Chapter 1 Reunion
Chapter Summary: A feeling of déjà vu.
"Tell me, how much of the silver allocated to the Imperial Household Department by the imperial court over the years have you embezzled?"
The damp, dark prison of the Court of Justice was filled with the sounds of agonizing screams. Liu Shiyu sat in the shadows, expressionless, staring at the person hanging from the wooden frame.
From the time she sat down until now, a full half hour has passed. During this time, no matter how Jiang Tu, the Chief Justice in charge of the case, used torture to interrogate her, the man did not answer a single word.
This is a tough nut to crack.
Jiang Tu then prepared to use some methods unique to the Court of Justice, methods that would make life worse than death, to pry open the mouth of the former Minister of the Imperial Household, Nan Yongcheng. Unexpectedly, Liu Shiyu, who had been watching for a while, sighed and got up to walk towards Nan Yongcheng.
"Lord Nan, I will still address you as Lord Nan."
"Whether you did something or not, you know better than I do. It's better to confess and accept your punishment now than for the Court of Justice to conduct a high-profile search of your home. It's more dignified. I'm only making concessions now because of Emperor Xiande. If you remain obstinate, then don't blame me for being ruthless."
Liu Shiyu stood tall in front of Nan Yongcheng, her deep eyes concealing many unspeakable secrets.
Nan Yongcheng suddenly burst into laughter, a laugh filled with disdain for Liu Shiyu. For some reason, he was always so fearless and uninhibited.
"I served the late emperor for twenty-seven years, never imagining... that I would ultimately be defeated by... a despicable woman like you. It is truly shameful. If the late emperor could know this in the afterlife, how indignant he would be that Princess Yuanzhang, whom he once favored, has seized power in the court and has been so cruel and oppressive to the old ministers he left behind!"
"Liu Shiyu, you are disloyal and unfilial, may you die a horrible death!"
The man's insults did not provoke Liu Shiyu's rage. This was not the first time she had witnessed such a scene, nor was it the first time she had personally dealt with an old minister.
Standing motionless, Liu Shiyu said softly, "So... Nan Gong's loyalty and filial piety? It's just holding a position without doing anything, lining his own pockets? Even, disregarding human life?"
Nan Yongcheng remained silent.
Liu Shiyu looked up at the numerous wounds on his body and said indifferently, "Lord Nan, although the late emperor has been gone for two years, and some old things seem to be in the past, Lord Nan, don't forget that things should follow the will of Heaven. The current Shaoyuan is the new emperor's domain. The court can no longer tolerate people like you who are rotten to the core."
Upon hearing this, Nan Yongcheng arrogantly retorted: "The new emperor's empire? Is this Shao Yuan... the new emperor's empire? Or is it the empire of the Tang family and you, Liu Shiyu?"
This time, it was Liu Shiyu's turn to remain silent.
Two years ago, shortly after Emperor Xiande's death, his eldest son, Prince Ling Liu Zhisheng, born out of wedlock, led troops to open the gates of Wanshe Palace. He immediately demanded that the young Crown Prince Liu Zhizhou abdicate, and that he himself succeed to the throne.
Fortunately, the Tang family had anticipated this and rushed back from the border to protect the emperor, thus preserving Liu Zhizhou's throne.
Conquering a kingdom is easy, but maintaining it is difficult. Moreover, the new emperor is still young and lacks the ability to handle state affairs independently. In addition, the Tang family has a long-standing relationship with the emperor, having served as border guards for generations, and cannot remain by the new emperor's side indefinitely.
Therefore, the Tang family wanted to find a reliable person to loyally assist the new emperor.
Looking around the court, all that remains are either stubborn and ignorant old ministers or sycophantic newcomers. How can they be entrusted with anything?
Just as the Tang family was struggling with this matter, the head of the Tang family, Tang Wuzheng, turned his attention to Princess Yuanzhang, who had always stayed by the new emperor's side.
Although Liu Shiyu and Liu Zhizhou were half-sisters, they came from the same maternal clan. Liu Shiyu's mother, the late Empress Tang Yue, and Liu Zhizhou's mother, Lady Ming Tang Fu, were both half-sisters.
Later, due to the successive deaths of Lady Tang and Lady Tang, Liu Zhizhou was taken in by Emperor Xiande to be personally raised, while Liu Shiyu was sent to the palace of Consort Qin.
Despite raising them separately, the siblings were not separated.
Liu Shiyu always worried about Liu Zhizhou, fulfilling her mother's dying wish: to protect him. Therefore, on the day Prince Ling forced the emperor to abdicate, Liu Shiyu, a woman, stood in the main hall, facing the swords of the disloyal, without the slightest fear.
Tang Wuzheng valued this aspect of Liu Shiyu, which ultimately led him to entrust the country and the new emperor to him.
And so, Liu Shiyu was elevated to the high position of Princess Protector of the Nation by the Tang family. As a result, she shed her feminine attire, took up a long sword, and was ordered to purge the court of corrupt officials.
From the day she embarked on this path, Liu Shiyu made up her mind. Even if she is misunderstood and cursed a thousand times over in the future, she will never regret it.
After Liu Shiyu came to her senses, she casually splashed a ladle of cold water on Nan Yongcheng and shouted, "Jiang Tu, tell Bai Tao to take men to search the Nan residence."
When she mentioned searching Nanfu, Nan Yongcheng remained expressionless.
But after turning around, Liu Shiyu changed her mind: "No, we're going to search the west-facing courtyard next to the South Mansion. I heard that it was vacant for a long time because of bad feng shui. A widow surnamed Wu recently moved in. Even if the feng shui is bad, it's still one of the most prestigious residences on Shanghua Street. I wonder what kind of abilities this Wu woman has that allows her to afford such a house?"
"Liu Shiyu, what are you trying to do?" Nan Yongcheng's face turned ashen upon hearing Wu's name, and he immediately feigned weakness. "What do you want to know? I'll tell you everything! I'll tell you everything!"
Liu Shiyu disagreed and walked outside.
Just as she reached the door, she suddenly stopped, turned around and said, "Nan Yongcheng, I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it. So from this moment on, I will not let any of the people in the Nan family go."
As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Shiyu turned around gracefully. But suddenly, she heard a voice from afar: "Xu Luchuan, where are the files Lord Jiang requested?"
When she turned around again, she saw Xu Luchuan walking briskly towards her, holding a file in his hand.
Liu Shiyu was momentarily dazed. Was it Xiao Lü? When did he return? He then subtly scanned the man before him and realized that although he was dressed in official uniform, he still couldn't hide his air of a noble young master.
She became suspicious.
Wait a minute? This person doesn't look like the Xu Luchuan she knows. Could it just be someone with the same name? Besides, so many years have passed. At Xiao Lü's age, she must have already married and had children back in her hometown of Liyang, living a happy life. Why would she return to Jinling? It seems she's been driven mad by Nan Yongcheng.
After thinking it over, Liu Shiyu was convinced that she had mistaken the person for someone else.
Just as she lifted her foot to leave, Xu Luchuan, who was coming towards her, suddenly stumbled and sent the bamboo slip flying from his hand, which landed squarely on her forehead.
The bamboo slips fell to the ground with a crisp sound. Xu Luchuan was taken aback, and Liu Shiyu was startled. The two stared at each other awkwardly.
The scene was so familiar, the pain so familiar, the force so identical. In an instant, Liu Shiyu believed again that the person in front of her was Xu Luchuan, the one she knew.
Xu Luchuan appeared calm as he faced Liu Shiyu.
But when he recalled what he had seen and heard after returning to Jinling, he began to exclaim in his heart: What bad luck!
Initially, he thought of getting revenge on Liu Shiyu, so he inquired about her recent situation, but the news he received could only be described as "horrifying".
Later, Xu Luchuan finally managed to let go of his hatred and asked his father, Xu Qinguo, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, to find him a job so that he could get his life back on track as soon as possible.
Unexpectedly, fate brought them together again. On his very first day reporting to the Court of Justice, he ran into Liu Shiyu, that plague! And to make matters worse, she was struck on the head once more.
Xu Luchuan felt like he had the worst luck imaginable.
The colleagues behind them, always eager for a good show, watched the two remain locked in a stalemate and began to whisper amongst themselves...
"Huh? Was that kick you doing? Why are you bullying a newcomer? You've really gotten him into trouble! I've never seen many people from the Court of Justice who have offended the Princess end up well."
...
"So what if it's me? So what if it's not me? I just can't stand him. What? Do you feel sorry for this new guy? I advise you to mind your own business. No one can save him today."
...
"Who dares to meddle in the affairs of the Eldest Princess? I don't care. The newcomer is better off praying for his own good fortune."
Some people gloated, while others were delighted.
Xu Luchuan bent down to pick up the files on the ground and walked towards Liu Shiyu with a stiff upper lip.
Upon reaching him, Xu Luchuan feigned composure, bowing his straight back and apologizing, "This humble subject had no intention of offending you, Your Highness. Please forgive me."
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