The person surrounded by the Imperial Guard was well built and rather tall, but his face was still rather immature, creating a rather foolish feel to the person. On his juvenile face was a pale complexity, with gloomy flames burning in his eyes. He appeared no different than a dead man - it was as though he had accepted his fate when Zhifu had appeared before him.

Jing Wen stood a few steps before Gao Shu, his face filled with anger, and strangely, a hint of confusion. After realising the rashness in his actions, the fury within him slowly faded, leaving only confusion.

“Apologies for my outrage earlier Zhifu. However, I don’t understand how Gao Shu, who had been a filial child and loyal subject, suddenly became suspected of a crime.”

The Zhifu’s expression suddenly froze. His face slowly turned from indifference, to shock, then amusement. He said after a long moment, “Judging by your excellent martial arts and connection to the criminal, I assume that this gentleman must be Jing Wen, the captain of the division Gao Shu originally belong to?”

Jing Wen made a sound of affirmation.

The Zhifu then asked, “You say that this criminal is a filial child.”

Jing Wen nodded. “Gao Shu would send half his wage to his parents each year. He is abiding by the teachings of filial piety.”

The Zhifu suddenly smiled. The smile was so bemused that his eyes could no longer be seen, forming crescent akin to the new moon. “What if I told you that Gao Shu is being arrested on charges of patricide?”

Jing Wen could not comprehend the possibility of Gao Shu killing his father. He frowned as he asked, “This cannot be right. Even in the Imperial Guard, Gao Shu would hesitate to kill. Furthermore, he had no sign of malevolence to his parents a month prior. How could he have killed his father?”

The Zhifu held his head up high, saying, “I don’t know either. It will only be known after the criminal confesses.”

Jing Wen turned towards Gao Shu, and asked, “Did you kill your father?”

The formerly silent Gao Shu answered with a hoarse voice, “Yes.”

Jing Wen, the Zhifu, and even the crowd were stunned, for the confession came so easily. Gao Shu answered as though it was a matter as simple as buying cabbage from the market, or at which hour he slept the previous night. However, the Zhifu quickly recovered, and said to the Imperial Guards surrounding Gao Shu, “You heard what the criminal said. Sent him to be punished by death!”

As the guards were approaching Gao Shu, Zhou Aimin squeezed through the crowds. He resolutely took off a jade badge from his belt and threw it before Jing Wen’s foot.

“I exchange my father’s personal badge for an hour.”

He stared at the Zhifu and said, “You’ve been chasing Gao Shu for a month. There should be no problem waiting an additional hour, right?”

The Zhifu was silent for a moment, before he ordered the Imperial Guards surrounding Gao Shu to spread out. He looked at Jing Wen eagerly and said, “I’m quite interested in how Sir Jing will explain his former subordinate.”

Jing Wen, during this time, had already calmed his emotion. He ‘looked’ at Gao Shu once more through the white cloth and asked simply.

“Why?”

Gao Shu answered absent-mindedly, “Because I must do it.”

“Why?” Jing Wen seemed unbothered by the one hour time restriction and repeated the same word once more.

The Zhifu expected Gao Shu to repeat “Because I must do it”. He felt that Zhou Aimin and Jing Wen were truly acting foolishly by vouching for Gao Shu, who had already confessed. Preparing to command the Imperial Guard to apprehend Gao Shu to end the meaningless exchange, he was suddenly interrupted when Gao Shu suddenly raised his voice.

“Captain, I know you never inquired about my or any of your other of your subordinates' past, so you wouldn’t know.” Gao Shu’s indifference shifted into a self-mocking smile as he answered, “My father is a doctor in the countryside. He had always abided by principle and morals, looking after his parents and my mother. Yet due to the recent snowstorm this year, many of the medicines had become harder to obtain.”

“So your father could not continue his current way of life?”

Gao Shu nodded, and continued with a slight chuckle, “Indeed. But if he tries to sell medicine at a raised cost, the already improvised farmers could not pay for the medicine, leaving his business bankrupt. So in the end, he began substituting certain ingredients with others, such as adding sawdust into medical powder, or using dyed wild mushrooms for Ling Zhi.”

“In the end, five people died from his prescriptions.”

Hearing that so many lives perished under Gao Shu’s father’s actions, Jing Wen could not help but feel displeased. He sighed and said, “So in the end, you killed him.”

Gao Shu nodded. The next moment, he raised his head and looked at Jing Wen’s white face. He asked seriously, “Captain… did I do the right thing?”

Jing Wen was silent for a long time. The snow became heavier and heavier, until the jade badge before his feet was covered in snow. It was then that Jing Wen finally answered.

“No.”

Patricide was a crime even greater than treason against the Emperor. There were countless precedents where sons helped their treasonous father hide from the state and then hailed as a filial son. Even if Jing Wen were to say ‘Yes’, it would still be impossible for him to reason for Gao Shu to be spared from death.

Gao Shu did not seem disappointed at this answer. Rather, his expression was full of complex, joyful yet sorrowful - but most prominently, was that of relief.

With a serious expression, Gao Shu said wryly, “Since that’s the case, then I request that captain will allow me to accept the judgement of the state.”

“No.”

Gao Shu was confused by the sudden rejection, but before he could ask, Jing Wen had already turned to face the Zhifu. He solemnly bowed to the Zhifu. “Zhifu, considering that Gao Shu was my former subordinate, it is only right for me to be responsible for the punishment.”

The Zhifu evidently found what Jing Wen said to be absurd. He had shown such a reaction when Gao Shu was captured; how could he be trusted to actually punish the criminal? Perhaps Jing Wen would let the criminal off the moment he arrived at Jing Manor. Still, the Zhifu amused Jing Wen. “Sir Jing, I’m sure you are aware that the punishment for patricide is death by flogging. I wonder if Sir Jing’s noble heart can bear such a sight.”

Jing Wen said, “Since it is my oversight that Gao Shu had committed patricide, I believe I should partially take the blame. If Zhifu agrees, then I propose that I personally take twenty floggings, and in exchange, Gao Shu is spared a quick death under my hands.”

The Zhifu lowered his head in thought. Sir Jing’s words should be from the bottom of his heart… even if it wasn’t, he was a mere Zhifu while Jing Wen had inherited many noble titles from his father, such as Marquis of Ji, an honorary title that brought him on equal level as lesser royalties. Moreover, there is the presence of Zhou Aimin behind him, and by proxy, the powerful Prince Qiao. It was a frightening force that he cannot afford to stand up against over a simple nobody like Gao Shu.

Performing a solemn bow to Jing Wen, the Zhifu said, “Since Sir Jing had said so, then how can this one refuse? However, I do not have the power to pardon and assign punishments. His Majesty’s edict is required.”

Jing Wen returned the bow to the Zhifu. “I must trouble Zhifu then.”

The Zhifu forced out a few chuckles as he dispersed the Imperial Guards and the city garrison.

Jing Wen, hearing the moment of footsteps, placed his hands behind him as he walked towards Zhou Aimin at an unhurried pace. Gao Shu, without instructions from Jing Wen, quickly stood up and followed behind his former captain, his face lowered as to hide his current expression from the crowd that had gathered around him.

When Jing Wen reached Zhou Aimin, the little Taoist stood by his left-hand side.

The heavy crowd, no longer interested in Gao Shu’s arrest, parted, allowing Jing Wen to walk through. It was as though a tide had swept through the boulevard, leaving behind only a few human figures.

---

Before most men had woken up, a eunuch stood before Jing manor. The dim lights radiating off the lamps nearby lit his face, along with the figure of Jing Wen, who had received him.

The eunuch took out a paper slip from his sleeves, still warm from the close contact it had with his body, he raised his voice and said in high pitch, “His Majesty has decreed that the right of exacting capital punishment against the criminal, Gao Shu, has been delegated to the Marquis of Ji, Jing Wen. In addition, his Majesty has found Marquis Jing Wen’s willingness to admit his subordinate’s errs to be of admirable quality and reduced the subsequent punishment by flogging to ten strikes!”

Returning the edict to his sleeves, the eunuch made a deep bow to Jing Wen.

“Sir Jing, the flogging will occur at mid-day. Please be prepared then,” the eunuch warned under suppressed breath, before leaving Jing manor.

After the eunuch’s figure could no longer be seen, Zhou Aimin walked next to Jing Wen. Looking at the side of Jing Wen’s face, he suddenly asked, “Fellow Jing, why sacrifice so much for your former subordinates? He had already admitted to the murder of his father, a crime that goes against all virtues.”

Jing Wen thought for some time, then answered, “What Gao Shu did was to spare the future patents seeking his father from suffering. While what he did goes against the principles of Confucianism indeed, but he showed himself caring to the common people. Someone like that does not deserve such a cruel death.”

Shaking his head, Jing Wen left the main gate of the Jing estate. As he passed the bridge, the goldfish beneath his legs quickly swam off. Before long, he had reached the East Wing of the manor, where Gao Shu was resting.

As the door opened, Jing Wen’s image was reflected on a mirror-like surface.

The surface of this object was cold and contained a dangerous feeling.

It was a very ordinary sword.

It was Gao Shu’s sword.