The punishment of the female imperial court

Chapter 285 Fang Jie
The iron chains scraped against the blue bricks with Yu Qiansi's movements, making a harsh sound, and the candlelight flickered into cold starlight in her eyes.

"The Lord of Yunzhong was perfectly capable, ruling half of the Great Sheng Kingdom in the shadows. How old were you ten years ago? Why did you have to get involved in the case of Empress Mingde?"

A gust of wind swept past the window, nearly extinguishing the candlelight. In the flickering light, Yu Qiansi saw a huge shadow on the wall distorting with the flickering flame.

The shadowy figure clearly had the Xuan Tie token of Yunzhongdang hanging from its waist, while the hem of its robe revealed the silver fish pouch of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

"The Ghost Market, hidden in the shadows of the people, is an excellent shield." Yu Qiansi loosened the iron chain in her hand, letting it smash to the ground with a cracking sound. "But if it gets involved with imperial power, this shield becomes a deadly blade."

Once Yun Zhongjun has a concrete identity and stands in the light, these shields will turn into deadly blades.

"Why would a perfectly respectable Master Yu wade into the murky waters of the capital?" Shang Fu asked with a hint of frivolous amusement in his eyes, as if he were genuinely interested in the answer.

However, they were all powerless to control their own lives.

Besides, these are not what Yun Zhongjun cares about.

"Lord Yu can see the Ghost Market's influence in the shadows, but can't a sage see it? No emperor would allow another king to reign over his own land."

Ten years ago, the ghost market was wiped out, and his uncle also died as a result.

Shang Fu: "My uncle is such a devoted man. He fell in love with a woman he shouldn't have. Not only did he give her two treasures that only the Lord of the Ghost Market could control, but he also chose to remain unmarried for life because of her."

But in the end, it only led to the destruction of the ghost market.

“My uncle had no children, so my father had no choice but to send me, his youngest son, out to inherit the Ghost Market.”

Yu Qiansi was taken aback, then understood the key point: "Your merchants are quite powerful, one faction operates in the shadows, while the other is active in the imperial court."

However, Shang Fu was already the second son of the Shang family before his uncle's accident, so he had no choice but to live under this dual identity.

Under the candlelight, Shang Fu removed the wide ring from his hand, the inside of which was still stained with rouge. As the simple and exquisite square ring was slipped onto his finger, the candlelight flowed across the yazi (mythical beast) pattern carved on the ring face, reflecting the two scarlet gemstones at the dragon's eyes.

"In order to avoid repeating the same mistake, I have no choice but to cooperate with the people in the Daming Palace."

At that time, the new emperor was young, and the Duke of Qi's mansion held the most power, but that Lin woman was insane. Perhaps she played a part in the destruction of the Ghost Market back then.

He naturally cannot choose.

"So, your ally is still in the Daming Palace?" Yu Qiansi looked at the small ring and said coldly, "And is he also your ally who made you kill Princess Lin'an?"

Shang Fu knew she recognized the ring mark. He looked at his hand, and the ring face changed patterns under the light.

“I knew it, Lord Yu would discover the ring mark on the corpse.” Shang Fu admired the candlelight reflected on the ring face, as if examining a work of art.

No wonder I didn't see Yun Zhongjun wearing a ring yesterday.

Presumably, they were afraid she would notice that the marks on this ring were almost identical to those on the corpse in Lin'an.

Yu Qiansi recalled the woman whose face was blurred, who had been tormented throughout her life in the deep palace. She gripped the chains tightly, the sharp metal edges digging into her palm.

"The sage has no intention of making peace through marriage, and besides, there is already a 'princess''s' corpse. Why are your allies still unwilling to let her go?"

They even went so far as to have Shang Fu take action himself. "Lord Yu understands that if we're going to form an alliance, there has to be a pledge of loyalty."

The reason that person made him wear Yun Zhongjun's ring to kill Lin'an was simply to leave a clue for Yu Qiansi.

Unfortunately, the person only said they wanted to wear a ring, but didn't specify whether it should be worn right-side up or inside out.

Lin'an turned out to be nothing more than a pledge of allegiance.

As Yu Qian Si calmed her anger, she found everything laughable and absurd.

“Your ally sounds like no ordinary person. I don’t believe Lin’an is just a token of loyalty.”

"I don't know about that. I'm afraid of death; the more I know, the faster I'll die. So I don't ask about things that don't concern me; I just do as they say. That's the attitude a reassuring ally should have, right?" Shang Fu said provocatively, "I advise Lord Yu to ask less questions; that way, he'll live longer."

"As for Lin'an," he sighed dramatically, "it's just that she has bad luck. Don't worry, I hired the best shaman in the ghost market to perform a seven-day, seven-night ritual for her. She will definitely be reborn into a good family in her next life."

Yu Qiansi's fingertips traced the lock on her ankle, the cold touch of the metal making her thoughts clearer. She deliberately made the chains clatter softly, her gaze fixed on Shang Fu's every subtle expression: "Your brother has been targeting me at every turn, was that at your behest?"

The candlelight flickered suddenly, casting Shang Fu's profile in and out of the light. He chuckled softly, turning the square ring around; its jade color reflected the candlelight, casting flowing ripples on the curtains. "What does Lord Yu think?"

Yu Qian laughed at herself for being so naive.

He knew he wouldn't easily trust someone so full of flaws.

Therefore, he deliberately exposed the suspicious aspects of himself.

False and false, true and false.

He first used Ya Yin to set up a scheme in his villa, drawing suspicion onto himself. Ironically, this deliberate act and coincidence temporarily made her set aside her suspicions about him and instead turn her suspicions to his brother, who seemed to be at odds with the Chief Justice.

The chains rattled as Yu Qiansi adjusted her posture. She sneered, "To clear your name, you'd even drag your own brother into this." Her fingertips secretly slipped into her hair, finding a silver needle nestled within.

Fu suddenly leaned forward, his warm palm covering her eyes. Yu Qiansi could smell a hint of blood mixed with the scent of agarwood on his sleeve: "Don't look at me like that." His breath brushed against her ear, "I didn't hurt you, and I even kindly reminded Ya Yin. You should be thanking me, Lord Yu."

The sensations in the darkness were amplified. Yu Qiansi felt his ring brush against her temple; the cool, hard touch made her eyelashes tremble.

When the light returned, she saw Shang Fu with his back to her adjusting his sleeves, the candlelight illuminating the silver fish pouch at his waist.

“As for my elder brother,” he ran his fingertips along the worn lines on the fish bag, “he has always felt sorry for me since he was a child, so he always indulges me and helps me in everything.” He turned to look out the window, feigning profundity, “He is naturally happy to help divert Lord Yu’s attention from this trivial matter.”

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yu Qiansi lowered her head and quietly inserted the tip of the silver needle into the keyhole.

"You're the one who gave Ya Yin the blueprints too?" Her hands kept moving, and a faint clicking sound came from the lock cylinder.

Shang Fu suddenly leaned down, his shadow, carrying the scent of sandalwood, looming over him: "If I hadn't held you back that night..."

He lightly tapped the chain with his fingertips, pressing down on her hand that was trying to turn the spring. "Lord Yu has long since become a floating corpse in the moat."

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