"Miss!" He Nuan's attack intensified sharply. He Sheng, standing beside her, followed suit. As their voices fell, He Nuan had already broken through the encirclement of Qin Feng and the others, instantly reaching Zhan Feiyu's side.
"I'm fine." Winking at the worried He Nuan, Zhan Feiyu then puffed out her cheeks and raised her right hand, pulling the pendant from her neck out from her collar.
Lord Qiu and the others might not recognize it from far away in Qianzhong Circuit, but Lord Tao was a capital official. Thus, upon seeing the pendant on Zhan Feiyu's neck, Lord Tao's eyes widened in shock, followed by panic. The great saber in his hand clattered to the ground.
Was there something wrong with this jade pendant?
Lord Qiu, Lord Ge, and the Commander She who had just ordered the arrest all involuntarily looked towards the jade pendant in Zhan Feiyu's hand. Commander She, with the best eyesight, saw the carving on the jade pendant clearly and his expression changed drastically.
Throughout the Great Qing Dynasty, only the Emperor, the royal family, and the princes in the palace were qualified to wear jade ornaments carved with dragons. Zhan Feiyu came from a humble background; this dragon pendant must have been a gift from someone in the royal family.
Zhan Feiyu was a disciple of Scholar Gu. Because Scholar Gu was a solitary minister, several princes in the palace had tried to win him over multiple times without success. While not outright angered, they certainly held no good impression of Scholar Gu and his disciple Zhan Feiyu, so it was impossible for them to bestow a dragon pendant, a symbol of status, upon Zhan Feiyu. The only possibility was the Son of Heaven on the Golden Throne.
With a thud, Lord Tao's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, his head heavily bumping against the cold bluestone slabs. "This subordinate deserves death..."
The more arrogant Lord Tao had been when he attacked Zhan Feiyu with his saber, the more terrified and uneasy he was now. To dare to swing a saber at a dragon pendant representing the Emperor was regicide, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his family. Even if Lord Tao could argue that he did not know and it was an unintentional mistake, disrespecting the Emperor was a fact. Even if the Emperor showed leniency, Lord Tao's fifth-rank official position was over.
Lord Qiu and Lord Ge exchanged grave glances. Neither of them had expected such a turn of events. Their gazes were now complicated as they looked at Zhan Feiyu. Who would have thought that such a delicate and adorable young girl would unleash a killing blow with her first move, completely incapacitating Vice Minister Tao?
Although he was only a fifth-rank official, Vice Minister Tao had powerful backing. Even Lord Qiu, as the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Qianzhong Circuit, had to show him some deference. After all, no one knew which prince would ascend to the throne in the future, and no one dared to offend these capital officials who had already pledged allegiance to the princes.
"Take him away." Zhan Feiyu said crisply. Two hidden Imperial Guards appeared and apprehended the already limp Lord Tao, who was on the ground.
It's over, everything is over... Lord Tao's face was pale, devoid of any color. He stared blankly at Zhan Feiyu, then suddenly, as if stimulated, lunged towards her. "You caused this! It's you! Zhan Feiyu, may you die a terrible death..."
Unfortunately, his arms were held by the two Imperial Guards, preventing him from going berserk. His jaw was abruptly dislocated, leaving only his bloodshot eyes filled with deep-seated hatred fixed on Zhan Feiyu.
Zhan Feiyu said coldly, "Lord Tao has truly gone mad. If not for the Emperor's protection just now, this student would have been a soul lost to the blade."
With so many eyes watching in the courtroom, Zhan Feiyu had retreated to Lord Tao's side to avoid him. It was Lord Tao who suddenly drew the attendant's saber and swung it at Zhan Feiyu.
Although Lord Tao did not intend to kill, he used the flat of the saber against Zhan Feiyu. However, with this blow, Zhan Feiyu, a young girl, would likely not have been able to withstand it.
Lord Tao was a civil official but also an adult man. Scholars in the Great Qing Dynasty were proficient in the Six Gentlemanly Arts. Even if they were not skilled in archery, they were certainly not frail scholars who could not even lift a chicken. Therefore, if Lord Tao's blow had landed on Zhan Feiyu, she would have been bedridden for half a month.
But fate intervened coincidentally. Zhan Feiyu turned around at that moment. The saber swing aimed at her back landed directly on her chest and was partially blocked by the jade pendant she wore. Zhan Feiyu, unable to bear the force, fell to the ground, but the dragon pendant also sustained a crack from Lord Tao's saber.
This farce, caused by Lord Tao, ended as dramatically as it began. Zhan Feiyu and her group were temporarily housed in the courtyard behind the government office. Lord Tao was taken away by the Imperial Guards. As for where he was taken, Lord Qiu did not inquire, and Commander She dared not ask. Who would dare to question the actions of the Imperial Guards?
...
She had not slept all night, and then spent nearly two hours at the court in the morning. Lord Qiu was truly hungry now. Even a body of iron could not withstand such a ordeal.
"This is the ginseng soup that Mother sent." Qiu Huaixin took out the still warm white porcelain bowl from the food box. It was a large bowl, and one had been prepared for Qiu Huaixin as well.
After drinking the bowl of ginseng soup, Qiu Huaixin finally felt alive again. He couldn't help but ask, "Father, do you think Zhan Feiyu planned that?"
She had brought down Lord Tao without shedding a drop of blood! Qiu Huaixin felt as if he were watching a play from below the stage. How arrogant and overbearing Lord Tao had been in Qianzhong Circuit these past few days, relying on his status as a capital official and his backing from a prince, completely disregarding the officials of all ranks in Qianzhong Circuit. But in the blink of an eye, he had become a prisoner.
Lord Qiu put down his bowl and looked at his slightly troubled younger son. "Zhan Feiyu gave an order, and the Imperial Guards appeared to apprehend Vice Minister Tao. After He Sheng and He Nuan were entangled by Qin Feng and the others, was there any need for Zhan Feiyu to dodge to the side?"
She had the protection of the Imperial Guards, and Lord Qiu was presiding over the court. Although Lord Qiu had not intervened when Commander She and Lord Tao ordered the arrest, if they had truly intended to kill Zhan Feiyu, Lord Qiu would have certainly acted.
Therefore, Zhan Feiyu was not in any mortal danger, nor was there any need for her to retreat and dodge. Thus, her moving to Lord Tao's side was a trap, designed to lure Lord Tao into action.
At the same time, Commander She was not resting at the government office. He was currently in a two-courtyard residence not far from the government office.
Perhaps due to extreme anger, Commander She did not touch the table full of delicacies, only picking up his cup and downing a full cup of wine.
"My lord." His aide, with a worried expression, stood up and served Commander She a bowl of soup. "Drinking on an empty stomach is harmful. Please have some soup to line your stomach."
With a clang, the wine cup was heavily slammed onto the table. The force of the impact instantly shattered the cup, and Commander She's palm was cut by the sharp porcelain shards, blood dripping from between his fingers.
"This official underestimated Zhan Feiyu. A mere young girl is a ruthless and vicious character!" He gritted out the words through his teeth, his eyes filled with the stormy madness of rage. This thunderous wrath seemed intent on splitting Zhan Feiyu in the government office into dust.
The aide already knew what had happened in the court and said gently, "My lord, there is no need to be angry. His Majesty is a wise ruler, and calling him an emperor of all ages is not an exaggeration. Such petty tricks from Zhan Feiyu will not escape His Majesty's keen eye. Her daring to use the dragon pendant bestowed by the Emperor as a shield to frame Vice Minister Tao is, in the end, a crime of deceiving the Emperor."
Commander She's face darkened, and he remained silent. He picked up another wine cup and poured himself another drink, then downed it in one gulp. "In the court, Vice Minister Tao accused Zhan Feiyu of theft without any evidence, and this official ordered her arrest. To outsiders, Zhan Feiyu's actions were a last resort, done in self-preservation!"
Ultimately, it was Commander She and Lord Tao who had "used their power to bully others." Relying on their military authority, they had taken the opportunity to try and kill Zhan Feiyu. And Zhan Feiyu was merely a ten-year-old girl who, facing a life-or-death situation, had lost her composure. Even if she had framed Vice Minister Tao, it was understandable.
Furthermore, who could accuse Zhan Feiyu of doing it intentionally?
In that situation, Zhan Feiyu retreating to Vice Minister Tao's side, and then coincidentally turning around as Vice Minister Tao swung his saber, looked more like an accident, a coincidence. The truly guilty party was Vice Minister Tao.
Vice Minister Tao, as an official of the court, ordered the arrest without evidence, intending to extort a confession and deceive His Majesty – that was the first mistake. Attacking Zhan Feiyu, a young girl, with a saber was the second mistake. His attack was vicious; otherwise, the saber blow would not have cracked the jade pendant even through her clothes. This was the third mistake.
Commander She knew without even thinking that Vice Minister Tao was completely finished. Having fallen into the hands of the Imperial Guards, all of Vice Minister Tao's past deeds would be thoroughly investigated and presented before the Emperor. Coupled with those three mistakes, beheading at the Meridian Gate might be the only outcome.