My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

The eunuch lowered his head and remained silent.

"Issue the decree," Yang Guang said. "Li Zixiong and Wei Kuangbo are each reprimanded once. Li Zixiong is ordered to focus on military affairs and not cause any further trouble."

The eunuch received the order and withdrew.

When the imperial edict arrived at the Li residence, Li Zixiong was sulking in his study.

Upon hearing the decree, his face turned ashen. He knelt on the ground to receive it, and his legs trembled as he stood up.

It wasn't fear, it was anger.

The emperor gave both sides equal punishments, ostensibly because they were both at fault, but in reality, it was a warning to them—stop causing trouble.

If this continues, I'll lose my job.

"Wei Kuangbo..." he gritted his teeth as he uttered the name.

But he knew that Wei Kuangbo was just a decoy. The real person stabbing him in the back was not Wei Kuangbo.

Who is it?

East of Luoyang City, at the Wei residence.

When Wei Kuangbo received the imperial edict, he had mixed feelings. Being reprimanded was certainly not a good thing, but the words "each was reprimanded once" in the edict were enough to put an end to the matter.

That's the end of the rumors.

He went to the backyard and knocked on Wei Gui's door.

"Gui'er, the imperial decree has arrived. Li Zixiong has been reprimanded and will not cause any more trouble."

There was a moment of silence inside the door before Wei Gui's voice came through, somewhat weak but calm: "Thank you, Uncle."

"You...eat first. Your health is important."

"Yes."

Wei Kuangbo stood at the door for a while, sighed, and turned to leave.

Wei Gui sat on the edge of the bed, still clutching the jade in her hand. She hadn't eaten much for several days; her lips were pale, but her eyes were bright.

She heard it.

Li Zixiong was reprimanded.

The rumors are over.

She knew that this was not something her uncle had done, nor something that any member of the Wei family could have done.

It's that person.

She lowered her head, looked at the jade in her palm engraved with "Chang Le · Huai Run", and gently clenched it.

The corners of her mouth curved slightly, very faintly.

Wei Nizi brought in a bowl of porridge, and when he saw her expression, he was stunned for a moment.

"Sister, you smiled?"

Wei Gui's smile faded: "No."

"I clearly saw it!" Wei Nizi put the porridge on the table and leaned closer. "Sister, do you know something good?"

"no."

"Liar." Wei Nizi's eyes darted around. "Did Li Huairun do something?"

Wei Gui picked up the porridge, took a slow sip, and did not answer.

Wei Nizi didn't press the matter, but simply sat down beside her with a smile, resting her chin on her hand and watching her.

"Sister, you look so beautiful when you drink your porridge."

Wei Gui ignored her.

But her ears turned a little red.

The office of the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner.

The night is already deep.

Li Ju stood alone by the window, holding a strand of black hair tied with a plain thread in her hand.

Outside the window, the lights of thousands of homes in Luoyang gradually went out, leaving only a few lonely lights in the distance.

He heard about it. An imperial edict was issued, Li Zixiong was reprimanded, and the rumors subsided.

He let out a soft breath.

He won this battle.

But he knew this was just the beginning. Li Zixiong wouldn't give up easily; the Wei family was still watching, and his own status was far from sufficient.

He looked down at the black hair in his palm.

"Wait a little longer," he said softly, as if speaking to her, but also as if speaking to himself.

"It won't be long."

The night breeze blew, stirring the documents on his desk.

Those documents were filled with detailed records of the canal transport accounts, the allocation of grain and fodder, and the grain stored in granaries across the country.

What he's doing goes far beyond simply debunking a rumor.

He is weaving a net.

A net big enough.

Outside the window, the moon is very round.

He tucked his black hair into his bosom, turned around and sat back down at his desk to continue reviewing documents.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating his young and serene profile.

It was as if nothing had happened.

The day before Qingming Festival, Li Xiaochang summoned Li Ju to his study.

"You will go to Mangshan with the clan for the Qingming Festival tomb sweeping." The father sat behind the desk, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You must not be absent."

"Yes," Li Ju replied.

Li Xiaochang glanced at him and said, "This year is different from previous years. You are now the head of the Grand Canal Transport Office. Although the position is small, it is still a proper job. When you arrive at Mangshan, you must behave properly and not bring shame to the clan."

"My son understands."

Li Ju left the study and stood on the veranda, gazing at the old locust tree in the courtyard that had just sprouted new buds.

Mangshan.

The Wei family's ancestral graves are also located in Mangshan.

His heart stirred, but he remained outwardly calm.

On Qingming Festival, the sky was clear and the air was fresh.

The carriages and horses of the Li family of Longxi, which had branched out of Luoyang, left the city early in the morning and headed north.

Mangshan Mountain stretches across the north of Luoyang, with gentle slopes and ancient cypress trees, making it a gathering place for the ancestral tombs of prominent families in Luoyang.

Li Ju rode on horseback at the back of the procession.

Ahead were the carriages of the eldest sons. The father and several elders sat in the carriages, while the eldest sons rode alongside on horseback, chatting and laughing.

The illegitimate sons followed behind, not allowed to interrupt or walk alongside, and remained silent throughout.

That's the rule.

Li Ju didn't care. He rode his horse, his gaze passing over the figures ahead and looking towards the mountain path in the distance.

During the Qingming Festival, women from prominent families also go up the mountain to sweep tombs.

The Wei family's ancestral tombs are located on the southern slope of Mangshan Mountain, separated from the Li family's tombs by a mountain. The mountain paths are crisscrossed, and whether they will meet depends entirely on fate.

Halfway up the mountain, the group ahead suddenly slowed down.

"The Wei family is ahead," someone whispered.

Li Ju looked up.

At a bend in the mountain road, a group of people were resting by the roadside.

Several small sedan chairs with green curtains were parked by the roadside, surrounded by several maids.