Chapter 84 The Chief Duty Officer Arrives, Shen Chu is Threatened
"Little Shen, these are my insights from many years of serving as the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review. I usually don't even want to show them to anyone."
"Now that you're also one of the Sixth Prince's men, I'll give you this letter."
Shen Chu paused, then pushed the note back.
"Who said I am the Sixth Prince's man? My lord, don't speak nonsense."
"Hey, what's there to hide between you and me? Stop making excuses, I'll treat you to lunch."
Shen Chu declined, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but I have a shallow palate and I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to share the same taste."
Her pointed remark made He Zhengxiang's mustache twitch slightly. He patted her shoulder and said meaningfully:
"You should always try different foods. You'll never know what you love to eat if you don't try them."
Oh, it seems this old man is determined to act as an advocate for Pei Yuan.
The matter of the Third Prince inevitably led her and Pei Yuan to share a secret, and also made her realize that Pei Yuan was not as rumored.
His carefree and unconventional lifestyle was merely a facade.
But she didn't want to have too much contact with Pei Yuan.
All she wanted was to seek justice for her father.
Therefore, Shen Chu refused decisively, saying, "Trying something without knowing the answer is suicidal. I am well aware of my limitations."
Lord He persisted relentlessly, "Little Shen..."
Shen Chu pushed the note back directly and forcefully changed the subject, "Sir, are all cases handled by the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review ultimately archived in the Censorate?"
He Zhengxiang put away the note in disappointment. "Theoretically, that's how it is, but the Dali Temple actually has two other warehouses. Some major cases that His Majesty directly ordered to be handled, or unsolved cases that have been pending for a long time, are not sent to the Censorate, but are stored directly in the Dali Temple."
A slight stirring appeared in Chen Chu's heart.
Father's case was ordered by His Majesty himself, so could the case file have been placed in the Dali Temple?
"If I were to access the files in the Dali Temple's treasury, what procedures would be required?"
"You want to go to the Dali Temple's treasury?" He Zhengxiang frowned. "The Dali Temple is now under the jurisdiction of Prince Heng. To access the files in the Dali Temple's treasury, you need to write a request and then obtain a request order stamped with Prince Heng's seal."
"Thank you for your guidance, sir."
He Zhengxiang, fiddling with walnuts, said, "I really am inviting you to dinner, are you really not going?"
"No, please do as you wish, sir."
He Zhengxiang left in disappointment.
Without delay, Shen Chu immediately wrote a case file application and submitted it to the Dali Temple.
After lunch, Lord Qian came over with a big smile: "Young Master Shen, your new duty room has been arranged. Your subordinates will help you move in."
Shen Chu raised an eyebrow, not expecting Zhao Dewen to act so quickly.
Her new duty room was right next to He Zhengxiang's, and with the help of a wealthy man, Chen Chu's writing implements, paper, inkstone, and other belongings were quickly moved over.
Lord Qian said with a fawning expression, "Besides Lord Zhao and Lord He's duty rooms, your room is the largest. It's also on the east side, so the light is good. There's a crabapple tree in front of the bed, so the view is nice too. Is your room satisfactory, sir?"
Chen Chu glanced at it and found that it was twice the size of the small duty room in the old watchtower. It was clean and tidy, and looked very comfortable.
Well, it's still not as big as Pei Yuan's.
She murmured, "If only there were a soft couch."
A sneer came from behind.
Shen Chu turned around and saw Zhao Dewen standing at the door with his hands behind his back, looking at her with a somewhat cold gaze.
"You actually want a soft couch? Do you think you're some high-ranking official? Wishful thinking!"
Shen Chu walked over with a smile, "Didn't you also climb up from the fifth rank, sir? How do you know I can't reach the first rank?"
I thought Zhao Dewen would be angry like he was that morning, but to my surprise, he gave Chen Chu a deep look and chuckled.
"It's good that Lord Shen has such ambition. I have a task for you to handle. Come with me."
Shen Chu raised an eyebrow and followed Zhao Dewen to his duty room.
"What are your orders, sir?"
"Since His Majesty has entrusted you with the task of inspecting the various departments, you must be diligent, impartial, and selfless."
Shen Chu did not know what he meant by this, and bowed, saying, "This humble official should do so."
Zhao Dewen took out several sheets of paper and an account book. "These are materials I received yesterday. They concern the chaotic accounts of the Five Cities Garrison, the Sixth Prince's abuse of power, acceptance of bribes, and dereliction of duty."
"Quickly compile this matter into a memorial and deliver it to His Majesty today."
As Chen Chu glanced at the contents of the paper, a slight unease settled in his heart.
To expect her to immediately write a memorial impeaching Pei Yuan based on just a few pieces of paper is clearly using her as a pawn.
"Does Your Excellency intend for me to frame the Sixth Prince?"
Zhao Dewen shook his head. "How can this be a frame-up? The evidence is conclusive. Just follow the rules."
Shen Chu disagreed, saying, "The contents of these few pages are too thin, just a record of events. As for the truth, I still need to investigate and collect evidence. I'm sorry I can't complete it today."
Bang.
Zhao Dewen slammed his teacup down on the table. "Chen Chu, are you going to defy your superior?"
Shen Chu bowed deeply, "Please forgive me, Your Excellency."
Zhao Dewen sneered, "Shen Chu, a wise man submits to circumstances. I am your superior. If you go against my wishes, what do you think your performance evaluation will be?"
If your exam results are poor, even if you are the top scholar, you will be demoted and sent to a remote area, or even reduced to a commoner.
It would be difficult for officials sent to remote areas to return to the capital without enduring ten or twenty years of hardship.
Do you find it more comfortable to be a magistrate in a remote, impoverished area, or to be a high-ranking official in the capital?
Shen Chu's fingertips, which were twisting the paper, turned slightly white.
As a superior, Zhao Dewen certainly had the authority to give himself a poor performance review at the end of the year.
She could not be sent away to a remote area. In order to seek justice for her father and clear her family's name, she had been preparing for ten years.
She couldn't bring herself to frame Pei Yuan because of this.
"Please give me some time to prepare, sir."
Zhao Dewen sneered, "You can write it in my duty room. My patience is limited. I'll finish the memorial within an hour."
The delaying tactic failed, and Shen Chu rubbed his fingers together.
My patience is limited, and I hope you can submit the memorial today.
You'd better not get any funny ideas. To be honest, His Highness Prince Heng has people in the Five Cities Garrison.
If you dare to leak even a single word out, I guarantee your fate will be extremely grim.
Shen Chu felt a chill run down her spine, and her initial intention to go out and subtly hint at something to He Zhengxiang vanished.
She was somewhat frustrated and angry.
It's laughable that I was secretly delighted yesterday because of the emperor's commendation and attention, thinking that it would be just around the corner to clear my father's name.
Today, reality slapped her hard in the face.
Even a mere censor could manipulate and coerce her based on her performance evaluation.
She didn't believe that Zhao Dewen had simply asked her to write a memorial impeaching Pei Yuan; there must be other plans in store.
If she gives in, who knows what Zhao Dewen will force her to do in the future.
"Aren't you going to write? Do you want me to teach you how to write?" Zhao Dewen urged impatiently.
Shen Chu composed herself, realizing it was too late to inform Pei Yuan.
Now that things have come to this, this is the only way.
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