The frail counselor you said, you fight against three heroes alone?

Xi Yu just felt a splitting headache. Today's ordeal really exhausted his energy.

He waved his hand, signaling the secret guards to take Qi Maosheng away. "Keep him locked up for now. I'm tired today. I'll interrogate him tomorrow."

The secret guard took the order and flashed to Qi Maosheng's side as nimbly as a ghost.

Qi Maosheng had no power to fight back against the secret guards. He was picked up like a chicken and disappeared into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

Xi Yu lay back down on the couch. The surroundings were so quiet that only the sound of his breathing could be heard.

He slowly closed his eyes, and after a while, the sound of even breathing sounded again, and he fell asleep again. He just didn't know whether the dream would still contain the shadow of the annoying thing that happened today.

The next morning, the sun shone into the yard and Xiyu woke up slowly.

When I got up and walked to the yard, I saw Madam Mingyue and Sun Qiu Shui busy at work, their slender fingers washing the green leaves.

When the two sisters saw Xiyu coming out, smiles broke out on their faces.

Sun Qiushui asked crisply, "Prime Minister, did you have a good rest last night?"

Xi Yu frowned slightly and shook his head: "Not good."

The two sisters were stunned and embarrassed. Shouldn't they say something polite?

Seeing this, Xi Yu snorted, "Someone actually tried to murder this Prime Minister last night."

Madam Mingyue's hands trembled, and she asked hurriedly, "Sir, what is going on?"

Xiyu sneered.

"The person who assassinated me was Qi Maosheng."

Sun Qiushui turned pale when she heard this, and she covered her mouth in fear: "How could this be?"

Xi Yu paused and said, "Let's put this matter aside for now and have breakfast first."

But Madam Mingyue and Sun Qiu Shui were at a loss at this moment and stood there in a daze.

Xi Yu frowned: "What? Don't you know how to cook?"

The two sisters finally came to their senses and rushed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

At the dinner table, the atmosphere was so depressing that it seemed as if a heavy burden was pressing down on one, making it hard to breathe.

None of the three spoke, and it was so quiet that only the subtle sound of dishes and chopsticks occasionally hitting the table could be heard.

The sound was infinitely amplified in this deadly atmosphere, and the air seemed to be cast under a spell and completely solidified.

Sun Qiu Shui felt like a deer was running around in her heart. She opened her lips slightly several times, wanting to inquire about the details of yesterday's assassination.

But when her eyes met the prime minister's cold and majestic face, the words that were about to her lips were pulled back as if by an invisible hand.

She knew very well that the Prime Minister's authority should not be easily violated. At this moment, even an unnecessary question might cause the Prime Minister's dissatisfaction.

Madam Mingyue was very thoughtful and saw Sun Qiushui's dilemma. She used her eyes to gently signal her, as if to say, "Don't be impulsive. Wait until after dinner before deciding on anything."

Finally, Xi Yu slowly put down his bowl and chopsticks, and the action of putting down his bowl and chopsticks broke the suffocating silence.

He said with a serious look: "I will have someone bring the traitor here right now so that you can know the conspiracy behind this."

After saying that, he raised his hand slightly and gestured to the secret guards in the dark.

When the two sisters heard this, they were shocked and hurriedly looked towards the yard.

In a dark corner of the yard, the secret guards appeared like ghosts, escorting Qi Maosheng, who was in an extremely miserable state.

Qi Maosheng was in tattered clothes and had disheveled hair. His former arrogance had long since disappeared. At this moment, he was like a stray dog. Escorted by the secret guards, he appeared in front of everyone with staggering steps.

Sun Qiushui rushed to Qi Maosheng, her eyes full of anxiety and confusion: "You...what on earth is going on? Why did you do such a treasonous thing?"

Qi Maosheng didn't look at her, but stared at Xi Yu fiercely, with a hideous smile on his face: "Now that things have come to this, there is no need for me to hide it anymore. Humph, the reason why I approached you, Sun Qiu Shui, again was because I learned that you, the Prime Minister, were going to deal with things here. I wanted to have a chance to get close to you, and then find a chance to murder you, but unfortunately..."

There was a flash of resentment and resentment in his eyes.

Madam Mingyue's eyebrows were raised, her eyes were full of anger. She took a step forward and slapped Qi Maosheng hard with all her strength. The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the yard.

"You despicable villain! It turns out that you were not sincere in approaching my sister." Madam Mingyue shouted angrily.

Qi Maosheng was hit so hard that his face turned away, with blood oozing from the corners of his mouth, but he was still arrogant.

"So what?"

When Sun Qiushui heard this, she was struck by lightning, her body trembled uncontrollably, and her eyes were full of despair. All those sweet moments together were gone at this moment.

It turns out that this was all a scam, and he was so deliberate about it.

At this point, it didn't matter to her whether the prime minister was murdered or not. What mattered was that her sincerity was ruthlessly trampled upon.

Upon seeing this, Madam Mingyue hurriedly reached out to support Sun Qiu Shui, patting her on the back in an attempt to comfort her.

Xi Yu frowned deeply, a hint of doubt and anger flashed in his eyes. He shot a lightning-like gaze at Qi Maosheng, and his voice was low and majestic.

"Qi Maosheng, I have no grudge against you in the past or in the present, why did you resort to such a sinister method to harm me? Aren't you afraid that I will kill your entire family?"

Qi Maosheng pulled up a sneer full of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth, and that smile looked particularly hideous on his embarrassed face.

He looked at Xi Yu with disdain in his eyes, and there was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"Hmph, Prime Minister, I am just an ant-like nobody in your eyes. How can I be your enemy? Although I am insignificant, I have people I want to protect. This assassination attempt is just to avenge the person who has been so kind to me."

Xi Yu's expression became increasingly cold, like ice in a cold pond. He took a step forward, and his powerful aura pressed down upon him.

"Stop talking nonsense. Just tell me, who are you avenging? If you dare to tell a lie, I will make you wish you were dead."

This sudden trial, under Xi Yu's majestic presidency, seemed to have already taken shape of its outcome.

However, Xi Yu had other plans in mind. He hoped that Qi Maosheng could tell Madam Mingyue and the Sun Qiu Shui sisters the conspiracy in person.

At this time, Sun Qiu Shui's face was as pale as paper, her body began to tremble violently, and her stomach was churning.

Finally, she couldn't help it and bent over to vomit.

“My Lord Prime Minister,” she cried, her voice full of disgust and pain, “Please, take this abominable beast out. I… I really don’t want to see his disgusting face again.”

Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, filled with her hatred for Qi Maosheng's deception.

Madam Mingyue saw her sister in so much pain, a trace of heartache flashed in her eyes. She hurried forward and gently supported Sun Qiu Shui's shaky body.

"Sister, let's go." She turned to look at Xi Yu and bowed slightly, "Prime Minister, I will take my sister out first."

Xi Yu nodded slightly, watching the two sisters supporting each other, walking slowly and with difficulty out of the yard step by step.

Sun Qiu Shui's body was still shaking, as if everything she had just experienced was a nightmare that had drained her soul away.

Qi Maosheng's eyes flashed with hatred, and he said coldly: "Prime Minister, do you know that my father was seriously ill and on the verge of death? It was Lord Lu Bu who generously donated money to find precious medicinal materials for my father, which saved his life. It can be said that Lord Lu Bu is the lifesaver of our family. And you destroyed Lord Lu Bu. How can I not avenge such a great hatred?"

After hearing this, Xi Yu just sneered, and that smile was full of disdain and majesty.

"I have fought many battles in my life, and have destroyed countless princes. If the descendants of everyone I defeated came to seek revenge on me, wouldn't I be drowned in this endless hatred? Humph, since you have chosen this path of revenge, you should know that this is a dead end with no return, and I will never tolerate it."

Qi Maosheng showed no fear, and raised his head and said, "Now that things have come to this, I have fallen into the hands of the Prime Minister, and I understand the truth that the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. No matter how you want to deal with me, I have no complaints, and I will not be afraid at all. But I only ask the Prime Minister to let my family go. They don't know anything about this matter, so don't implicate them."

Xi Yu frowned slightly, stared at Qi Maosheng with sharp eyes, and spoke slowly after a moment.

"Hmph, I always take personal responsibility for my actions, and never try to implicate others, so you can rest assured. But you, for revenge, did not hesitate to assassinate me and disrupt the government, so you deserve death for this crime. Do you have any last words?"

Xi Yu's expression froze and he waved his hand, signaling the secret guards to take Qi Maosheng away from here quickly.

The secret guard received the order and set up Qi Maosheng like a ghost, disappearing in the yard in the blink of an eye.

Not long after, the secret guard returned and knelt on one knee.

"Prime Minister, Qi Maosheng has been executed." Xi Yu nodded slightly, his tense expression relaxed a little, and the vigilance in his eyes also dissipated.

He stood in the yard with his hands behind his back, looking outside from time to time, quietly waiting for Madam Mingyue and the Sun Qiu Shui sisters to return.

He was the only one left in the yard. The breeze blew past, lifting his clothes, as if telling of the tranquility after the storm that had just occurred.

After a while, Sun Qiu Shui came back with unsteady steps, and Madam Mingyue hurried to meet her.

She looked at Xi Yu, her lips trembling slightly.

"Mr. Prime Minister, Qi Maosheng...is he dead?"

Xiyu nodded solemnly.

A look of sadness suddenly emerged on Sun Qiu Shui's face, and every detail of her past interactions with Qi Maosheng flashed through her mind like a kaleidoscope.

Seeing this, Xi Yu said softly, "You don't have to feel sad for this kind of person. He has committed such a serious crime, and he deserves to die."

Sun Qiu Shui gave a bitter smile, which was uglier than crying.

"The Prime Minister is right. He deserves to die. It was me...I was too stupid to be deceived by him."

Xi Yu looked at Sun Qiu Shui and sighed slightly: "No one is perfect. You were just deceived by his disguise, it's not your fault. In the future, you should open your eyes and don't be deceived by such a villain again."

Sun Qiu Shui wiped her tears and tried to calm herself down.

"My Lord Prime Minister, I understand. But it will take some time for the pain in my heart to heal."

"I'm glad you think so." Xi Yu said, "You sisters were also frightened by what happened today. Go back and have a good rest first, and don't worry about it anymore. Now that the matter here is settled, I should also set off to return to the court. Madam Mingyue, do you still want to accompany me?"

When Sun Qiushui heard this, her heart tightened. She nervously grabbed Madam Mingyue's sleeve, her eyes full of reluctance and expectation: "Sister, it's rare for you to go home, so stay and accompany me."

Madam Mingyue looked hesitant. She gently patted Sun Qiu Shui's hand, her eyes full of helplessness.

"But my sister still has a lot of things to do and can't stay here for long."

A trace of disappointment flashed in Sun Qiushui's eyes, so she had no choice but to let go of her hand and whispered, "Okay, sister, be careful on your way."

Madam Mingyue nodded, tears flashing in her eyes. She turned to look at Xiyu and said, "Prime Minister, I am ready and can set off."

Xi Yu nodded slightly, and the group began to prepare to set off.

Just like that, Xi Yu and Madam Ming Yue climbed onto their horses, pulled the reins, the horses' hooves raised a little dust, and they slowly drove away.

Before leaving, Madam Mingyue pulled the reins of her horse and looked back at Sun Qiushui who was still standing there, her eyes full of concern: "Sister, now that the Prime Minister has investigated the matter thoroughly and the truth has been revealed to the world, those people in the village should not dare to bully you anymore. Just live a good life."

Sun Qiu Shui had tears in her eyes, but she forced herself not to let them fall and nodded vigorously.

"Sister, I understand. Take care on your journey. Prime Minister, thank you very much for this time. You and sister can leave without worrying about me. I will take good care of myself."

After saying that, she waved at the two of them.

Xi Yu nodded slightly, rode away with Madam Mingyue, and their figures gradually disappeared at the end of the road, leaving Sun Qiu Shui standing there for a long time.

Xi Yu and Madam Mingyue galloped all the way, and the dust raised by their horses' hooves formed a faint smoke behind them.

Along the way, neither of them spoke, each thinking about their own things.

After an unknown amount of time, a small town appeared ahead. Xi Yu pulled the reins.

"Let's take a break here."

Madam Mingyue nodded in agreement.

The two men dismounted and walked into the town, finding a teahouse to sit down.

The teahouse was bustling with people, mostly travelers on their way. They ordered tea and dry food to replenish their energy.

Madam Mingyue's destination this time is not Youzhou, but Qinzhou, where she has matters to deal with.

Halfway through the journey, the two had to part ways.

Madam Mingyue reined in her horse and stopped, her eyes full of reluctance. She looked at Xiyu quietly, her lips slightly parted, as if she had a thousand words to say but didn't know where to start.

Xi Yu also looked at her and nodded slightly.

After a long time, Madam Mingyue finally watched Xi Yu ride away on his horse. His departing figure gradually became blurred in her eyes, but it was deeply imprinted in her heart.

After Xi Yu's figure completely disappeared from her sight, Madam Mingyue turned her horse's head and slowly walked towards a narrow path.

The contact with Xi Yu in the past few days has caused ripples in Madam Mingyue's heart.

Xiyu's unique masculine aura, majesty with a hint of tenderness, wisdom and courage, made her heart beat faster involuntarily.

Whenever she got close to him, Madam Mingyue could clearly feel a strange feeling she had never experienced before spreading in her heart.

However, she soon came to her senses and realized that she was just a wanderer in the world, so how could she be worthy of such a noble man as the Prime Minister?
She could only bury this feeling deep in her heart, like a treasure buried in the soil, never seeing the light of day, only shining silently in the darkness, but never able to show it to others.

Xi Yu rode at full speed and soon returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

He had just stepped into the mansion and had not yet changed his clothes when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Although the matter of Sun Qiu Shui has been settled, it reminds him of a concept he had heard of in his previous life - the statute of limitations.

In his memory, many cases were no longer pursued after a certain period of time due to the existence of the statute of limitations.

This was hard for him to accept.

He knew very well that some crimes remained crimes even after the passage of time, and the pain of the victims would not disappear with the passage of time.

So, Xi Yu frowned, and had already made a plan in his mind.

He decided to abolish the statute of limitations.

From now on, if there is a case that needs to be thoroughly investigated, there should be no time limit. Justice should be served at all times, and the guilty should never escape punishment because of time.

Xi Yu acted decisively and quickly enacted and promulgated this law to abolish the statute of limitations, and ordered it to be vigorously promoted nationwide.

The news spread quickly across the country as if it had wings.

From now on, those who have committed crimes, no matter how big or small the crime is, no matter how many years have passed, can no longer be complacent.

The entire Han Dynasty was shocked by the implementation of this law, and some people applauded it.

That day, after Xi Yu finished dealing with government affairs, a problem that he had ignored for a long time suddenly emerged in his mind.

That day he hurried back to the Prime Minister's Mansion in a panic. When passing by a small stall, he accidentally knocked the mung beans on the stall and scattered them all over the ground.

He was unable to stay at that time because of important matters, but this matter has always been on his mind.

He decided to set out immediately to find the stall.

He knew very well that although he was the prime minister, he should take responsibility for his mistakes, and apologizing to the stall owner was what he had to do.

It is said that the owner of the stall last time was a woman. She was a widow whose husband died early. Now she only has her young daughter to depend on here.

That day, she watched the mung beans on her stall scattered all over the ground, and she was shocked and angry.

She hurriedly asked people in the surrounding shops, and someone told her that it was caused by a man on horseback galloping past.

She was filled with resentment and could not help cursing for a long time: "Who is this cruel beast who is so reckless? These mung beans are our livelihood!"

She cursed and hurriedly cleaned up the mung beans, but some of them were scattered on the ground and some were trampled. She was heartbroken and could only pick out the bad mung beans and throw them aside, her eyes full of despair. The loss of these mung beans was undoubtedly worse for her.

The woman's name was Zeng Rou. The loss of mung beans that day made her filled with resentment, and her emotions were as difficult to control as a flood that broke through a dam.

She felt that life was too cruel to her. She had saved up the mung beans with great difficulty, and now she had lost so much. She had no place to vent her grievances and anger, and she took it out on her daughter. (End of this chapter)