I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 63

The Ministry of Justice was not far from the Imperial Medical Office. In a moment, the imperial doctor was hustled out and practically jogged, supported by two junior clerks, until he reached the prison.

The clerks set down the imperial doctor and handed over the medicine chest.

The old imperial doctor was advanced in years, and having been rushed over by the two clerks, his head was still spinning when his feet finally touched the ground. After turning around once, he saw the person lying on the floor and tremblingly inspected the location of the wound.

He offered reassurance, “It’s nothing, nothing. The vital organs weren’t hit.”

The aged voice miraculously allowed the tension in everyone’s hearts to ease.

It was good that he was alright.

He took a porcelain bottle from the medicine chest, opened it, and a strong smell of Chinese medicine rushed out.

Then, he glanced at the wound, waved his hand, signaling Jiang Zhou to move her hand away. He sprinkled the medicinal powder onto the wound. In a moment, the wound, which had been profusely bleeding, had stopped.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhou stood up from the floor, her expression serious. She sternly declared, “No one here is permitted to leave, or they will be treated as defying an imperial decree.”

No sooner had she spoken than the Minister of Justice waved his hand, and a squad of soldiers entered from outside, surrounding everyone.

The crowd stirred into another round of chaos.

The Minister of Justice said, “Lord Jiang, this matter is of great importance. We should proceed to the palace and request an audience with His Majesty before making any decisions.”

Jiang Zhou scanned the area, and seeing that everyone was under control, she nodded. She walked over to Lin Muwan, “Wife, you should head back first. I have things managed here.”

How could she possibly feel comfortable leaving at a time like this?

Lin Muwan pursed her lips and shook her head.

With her father’s life hanging in the balance, how could she, as a child, stand aside?

Jiang Zhou’s brow furrowed deeply. She needed to enter the palace for this matter, and she couldn’t feel secure leaving Lin Muwan alone here. She said forcefully, “Go back and wait for news.”

Her tone allowed for no refusal.

Lin Muwan tightly pursed her lips, her eyes glistening with moisture, stubbornly meeting Jiang Zhou’s gaze without yielding.

“Don’t be reckless,” Jiang Zhou said in a low voice.

An assassin dared to openly break into the Ministry of Justice prison in broad daylight; their audacity was clear. Who knew if they might return to kill again? Leaving her here would surely expose her to danger.

Perhaps I should let the Minister of Justice go to the emperor alone?

Jiang Zhou watched the Minister of Justice continually wiping his forehead and quickly dismissed the idea. Furthermore, she already had a plan in mind that required the emperor’s cooperation.

Now, Lin Muwan refused to leave. Putting herself in her shoes, if her own father were in danger, she wouldn’t leave either.

Jiang Zhou conceded, sighing. She said to the Minister of Justice, “Minister, might I borrow a few bodyguards skilled in combat?”

The Minister of Justice agreed and assigned two bodyguards to Jiang Zhou.

Jiang Zhou sighed and found a chair for Lin Muwan, asking her to sit and wait, or else she would send someone to escort her back.

Lin Muwan sat down obediently, her lips tightly pressed, her fingers digging into her palm, her eyes fixed on Minister Lin without blinking.

Jiang Zhou lowered her gaze, squeezed and then released Lin Muwan’s hand, comforting her, “Wait for me here obediently until I return.”

Seeing her nod, she then followed the Minister of Justice out of the prison.

The golden, splendid decorations sparkled under the slant of the sun. In the Hall of Universal Proclamation, the person on the dragon throne could not be described merely as furious. His majestic voice resonated throughout the entire hall.

“Investigate! Investigate for me! I give you seven days. If you still can’t find out the truth, you might as well step down as Minister!”

“Yes, yes,” the Minister of Justice knelt on the ground, his hands trembling along with his voice.

The emperor’s gaze rested on Jiang Zhou, his eyes profound. The entire hall was oppressed by a heavy, suffocating pressure.

“Jiang Zhou, are you confident you can solve this case within seven days?”

Jiang Zhou was momentarily stunned. Her eyes darkened, and she said seriously, “This official has a strategy, but it requires cooperation from Your Majesty and the Minister.”

“Speak.”

“Your Majesty only needs to publicly declare that Minister Lin merely suffered a minor superficial wound and is not in serious danger.”

The emperor narrowed his eyes, already understanding. He looked at Jiang Zhou, his eyes seemingly knowing the killer’s intent, just as he had known the purpose of locking Minister Lin in the Ministry of Justice in the first place.

He felt immense pain, and couldn’t help but sigh again. In the royal family, father-son affection was such a luxury.

In an instant, he felt relieved. The price of being a lone ruler was the supreme power revered by the world.

Forget it.

The emperor waved his hand toward Wei Fu, who was nearby, “Go and summon all my sons to the palace.”

A moment later, the imperial princes arrived at the Hall of Universal Proclamation, led by the young eunuchs.

The princes all knelt down together to salute.

Seeing them, the emperor’s expression softened somewhat. His voice was authoritative, “I summoned you here this time to ask you: with the Ministry of Justice constantly seeing murders lately, what method do you have to capture the killer?”

The princes all lowered their heads. At this moment, no one wanted to be the one to step up. Aside from whether they had the ability or not, given the emperor’s current demeanor, a botched job would surely result in a severe reprimand.

Let whoever wants to take this task.

Seeing them all with their heads bowed, the emperor felt a surge of anger. He picked up the teacup beside him and smashed it. The blue and white porcelain fell onto the red carpet with a dull thud, rolled a short distance, and stopped spinning.

Startled, everyone immediately knelt and shouted, “Father, please calm your anger!”

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger!”

Calm his anger?

The more the emperor looked, the angrier he became.

Finally, his gaze fell on the Crown Prince, “Crown Prince, you speak.”

The Crown Prince seemed prepared. He said calmly, “Your Majesty is wise. Your son… your son is willing to heed your command.”

Disappointment appeared in the emperor’s eyes. He hadn’t learned anything else, but he had certainly mastered the smooth ways of the court officials.

He shifted his gaze to the Fourth Prince. Just as he was about to speak, Xiao Qi interrupted, “Father, your son is willing to help alleviate your worries. The Ministry of Revenue holds the lifeline of the court. Now, with one minister and four vice-ministers of the Ministry of Revenue successively encountering trouble, it’s clear the killer intends to undermine the foundation of our Baisheng Kingdom.”

At this moment, the Fourth Prince also stepped forward, “Father, your son is also willing to share your burden.”

The emperor’s gaze lightly swept across the princes, finally settling on Xiao Qi, “Seventh Son, this matter will be entrusted to you and Minister Jiang to investigate together. I give you seven days. Are you confident you can find the killer?”

The Fourth Prince began, “Father…”

The emperor glared at him, his voice solemn, “Say no more.”

The Fourth Prince glanced at Xiao Qi, who was kneeling not far away, a flash of indiscernible emotion crossing his eyes. He quickly withdrew his gaze and remained respectfully kneeling.

Xiao Qi accepted the order.

Leaving the Hall of Universal Proclamation, the princes were each lost in thought. They tacitly remained silent and, with a subtle understanding, decided to act as bystanders, watching the show unfold.

If this matter was handled well, Xiao Qi would surely be rewarded by the emperor. If it failed, a reprimand for Xiao Qi would be minor; perhaps the court officials would also be able to grasp the political situation better.

If the Ministry of Justice can’t solve the case, what can he, a prince who idles about the manor all day, possibly do?

Contempt filled the eyes of the onlookers.

Jiang Zhou and Xiao Qi went to the Ministry of Justice together. The prison was now heavily surrounded by soldiers. Everyone was anxious and, upon seeing Jiang Zhou return, couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

It had been an hour since Minister Lin’s incident. His wound was now bandaged, and he lay on the dry straw, his consciousness not yet fully recovered.

“How is he?” Jiang Zhou stepped forward and took Lin Muwan’s hand. As her cold hands instantly fell into the warm palm, Lin Muwan’s eyes reddened. She leaned into Jiang Zhou’s embrace, and her tight, anxious heart finally eased.

“It’s alright, he’s fine,” Jiang Zhou tightened her hug, comforting her.

Xiao Qi waved his hand at the attendant behind him. The attendant stepped forward and led all the people in the prison cell out.

She looked at Jiang Zhou and said, “Time is of the essence; let’s transfer him elsewhere first.”

Jiang Zhou nodded, pulling Lin Muwan to stand aside.

“Husband…” Lin Muwan looked at her with worry, her eyes flickering, subtly hiding unease.

“It’s nothing. His Highness will settle Father-in-law in a safe place, don’t worry.”

Lin Muwan looked at her pair of peach blossom eyes, which always made her feel so secure. After a moment, she nodded.

Following this, two attendants entered. They changed Minister Lin into an attendant’s clothes and carried him out, one on each side.

Seeing only the three of them left in the cell, Xiao Qi handed the prisoner’s uniform in his hand to Jiang Zhou, “Rest assured, my people have made all the arrangements.”

Jiang Zhou nodded, “I’ll trouble you to help send my wife back to the manor later, and please ensure my family’s safety is protected.”

Xiao Qi looked at her, and after a moment, he pursed his lips and solemnly gave her his assurance.

They had discussed it on the way back. They would release the news that Minister Lin was not dead. Since they knew the Fourth Prince was the mastermind, and with Jiang Zhou and Xiao Qi now aligned, if Minister Lin remained alive, the Fourth Prince, being a suspicious character, would certainly believe Minister Lin had defected to Xiao Qi’s side.

For the sake of the lucrative position at the Ministry of Revenue, he wouldn’t miss the chance to kill Minister Lin, even knowing it might be a trap.

“What are you going to do?”

Lin Muwan’s fair fingers curled tightly. She raised her head, her stubborn face pale and bloodless. Her brow furrowed more deeply, her lips were tightly bitten, and her eyes were red-rimmed.

The gentle cat seemed to have all its fur standing on end, looking at Jiang Zhou with alert suspicion.

Jiang Zhou’s heart tightened, feeling as if countless ants were gnawing at it. She looked away, not daring to meet her gaze. After steadying herself, she forced a smile, “You go back and wait for me first. I might not be able to return to accompany you for the next few days. You must be careful yourself. Once the killer is caught, Father-in-law can come home, and we can all be together.”

“You come back with me,” Lin Muwan gripped her hand.

“Be good, I’ll be fine. If we don’t catch the mastermind, Father-in-law will be in danger. Look, His Highness has sent many people to protect me. I truly will be fine. I need you to help me explain things to Mother; otherwise, when I go back, she’ll beat me again.”

Lin Muwan looked into her eyes, which were filled with determination. She knew that what she said was true; only by catching the mastermind could their family be reunited. However, if the cost was putting Jiang Zhou in danger, she absolutely could not agree.

Before she could object, Jiang Zhou tidied the cloak on her, took a deep breath, “Go back.”

In spring, the east wind swept across the ground, causing the carriage curtains to flap loudly. Lin Muwan leaned against the carriage wall, her beautiful brows tightly knit together, her lips pressed shut. She stared blankly out the window, lost in thought.

With everything prepared, Jiang Zhou lay in the prison cell. Although the weather was gradually warming up, lying on the ground only covered with dry straw, her body involuntarily curled into a ball from the cold.

I really miss Lin Muwan right now!

She missed the solid wood carved bed at home. Jiang Zhou sighed and tightened the clothes on her. Fortunately, she had an extra cotton layer under the prisoner’s uniform; otherwise, she would surely freeze tonight.

After a restless night, the sky began to turn white with the first light. The cell had only one small, square window that allowed a faint, weak white light to penetrate. From the slowly changing angle of the light, Jiang Zhou roughly estimated the time.

A night passed, and the assassin had not come. The tense atmosphere was slightly relieved.

Except for the slight light, the cell was essentially in gloom. There wasn’t much difference between day and night. With nothing to do, Jiang Zhou was mostly in a dazed state.

This state continued until the prison door was opened, and the clanking sound of iron chains reached her ears. Jiang Zhou’s body suddenly shook. Subconsciously, she reached for the short dagger hidden in the dry straw.

“Husband.”

?!

Jiang Zhou suddenly became fully awake. She focused her eyes, clearly seeing the woman squatting on the ground. She pulled her into her arms, settled her on her lap, found a comfortable posture for her, and said with a hint of reproach, “Why are you here? Didn’t I say I’d be back in a couple of days?”