Chapter 128
Chapter 128
Shopkeeper Ming, who was standing beside Ji Hanyi, jumped when a man’s voice suddenly sounded nearby. Once he recovered from his surprise, he finally noticed that someone else was standing next to them.
He looked the man over and saw that he possessed an extraordinary bearing. He was strikingly handsome, and every gesture exuded an unmistakable air of nobility.
Then Shopkeeper Ming noticed his official robes and the saber at his waist. Wasn’t he a government official?
He hurriedly answered, “The Military Patrol Office.”
As soon as Shen Changling heard that, he began asking what had happened.
Ji Hanyi had not wanted to explain. She and Shen Changling were hardly close, and she did not want to owe him a favor. But Shopkeeper Ming was already indignant on her behalf and blurted out the whole story in one breath.
After hearing him out, Shen Changling asked Ji Hanyi, “Are you certain someone else ordered them to do it?”
Ji Hanyi nodded.
Of that, she was absolutely certain.
Shen Changling smiled. “It won’t help even if you go back to the Military Patrol Office and make a scene. You wouldn’t get anywhere even if you sought out the Commander of the Military Patrol Office.”
“Whether or not a Clerk there accepted a bribe is beside the point. The culprits in your case have already been caught, which means the case can be closed. You don’t have any connections backing you, and the Military Patrol Office is busy. They won’t investigate the matter any further.”
Ji Hanyi understood that Shen Changling was right. She had already decided that if the authorities would not help, she would resort to other methods.
Shen Changling chuckled softly. “Still, this is hardly a serious matter. The official overseeing the Military Patrol Office is City Patrol Censor Cui Mao, and Cui Mao answers to my Fifth Uncle. Don’t worry. I’ll mention it to my Fifth Uncle when I return. It will only take one word from him, and the people at the Military Patrol Office will have to investigate it for you.”
At the mention of his Fifth Uncle, how could Ji Hanyi not know he meant Shen Si?
She recalled the last time they had met in the Imperial Palace. Shen Si had treated her coldly and left after saying only a few words. He had probably grown tired of her.
Ever since she had decided to divorce Xie Yuheng, she had troubled Shen Si over far too many matters. If he had to be bothered again over something so trivial, he would probably find her even more tiresome.
If worse came to worst, she could hire a few men to seize those two scoundrels and force them to reveal who was behind them. Then she could report the true culprit to the authorities. Whatever happened, she could not simply keep enduring this.
Even if that failed, she could pay them back in kind and send someone to splash their place in return.
Besides, she already had a suspect in mind.
Ji Hanyi hurriedly looked up. “There’s no need to trouble Lord Shen.”
Seeing how tense she looked, as though she were afraid of his Fifth Uncle, Shen Changling thought of his Fifth Uncle’s forbidding face. Who wouldn’t be intimidated by him? Ji Hanyi had probably been frightened by that unapproachable air of his.
He chuckled. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll bring it up. You don’t need to do anything.”
Ji Hanyi was about to refuse again when someone behind Shen Changling called out to him. She turned toward the voice.
Shen Changling looked back and saw Chen Yan, a close friend from the military camp and the second legitimate son from the Huaiyang Earl’s Residence.
Most of the people Shen Changling associated with in the capital were younger sons and idle scions of noble families. They did not need to shoulder the burden of their families, nor were they expected to accomplish much. Their families were wealthy enough that even if they spent their entire lives doing nothing, they could still live in luxury.
The only thing expected of them was that they not cause any serious trouble.
Shen Changling himself was relatively disciplined. He had been raised under strict family rules, with an especially stern father and grandfather. Although he had achieved little in his studies, he had obediently entered the military camp for training and never stirred up trouble.
The people around him, however, were a different story. So long as they did not offend someone their families could not afford to offend, nothing was off-limits to them.
They had even abducted commoner women by force.
Even with her face hidden beneath a veiled hat, Ji Hanyi possessed a presence that made her impossible to ignore.
Shen Changling stepped in front of Ji Hanyi and said hurriedly, “Don’t worry. You don’t need to concern yourself with this.”
With that, he turned and left.
Ji Hanyi watched as Shen Changling caught a blue-robed man by the shoulder amid the crowd and steered him toward a nearby restaurant. Then she withdrew her gaze and instructed Shopkeeper Ming to continue business as usual for the next few days. As for the paintings they owed in compensation, he was to have them delivered one by one to the recipients’ residences and make sure to be courteous.
Shopkeeper Ming nodded, then asked, “What if that scoundrel comes back?”
Ji Hanyi paused. Remembering what Shen Changling had just said, she thought it might be best to let him put in a word. After all, a single word from Shen Si carried more weight than anything else.
All she wanted was justice.
* * *
Meanwhile, after Shen Changling entered the restaurant, he still couldn’t resist hurrying to the window and looking down. When he saw that Ji Hanyi was nowhere in the crowd, a strange emptiness settled over him.
He had agreed so readily to handle the matter partly so he would have an excuse to seek her out again later.
They had not seen each other for many years. Unfortunately, her veiled hat had prevented him from getting a proper look at her.
He still felt somewhat guilty when he remembered the time he had bullied her as a child. Seeing her again after all these years had unexpectedly stirred an unfamiliar feeling in his heart.
Eager to win her favor and remembering that he still had to report to the military camp that afternoon, Shen Changling abruptly lost all interest in drinking. He wanted to hurry home and find Fifth Uncle.
Fifth Uncle was ordinarily either at the Censorate or the Imperial Palace, and if not, he would be at the Ministry of Punishments or the Court of Judicial Review. He never attended social engagements or went out drinking and carousing. As long as Shen Changling checked those few places, he would most likely find him.
Shen Changling immediately decided to drop everything and leave.
Chen Yan grabbed him. “What are you doing? This Master only just called over several pretty female entertainers, and now you’re leaving again? Our seats aren’t even warm yet.”
Shen Changling shook off Chen Yan’s hand. “Enjoy yourself without me. I have important business to attend to.”
Chen Yan caught hold of him again. “What important business could you possibly have? We don’t even have drills this morning. You’re already here, so you might as well stay.”
Shen Changling paid him no heed. With his thoughts fixed entirely on Ji Hanyi’s troubles, he left without looking back.
Watching Shen Changling’s retreating figure, Chen Yan grumbled, “You’d think there was a sow chasing him from behind.”
The others laughed. “Forget it. His family has always kept him on a tight leash. Let’s just eat and drink without him.”
Shen Changling hurried downstairs, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the Censorate. Upon learning that Fifth Uncle was not there, he questioned the guards at the entrance and was told that Fifth Uncle had not come in all morning.
Shen Changling figured Fifth Uncle must have gone to the Imperial Palace. Since he could not enter the palace at will, he decided to return to the residence and check there first. To his surprise, a casual inquiry revealed that Fifth Uncle was indeed home. What a stroke of luck. His face lit up, and he quickly dismounted and went inside.
He made straight for Fifth Uncle’s study. Upon reaching the door, he knew better than to make any noise and instinctively lightened his steps before telling someone to hurry inside and announce him.
Wen’an happened to be the one tasked with delivering the message. It was rare for Shen Changling to seek out the Marquis of his own accord, so Wen’an assumed it must be urgent and promptly went inside.
The Marquis had only just returned from the palace and was likely busy.
Wen’an slipped quietly into the room and saw the Marquis seated behind a desk piled high with case files, his brow deeply furrowed. He was clearly occupied.
After a moment’s hesitation, Wen’an softly announced Third Master Shen’s arrival.
Shen Si was leafing through the dossier from Shilin County. The case was no longer simply a miscarriage of justice. It implicated a wide circle of people and was by no means a minor matter.
Wen’an’s words had barely left his mouth when Shen Si replied without hesitation, “No time.”