Chapter 14: Conspiracies and Schemes

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Seeing Qin Duo dragged away, Chi Xuan’s figure flashed as he followed closely behind, the sound of his pen scratching on paper never ceasing as he diligently recorded everything he witnessed.

“Big sister, I’m back!”

Fifth Zhongxi suddenly pushed open the main door of the house, pulling Qin Duo inside with him.

After sprinting all the way, Qin Duo finally stopped, bending over with one hand on his knee and the other pressing against his chest, slowly catching his breath.

The intense exertion made his heart pound fiercely within his chest, his lungs burning painfully, almost unbearable to breathe.

Murder! This is murder! These kids have no respect for their elders!

Inwardly, Qin Duo once again resolved to prioritize physical training.

He straightened slowly, spotting in the courtyard of the Fifth Family’s mansion a woman clad in martial arts attire, vigorously wielding a long spear with fierce energy.

Impressive!

A flicker of approval crossed Qin Duo’s eyes.

Hearing Fifth Zhongxi’s voice, the woman flicked her ponytail, grabbed Fifth Zhongxi’s arm, and pulled him into the training area. “Brother, spar with your sister for a bit!”

The spear’s sharp edge grazed Qin Duo’s neck; in a momentary lapse, Fifth Zhongxi was hoisted and tossed into the center of the courtyard.

From the air came the boy’s terrified screams: “Ahhh, I don’t want to! Brother Wen! Help!”

Qin Duo: “...”

The family discipline of the Fifth House is truly terrifying.

In the center of the courtyard, a loud clanging fight ensued. The spear flew into the treetops before clattering down, embedding itself diagonally in the bluestone tiles, trembling, just half a step from Fifth Zhongxi’s feet.

The setting sun bathed the courtyard in a warm glow, gilding the figures and leaves with golden edges.

A servant of the Fifth Family handed Qin Duo a cup of clear tea.

Dragging the half-conscious Fifth Zhongxi, the woman approached Qin Duo and gave a swift salute. “You’re pretty good—pointing the spear right by your neck, yet you didn’t even blink.”

Qin Duo smiled faintly, returning the salute with perfect courtesy. “Miss Fifth, a heroine surpassing men.”

Fifth Mulan’s eyes brightened, reaching out to clasp Qin Duo’s hand as a brotherly bond.

At that moment, the grand door of the Fifth mansion was slammed open again. A middle-aged man in a top-rank official’s robe strode in, arms wide, shouting loudly: “Children, father is back from duty! Brought you some treats...”

The man’s happy and gentle expression suddenly froze as his gaze landed on Qin Duo, a hint of awkwardness flickering across his face.

Qin Duo watched the man’s relaxed smile stiffen, then slowly assume a stern, rigid expression as if the earlier disturbance had never happened.

“Lord Wen, what brings you here?”

Seeing the man, Qin Duo’s mind flickered with faint memories of Wen Qinghe.

Fifth Yan, an official holding the top rank of Grand Secretary of the Wen Yuan Pavilion, renowned for his talent and noble character, also a lecturer at Wen Yuan Pavilion—most of the empire’s scholars were his disciples; his influence in court was at its zenith. A serious and upright gentleman.

What a model of integrity and solemnity...

“Lord Fifth,” Qin Duo composed his thoughts and bowed, suppressing a smile tugging at his lips.

Fifth Zhongxi hastily grabbed his father’s sleeve, embellishing the afternoon’s street incident with dramatic embellishments.

After hearing the tale, Fifth Yan’s expression gradually grew serious, his brows furrowing deeply as he finally looked toward Qin Duo.

Qin Duo understood, softly saying, “You noticed it too, didn’t you?”

Fifth Yan nodded and bowed deeply toward Qin Duo, raising his hands above his eyebrows. “My son is unruly and foolish; I am fortunate for Lord Wen’s assistance.”

He sighed, then turned and grabbed Fifth Zhongxi’s ear, scolding with gritted teeth, “Riding recklessly in the market! I’ve spoiled you into lawlessness!”

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Qin Duo: “...”

The image of the Fifth Grand Secretary just collapsed—there are still outsiders here.

Fifth Zhongxi protested vehemently: “Father! I wasn’t riding in the market! I was outside the district market, and somehow my horse got spooked and bolted in!”

Qin Duo raised an eyebrow and looked at Fifth Yan.

Someone is clearly setting a trap.

First, provoking Fifth Zhongxi’s horse to bolt into the market; then arranging someone to fake being hit by the horse; placing others covertly among the crowd; and after the incident escalates, shouting pre-prepared accusations that subtly shift blame onto Fifth Yan.

It was evident Fifth Yan realized something and released his grip.

“Good girl, take this little rascal away. Father has matters to discuss with our guest.”

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Fifth Mulan grabbed her brother’s braid and dragged the reckless boy away.

With Fifth Yan dismissing the others, Qin Duo spoke, “Lord Fifth, have you recently offended anyone in court or elsewhere?”

“What do you mean by that, Lord Wen?”

Qin Duo wore simple robes, thin and slight in the autumn evening breeze. Despite a pale, somewhat sickly complexion, his starry eyes gleamed with a piercing light, as if the frail exterior were merely a casually donned disguise.

He smiled faintly. “Besides your son, your daughter has also been caught up in this storm. The ultimate goal is likely to bring down the Fifth Grand Secretary.”

Liu Xuanhai had deliberately or inadvertently mentioned the matter of conferring the consort title multiple times, with the most frequently named person being the Fifth Family’s eldest legitimate daughter, Fifth Mulan.

Qin Duo had initially thought Liu Xuanhai acted under Fifth Yan’s orders, assuming Fifth Yan was vying for the consort position. But today’s events suggested otherwise.

Fifth Yan’s behavior today was clearly that of a concerned father, not a scheming one.

It seemed someone exploited Qin Xuanxiao’s aversion to palace affairs, trying to incite the emperor’s displeasure toward the Fifth Family over the consort issue, using the emperor as a pawn to kill two birds with one stone.

And Wen Qinghe was merely a scapegoat.

A faint anger stirred in Qin Duo’s heart.

Hah.

Using the emperor’s blade to kill by proxy.

Who gave the mastermind behind the scenes the audacity to scheme against the sovereign!

Fifth Yan’s pupils trembled at Qin Duo’s words. The successive blows left him momentarily speechless. “What did you say?”

Qin Duo smiled slightly, soothing him, “Don’t be anxious; so far, neither plan has succeeded.”

Meeting Qin Duo’s deep gaze, Fifth Yan gradually calmed, contemplating the situation clearly before suddenly understanding.

“Lord Wen, no need for thanks. Please, come inside to talk.”

Qin Duo nodded and followed willingly.

The sun set gradually, retreating into the dark of night, withdrawing its warm glow. The sky grew dim and hazy, shadows deepening the autumn hues.

Lanterns began to light up within the Fifth Family’s mansion.

Outside, Chi Xuan squatted in a tree, clueless about what Qin Duo and Fifth Yan discussed, circling large blank spaces on his paper.

Finally, the main house door opened. After Qin Duo firmly declined countless enthusiastic dinner invitations, Fifth Yan reluctantly allowed his son to escort him home.

Qin Duo returned home, closed the door, and let out a long breath.

The Fifth Family’s hospitality was overwhelming! Completely different from the austere and dull reputation they had externally.

But fortunately, Fifth Yan was a clever man.

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Qin Duo turned and met Qing Xuan’s resentful gaze, who stared at him intently.

Qin Duo: “...?”

“I was sent by His Majesty to be your bodyguard, to protect you and follow Lord Wen’s orders,” Qing Xuan explained.

Ah, that explains it. No wonder he quietly squatted by the door like a stone lion.

Still, it’s more comfortable dealing with Qin Xuanxiao’s kid.

The next morning, Qin Duo, who had spent the previous afternoon out wandering, was feeling worse.

He had overestimated the health of his new body.

His head throbbed painfully, and a slight jolt felt like a blunt object striking his skull.

With a heavy, dizzy head, Qin Duo forced down two bowls of bitter medicine, then sluggishly made his way to the remonstrance court where he had previously served every day.

Tomorrow was the grand court assembly; he needed to finalize previous work and check on his colleagues, hoping to stir more memories of Wen Qinghe.

At the last grand assembly, the emperor, in anger, had thrown him into the harem. After days of rumors, the news had spread among officials.

Having been absent for four days, as soon as he arrived at the remonstrance court, it was like cold water thrown into hot oil—suddenly boiling.

The colleagues quietly working nearby immediately swarmed around, chattering and questioning him.

The sudden influx of faces overwhelmed Qin Duo’s fevered mind, making him even more dizzy.

He hurried to sit at his seat, just as his superior shouted, “What nonsense is this! Everyone back to your places!”

The crowd dispersed at once, bringing a sudden calm.

Qin Duo extended his fingers to press his forehead, slowly massaging.

He sorted through the memories flooding his mind, gathered the documents into his satchel, then slowly stood and left the remonstrance court.

His superior wanted to stop him but fell silent upon noticing the watchful black-clad guard Qing Xuan by his side, deciding to pretend he was not there today.

The next day was the grand court assembly.

Qin Duo had behaved himself the previous night, resting at home and reviewing Wen Qinghe’s official documents. His cold symptoms eased enough for him to get up early in the predawn, setting out from a remote alley toward the palace for the early morning court session.

Breathing the chilly, dusty autumn dawn air, Qin Duo walked toward the palace.

He silently vowed never to leave the palace again—such a long journey to court, waking so early, his weak body simply couldn't handle it.

Better to live inside the palace and rise at the fourth watch instead.

Arriving hurriedly as the dawn bell tolled, surrounding officials noticed him but before they could speak, the procession moved forward, leaving no chance for questions.

Qin Duo slipped his hands into his sleeves and quietly followed the court officials through the Two Principles Gate.

In his previous life, he had only sat on the dragon throne, waiting for officials to shout “Long live!” but never walked this path to court himself.

How interesting.

Happily, he climbed the steps to the Wuji Hall together with the procession and looked up.

The golden dome was solemn and cold, its chill light spanning the vast hall, facing the dragon throne and the emperor’s half-smiling, half-serious gaze.

Qin Duo rolled his eyes at the emperor.