I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 57

Jiang Zhou thought for a moment. She didn’t know who this Minister of Rites was, but she had indeed met Li Yan’er this morning during the spring outing. If she remembered correctly, Li Yan’er had even proactively mentioned the matter of her father-in-law.

Her mind subtly turned. “The Minister of Rites you’re talking about, is his surname Li?”

Xiao Qi was stunned, then immediately smiled and said, “Do you know him?”

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Zhou knew she had guessed correctly. It was Li Yan’er’s doing after all.

She regretted not dealing with her as well back then.

Inside the Imperial Study in the palace, Jiang Zhou knelt down and bowed to the Emperor.

The Emperor narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the young, thin man kneeling on the ground. “You are Jiang Zhou?”

Was this gaunt young man truly the Wuzhuangyuan (top military scholar) he had personally chosen?

He rubbed his forehead. His impression of military generals was that they should be robust and powerful, just like General Pei, the most valiant general in the current dynasty. His mere presence in front of the enemy was enough to scare them into retreating.

This person before him…

Tsk~

A bit…

He glanced at Xiao Qi. The Prince was always meticulous. The person he recommended shouldn’t be too bad, but judging by the current situation, he would have to test him before making a final judgment.

Jiang Zhou heard the Emperor’s internal, difficult-to-describe thoughts and couldn’t help but complain inwardly. Being the Wuzhuangyuan was not something she had sought out.

Mindful of the Emperor’s authority, Jiang Zhou cautiously replied.

The Emperor retracted his gaze. His words were quite agreeable, and he nodded in satisfaction.

This boy wasn’t entirely without merit, and he looked a little more pleasing to the eye now.

“We heard that you are also Minister Lin’s son-in-law. Is this true?”

Minister Lin? Jiang Zhou was taken aback, but immediately realized that the Minister Lin the Emperor spoke of was her father-in-law.

She was suddenly a little confused. Her father-in-law had been dismissed by the Emperor, so why was the Emperor still addressing him as Minister Lin? But she also vaguely understood something. She immediately replied, “To answer Your Majesty, Minister Lin is indeed this commoner’s father-in-law.”

She paused, secretly lifted her eyelids to glance at the Emperor on the dragon throne. Seeing no change in his expression, she quickly lowered her head and continued, “This commoner’s main reason for coming to the capital this time is to ask Your Majesty to uphold justice and restore my father-in-law’s innocence.”

Saying this, she kowtowed to the ground.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow. He was quite bold.

“What evidence do you have to prove that Minister Lin is innocent? The approval documents for the distribution of grain and supplies all bear his signature, and a large amount of gold and silver was found in his residence. How do you explain this?”

Gold and silver were found? Jiang Zhou clenched her fingers, just about to reply, when she heard a low chuckle, ‘Little brat, I’ll test you like this. I don’t believe this won’t stump you?’

So, the gold and silver were fake? The Emperor was openly deceiving her? What kind of Emperor was this? Didn’t he know the meaning of his word being as good as gold?

Jiang Zhou felt truly speechless!

She glanced at Xiao Qi out of the corner of her eye. Xiao Qi calmly said, “Father, your son also feels that there are many suspicious points in Minister Lin’s case. It might be better to assign someone to re-examine the case.”

The Emperor nodded, ‘Of course, I know my beloved official Lin is innocent.’

He said sternly, “What the Prince says is right. Does the Prince have a suitable candidate to re-examine this case?” Saying this, he glanced at Jiang Zhou kneeling on the ground.

Xiao Qi understood the hint. “Your son feels it would be best to entrust the investigation to Chief Jiang. He constantly claims Minister Lin was wronged. Bo Sheng has been governed by benevolence and righteousness since its founding, so we should give those who plead their innocence a chance to speak. Chief Jiang is also a pillar of talent for Bo Sheng; if the matter is not thoroughly investigated, it might discourage the people.”

“The Prince is right. Chief Jiang, this matter is now entrusted to your investigation. Do you have any objections?”

Jiang Zhou: “…”

Could they act any more realistically?

What could a mere Wuzhuangyuan say?

“This commoner has no objection.”

The Emperor chuckled, extremely satisfied with her answer. “Wei Fu, draft the imperial decree. Appoint Jiang Zhou as the Ti Xing Du Cha Shi (Judicial Commissioner) responsible for investigating the corruption case of Lin Shang. Court officials must actively cooperate. Before the case is resolved, Lin Shang’s wife and daughter are not permitted to leave the capital.”

He then waved his hand at Jiang Zhou. “Alright, We are tired. You may withdraw.”

Jiang Zhou bowed and withdrew from the Imperial Study. She felt as if she had fallen into a trap specifically dug for her, and the person who dug the trap was someone she couldn’t afford to offend. If she didn’t jump into this trap proactively, she would be pushed in.

Sigh, Jiang Zhou rubbed her temples and left the palace.

Back at the inn, the palace attendant arrived with the Imperial Decree, causing an uproar both in and outside the court.

People were already curious about this sudden Wuzhuangyuan, and now he was directly appointed as the Judicial Commissioner by the Emperor and entrusted with such a heavy responsibility, making him clearly a new favored individual by the Emperor.

Although she had been given an official post, the Emperor was considerate, understanding her need to settle in the capital, and did not rush her to take office, giving her three days of leave.

Jiang Zhou used these few days to move into the newly purchased residence. Many court officials came to visit, but Jiang Zhou refused them all.

On this particular day, a formal invitation from the Crown Prince arrived at the residence. Looking at the large red invitation, Jiang Zhou smacked her lips. Thinking of the matter in Qingzhou, why did this invitation suddenly feel a bit too hot to handle?

The Crown Prince definitely knew that the Qingzhou matter was related to her. What was the meaning of sending an invitation now?

Lin Muwan took the invitation, her brow slightly furrowed, her jawline slightly taut. After a moment of thought, she said, “It wouldn’t be good to decline the Crown Prince’s invitation. I will accompany Husband tomorrow. We’ll play it by ear then. You have just been appointed Judicial Commissioner by the Emperor. Even the Crown Prince would not openly make things difficult for you. I think it’s more about trying to win you over.”

“Mmm, I’ll listen to my wife. However, I still need to inform the Seventh Prince about this.” Jiang Zhou nodded, putting on her outer robe. “Wife, wait for me at home. I’m going to Ming Pin Tower.”

Saying this, she hurried out of the hall and left.

She had an agreement with Xiao Qi that to avoid suspicion, if anything happened, she would go to Ming Pin Tower and ask Miss Ming to relay the message.

Ming Zhiqin was her fellow townsman. She was not only the manager of Ming Pin Tower but also the Prime Minister’s son-in-law, a presence no one dared to provoke in the capital. Who would have thought she would be a messenger?

Jiang Zhou arrived at Ming Pin Tower and explained the situation to her fellow townsman. Ming Zhiqin lowered her head, poured a cup of brown liquid from a pot, and pushed it toward Jiang Zhou. “Try my milk tea. How does it taste?”

Looking at the somewhat scorched liquid before her, Jiang Zhou picked up the cup and sniffed it near her nose—a burnt, smoky smell.

She looked up at Ming Zhiqin, pouting. Was this flavor really drinkable?

Ming Zhiqin watched her every move with unblinking eyes, her face full of anticipation.

Jiang Zhou hesitated for a long time. In Ming Zhiqin’s disappointed gaze, she put down the cup. “Are you sure this is milk tea?” she asked.

“Of course, I spent the whole morning making it. Hurry and taste it. If it’s delicious, I’ll take some back for my wife to try later.”

Jiang Zhou: “…”

Can’t you taste it yourself? So, she was being treated as a guinea pig.

Jiang Zhou bit her lip. She really didn’t want to be a casualty of her experiment, so she had to tactfully say, “How about I go to the kitchen and make another pot? Yours has too much milk flavor, and it will develop a fishy smell when it cools. I’m afraid Sister-in-law won’t be used to the taste.”

“Really?” Ming Zhiqin looked doubtfully at the milk tea she had personally brewed. After thinking it over, she said, “Then hurry up and go.”

Jiang Zhou reluctantly went to the kitchen, truly unable to understand how her fellow townsman, with such poor cooking skills, managed to open Ming Pin Tower into the biggest restaurant in Bo Sheng.

While Jiang Zhou was in the kitchen brewing her own milk tea, Ming Zhiqin felt embarrassed not to do anything and personally went to Xiao Qi’s residence.

The next day, when Jiang Zhou and Lin Muwan arrived at the Crown Prince’s residence, their carriage, coincidentally, met the Fourth Prince’s carriage head-on right in front of the residence gate.

Jiang Zhou proactively got out of the carriage to greet him.

As soon as the Fourth Prince saw Jiang Zhou, he enthusiastically exchanged pleasantries. When Jiang Zhou mentioned that the Crown Prince had invited her to the residence, the Fourth Prince’s face instantly darkened. His eyes were as sinister and cold as a viper, though it flashed only for a moment before returning to normal.

‘Good for you, Crown Prince. You’re trying to win over Jiang Zhou. Jiang Zhou is now a favorite in front of the Emperor. You need to see if you even have the ability to win him over.’

The Fourth Prince gritted his teeth, quickly composed himself, and said with a smile, “Since Imperial Brother has invited Lord Jiang to drink wine, I won’t disturb you. I’ll invite Lord Jiang for a gathering another day.”

Hearing the Fourth Prince’s inner thoughts, Jiang Zhou knew she had succeeded.

Rather than putting herself in danger, it was better to add fuel to the fire between the two of them and reap the benefits herself.

She smiled inwardly but maintained a respectful expression. “Certainly. Fourth Prince, please.”

The Fourth Prince nodded, forced a slight smile, and instructed his coachman to drive away.

Jiang Zhou chuckled, pushed open the carriage door, and nodded to Lin Muwan. “Wife, let me help you alight.”

“Thank you, Husband.” Lin Muwan smiled sweetly.

This sight instantly accelerated Jiang Zhou’s heartbeat. She quickly slipped into the carriage, eagerly closed the door, and reached out to pull her into her arms.

“Wife,”

The next second, her lips were covered by softness. Jiang Zhou’s hand stroked the slender back of her neck, gently applying pressure to deepen the kiss.

After a long while, Jiang Zhou let go of her. The beauty looked dazed, her cherry lips glistening with moisture. She felt her breath hitch, accompanied by a drumming heartbeat. Lowering her head, she covered the soft lips again, her hand instinctively exploring under her clothes.

“Mmm~, Husband,” The sudden coolness made Lin Muwan abruptly wake up.

She was secretly annoyed. This rogue! She pushed him away. The person causing mischief on her body not only didn’t restrain himself but became bolder, reaching for her ample chest.

Lin Muwan felt a surge of panic and opened her mouth to bite down.

“Ouch~” A metallic taste instantly filled her mouth. Jiang Zhou covered her mouth, looking at the woman with a wronged expression. She actually bit her and even broke her own lip.

“Sit properly.” Lin Muwan lowered her head to straighten her clothes, glancing at Jiang Zhou. He was actually feeling wronged. This rogue! What time was it, and he was still thinking about this?

After a moment, “Get out of the carriage,” Lin Muwan said.

Jiang Zhou was genuinely feeling wronged, but she got out of the carriage first and waited outside obediently to help Lin Muwan alight.

When the two entered the Crown Prince’s residence, they realized that the Crown Prince had not only invited them but also invited several noblewomen from the capital in the name of the Crown Princess.

Jiang Zhou immediately spotted Li Yan’er. Li Yan’er also noticed them and immediately walked towards them without delay.

“Sister Lin, you’ve come too.” Li Yan’er greeted her with a smile.

Lin Muwan nodded, giving a faint glance at the woman next to Li Yan’er.

“Wanwan.” The woman smiled.

Lin Muwan ignored the woman, turned to look at Jiang Zhou, and said, “Husband, let’s go sit over there.”

“Mmm.” Jiang Zhou held Lin Muwan’s hand. She frowned slightly at the woman who had just called her ‘Wanwan.’ As she walked past her, she suddenly leaned in and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Does the wealth and status you gained by betraying a friendship not make you feel guilty?”

The woman’s heart clenched. Her body trembled, and she took a step back, her eyes wide with disbelief, staring at her. Jiang Zhou smiled, holding Lin Muwan’s hand, and walked away calmly.

How was that possible? How could she know?

The woman looked utterly devastated, as if all her energy had been drained. Whatever Li Yan’er said next to her, she only saw her mouth moving and heard nothing.

She had always thought she had hidden it well. She never expected Lin Muwan to know, that she knew everything.

Then why did she…