Taking the Princess as My Wife - Chapter 18

That night, Liu Ruheng did not sleep peacefully.

She dreamed of that foreign man she had met for the first time. In a grand palace encrusted with gold and jade, he stood in magnificent robes, petitioning the Emperor to marry Princess Huaqing.

In the final moment before waking, Liu Ruheng caught only a glimpse of his narrow pupils, which resembled a venomous snake in the darkness.

Drenched in a cold sweat, Liu Ruheng sat up abruptly. Catching sight of the unfamiliar bed curtains, she remembered that it was only a dream. Clutching her chest, she gasped for air, as if the feeling of helpless inevitability from the dream still lingered in her heart.

After a long while, she exhaled a breath of turbid air. Fortunately, it was just a dream.

Once she had wiped away the cold sweat and realized she had nothing else to do, she changed her clothes and headed downstairs.

The breakfast options at the post station were limited. Liu Ruheng ordered a bowl of white porridge and some pickled vegetables, making do with a simple meal. By the time she finished, the two yamen runners finally came down. Seeing that Liu Ruheng was earlier than them, the two were somewhat surprised; after greeting her, they also ate a few breakfast items.

Once everyone had finished, it was still quite early. The three of them reached a quick agreement to set out while the weather was not yet hot, as the afternoon sun was notoriously scorching.

They arrived at the county magistrate’s office before noon. The magistrate had sent a clerk to meet them. He was respectful toward the group but did not mention the escorting of the prisoner; he only said he would first take them to fill their stomachs. Liu Ruheng had no objection to this, as escorting the prisoner was not a matter of extreme urgency.

The lunch prepared was relatively simple, consisting of ordinary home-cooked dishes with a few local specialties added. After the meal, when Liu Ruheng inquired where the prisoner was being held, the magistrate’s legal advisor hemmed and hawed, attempting to stall for time.

However, seeing the serious expressions on the faces of Liu Ruheng and her companions, the advisor sighed softly and led them to the jail.

The environment inside the jail was poor. Aside from being dark and damp, one could occasionally spot snakes, insects, rats, and ants. The advisor opened the cell door and introduced them: “Excellencies, this is the prisoner to be escorted to the capital.”

The prisoner was held in a cell near the entrance. When the advisor pointed toward her, she looked up slightly. Liu Ruheng noticed the mottled bruises on her face and frowned slightly.

The woman appeared to be in her early thirties with a timid demeanor. Seeing Liu Ruheng and the others appear, she solemnly performed a deep bow to the advisor. As she moved, her shackles rubbed against the ground, producing a heavy, muffled clanking sound.

Witnessing this, Liu Ruheng remained silent for a long moment before asking, “Advisor, may I have a word in private?”

The advisor froze for a moment, then nodded in agreement. The two yamen runners looked at each other and had no choice but to stay behind to guard the prisoner.

Liu Ruheng had previously read the case files, but the documents sent to the capital were somewhat sketchy, recording only the identities and birthplaces of the deceased and the perpetrator, as well as the cause of death. More detailed information could only be found in the local, more comprehensive records.

Upon her inquiry, the advisor hurried to bring the files and handed them to Liu Ruheng for a detailed review.

The deceased in this case was the prisoner’s husband. In the early years, his family was reasonably well-off, and his parents had arranged a wife for him. However, the deceased was a petty thief and a habitual gambler who had long ago mortgaged the family property to gambling dens.

The reason for the conflict with the prisoner was that he had sold their biological daughter to human traffickers to gain gambling funds. After the prisoner failed to find her child, she mixed knockout drops into the deceased’s food. While he was unconscious, she tied him up and, as if slaughtering a chicken, bled him to death.

After the husband died, the prisoner went to the government office to surrender.

Liu Ruheng’s brow furrowed. After a moment of thought, she explained her plan to the advisor and returned to the jail. Inside the cell, the prisoner’s eyes were vacant; she sat quietly on the straw.

The two original yamen runners were at the cell door. Seeing Liu Ruheng and the advisor return, they finally felt at ease. They had come solely to assist Liu Ruheng in escorting the prisoner and wanted no part of any additional trouble.

Once they had finished their preparations, the group set off on the road to the capital with the prisoner. Out of personal sentiment, Liu Ruheng did not wish to call her a “prisoner,” nor did she want to address her by her husband’s surname; throughout the journey, she called her by her birth name, Li Chun.

At their usual pace, it would take two days to return to the capital, but with Li Chun, their return would be delayed by a few days. Using the need for haste as an excuse, Liu Ruheng let Li Chun ride her horse. This made things slightly easier for the woman, as she did not have to walk to the capital under the blistering sun.

Seeing that it was not their own horses being used, and wanting to return to the capital as soon as possible, the two yamen runners tacitly allowed Liu Ruheng to do so.

After traveling for more than half a day, Liu Ruheng and her party were still some distance from the next post station. To avoid wolves and leopards, they had to camp out in the wilderness. Before the sky turned completely dark, they found a water source, fed the horses, and gathered some firewood nearby.

The two runners had initially thought Liu Ruheng was a bookworm who “couldn’t lift with four limbs or distinguish the five grains,” but they hadn’t expected that she wouldn’t complain of exhaustion throughout the journey. Now, seeing that she had no complaints about sleeping in the wild, their opinion of her improved.

The bonfire was lit, bringing a sense of stifling heat. Although this was the official road, there were continuous mountain ranges nearby where wild wolves roamed. To minimize risk, they had to keep the fire going despite the heat.

After a night in the wild, everyone looked haggard. The continuous howling of wolves throughout the night kept the three of them from relaxing, so they took turns standing watch. Fortunately, the night passed without incident. They made do with dry rations in the morning. By the time they reached the post station, the foreign merchant caravan and the other caravan had already moved on. The post station was not crowded at this time.

However, while Liu Ruheng was fetching water, the waiter inadvertently revealed that the merchant caravan that had argued with the foreigners had encountered horse bandits. Most of their goods were stolen. Fortunately, the bandits eventually retreated; otherwise, it wouldn’t have just been a financial loss—they might have lost their lives.

After a simple night’s rest, the group set out early for the capital. Upon arriving, Liu Ruheng and the two runners immediately headed for the Court of State Ceremonies (Dali Si). The two runners took Li Chun to the Dali Si jail, while Liu Ruheng went to report to the Vice Minister (Shaoqing).

After reporting the original case files and the details she had learned locally, the Vice Minister told Liu Ruheng to go home and rest, returning the next day.

The next morning, Liu Ruheng arrived at Dali Si. The scrolls on her desk, which she had mostly finished, had piled up again. Only after transcribing and organizing the important documents did Liu Ruheng let out a long sigh of relief.

She looked up to stretch her muscles and suddenly realized a stranger was sitting opposite her. Seeing this new colleague, Liu Ruheng felt that perhaps all the slightly older men in Dali Si had one thing in common: they grew beards.

Seeing the other party also processing a long-accumulated pile of scrolls, Liu Ruheng couldn’t help but feel a sense of shared hardship. She did not disturb him, but instead walked softly out of the room to ask the Vice Minister about the status of Li Chun’s case.

The laws of the Kingdom of Jiang stipulated that all cases involving human life must be sent to the capital for joint deliberation by the Ministry of Justice and the Court of State Ceremonies. Before the original files were brought back, the Vice Minister’s initial ruling was execution after the autumn.

Now that the local files were back, the case needed to be re-examined. Liu Ruheng was desperate to know the Vice Minister’s decision, so she came to inquire after finishing most of her work.

The Vice Minister usually did not put on official airs. When Liu Ruheng arrived, he merely looked up, diverting a sliver of his attention from the complex scrolls to her.

“What is it?”

Liu Ruheng bowed to the Vice Minister and asked, “Reporting to your Excellency, I have come today to inquire about the case of Li Chun.”

The Vice Minister’s hand, which was holding the brush, paused. His expression shifted slightly as he looked up at Liu Ruheng. “Are you asking about the case of Liu-Li Shi murdering her husband?”

Liu Ruheng nodded slightly, maintaining a poised and neither humble nor arrogant manner. “Yes. I believe this person’s crime does not warrant death. There are precedents from previous eras; this crime should be classified as ‘killing in a fight’ rather than ‘intentional killing.”

The case Liu Ruheng referred to involved an eighth-rank minor official from a previous dynasty who had accidentally beaten his wife to death. He found someone to plead his case, successfully arguing “killing in a fight” instead of “intentional killing,” and his final punishment was merely dismissal from office. Although the circumstances of Li Chun’s case were different, Liu Ruheng felt it was worth arguing. As a woman herself, she truly could not bear Li Chun’s plight.

The Vice Minister remained silent for a long time before saying, “This case has little to do with you. Why are you speaking up for her?”

His gaze was sharp, and the aura of one long in a high position became evident. Liu Ruheng lowered her eyes and bowed again. She said, “I have empathy.”

A dark glint flashed in the Vice Minister’s eyes, and he countered, “Then are you saying that I do not have empathy?”

Liu Ruheng looked up to meet his eyes, the determination in her gaze unwavering. “Of course not. Your Excellency must have heard a saying during your studies: ‘To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, and to establish a life for the people. I simply believe that your Excellency also possesses such a heart, which is why I dared to offer my opinion.”

“But do you realize? An eighth-rank official is, after all, an official of the imperial court. Liu-Li Shi is but a village woman; how can she be compared to an official of the court!” By the end, the Vice Minister’s tone grew increasingly stern. He lowered his head again, his brush remaining still for a long time. “Go back to your place and handle your scrolls. This case will be heard in public in three days.”

Liu Ruheng was stunned, a flicker of hope igniting in her eyes.

Returning to her desk, she settled her mind to continue with the scrolls.

With a loud “bang,” Liu Ruheng and her stranger colleague both looked up in alarm. A tall figure stood in the doorway; he had kicked the door open.

Liu Ruheng and her colleague stood up. The stranger colleague asked with some confusion, “Lord Gong, why have you come here today?”

Liu Ruheng, also being unfamiliar with the situation, cast a similarly puzzled look.

Gong Fan placed the items he had brought onto an empty desk and snorted coldly. “I’ve been demoted. I’m just coming back.”

This… Liu Ruheng and her colleague looked at each other. The stranger colleague gave a couple of dry laughs, avoiding Gong Fan’s bad mood. He looked at Liu Ruheng, stroking his slightly gray beard with a kind smile. “I wonder what this Excellency’s name is? My surname is Liu. I ask for your kind guidance.”

Liu Ruheng returned the smile, briefly introduced her name, and then they each went back to their scrolls. However, while working, Liu Ruheng’s ears were filled with the sounds of Gong Fan slamming things around, which was quite irritating.

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