Chapter 120: Song Mo’s Minor Punishment Leads to Imprisonment; His Cellmate Turns Out to be the Top Scholar

"How dare you cause such a commotion in this courtroom?" the judicial secretary, Tan Chuxiao, barked with a hint of irritation.

"My lord, there has been a misunderstanding. We two can prove that the young man had no intention of causing harm. At most, it was merely meant as a warning," Zhou Dayan said. Seeing Song Mo in distress, he hurried with the old beggar past the bailiffs and into the hall.

Tan Chuxiao narrowed his eyes and asked, "What proof do you two have?"

"Take it out and show his lordship, quickly!" Zhou urged the old beggar anxiously.

The old beggar calmly produced the piece of peach wood Song Mo had used. "My lord, please look. This is the peach wood charm cast by the young man."

He pointed to the carving on the wood and explained, "The lady carved on this charm is dressed in sheer clothing, which is indeed meant to attract romance. But look closely, my lord: the sash of the lady's robe is lowered, yet it does not drop below her shoulders, and although the hem of her skirt is short, it still covers her thighs. This proves that the young man had no intent to cause harm when he cast the charm."

Seeing that the old beggar was also speaking for Song Mo, Madame Li cried out in a panic, "My lord, you must look carefully! They are all in cahoots; do not be deceived by them."

Tan Chuxiao replied with displeasure, "Are you suggesting that this official is foolish?"

Madame Li turned pale and whispered, "This commoner would not dare."

Tan Chuxiao gave a cold snort before asking the old beggar, "What evidence supports your claim?"

The old beggar said in a deep voice, "Any carpenter who has studied the ancestral arts of 'Yan Sheng' (cursing/baneful magic) knows this. You need only ask one, my lord, and you shall see."

Tan Chuxiao signaled to his subordinates, and a bailiff immediately ran out.

About an hour later, the bailiff returned and nodded to Tan Chuxiao.

Tan Chuxiao pondered for a moment before saying, "Even so, casting such a charm is improper. I sentence you to one month in jail for reflection."

Song Mo was indifferent; his only concern was that he wouldn't be able to earn rewards for stitching corpses for the next month.

...

In the prison.

Song Mo was locked in the capital magistrate's jail, where he shared a cell with another young man.

The fellow was clearly not right in the head. Even within the cell, he would occasionally giggle at the walls, which made Song Mo’s skin crawl so much he nearly beat him half to death.

After some questioning, he learned that this fellow was no simple person—he was the son-in-law of the current Prime Minister.

...

The twelfth year of Jian'an.

The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, the Little New Year.

In the capital city of Jian'an, goose-feather snow blanketed the sky, completely obscuring the banners of the Chunfeng Ruyi Restaurant on Shili Street. The passing diners were dressed in sables and furs; almost everyone wore magnificent cloaks of white or red fox, a testament to their noble status.

The third floor of the Chunfeng Ruyi Restaurant was reserved for high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants to discuss business. The walls, constructed from the finest dust-repellent wood, were soundproof, and no staff were permitted in the corridors, with all bodyguards hidden in the shadows.

At the end of the hallway was a premium suite. Two young men sat by the window, their table spread with a variety of dishes, candied fruits, and dried nuts. A pot of warmed aged Dukang wine had already been poured by a servant.

The young man on the left of the window had red lips and white teeth, possessing a handsome appearance. He wore a floor-length white robe and held a small red-clay charcoal stove. Lazily watching the falling snow outside, he whispered, "The Milky Way meanders in three thousand curves; the egrets and herons fly over the clear green waves. As the sunset hits the river tower, one must pity the chill upon the water. Jiang Fa, today is truly a fine day for a wedding."

The young man opposite him was dressed far more pragmatically in a long, dark-haired robe. His skin was slightly swarthy, and a half-inch scar between his brows added a touch of ferocity to his look.

"Sister Tang Qi, why must you do this? If you don't like that scholar, just tell Father Tang directly. He dotes on you the most," Jiang Fa said with a hint of anxiety.

The white-robed youth opposite Jiang Fa was, in fact, a woman. Tang Qi shook her head and said to Jiang Fa, "You don't understand. That scholar you speak of is this year’s top-ranking imperial graduate."

Jiang Fa was silent for a moment before suddenly lowering his voice: "How about I help you escape?"

Tang Qi smiled, stood up, and pushed open the door. Before stepping out, she turned back and said to Jiang Fa, "Don't forget to come drink the wedding wine tonight."

After the Winter Solstice, the sky turned completely dark by seven o'clock.

The Prime Minister’s residence in Jian’an was adorned with lanterns and colorful streamers. Today was the day the current Prime Minister, Tang Zeli, was taking the top-ranking graduate as his son-in-law.

Groups of beggars beat their bowls and sang "Lotus Flower" songs outside the residence. Before long, a steward led some servants to distribute small silver coins and steamed buns to disperse the noisy crowd.

The sound of crackling firecrackers mingled with the constant beat of horse hooves. The carriages of officials of various ranks lined up by their status, stretching for miles.

Inside the Prime Minister's residence, only officials of the third rank and above were seated in the inner hall; those from the third to the sixth rank found seats in the outer hall. Those below the seventh rank simply picked a spot in the garden to hunker down and wait for the feast to begin.

As the hour of nine approached, the top-ranking graduate, Yi Rushi, walked with a dazed expression through the long corridor to the hall where the ceremony was to be held.

In the garden, two middle-aged men in the blue-and-green seventh-rank official robes whispered to each other.

"Yi Rushi is truly lucky. To place first in the imperial examinations, to have the wedding night, and to latch onto the Prime Minister's thigh—double joy has arrived at once, and his future is boundless. It is enough to make others envious," said Ma Wenqing, an official of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, smacking his lips.

Beside him, Zhang Furen, a doctor of the Imperial Academy, said with disdain, "To put it bluntly, he is just a live-in son-in-law. It is an insult to the refinement of us scholars."

While the two whispered, Yi Rushi had already bowed in the hall and was sent to the back courtyard.

Yi Rushi sat on the edge of the bed in a stupor, looking every bit the bride, yet he was clearly the groom.

Yi Rushi looked around the room. It was antique in style and fully decorated as a bridal chamber. Red "Double Happiness" characters were pasted on the windows, and red silk was draped from the rafters in an auspicious pattern. Two wedding candles stood on the table, alongside a pot of wedding wine, two white jade goblets, several exquisite dishes, and even some fresh fruit.

Thinking of this, Yi Rushi gave a bitter smile. Such a grand affair must have cost a fortune, right?

Suddenly, the door, also adorned with the red "Double Happiness" character, was pushed open from the outside. Several maids bustled in, surrounding a bride covered in a bright red veil.

Watching the adorable, well-dressed little maids, Yi Rushi couldn't help but smile bitterly. The details prepared by this shop called "Past Life of the Floating World" were quite impressive; at least, judging by the maids' demeanor and the bride's phoenix coronet and red veil, there wasn't a single thing that felt out of place.

Seeing Yi Rushi’s dazed look, the maids covered their mouths and giggled. It seemed the rumors were true: the top-ranking graduate groom was, to some extent, a bit of a bookish fool.

The maids, having had their fun, curtsied to Yi Rushi and turned to leave.

As soon as a maid stepped out, she whispered, "I wonder if our groom needs a bedchamber maid? Xiao Cui, I think you'd be perfect."

The maid called Xiao Cui was quite pretty. She puffed out her chest and said with dissatisfaction, "I wouldn't be a bedchamber maid for such a dull scholar who doesn't understand romance. Ya Yue, are you asking for a beating?"

As she spoke, Xiao Cui gave the maid called Ya Yue a pat on the backside.

Ya Yue was about to retaliate, but Xiao Cui lowered her voice and said, "I wonder if our young mistress's plan will work?"

Ya Yue smiled mysteriously and said, "You know our mistress's skills. Who knows? She might just scare the top graduate out of his wits today."

The maids chatted and giggled as they walked out of the courtyard.

In the bridal chamber, Yi Rushi stared blankly at the two wedding candles.

Seeing the bride remained motionless, Yi Rushi reached out and lifted the red veil.

Yi Rushi had been feeling a bit dizzy, but upon seeing the face beneath the veil, he nearly jumped out of his skin. A large, brownish-blue birthmark covered the bride's left cheek, and her right cheek looked as if it had been scorched by fire; the skin was shriveled and bunched together, appearing truly terrifying.

Yi Rushi sobered up significantly at the sight. He scratched his head and whispered, "Didn't they say she was a beauty who could sink fish and drop geese, eclipse the moon and shame the flowers?"

Seeing that Yi Rushi did not show the disgust or fear she had expected, Tang Qi couldn't help but think a little more highly of this bookish fool.

But the next moment, Yi Rushi reached out with a "lecherous hand." His thought process was simple: he wanted to see what exactly was smeared on the bride's face to make it look so realistic.

"You scoundrel!" Seeing his hand reach out, Tang Qi shoved him away.

Yi Rushi stumbled and fell, his head knocking squarely against the leg of the table, causing him to wince in pain.

The room fell into a deathly silence, with Tang Qi looking at Yi Rushi as if he were a lunatic playing the fool.

After a long silence, Yi Rushi finally confirmed that there was no "system" waiting for him at all.

Should he leave? That became the question facing him.

With almost no hesitation, Yi Rushi made up his mind: "Leave! I must leave, no matter what!"

A live-in son-in-law? An ugly wife? To hell with it all!