Chapter 56: Qi Huan Resists

Lord Hu sighed, "Even with the imperial edicts from the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, the Dali Temple must handle cases according to the law. Therefore, Chu Xi must be arrested and brought to justice immediately."
"Understood."
Lord Hu shook his head helplessly before boarding his sedan chair.
The courtyard gate of Chu Xi's residence was knocked upon. Wang Mu opened the door to see Zhao Cheng standing outside accompanied by men from the Dali Temple.
"Steward Zhao, what is the meaning of this?" Wang Mu asked, startled.
Having heard the commotion, Chu Xi had already walked out. Seeing the Dali Temple officials standing outside, she immediately knew they had come to arrest her.
Behind her, Caiping grabbed her arm tightly. "Young Miss, what is happening?"
Chu Xi said with sorrow, "Elder Madam Mo has accused me of poisoning her."
"What? How is that possible! How could the old madam be so utterly devoid of conscience? Isn't she trying to frame and destroy you?" Caiping cried out in disbelief, nearly on the verge of a breakdown, knowing full well that harming the family member of a high-ranking imperial official was a capital crime.
Chu Xi sighed. "Caiping, don't panic just yet. Until the very end, things may not have reached their worst. Nothing is certain."
"Miss Chu, let's go," the leader said coldly.
Chu Xi nodded and then looked at Wang Mu, who was momentarily speechless. "Take good care of Caiping. Perhaps I will be back soon."
Wang Mu fought back his tears and nodded vigorously, but Caiping had already collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly.
Unable to bear looking at them any longer, Chu Xi bit her lip, turned around, and left with the officials.
Zhao Cheng escorted them to the main gate personally. Watching Chu Xi being taken away by the Dali Temple men, he could not help but let out a deep sigh.
However, the martial arts-willed thief who had broken into the General's Residence had still not been found; he had to rush back and continue the search.
Yet this thief was exceptionally cunning. Even though he had caught fleeting glimpses of his figure flashing past more than once, he still failed to capture him.
Zhao Cheng muttered helplessly, "Forget it, it seems this cat-and-mouse game will have to continue tomorrow."
Inside the Prince Lin's Residence, Princess Lanxin, who had been placed under house arrest by the Emperor, was making preparations for her wedding with a heavy expression.
"Princess, the annual stipend was delivered from the palace just now, totaling three hundred taels," said Mingcui, her personal maid.
Lanxin raised her gaze and asked, "Only the stipend?"
Mingcui smiled happily and replied, "There are also three hundred husks of official rice, all issued according to the Princess's former rank."
Hearing this, Lanxin finally managed a faint smile of relief, yet the sorrow between her brows lingered on.
Mingcui comforted her, saying, "Princess, worry no more. The wedding day is approaching, and the Princess will finally be free from confinement here. Besides, this servant found out that Qi Huan is not actually an evil person. Look at how the Marquis of Chu's eldest daughter walked out of the Prime Minister's Residence safe and sound."
In truth, the news that Qi Huan was not a wicked person was deliberately spread by Wang Mu at Chu Xi's behest after she left the Prime Minister's Residence, which finally cleared Qi Huan of some of his grievances.
"Let us hope so," Lanxin sighed helplessly.
Meanwhile, Qi Huan inside the Prime Minister's Residence also received word that Chu Xi had been taken away by the Dali Temple.
Being taken by the Dali Temple was no trivial matter, so he broke into the front hall, ignoring all attempts to stop him.
Left Prime Minister Qi Wenhui and his wife, who were sitting right there, looked at him in astonishment.
"Huan'er, what are you doing? Why aren't you staying properly in your room instead of bursting in recklessly like this?" the Left Prime Minister scolded with displeasure.
At that moment, Qi Huan was filled with burning anxiety, his slender eyes blazing with a fierce light.
"Father, I want to enter the palace." To him, Chu Xi was a crucially important friend and family member; she was like a beam of light in the darkness that had illuminated certain corners of his bleakest days, and thus he could not stand idly by and do nothing.
"Absurd! Look at what you look like now! Neither man nor woman, how do you have the face to enter the palace?" his maternal aunt humiliated him to his face.
Qi Huan looked at her and smiled coldly, revealing a smile of chilling, bone-piercing frost.
"Aunt, what do you mean by that? Isn't this appearance of mine something you forced upon me? Have you forgotten everything you have ever done to me? But I have never forgotten a single thing." The louder Qi Huan spoke, the angrier he became, until his words turned into a furious cross-examination.
In the past, he had lived a drifting, day-to-day existence, much like a walking corpse without a direction, entirely letting himself go to waste and adopting a pessimistic attitude toward the people and events around him, seemingly indifferent to whatever cruel tricks fate played on him.
But things were different now. Chu Xi was currently mired in deep crisis, her life hanging in the balance, while Lanxin had yet to enter the manor but was already targeted by his aunt simply because of her association with him. He knew very well that if he remained as muddled as before, Chu Xi might face mortal danger, and Lanxin would suffer endless torment.
He could never stand by and watch them get hurt.
Therefore, he could no longer behave as he once did, submissively obeying his aunt, allowing her to brutally abuse him, frame him, and use him as a scapegoat. All those grievances and injustices had been like countless needles piercing deep into his heart.
Now, those needles had pushed him past the point of endurance.
This time, a fierce fire ignited within his heart—a fire of rebellion. He was going to claim back every shred of justice for himself, and he would show his aunt no more mercy.
"You... how can you treat me this way?" The aunt's eyes turned red with aggrieved tears as she turned to cry to the Left Prime Minister, "My lord, look at this! Now this child is even making false accusations against me. I raised him as my own; when have I ever treated him unfairly?" With that, she covered her face with a handkerchief and sobbed.
"Stop acting in front of my father! I have tolerated you all these years, but you have only pushed further with every step. How many innocent lives stained on your hands are there? Aren't you afraid that they will all come looking for you in the middle of the night to exact their revenge and claim your life?"
Qi Huan's final words made his aunt shudder involuntarily, a scene that was precisely caught by the Left Prime Minister watching from the side.
Coupled with the recent rumors outside that Qi Huan was not a wicked person and was actually kind-hearted, the Left Prime Minister had increasingly believed that his wife's stance was beginning to waver.
After all, over the years, aside from seeing his son's penchant for dressing in women's attire, he had truly never witnessed him abusing anyone—even the servants—and had only ever listened to pillow-talk accusations.
Therefore, this time he wanted to verify it personally and see which of the two—his wife or his son—was telling the truth.
Thus, he consented, "Very well, tomorrow morning you shall accompany me into the palace."
"Thank you, Father."
Although the aunt still wanted to use tears and tantrums to stop them, she saw the rare look of stern anger on the Left Prime Minister's face and had no choice but to shut her mouth.
She thought to herself: *It's just a trip to the palace. Could that possibly undo all the malice and wickedness I have sculpted into him over so many years? Simply delusional.*
*I would like to see what you can possibly do to me once you return from the palace.*
This night was exceptionally agonizing for Qi Huan. He kept his eyes open and熬ed until dawn.
The carriage outside the Prime Minister's Residence was already prepared. When Qi Wenhui saw his son Qi Huan walking toward him, dressed in a light blue padded robe, his hair neatly tied into a crisp bun, standing tall with striking and handsome features, his heart suddenly surged with immense joy.
Goodness! So when he resumed a man's appearance, he was actually this spirited and dashing.
"Father," Qi Huan reached the Left Prime Minister's side.
"Mm, get in the carriage." Although the Left Prime Minister did not voice his praise, the joy and fondness flickering in his eyes were not missed by Qi Huan.
Father and son boarded the carriage and headed into the palace.