Chapter 13
Chapter 13
With the end of the year approaching, it was my turn to be on duty.
I had stayed up late the previous night poring over ancient texts, so I was feeling a bit sluggish today.
Just as my foot crossed the threshold of the duty room, a warm bun was pressed against my face.
“Jiang Rui, meat buns from Tianxiang Pavilion. They only sell three steamers’ worth every morning.”
I smiled and thanked him, then sat down at my desk to look through the files.
Outside the door, the sound of Lu Zhi pacing back and forth, teasing a stray cat, and gossiping loudly with colleagues drifted in.
Noisy.
When I finally stuck my head out to scold him in annoyance, he was holding a stray spotted dog in his arms.
Both man and dog were startled by me, and they both slumped down in unison.
“Understood.”
“Woof!”
I had a quiet morning, but as soon as noon arrived, Lu Zhi came sneaking back in with a food box. Seeing that my expression hadn’t changed, he stepped forward and pointed at a stain on his official uniform to complain.
“You have no idea, those little rascals grab food like dogs. They even got sauce on…”
“Did you win the scramble?” I interrupted him.
“Of course!” He smiled triumphantly as he opened the food box with delight.
“Let’s eat together today. I lied to my sister and told her you weren’t on duty, so she didn’t follow me here.”
As I ate the food and drank the soup, I watched Lu Zhi recount every detail-with plenty of exaggeration-about how he had been scratched by a dog, pointing out red marks that were already nearly invisible.
I thought to myself that next time, I should also lie to him and say I’m not on duty.
That night, the Hanlin Academy was deserted, save for a few patrolling guards and three colleagues on duty in distant rooms.
The shadows of the trees outside were sparse, and the moon was like a silver plate.
After finishing my official business, I stretched and, after a moment’s thought, pulled a case file from the shelf.
But before I could even unroll it, a dark shadow spread across the polished surface of my desk.
I reached quickly into the desk for a weapon, but the intruder pinned me against the back of my chair first.
Who could bypass the patrolling guards and slip into the Hanlin Academy so silently?
Silken black hair brushed against the side of my neck, like the belly of a venomous snake slithering over its prey for a fleeting moment.
A hand, light and cold, settled on my throat.
Before it could tighten, I suddenly jerked my head and bit down hard on a lock of his hair.
The man hissed in pain, his hand instantly tightening to tilt my face up. I took the opportunity to wrench my hand free from his grasp.
The moment I saw his face clearly, I threw a handful of purple powder into the air.
While he was dazed, I covered my nose and mouth, trying to duck away, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.
Nose to nose, we each inhaled half the dose.
“Jiang Rui, you know it’s This Prince now, don’t you?”
Both of us slumped against the bookshelf, lacking even the strength to stand.
Yan Yunzheng narrowed his eyes and asked with a smile.
The black jade earring at his ear seemed as dark as his heart.
I quickly shook my head with an innocent look. “Your Highness, this official is terrified.”
“Damaging the physical person of the heir to the throne… which law of the Great Jin does that violate again?”
I frowned deeply, looking profoundly distressed.
“Your Highness, the full statute states that ‘wantonly’ damaging the physical person of the heir is punishable by death. Your Highness did not take the usual path to enter; in my confusion, I thought the Folding Fan Gentleman had escaped prison to settle scores with me. I acted out of self-preservation. How can that be called ‘wanton’ damage?”
To think I would compare him to the Folding Fan Gentleman-that wicked, lecherous villain.
Yan Yunzheng gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes at the Seventh-rank Official before him, who was as slippery as a loach.
She sat on the floor, her body limp, smiling at him with feigned flattery.
She seemed to put herself in the lowliest of positions.
And yet, those fox-like eyes shimmered with a faint light.
Like the head of a piranha lurking beneath the surface of clear blue lake water.
One careless move, and you’d be caught in her trap.
Jiang Rui.
“Aren’t you even curious why This Prince sought you out in the middle of the night?”
What good could come from being sought out by this difficult madman?
I was about to laugh it off and brush him aside as usual, but then I saw Yan Yunzheng looking at me with that smile.
I immediately changed my tune. “This subordinate is extremely curious.”
Yan Yunzheng gave a satisfied chuckle.
The effects of the powder had mostly worn off. He stood up and reached out a hand toward me.
I hesitated. Since when was he so kind?
However, as soon as I reached out, he grabbed me by the shoulder of my sleeve and hoisted me up like a little chick.
“Don’t mention it,” he said.
Infuriating.
He sat in my seat, playing with my brushes and files, and began issuing orders.
“I need you to help me investigate a case and save a person.”
He flipped open the very file I had been about to read.
“The Canal Transport Military Pay Embezzlement Case. In the autumn of the Tianqi Seventh Year, a canal transport fleet carrying eight hundred thousand taels of military pay for the Jizhou Garrison encountered a rare storm at Black Water Gorge. Three main ships carrying the silver capsized and sank, and the military pay fell into the river.”
“The transport officials conducted an emergency salvage operation but found only a few empty chests. They claimed that six hundred thousand taels of the pay were lost entirely because the chests were too heavy and the undercurrents too fierce to allow for recovery.”
“The Ministry of Justice investigated for days and discovered that the current Censor, Shen Ci, had been in close correspondence with one of the canal transport accountants. They also traced a flow of tens of thousands of taels through a bank to Shen Ci’s maternal uncle, Shen Huai. Although the case is not yet concluded, rumors that Shen Ci is the mastermind behind this case are currently rampant in court.”
“Shen Ci has already been taken into custody as a suspect.”
I remained silent for a moment. “Does Your Highness believe in Lord Shen’s character and feel he is incapable of such a thing?”
“Don’t you also disbelieve it?” He tilted his chin toward the file on the desk that I had already partially opened.
“Furthermore, this case is too large in scale. It would require mobilizing resources from canal transport, local governments, and even the military. It is not something a mere seventh-rank official like Shen Ci could accomplish so perfectly, even with the influence of the century-old Shen Family behind him.”
I lowered my eyes and thought for a moment.
“I apologize, but I cannot investigate this case.”
“Since Your Highness has thought of this, His Majesty and the Dali Temple will surely consider it as well. Lord Shen will not die a wrongful death.”
I am no saint, and I have no intention of overstepping my bounds by meddling in every case that comes my way.
Yan Yunzheng seemed to have expected my refusal; his expression didn’t flicker with even a hint of disappointment.
“But now, both the man and the loot have been seized. The evidence points squarely at Shen Ci. More than a few officials in court are already dissatisfied with him, and they are all secretly fueling the fires of rumor. The Shen Family, as a century-old clan and leaders of the literati, cannot tolerate the slightest stain on their reputation. They have already resolved to sacrifice Shen Ci to preserve their family’s name.”
“I fear the white silk and poisoned wine will be sent to him within days.”
The moon sank lower. I watched Yan Yunzheng from the shadows, idly rubbing the jade slip in my hand.
“Who does Your Highness suspect?”
Yan Yunzheng let out a short laugh, seemingly satisfied with my sharp intuition.
“The Vice Minister of War, Li Zhi.”
So that was it. Li Zhi’s sister was the current Consort Shu, and he was the maternal uncle of the Fourth Prince-currently the most popular candidate for the position of crown prince.
If this case were solved, Yan Yunzheng would not only significantly weaken the Fourth Prince’s influence but also win over Shen Ci.
Two birds with one stone.
The struggle for the throne was truly ruthless.
Moonlight tangled in the branches outside. I looked down at the jade slip in my hand and gave a soft laugh.
He was being unexpectedly blunt.
But why should I?
Why should a Seventh-rank Official like me wade into the muddy waters of a struggle between high nobility and century-old clans?
I didn’t come to the capital to throw my life away.
Moreover, if I helped him in this matter, I would be branded as a member of the Seventh Prince Faction for the rest of my life.
I was loyal only to the Emperor.
“Your Highness, Lord Shen will be fine.”
“If an accident occurs, well… everyone has their own fate.”
A trace of hypocritical pity flickered across my features.
Yan Yunzheng looked at me, a strange glint appearing in the depths of his eyes. He spoke again.
“Shen Ci is a man of great talent, and my Imperial Father thinks highly of him. Right now, His Majesty is overwhelmed and needs an absolute blade. I will recommend you.”
This wasn’t about working for the Seventh Prince.
“I will request a secret edict from Imperial Father to grant you an Imperial Secret Casket. Your memorials can be sent directly to the inner palace through this casket, bypassing all procedures, to be read only by His Majesty. During the investigation, you will hold my personal command token, allowing you to mobilize a small number of guards and secret agents in the capital and the areas involved in the case without going through the Ministry of War or the local prefectures.”
Power, security, and the Emperor’s favor.
“Once the case is settled, no one will be able to dispute your contribution. You will certainly be promoted.”
He paused. “The proposal for the Women’s Recommendation Bureau, which has been stalled for twenty years since the death of Official Shuyi, will be reintroduced and pushed forward by my people.”
At those words, my gaze finally shifted.
Long ago, a female teacher at the Changling Academy had told me about it.
The era when female officials flourished most was during the lifetime of Official Shuyi.
At that time, nearly twenty women held major positions within the Six Ministries.
Those below followed the example of those above; every year, women passed the imperial examinations, sometimes even ranking in the top three.
Ten years ago, Official Shuyi promoted the Women’s Recommendation Bureau to raise funds and establish a system to help talented women who were prevented from studying or taking the exams by various constraints.
This was a matter of great significance, and many officials worked in the shadows to stop it.
Until one autumn ten years ago, while Official Shuyi was leading several trusted female officials on a private visit to academies in the south, she was assassinated by three men.
The investigation by the Ministry of Justice concluded that the men were all admirers of Official Shuyi whose advances had been rejected, and they had acted out of spiteful love.
The case was closed hastily, branding Official Shuyi with the label of ‘loose morals.’
Following that, accusations arose that Official Shuyi had accepted bribes during her tenure and that the Women’s Recommendation Bureau was merely a front for her to line her own pockets.
Due to the overwhelming rumors and the simultaneous deaths of several female officials, the succession of women in the bureaucracy was severed. The Women’s Recommendation Bureau was repeatedly shelved, and the system for women to become officials became increasingly strict and harsh.
“It was a siege by a group of incompetent men against the upward progress of the world’s women.”
My teacher had been heartbroken whenever she mentioned Official Shuyi.
That the Seventh Prince would bring this up now was definitely not just because he wanted to use me to solve the Canal Transport Case.
For the first time, I began to truly observe this prince, who was rumored to be moody, cruel, and ungrateful.
Seeing that I remained silent, Yan Yunzheng lightly tapped his knuckles against the open dossier on the table.
Shen Ci’s name on it looked prominent yet lonely.
“Jiang Rui, you have a reason why you must investigate this.”
He chuckled, his gaze deepening.
“Do you know who will take over his position as Censor if Shen Ci falls?”
“Huang Wei. A man nearly fifty years old who once served in the Ministry of Justice and was a lead investigator in Official Shuyi’s case. He was the one who framed that malicious murder as a crime of passion, resulting in the three primary culprits’ sentences being reduced from death by a thousand cuts to mere exile.”
“Within the Six Ministries, corruption and collusion have long been the norm. Currently, among the primary functions of the Six Ministries, there are no more than five female officials. If Huang Wei becomes the new Censor, that number will only dwindle.”
“Jiang Rui, Shen Ci may be rigid and cold, but you must admit that such a man in court serves as a shield for everyone who needs fairness and justice.”
If the Censor were replaced by Huang Wei, my path upward would only become more difficult.
Yan Yunzheng had indeed brought me vital information tonight.
I lowered my eyes, thoughtfully tracing the golden auspicious pattern on the ring on my left pinky.
He closed the dossier and brushed past me, whispering softly.
“I’ll give you one day to consider. The case can wait for you, but that cup of poisoned wine sent by the Shen Family won’t.”
Halfway away, he remembered he had entered through the window, so he turned back.
Just as he was about to make a dashing leap out, I yanked him back.
He stumbled, nearly hitting the window frame, and turned to look at me in annoyance.
The black jade at his ear shimmered like dark scales under the moon.
My eyes were full of innocent sincerity. “Your Highness, I wanted to tell you that there’s no time to lose. We start the investigation tonight.”
“We absolutely cannot allow a pillar of the state like Lord Shen to suffer such a grievance.”