The food on the table had gone cold.
Liu Wenyuan’s chopsticks hadn’t moved from start to finish.
Bai Jingtang’s hadn’t either.
The two of them just sat there, like a pair of clay statues.
Bai Shuangshuang drank her tea unhurriedly, occasionally exchanging a few quiet words with Zhao Qingyue, or picking up a piece of food for Xi Chun.
The more composed she was, the greater the pressure on the two men across from her.
Every second, every minute, felt like torture.
Finally, Liu Wenyuan spoke.
“Special Envoy Bai, there is one thing this humble official does not understand.”
Bai Shuangshuang lifted her eyes to look at him.
“My son, Liu Mao, was taken away last night by the Prince’s Mansion guards.”
Liu Wenyuan stared at Bai Shuangshuang, his gaze suppressing a blaze of anger.
“May I ask the Special Envoy—what crime did he commit?”
Bai Shuangshuang set down her tea cup, her tone flat.
“Forcibly seizing a woman.”
“Forcibly seizing a woman?”
Liu Wenyuan let out a cold laugh.
“Might I ask—who did he seize?”
“Me.”
When Bai Shuangshuang uttered that word, Liu Wenyuan’s smile froze on his face.
“Half a month ago, Liu Mao led men to the Bai residence to force a marriage.”
Bai Shuangshuang deliberately raised her voice so the entire street could hear clearly.
“The bridal sedan chair was carried right to the Bai family’s doorstep. It scared the bride away. Everyone in Lingxi County knows about this, right?”
She paused, her gaze sweeping across the gathered commoners.
“Dear villagers, am I right?”
The crowd was silent for a moment, then someone shouted.
“Yes! We all know!”
“That bastard Liu Mao—he deserves it!”
“He got what was coming!”
The voices grew louder and more numerous, like a snowball rolling in from all directions.
Liu Wenyuan’s face turned ashen.
His lips trembled twice before squeezing out a sentence.
“Even if he did commit a crime, it should be tried by the county court. The Special Envoy is overstepping her authority—this is against the rules.”
Bai Shuangshuang did not argue.
She turned her head and looked toward the other end of the table.
“Magistrate Shen, what do you think?”
Shen Mingyuan was busy eating, his chopsticks holding a piece of sweet-and-sour spare rib.
He leisurely put the meat into his mouth, chewed, swallowed, then picked up another piece of food.
As if he had only come here to eat.
The corner of Bai Shuangshuang’s mouth curled slightly.
She looked at Liu Wenyuan and spread her hands.
“Magistrate Shen won’t handle it, so I suppose I have to take this case myself.”
Liu Wenyuan opened his mouth, about to say something, then swallowed it back.
Shen Mingyuan was the county magistrate of Lingxi County.
Even if he had been sidelined, he was still the chief official in name.
An assistant magistrate like him could hardly take over publicly.
And anyway, how serious was forcibly seizing a woman?
His son hadn’t even succeeded—the verdict would be at most a few years.
And wouldn’t he be serving those years right here in Lingxi County?
On his turf, wasn’t everything still under his control?
Liu Wenyuan took a deep breath and nodded.
“Very well. Then I shall leave my son’s trial to Special Envoy Bai.”
He paused, then added, raising his voice a little.
“This humble official is recusing himself to avoid suspicion, to uphold fairness and justice. I beg the Special Envoy to examine thoroughly and not wrong the innocent!”
Bai Jingtang nodded along beside him, chiming in.
“The Special Envoy is fair and strict; surely she will not wrong the innocent.”
Bai Shuangshuang watched the two of them play off each other, and the smile at the corner of her mouth slowly faded.
“Assistant Magistrate Liu is truly noble and upright. I admire that.”
Her voice was unhurried.
“Then let’s work through this step by step.”
Liu Wenyuan relaxed and leaned back in his chair.
Bai Shuangshuang lifted her head, her gaze landing on his face.
“We can set aside the matter of Liu Mao forcibly seizing a woman for now.”
Liu Wenyuan’s brows had just begun to smooth out when they twisted back together.
“I have another case here, which happens to involve Liu Mao.”
Bai Shuangshuang’s tone was light and airy.
“By exploiting his status as the assistant magistrate’s son, Liu Mao colluded with the Bai family to conceal the true output of the spirit mine and spirit rice from Magistrate Shen and Assistant Magistrate Liu, then embezzled the surplus for personal gain.”
Liu Wenyuan’s pupils contracted sharply.
“This caused substantial losses to the Prince’s Mansion’s revenue, and the annual tributes to the Imperial Court have also fallen short.”
Bai Shuangshuang’s gaze swept back and forth between Liu Wenyuan and Bai Jingtang.
“Did Assistant Magistrate Liu know about this?”
Liu Wenyuan’s hands clenched into fists under the table.
He understood now.
This girl wasn’t trying his son at all—she was trying him.
Embezzling spirit ore and spirit rice was a crime punishable by death.
Not just death, but confiscation of the family’s property.
If Liu Mao was proven to be involved, it wouldn’t just be Liu Mao’s problem anymore—Liu Wenyuan himself would be implicated.
But another thought raced through his mind faster.
Bai Shuangshuang only mentioned Liu Mao.
She didn’t mention him.
She only said “by exploiting his status as the assistant magistrate’s son,” not that he had ordered it.
In fact, she implied he had also been kept in the dark.
She had removed the assistant magistrate himself from the equation, placing only the assistant magistrate’s son in the case, together with the Bai family.
If the assistant magistrate himself could be removed, why couldn’t the assistant magistrate’s son?
This was an alienation plot—a very simple one.
Liu Wenyuan knew it.
Bai Jingtang knew it too.
“Special Envoy Bai!”
Bai Jingtang shot up from his chair.
The chair tipped over backward and hit the ground with a dull thud.
“This is slander! The Bai family has done business with a clear conscience for generations, abiding by the law, never—”
“Patriarch Bai.”
Bai Shuangshuang looked at him.
Her voice was soft, but Bai Jingtang’s words caught in his throat.
“I haven’t finished speaking yet. What’s the hurry?”
Bai Jingtang’s face flushed deep red.
His lips trembled twice before he slowly sat back down.
Once seated, his mind raced.
Bai Shuangshuang was driving a wedge between them.
She had removed Liu Wenyuan from the equation, placed Liu Mao in it, and even hinted that Liu Mao could be removed—wasn’t she explicitly telling Liu Wenyuan to sell out the Bai family?
Bai Jingtang took a deep breath, turned his head, and looked at Liu Wenyuan.
“Assistant Magistrate, this is an alienation plot.”
His voice was very low, meant only for the two of them.
“Don’t fall for it.”
Liu Wenyuan didn’t look at him.
His gaze was fixed on the dish in front of him.
His fingers tapped the table one by one.
Of course he knew it was an alienation plot.
But that was his son.
His only son.
He had gotten this single child late in life—he cradled him in his palms for fear he’d break, held him in his mouth for fear he’d melt.
His son was useless—he knew that.
His son caused trouble outside—he knew that too.
But that was his son…
If he sold out the Bai family, pinned all the blame on them, would Bai Shuangshuang let Liu Mao off?
If she would…
Liu Wenyuan’s fingers stopped moving.
Bai Jingtang watched Liu Wenyuan’s expression, and cold sweat poured down his back.
“Assistant Magistrate!”
His voice rose a pitch.
“Don’t fall for her scheme! She’s trying to split us! Even if you sell out the Bai family, she won’t let Liu Mao off! She’s here for revenge! She hates your Liu family too!”
Liu Wenyuan lifted his head and glanced at Bai Jingtang.
There was no emotion in that glance.
Bai Jingtang’s back was soaked.
The atmosphere at the table congealed.
Shen Mingyuan was still eating.
Three plates in front of him were already empty, and he was launching an attack on the fourth.
As if he weren’t the county magistrate; as if none of this had anything to do with him.
Zhao Qingyue held her tea cup, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, enjoying the show.
Qiu Yue was picking food for Xi Chun, muttering quietly between bites.
“This is good, eat more.”
Xi Chun blushed, not knowing where to look, her bowl piled high like a small mountain.
After a quarter-hour of silence, Bai Shuangshuang stood up and brushed off her skirt.
“Everyone, the reason I invited you here today was mainly to catch up.”
Her voice was soft.
“The matter of Liu Mao was just an incidental update. The actual trial will come another day.”
She paused, then smiled.
“You’re dismissed.”
Liu Wenyuan sat motionless in his chair.
Bai Jingtang sat motionless too.
Bai Shuangshuang had already turned and walked away.
Zhao Qingyue followed beside her, while Qiu Yue pulled Xi Chun along behind.
After a few steps, Bai Shuangshuang suddenly looked back and waved at Bai Yongchang and Lin Shi.
“Dad, Mom, come on!”
Lin Shi’s tears burst forth instantly.
She grabbed Bai Yongchang’s sleeve and stumbled after them.
Bai Jingtang watched Bai Yongchang’s retreating back.
His lips moved, but in the end, nothing came out.
Liu Wenyuan still sat there, his fingers tapping the table one by one.
Bai Jingtang turned his head to look at him, opened his mouth, about to speak.
Liu Wenyuan stood up and walked away.
Bai Jingtang sat alone at the long, empty table.
The surrounding commoners still pointed and whispered, the buzzing sound enclosing him.
His expression was darker than the bottom of a pot.