Chapter 9

Rong Shu woke up feeling refreshed and invigorated, her headache and distress gone. As Ying Que started listing the dishes being prepared, she suddenly felt ravenous. Reflecting for a moment, she instructed, "Give Mother Zhang a portion of the soup from the kitchen. She loves lotus root slices; send her some as well."

Ying Que was delighted to see Rong Shu's appetite return and eagerly rushed out of the room with a spring in her step.

Meanwhile, Yingyue pushed open the window and glanced at the sky. Hesitantly, she said, "I just overheard Chang Ji mentioning that Mister has been working at the Ministry of Justice all day and hasn't had dinner yet. Should we send someone to invite him back for the meal, Miss?"

Yingyue had learned of Gu Changjin's whereabouts when Chang Ji returned to the study half an hour earlier.

Knowing that Gu Changjin had spent the entire day on official duties, Ying Que stomped her foot in frustration, indignant. "Who would return to work the very next day after getting married, leaving their new bride alone? That's too much! If this gets out, won't it make Miss look insignificant?"

Yingyue also felt uneasy. The Emperor had granted Mister three days off, and yesterday was the Mid-Autumn Festival, which would have given him another day of rest. Logically, Mister wouldn't need to return to the Ministry of Justice until the nineteenth of August.

Not consummating the marriage last night and rushing off to the ministry at dawn today—it seemed like he didn't value Miss at all.

If Ying Que was upset, how could Yingyue not be? However, being older and more experienced, she understood that this wasn't the time for rash actions. Thus, she asked Rong Shu if they should fetch him from the Ministry of Justice.

Yet, as soon as the words left her mouth, she grew anxious, fearing that her Miss might be hurt.

Looking at Rong Shu secretly, Yingyue's gaze inadvertently met Rong Shu's dark, glistening eyes, leaving her momentarily stunned.

Rong Shu smiled gently.

The two maidservants by her side were personally chosen by Madam Shen. One was lively and charming, while the other was mature and composed. They had been by Rong Shu's side for thirteen years.

Yingyue was four years older than Rong Shu and had always acted like an adult since she was young. Usually, she would never reveal her emotions on her face. But now, she must have been deeply upset on Rong Shu's behalf to lose control.

In reality, Rong Shu didn't feel sad at all. Even in her previous life, when she found out that Gu Changjin returned to his office on his wedding night, she didn't feel sad. Now, it was even less so.

"No need to invite him. Second Master has a difficult case to handle, and he won't return to Songsi Courtyard until late at night."

Her words were true. At the beginning of the year, a case occurred in Changping Prefecture, which was under the jurisdiction of Obeying Heaven Mansion.

A virtuous girl named Xu Li'er, who sang in a music hall, caught the eye of Yang Rong, a student from Changping Prefecture's school. Yang Rong forcibly took her back to his residence as a concubine. Xu Li'er's mother, Jin Shi, went to Yang Rong's residence to demand her daughter's return, but instead was chased out by Yang Rong's men and beaten with a board.

Hearing that the Prefect of Obeying Heaven Mansion, Zhu E, was an upright official who wouldn't bow to power, Jin Shi, despite her illness, came to the mansion to sue Yang Rong for abducting a civilian girl and forcing her into concubinage.

Prefect Zhu indeed handled the case impartially, rescuing Xu Li'er and imprisoning Yang Rong.

Unfortunately, Yang Rong's uncle, Yang Xu, was a chief eunuch in the Supervisor of Ceremonies and also supervised the Eastern Depot. As soon as Yang Rong was arrested, a musician suddenly appeared, claiming that Xu Li'er was not a virtuous girl and had been sold by her mother to him last year. He then sold Xu Li'er to Yang Rong, with all the documents of the sale clearly written in black and white.

With the appearance of Xu Li'er's indenture contract, the case fell into the hands of the Northern Inspectorate, leading to Yang Rong, Jin Shi, and Xu Li'er all being imprisoned in its detention center for interrogation.

Those who entered the Northern Inspectorate's dungeon rarely emerged unscathed. Jin Shi was tortured to the brink of death, eventually confessing under duress and accepting guilt. She was promptly sentenced to immediate hanging.

After the case was settled, Yang Rong left the Northern Inspectorate with an air of nonchalance. Jin Shi's death sentence was then forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for review.

Little did Yang Rong anticipate that upon reaching the Ministry of Justice, an assessor would relentlessly bring the case before the Emperor himself.

That assessor was Gu Changjin.

Rong Shu recalled vividly that it was Gu Changjin's relentless efforts alone that ultimately overturned the settled case and revealed the truth.

He was already renowned in the capital. The incident from Jiayou's eighteenth year, when the top scholar Gu Changjin and the third-ranked scholar Guan Shaowei presented a petition to the emperor in the Throne Room, is still a topic of lively discussion among the people to this day.

At present, the case of Miss Xu Li'er stands at a critical juncture. On the nineteenth of August, the Sage, who has been absent from court for a long time, will attend the imperial audience. If Gu Changjin fails to bring this matter before the Sage on that day, there may never be a chance for Xu Li'er's innocence to be revealed and justice served.

After all, it concerned the value of human life, especially that of an pitiful mother and daughter. Rong Shu sincerely hoped that Gu Changjin would, just as in his previous life, fight for justice for Xu Li'er and her daughter.

The Ministry of Punishment's office was located on the main street inside Xuanwu Gate. When Gu Changjin emerged from the premises, it was already past the eighth hour of the night.

In the Songsi Courtyard, all had long gone to rest except for a few lanterns hanging under the eaves, their "double happiness" symbols glowing in the night. Everywhere else was shrouded in darkness, with even the main room's windows tightly shut.

Gu Changjin walked to the corridor and, upon seeing the vivid red lanterns, suddenly recalled that a young maiden resided in this residence. He paused, rubbed his temples to suppress his irritability, and headed for the study on the other side.

Chang Ji watched his back, carrying the lamp as he followed Gu Changjin into the study.

The study was small, filled to capacity with an old yellowwood desk, a bookshelf packed with classic texts, and a narrow, hard daybed.

Gu Changjin removed his outer robe and grabbed a cold cup of tea from the table, downing it in a few gulps. "Fetch some water. I'll be sleeping in the study tonight."

Heng Ping responded expressionlessly and left the room to fetch water.

Chang Ji set down the lantern and scanned his surroundings. With concern etched on his face, he advised, "My Lord, why not return to the main house? It's chilly in the study, and the bed is hard and narrow. How can it compare to the comfortable bed in the main house? That canopy bed was a gift from the Rong family, both exquisite and spacious. Given your current ailment, if you sleep here tonight, Doctor Wang might have to visit again tomorrow."

It wasn't without reason that he was being so persistent. This morning, when their master had emerged from the Liumo Hall, both Chang Ji and Heng Ping had noticed that something was amiss with his complexion.