After Madam Wu's body was dragged away, the ancestral hall fell silent for a moment. The flame of the oil lamp flickered in the wind before stabilizing, momentarily stretching the shadows on the wall.
Minister Su stood leaning against the doorframe, as if he had not yet fully recovered from the sudden turn of events.
His gaze fell upon the ground just before his toes, and his fingers beneath his sleeves curled and uncurled slightly, as if he were silently weighing his options.
“Su Jinyu” stood in the center of the ancestral hall, taking in his momentary silence and the subtle movement of his fingers.
She knew very well that her previous words had pierced Minister Su's heart like a thorn.
In his eyes, she was no longer his daughter—she was someone who knew his secrets but was not on his side. What he was likely contemplating right now was how to silence her forever.
“Su Jinyu” did not wait for him to act first. She spoke, her voice not loud, but like a stone dropping into deep, still water. “The guards from Marquis Weiyuan's Manor are waiting just outside. There are twenty of them, all of whom returned from the border with my uncle. If Father wishes to have me surrounded, you might want to calculate first whether your household servants can withstand their blades.”
Minister Su's body stiffened slightly.
He raised his head, his gaze resting on Su Jinyu once more.
Silence stretched in the ancestral hall for several breaths. Then he spoke, his voice lower than before, carrying a rigid tension pushed to its absolute limit: “When did you arrange this?”
“Su Jinyu” did not answer. She merely stood in place, the few spots of blood on her plain white dress exceptionally striking under the lamplight.
She looked at Minister Su, her gaze neither provocative nor yielding.
Minister Su stared at her for a long time, then turned and walked out of the ancestral hall.
His silhouette paused at the edge of the oil lamp's glow, as if he wanted to turn back and say something. In the end, however, he did not look back. He continued walking deep into the corridor, the hem of his robe brushing against the threshold with a soft rustle that was quickly carried away by the night wind.
“Su Jinyu” did not leave immediately. She looked down at the dark red stains remaining on the floor and the wet tracks left on the ancestral hall's blue bricks from where the body had been dragged.
After standing there for a moment, she turned and walked out of the ancestral hall.
The night wind blew from both sides of the corridor, lightly fluttering the hem of her plain white dress. She walked along the corridor toward her own courtyard, with no footsteps following behind her.
The fading moonlight fell into the courtyard, draping everything in a gentle silver-gray. As Su Jinyu crossed the courtyard gate, she looked up toward the main hall of the Minister's manor. The lights had already been extinguished, and the entire estate seemed to have sunk into an even deeper silence.
She withdrew her gaze and walked back to her room. Lying down in the darkness, her injured arm throbbed with a faint numbness, as if countless tiny needles were repeatedly pricking beneath her skin.
She closed her eyes, her breathing steady and even, as if all her emotions had completely settled.
...
The Mid-Autumn banquet was held on the terrace in front of the main palace hall. It was as bright as day, with palace lanterns hung all along the corridors, illuminating the entire plaza in front of the hall.
Officials of the third rank and above attended with their families, seated in an orderly fashion on both sides according to their rank.
“Su Jinyu” followed Minister Su to their seats, her gaze quietly sweeping across the crowd before she sat down in her designated place.
She had not seen Su Qing'er in a long time.
Su Qing'er sat slightly to the left below the Emperor, wearing a water-red palace dress with a pair of pure gold jewel-encrusted dangling hairpins in her hair. Her makeup was exquisite, making her look charming and radiant amidst the lights.
Holding a cup of wine, she chatted and laughed with the concubines beside her, her posture relaxed and graceful.
Sitting at the very end of the Marquis Jing'an's Manor section, Xie Tianci's gaze lingered on Su Qing'er for a brief moment before he lowered his head.
“Su Jinyu” followed his gaze toward Su Qing'er, then withdrew her eyes. She raised her teacup and took a sip, showing no expression on her face.
Midway through the banquet, a sudden flurry of footsteps came from outside the hall.
A messenger clad in armor ran in quickly from the palace gates and knelt before the steps. His voice cut clearly through the noisy banquet: “Your Majesty! General Shen Sui has returned victorious and is awaiting your decree outside the hall!”
The clamor inside the hall fell silent in an instant. The Emperor's hand, holding his wine cup, paused mid-air before he set it down. A smile spread from the corners of his mouth to his eyes, and he exclaimed, “Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!”
When Shen Sui walked in, he had not yet removed his armor. His shoulders and cuffs bore the dusty traces of travel, looking as though he had rushed back straight from the battlefield.
He walked to the center of the hall, knelt on one knee, and lowered his head in a standard military salute. His voice was not loud, but it carried far in the silent hall: “Your subject, Shen Sui, has successfully fulfilled his mission.”
The Emperor rose from his seat and immediately bestowed upon him the title of Grand Protector General, along with a gold seal, brocade robes, and a thousand mu of fertile land.
Shen Sui stood up after accepting the decree. His gaze swept across the hall, and he walked straight through the aisle between the tables to sit in the empty seat directly opposite Su Jinyu.
His movements were swift and decisive. As he sat, the edge of his armor brushed against the table with a soft clatter, clashing with the meticulously arranged porcelain and wine cups—abrupt, yet real.
After sitting down, he did not look at her first. He reached for the wine cup on the table, poured himself a cup, and threw back half of it. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and he set the cup back onto the table with a soft click.
Shifting his gaze from the wine, he looked across the brightly lit table separating them.
“Su Jinyu” looked at him, and he looked back at her. That glance was very brief...
Then, he averted his eyes.
“Su Jinyu” lowered her eyes, raised the cold cup of tea before her, took a sip, and swallowed.
During the banquet, taking advantage of a lull to pour more wine, Su Qing'er had a palace maid whisper a message into Minister Su's ear.
Minister Su listened, his expression unchanged. He merely shook his head slightly and said in a low voice, “Your mother went to the country estate to recover from an illness. She is not in the manor these days. She will return in a few days; tell her not to worry.”
Although a trace of doubt rose in Su Qing'er's heart—she had known nothing about her mother going to the country estate—since her father had said so, she had no reason to press further.
She nodded, withdrew her gaze, and raised her wine cup once more.
By the time the banquet concluded, the hour of Hai had already passed. The palace lanterns along the corridors were extinguished one by one, leaving only a few ever-burning lamps swaying gently in the wind.
“Su Jinyu” followed Minister Su toward the palace gates.
Just as they reached the carriage, Shen Sui caught up from behind. He had already changed out of his armor, wearing dark green ordinary clothes, with his short blade still hanging at his waist.
He stopped in front of the carriage, gave Minister Su a slight nod, and spoke in a tone that was not overly warm but perfectly polite: “Minister, I will escort Jinyu back to the manor. Please, go ahead.”
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