Chapter 5: The Blood Letter Has Found Another Terrible Job

Looking around, among the entire Sixteen Guards, only the sweeper, Xing Rui, was close in age to him, so they quickly became acquainted. Xing Rui readily adapted to her new role—a tagalong. Sharing the common misfortune of everyone being unpopular, she happily accepted a leader despite Chen Liangyu's objections.

After his refusal was ignored, Chen Liangyu chose to accept. It's always difficult to get things done if you don't have anyone to do it. Even if someone has to sweep the floor, it's better than nothing.

Chen Liangyu rarely stayed at the garrison headquarters, leaving all matters, big and small, to Gao Guan. Since Gao Guan was making things difficult for her, she would simply ignore him outside of official duties. She hadn't originally intended to be a garrison commander; she had hoped to be granted a military rank so that she could rightfully lead troops when she returned to the northern frontier with her elder brother after the New Year.

However, it seemed the Emperor had no intention of letting her return to the Northern Border with her elder brother, so she could only accept this assignment first and make other plans later.

Gao Guan was used to being flattered by his subordinates, and few dared to disregard him. He held his breath, and the sixteen guards were tense with him from the inside out.

But the emperor wasn't worried, while the eunuchs were frantic.

Xing Rui was so worried that he scratched his head in frustration. Finally, one day, he mysteriously told Chen Liangyu that he had come up with a good way to alleviate the internal conflicts within the Sixteen Guards, and then...

They joined the enemy's camp.

Ying Rui was extremely attentive, approaching Gao Guan three times a day to serve him tea and water, and to massage his shoulders and back, saying, "Deputy Commander Gao."

"Give me the title of deputy!"

"Yes, yes, Commander Gao."

Gao Guan cleared his throat, crossed his legs on the old but wide desk in front of him, and swung them rhythmically: "Why aren't you with your little boss? What are you doing hanging around in front of me again?"

With keen insight, Xing Rui quickly picked up the teapot and poured tea: "Commander, what you're saying is obvious. Don't we all know who's in charge of the Sixteen Guards? I just think that girl doesn't really manage anything, but our Sixteen Guards still listen to you, don't they? Since you have real power, what's wrong with letting her have a nominal title? With her here, our Southern Army can also borrow the prestige of the Marquis of Xuanping. In the past, when Hu Xiang'er and the others went to urge for their salaries, the Ministry of Revenue never gave them a good look. But now, those officials in the Ministry of Revenue who always look down on people are all very polite to us. They even made up for the salaries that were owed for more than half a year. If we get rid of her, and the court sends another difficult one, wouldn't the good days for the brothers of the Southern Army be over?"

Gao Guan squinted, thinking carefully. His eyes were already small, and when he squinted, they were reduced to narrow slits.

That seems to be the case, and that makes sense.

In the past, asking for one's salary was like begging on the street, bowing and scraping to everyone one met. One could spend a whole day squatting outside the Ministry of Revenue, but no one would offer tea or water. When asked, the answer was always the same: the national treasury was in deficit, and the Ministry of Revenue couldn't allocate any money from its accounts. However, when the imperial decree appointing Chen Liangyu as the commander of the Sixteen Guards was issued at night, people from the Ministry of Revenue arrived early the next morning. Gone was their arrogant demeanor; they came with fawning smiles, holding silver in both hands.

Has the bureaucratic culture of fawning on the powerful and belittling the weak changed? It's still just about giving face to the Marquis of Xuanping's family.

"Besides, she's a young woman, she'll be getting married in a couple of years. Does she think she can keep showing her face in public like this after she gets married? Once she leaves, the position of commander will be vacant."

Ying Rui winked and made a knowing look.

Gao Guan thought this made sense!

"If you ask me honestly, you've done a good job, and all the brothers under you have seen it. Just be respectful to her on the surface. It'll only take a year or two anyway. When the Emperor says a word to her and recommends her, the position of commander will be yours for sure, right?"

Gao Guan agrees that this is absolutely right!

He put away the two legs that were placed on the table, immediately rewarded Xing Rui with two jugs of liquor, and ordered him to go back to Chen Liangyu's side to continue being his little follower, whispering in his ear and saying good things about him.

Chen Liangyu strolled from Changjie Street to Xijie Street, caught a thief, rescued a raccoon that couldn't climb down a tree, and also helped Meng the butcher on Xijie Street catch a pig that had escaped from its home...

I looked down and smelled my clothes; they smelled of the pigsty.

She wasted some time before believing Ying Rui's words that the Sixteen Guards were indeed idle.

She returned to the South Office, went into the temporary room that had been cleaned up, changed into a clean robe, and came out to find that everyone, whether they were originally dissatisfied with her or dared not submit due to Gao Guan's tyranny, had all become respectful overnight.

She walked to the main hall of the South Office, where Gao Guan was fuming. "They dump all sorts of messes on us. This matter should either be filed by Yong'an Prefecture or sent to the Ministry of Justice. They find it too troublesome and don't want to offend anyone, so they're making us willingly become the scapegoats?"

Upon seeing her arrive, Gao Guan's expression instantly changed to one of kindness. He smiled broadly and personally poured her tea in a fawning manner, saying, "Commander, you're back? You must be tired. Please have some tea."

"What are you up to? Poisoned?" Chen Liangyu asked, bringing a teacup to her lips.

"Don't mention it. I have offended you before. We all work together in the Southern Office and are colleagues. I am your subordinate. Please forgive my past mistakes and don't hold it against me. I have changed my ways and will follow your lead without question from now on."

His expression of loyalty was shrouded in mystery.

"What lousy job have I assigned you this time?"

Gao Guan sighed, "The magistrate Zhou who was transferred from Xuzhou has a young daughter. A few days ago, the young master Qiu took a liking to her on the street. It's all because Magistrate Zhou is honest and frugal, and his family doesn't travel in sedan chairs. He didn't know she was the daughter of a colleague in the court, so he just took her to his mansion. The girl is relentless and insists on suing the young master Qiu, but the complaint can't be submitted at all."

"Which Young Master Qiu?"

"The son of Qiu Renshan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, is named Qiu Shiyan."

Upon hearing this, Chen Liangyu understood the gist of the matter. The son of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel had caused trouble by forcibly abducting a woman in the street, and no one dared to take on the case. The Ministry of Personnel was in charge of the transfer, promotion, and examination of officials in the capital. Although the woman was an official's daughter, everyone knew in their hearts whether it was more serious to offend a sixth-rank prefect or to offend a vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel who held their career in his hands.

Each department took turns shirking responsibility, and eventually, the matter was passed on to the Southern Bureau.

"That girl had nowhere to seek justice, so she laid out a blood-written letter at the gate of Yong'an Prefecture and banged her head against a pillar. Ordinary people value justice the most, and after the girl did that, the crowd of onlookers started making a scene at the gate of Yong'an Prefecture, forcing the prefecture to hold a trial. Yong'an Prefecture is dragging its feet on this matter, sending yamen runners to ask the Southern Prefecture to help handle it. What can we do? The Southern Prefecture has no authority to arrest or interrogate, so going there would only be a muddying of things." Gao Guan complained bitterly, "They never think of us when it comes to good things, but when it comes to getting involved in dirty work, they all want to drag the Southern Prefecture down with them and make them scapegoats."

Chen Liangyu immediately ordered a soldier to bring over a horse and instructed him, "Take your men and go first. Just help Yong'an Prefecture stabilize the crowd. As long as you ensure that no one is injured, if the case is assigned to you, just brush it off and wait for me."

Gao Guan agreed repeatedly. Chen Liangyu mounted his horse and rode away, and Gao Guan followed closely behind, dispatching men to Yong'an Prefecture.

Chen Liangyu had no time to ponder what Emperor Xuanyuan's ulterior motives were in leaving her in the Sixteen Guards. This case involved the power of officials in the court, and if no one exerted pressure, the result would definitely be that a big matter would be turned into a small matter, and a small matter would be ignored. If things got any worse, they would clear Qiu Shiyan's name and throw all the blame on the girl, turning the truth upside down.

Since the pot has been thrown at her, she'll just accept it.

Chen Liangyu galloped all the way to the front door of the house, dismounted and rushed towards Chen Yuanqing's study with a clear goal in mind, silently praying that her father would not be at home, or at least not in the study.

Chen Linjun seemed to have anticipated that she would come home at this time, and waited for her at the door: "Little sister, what's the rush?"

"There's a case in Yong'an Prefecture that requires the assistance of the Southern Court. I've come back to retrieve some items."

"Did you come back to steal Dad's fish-shaped tally?"

Chen Liangyu rummaged around frantically, saying, "Don't just stand there, come and help me look."

Chen Linjun remained unmoved: "This matter involves factions in the court, and you may not be able to handle it. The Prefect of Yong'an, Li Yilian, has a long-standing friendship with Qiu Renshan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. If he wants to suppress this matter of the Qiu family, there are many legal ways to do so."

"Whether we can handle it or not, let's handle it first. If we don't know, fine, but now that we know, can we let someone suffer an injustice?"

"Stop searching, it's here." Chen Linjun opened his palm, revealing a bronze fish-shaped talisman. "Control the heat, stop when you've got it right. Some things don't need to be said too explicitly. They're all old foxes who've been in officialdom for a long time. There's no need to spell things out. Let's leave some room for those idiots to play their games. I hope your father won't beat you to death when you come back. Go."

Chen Liangyu snatched the fish tally from Chen Linjun's hand, ran a few steps and then stopped, "Brother, if you have nothing to do, go to the Ministry of Justice."

It's not enough to just put pressure on Yong'an Prefecture; we also need to drag the Ministry of Justice down and drag out all those who should step forward. No one should be allowed to hide.

When Chen Liangyu arrived at Yong'an Prefecture, Gao Guan had already cooperated with the prefecture to temporarily suppress the rioting crowd.

Chen Liangyu walked into the Yong'an Prefecture government office, and Gao Guan followed nimbly. "Qiu Shiyan has been summoned. He's in the inner hall. I told the people watching the back gate of Yong'an Prefecture that a carriage has arrived with someone. It should be Qiu Renshan."

“Well done,” Chen Liangyu said, striding forward, his bangs fluttering as he spoke. “Don’t let the people outside cause any more trouble.”

"Yes." Gao Guan turned back and, together with the constables of Yong'an Prefecture and the soldiers of the Southern Prefecture, raised their spears and clubs to block the crowd, pushing the people back with bulging veins. "Back up! Don't push! Anyone who moves forward will be imprisoned!"

Beneath the plaque inscribed with "A Clear Mirror Hangs High" in the inner hall of Yong'an Prefecture, the girl named Zhou Pei, her face half-dried with blood, had regained consciousness and was kneeling below the hall.

She was petite with a youthful face, and she straightened her slender body with great effort.

Sitting to the side was a young man in a brocade robe with a fair complexion and slicked-back hair; this must be Qiu Shiyan.

Separated from the main hall by a wall, this was the inner hall where Yong'an Prefecture handled official business, isolated from the outside world. Chen Liangyu stepped onto the hall and walked towards the back, but the yamen runners swiftly blocked her way with their water and fire sticks, shouting, "How dare you! Who dares to trespass on Yong'an Prefecture's property?"

Li Yilian had seen her at the welcoming banquet for the Marquis of Xuanping's triumphant return and recognized her at a glance. Then, seeing the fish-shaped tally on her waist engraved with Chen Yuanqing's mark, he hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Does the Marquis have any instructions?"

Chen Liangyu casually shook the brass belt at her waist and said, "It's nothing. I just happened to hear that there was a case to be heard in Yong'an Prefecture today, and they also sent people to the Southern Court. So I came to take a look and go back to write a memorial on behalf of my father to present to His Majesty. As you know, my father has not attended court for a long time, and he inevitably feels guilty about receiving the emperor's salary. He was injured in the war and it was inconvenient for him to travel. As his daughter, I naturally have to work harder."

A barely perceptible sound came from behind the screen on the side of the inner hall.

After Chen Liangyu finished speaking, Li Yilian's forehead was covered in sweat. What was originally a trivial matter that was not difficult to handle had even alarmed the Marquis of Xuanping.

The girl kneeling below stopped crying and looked at Chen Liangyu with hopeful eyes. As if an indescribable understanding had been formed between them, Zhou Pei instantly understood that this man had come to support her.

Qiu Shiyan turned around to see who it was, and saw that it was a woman. He glanced at her from head to toe.

Chen Liangyu glared sharply at Qiu Shiyan. It turned out that "disgusting to look at" was a concrete description, not an insult. Qiu Shiyan was not ugly; in fact, he could be considered to have regular features. But his whole being was filled with the aura of alcohol, lust, and debauchery. Just one glare from him made Chen Liangyu feel acid reflux, and the food she had eaten that morning kept churning.

There's some truth to the saying "your appearance reflects your heart." Anyone who saw Qiu Shiyan would say: "He's rotten on the outside, and rotten on the inside."

"What are you looking at? Close your eyes!" Chen Liangyu shouted.

Qiu Shiyan actually obeyed and closed his eyes.

Chen Liangyu felt as if she had struck cotton with a knife, unable to vent her anger or resentment. She walked to the armchair placed under the desk in the inner hall, lifted her robe, and sat down: "I will only listen to the trial and will not interfere. I hope the Prefect will judge the case fairly."

She deliberately emphasized the word 'fairness' and looked behind the screen. "Lord Li, one should be more dignified in life and in office. At this age, with a smooth path to advancement ahead, it's best not to let personal relationships narrow your way."

A note from the author: