Chapter Seventeen: False Accusation

Yaksha Lady left the noble’s residence in a daze. She had only just reached the small path when Su darted out and blocked her way.

“What did Dai Yuheng want with you?” Su’s voice was low and tense.

“What?” She was puzzled. Was he referring to Young Master Dai?

Su glanced around, then grabbed her hand. “Come here!” He pulled her into the grove by the path. She followed him blankly.

Stopping, Su released her and fixed her with a serious look. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean, what’s going on?” Only now did Kaiming regain her senses.

“Dai Yuheng—I saw him, inside?” Su seemed uneasy even to say the name, his voice suppressed as he pointed toward the noble’s quarters. “Why is he here?”

“What’s so strange about him being here?” Kaiming made up an excuse on the spot. “He drops by sometimes, visits relatives…” Seeing Su glare at her fiercely, she immediately fell silent.

“I don’t know why he’s here. He just said he spends more time here than at the Dai residence…”

“No wonder no one ever sees Dai Yuheng at home. Turns out he’s been hiding here all along.” Su sneered. “A clever game—who would imagine he’s concealed himself in the barracks? Out of sight, yet able to move at will.”

Kaiming was curious. “Don’t you think it’s more dangerous to stay here, with so many people coming and going?”

“What do you know!” Su snapped. “The more dangerous a place is, the safer it can be. This makes things simpler.”

“You’re not thinking of killing him, are you?” Kaiming’s face paled. Her gaze dropped to his shoulder, where a dark red stain had spread wide. She cried out, “Your wound’s reopened! There’s so much blood!”

“It tore when I pulled you just now. I didn’t dare leave when you were called for questioning, so it’s gotten worse. It’s nothing serious.” Su acted as if he didn’t care, though his brow was slightly furrowed.

“It’s all my fault.” Kaiming pressed her palms together and bowed to him in apology. “Forgive me, forgive me.”

“What are you doing?” Su laughed, brushing aside her clasped hands. “Let’s be serious. What did Dai Yuheng really want from you?”

“He wanted me to identify someone as the murderer,” she finally admitted.

“Who?”

“General Dayin,” Kaiming said calmly, watching Su’s face, hoping to catch some reaction.

A look of shock, then understanding crossed his features. “Of course, if he’s going to pin the crime on anyone, it has to be her.”

“It’s not a frame-up. I saw it with my own eyes.” Kaiming stared into his eyes. “That night, I saw General Dayin myself—she killed those people…”

“Stop! Don’t go around spouting such madness. If someone with ulterior motives hears, a hundred deaths wouldn’t be enough to pay for it!” Su cut her off sharply, gritting his teeth.

His face had turned ashen. Kaiming was frightened, but protested, “I really did see it…”

“You saw nothing, understand?” He quickly interrupted her. “You were just out drinking with me, is that clear?”

She couldn’t answer yes or no, but the thoughts in her heart only grew stronger. Unable to resist, she asked, “Are you and Dayin in league?”

Su gave her a strange look, making her doubt her own suspicions. She stammered, “Aren’t you? You’re always defending her…”

Su’s lips twisted into a peculiar smile. “Kaiming, do you know where these wounds on my body came from?”

Kaiming hesitated. “Was it Young Master Dai…?”

“No!” he denied at once, surprising her. From Su’s previous evasions, she’d assumed there was bad blood between him and Dai. But he answered directly, “It was Dayin. I have her to thank for these.”

Kaiming was stunned. He had been defending Dayin, yet she was the one who injured him? What was going on?

“A few days ago, I got a secret report. The person I was looking for was in General Dayin’s residence, so I went to investigate that night and was shot by Dayin’s arrow.” He gave a bitter smile. “Looking back, the spy I planted in the Dai residence must have been discovered long ago, and I was fed false information. When it comes to schemes, I’m still no match for him.”

“Dai Yuheng gave you false information?” Kaiming was incredulous. “And then you were wounded by Dayin. What a tangled triangle.”

“What triangle?” Su frowned.

Kaiming grinned sheepishly. Calling it a triangle in this context was rather silly.

She suddenly remembered something and asked, “Who were you looking for in General Dayin’s residence? A sweetheart?”

Su’s face flushed, a mix of annoyance and amusement. “What are you thinking? It wasn’t a sweetheart!”

“Or a long-lost brother? A master of unrivaled martial arts?” she chattered on, her imagination running wild, eyes sparkling.

“Enough!” Su cut off her babble, barely restraining himself. “Simple mind, simple thoughts. I might as well tell you. Do you remember that dying man who whispered something to me that night?”

“What did he say?” She had been curious about this all along.

“He told me a shocking secret about the royal family…” Su was about to continue, but a noise sounded in the distance. He immediately stopped and demanded, “Who’s there?”

“It’s me.” A thin soldier stepped out calmly and walked toward them. Kaiming recognized him—it was Akuang. How strange; why was Akuang always nearby? Last time he ran into her with Qiao, and now he turned up while she was talking with Su?

Su saw it was Akuang and relaxed, explaining to Kaiming, “Akuang is one of mine. It’s fine.”

One of his? Another spy, perhaps, or something else? Kaiming looked at Akuang’s expressionless, mechanical face and suddenly wondered—what was his true identity?

With Akuang present, there was no way to continue the conversation. The so-called explosive secret Su had mentioned remained unspoken.

Dispirited, Kaiming returned to her dormitory, only to be scolded at length by Chunhua. She couldn’t explain, so she let her lecture. Qiao looked on, sneering, as if nothing delighted her more than Kaiming’s misfortune. After such a day, sleeplessness was inevitable that night.

The room was filled with the harsh symphony of snores. Lying with her hands behind her head, staring at the ceiling, Kaiming’s thoughts drifted. Dai Yuheng was clearly a man of hidden depths, but what startled her was that even someone as seemingly simple as Su could play at intrigue. Or was it that she always judged people too superficially?

The next two days passed uneventfully, but on the third, disaster struck—a chance event that would alter the course of Kaiming’s life.

It was an ordinary morning. Dawn had barely broken when the door rattled violently. Suddenly, it was kicked open, and several male soldiers burst inside.

“How dare you!” Qiao was the first to react, sitting up and rebuking them sharply.

“Forgive us, miss,” said two high-ranking soldiers as they entered, bowing slightly. “We have duties to attend to and do not wish to disturb you.”

“Barging into the women’s quarters at dawn—what urgent business could you possibly have?” Qiao sneered, raising an eyebrow. “Or are you all perverts?”

The soldiers flushed red and hurriedly called to their men, “Don’t just stand there, get to it!”

Several soldiers responded, heading straight to a bed and hauling Kaiming up.

“What’s happening?” Chunhua mumbled sleepily, startled at the sight of the soldiers. “Am I dreaming?”

“Hey, what are you doing?” Kaiming opened her eyes to find herself being dragged to the floor, jolted awake from her confusion.

“Why are you arresting Kaiming?” Chunhua sprang from her bed, alarmed. “What has she done?”

“She has committed a serious crime,” the high-ranking soldier snorted. “She dared to attempt an assassination on Young Master Dai of the Purple Palace!”

“Assassinate my cousin?” Qiao’s eyes widened in shock, her face draining of color. “Kaiming, how could you! I misjudged you!”

Kaiming gave a wry smile. “At the very least, shouldn’t I have a motive and opportunity? Are you just going to convict me at random?”

Chunhua jumped down, grabbing the soldiers’ arms. “Wait, you say Kaiming tried to assassinate Young Master Dai—when did this happen?”

“Last night.” The high-ranking soldier cut in before Chunhua could protest. “She wasn’t the one wielding the blade, but her accomplice. She’s an accessory!”

“Why do you say I’m an accessory? What evidence do you have?” Kaiming asked weakly. Such bad luck, and so early in the morning.

“You’ll explain yourself to Lord Commander!” The soldiers shook off Chunhua’s grasp, dragged Kaiming to her feet, and hustled her out the door. The commotion had already woken the other women, who sat up in a frenzy of gossip.

Chunhua stared, stunned. “This must be some kind of joke…”

Qiao stopped the departing officer. “Is my cousin injured? Is he all right?”

The soldier glanced around, then whispered to her, “Miss, rest assured. Young Master Dai asked me to tell you he is unharmed—there’s no need to worry!”

“Then…” Qiao hesitated. If all was well, why make such a spectacle of arresting people?

“The matter of this female soldier will be handled by Lord Commander,” the soldier replied, bowing to her before leaving.

Who would have thought there was a prison in the barracks? Kaiming never imagined her “good fortune” would let her experience the taste of a black cell.

Down the stone steps of the underground jail, the air was thick and stifling. Iron bars divided the world into two. Immediately, she spotted a man curled inside one cell, bloodstained and disheveled, all former strength and pride gone.

“Su!” Kaiming cried out, rushing to the bars but unable to reach him. “Why are you locked up here? How could they treat you this way?!”

The guards pulled her away and threw her into the cell opposite, slamming a heavy black lock in place before leaving.

The man heard her voice and looked up with a bitter smile. “I never thought you’d be dragged into this with me.”

“What happened? Did you really try to assassinate Dai Yuheng?” Kaiming gripped the bars, refusing to look away. “Are you crazy? What grudge do you have against him, to go this far?”

“I didn’t try to assassinate him,” Su said unexpectedly. “I was just spying outside his room—this is a frame-up!”

Kaiming was stunned. “But they said you tried to kill Young Master Dai…”

“How else could they convict me?” Su snorted. “This is a perfect opportunity to strike at my father. It’ll give them something to gloat over for a while.”

“Your father?”

“My father’s a civil official of the Purple Palace, and he’s always butted heads with Dai’s father, the military official, Dai Huang. He’s been gathering evidence against Dai Huang for the palace, and I was trying to help. I never expected they’d get to me first.” Su forced a bitter smile. “What a perfect two-birds-with-one-stone scheme.”

“What?” Kaiming was bewildered.

“I’ve been thinking it over in here. Why did Dai Yuheng so readily reveal his whereabouts to you? It was for this.” He paused, swallowing hard. “To lure me into his trap—and drag you down with me.”

“What do you mean?” Kaiming felt as though her heart had been struck numb. “Impossible. Young Master Dai promised that as long as I acted as witness, he would keep me safe, and Ji said I could serve as his attendant…”

“Don’t be so naive.” Su laughed harshly—a sound that chilled Kaiming to the bone. “You and I are friends. I’m the son of a civil official. How could you possibly act against Dai Huang’s interests? That’s one. Two, revealing his own movements was a test of your loyalty. Since I spied on him, you can’t be of use to him. You know too much, and it’s best to get rid of both of us in one clean sweep…”

He laughed aloud, “That’s the two-birds-with-one-stone plan. We’re the two foolish birds who walked right into the net! Ha, ha—!”

The more Kaiming listened, the colder she felt. Dai Yuheng’s elegant smile flashed before her eyes; his gentle voice now roared like a storm in her ears.

“This room in the noble’s residence has always been kept for me. I spend more time here than at home…”

So from the very beginning, it was all a test. From the very beginning, Dai Yuheng was guarding against her.

“I won’t harm you. I’ll do my best to protect you!”

Lies—all lies!