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That evening, after the three of them returned from the Forest of No Return, Wu Ruian headed straight back to his princely manor. As Di Jiang and Zhong Xu reached the entrance of a nearby alley on South Street, they saw Wen Yao gnawing on steamed buns.
Wen Yao leaned against a tree, a large white steamed bun in each hand, eating heartily. Beside her, the two baskets that had held the steamed buns were mostly empty, with only a few left at the bottom.
Shuxiang, beside her, had a distressed expression, his brow deeply furrowed.
“We… should go back.”
“Go back?” Wen Yao burped, scoffing, “You still want to go back and play chess with the prince? I’m telling you, with your meager chess skills, aren’t you just asking for a beating?”
“My chess skills are very good,” Shuxiang bit his lower lip, looking serious.
“Heh, if your chess skills are good, why do you lose to him every time? At your age, I’m ashamed for you.”
“My chess skills are indeed very good,” Shuxiang emphasized again.
“Alright, alright, I won’t argue with you about that, I don’t understand chess anyway.” Wen Yao said, taking another large bite of her steamed bun. But before she could swallow it, she felt a shadow fall over her head. Wen Yao looked up to see Di Jiang’s smiling face.
“Shop… shopkeeper!”
“Is it delicious?” Di Jiang wore an innocent smile.
Wen Yao swallowed, nodded, “Delicious.”
“Are you full?” Di Jiang was still smiling.
Wen Yao nodded blankly, “Shop… shopkeeper, please, please don’t look at me like that, I’m scared…”
“You still know how to be scared? Huh?” Di Jiang dropped her smile and roared, “Now get back and copy Buddhist scriptures! You’re not allowed to sleep until you’ve copied one hundred times!”
“Yes!” Wen Yao dared not linger for a moment, immediately stood up, and took off running.
“And you,” Di Jiang turned sideways to Shuxiang, “Fifty times.”
“...Yes.” Shuxiang resignedly nodded, picked up the empty steamed bun basket, and slowly walked towards the shop.
Di Jiang stood with her hands on her hips, watching their retreating figures with a helpless expression.
A laugh came from behind. Di Jiang turned back suspiciously and saw Zhong Xu leaning against the tree trunk, his right hand clasped over his mouth, his shoulders trembling with suppressed laughter.
“The cold-faced, icy Daoist actually smiled?” Di Jiang looked surprised, “What are you laughing at?”
Zhong Xu coughed, composing himself, and said, “Your lives are truly lively.”
Di Jiang pressed a hand to her forehead, took a deep breath, and shook her head with a wry smile, “You see my life as lively, but you don’t know I suffer in fire and water every day.”
Zhong Xu stopped speaking, just looking at her with some surprise.
Although he didn’t know what she was suffering, for some reason, he seemed to genuinely see a hint of desolation in her smiling eyes.
It was a sadness that seemed to have settled after spanning a thousand years.
“Let’s go,” Di Jiang said with a smile.
“Hmm.”
________________________________________
The next day. Morning court.
Wu Ruian, who had been absent for days, finally appeared today, which inevitably drew the attention of many in the imperial court.
With half an hour left before the morning court, outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a group of high-ranking ministers were not in a hurry to enter. Led by Gongsun Miao and Changsun Qi, they gathered around, chatting with Wu Ruian.
“Prince Wu, where have you been these past three years? This humble minister sent you invitations repeatedly, but they all sank into the sea, truly making this humble minister anxious.” Gongsun Miao spoke with a jovial smile, perfectly adopting the posture of a veteran minister who had served three dynasties.
Although his words implied a complaint, his smiling face was entirely that of a kind, approachable old man.
But Wu Ruian knew that Gongsun Miao, who had climbed to the position of Left Prime Minister and remained steadfast through three dynasties, was absolutely not as simple as he appeared on the surface. He was the patriarch of the Gongsun family, in charge of the Six Ministries, an existence that surpassed the Changsun, Chen, Ling, Wu, and Li families. Even he had to respectfully address him as: “Grand Minister Gongsun.”
Wu Ruian grinned, saying, “This prince was ill for three years, and just came back from the gates of hell. I apologize for neglecting Grand Minister Gongsun; please forgive me.” His tone was flippant, a forced smile on his face, leaving Gongsun Miao nonplussed.
Gongsun Miao nodded gently with a sympathetic gaze, his eyes subtly conveying a thought, as if to say, “After so many years, this prince still hasn’t grown up, it seems...”
“No matter what, it’s good that Your Highness is back, good that you are back.” Changsun Qi, beside him, smoothed things over, his face beaming as if he adored Wu Ruian no matter how he looked at him.
But his gaze made Wu Ruian even more uncomfortable.
It was clearly a father-in-law looking at his son-in-law.
These two old foxes, even spending one more second with them felt unbearable.
Wu Ruian muttered under his breath, cupped his hands in a quick salute, nodded to them, and slipped inside.
After the bells and drums, the morning court finally began.
The contents of the morning court were all the same, making Wu Ruian yawn. He listlessly looked at the officials around him, trying to see if there were any newcomers he didn’t recognize. It was then that he suddenly noticed a tall, slender figure among the civil officials, beside Wu Long.
The person’s back was thin, their bones unable to support the wide, heavy court robes, making them appear even more frail.
At this moment, he seemed to feel someone watching him, turned his head, and met Wu Ruian’s gaze.
Wu Ruian’s hand, which was in the middle of a yawn, stopped in mid-air, staring blankly at him.
His features were elegant, his eyes gentle, with a hint of timidity. Very much like the late Emperor.
Wu Ruian recognized him at a glance: it was his third imperial brother, Wu Yu, whom he hadn’t seen in years.
Wu Yu curved his lips into a small smile, nodding slightly at him.
In that instant, Wu Ruian’s heart skipped a beat.
This was actually Wu Yu?!
The Wu Yu who used to be unable to carry a burden or lift a hand, who cried every single day, and always had a medicine pot hanging from his waist?!
Just as Wu Ruian was surprised, he heard Emperor Chen Zhao from the imperial throne say, “Do any of the esteemed ministers have anything else to report?”
The ministers all cupped their hands, making gestures of “nothing more to report.”
“Then…” Emperor Chen Zhao was about to announce the end of the court session, when Wu Ruian quickly stepped forward, bowed, and declared loudly, “Reporting to Imperial Mother, your son has something to report.”
“Oh?” A hint of surprise flashed in Emperor Chen Zhao’s eyes, “What does my imperial son wish to report?”
“Replying to Imperial Mother, your son requests a thorough investigation into the sudden death of Xu Ya in Kangping Ward.”
As soon as Wu Ruian spoke, everyone in the hall fell silent.
Emperor Chen Zhao frowned and asked, “Xu Ya? Who is that?”
“Replying to Imperial Mother, she is the granddaughter of Xu Weizhou, a night soil collector in Kangping Ward. She unfortunately passed away some days ago, she…”
“Nonsense!” Before Wu Ruian could finish, Emperor Chen Zhao slammed her hand on the imperial chair, raising her voice uncontrollably, “As my legitimate son, with outstanding military achievements, I placed great hopes in you. Yet, you idle away your days and now even concern yourself with night soil collectors!”
“Imperial Mother, your son…”
“Silence!” Emperor Chen Zhao angrily roared, continuing, “For the past three years, you first disappeared without cause. I, pitying your youthful impetuousness, did not punish you. I thought that after your return to court this time, you would diligently focus on state affairs and assist me. Yet you have become even worse, unprovokedly absenting yourself from court, and then disappearing for many days in a row.”
“Even today, you remain unrepentant, even declaring that you will thoroughly investigate an insignificant case in Kangping Ward, truly disappointing me to the extreme!”
Emperor Chen Zhao’s string of reprimands made everyone hold their breath, sweating profusely for Wu Ruian.
But Wu Ruian himself seemed completely unconcerned, stating loudly and directly, “Reporting to Imperial Mother, your son’s three-year absence allowed him to better understand the sentiments of the common people. These vast millions are all your subjects, without distinction of noble or humble. Your son does not believe it is wrong to plead on behalf of the people of Kangping Ward. Your son has no need to repent.”
Wu Ruian, neither humble nor arrogant, spoke with ringing conviction, and every word hit its mark, leaving Emperor Chen Zhao speechless.
“You… good, good, good. You want to plead for the common people, do you? I will grant your wish.”
“Effective immediately, I hereby appoint you as the Storekeeper of the Ministry of Justice, a rank of eighth-grade. From now on, you need not attend morning court. You shall remain in the Ministry of Justice and be fully responsible for all wrongful convictions and false accusations in Kangping Ward.” Emperor Chen Zhao gritted her teeth, enunciating each word, as if wanting to vent all the disappointment and dissatisfaction she felt towards Wu Ruian.
Upon hearing this, the entire hall erupted in an uproar.
What kind of position was the Storekeeper of the Ministry of Justice?
The Ministry of Justice has one Minister and one Vice Minister. It has four departments: the Ministry of Justice Department, the Capital Official Department, the Review Department, and the Gates Department.
The Ministry of Justice Department has four principal officials, nineteen scribes, thirty-eight junior scribes, six marshals, and ten storekeepers; the Capital Official Department has two principal officials, nine scribes, twelve junior scribes, and four storekeepers; the Review Department has four principal officials, fourteen scribes, twenty-seven junior scribes, one accountant, and four storekeepers; the Gates Department has two principal officials, six scribes, thirteen junior scribes, and four storekeepers.
The Storekeeper of the Ministry of Justice was already a low-ranking official, ranked outside the top fifty in the Ministry of Justice.
“Imperial Mother, isn’t the position of storekeeper too small?” The Second Prince Wu Long, being outspoken, directly voiced the doubt that was on everyone’s mind in the imperial court.
Emperor Chen Zhao’s expression remained unchanged as she calmly stated, “To investigate cases in Kangping Ward, a Storekeeper is sufficient.”
Wu Ruian remained unmoved, standing ramrod straight, and cupped his hands, saying, “Your son thanks Imperial Mother for her grace.” His voice was deep and resonant, even more proud than when he was the Divine Protector General.
“Get out.” Emperor Chen Zhao waved her hand and rose from the imperial throne.
This was the first time in her many years of reign that she had ended a morning court with that word. Perhaps it was also the first time in history that a morning court ended with the word ‘get out.’
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