Chen Siheng, with a desperation tinged in his demeanor, wielded his dagger that gleamed sharply and fiercely aimed it towards Chu Mingyun.
As Chu Mingyun turned around, he effortlessly caught Chen Siheng's hand and flung him away. Chen Siheng fell hard to the ground, his dagger flying out of his grip. Without a glance at his fallen weapon, he rose and charged again, swinging his arms wildly without technique, managing to forcefully rip apart Chu Mingyun's hairband, causing his raven-black hair to scatter over his shoulders.
Chu Mingyun, running out of patience, flipped Chen Siheng to the ground and stepped on his shoulder, pinning him down and rendering him immobile. "What the hell are you trying?" Chu Mingyun scrutinized him.
With eyes reddened, Chen Siheng's voice was almost a roar, "You killed her! You killed her!"
Chu Mingyun scoffed, "Oh? You've been enchanted by a pretty woman before you've even grown up?"
"She saved me! Only she did!" Tears streamed down Chen Siheng's face as he continued, "You claim to be my grandfather's colleagues, claiming justice for me. But where were you when my family was ruined, and I was left alone? Only she was there! She was the only one who rescued me from the blaze!"
"If she hadn't been the cause of your family's ruin, would there have been a need for her to rescue you?" Chu Mingyun coldly retorted.
"You're talking nonsense!" Chen Siheng glared at him, "I don't believe a word you say!"
Su Shiyu approached, looked down at him, and asked, "You just said that Miss Jing Shu rescued you from the fire, didn't you?"
"Yes!"
"Do you remember what you told me at Hongxiu Zhao?" Su Shiyu pressed on.
Chen Siheng was momentarily speechless.
Su Shiyu slowly continued, "She said, you escaped from the mansion on your own and then fainted in front of her carriage." He looked down at Chen Siheng, adding, "You know there's something wrong with Miss Jing Shu, don't you?"
Chen Siheng remained silent.
"Are you deliberately ignoring and avoiding these things because you're afraid that once they're acknowledged, you'll have nothing to lean on?" The man's voice was gentle, each word shattering the self-deception Chen Siheng clung to for breath.
Closing his eyes, Chen Siheng lay on the ground, drained of all strength, as clear tears slid down his pale cheeks to the ground.
Chu Mingyun looked down at him, then suddenly spoke, "Another thing, when did we ever say we would make decisions for you?"
Chen Siheng opened his eyes, staring at him blankly.
"How old are you, kid?" asked Chu Mingyun.
"Fifteen."
"Fifteen...?" Chu Mingyun leaned forward slightly, looking into Chen Siheng's eyes. His loose hair hid his expression, and Su Shiyu could only see his eyes, bright and clear in the dawn light, his voice smooth and emotionless, "So what if you're fifteen? From the moment your family was destroyed, you were no longer a child. You can't think about relying on anyone; you have to stand up on your own. If you don't seek to avenge your family's blood feud, who will?"
"...But what can I do?" Chen Siheng whispered, choking up. "I don't understand anything. Anyone can easily kill me, how can I seek revenge?"
"Why be modest," Chu Mingyun flicked his hair back coolly, "Wasn't there still some foolishness in you wanting to kill me just now?"
"...Lord Chu." Su Shiyu couldn't help but speak up.
Chu Mingyun turned his head and smiled at Su Shiyu, then glanced at Chen Siheng on the ground, "Enough with this half-dead appearance. Why are you trying to show off? I'll take care of you on behalf of Chen Xuanwen, but beyond that, I won't interfere. Whatever you want to learn or whoever you seek revenge on, it's up to you." He paused, then added, "However, if you try to stab me again with that hot-blooded head of yours, I'll break your legs, understand?"
The young man's rebellious spirit was finally ignited by Chu Mingyun. Chen Siheng, on guard, stared at him. "You said that Jing Shu's sister saving me is to harm me. Why should I believe you? How do I know you're not going to use me too?"
Chu Mingyun leisurely looked him up and down from head to toe. "What do you think you have that I could possibly want to use?"
Ignoring his question, Chen Siheng clenched his teeth and persisted, "Why should I believe you?"
Finally, Chu Mingyun lost his patience. "Believe it or not, it's up to you. If not, just lie here and wait for the wolves to come for you." With that, he turned and walked away.
Chen Siheng was taken aback for a moment.
Su Shiyu couldn't help but chuckle softly, reaching out to grab Chu Mingyun's arm to stop him. Turning to Chen Siheng, who was still lying on the ground, he asked, "Do you know who he is?"
Chen Siheng shook his head in confusion.
"Do you know about the Chu general who defeated the Xiongnu?"
Chen Siheng nodded, halfway through, then froze, seemingly realizing something as he stared in shock at Chu Mingyun's figure.
Su Shiyu smiled lightly, "Even if he adopted you to use you, couldn't you use him even more? You can't do martial arts now, don't you plan to learn?"
Chen Siheng got up, hesitantly looking at them. "But he clearly said he wouldn't care..."
Su Shiyu's smile deepened, "I guess if you can annoy him enough, there might be a chance."
"Mr. Su..." Chu Mingyun looked at him with a complex expression.
"But he..."
"He hasn't broken your legs yet, has he?" Su Shiyu said with a smile. "Aren't you coming?"
Chen Siheng hesitated to step forward.
Su Shiyu glanced at the sky and sighed lightly, "We still have to attend the morning court later. If you delay any longer, you really won't have a chance."
Chen Siheng hurriedly followed, looking uneasily at the side profile of Chu Mingyun. "Chu..."
Chu Mingyun glanced at him nonchalantly, then looked at Su Shiyu, who was smiling broadly, and walked away.
Chu Mingyun finally settled Chen Siheng in a secluded mansion outside the city. He himself hurriedly tied up his hair and changed his clothes before entering the palace.
The royal furnace wafted fragrance, and the orioles sang endlessly. The dawn bell of the Golden Palace opened ten thousand doors, and a thousand officials were surrounded by the jade steps with their immortal staffs.
Yongle Square had been sealed off, but no traces of the third-party forces that Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu suspected were found. Only the two of them knew about Chen Siheng's situation, so the Minister of Punishment, Lu Shi, reported the handling of the underground gambling den to the Emperor as if it were a mere routine. The only point of doubt in the case was that, despite the apparent wealth and prosperity of the place, there was no treasury for storing money.
After hearing the report, Li Yanzheng, following custom, comforted and praised the efforts, saying that they could continue to investigate slowly.
It seemed like a common case, but who was aware of the turbulent undercurrents beneath it?
After the court session, Chu Mingyun walked out of the Golden Hall, and Xu Yin hurriedly followed him, respectfully saying, "Lord Chu."
"Hmm?" Chu Mingyun glanced at him. "What is it?"
"Well..." Xu Yin smiled sheepishly, "It's not a big deal. My son has always been reckless. I never thought he would go to such a place this time, and even got dragged into prison..."
Chu Mingyun quietly waited for him to finish.
"Although it would only be a few days before he could be released, as an official, I only have this one son. He has never suffered much since he was young. Moreover, my elderly mother loves her grandson dearly. She was so distressed upon hearing the news last night that she couldn't sleep at all..." Xu Yin spoke at length, observing Chu Mingyun's indifferent expression, before finally getting to the point, "I heard that Lord Chu has contributed significantly to the Yongle Fang case. Therefore, I was hoping Lord Chu could make some arrangements to have my unfilial son released earlier."
Chu Mingyun suddenly laughed, saying, "Your son mentioned he wanted to sleep with me. Were you aware of this?"
Xu Yin's face turned pale, and he dared not meet his gaze, stuttering, "This... This is indeed, I will surely reprimand him severely in the future, and I hope Lord Chu can be magnanimous."
Chu Mingyun scoffed, coldly stating, "You don't have to be so frightened. I wasn't planning to take his life over a single sentence." He paused, his tone becoming slightly amused, "But as the saying goes, to fail to teach one's child is the father's fault."
"Yes, what Lord Chu said is true, my parenting is flawed..." Xu Yin hastily replied.
"I wasn't referring to that," Chu Mingyun said softly, stepping forward to look him directly in the eye, "How you discuss me in private is usually of no concern to me, but it's still better to follow some rules, after all. I am known for being unpredictable, wouldn't you agree?" His voice lifted slightly, carrying a hint of amusement. Xu Yin broke into a cold sweat, not daring to respond.
Chu Mingyun then turned away and walked off. During this conversation, Su Shiyu had already moved a few yards away. Chu Mingyun followed, calling out, "Minister Su."
"Minister Su?" He raised his voice, calling out twice, but Su Shiyu continued to walk ahead, paying him no heed.
Chu Mingyun raised an eyebrow, drawing out his tone as he said, "Darling-"
Su Shiyu turned around, looking at him with a hint of helplessness, "Does Master Chu need something?"
"I haven't even held Chen Siheng's matter against you, why are you still so indifferent towards me?" Chu Mingyun walked alongside him, heading outside, "After what happened last night, shouldn't we at least have some sort of connection?"
Having roamed through brothels and caused trouble together, their connection was more than just a little.
Su Shiyu smiled faintly, "What is it that Master Chu wishes to say?"
"How about we take this opportunity to have a proper chat, reminisce about the past, and share our thoughts?" Chu Mingyun pondered for a moment, "Don't you think we're quite a match, Master Su?"
"..." Su Shiyu said, "After staying up all night, it's best for Master Chu to go back and rest."