Daily Life of a Villain at Work [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: The Sixteenth Day of the Villain Being Emperor

Strictly speaking, Chu Xin’s arrest of the Fan family was an extra-jurisdictional operation.

The sun was high in the sky by the time they completely surrounded the Fan estate. Chu Xin stepped down from her carriage and looked up at the plaque hanging above the main gate.

“Loyalty and Filial Piety pass through the nation; Ten thousand scrolls of books teach the descendants.”

The couplet was noble, but the people living within were anything but.

“Who are you? What is this?” a gatekeeper stammered, while his partner ran inside to sound the alarm.

“The Inspecting Censor is handling a case,” Chu Xin said, her voice steadying. “The Fan estate is now under lockdown. No one leaves. Seize everyone inside and detain them separately. I will interrogate them personally.”

Chu Xin was determined to use the law to dismantle them. Even if not a single soul in the estate was innocent, she wanted a formal judgment. For the surviving victims, seeing their tormentors stripped of honor and legally condemned was a far more satisfying end than a quick, nameless execution.

The Fan family wasn’t a centuries-old clan—their prominence spanned only three generations. Yet, the search of the main house yielded 10,000 taels of silver and countless antiques and jewels, totaling over 30,000 taels. Jiang Ling, watching from the side, was stunned, quietly wondering if her own father’s estate in Sichuan was quite so “opulent.”

Chu Xin’s promise to interrogate personally was no joke. She had matured; she could now command the torture of the stubborn without flinching. Neither the scent of blood nor the sight of a mangled criminal changed her resolve.

The arrests began in late March; by the time the final interrogation ended, it was mid-April. When Chu Xin finally stepped back into the sunlight, she felt like she had returned from another world. She had grown gaunt, her skin pale from the dim cells, appearing as if a strong breeze might knock her over.

She had questioned all 120 members of the Fan household. Not one was innocent. Any servant with a conscience had long ago been discarded or fled.

Chu Xin felt a pang of guilt. Her Majesty must have been so disappointed in me, she thought. Such a simple truth, yet I was so stubborn I had to verify it myself.

“Master Chu, an Imperial Edict,” Choumou announced.

Chu Xin knelt straight on the ground.

“…Chu Xin, Magistrate of Anji, has shown merit in suppressing bandits, redressing grievances, and benefiting the people… I am greatly pleased. She is ordered to return to the capital to report on her duties without delay. Respect this.”

“This subject, Chu Xin, accepts the edict.” As she stood, her eyes blurred. The edict arrived the moment the case closed—meaning the Emperor had been watching her progress all along. Overwhelmed by the Emperor’s trust, Chu Xin felt a wave of devotion. How could she have ever doubted such a monarch?

Before leaving, Chu Xin handed down her judgments. Out of 120 people, 103 were sentenced to death; the remaining 13 were stripped of property and exiled.

…

Back in the Capital

On the 24th of April, Chu Xin arrived in the capital. After a quick wash and a change of clothes, she hurried to the palace.

A female official led her to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. As Chu Xin crossed the threshold, she knelt immediately. “This subject, Chu Xin, greets Your Majesty.”

“Rise. Come speak by my side,” Wen Qingyun said, not looking up from her scrolls.

Chu Xin walked to her familiar spot. Wen Qingyun finished her reading and looked up, her gaze trailing to the warm jade pendant still hanging at Chu Xin’s waist. A small smile touched her lips.

“Do you still find my methods too ‘simple and crude’?” Wen Qingyun asked, reaching out to flick the tassel on the jade.

Chu Xin bit her lip. “Your Majesty… I still believe it is better to have people judged by the law. It lets the people know that Your Majesty will seek justice for them.”

Wen Qingyun chuckled. She knew Chu Xin’s bottom line wouldn’t shift easily. “Even if it is slow? Even if innocent people die because of the delay?”

Chu Xin clenched her hands. “Yes. Only then can the people see a future. If… if innocent people die during the process, it is an unavoidable tragedy, and I will do my best to care for their families.”

Wen Qingyun didn’t argue. Chu Xin had learned that in the cruel reality of governance, there is no perfect solution.

“How is Jiang Ling? Is he—or she—fit to lead?” Wen Qingyun asked, changing the subject.

“For a small county, yes,” Chu Xin evaluated.

“And who should take over your post in Anji?”

“I wish to recommend my sister-in-law, Xiang Han,” Chu Xin said earnestly. “She is meticulous and has a broader vision than my elder brother.”

Wen Qingyun considered this. “She hasn’t taken the civil service exams?”

“She prefers to train her two daughters to take them,” Chu Xin admitted.

Wen Qingyun nodded. “Draw up an edict. Appoint Xiang Han as the Vice Magistrate of Anji, acting as Magistrate. If her performance is good after two years, the promotion becomes permanent. Also, dismiss the Magistrate of Wukang for negligence—let Jiang Ling fill that vacancy.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As Chu Xin began to work at a small side table, she realized it had been nineteen months since they had last met. After the initial nerves passed, she fell back into her role as the Emperor’s confidante, even grinding ink for the Emperor without being asked.

At dinner, Wen Qingyun was quiet but had the officials bring Chu Xin several new dishes developed by the imperial chefs. Chu Xin’s heart fluttered with joy. The Emperor truly treats me differently!

After a walk in the Imperial Garden, Wen Qingyun dismissed her. “There is a morning court session tomorrow. Don’t oversleep.”

Chu Xin was led to the warm pavilion next to the Emperor’s sleeping quarters. Unlike the first time she had stayed there, she now calmly refused the palace maids’ service and ignored the fact that her clothes were being taken away for washing by someone else.

…

The Morning Session

The next morning, the officials were shocked to see Chu Xin standing behind the Emperor.

During the session, the Minister of Rites, sweating, stepped forward. “Your Majesty’s harem is empty. I request a male selection to ensure the imperial line.”

“I am not interested. Discuss it later,” Wen Qingyun dismissed him coldly.

She then turned her attention to the Minister of Justice. “I have questions about the Great Qian Code. Why is it that a husband can sue his wife for free, but a wife suing her husband is treated as a child suing a father—punishable by a year of penal servitude regardless of the outcome?”

The hall went silent. Since the Emperor was a woman, any law placing a wife beneath a husband was a direct insult to her.

“I… I have been negligent!” the Minister of Justice cried, realizing the trap.

“Correct it immediately,” Wen Qingyun said. “Husband and wife are one; they should be equal. If a man can divorce a wife, a woman should be able to divorce a husband. And I detest those ‘Chastity Arches’ for widows. Stop promoting them.”

No one dared to object. They had seen what happened to the Jiangnan gentry. If you crossed this Emperor, you didn’t just die—you were disgraced and your wealth confiscated.

After the session, Bai Siyang (now a Left Assistant) approached Chu Xin. “Master Chu, a friend in the Mingyue Camp, tells me she wants to fight the pirates. Are the women being trained in naval combat?”

“They have ships and can manage the rivers,” Chu Xin replied. “But why do you ask?”

“Her family has a blood feud with the Wokou,” Bai Siyang said.

Before they could finish, an attendant interrupted. “Master Chu, Her Majesty summons you. She has gone to the Palace of Compassion and Peace (Dining Palace) on horseback and wants you to follow.”

“To see the Empress Dowager?” Chu Xin wondered.

“Please, Master Chu, board the palanquin,” the attendant said, pointing to the ornate imperial carriage.

Chu Xin gasped. “This is for the Emperor! I cannot sit in this!” To do so in front of the departing officials was a massive breach of protocol.

“It is the Emperor’s command. Please do not make it difficult for me,” the attendant insisted.

Chu Xin looked around and caught her father’s stunned expression in the crowd. With a red face and a racing heart, she sat in the palanquin and allowed herself to be carried away.

“Master Chu’s favor is truly unmatched,” the passing officials whispered to Chu Xin’s father. “She might just become a Grand Secretary one day.”

Chu’s father nodded stiffly, unsure whether to be proud or terrified.