Chapter 55 (2/2)

The Minister walked to the window, turning his back to her. “Jianqiu, do not meddle in this case anymore. Whatever happens to Feng Luodi in the end cannot be changed.”

“Father!” Qi Jianqiu gasped her father’s coldness. “You know how close I am to Luodi! If anything happens to her, I will blame you for it!”

The Minister turned around, his gaze fiery and bright. “Jianqiu, do you know who is speaking up for her in the court now?”

“I know that there is the Duke of Anping and the Grand Tutor.” Qi Jianqiu pursed her lips. “I’m sure Chamberlain Feng is also trying to clear his daughter’s name.”

“Hmph!” The Minister snorted. “Like you said, the Grand Tutor has already spoken up on her behalf; there is no way I will do the same.”

“Why!” Qi Jianqiu was close to tears. “Is this just because the Grand Tutor is working with the Heir?”

“I’m glad you know that.”

“But Father!” Qi Jianqiu was getting worked up. “I know that you’ve always been neutral in court when it came to such matters, but this concerns Luodi’s life! Just do it for me, will you? I’m sure the Emperor will not cla.s.sify you as a supporter of the Heir just because of this one trivial matter! Moreover, isn’t the throne going to be handed down to the Heir one day anyway? You'll end up swearing fealty to the Heir sooner or later!”

“Shut up!” The Minister glared at her. “The matters of the court are not something a simple woman like you can discuss about. I will pretend that I did not hear anything today, and you will remember not to say anything like this again. Let me say this one more time: I will not do anything for Feng Luodi’s case. You can forget about it.”

“Father!” Tears finally spilled out of her eyes. “You are such a disappointment!” Qi Jianqiu turned and fled the study, b.u.mping into the head steward who had entered.

“Master, what has happened to the young miss?” Rui Bo asked hesitatingly.

“Let her be. Send a few men to follow her, in case she does anything foolish again.” The Minister sighed.

Qi Jianqiu dashed out of the Qi household, upset and angry at her father. She wiped at her eyes, not knowing who else to turn to.

“Jianqiu, are you alright?” Xue Yiqi was out with Gan Qingjia, and b.u.mped into Qi Jianqiu coincidentally.

“Oh, it’s you two.” Qi Jianqiu looked at the two of them through blurry eyes and quickly wiped her eyes dry. An idea clicked in her head. “Can you bring me into the Duke of Anping’s residence?”

“Of course! But…but…just stop crying, alright?” It was Xue Yiqi’s first time seeing the tears of a maiden, and he was at a loss of what to do.

“Who said I was crying!” Qi Jianqiu glared at him.

“Oh…oh…yeah, no, you definitely weren’t crying.” Xue Yiqi stuttered.

Gan Qingjia thought for a moment, and patted Xue Yiqi on the shoulder. “Bring her to the residence. I just remembered that I have somewhere else to be.” He turned and left hurriedly, not sparing a look at Qi Jianqiu, while Xue Yiqi quickly brought Qi Jianqiu to the residence of the Duke of Anping.

They headed straight into the antechamber, where they saw Situ and Jiang Moyin sitting opposite each other, the Administrator standing beside them, sweat beading his face.

“What brings the two of you here?” A stark contrast from his usual behaviour, there was no smile on Jiang Moyin’s face as he looked at them.

“She wanted to come here.” Xue Yiqi shrugged. “What’s wrong? Why do all of you look so upset?”

Situ and Jiang Moyin stayed silent, while the Administrator quickly briefed them on the situation. “I’ve just received his Majesty’s edict, and we only have three more days to wrap up Miss Feng’s case.” The Administrator wiped at his brow again. I’ve always known that General Situ is a strict and fierce man, but I’ve never seen this side of the Grand Tutor.

“The Emperor himself? Since when did he care about the minor investigations handed by the yamen?” Xue Yiqi was perplexed.

“I knew the 7th Prince was up to no good when I saw him coming out from the palace! I’m sure he's responsible for this sudden ultimatum!” The words burst out of Qi Jianqiu’s mouth.

“The 7th Prince was in the palace?” Situ spoke for the first time.

Qi Jianqiu nodded. “He just left the palace not long ago. I saw him coming out of the Emperor’s study with a smug grin on his face. I had a bad feeling about it, and quickly rushed to see you guys.”

“I knew this would involve the 7th Prince sooner or later.” Jiang Moyin narrowed his eyes. He turned to Situ. “Have your men found anything useful yet?”

Situ’s face was dark. “About as much as yours have. I need more time.”

The Administrator reminded gently. “We have three days left.” Four glares burned holes in his tunic, and he quickly kept quiet again, mopping at his brow.

“I can’t be of any help at all!” Qi Jianqiu whined. “Can I at least see Luodi? She must be feeling horrible, confined in that small room!”

“But…that's against the rules, Miss Qi.” The Administrator had no choice but to try to stop her.

“Just makes sure word doesn’t get out then!” Qi Jianqiu snapped at him.

“Alright…alright. I’ll get someone to bring you there.” The Administrator’s face crumpled, and he shuffled out of the room, followed closely by Qi Jianqiu.

At the same time, the head steward entered the room and looked at Situ. “Chamberlain Feng seeks your audience. He is waiting outside the residence now.”

Situ and Jiang Moyin exchanged a look. “Show him in.”

“I will take my leave, then. The capital is a little chaotic these days, and there is much I have to do in the Imperial Army.” Xue Yiqi quickly excused himself.