Miss Truth
Chapter 186 - 118 – Isn’t it Just Seeking Power? I Can Do That Too! _2

Chapter 186: Chapter 118 – Isn’t it Just Seeking Power? I Can Do That Too! _2

"They say that a good chess player is also good at scheming, Sang Chen, you must not die too quickly."

Xiao Song leisurely entered Yuncong Temple, and Bai Yi appeared from the side of the door, cupping his hands and saying, "Your subordinate has come to accept punishment."

As if he hadn’t seen him, Xiao Song walked straight to the temporary chan room where he was staying. Bai Yi, in great anxiety, knew for certain that he could not escape punishment this time and quickly followed after him.

Once inside the chan room, Xiao Song took off his outer robe, casually tossed it onto the screen, and knelt before the table. He poured himself a cup of water and took a few sips before closing his eyes to recuperate, ignoring Bai Yi who was kneeling straight in the hallway as if he were air.

With his head bowed, Bai Yi stole glances inside the room. Amidst the chill of the autumn wind, his forehead and back were covered in sweat. Drops of sweat from his head converged and slowly slid down the side of his face, unbearably itchy, yet he dared not raise his hand to wipe them away.

After about a quarter of an hour, Xiao Song finally opened his eyes and said, "Come in."

Without daring to delay, Bai Yi quickly stood up and walked a few steps into the room.

"Sit," Xiao Song said, stretching out his hand to take a document from the table. He started reading it, paying no attention to questioning Bai Yi’s fault.

Bai Yi felt like sitting on pins and needles, stretched his neck to watch as Xiao Song finished reading a document and wrote down his comments. Just as Bai Yi was about to speak, he saw Xiao Song turn to another document, and his spirits deflated once again. Then after a while, he saw Xiao Song pick up his pen, and Bai Yi stretched his neck out once more.

This repeated over and over again, never catching a chance to speak. Bai Yi watched helplessly as Xiao Song finished reviewing a thick stack of documents. An hour and a half had passed, and his neck was stiff.

"My lord," Bai Yi finally seized the opportunity and immediately spoke out, "Your subordinate has come to confess!

Xiao Song moved his sore right hand and gave him an indifferent glance, "Oh."

Bai Yi was very anxious, and quickly listed his "crimes," "Your subordinate should not have disregarded your command, nearly costing the lives of Ran Shiqi and her maid, and should not have accidentally killed Jing Yuan! Please, my lord, punish me!"

Blades and swords are blind, and nobody expected that during the fight Jing Yuan would suddenly seek her own death. Xiao Song was not an unreasonable man either; he only glanced once and said, "Do you think that my order to protect Ran Shiqi had ulterior motives?"

Having been his guard for nearly eight years, Bai Yi knew very well what Xiao Song was thinking.

Xiao Song said coldly, "She is a key person involved in this case with remarkable skills in autopsy. If you were the killer, would you have tried to eliminate her?"

"Your subordinate knows his mistake!" Feeling the overwhelming coldness and pressure, Bai Yi felt as if he was standing naked in the snow and ice, yet inside he burned with intensity, nearly charring.

"Not only you but also Ben Xiao. Even a weak scholar who can’t even truss a chicken got away. I’m ashamed just to hear it," Xiao Song said, his words filled with indignation, but seemingly without much anger. He held a cup of tea leaning on the window sill, squinting into the distance, and after a long while said, "After you go back, copy the Heart Sutra eight hundred times and go take thirty military canes. Send a message to Ben Xiao to let him decide for himself."

Bai Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Having a fixed punishment was good; although he hated writing exceedingly, this punishment was relatively light. In contrast, the "let him decide for himself" for Ben Xiao was the worst. Compared to that, Bai Yi felt much more balanced.

"Did you just overhear my conversation with Sang Suiyuan?" Xiao Song looked down at Bai Yi as he was about to withdraw.

Bai Yi’s heart gave a lurch, and he could only say, "Yes."

Xiao Song lowered his gaze to the teacup and his own reflection within, looking rather perplexed, "Have you noticed that I’ve become increasingly kinder lately?"

How should one answer such a question? In terms of kindness, compared to yesterday when he almost coerced a County Chief and his entire family to commit suicide, he was indeed considerably more benevolent today. Bai Yi nervously glanced at Xiao Song, not daring even to breathe too loudly.

"Hmph, Sang Suiyuan... always assuming an air of indifference, how can I turn the tables?" Xiao Song watched as a few petals of jade orchid drifted by outside, his usually brilliant eyes gradually deepening in intensity.

The reason he had been provoking Sang Chen was actually quite complex, and even now he could not fully understand it himself. However, what he did know was that he had to regain what he’d once lost.

As for Ran Yan, Xiao Song’s eyes lowered slightly, and he asked Bai Yi, "What do you think about me bringing that Wife back home?"

Bai Yi broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that as the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice and a legitimate son of the Xiao family from Lanling, should this even be a question? If you want to marry her, do so; if not, then don’t. But on second thought, considering that the lord’s deterministic fate overshadowed his wives, was he... could he actually be moved? Was that why he was concerned about Ran Shiqi’s safety?

Xiao Song himself couldn’t see through this matter, so Bai Yi dared not even speak of it, opting instead to stand silently with his hands down.

Xiao Song gave a slight wave of his hand and Bai Yi immediately felt as if a great burden had been lifted from him, his body relaxing all at once. Although he was in a hurry to leave, he could not show any sign of it and had to maintain a serious and stable demeanor. After exiting the meditation room, he immediately broke into a sprint.

Outside the temple, Sang Chen stood under a willow tree, lost in thought for a long time. He glanced at Yingmei Temple halfway up the mountain, his moist lips pressed into a line.

After watching for a while, Sang Chen dragged his weary body towards Huai Yin’s meditation room.

Winding paths led to a secluded spot; the rhythmic sound of a wooden fish came from the meditation room, growing more pronounced as he approached, the air filled with the increasingly distinct aroma of sandalwood.

"Uncle Master," Sang Chen called out from the doorway.

The sound of the wooden fish stopped abruptly, and after a moment the door opened, revealing Huai Yin stepping out onto the porch, glancing coolly at Sang Chen, he said, "I’ll go have someone heat water."

"I wish to speak with you for a moment," Sang Chen stopped him from putting on his wooden clogs.

Huai Yin’s phoenix eyes remained silent yet serene; when making eye contact with him, one would feel ashamed but also at peace.

Sang Chen considered his words carefully, then stated directly, "I wish to enter official service."

Surprise flickered across Huai Yin’s typically impassive face; his slender eyebrows furrowed slightly, clearly not in favor of Sang Chen’s decision. Sang Chen was one of those rare individuals with a pure heart; it wasn’t that he was unaware of the treacherous world, he had simply chosen to set it aside. To Huai Yin, this wasn’t evasion; rather it was a talent, like a lotus rising unblemished from the mud.

This innate quality was not easily changed; in the convoluted world of officialdom, he might quickly be broken.

"Why?" If it were anyone else, Huai Yin might have simply said "do follow your heart," yet facing Sang Chen’s clear, expectant eyes, he asked another question.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote with your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)