Mistakes (Part 3)

The servants in Princess Rongshu's residence were all trained in the palace, and in just a short while, the news had reached the emperor's ears.

"What do you mean by 'dressing curtain'?" the emperor asked the person kneeling on the ground.

"Your Majesty, the princess has not spoken," the man replied, bowing his head.

"How has the princess been these past few days?"

"Your Majesty, the princess is no different from usual." This man understood what the emperor wanted to ask, and added, "She is no different from before the Deputy Envoy of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics climbed over the princess's wall."

The emperor waved for him to leave. Ever since he had spoken frankly with Chen Zhuangmu, he knew that she would contact Zhao Yi sooner or later.

His niece has been like this since she was little. Forcing her to learn anything is absolutely impossible. She has to make her own decisions, and that's all that matters. He doesn't need to worry about anything else.

She puts in her utmost effort, finding the key tricks in the shortest amount of time, and always achieving twice the result with half the effort.

This is also why the emperor values ​​her. However, after raising this child by his side for ten years, it seems as if she has been spoiled. Other children at this age are vying to stand out and become prominent figures, but since what happened three years ago, she has really lost all her childlike nature. It's hard to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.

It's a pity we don't know what kind of connection she has with Zhao Yi.

The emperor gazed indifferently at the stone steps ahead. The golden-red wooden door was exquisitely and solemnly carved, and his eyes lingered on the imposing beams.

"Makeup curtain, let's see what you choose."

Lunch was simple. After Chen Zhuangmu finished eating, Li Chu came over, dismissed the people around her, and said, "Princess, we have results for those people you copied down for me to investigate."

"There were seven guards that night. Six of them had graves, and one of them was the only person in his family. Therefore, his final whereabouts were never found."

"However, according to the information given by the princess, the old man killed this person a year and a half ago!"

After Li Chu finished speaking, she lowered her head and glanced at Chen Zhuangmu, carefully observing her reaction.

With a furrowed brow, it's more likely that this old man is seeking revenge.

The old man had no connections; he must have had someone guide him to find the person who had been hiding for years. If we can find out who was behind it, half the truth about the city gate incident will be revealed.

She had to find a way to meet the old man alone.

A gentle breeze blew, and countless yellow leaves fell into the stream. After only a quarter of an hour of gentle ripples, the servants had to scoop them out.

Before they knew it, it was time for the trial. Chen Zhuangmu quickly tidied herself up and, together with Ma Yuhua and Li Chu, stepped into the room that seemed to be filled with thick, swirling ink.

This time, Chen Zhuangmu stood to the right of Lord Zhang, looked around, but did not find Zhao Yi.

Zhuo Ci remained sprawled on the ground, looking like a rogue. Lord Zhang glared at him fiercely and said, "Zhuo Ci, do you confess? To date, a total of thirty young ladies have fallen victim to your cruelty!"

The person on the ground didn't react for a while, but his face turned paler inch by inch. Suddenly, he jumped up, his eyes darting left and right, and he opened his mouth and howled incoherently a few times before finally managing to speak.

He shouted, "Lord Zhang, please spare me! I will never dare to do it again!" He slammed his fist on the ground, but Lord Zhang ignored his continued crying and wrote the verdict with a flourish, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

"This criminal has committed adultery with women, violating the laws of the world. He shall be imprisoned and executed in ten days!"

The judgment was lengthy, but Lord Zhang delivered it concisely.

After saying that, he was dragged away with a "waaaah" sound.

Ma Yuhua stared blankly at the scene, tears already streaming down her face. She wiped them away and smiled.

This expression did not escape Chen Zhuangmu's notice. After everyone had left one after another, only she, Li Chu, and Ma Yuhua remained in the room.

Both Chen Zhuangmu and Ma Yuhua were standing, but Ma Yuhua inexplicably felt that she was shorter than Chen Zhuangmu.

When Shen Zhuangmu glanced at her with his cold gaze, her legs went weak and she knelt on the ground.

"Are you blaming me?" Chen Zhuangmu asked.

With her head down, Ma Yuhua's face was visible through the curtains, revealing scratches on her neck.

"This servant wouldn't dare. I would be happy if you could bring this scoundrel to justice," she replied listlessly.

“This is the punishment he deserves. Ma Yuhua, can you now tell me the whole story with peace of mind?”

"Yes." Ma Yuhua lowered her head even further. "I have a seriously ill elderly mother at home, and I can't afford the medicine. So I had an idea. I found out where that scoundrel was and went there to work as a waiter. I... I disguised myself a little, and then I was tied up. I asked him for one hundred taels of silver, and that scoundrel said he would give it to me in seven days. It's been ten days now, and I had no choice... so I troubled the princess..."

Chen Zhuangmu remained silent for a long time, causing Ma Yuhua to give up and force herself to kneel on the ground.

Do you hate me?

Chen Zhuangmu's gaze silently lingered on her face.

She shook her head. "I have a good master. I originally wanted to use the princess's name to ask that villain for money. But when you asked Miss Li Chu to accompany me to report to the authorities, I knew that this matter was beyond my control."

She added, "I thought the princess was like other masters, and that she wouldn't care if something happened."

Chen Zhuangmu nodded and said to Li Chu, "Find a good doctor to go to her house. Apart from the money she can pay, use mine to make up for the rest. Arrange for someone to go there once every ten days."

Ma Yuhua, kneeling on the ground, raised her head in disbelief. "Really? Ah... This servant knows her sins. This servant thanks Your Highness and will repay Your Highness's great kindness in my lifetime!"

"You just need to keep it a secret, that's all I can do," Chen Zhuangmu said.

Ma Yuhua agreed and left with her head bowed, but her face lingered in Shen Zhuangmu's mind, reminding her of the childhood saying, "Justice in the world resides in the hearts of the people."

But what use is it if it only exists in people's hearts? We must expose the evildoers to the light of day, let the wronged see the light of day again, and let justice be clearly laid out under the sun.

After this matter was settled, Chen Zhuangmu returned to the Dali Temple.

Before she even stepped into the gate of the Dali Temple, she saw Registrar Miao staring at her with shining eyes, as if she were a lean piece of meat.

Chen Zhuangmu didn't dare to climb the steps for a moment.

Miao, the registrar, was quite informal. He approached Chen Zhuangmu and used his fan to push her inside.

"Princess, what are you waiting for! Your father has been waiting for you for quite a while!"

Miao, the registrar, hurried inside. Just now, the palace eunuch had been circling the courtyard with the scroll in his hand for a while before finally asking, "Where is Princess Rongshu?"

He opened his eyes wide and said, "The princess is handling matters at the yamen! I'll go and invite her back."

Unexpectedly, the father-in-law waved his hand and said, "Let's wait here."

Who could make the imperial edict wait for her?

Princess Rongshu must be the first of her kind!

As Chen Zhuangmu followed Miao Zhubu, she vaguely guessed what was going on and suddenly felt very uneasy.

Sure enough, upon arrival, a crowd surrounded the eunuch, hoping to get a word in. Miao, the registrar, shouted at the top of his lungs, "The princess is here! Make way!"

The crowd erupted in cheers as the father-in-law walked directly to her side, holding the imperial edict.

"Princess, receive the decree." The eunuch, who was short and round, seemed to grow taller when he said this.

Chen Zhuangmu knelt down.

"I, having received the mandate of heaven and ruled the four seas, seek ways to assist in the implementation of the kingly way and to pacify the people. Now, I have appointed my minister Shen Zhuang, who is of outstanding talent and learning, upright and resolute, as the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, and grants him special permission to attend court and review affairs!"

The eunuch put away the imperial edict and handed it to Shen Zhuangmu. As Shen Zhuangmu finished speaking, he said, "Princess, take a look."

The officials were so eager to burrow into the eunuch's hand that they saw a smooth, lustrous jade fish-shaped pouch.

Chen Zhuangmu hesitated to answer for a moment.

Her father-in-law, however, placed the item into her palm. "Princess, please accept this. His Majesty said it's beautiful; you'll surely like it. Besides, you're His Majesty's own niece. If you don't wear this, who else would you wear?"

With a stiff smile, Chen Zhuangmu accepted it.

The eunuch said a few more words of congratulations and then left. All the officials also dispersed. Chen Zhuangmu stared at the fish-shaped pouch for a long time before finally accepting the fact that it was lying in her palm.

Suddenly, she looked up and saw Zhang Jiao watching her from under the corridor.

She was still dressed in a blue robe, her dark hair was tied up with a dark black hair crown, and a white jade pendant hung from her belt. She was extremely simple and extremely aloof.

She suddenly felt that such a person should not have come into this mortal world.

"Congratulations," he said.

Thank you.

"I hope that Master Shen can familiarize himself with his duties."

"Of course," she replied, instinctively wondering if she had done something wrong.

After saying this, Zhang Jiao left. Chen Zhuangmu then headed towards the prison. She felt it necessary to replace everyone in her household; she disliked the feeling of having her every move reported.

She hadn't walked far when she could feel a chilling aura. This was her second time here.

The guard saw it was her, bowed, and opened the door to let her in.

The old man was rightfully placed in the best cell, though it wasn't much better.

Through the iron gate, she saw the old man wrapped in a tattered quilt, sitting on a wooden bed.

Her shadow enveloped the old man, who slowly opened his eyes. Though they were cloudy, they held a chilling ruthlessness.

"You can leave! I killed that thing!"

After hearing his rebuke, Chen Zhuangmu calmly said, "You may have killed the wrong person."

The old man's eyes widened instantly. He staggered closer and grabbed the iron gate. "What do you mean? What do you mean? My son wasn't killed by him?"

"Don't try to fool me! You're just as useless as those corrupt officials!"

The old man suddenly collapsed against the wall, seemingly unfazed by his impending doom.

Chen Zhuangmu carefully observed the old man's expression and said, "That night, including your son, a total of six people died. What ability did he have to kill six people? Grandpa, your son didn't have any gold or silver treasures on him. Tell me, why would he want your son's life?"

The old man slowly raised his head, staring blankly without answering.

“There must be someone else who wanted to kill your son. Only if that person is punished can your son rest in peace.”

Water dripped steadily from above, marking the passing of time in their silence.

Shen Zhuangmu was unsure of herself. She hadn't prepared anything for this trip, only intending to persuade the old man with these words. What Shen Zhuangmu found even more unacceptable was that she would actually use someone else's most cherished possession to tempt them.

But she forgot that this is something people learn from a young age, just like when you're a child and you try every trick in the book to get a piece of candy from another child.

However, she never experienced being in a dark room; she had no children to play with when she was a child.

The old man's eyes slowly returned to their senses; the dripping sound of the muddy water was like the flowing life within him.

After a long pause, the old man spoke.

"Three years ago, my son suddenly disappeared, and I couldn't find him no matter how hard I looked. I asked them where he was, and they said they saw him after he was laid off, and they hadn't seen him since."

I searched again, but still couldn't find it. About two weeks passed.

The old man's voice began to grow hoarse, as if there was a clump of ancient phlegm stuck in his throat. He coughed hard and then said...

"They say it was one of his brothers who killed him, just because they had a few words exchanged, he killed my son!"

The old man's eyes seemed to bulge out as he muttered, "He killed my son! He killed my son!"

Chen Zhuangmu approached the iron gate and said, "I understand, grandpa. Think about it, what happened next?"

"And then?" The old man turned his head, his mouth slightly open, revealing his yellowish-brown teeth. He seemed to be in a daze for a moment, then said, "It was a man who was wrapped up very tightly who told me this. I don't remember clearly that day, but I saw something red tied to the back of the carriage behind him."

Chen Zhuangmu's eyes were different now. She leaned her head slightly closer to the iron gate, wanting to listen carefully to what the old man had to say next.

“He said that Xu Chong killed my son. He couldn’t bear to see me, at my age, still kept in the dark, so he told me where Xu Chong was.”

"I set off right after that, without even taking any luggage." As he spoke, a look of longing appeared in his eyes.

"That was the most carefree month of my life. From then on, I lived under an assumed name, selling breakfast, shoes, anything that allowed me to get close to him, until finally... finally..."

As the old man spoke, the corners of his mouth began to twitch to both sides, "I dragged him into that path and cut him piece by piece. Hearing his screams made me feel a little happier for my son!"

The old man seemed tired, his head drooping to the back of his head, his expression hidden behind the heavy veil. He was about to ask, "And then?"

The old man suddenly turned his head, his eyes shining brightly.

"That was the most exhilarating time I've ever had."

This scene made her feel that the old man was not a good person either, and the air around her became mysterious.

Chen Zhuangmu, without even saying goodbye to the old man, hurriedly left the prison.

The old man, however, was still immersed in what he had initially perceived as a period of great pleasure.

With only half a day left, Chen Zhuangmu rushed off to study.

Li Chu was sent away by her after she carried the thick volumes from the library into the cart, so she pushed it herself.

Returning to her new workplace, Chen Zhuangmu inexplicably felt an immense pressure.

The white mist outside the window is tinged with gold; it's time to leave work again.

Today's conversation with the old man made Shen Zhuangmu even more convinced that this was a very thorough frame-up. What exactly was the identity of the owner of the carriage? At that time, the only person who could control everything was the Grand Commandant, but the Grand Commandant was dead and his mansion had been investigated. I asked my uncle, and he said that the Grand Commandant was unaware of this matter.

In addition, Shen Zhuangmu believed that this old man was definitely not an ordinary person. The longing he showed in prison just now was not the look of an ordinary person.

Solving these many mysteries will surely lead to a major breakthrough.

The carriage owner was becoming increasingly important, and she was one step closer to her mother.

After dinner, Chen Zhuangmu went with Li Chu to investigate the old man's identity, only telling her that it would be helpful for the current case at the Dali Temple, and that she thought Li Chu probably wouldn't submit a report.

Tomorrow is a day off, so Chen Zhuangmu isn't in a hurry to rest. After washing up, she changed into a light blue nightgown, with a jacket underneath and a brocade blue embroidered robe on top. She then lay on a chair under a tree, looking at the starry sky.

Suddenly, a new color appeared in her eyes.

A man wearing a black and blue jade crown and a dark blue brocade robe with wide sleeves and dark patterns was standing on the edge of the wall.

A gentle breeze suddenly arose, and the ribbons on his head partially obscured his sharp and affectionate eyebrows and eyes.

Zhao Yi was standing with his arms crossed, smiling as he looked at her.

Startled to find someone suddenly appearing on her wall late at night, Chen Zhuangmu sat up from her chair, while Zhao Yi leaped up and stood in front of her.

“The princess made it easy for me to find her.”

"I haven't congratulated you yet, Master Shen."