At the Liu residence in Shuntian Prefecture, Bai Yuzhu stared blankly at her son, who had grown into a young man.
"Mother, may I know why you summoned me?" Liu Xiangdi asked, his face filled with bewilderment as he looked at his mother, a trace of childish innocence still on his features.
He had been standing there for a full quarter of an hour.
Yet his mother had not uttered a single word to him.
He looked at Bai Yuzhu, utterly confused.
"Why, why..." Bai Yuzhu, lost in her thoughts, looked up at Liu Xiangdi when she heard his voice.
He was truly handsome, with clear, fine features, fair skin, and a tall, slender build.
Having studied at Qingsong Academy for so long, he carried a faint scent of scholarly learning. His voice was soft when he spoke, tinged with a hint of caution.
Especially after hearing her nonsensical muttering, he became even more hesitant to speak, bending slightly and peeking up at his mother.
His expression conveyed both tentative curiosity and a desire to please.
"Di'er, Di'er, my good Di'er..." Tears welled up in Bai Yuzhu's eyes.
She had almost forgotten one thing.
Even if Liu Xiangdi was not the biological son of her husband,
He was still her child. She only needed to remember this; nothing else mattered!
Bai Yuzhu reached out to Liu Xiangdi, embracing him tightly, a wave of bitterness surging through her heart.
Just then, a trusted wet nurse approached and inquired, "Madam, Madam Li sent someone earlier saying that in gratitude for Madam Shen's life-saving grace, they have already sent a token of appreciation to the Shen family. Should we send one as well?"
Bai Yuzhu fell silent for a moment before asking, "When did this happen?"
"Around noon," Madam Ding replied softly, her head bowed.
At that time, Madam Ding had also come to relay the matter, explaining it exactly as it happened.
But her mistress's attitude had been firm: no, they would not send anything.
At that time, her obsession had not yet faded, and she had continued to believe that Su Xiaoqi had wronged her.
If it hadn't been for her exposing Kongshan's true face and revealing those unspeakable matters,
How could she have ended up in such a predicament?
She hadn't thought much, only wanting a child.
Why, oh why, would Heaven deny her even this small request?
No.
Heaven had given her a child, and it was Su Xiaoqi who wanted to snatch her child away.
Her child!
Bai Yuzhu hugged Liu Xiangdi and wept uncontrollably, frightening Madam Ding into silence.
However, Bai Yuzhu did not worry for long. She had Madam Ding discreetly investigate, and found that there were no rumors circulating on the streets about Kongshan's evil deeds.
Bai Yuzhu felt a slight sense of relief, secretly wondering if the matter had simply passed.
She pulled herself together and sent Liu Xiangdi, who had rushed back upon hearing of her indisposition, back to Qingshan Academy.
As the Ministry of Justice's investigation progressed, the case files pertaining to Kongshan grew taller, and more information was uncovered.
Moreover, every piece of information was extraordinary.
The individuals and matters involved in the case so terrified the Left Vice Minister of Justice, Wang Ci, that he suffered nightmares and sleepless nights, fearing that the case files might leak and be discovered by others.
If that happened, even if Kongshan deserved death, he himself would likely not escape unscathed.
He inwardly cursed, wondering who had brought this disaster upon him, introducing such a harmful entity. Wasn't this like using a lantern in a latrine—searching for shit (death)?
Wang Ci dared not delay. He immediately took the thick case files to the imperial palace, intending to report the matter.
However, the trip was not smooth. Before he could even enter the palace, he was informed that the Emperor was unwell and would not be seeing officials for the time being, and he was instructed to return and await further notice.
Wang Ci was filled with dread.
Holding the pile of papers felt like cradling a firecracker, with the constant worry that it might suddenly explode.
But with no one above to report to, the case files had to be temporarily returned to the Ministry of Justice.
Tonight, however, he was destined to lose sleep.
In this world, sometimes it is such that the more a person fears something, the more it is bound to happen.
The next day, Wang Ci no longer had to worry about the case files being lost, because the Ministry of Justice's main hall had been burglarized, and all case files related to Kongshan were stolen.
Upon hearing the news, Wang Ci was on his way to the Ministry of Justice's main hall to retrieve the case files and present them to the Emperor.
Upon hearing this, he immediately fainted.
Within a few days, storytellers appeared in the major tea houses in the capital, recounting several anecdotes.
The protagonists or their backgrounds differed, as did their family standings, but they all shared one common trait: seeking children!
For example, a wife in a certain family, who had been married for years without conceiving, devoted herself to Buddhism.
She burned high-quality incense at a certain temple and recited Buddhist scriptures for an entire day. Shortly after returning, she became pregnant and gave birth to a son ten months later.
Or consider a family that had several daughters in a row. The husband then also sought a child through prayer, and his wish was granted.
Another family was quite interesting.
A man had married and taken in no fewer than ten concubines.
Yet only his main wife, who had prayed for a child at a certain temple, gave birth to a son. All the others remained childless...
Tea houses and similar places were already places where people from all walks of life gathered. Once these stories were told, they immediately attracted a large audience.
For those few days, every tea house was packed, much to the delight of the tea house owners.
Su Xiaoqi received the news immediately.
As someone involved in the matter, she naturally knew that these stories referred to Kongshan's quest for a child.
But Shen Yun had previously said that he had handed the case over to the Ministry of Justice.
Logically, according to the procedures of judicial investigation, the Ministry of Justice would first interrogate, and if the case was minor, they would decide on their own.
If the case was major, it would be reported to the Emperor, who would then decide how to proceed.
This case was no minor matter; it spanned twenty years and involved many highly placed individuals within the court.
Once this information was rashly disclosed, it would absolutely lead to great trouble.
Yet, the matter had been made public, and in the manner of tea house storytellers.
Within a few days, it had become a widespread sensation, known to everyone.
Such turmoil was definitely not what the Emperor would want to see.
Therefore, Su Xiaoqi found it somewhat strange. Who was pulling the strings behind this?
Was it Shen Yun? Or that so-called "network"?
And the unseen hands lurking in the background?
Su Xiaoqi was completely baffled.
She waited wholeheartedly for Shen Yun to return and question him.
However, she did not wait for him to return. Instead, she received another piece of news.
"Master, things are not good. It seems someone is targeting you," Zhang Yu rushed back from outside.
Su Xiaoqi asked her to elaborate.
"Recently, the stories told by the storytellers have changed, but they are still related to seeking children."
Su Xiaoqi nodded, "Didn't that old storyteller mention earlier that there were dozens or hundreds of protagonists involved in seeking children?
He tells a different story each day, so it's not unusual for him to switch from the previous ones."
"Yes, it's not unusual for him to change people, but he, he actually pointed you out as the protagonist," Zhang Yu said, agitated and unsure what to do.
Su Xiaoqi slowly comforted her, poured her a cup of cool tea, and then helped her calm her panicked heart.
She then recounted the information she had gathered from outside, one by one.
This time, the storyteller had taken Su Xiaoqi as the archetype for his story.
He specifically mentioned a scholar-official's wife who had been married for several years without conceiving, and then she too went to seek a child...