After hearing her father's question, Jiang Lingyao did not answer immediately. She lowered her head, clasped her hands on her knees, and seemed quite nervous.
She herself fell into a long silence.
The story of Jiang Lingyao's appointment as a magistrate is a long one.
Jiang Zhisheng passed the imperial examination at the age of 23 and was ranked second in the list. In addition, he was young, talented, and had an immortal temperament. He was very popular at the time. Even Emperor Tianyou, who had just been restored to the throne for three years, praised him a lot. Everyone thought that he would have a successful career.
However, things did not go as planned, probably because Jiang Zhisheng's first half of his life was too smooth. In the sixth year of Tianyou, a major event occurred that caused him to experience ups and downs for the next ten years.
In this year, the chief examiner who selected him as the second-class examiner was imprisoned for treason. Since Emperor Tianyou did not want the old case of exterminating ten clans to happen again, this case did not involve all of the examiner's students, and did not even involve a wide range of people. Only the examiner's family and other co-conspirators were punished.
But not being involved and reusing are two different things.
After that, Jiang Zhisheng studied in the Hanlin Academy for three years, raised horses in the Imperial Household Department for three years, and finally went to the Guanglu Temple to manage foreign affairs for a few years. It was at this time that Emperor Xuanhua, who had ascended the throne from the prince, remembered him, and then his career began to flourish.
However, Jiang Zhisheng had already been working in various government offices in Beijing for nine years. He was over thirty years old, and although he still looked elegant and graceful, he was no longer the young and energetic official he had been in the past.
Although Emperor Xuanhua was very indecisive and trusted and admired Concubine Xie, who was 19 years older than him, he was still good at selecting the right people for the right positions. He knew that Jiang Zhisheng was a capable minister and a favorite student of the Grand Tutor, so he promoted him all the way until three years ago, when Jiang Zhisheng finally became a minister of the Six Ministries at the age of 37.
Today, the Minister of Justice is sixty-nine years old and also serves as the Grand Academician of Wenyuan Pavilion. He is an old minister whom Emperor Xuanhua trusts very much. However, at his age, he may have to retire at any time. Therefore, the entire Ministry of Justice now follows the lead of Jiang Zhisheng, the Left Vice Minister.
Therefore, in recent years, Jiang Zhisheng has become increasingly busy and is not often at home even during his days off.
The youngest of the family's nephews, the Eighth Master, is fourteen years old. The older ones have already started their own families and careers, so Jiang Zhisheng rarely cares about his children's studies and is actually much more easy-going at home than before.
He was easy-going, but Jiang Lingyao and other children, nieces and nephews would never offend him. As long as he was at home, they were all as well-behaved as quails. Even Jiang Lingyan would stop making noise and study obediently at home.
However, Zhou Huiniang felt sorry for him being so busy. Usually, whenever she had a long vacation, she would take her family to a manor in the suburbs of Beijing to escape the summer heat and warm spring. Three years ago, a murder happened in the manor in the suburbs of Beijing.
The person handling the case at that time was Jiang Lingyao's master, Qiao Sheng, the then magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture. The case happened by coincidence. At that time, Jiang Zhisheng was taking Jiang Lingyao fishing by the reservoir. The father and daughter witnessed the murder by the reservoir with their own eyes, so they stayed at the scene together to solve the case.
It was at that time that Jiang Lingyao's detective talent was discovered by Qiao Sheng. After reporting Jiang's situation, Jiang Lingyao would occasionally review cases with Qiao Sheng.
Jiang Lingyao was only fifteen or sixteen years old at that time, but Jiang Zhisheng was quite confident about his daughter and allowed her to indulge in studying.
Three years later, Qiao Sheng was exiled to the frontier for committing a crime, while Jiang Lingyao took his place and became the new judge of Shuntian Prefecture.
Jiang Zhisheng lowered his eyes and looked at Jiang Lingyao. His light-colored eyes were very calm. Seeing that his daughter didn't say anything, he looked at his wife Zhou Huiniang.
Zhou Hui Niang blinked at him but did not join in the fun. She just took the purple clay teapot from his hand and poured another cup of tea for her daughter.
Jiang Lingyao's eyelashes trembled slightly, like a fluttering butterfly, graceful and elegant like a fairy.
What a stubborn temper.
"Alas." Governor Jiang Zhi sighed.
Jiang Zhisheng lowered his voice, and his tone became harsh: "After all these years, you still don't trust me and your mother?"
Jiang Lingyao shuddered all over. She pursed her lips but no longer lowered her head. Instead, she raised her head firmly and looked across at her parents who raised her.
Jiang Lingyao's voice was always light and graceful, but now it was extremely firm: "How could it be? The people I trust most in the world are my parents. You are my parents. If I don't trust you, who else can I trust? But I don't want my parents to accompany me into danger."
"Dad, Mom," Jiang Lingyao's eyes were red, and her tears were flowing from her heart at this moment, she was overwhelmed with grief, "You have worked hard to raise me until now, and have given me fine clothes and delicious food, the love of parents, and the loyalty of the family. Now, you have also given me a lot of red makeup, so that I can find a good relationship, and my future is set."
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration even if they were my biological children, let alone..."
Jiang Lingyao almost choked up. She said, "That's why I went to Shuntian Prefecture to work as a judge under a false name. I asked the Imperial Concubine for this job. If the Imperial Concubine agreed, it means His Majesty agreed. Since His Majesty agreed, it won't affect my family."
"Dad, I'm afraid that as long as I'm a member of the Jiang family, I will be a burden to the Jiang family and my relatives."
Jiang Lingyao finally lowered her head after saying this. She said, "I thought... Dad knew it from the beginning."
Strangely enough, Jiang Zhisheng always had a smile on his face, was friendly and amiable, and seemed to be indifferent to everything. But Jiang Lingyao felt that her father knew everything, from astronomy to geography, and seemed to be an all-knowing man.
Today, although she guessed that her father had deliberately deceived her, she still said these words sincerely.
These were all what she thought in her heart, without a single false word.
Jiang Zhisheng listened to his daughter's words, his eyebrows slightly raised, and a smile gradually appeared on his extremely serious face.
"You are much smarter than your second brother."
Jiang Lingyao felt relieved, her hands went limp, and she almost dropped the tea bowl she was holding on the table.
Zhou Huiniang smiled and said, "You two are just chatting casually, why are you so serious? My husband, look how scared the child is. If he breaks my purple clay pot, how will you compensate me?"
As soon as Zhou Huiniang opened her mouth, the atmosphere in the study suddenly changed, and Jiang Lingyao also felt relaxed and no longer as nervous as before.
Jiang Zhisheng then said a few words to Zhou Huiniang as if to beg for mercy, and then he relaxed his spirits and said to Jiang Lingyao, "If I don't agree, you naturally can't be the magistrate."
After hearing this, Jiang Lingyao finally relaxed. She pursed her lips and said coquettishly, "Mom and Dad, you already knew it. Why did you scare your daughter?"
Jiang Zhisheng glanced at her indifferently, but Zhou Huiniang spoke softly: "You are here to organize your old times. Welcome to join us. There are tens of thousands of historical novels for free. You kids don't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is when you grow up. Is it so easy to get into Shuntian Prefecture? All the government offices in Yanjing are turbulent. Your father has been rolling in the mud for nearly 20 years, and he hasn't washed off the mud on his body yet. You..."
When Zhou Huiniang said this, Jiang Zhisheng suddenly coughed and interrupted her: "Madam, Madam, you are talking about Yaoyao, why are you talking about me?"
Seeing her parents being so amused, Jiang Lingyao smiled. She said, "I know how hard Dad has worked these years, but I can't let him be the only one to worry about the case. This is not my parents' fault, or even the Jiang family's fault. This is my, Jiang Lingyao's, business."
"So I thought, since I have this ability and my master also said that I am quite talented, I might as well go to Shuntian Prefecture and hang out. The reason why I got the position of Shuntian Prefecture Magistrate is not only because my master was originally a magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture, but also because the current Shuntian Prefecture Governor is Lord Yao."
"If Lord Yao had not been transferred back to the capital, the Imperial Concubine would not have arranged that position for me. It was because of the Imperial Concubine's approval that this position came so smoothly, and I dared to work in Shuntian Prefecture."
Jiang Lingyao said, imitating her little daughter, "Father didn't stop it, did he?"
Jiang Zhisheng glanced at her and saw that she looked as if it was a matter of course, so he nodded at her and said, "Girl, you are the smartest among all the children in the family. You really take after your mother, you are very cunning."
Zhou Huiniang rolled her eyes at him and said that he was a petty and unreasonable person.
Jiang Zhisheng kept smiling, but his words were piercing.
"Yaoyao, you were only three years old when the incident happened. When you returned home, you were sick with a fever day and night. When you got better, you stopped talking about the past. Your mother and I thought you had forgotten the past, and it was better for you to forget it."
Jiang Zhisheng said sadly: "If you forget, you won't feel pain."
Zhou Hui Niang moved her body and reached out to hold Jiang Zhisheng's hand.
Jiang Zhisheng shook his wife's hand again, he took a deep breath, and when he looked up again, his eyes were deep and determined.
"Even if fifteen years have passed, I still won't give up. Why? Why?"
Jiang Zhisheng was almost gritting his teeth.
He looked at Jiang Lingyao, and there was a rare misty gleam in his eyes, but it was only for a moment, and the misty gleam was covered by an extremely firm light.
"I am still young, just in my 40s, and I still have a long life ahead of me, so I want to get to the bottom of the case and give an explanation to my mentor."
"A loyal minister cannot bear the curse forever."
Jiang Zhisheng was never afraid, never timid, and never backed down because of difficulties.
If it weren't for the Anding Marquis's Mansion and the lives of more than a hundred people in the Jiang family, he might have gone to the court to plead for his mentor.
But in the end, because of a letter forwarded by his mentor, he did not make any desperate moves. He just joined other classmates in signing a letter, just to save the lives of his mentor's family.
He had never told his daughter about all this. He was afraid that she would recall the painful and sad memories of her childhood, and that she would cry and stay awake at night. He just wanted his daughter to grow up happily and become the most cheerful and optimistic daughter in all of Yanjing.
There are many things he can do, there is no need to let his daughter get her hands dirty.
But he didn't expect that his daughter secretly went to see the royal concubine and insisted on becoming a magistrate in Shuntian Prefecture.
Jiang Zhisheng knew exactly why she wanted to be a prosecutor. Only then did he realize that his daughter had forgotten nothing.
Jiang Zhisheng looked at his daughter: "Yaoyao, Dad has never given up, and never thought about giving up. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, Dad will persist, but you...but you..."
Jiang Zhisheng said: "But Dad wants you to be happy and be a simple rich girl, worry-free and happy for the rest of your life."
Jiang Lingyao looked at her father's red eyes, saw the unwillingness and helplessness in his eyes, and also saw the resentment deep in his eyes.
A person with such a sage-like demeanor can actually have hatred.
Jiang Lingyao clenched her hands tightly and said in a deep voice: "Dad, I became a prosecutor because I am really determined and I think I have the ability to solve cases. Secondly, I want to know the truth of that year."
"The case was very complicated back then, and many case files were destroyed. I can only look for clues from the traces. It would be the best if I can find them, but I won't have any regrets if I can't."
"At least I tried."
There were tears in Jiang Lingyao's eyes, which were the result of years of grievances and unparalleled determination.
"I can't let my parents hold up the sky for me forever, nor can I live in fear forever, fearing that someone will know my true identity. What kind of misfortune will the Anding Earl's Mansion, which treats me like a child and has raised me for many years, suffer?"
"I've already lost one home, I can't lose another."
Jiang Zhisheng was shocked. His eyes fell on his daughter's face, and finally he looked at Zhou Huiniang. Both of them could see the other's shocked expression.
My daughter is only 19 years old, but she has quietly grown up into such a determined and outstanding person.
Governor Jiang Zhi let out a long sigh.
He hated the people behind the framing of his mentor, hated himself for his incompetence, and hated the incompetent and biased previous emperor.
Fifteen years have passed, the previous emperor has passed away, and the new emperor has succeeded to the throne. Now he can finally ascend the temple and finally understand the new emperor's thoughts.
Emperor Xuanhua was already thirty years old, and he was finally able to sit firmly on the throne, and his mentor's case finally took a turn for the better.
Maybe, this is an opportunity.
Jiang Zhisheng looked at Jiang Lingyao and asked again, "Yaoyao, do you really want to investigate the case yourself?"
Jiang Lingyao nodded firmly: "Yes, Dad."
Jiang Zhisheng nodded, his eyes fixed: "Okay, then I'll tell you a new clue, you can follow this direction to investigate."
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