Day Thirteen.
Chen Ji's days suddenly cald down.
Every morning, he woke up and marked a tally on the wall to note how many days he had been detained at the Imperial Supervision Office. Then he would squat in the courtyard to brush his teeth with willow twigs and salt brought by the clerk, before leaning against the door fra waiting for lamb buns.
Lord Bai Long arrived as expected every day, bringing a newspaper, winning forty gas of chess, no more, no less, before leaving.
Day Twenty-One, Chen Lizun ca again on behalf of Xiao Man, bringing him a change of clothes and a lacquered box. The box had three layers: one with snacks, one with candied fruit, and one with lon seeds and pine nuts.
Day Thirty-One, Bai Long brought news that the clerk sent by the Three Judicial Departnts had returned to the Imperial Capital, and the Ministry of Justice had presented the reversal docunts of Prince Jing's treason case and Qing Wentao's treason case to Renshou Palace, yet Renshou Palace remained silent.
Day Forty-Two, the Imperial Decree was announced, vindicating Qing Wentao, posthumously conferring him as Marquis Jingbian, with the title of Wu Lie, and ordering a burial mound outside Guyuan City to be constructed, to be honored at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The Ministry of Rites drafted the sacrificial text, the Hanlin Academy wrote the epitaph, and the imperial envoy was sent to Guyuan to deliver the ssage.
Eighteen years ago, when Qing Wentao was beheaded, the Guyuan Border Army knelt outside Guyuan City for a whole day and night. After the execution, every household in Guyuan City burned paper money at their doors for three days.
The streets were white, not with snow, but with paper ashes.
The Guyuan Border Army and the lamp waited eighteen years for vindication, but ultimately it was eighteen years too late.
Day Forty-Three, Wang Daosheng, Minister of War, submitted a morial stating that Qing Wentao and Prince Jing both had treason cases originating from the sa source, sa trial, sa judgnt, only then would the court demonstrate fairness. The morial was submitted, and for three days, there was no response from Your Majesty.
Day Forty-Five, the Six Departnts jointly submitted a petition.
Day Forty-Six, thirteen Imperial Censors at the Imperial Supervision Office jointly submitted a petition.
Day Forty-Seven, the Ministry of Justice and Dali Temple presented the reversal docunts again.
Day Forty-Eight, Emperor Ning gave his vermilion endorsent.
The Imperial Decree was announced again, vindicating Prince Jing, posthumously conferring him as King Jingxian, with a posthumous title of a single 'Xian', to be honored at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Like the posthumous title 'Wenzheng,' which is the highest pursuit of a civil servant's life; the single title 'Xian' represents the highest rank for a prince, aning suprely wise, extrely virtuous, nearly saintlike, greatly ritorious to the country, and perfect in virtue.
Those who receive the title 'Xian' are often founding princes, or the most highly ritorious mbers of the royal family.
Wu Xiu was imprisoned in the Inner Prison, awaiting execution.
West Wind was exiled to Lingnan.
Everyone had a place to go, except Chen Ji. It seed everyone had forgotten him, no one ntioned how he should be dealt with.
At night, it felt as though he was the only one left in this vast Imperial Supervision Office.
Chen Ji lay on the cold green bricks, staring at the moonlight frad by the gray tile eaves, not knowing how long he watched.
When the night patrol clerk passed by the door with a lantern, he faintly heard various voices from inside: "Ei Peak, what the hell lone shine, quite romantic!"
"The whole world, all thirteen provinces, is on my shoulders, the destinies of all people, it's not your place to speak on it!"
"Damn your head!"
"Sunflower Acupoint Hand!"
"Yuan Fang, what do you think?"
"You have to pay back when you're out in the world."
"Sorry, I'm a cop."
"Ah Wei is already dead, the idol you chose!"
"Crazy, Marquis Wu Xiang is crazy," the clerk's face changed, and he slipped away with the lantern.
...
...
The 32nd year of Jianing, seventh day of the twelfth month.
Day Fifty-Four.
Chen Ji stood by the water tank in thin clothes, looking at himself in the water, with ssy hair covering half of his face, and even beard grown quite a bit.
Suddenly, snowflakes started to fall, disturbing the water's surface.
The water ripples spread out in small circles, fragnting his reflection, then slowly converging.
Chen Ji looked up to see the swirling snow descending, like soone tearing up an old book in the sky.
The eaves, walls, stone tables, and chessboard of the Imperial Supervision Office all began to turn white. It started as a thin layer, covering the original color of the green bricks, then thicker and thicker until it smoothed all the edges.
Chen Ji stood still.
Snow fell on his shoulders, on his hair, on his eyebrows.
The snow in Luocheng City was the sa, large flakes falling, turning Anxi Street white. Back then, he, She Dengke, and Liu Quxing woke up early to sweep the snow, sweeping for half a day, and then another layer fell.
Footsteps sounded outside the door, Bai Long pushed the door open and saw Chen Ji covered in snow: "What are you standing here for?"
Chen Ji suddenly said: "Thank you, Lord Bai Long."
Bai Long scoffed: "Why thank ?"
Chen Ji grinned and said: "The Imperial Supervision Office intentionally kept in the most desolate corner hoping to drive mad, but fortunately Lord Bai Long ca daily so I wouldn't be so bored... Is that why you ca every day, Lord Bai Long?"
Chen Ji was aware.
When soone is in solitary confinent, after twelve hours they begin to feel agitated and anxious.
By the third day, sleep becos disrupted, sense of ti disappears, they forget how many days have passed, becoming sensitive to sounds and light.
After the seventh day, they begin to have auditory hallucinations.
After the fourteenth day, mory starts to fail, and they can't distinguish reality from illusion.
After thirty days, they beco emotionally numb, lose the desire to speak, resulting in irreversible damage.
This was originally a common interrogation thod used in modern warfare, maybe the Qi family intended to silently destroy him with this tactic, but they unexpectedly encountered Bai Long, who ca every day.
Bai Long said calmly: "No need to speculate. I just happened to find soone who wouldn't get flustered after losing forty gas of chess each day."
Chen Ji took the lamb bun from his hand: "Is there any news from the palace? When can I leave?"
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