Chapter 28: Overturning the Verdict? Supporting the Heir? The Path Ahead!

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Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Liu Shuyi turned and knocked on the gate.

The gate had not been repaired in years. Under his knocking, flakes of peeling vermilion lacquer pattered to the ground.

Before long, the gate opened.

The soft light of a lantern first slipped through the crack, followed by the aged face of Uncle Chang.

“Young Master, you’re home.”

Seeing that it was Liu Shuyi, Uncle Chang pushed the gate fully open.

“Have I disturbed your rest, Uncle Chang?”

Liu Shuyi felt somewhat apologetic. For the past two days, he had not returned home until after midnight. In this era, there were no locks that could be opened from both inside and out, so he had to rely on someone within the house to let him in. Every time, he inevitably ended up waking them.

Uncle Chang understood what he meant and shook his head with a smile. “Rest assured, Young Master. This old servant has not yet gone to sleep.”

“It’s so late. Why are you still awake?” Liu Shuyi asked, surprised.

Uncle Chang replied, “With Young Master staying out through the night, this old servant cannot put his mind at ease. I fear that something might happen again, as it did with the eldest young master. Only after Young Master returns home can this old servant sleep peacefully.”

Hearing this, Liu Shuyi could not help recalling what had happened on the day his predecessor’s elder brother, Liu Shuzhong, disappeared.

It had been the fourth day of the fifth month in the ninth year of Wude—exactly one month before the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

That evening, his predecessor had been waiting for his elder brother, Liu Shuzhong, to return home from the Court of Judicial Review for dinner.

He waited a full hour before Liu Shuzhong finally returned.

Yet Liu Shuzhong did not go to dinner. He did not even say a word, but rushed straight into the study.

Finding this strange, his younger brother went after him. There, he happened to see Liu Shuzhong walking out with a bundle on his back.

When asked where he was going, Liu Shuzhong did not answer. He merely pressed a hand to his younger brother’s shoulder and told him that their days of hardship were coming to an end, and that the Liu family’s title and glory would soon return.

With that, Liu Shuzhong hurried away.

His younger brother and Uncle Chang waited the entire night, but Liu Shuzhong never came back.

The next day, his younger brother went to the Court of Judicial Review to ask about him, only to learn that Liu Shuzhong had not reported for duty there even once the previous day.

This made him realize that something might have happened to his elder brother.

He immediately asked people from the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice to help search for him. Later, he also reported the disappearance to the government offices of Chang’an County and Wannian County.

Yet despite searching for several days, none of those offices could find Liu Shuzhong.

He had vanished without a trace, as though he had evaporated from the face of the earth.

To his younger brother, it had been a catastrophe that felt like the sky itself had collapsed.

Before that, his elder brother had held up the heavens above him, shielding him from wind and rain. Afterward, every storm and downpour had to be endured alone.

It was only then that his younger brother learned how much Liu Shuzhong had sacrificed to protect him and keep their fallen household standing.

It could be said that his predecessor’s miserable fate before Liu Shuyi’s arrival in this world—and the Liu family’s present ruin—were both inseparable from Liu Shuzhong’s disappearance.

Why had Liu Shuzhong vanished?

Liu Shuyi had been too busy with the cases of Zhao Chengyi and Miaoyiner these past two days to think carefully about it.

Now that he considered the matter seriously, however, several possibilities began to emerge.

The day before Liu Shuzhong disappeared, he had not reported for duty at the Court of Judicial Review. In other words, he had already been missing.

Where had he gone?

Then, after returning in such haste, where had he hurried off to again?

And there was something else. Liu Shuzhong had told his younger brother that their days of hardship were coming to an end, and that the Liu family’s title and glory would return.

Why had he said such a thing?

Under what circumstances could a convicted minister’s family regain its title and glory?

By rendering meritorious service?

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But there had been no word of his elder brother accomplishing anything significant during that period.

Or perhaps… overturning the verdict?

Could it be that his elder brother had wanted to clear their father Liu Wenjing’s name, and had discovered some clue he should never have found?

Or perhaps…

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes. In one month, the Xuanwu Gate Incident would take place, and afterward, the entire empire would have a new master.

Or perhaps… he had chosen to follow the dragon?

His brows twitched sharply.

If that was the case, did it mean his elder brother had secretly taken part in the struggle for the throne without his predecessor’s knowledge?

If so, whom had he chosen?

Li Jiancheng?

Or Li Shimin?

Liu Shuyi’s thoughts raced in every direction. He could not help but speculate, for the date of Liu Shuzhong’s disappearance was simply too close to the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

Both the possibility that he had sought to overturn the verdict and the possibility that he had joined one of the contenders for the throne were far from unlikely.

“Uncle Chang.”

Liu Shuyi turned to the old steward who had served the Liu family for decades. “Before Brother disappeared, did you notice anything unusual about him?”

Uncle Chang shook his head without hesitation, as though he had been pondering the question every day.

“The eldest young master was no different from usual. Every day, he went to the Court of Judicial Review as normal. To save money, he never visited pleasure houses or taverns. Once his duties ended, he returned home and shut himself in the study to deal with official business until he went to bed.”

Uncle Chang’s words matched Liu Shuyi’s memories.

There had been nothing unusual in his elder brother’s daily conduct.

Yet on the very day he disappeared, he had suddenly failed to report for duty and suddenly declared that the Liu family would regain its former glory.

What exactly had happened that day? Where had Liu Shuzhong gone, and whom had he met?

And there was more.

The reason Zhao Chengyi had been able to frame his predecessor was that he had used information about Liu Shuzhong to lure him to the Zhao residence.

And Zhao Chengyi had acted on the orders of the master behind him.

Did that mean Zhao Chengyi’s master knew something about Liu Shuzhong’s disappearance—or had even orchestrated it himself?

If that was true, the implications were chilling.

Even now, Liu Shuyi still could not understand why Zhao Chengyi’s master wanted to harm him.

According to his memories, his predecessor had been timid and weak, and had never offended anyone.

He could not find even the slightest motive for Zhao Chengyi’s master to target him.

But what if the motive did not lie with him, but with his elder brother?

Then everything seemed to make sense.

Had the master behind Zhao Chengyi believed that Liu Shuzhong had told his younger brother some secret before disappearing?

Or had he feared that Liu Shuyi might uncover the truth behind his elder brother’s disappearance?

Was that why he had framed him, intending to put him to death?

Yet another question arose.

Given the power and influence of Zhao Chengyi’s master, would he really have needed to go to such lengths to deal with a minor official of the Ministry of Justice?

Would it not have been simpler to send someone to silence him?

He had been able to kill Zhao Chengyi inside the prison, in full view of everyone. Eliminating Liu Shuyi would certainly not have been difficult.

But he had not done so. Instead, he had painstakingly framed him—and the object used to do it was a jade pendant that had gone missing half a year earlier.

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This suggested that he had likely been plotting for half a year, constantly waiting for an opportunity.

“That’s strange. The logic doesn’t hold together.”

Liu Shuyi rubbed his chin. “Am I overthinking this? Could my elder brother’s disappearance have nothing to do with him?”

“Or perhaps… for some reason, he cannot attack me directly?”

Liu Shuyi shook his head. There were too few useful clues. He could not deduce anything more from them.

“看来 I need to meet Miaoyiner as soon as possible and see whether I can question her about my elder brother and the person behind all this…”

“And I must find a way to investigate the case of my elder brother’s disappearance…”

Liu Shuyi was not one to dawdle. Since he had formed a hypothesis, he intended to verify it as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, if his suspicions were correct—if the reason Miaoyiner’s master wanted him dead was connected to his elder brother—then that person would never let the matter rest while Liu Shuyi remained alive.

The attacks against him would only grow more terrifying each time.

He could not remain on the defensive forever. He had to strike first.

Getting Miaoyiner to talk was one path.

Investigating his elder brother was another.

He would pursue both lines at once and seize every opportunity to expose the enemy behind the scenes.

There was something else, too. Miaoyiner’s earlier words had been troubling him.

She had urged him to rise to at least the fifth rank. What exactly was she planning?

What did the “tide” she spoke of signify?

And the fifth rank…

Liu Shuyi knew that, in the Tang Dynasty, the fifth rank was the threshold at which an official could participate in court assemblies and help formulate policies concerning the nation and its people.

In other words, only upon reaching the fifth rank could one be considered to have truly entered the core of power.

Having lived two lives, he naturally understood the importance of power.

Especially in ancient times, without power, one did not even possess the right to speak the truth. If Du Ruhui had not helped him earlier, Pei Ji could have crushed him with a single finger. No matter how capable he was, he would never have had the chance to uncover the truth and clear his name.

Therefore, whatever Miaoyiner was planning, he would rise through the ranks as quickly as possible.

It was necessary for his own protection, so that he could survive his struggle against Pei Ji and the force behind the scenes.

It was also necessary to prepare for the so-called “tide,” which might truly be coming.

Investigate the mystery of his elder brother’s disappearance, expose the mastermind behind the scenes, and seize every opportunity to earn merit and rise in rank.

That was what he would do from now on.

Liu Shuyi slowly exhaled. He had not expected his wild train of thought to clarify both his current situation and the goals that lay ahead.

That was a good thing. Without a goal, a person could only drift through life in a daze.

“Young Master!”

At that moment, a bright voice came from the kitchen ahead.

A lovely young woman named Wan’er poked her head out through the kitchen doorway.

Her fair, delicate nose was smudged with charcoal, making her look like an adorable little kitten.

“Young Master, wait just a little longer. I’ll have the food warmed up in no time,” Wan’er said cheerfully.

Liu Shuyi had already eaten with Du Gou and the others while waiting for Miaoyiner to take the bait that evening. He was not hungry in the slightest.

But when he saw the bright, concerned eyes gazing at him, he paused.

Then he smiled and nodded. “How did you know I happened to be hungry, Wan’er? It seems your young master is in for a lucky meal.”