"Childe, you know exactly why you made those Sigils of Permission. Don't waste our time. Arrest him!" Keqing ordered the Millelith.
"Yes!"
The Millelith surged forward to seize him.
Childe couldn't talk his way out of it. He gathered his elemental power, injured several Millelith soldiers, and forced a path out. More troops rushed in from other streets, but no one could stop him—everyone could only watch as he vanished into the crowd.
A captain hurried back to report. "Keqing-sama, he's too fast. We can't keep up. And he has a Vision—while we…"
"Get the wounded treated first," Keqing cut in with a wave.
Ryou stepped forward and addressed the crowd. "Everyone, please don't panic. The Ministry of Civil Affairs will issue an official notice. When it's posted, you'll understand exactly what happened."
Hearing that, the onlookers finally stopped shouting over each other.
Ryou gave the Millelith a few instructions, then turned to Keqing. "Send people back to the Ministry. I'll write the notice myself."
"You?" Keqing looked at him.
"Of course." Ryou's face went hard and righteous. "The Fatui's actions are beyond unforgivable. I don't trust anyone else to word this properly."
He was just about to leave when Yanfei called out behind him.
"Yanfei-san, is something wrong?" Ryou looked over, instantly on guard.
Ever since Eye had snuck a peek at Yanfei before, that image was burned into his mind. He couldn't help being wary.
"Ryou-san, I need to speak with you," Yanfei said, staring him down. "Because you may have broken the law."
"I… broke the law?" Ryou blinked. For a split second, he assumed she meant something else.
Then his brows lifted, and he snapped his hand up. "Slandering a Ministry officer! Arrest Yanfei!"
"Wha—hey! What are you doing?!" Yanfei jumped.
"Honey…" Keqing started.
"Arrest her!" Ryou pointed like a tyrant. "I've worked myself to the bone for this Ministry, and you're accusing me? And look at the pagoda house you live in—"
"You can't arrest me without a reason!" Yanfei shouted.
The Millelith hesitated, but several Ministry staff were already charging in.
"What are you all standing around for? Move!" one of them barked.
"Did you not hear Ryou-sama?" another snapped.
With that, the Millelith had no choice. They stepped in, and Yanfei was forcibly taken away.
Ryou led Keqing back to the Ministry. He needed to get that notice out as soon as possible. As for Yanfei—lock her up for now. She'd shown up out of nowhere saying he'd committed a crime, and that felt like trouble.
Not far away…
"Xiangling, did you see that?" Hu Tao hissed from behind a pillar. "I told you Ryou isn't a good person. Yanfei only said he might've broken the law, and he had her arrested immediately. He did the same thing to me last time—made up an excuse and dragged me into the Ministry."
Xiangling didn't know what to say at first, then jolted back to herself. "I-I have to go. What if something happens to Yanfei?"
"Uh… o-okay," Hu Tao said, and hurried after her.
...
Back at the Ministry.
Ryou sat at his desk and started writing the notice. The way he framed it, the Fatui might as well have been terrorists. The wording was sharp, deliberate—exactly the sort of thing that made people's blood boil just from reading it.
Keqing stood at his side, watching. She was genuinely surprised.
Ryou could write.
Not only that—he wrote viciously well. Every line carried weight, and the anger practically infected you through the page.
"Ryou, what are you planning to do with Yanfei?" Keqing asked, setting a cup of tea beside him.
"Keep her locked up for now," Ryou said. "Accusing me out of nowhere like that? Let her cool off."
He glanced up at her. "Do you think I handled it wrong?"
Keqing shook her head. "But aren't you going to explain why?"
Ryou pulled her into his lap. "There were too many people there—one careless line and it spreads, then it twists. You know how rumors work."
"Yeah," Keqing said, understanding immediately. "You were worried her words would spread and get twisted."
"Exactly." Ryou pinched her cheek. "We're the Ministry. Some things can be talked through in private, slowly. But in public, we have to watch our position. Out there, we don't just represent ourselves—we represent the Ministry."
He squeezed her gently. "Besides, we're together every day. What crime could I possibly commit? So let her sit and think."
"Alright," Keqing agreed, letting it go.
"I've checked the documents," Ryou told her. "Take them upstairs."
Then he took the finished notice and left the Ministry.
He headed to the old noticeboard location with a staff member, and they posted it up.
People gathered instantly. The moment they started reading, the place boiled over—cursing, yelling, fury everywhere.
"Ryou-sama!" a middle-aged man called from nearby.
"What is it?" Ryou asked.
"Ryou-sama, are we really going to detain Yanfei-san?" the man pressed. "She's famous all over Liyue Harbor. If she's locked up—what then?"
Ryou looked him over calmly. "Why are you panicking? If anything happens, I'll take responsibility."
He continued, voice steady. "And tell me—if someone accused you of committing a crime for no reason, would you be happy? The Ministry has to uphold fairness. We can't lower our guard just because someone has status. Understood?"
He paused, then added, "Of course… the Fatui are a different story."
After he returned to the Ministry, Keqing still hadn't come back, so Ryou went to his office and sat down.
He hadn't been there long when someone knocked.
"Come in," he called.
The door opened—and Xiangling and Hu Tao walked in together.
"Xiangling, what's going on?" Ryou asked, pouring her a cup of tea.
"I… Ryou-san," Xiangling said carefully. "I really don't think Yanfei had any bad intentions. Maybe there's a misunderstanding. Could you—"
"No rush," Ryou cut in, sliding the cup toward her. "I'll look into it properly. Drink some tea first, then talk."
"Ah… okay." Xiangling sat down.
Hu Tao eyed the tea like it had personally offended her. "I don't want tea. Can I have juice instead?"
"Sure." Ryou conjured a chilled fruit juice and poured her a full cup.
"Thanks!" Hu Tao said, honestly a little shocked by how easily he agreed.
Ryou glanced at her, then looked back at Xiangling. "No matter what you say today, Yanfei stays locked up for three days."
Xiangling's shoulders sank. "Then… alright."
She couldn't force it. She stood, tugged Hu Tao along, and left.
Ryou didn't say anything as they went. Yanfei's connections in Liyue were no joke—of course people would come pleading on her behalf. If anything, that was exactly the kind of opportunity many people waited for.
Sure enough, not long after, more visitors started coming in to ask for leniency.
"Yanfei's network really is something," Ryou muttered, sipping his juice. "One after another…"
Still, he wasn't letting her out immediately. He needed at least a day with her locked up—otherwise certain things would be harder to explain.
And he was curious, too. What exactly had Yanfei wanted to talk about?
He ran through everything he'd done recently. Other than the stuff with the system, he hadn't done anything outrageous… so why would she claim he'd broken the law?
"Ryou, are you wondering why Yanfei came to you?" Zhongli said as he stepped in through the doorway. "This involves me."
"You know?" Ryou looked up.
Zhongli nodded and gave him the rough explanation.
"There's a law like that in Liyue?" Ryou frowned. "How come I've never heard of it?"
"Because we're officials," Zhongli said. "Ningguang wants us to set an example, so there are requirements tied to Mora. On paper, it's 'three hundred thousand Mora.'"
He went on, "But once you convert the benefits into Mora value, the real number is naturally higher. The 'cap' is more of a hard-looking rule on the surface…"
Zhongli had looked it up after yesterday and confirmed it was real.
Keqing came in from outside just then. "Zhongli-san is right. There are rules like that."
She looked at Ryou. "But this is usually handled through Ningguang's office. What Yanfei heard was probably about the bonuses we've been issuing. If you add those to the official salary, some Ministry staff are effectively making six hundred thousand Mora."
"So that's what it was." Ryou finally understood.
"If that's all, I'll go," Zhongli said, and left without lingering.
Ryou lifted his teacup and took a sip, finally relaxing. "Good. Now I can breathe. You have no idea how many people came begging for Yanfei just now."
"Yanfei's influence in Liyue Harbor is huge," Keqing said, worry creeping in. "Among the legal advisers, she's the strongest. Doing this will make her hold a grudge. It could cause more trouble."
She thought Ryou hadn't really done anything wrong, but she still couldn't help worrying.
"We'll deal with it when it comes," Ryou said, completely unfazed. "No need to panic."
As long as it wasn't about him spying on her, he had nothing to fear.
Besides—he worked for the Ministry. Who was he supposed to be scared of?
...
Inside the jail.
Xiangling and Hu Tao spoke to the guards and were allowed in to see Yanfei.
"Xiangling? Hu Tao? Why are you here?" Yanfei asked, genuinely warmed by it.
"Yanfei, I went to talk to Ryou," Xiangling said, anxious. "He said he has to keep you locked up for a day before he'll release you. Did something happen between you two? Was it a misunderstanding?"
"A misunderstanding?" Yanfei snapped. "No."
Her anger surged back the moment she remembered it.
"I only said he might've broken the law, and he panicked and had me arrested immediately!" Yanfei clenched her fists. "I didn't even say what law, and he still freaked out. What's he hiding?"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
When had Yanfei ever been thrown in jail before?
If this got out, she'd be a laughingstock.
"I… can't do anything," Xiangling admitted, shaking her head. "He wouldn't budge."
"Then maybe talk to Keqing?" Hu Tao suggested. "She seems reasonable. She's fair, and she does things properly."
In Hu Tao's eyes, Keqing had always been diligent and upright. You don't become one of the Qixing at that age without being the real deal.
Ryou, on the other hand… Hu Tao still thought he was an unreasonable bully.
"They're married. Why would she help me?" Yanfei said, exhaling sharply. "No—this needs Ningguang-sama."
She looked straight at Xiangling. "Xiangling, can you go see Ningguang-sama for me? I need her to help."
She didn't wait for an answer before continuing, voice tight. "Don't think 'just one day' is nothing. If the Ministry detains me, my reputation takes the hit. People will think I must've done something. After all—if the Ministry arrests someone, in most people's minds, doesn't that mean they're guilty?"
She jabbed a finger at the bars. "Look what happened to the Fatui after they got arrested. Their name hit rock bottom overnight. They deserve it, sure—but I can't let my work get dragged down by this."
Her eyes flashed. "When I get out, I'm reporting him."
[End of chapter]
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