Chapter 360: with translation of chapter title

The spring breeze gradually warmed, causing all the fresh flowers in the garden to bloom.

Passing through the garden of the little He residence at night, she sank into a sweet, clear dream of peony blossoms.

He Jinglan walked alone, without a lantern and without any maidservant following.

Her cheeks flushed, eyes downcast, lips curved in a smile; though it was unclear what she was thinking, her mood was clearly bright.

Just as she reached the Flower Gazebo, a voice called out, 'Jing Lan.'

He Jinglan startled, looked up, and a flicker of guilt crossed her.

'Brother, what are you doing here?'

'I should be asking you,' He Jinghui said, his eyes probing, 'Why run to the garden in the middle of the night?'

He gazed toward He Jinglan's back and said, 'You came from the corner gate—did you go out tonight?'

He Jinglan's heart raced, she forced herself calm: 'No, it's just that the flower-viewing banquet is coming up; at dinner I heard Lianxing say the peonies and redbuds were blooming one after another, so I came to have a look.'

He Jinghui nodded.

The siblings depended on each other for survival; their trust and tacit understanding went without saying.

But for some reason, tonight he felt a vague unease in his heart.

He Jinghui glanced again toward the corner gate, smiling, 'You're inseparable from Boss Gu—why come to see the flowers without inviting her?'

He Jinglan naturally noticed her brother's small gesture.

She glanced askance at him and said, 'Girls' affairs—brother, don't pry!'

Then she turned the tables: 'You're blocking me here—if you have nothing to say, are you afraid I'll act like the talented scholars and beauties in those street romances, meeting under the willow at moonlit garden?'

Having said that, He Jinglan deliberately put on a stern face to feign displeasure.

He Jinghui chuckled helplessly, 'All right, all right—you've been clever since childhood, always discreet; how could my sister learn such vulgar ways?'

He Jinglan certainly hadn't done anything improper; she laughed, 'So, brother, what did you come to tell me?'

The brother and sister slowly walked back.

He Jinghui recounted how Gu Xixi, acting alone, had poisoned and slaughtered the bandits; his expression was complex.

He Jinglan let out a light laugh.

'Brother, you're so well-informed yet still surprised—I'd love to see how terrified Dou Rongshan was back then.'

He Jinghui exclaimed, 'How do you even know about Boss Gu's skill?'

He Jinglan replied, 'Not only do I know—I even cooperated with her in Flower Pool Ford Village to deal with a vicious assassin.'

'The corpses were handled by Master Liu and his men—you didn't know about that, Brother?'

He Jinghui gritted his teeth, 'That Mu Qixiu—keeping secrets even from his own people, airtight!'

He Jinglan patted her brother sympathetically, comforting, 'He may have thought that the fewer people who know, the better Gu Xixi's chances of self-preservation in a crisis. Plus, Gu Xixi herself didn't want anyone to know…'

He Jinglan chuckled, 'In fact, even before Mu Nan Zhao had detoxified, Gu Xixi and I were alone on the border, pursued by Bei Li troops, and we barely escaped alive—thanks not only to Mu Nan Zhao's soft sword.'

He Jinghui froze.

It turned out Gu Xixi had already begun using poison back then.

He Jinglan continued, 'At that time, Mu Nan Zhao's poison had flared, putting him at death's door; I suspect Gu Xixi killed a Bei Li archer hidden in the dark, then she brought Mu Nan Zhao to hide in a snow ditch to evade the Bei Li troops' search.'

'I only heard about this later…'

She paused, avoiding Meng Chengping's name, '…from what the Northwest Army personnel handling the aftermath said.'

He Jinghui's expression turned solemn.

At first, he merely thought Mu Nan Zhao had been momentarily moved when in distress.

Later, upon meeting Gu Xixi in person, he felt she was quite capable and her disposition differed from ordinary women, so Mu Nan Zhao's affection was understandable.

But now…

He Jinghui sighed, 'The gratitude for taking her in, the debt of saving her life, and this bond of sharing life and death…'

'To obtain such a woman is a fortune across three lifetimes.'

'Not to mention Mu Qixiu—no person ought to betray her.'

He Jinglan teased, 'Brother, didn't you used to say he was love‑addled and witless? What happened—after a trip to the Northwest he's become nothing like his former self.'

He Jinghui felt embarrassed, 'It was my prejudice—I was wrong, I was wrong.'

They returned to the Jade Bamboo Courtyard.

He Jinglan dismissed the attendants and told Gu Xixi, 'That matter has been settled.'

'But if we step forward, word will get out and give people ammunition, making a just deed seem unjust.'

'Let Miss Lu herself take the lead tomorrow.'

This was what the two had originally agreed upon.

Gu Xixi gave a noncommittal reply, 'I just don't know how the interrogation over there went.'

'Did Minister He reveal anything to you?'

He Jinglan shook her head, 'My brother's busy with locust eradication; he hasn't been to the prince's residence today.'

'But I'd guess, given Mu Nan Zhao's efficiency, there should already be a result.'

In the Regent Prince's mansion, the dungeon was brightly lit.

A man, soaked through, was dragged away by the jailers.

On the table lay a fresh stack of confessions; the red fingerprint on the top sheet was still wet.

Two jailers brought in another, reporting, 'Your Highness, this is the last one.'

Today's defendants all came from Nan Yi County.

Among them were the servants and steward of a Fan family household.

Also present were the constables, captains, and county magistrate of Nan Yi County.

The one who was just dragged away was the magistrate of Nan Yi Xian.

Although the magistrate's rank was low, he was also a court-appointed official who had passed the civil examinations.

According to procedure, without solid evidence, even the Ministry of Punishments could not torture him.

But this time, the Regent Prince himself is conducting the interrogation.

From sending people to arrest him in Nan Yi Xian yesterday morning to holding the trial tonight, it was as swift as a thunderbolt.

The magistrate of Nan Yi Xian got no warning; during his nap he was seized and taken to the capital.

On the way he wondered what crime he had committed and who dared to arrest him directly.

But just now, the magistrate has already confessed and signed, formally becoming a prisoner.

As for the final suspect, who had been watching the interrogation all along, he was so scared his pants were wet.

Mu Nan Zhao sat upright behind the desk.

He picked up his tea cup, smelled the surrounding bloodiness, furrowed his brow, then set it down.

The official in charge of the trial beside him shouted, "Bold Fan Dongping! Everyone in the Nan Yi Xian County Office confirms you bribed the county office, for years buying off the magistrate to cover up your crimes, and, following your orders, repeatedly silenced the victims."

"Murder, theft, seizing land, abducting women, smuggling tea—you still refuse to confess to these crimes!"

Fan Dongping, in a daze, was suddenly startled awake.

Even if he were stupid, he knows that if he confessed to those crimes, dying several times wouldn't be enough.

His will to live forced him to summon courage.

"I didn't do it! I never did anything like that!"

The chief judge was about to erupt, but Mu Nan Zhao calmly said, "No rush."

"Let's go through the procedure first."

The chief judge understood and gave a glance.

Two jailers swiftly lifted Fan Dongping, hung him on the slowly turning wheel, and bound him with iron chains.

As the wheel turned, Fan Dongping hung upside down, his head submerged in water.

Besides the suffocating feeling from entering the water, he felt something writhing and wrapping around his face.

Ice-cold, slippery……