,” Su Qingmeng realized.

“So, Father long knew everything was connected to the Crown Prince?”

Li Yunjie nodded.

He found this quite surprising as well.

Earlier at the Ministry of Justice, he had noticed dried bloodstains on Zhou Jingzhi’s chest—not a fresh wound, nor the left arm injury Su Qingmeng had inflicted.

Li Yunjie thought it odd at the time.

If his guess was right, Su Ming had already uncovered the truth and caught Zhou Jingzhi ahead of him.

No wonder, on the way to the Ministry of Justice that morning, when Li Yunjie revealed Zhou Jingzhi as the culprit, Su Ming showed not the slightest surprise.

“How could I have missed it!”

Su Qingmeng slapped the table, startling Li Yunjie.

The realization dawned on her delicate face, making her look almost adorable.

“Chancellor Su,” Li Yunjie teased, “are you sure you didn’t get your position through connections?”

Su Qingmeng pouted angrily, “The Imperial Guard doesn’t handle cases anyway.”

“I was wrong earlier,” Su Qingmeng poured a cup of wine and said straightforwardly, “Let this cup be my apology.”

She drank it down in one gulp.

Though Su Qingmeng was tough, she knew right from wrong.

At least her apology was sincere.

Li Yunjie wasn't one to fuss over details, so he joined her for a drink and replied, “It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Su Qingmeng poured another, “May I ask what plans you have for the future?”

This question struck the heart of the matter.

Li Yunjie stroked his chin, falling into deep thought.

He had hoped that, once the case was solved, he could sever ties with Su Qingmeng with a divorce letter.

He hadn’t expected to offend the Crown Prince.

Without the protection of the Chancellor’s residence, he wouldn’t survive three days in the capital.

Yet living under another’s roof made him deeply uncomfortable.

Especially with a fierce wife at home, ready to resort to violence at the slightest provocation.

How could anyone bear this?

No matter how he thought about it, Li Yunjie couldn’t find a solution.

“If you haven’t made plans, then I’ll make arrangements myself,” Su Qingmeng said.

So she had already prepared for this!

Li Yunjie frowned.

Given Su Qingmeng’s formidable character, she certainly wouldn’t come up with anything pleasant.

As expected, she produced a thick stack of booklets from who knows where and handed them to Li Yunjie.

“Though our marriage is in name only, you are still my husband.”

“As a son-in-law of the Su family, you cannot be useless.”

Li Yunjie took the booklets nervously and flipped through them, drawing a sharp breath.

Good heavens! From the beginning to the end of the month, from dawn to midnight, every hour was scheduled!

Up at five, done at eleven—year-round, no breaks!

Even a mule in a work team wouldn’t be so busy!

Reading and training were one thing, but even eating, drinking, and relieving himself had set times.

Wasn’t this just like being in prison?