There was an extensive garden in the third inner courtyard. As the innermost courtyard, it was a place guests should not trespass into, yet because of the rumors that spread from my conversation with the little guard, no one said a word when I strolled inside…

I spent the entire morning at a marble table lounging whilst surrounded on all sides by blooming white chrysanthemum, the cherished symbol of longevity and vitality. I had an urge to pull a flower and pluck off the petals one by one, but in spite of everything I could not bear to do so. Instead, I rested my chin on my hand idly.

It’s already so late in the year…

A young girl, servant in charge of laundry and such, came bounding down the garden path in a panic.

“Ah! Mister Fang, something awful happened!” It was like the chirp of a little bird, both excited and thrilled.

“…what is it?” I asked. 

“You get along with little st—, er, Shen Jiu, right? I don’t know what happened but he got dragged into the first courtyard by Officer Li!”

I immediately pushed myself up from the table. “Thank you, I’ll go right away.”

Speeding down through this third courtyard to the first and getting out of breath, there was an entire crowd of people gawking. A small group of guards stood in the center of the courtyard, one held Shen Jiu’s arms behind his back, forcing him to kneel, while Li Jishen stood in front.

As soon I was close enough, I hollered across the courtyard, “Officer Li, what is the meaning of this?!”

In the blink of eye, the heads all turned to me.

The girl that informed me went weak at the knees, never expecting I’d make an entrance like this. In fact, after Li Jishen’s frightening threats to me yesterday, no one predicted I’d make myself a target two days in a row.

Li Jishen did not give me a glimpse, so I had no choice but to stride forward until I was right in front of his face. Insulted, the other guards stared at me like a pack of wolves. No one besides the most gullible fully believed in the ludicrous rumors about me being Zhou Liang’s lover, but it helped to make Li Jishen the slightest bit more courteous.

He spoke in a warning tone, “Get out of the way. Are you trying to interfere with an interrogation?”

I smiled politely, “Me? I don’t dare offend Officer Li, and it is not my intention to hinder any investigation, but I must know why you are punishing Shen Jiu.”

Shen Jiu looked up from the ground when I said this, his previously unadulterated eyes swirling with a mix of sadness and confusion.

Scoffing, Li Jishen shoved my chest with his palm and the crowd gasped. It felt like a boulder crushed into my chest, and I was no better than a swatted mosquito against it, nearly falling backwards. Clutching my abdomen and swallowing bile with an agonizing throb in my throat, I managed to keep my footing. As for the blackish, purple bruise I could expect later; Should I be grateful he went easy?

Seeing he couldn’t get rid of me easily, Li Jishen spat out, “You don’t have the authority to ask questions.”

“This is so. But what of all those gathered? It appears that this severe punishment is rare, and it would be best if they know what Shen Jiu has done wrong. Not only this, but I know Shen Jiu’s his character is virtuous, it can be vouched for. It can’t be that the righteous Officer Li would punish a person unreasonably?”

His expression darkened at once.

“There is a reason,” Li Jishen gave a disdainful glance to Shen Jiu then raised his voice, “Despite being honored to care for the General’s mounts, Shen Jiu injured the celestial horse, Snow White.”

A murmur erupted like a tidal wave, and Li Jishen continued with a sneer, “Fang Shuren, I will explain it plainly. The celestial horse is a variety exceedingly rare, and the Crown Prince gifted it to General Zhou after a victory. Any undue harm that comes to Snow White is the same as harboring ill intentions towards his Excellency. Shen Jiu is merely in charge of the stables, yet such a mistake can implicate his master. He must be punished accordingly!”

I frowned. The corners of Li Jishen’s lips upturned slightly. He paced forward and grabbed the top of Shen Jiu’s hair, pulling his face up from staring at the courtyard stones.

“Say what you did,” he said.

“I…” Shen Jiu bit his lower lip, one again glancing at me with forlorn. “I rode Snow White for training, and her foot became lame, however—”

“That’s enough,” said Officer Li. “In fact, you don’t know what you’re doing and could have offended his Excellency the Crown Prince!”

“How can this be?” I was taken aback, then asked, “What’s your evidence, Officer Li, that Shen Jiu would do something so foolish, or that he did it intentionally?”

Li Jishen looked about ready to beat me then and there, but now it was an argument or words, acting only out of anger would mean his loss. With great restraint, he replied, “…two other servants working at the stables attested to it, becoming suspicious when they noticed the condition of Snow White’s foot. They could not directly challenge Shen Jiu and informed me. It’s one matter if the celestial horse suffered of old age or an unknown ailment, but this is mistreatment.”

Shen Jiu’s was visibly startled at this information, and his gaze lingered on the two stable hands.

It was amusing, because I was the one who betrayed him.

That he rode Snow White because Zhou Liang had no interest in the horse, and that Snow White’s foot is currently lame with a minor injury, this is the story he told me when I slipped into the stables with him two days ago. By the time Li Jishen burst in to drag me back, the conversation had flowed elsewhere. 

I asked Li Jishen, “That’s all?”

One of the nearby guard’s expressions turned hostile, he barked, “What else do you want? Officer Li answered your questions one by one, and it’s clear that Shen Jiu is in the wrong. Step down!”

It only took a word from Li Jishen, and the guard shut up without a peep more.

I continued, “I can see that one of Officer Li’s men is holding a notched bamboo cane. It appears you were planning to flog Shen Jiu for his mistake…my words are worth little, but I still think that sort of punishment is excessive.”

A vein on Li Jishen’s forehead began to throb.

“I said it clearly, are you dumb? Shen Jiu has rode and injured the celestial horse without permission. Even after I punish him here the General might not forgive him. If you have nothing else to say, then scram!” 

Shen Jiu’s shoulders twitched. He looked at me helplessly then opened his mouth, “Er…about S-snow White-”

“-silence!” said Li Jishen.

I gave my usual smile and couldn’t resist a bout of vicious laughter, my eyes squinting at Li Jishen like he’s a piece of rubbish. The entire courtyard was stunned, and it seemed even the birds and grasshoppers went quiet.

Finally, I spoke, “You repeat the same rationale to me several times over, but to me it sounds as though you did not investigate properly. For one, what is this ‘without permission’? Funny officer Li should say that. In fact, the general had given Shen Jiu permission to ride Snow White. Otherwise, a loyal servant such as Shen Jiu wouldn’t dare…and as for Snow White’s foot, it’s a very trivial injury, and will heal in less than a week.”

Another clamor abounded like a mass of bird flooding from the trees, even the faces of the guards were mixed. For if what I said was true, when the general returned to find Shen Jiu severely punished, a servant who he favored and even allowed to ride his celestial horse, Li Jishen would be the one who ended up replaced.

“What nonsense!” Li Jishen said, marching over and grabbing my collar. “Everything you say is like poison!”

“M-mister Fang—!” Shen Jiu tried to stand in worry, but a guard quickly held him down, covering his mouth with a hand.

I made my tone venomous and loud as possible,

“Heh, it’s not nonsense nor poison. You’ll know once the general returns. Isn’t it that Officer Li enjoys taking any opportunity to hassle Shen Jiu? You acted carelessly. I’d say that if something significant were to occur at the General’s residence, you wouldn’t be any good at handling that, either.”

Li Jishen shook me harshly. “You shut up! Two other servants who work in the stables reported it, you’re just lying!”

I was very close to his face, so I lowered my voice and said, “I haven’t spoken a lie, but who can say the same of the stable hands? Officer Li believes that no one else would dare deceive you? You don’t have that high of a military ranking, yet you act so cocky. If you had a sense of respect, then all would be fine and well…”

Li Jishen realized the truth as he heard the whispers around him, and the two stable hands had disappeared from the scene without leaving the ghost of a shadow behind. Most of all, I think he was enraged that I set him to admit his mistake in front of a whole crowd…but Li Jishen was still the one duped. He jumped into boiling water himself—I can scarcely be held accountable, and even I didn’t know why he was so eager to punish Shen Jiu.

A murderous intent flooded the courtyard, scaring the guards and making the onlookers shudder. His mouth twisted fiercely, pupils shrinking, face red with humiliation, and Li Jishen could only force a hateful hiss through his lips.

“…old, conniving snake!”

At this point, I’ll admit, I shot my mouth with abandon.

“Yes, I’m just an old nobody. But I refrain from lowering myself to a person who is not worthy of it. You’re just a useless paper tiger¹Person who acts arrogantly but has no real power.. Look, you even lose your composure this easily! Far too green, far too arrogant. If I described you with one word, it would be ‘eyesore’.”

Li Jishen directly kicked me onto the ground, causing a strangle grunt of pain out my throat. In a strange sense he heeded my words by putting his hands behind his back as though not-at-all consumed by fury.

“Hostility towards a superior, you also tried to frame Shen Jiu.” He made a signal with his hand, one guard yanked me up and two held my shoulders down, and so I was forced to kneel. “I said I wouldn’t let you off if you caused trouble again! Well, well…”

Although I was prepared, a cool bead of sweat dripped from my face. Li Jishen’s razor sharp eyes did not leave me as he spoke to a handful of his men.

“Bring those other two servants that deceived me here as well,” he said, then motioned at the man with the bamboo cane. “Twenty strokes on the back.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Jiu struggled fiercely against the person restraining him, managing to break the hold over his mouth. He shouted, “Officer Li, you have to reconsider, don’t punish Mister Fang! He…he…Master Zhou s-said-”

“-that Fang Shuren would be his attendant—but look at what a snake he is!” said Li Jishen.

Shen Jiu was stumped, I had blatantly mocked at Li Jishen, tricked him and splashed mud all over his character. After an awkward pause, he carried on,

“Punish me instead. I s…s-tarted the problem.”

…even after what I’ve done, Shen Jiu, your heart is much too big.

Li Jishen scoffed. Obviously, he could not continue to act unfairly against Shen Jiu.

“Get him out of my sight.”

In the blink of an eye, Shen Jiu was separated from the hectic event to who knows where, probably still confounded about my motivations. He tried to struggle, but he could not break free from the grip of two military men.

Li Jishen raised a hand, his lip quirking up.

“Begin.”