Day Thirteen.

Chen Ji's days suddenly calmed 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 frame waiting for lamb buns.

Lord Bai Long arrived as expected every day, bringing a newspaper, winning forty games of chess, no more, no less, before leaving.

Day Twenty-One, Chen Lizun came 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 melon seeds and pine nuts.

Day Thirty-One, Bai Long brought news that the clerk sent by the Three Judicial Departments had returned to the Imperial Capital, and the Ministry of Justice had presented the reversal documents 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 message.

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 memorial stating that Qing Wentao and Prince Jing both had treason cases originating from the same source, same trial, same judgment, only then would the court demonstrate fairness. The memorial was submitted, and for three days, there was no response from Your Majesty.

Day Forty-Five, the Six Departments 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 documents again.

Day Forty-Eight, Emperor Ning gave his vermilion endorsement.

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, meaning supremely wise, extremely virtuous, nearly saintlike, greatly meritorious to the country, and perfect in virtue.

Those who receive the title 'Xian' are often founding princes, or the most highly meritorious members 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 seemed everyone had forgotten him, no one mentioned 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 framed 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: "Emei 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 messy 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, fragmenting his reflection, then slowly converging.

Chen Ji looked up to see the swirling snow descending, like someone 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 same, 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 me?"

Chen Ji grinned and said: "The Imperial Supervision Office intentionally kept me in the most desolate corner hoping to drive me mad, but fortunately Lord Bai Long came daily so I wouldn't be so bored... Is that why you came every day, Lord Bai Long?"

Chen Ji was aware.

When someone is in solitary confinement, after twelve hours they begin to feel agitated and anxious.

By the third day, sleep becomes disrupted, sense of time 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, memory starts to fail, and they can't distinguish reality from illusion.

After thirty days, they become emotionally numb, lose the desire to speak, resulting in irreversible damage.

This was originally a common interrogation method used in modern warfare, maybe the Qi family intended to silently destroy him with this tactic, but they unexpectedly encountered Bai Long, who came every day.

Bai Long said calmly: "No need to speculate. I just happened to find someone who wouldn't get flustered after losing forty games of chess each day."

Chen Ji took the lamb bun from his hand: "Is there any news from the palace? When can I leave?"