Chapter 83 The Inspectorate is About to Change

Shen Chu left the Flying Eagle Guard and returned to the Inspectorate.

"Young Master Shen is back."

As soon as I entered the courtyard, a group of colleagues rushed up to me.

"Young Master Shen must be exhausted. I've brewed you some fine tea; would you do me the honor of having a sip?"

"Don't call me Lord Shen, you should call me Imperial Envoy Shen."

"Yes, yes, Imperial Envoy Shen, His Majesty keeping you in the palace, is there another important instruction?"

Shen Chu stood with his hands behind his back, a smile playing on his lips.

"Didn't Lord Qian go to be buried with the deceased? Oh, to attend the funeral?"

"Lord Li, your mother recovered so quickly?"

"Tsk, has Lord Wu finished his old hen soup?"

"Is Lord Wang no longer dizzy?"

Everyone looked embarrassed.

Lord Qian, who claimed to be attending the funeral, stammered, "Lord Shen, please don't be angry. We really have urgent business. Look, even Lord He, who is always upright, had his sow give birth today, didn't he? Hehe, what a coincidence, isn't it?"

He Zhengxiang, who was watching the show with his legs crossed in the pavilion, glared at the words and said, "My old sow really gave birth today. What about you? Ha, you're all up to no good."

Lord Qian retorted confidently, "How do you know that our story isn't true?"

He Zhengxiang sneered.

Shen Chu's gaze swept over the crowd. "Whether it's true or not, you all know the truth. I will not pursue the matter further today."

There's a saying that goes, "Time will tell," and we'll have a long time working together in the future.

If everyone can perform their duties diligently and fulfill their responsibilities as censors, Shen Chu will naturally have nothing to say.

But if you continue to be lazy and slack off as before, don't blame Shen Chu for turning ruthless.

His words left everyone feeling ashamed, uneasy, and, more than anything, annoyed.

Who made Shen Chu a special imperial envoy, sent to inspect the area on behalf of His Majesty?

If Chen Chu accuses them of dereliction of duty today, they won't even have to wait until tomorrow; they'll lose their jobs this afternoon.

The Flying Eagle Guards came to pick them themselves; it was terrifying.

Everyone bowed and said, "Yes, we will obey Lord Shen's orders."

"Don't you have anything to do? What are you all doing gathered here?" Zhao Dewen walked over and shouted with a gloomy expression.

The group exchanged glances and bowed.

"Lord Zhao."

Shen Chu stared at Zhao Dewen as he walked over, her gaze momentarily unfocused.

Even after ten years, she still remembers what he looks like.

When she and her mother knelt at the entrance of the Inspectorate, pleading desperately, Zhao Dewen kicked them away without hesitation and ordered them to be driven away from the entrance of the Inspectorate, leaving them with no way to seek help.

Ten years have passed, and Zhao Dewen, the censor from back then, has now risen through the ranks to become the head of the Censorate.

It is unknown how many wrongful convictions he has turned a blind eye to over the years.

When Zhao Dewen saw that Shen Chu was staring straight at him, his face darkened.

After today's grand court assembly, he fled in disarray amidst the mocking gazes of the crowd.

It was all Shen Chu's fault that he was reprimanded by His Majesty and ridiculed for not being able to control his subordinates.

"Young Master Shen, you're displaying quite the imposing presence of an official today. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate."

"Official prestige?" Shen Chu said with a smile, "This little bit of prestige I have is earned by having sharp eyes. Alas, our Emperor is wise and values ​​a censor like me who is sharp-eyed and discerning."

If Lord Zhao had been more discerning earlier, he would probably be even more powerful than his subordinates.

But now that you have such a capable subordinate like me, you must be very happy, right?

"How dare you insult my blindness?" Zhao Dewen looked at Chen Chu with a gloomy expression. "Even if His Majesty values ​​you, he certainly wouldn't tolerate your arrogance."

"Really?" Chen Chu asked innocently. "When did I say that the adults were blind? I just said that the adults' eyesight wasn't good, right?"

Everyone chuckled, not daring to say anything.

Lord Shen dares to confront Lord Zhao head-on, but they wouldn't.

He Zhengxiang walked slowly out of the pavilion with his hands behind his back. "Young Master Shen is right. Lord Zhao's eyes are indeed not bright. Tsk, look at all the whites of his eyes, and they're all grayish. It would be a miracle if they were bright."

"Lord Zhao, remember to see the imperial physician when you get back, and take some medicine to recuperate, so you won't keep giving us such disdainful looks, making our subordinates in the Censorate live in constant fear, like they're on duty at a funeral."

*Pfft*

Shen Chu couldn't help but laugh; she hadn't expected Lord He to be so ruthless when he cursed.

Zhao Dewen was so angry at the two of them talking in unison that his face turned green.

At this very moment, Shen Chu asked with a smile, "Lord He, I will be inspecting the various departments and meeting with their officials tomorrow. I wonder if the department heads, when they come and go from our office and see my dark little duty room, will think that Lord Zhao is mistreating his subordinates?"

He Zhengxiang chuckled, "It doesn't matter. Lord Zhao has been mistreating his subordinates for quite some time now."

After a long pause, Zhao Dewen finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "I will prepare a large office room for Lord Shen to use as his official residence."

Shen Chu smiled and cupped her hands in thanks, "Thank you very much, sir."

Zhao Dewen gave him a cold look, then turned and left.

As everyone watched Zhao Dewen leave in anger, they couldn't help but sigh: It seems the world of the Inspectorate is about to change.

Sigh, I regret it. I should have gotten on good terms with Master Shen sooner.

Look at Sun Hong, all high and mighty, trying to make things difficult for Chen Chu. But what happened? He lost his position in just a couple of days, and now his bones are rotting.

On his very first day, Master Shen insisted on giving him the opportunity to work in that dark little room at the Observatory.

Now, didn't Lord Zhao personally order that they be given a larger residence?

It seems I'll have to keep up with Master Shen from now on.

Lord Qian was the first to react, "Lord Shen, you are going to inspect the various departments on behalf of His Majesty, so you will need someone to run errands, won't you? I work in the General Affairs Office and am familiar with all the departments. I am willing to serve you like a dog."

The others secretly resented Master Qian's quick reaction and hurriedly expressed their opinions.

"I am willing as well."

"Young Master Shen, please look at me."

Shen Chu did intend to select people to form a small team, as her strength was limited on her own.

"My lords, please do not be impatient. Once I have finalized the inspection procedures, I will select the personnel. You may all go back and wait for news."

After exchanging pleasantries, she entered the photo studio.

She will have half a day to finish organizing all the files and compiling the search catalog, and then hand them over to the new inspector. It will be much easier to find the files in the future.

To her disappointment, she couldn't find her father's files from back then.

Not only are they missing, but all the case files from the Liangzhou massacre case ten years ago are also missing.

Chen Chu couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in his heart.

Bang, bang.

She looked up and saw He Zhengxiang standing by the table, tapping it with walnuts.

"What are you thinking about? You didn't even notice me come in."

"Does Lord He have something to discuss with me?"

He Zhengxiang straightened up, placed the walnuts on the table, and suddenly crossed his hands, bowing to him. "Thank you."

Chen Chu was startled and quickly returned the greeting, "Sir, are you trying to make this humble official feel ashamed?"

He Zhengxiang reached out and took her arm, saying, "You are entitled to this courtesy; it is something I should do."

Shen Chu recalled that Pei Yuan had originally arranged for He Zhengxiang to receive Liu Feng's petition. After a moment of silence, she said, "If you are here to pay your respects to the innocent boy who died tragically, then there is no need for that. This is what I should do."

“No, not for them,” He Zhengxiang said in a low, hoarse voice, “it’s for my son.”

Shen Chu stared in disbelief, "Could it be that the Third Prince also harmed your son, sir?"

He Zhengxiang's beard trembled. "Two years ago, when I was still the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, I wanted to help Liu Feng investigate the Third Prince's crimes. I had just started secretly collecting evidence when the Third Prince noticed."

He had my son beaten to death in the street.

Shen Chu gasped, "Did His Majesty not care about this matter at the time?"

He Zhengxiang smiled bitterly, "The Third Prince acted both arrogantly and secretly. I knew he was the one who had someone beat me to death, but I couldn't find any evidence. After that, I was transferred to Zhao Dewen's office in the Censorate."

The hatred for the murder of his son—no wonder Lord He is so melancholy.

She suddenly felt a pang of sadness. "My lord, I was unaware of this past event. If I had known, I would have made you accept the lawsuit and personally brought him to justice."

He Zhengxiang shook his head, "No, I am already satisfied to be able to avenge my son. After all, I have a blood feud with the Third Prince for killing my son."

My involvement would inevitably draw criticism; it's better for you to intervene than for me to do so.

He patted Chen Chu on the shoulder and said, "You're great. You have the same drive I had when I was young."

After saying that, he took something out of his pocket and slammed it on the table. He then said something with a smile that almost made Chen Chu jump up.