Jiang Buyi rushed in, pulling his sister into a heartbroken embrace.

He had remained unmarried until now, fearing conflicts between a wife and his sister, intending to see her married off first.

Who could have known such a thing would happen today? His eyes instantly turned bloodshot. “Yi’er, Yi’er? Are you alright?”

Mei Hexuan patted his shoulder sympathetically. “Rest assured, Lord Jiang. Your sister has merely suffered a shock; she is unharmed.”

The implication was clear: Yan Chenghao had not succeeded.

Yet, looking at the tear tracks on his sister’s face and her disheveled clothes, Jiang Buyi was still consumed by uncontrollable rage. He drew Mei Hexuan’s sword and strode over. “You were the one who abducted my sister?”

Jiang Buyi was a civil official. As the head of the Directorate of Astronomy, he had always maintained an aloof and unworldly demeanor. Now, glaring with crimson eyes, he terrified Yan Chenghao so much that the man’s crotch grew warm. He hastily waved his hands. “N-no, it wasn’t me, it wasn’t me—Ah!!!”

With a shrill, agonizing scream, Jiang Buyi’s sword severed all five fingers of his right hand.

Blood spurted wildly as the severed fingers fell. Even Mei Hexuan hadn’t expected him to strike so mercilessly and without warning.

Seeing that Jiang Buyi was about to chop off his left hand as well, Mei Hexuan hastily held him back. “Lord Jiang, quell your anger! Let us leave this man for the Emperor to deal with!”

After all, his surname was Yan; he was a genuine imperial relative.

If he died here, they would have no way to explain it!

Jiang Buyi’s fury-clouded mind finally cooled. Returning the longsword, he said, “Words cannot express my gratitude. Young General Mei has saved our family once again!”

Mei Hexuan cupped his hands in a returning salute. Only after Jiang Buyi carried his sister out did he cast a disgusted look at Yan Chenghao, who was rolling on the floor. “Find a doctor to stop his bleeding, then gather up those five fingers and hand them all over to Commander Xie to be sent to the palace!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Also, regarding today’s matters, everyone is to keep their lips tightly sealed. If anyone dares to breathe a single word outside—”

Before he could finish his threat, gasps and screams rang out from nearby.

Frowning, he quickly stepped outside, only to see the area surrounded by a crowd. They were all people from the neighboring brothel who had heard the commotion and run over to watch the spectacle.

A chill struck Mei Hexuan’s heart. He turned, intending to shout an order not to bring Yan Chenghao out.

But it was too late. His subordinates were already dragging the stark-naked man outside.

First, a tightly wrapped young woman had been carried out, and now, here was a naked man. It went without saying what everyone assumed had happened.

A cold dread crept up Mei Hexuan’s back. As he gazed in the direction the Jiang siblings had departed, a trace of worry filled his eyes.

That night, hardly anyone in the imperial palace got much sleep.

It wasn’t until dawn that Xie Zhizhou entered the palace to report, “Your Majesty, Your Grace, the person has been found. Young General Mei rescued her in time, preventing a major tragedy! However…”

Everyone’s hearts tightened. Yan Zheng asked, “However what?”

“However, Supervisor Jiang lost his reason in a fit of rage and severed five of Yan Chenghao’s fingers.”

“What?!” Li Yu swayed, nearly fainting. Yan Xin hurriedly supported her, his own heart aching with pity.

Five ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‍fingers! Even if a doctor could treat the wounds, he would be a cripple for the rest of his life!

The Emperor and Empress, however, seemed entirely unconcerned. Chu Ruoyan asked, “Word of this hasn’t leaked out, has it?”

Xie Zhizhou shook his head. “To answer Your Grace, I fear this matter cannot be concealed. The incident occurred next door to a brothel last night, and many people ran out to watch the commotion. As you know, there is nowhere in the world where news travels faster than such places.”

Chu Ruoyan’s heart sank.

If that was the case, the gossip had likely spread throughout the entire capital overnight.

Sure enough, by the next day, the events in Anping Alley were known in every street and alleyway.

Everyone was discussing it.

“Did you hear? The young lady of the Jiang family was caught red-handed having an illicit affair!”

“What affair? I heard she was abducted!”

“Well, she was gone for a whole night, and when she came out, her clothes were disheveled. She’s most likely lost her innocence!”

“Tsk, tsk. Who in the capital would marry her now?”

…

The commoners grew more excited the more they spoke, always taking a particular zeal in the disgrace of noblewomen. Even the storytellers in the teahouses and taverns capitalized on the trend, weaving together scandalous romantic tales.

As for the chief culprit, perhaps because his surname was Yan, no one seemed to care about him at all.

For the moment, all the scrutiny was aimed squarely at Jiang Yi.

At the Jiang Residence.

Ever since Jiang Yi woke up, she refused to eat or drink, simply sitting there blankly, shedding tears.

Jiang Buyi was heartbroken watching her. Left with no other choice, he went to the Xie family and invited Xie Yaozhi over.

Xie Yaozhi gently coaxed her, “Sister Jiang, please try to eat at least a little bit.”

Jiang Yi remained silent, staring blankly out the window.

Suddenly, she asked, “Do you know which nunnery Sister Xue is at?”

Xie Yaozhi’s heart gave a jolt. Then she heard Jiang Yi continue, “I want to cut off my hair and practice asceticism alongside Sister Xue. Sister Xie, do you think the nunnery will take me in?”

Xie Yaozhi’s nose tingled as her eyes grew red. She knew that the malicious rumors outside had ultimately reached Jiang Yi’s ears.

All she could do was grasp her hand and comfort her. “Sister Jiang, this wasn’t your fault. You can’t just give up on yourself like this…”

Weeping, Jiang Yi shook her head. “It’s no use. I’ve lost my innocence. My life is ruined… ruined…”

The two sisters embraced and wept bitterly. Standing outside the door, Jiang Buyi clenched his fists fiercely.

Inside the Imperial Study, the ministers were still offering their counsel.

“Your Majesty! Yan Chenghao has lost five fingers; he has already been punished! If we pursue this matter further, I fear it will be detrimental to the royal family’s reputation!”

“Indeed, Your Majesty! Furthermore, the young lady of the Jiang family suffered no substantial harm. At most, it can only be considered a frivolous indiscretion, not a major crime!”

“We beg Your Majesty to deal with this leniently!”

Led by Pei Ji, the ministers were clamoring to plead for leniency on Yan Chenghao’s behalf.

Some genuinely believed it was a trivial matter, while others were considering the royal family’s reputation. Most, however, assumed Yan Zheng would want to protect his cousin and were simply catering to what they thought were his preferences.

Yan Zheng swept a mild glance over them before his gaze landed on Cao Yang. “What are the Chief Minister’s thoughts?”

Cao Yang stepped forward and bowed. “Your Majesty, this subject believes we must still consult the wishes of the victim’s family.”

Pei Ji disagreed. “The Chief Minister is mistaken. Yan Chenghao is indeed guilty of abduction, but is Jiang Buyi not guilty of taking the law into his own hands and severing five of his fingers without asking for the cause? How can we listen only to his side of the story?”

Just as he finished speaking, a deep, cold voice rang out from outside. “This subject, Jiang Buyi, pleads guilty! But I ask Your Majesty to handle this with justice and restore my sister’s honor!”

Everyone turned to look, only to see Jiang Buyi walking in, stripped of his official robes and holding his official hat in his hands.

Pei Ji’s eyelids twitched, and he hurriedly said, “Lord Jiang, that is not what this official meant. It is just that the deed is already done. What point is there in pursuing it further? It would be better to turn swords into plowshares, which would also help quell the rumors outside!”

Jiang Buyi looked at him expressionlessly. “May I ask what Lord Pei means by ‘turning swords into plowshares’?”

“Just let your sister marry Yan Chenghao! We can say the two of them were already betrothed, and the incident in Anping Alley was merely a misunderstanding! This way, not only is your sister’s pure reputation preserved, but the royal family’s dignity remains intact. It is the best of both worlds!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep