Chapter 403: Sorry

Three youths sat together, all somewhat silent.

Yang Chenghao was bewildered; Pan Yun was savoring the strange fate that had brought them together, while Xue Shao smiled as he looked at the two and simply picked up the teapot to pour tea for them.

Xi Jin, beside them, also looked bewildered, but he quickly recovered and quietly stepped out to wander, lest someone be eavesdropping against the wall without their knowledge.

Xue Shao pushed a cup of tea toward each of them and introduced himself, "My father's name was Qiong; he once served as a school instructor in Yutian, Hebei. After my uncle was dismissed from office, he too resigned and returned home, where he now teaches alongside my uncle. I came to Jingcheng this time for two reasons: to take the imperial examination, and to investigate the old cases of the Yue and He families, who were accused of murdering their husbands."

Xue Shao paused, then said, "My uncle said that among these two cases, the most unjustly wronged were the Yue and He families, as well as the Hao family and the alchemist Shen Rong, who were implicated in the Yue case. He told me I must come no matter what—if I can overturn the verdicts, all the better; if not, I must do whatever I can to help."

Xue Shao looked at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun said, "My father and brother were exiled to Datong. Datong is not peaceful, and the border is harsh and cold. They are criminals in disgrace—life there is unbearable."

Upon hearing this, Yang Chenghao's eyes reddened and he rose to kneel before Pan Yun.

Pan Yun grabbed him by the arm, bewildered. "What are you doing?"

Yang Chenghao choked out, "My lord was implicated because of my family."

"What has this to do with you?" Pan Yun said. "He was a Censor. Investigating and clarifying cases was his duty. His implication came from court struggles, not from you."

"If anyone is to blame, it's Chen Fulin, Wang Zhen, and others like them—or at worst, Xue Shaoqing. How could you possibly be to blame?"

Xue Shao nodded. "Exactly. To blame the victims' family would make us despicable. You needn't feel guilty. Neither my uncle nor Lord Pan ever regretted trying to overturn your family's case."

Xue Shao pulled Yang Chenghao down beside him.

Yang Chenghao's emotions surged; tears filled his eyes. Embarrassed to cry in front of them, he lowered his head and quietly wiped his corners.

Xue Shao knew he was embarrassed, so he chatted with Pan Yun to ease his mood. "Your real name isn't Sanzhu, is it?"

Pan Yun handed Yang Chenghao a handkerchief and replied offhandedly, "My name is Pan Yun."

Xue Shao smiled. "So you really are bamboo. You came to Jingcheng to overturn the case, didn't you?"

Pan Yun: "I came to see. If there's a chance, I'll act."

Yang Chenghao had just wiped his tears, but now they spilled again. He choked out, "How easy is that?"

He said, "My mother and brother-in-law have already confessed. Their statements are on record, and they're both already… this case can't possibly be overturned."

Pan Yun's expression turned grim. "Court proceedings don't rely solely on confessions. Besides, my father said their confessions contradicted each other and were riddled with errors. Overturning the case isn't difficult."

Xue Shao added, "My uncle also said your family's case is easily proven a miscarriage of justice. The physician's testimony, pulse records, and prescriptions—all evidence—is still held by the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review."

He continued, "Besides, your mother and brother-in-law were tortured into confessing. Their statements are full of inconsistencies and won't hold up under scrutiny."

But Yang Chenghao grew even more sorrowful. "But the Embroidered Uniform Guard has eyes and ears everywhere. Chen Fulin still serves as a Captain in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I hear he's close to Wang Shan, Wang Zhen's nephew, and is clearly on the rise."

"If the evidence isn't the problem, then someone is suppressing the case," Yang Chenghao said, growing more hopeless. "Back then, it was Xue Shaoqing and Lord Pan who made it possible for the Court of Judicial Review and the Censorate to overturn my mother and brother-in-law's case. Now that they're gone, who else can do it?"

Pan Yun and Xue Shao both grew grim, speaking in unison: "The Emperor."

They exchanged glances. Pan Yun fell silent, waiting for him to speak.

Xue Shao also fell silent. Seeing Pan Yun's wide eyes fixed on him, he finally said, "If I pass the imperial examination, I can petition the Emperor directly to plead the injustice."

Pan Yun sneered. "What if the Emperor refuses to overturn the case?"

Xue Shao smiled. "Then I'll be stripped of my degree and expelled from Jingcheng. I can return in three years—or, like my uncle, I may never be allowed back in Jingcheng again."

Yang Chenghao shuddered, looking at him with both admiration and guilt. The guilt quickly drowned out everything else. He shook his head, sobbing, "No—we won't overturn the case anymore. Don't drag anyone else in."

Pan Yun: "You needn't feel guilty. He doesn't want to be an official. He doesn't even want to be in Jingcheng. He only wants to live without shame."

Xue Shao nodded, surprised she understood him. He smiled. "And you? What was your original plan to overturn the case?"

Pan Yun: "I planned to meet the Emperor outside the palace, befriend him, and then ask him to overturn the case as a friend."

Yang Chenghao was stunned. "How could you possibly meet the Emperor outside the palace?"

Xue Shao paused, then said, "That's actually a viable approach. My uncle also said the Emperor's greatest weakness is his sense of loyalty and sentiment—but…"

Pan Yun: "But what?"

Xue Shao: "But using sentiment to manipulate personal gain is too despicable."

Pan Yun's lips curled slightly, her smile cold and humorless. "It doesn't matter. I'll bear the karmic consequences."

Seeing this, Xue Shao sighed inwardly. He understood: Pan Yun disliked the Emperor, so she saw no wrong in deceiving him with his own sentiment.

Yang Chenghao fell silent, sitting quietly as they discussed, waiting until they finished to ask, "Is there anything I can do?"

Pan Yun: "Stay alive."

She came here to confirm whether the Yang family still had anyone left—and whether they still had the will to overturn the case.

Xue Shao was gentler. He told Yang Chenghao, "Live as you always have. Neither I nor Pan Daochang can guarantee an immediate overturn. This may take a year, two years, three years—or longer."

"We don't want this to disrupt your life before success. Treat us as ordinary friends. When the opportunity comes, we'll come back and ask you to step forward."

Yang Chenghao agreed.

Pan Yun looked at Xue Shao. Xue Shao looked at Pan Yun.

They rose together. "Then we'll take our leave."

Yang Chenghao was confused. He quickly stood. "The kitchen is already cooking. My sister and Da Niang will be back soon. Please stay for the meal."

Xue Shao said gently, "Not today. We'll visit again another time."

Pan Yun: "I've already eaten. I'm still full. I'll come back for the meal next time."

Yang Chenghao looked from Xue Shao to Pan Yun, then suddenly understood. "I get it—I'll see you out."

Pan Yun: "... What do you get?"

Yang Chenghao: "You two have something private to discuss, don't you?"

Pan Yun: "No."

Xue Shao: "Yes."

They glanced at each other. Pan Yun frowned. "I have nothing to hide."

!. Read

She even told them she was Pan Hong's daughter—what else could she possibly be hiding?

Xue Shao smiled, "Quanzhou."

Pan Yun turned to Yang Chenghao and said, "Then we'll take our leave for now."

Yang Chenghao: …

He silently saw the two out the door.

Xue Shao took the initiative to find a restaurant, ordered a private room, and sat down to talk.

Pan Yun asked, "Have you also found the other families involved in the two wrongful cases?"

Xue Shao nodded, "I arrived in the city before you did. I met a few fellow candidates heading to the capital and asked them to help locate those people."

He said, "Shen Rong was a fangshi with no family. Hao Shi's husband and children moved to an old village outside the city—I watched from afar but didn't disturb them."

"As for the children of He Shi in the other case, they didn't move—they're still at the original location."

Pan Yun turned her teacup in her hands and asked thoughtfully, "You've investigated so thoroughly—what about the evidence proving their innocence back then…?"

Xue Shao smiled slightly, "All signed confessions, prescriptions, and other evidence have been copied and are in my possession."

He said, "Unless they killed every physician, Embroidered Uniform Guard officer, and official from the Ministry of Justice and Censorate involved in the case, the evidence can still be traced and the cases reopened."

Pan Yun was satisfied. Good—she wouldn't have to re-interview everyone one by one.

Reinterviewing the case meant tearing open people's wounds again, exposing them raw and bleeding, then letting them fester and heal once more.

She disliked making things difficult for others.

Pan Yun looked up at Xue Shao and asked, "You just mentioned Quanzhou—what's happening in Quanzhou?"

Xue Shao said to Xi Jin, "Go call the waiter in. Let's order first, then talk."

Pan Yun felt her stomach and realized she was indeed hungry after speaking—she nodded.

Xue Shao's gaze fell on Pan Xiaohei sitting nearby and asked, "What does this black cat want to eat?"

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow and looked at Pan Xiaohei too.

Pan Xiaohei, who had been licking its paw, looked up at Xue Shao, then turned to Pan Yun and meowed, "I want more ai wowo."

Pan Yun told Xue Shao, "It wants ai wowo, and meat—pork, lamb, and fish—it loves them all."

"So fond of meat, huh~~" Xue Shao remembered his debt to Pan Yun and pulled out his few remaining coins to give to Xi Jin, "Order according to Pan Sanzhu's tastes."

Pan Yun emphasized, "It's Pan Xiaohei's tastes."

Xue Shao nodded, "Fine, it's the cat's—go, Xi Jin."

Xi Jin took the money and withdrew.

Once the door closed again, Xue Shao said, "When I saw Pan Sanzhu this time, I noticed the black demonic aura on you had vanished—I finally felt at ease. It seems my storytelling and promotion worked."

Pan Yun's hand holding the teacup froze. She stared at him, wide-eyed. "You're the one who spread Pan Sanzhu's name throughout Jiangnan and the coastal regions?"

Xue Shao, seeing she didn't seem pleased, frowned in confusion. "What? Was that not good?"

Pan Yun gritted her teeth. "It's not bad—but next time you help someone gain fame, could you at least tell them first?"

Xue Shao paused, apologetic. "I'm sorry. When I left, I saw your forehead was dark with demonic energy, shrouded in gloom. I thought all night and came up with this method to dispel it. We were both on the road then, unable to contact each other, so I didn't reach out."

"Is there trouble now that you're famous?"

Pan Yun: "Not too bad—just lost my hair and got ambushed once on the road."

Xue Shao's gaze landed on her head. He felt even more guilty.

(End of Chapter)