Wen Jufeng (Part 3)
Being in the same city, there was really no better way to resort to this method, so their hearts were pounding.
Li Chu wore a miserable expression: "Princess, let's pray it's not from His Majesty." She opened it, glanced at it, and then closed her eyes. "Oh no, it's over."
Chen Zhuangmu wanted to go over and take a look, but Li Chu pushed her into the carriage. "Princess, let's go quickly."
"His Majesty said we can go straight back to the Princess's residence. Didn't you say a while ago that you didn't want to live in the palace? The residence His Majesty built for you is already completed."
"Oh... okay." Chen Zhuangmu was extremely obedient at this moment, because she knew in her heart that her uncle must be really angry.
This was her first time visiting the princess's mansion that her uncle had built for her.
After getting off the carriage, I stepped onto the cobblestone path and onto the wooden bridge, looking down at the lake below, where several fish were frolicking.
The emperor was drinking tea in the main hall with a stern face.
He heard footsteps approaching, and slammed his teacup down. The slightly hot tea spilled onto his hands, and none of the people around him dared to step forward to serve him.
The emperor stood up and walked inside, and Chen Zhuangmu followed quietly, sensing that something terrible was about to happen. She had never been so afraid when she was with her uncle.
After winding their way through the streets, they arrived at an inconspicuous little house. The emperor took out a key the size of a thumb from his sleeve, unlocked it, and gently pushed open the door.
Sunlight streamed into the room, but still obscured the scene inside. The emperor stepped in first and lit both oil lamps. Finally, he said to Shen Zhuangmu, "Come in, kneel before your mother."
These words struck her heart, and Chen Zhuangmu seemed to be frozen in place, as images of her childhood spent with her mother flashed through her mind. Now, all she could do was kneel before the memorial tablet to express her longing.
She knelt before the memorial tablet, and for some reason, tears streamed down her face, one after another, her sobs echoing. The emperor, looking disgusted, tossed her a brand-new handkerchief and said, "Stop crying, you'll only upset your mother."
Chen Zhuangmu took the handkerchief and wiped her tears and snot haphazardly. The emperor sighed and said, "I should have told you about this yesterday, but the banquet ended too late, so I thought I'd talk to you this morning. I didn't expect you to run out again!"
"Zhuangmu, stop investigating. Take good care of yourself and leave the investigation to me."
"I will not be able to die in peace until I see my mother's name cleared." She stared intently at the words "General Xingyun" on the memorial tablet, not even glancing at the emperor, as if she couldn't hear anything he said.
Do you know why I want you to return to the capital and live as a princess?
Chen Zhuangmu shook her head. Three months ago, after she was finally able to move around like a normal person, she was eager to investigate the case. When she was seriously ill, the emperor wouldn't let her investigate, but now that she was better, she should be able to investigate, right? Her plan was to pretend that Princess Rongshu was dead and investigate secretly under another identity.
Her uncle sternly refused, saying that she was the daughter of a general, of the Yu family bloodline, and could not do such petty things. She knew that this was not the emperor's true intention, but she had no choice but to agree.
“You are still young. Look at you these past two days, going to such dangerous places without telling me. If I hadn’t been by your side, would you have survived?”
"My mother was already a general capable of fighting battles at my age." Shen Zhuangmu was anxious, fearing that the emperor would confine her to her quarters.
The emperor was both helpless and heartbroken, and seeing her pained expression, he stopped cursing.
"I will give you an explanation, and the world will give us an explanation." Even though he knew that saying this wouldn't sway her mind, he still wanted to try one more time.
So, he patted her on the shoulder and said, "Zhuangmu, those three years were tough for you. I sent people to take you to see famous doctors everywhere. You suffered so much just to save two years..."
Chen Zhuangmu remained silent, kneeling upright before the memorial tablet without turning her head.
Seeing that she was determined, he pressed his hand to his pounding chest to stop trying to persuade her.
"The Court of Judicial Review is short of someone; you should start your post tomorrow," the emperor said, looking at her.
"Huh?" Shen Zhuangmu went through the words in her mind before realizing what her uncle meant, and her heart jumped into her throat.
She had wanted to sneak into the Dali Temple to look at the case files before, and had subtly asked the emperor many times, but he never brought it up. Was this a coincidence, or had he finally come to his senses?
Fearing the emperor might change his mind, she decided to put the question out of her mind and quickly replied, "Yes! Thank you, Uncle!"
The clouds drifted away into the distance, obscuring the sun and painting the earth red.
The emperor slightly raised his head, the bright red sunlight shining into his eyes. He turned to look at the dark curtain, then silently lowered his head again, saying, "I had crab specially prepared for you. Come, have a taste."
At the dinner table, Chen Zhuangmu pondered how to tell the emperor about pawning the medicine bracelet, and casually ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice before putting down her chopsticks.
She served the emperor a bowl of rice and said, "Uncle, I... I have something to tell you, please don't be angry." After saying that, she carefully observed the emperor's eyes.
The emperor's heart skipped a beat. He pushed the food towards her and said warily, "Tell me the truth, and I'll think about it some more."
Chen Zhuangmu rubbed her index fingernail with her thumb, saying with annoyance, "I accidentally dropped my medicine bracelet."
She then added, "It fell off accidentally yesterday when I was injured."
The emperor glanced at her little movements, picked up the bowl of rice and ate it, saying in his usual tone, "You will reflect on your mistakes in the mansion today. I will have someone send it over after you have finished eating."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhuangmu knew that the matter was over.
Let her reflect on her mistakes; she knows her uncle won't come a second time anyway.
"Hey, eat quickly," the emperor urged her.
After the meal, the emperor had to return to the palace. Before leaving, he glanced at Chen Zhuangmu one last time, and she nodded emphatically, indicating that she would seriously reflect on her mistakes in the mansion.
Watching the carriage grow smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared down the bustling avenue.
Chen Zhuangmu breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a matter of reflecting on her mistakes. She had just received some news and needed to sort it out.
She had been back in Huijing for more than half a month and had already fully adapted to the city's daily routine. After more than three years, she was familiar with every place, yet every place was different from before.
According to the emperor, he didn't know how she got injured. When he found her, she had already collapsed on the ground. She had no wounds on her body, but her breathing was very weak.
After bringing them back, every imperial physician was at a loss, so they posted a notice offering a large sum of money to hire a doctor, but it was still no use. After more than ten days, they felt they couldn't just wait around like this.
They sent out a group of people to search for him, and two months later, a man arrived.
In the emperor's words, it was divine intervention that saved her life. This man was dressed very strangely. After being treated in the palace for about half a month, he said that he had run out of ideas and had someone drag him, draped in heavy makeup, to visit his master.
The emperor said he agreed without even thinking about it. At that time, most of the women in the bridal chamber were unconscious, and few were awake, so they had no idea what was going on.
According to her uncle, the autopsy report submitted by the coroner clearly stated that her mother and the guards died within three hours. At that time, the relationship between the martial arts world and the imperial court was relatively friendly, so her mother's letter was not delivered quickly. The murderer must have set a trap not long in advance.
In Qun Chao, the right to keep horses and the number of horses a family can keep are strictly regulated by social class. The fact that the murderer still needed two horses at midnight suggests that the murderer was of high status and had taken simple precautions, indicating that he was likely an arrogant person.
From this perspective, the killer's identity is no longer shrouded in mystery.
Chen Zhuangmu picked up the paper, blew on it gently, folded it into a small piece of paper, and placed it in the box under the sandalwood table. Since her uncle had allowed her to enter the Dali Temple, it meant that he agreed to let her investigate the matter thoroughly, and she no longer had to live in fear.
This was the first time she had already dressed before the sun had even risen high above the clouds.
Li Chu dragged her legs over, grinning, and said, "Princess, do you know what kind of official you are?"
"What?"
“You’re the clerk. I just found out that the group of people dug up all the old cases today and started reorganizing them. Your hands are probably going to break.”
"So what if they copy? After all, I'm in office now," Chen Zhuangmu said, unable to suppress the smile on her lips. Her mother was already a victorious general when she was her age.
"His Majesty only gave him a ninth-rank official position," Li Chu muttered softly.
"Oh dear, why bother with that?" Her priority now is to find out the truth and avenge her mother and herself. If she gets a higher position, she'll even go to the emperor to surrender.
Besides, her uncle was having a hard time in the court, and it took him a lot of effort to persuade the important officials.
She didn't take it to heart. After changing into her official robes and having breakfast, she went out.
Before she even reached the Dali Temple, she saw a group of people standing at the entrance. They all looked unfamiliar, but she knew that many of them held higher official ranks than her. Since they were in office, they should be treated as ninth-rank officials. She stepped down and bowed first, and the others hurriedly bowed in return.
"Princess," a man in a light blue official robe took two steps toward her, "This humble official..."
Chen Zhuangmu raised her hand to interrupt him, saying, "Since you are in the Dali Temple, just call me Clerk Chen."
"Alright. My surname is Miao, I'm Registrar Miao..."
After introducing the people in front of him to Chen Zhuangmu one by one, Miao Zhubu took her to the copying room and did not take her to visit other places.
She followed them all the way to the copying room, but couldn't find the copying cabinet. There were no large trees obstructing the view, so it must not be nearby.
She opened the files that needed to be copied in the copying room and looked at them, but didn't touch a single word.
"Princess, why aren't you writing?" Li Chu asked, puzzled.
"Right now, all I can think about is building the library. I'm worried about making mistakes, so I'll familiarize myself with it first," Chen Zhuangmu said without batting an eye.
"Princess, what did you say?" Li Chu's mouth dropped open in shock. "You came to the Dali Temple to..."
She said half a sentence and then stopped, worried that someone might be overheard, but inwardly she kept marveling at the boldness of this princess.
She had been taking care of the princess for three years, accompanying her since the time she was poisoned in the dressing room. She knew that the person in front of her seemed easy to talk to and was gentle all day long, but in reality, she was impulsive yet cautious. Once she made up her mind about something, she would not turn back even if she was hurt badly.
"Princess, what do I need to do?" Li Chu had already given up struggling.
"Let's go, let's go find it now." Chen Zhuangmu placed the seal on the dossier.
They tiptoed out of the copying room. Midday was a busy time for everyone, and going to check at this time was a risky move. The advantage was that they might not run into anyone, but the disadvantage was that there might be people in the copying room.
But Chen Zhuangmu couldn't wait any longer.
The Dali Temple has few trees and a good location, with sunlight everywhere, making it impossible to hide. As Chen Zhuangmu walked, she remembered that Li Chu knew light-body skills. "Li Chu, why don't you go up and see where it is? It's much easier than us searching one by one."
Li Chu nodded and, without hesitation, used her lightness skill to reach the rooftop. However, with so many houses, she had difficulty finding it and could only move closer. After searching all the surrounding houses, Li Chu still couldn't find Jiageku.
Suddenly, Li Chu spotted a small, mud-colored house, so inconspicuous it seemed to blend into the ground. Approaching it, she saw a piece of paper in front of the door that read "Jiageku" (架阁库).
There was neither a solemn plaque nor a majestic pavilion. Instead, a dilapidated mud house and a faded piece of paper were used to build a storage room.
Feeling something was off, Li Chu went back to find Chen Zhuangmu.
Li Chu pulled her behind a house. "Princess, I found Jiageku. It's a very small, dilapidated mud house."
"Hmm? Very small? Did you see any others?"
Li Chu shook her head: "The Dali Temple handles so many cases every year. If they accumulate year after year, I don't think I can keep up with them all."
The storeroom of the Dali Temple is indeed within the Dali Temple. Could there be some rules here that she's unaware of?
"Take me there first," Chen Zhuangmu said decisively.
Standing high up, you always feel that the rooms below are very close together. Only when you walk on the ground do you realize how far apart they are. So far that even Chen Zhuangmu wondered if it was a trap set by the Dali Temple to prevent thieves.
"We're almost there."
Indeed, they soon turned a corner and saw the earthen house on the flat ground; it was the only house in the area.
What's even stranger is that there were no guards at the gate.
With no one around, Chen Zhuangmu stepped to the door and found it locked with several large padlocks.
She suddenly felt that she had made the right choice.
Since they couldn't get in through the door, they had to find another way in. Chen Zhuangmu walked around the house and finally found a window. The window was small and very high; if Li Chu put her in horizontally, she would probably fall in.
"Li Chu, put me there, I'll figure out how to get down myself." Chen Zhuangmu pointed upwards to the window.
Li Chu frowned in disbelief and pointed to the window: "There?"
She glanced at the heavy makeup curtain several times. Going in wasn't impossible, but she might end up scraping off a layer of skin.
She hesitated on the surface, but Chen Zhuangmu was confident she could handle her. "Li Chu, I'll figure something out myself if you put me there. I won't fall."
After some mental calculation, Li Chu decided to accompany Chen Zhuangmu on this risky adventure.
She put one arm around Chen Zhuangmu's waist and used her lightness skill to get to the window. "Princess, put your foot on the windowsill first, no, just kick it away."
"No, no, no, come closer first, I'll open the window."
With a bang, Chen Zhuangmu pushed the window open with both hands. Then, she slowly stretched her legs inside, braced herself against the bottom of the window with one hand, and grabbed the earthen house above. After confirming that there was nothing below, she let go and her body fell directly down.
This terrified Li Chu. She peeked out the window and asked, "Princess! Are you alright?"
"It's alright," Chen Zhuangmu whispered in response.
Rows of shelves were labeled with dates and case types. Chen Zhuangmu picked one up casually and flipped through it; the handwriting on the pages was rough and difficult to decipher.
I picked up another one and flipped through it a couple of times, and found the same thing.
Chen Zhuangmu's heart sank. She found the shelf with the "Zhengde 20th Year" inscription and flipped through one case file after another, but she couldn't find anything about her mother.
Unexpectedly, just as Chen Zhuangmu was filled with doubt, several voices came from the doorway.
She tried to decipher what they were saying, but the first thing she heard was the "click-click" sound of a key being inserted into the lock.
Her heart suddenly started racing. Reluctant to give up the clue that might be right in front of her, she felt a glimmer of hope.
The next moment, Chen Zhuangmu shook her head violently. This was at the Dali Temple. If she were discovered, how would she handle the situation? Moreover, she had returned to Huijing under the pretense of amnesia. If something happened, it would definitely implicate her uncle. She couldn't do that.
Amidst the intense internal struggle, she heard voices coming from outside the door.
"How is Princess Rongshu today?"
"Don't worry, Shaoqing, His Majesty has entrusted us with this task."
What instructions? The sound of the lock being opened grew clearer and clearer. Chen Zhuangmu didn't care about any instructions anymore and turned to walk towards the window.
She bumped head-on into Li Chu, and silently said, "Go!"
Li Chu grabbed the window with one hand, stretched her legs out the window, turned over, and reached out her hand to her, "Princess, quick!"
She grabbed Li Chu's hand, and the door to the cabinet creaked as it was opened.
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