Taking the Princess as My Wife - Chapter 3

“I am the Princess’s person.”

Liu Ruheng remained silent. The death of the Left Prime Minister should have been premeditated, but for some reason, His Majesty was also helping to conceal it. On that day within Sanbao Temple, there were many eyes and ears; the fact that the Fifth Prince appeared inexplicably at Sanbao Temple to make a scene of the matter was also suspicious.

The water stains on the tabletop dried quickly. Jiang Shaojia continued, “Liu Ruheng, are you willing to find the true culprit who murdered the Left Prime Minister?”

Liu Ruheng was silent for a long while. “I am the Princess’s person.”

Jiang Shaojia was stunned at first, then the smile at the corners of her lips grew more vibrant.

That day, Liu Ruheng fled in a panic. The young Tanhua (third-ranked candidate in the imperial examination) was completely unaware that she was parading through the city with bright red lip rouge on her cheek.

After her home leave ended, Liu Ruheng’s official post was also finalized: a seventh-rank Registrar of the Court of Judicial Review (Dali Temple). She had no complaints about this position; here, she could come into contact with more case files, which would better assist her in investigating the matter of the Left Prime Minister. Others, however, sighed with regret. They had originally thought that after being granted marriage to the Princess, Liu Ruheng’s official career would soar to the clouds. They never expected it to be inferior even to previous Tanhua scholars; usually, a Tanhua would go to the Hanlin Academy, which was known as the “cradle of future chancellors.”

The Court of Judicial Review was primarily responsible for examining and adjudicating cases. As the Registrar, Liu Ruheng was mainly responsible for managing the temple’s official seals, transcribing and cataloging documents, and organizing case files.

Before she officially took office, two sets of light blue official robes were delivered to the Liu residence. Everyone in the household looked at Liu Ruheng with envious eyes, greatly satisfying her vanity.

She tried on the official uniform and found a few places that were somewhat loose and needed adjustment. What Liu Ruheng did not expect, however, was that the person with the best needlework in the entire family was actually the sturdy-looking Li Dahai.

When the day came to report for duty, Liu Ruheng, dressed in her altered official robes, walked into the Court of Judicial Review with high spirits.

The official ranks within the Court of Judicial Review were not overly complex. The Minister of the Court was of the third rank, followed by one Vice Minister. Besides the Assistant Ministers, Judges, and Reviewers, there was the Registrar.

Sharing the same rank as Liu Ruheng was another person named Cheng Xuehai, a middle-aged man in his thirties who was not particularly warm toward others. Seeing him gave Liu Ruheng a creeping sense of familiarity—after growing a beard, this man looked very much like the ferocious tutor who had first taught her.

Upon meeting Liu Ruheng, he gave a greeting and then took her to pay respects to several superiors. The superiors’ attitudes were relatively mild, only instructing Liu Ruheng to learn more, but nothing else.

Taking Liu Ruheng to her seat, he first rummaged through his own desk and found a book of legal statutes to hand to her. “The Registrar of the Court must memorize the statutes thoroughly. Those locked cabinets in the back store important case files; they cannot be opened without an authorized slip.”

As he spoke, Cheng Xuehai showed Liu Ruheng the files he was currently processing as examples, instructing her on how to conduct the work.

Liu Ruheng was naturally interested in these things. Seeing Cheng Xuehai explain seriously, she also listened intently. Moreover, although the rank of Registrar was small, for Liu Ruheng, it was like “being handed a pillow just as one feels sleepy.”

The first day as a Registrar passed like this; Liu Ruheng felt that even in her dreams, she was reciting the legal statutes she hadn’t finished memorizing.

The next day, following Cheng Xuehai’s methods, Liu Ruheng began to independently handle some relatively simple case files, but a few of them made her feel suffocated.

There was a case of an eighth-rank official who had long beaten his wife; during one assault, the wife unfortunately died. However, in the law, it stated: “Killing without a fight or reason is called intentional homicide.” Roughly translated, it meant that because the official killed his wife during a quarrel, there was a “reason,” and it was not considered intentional murder. It was classified as “killing during a struggle,” and the final result was merely dismissal from office. Furthermore, in cases of adultery, a wife committing adultery was considered an extreme crime, and the husband could kill both parties on the spot; whereas if the husband committed adultery, the wife had no right to report him.

Liu Ruheng sat by the window, gazing at the vermilion courtyard walls not far away. A sense of helplessness surged in her heart. She was truly unwilling—why must a woman be born with a natural shackle upon her?

“Liu Ruheng, take all these files to the Vice Minister for review.” Cheng Xuehai rubbed the space between his eyebrows, appearing slightly fatigued.

Except for the first two days after Liu Ruheng arrived, which were relatively quiet, they had been drowned in various case files since the third day. Even Cheng Xuehai said this was the busiest he had been since becoming a Registrar.

Liu Ruheng agreed and took the dozens of case files toward the Vice Minister’s office. These files were all cases that had occurred in the capital in recent years. Taking this opportunity, Liu Ruheng screened the files and discovered three cases related to the Left Prime Minister.

“Lord Vice Minister, these are the files you requested.” Liu Ruheng held the files, standing outside the half-closed door.

From a distance, the Vice Minister’s voice was somewhat muffled. “Come in.”

Liu Ruheng pushed open the door and placed all the files on an empty table to the side. Just as she turned to leave, the Vice Minister suddenly spoke: “Have you ever been to a crime scene?”

Liu Ruheng answered truthfully. After hearing this, the Vice Minister nodded slightly and stroked his beard, his expression warm. “Next time, you shall come with me.” After saying that, the Vice Minister picked up a brush from his desk and began drawing on the paper.

Upon returning to her seat, Liu Ruheng couldn’t help her curiosity: “Officer Cheng, have you been to a crime scene?”

Cheng Xuehai didn’t look up. “Naturally I have. Did the Vice Minister ask you to go along?”

Liu Ruheng gave a sound of affirmation and added, “I’ve never been to a crime scene before.”

Cheng Xuehai looked at Liu Ruheng with a hint of sympathy. He put down his brush, and his usually expressionless face showed a smile for the first time: “The Vice Minister thinks highly of you, but…”

Cheng Xuehai looked at Liu Ruheng’s not-so-sturdy build, his expression turning a bit strange: “Do you know about the person who sat in your position before you arrived?”

Liu Ruheng shook her head. Cheng Xuehai’s words piqued her curiosity.

“The person who sat there was also a young man about your age, but he…” Cheng Xuehai paused, his expression difficult to describe, like a mix of sighing and pity. “He wasn’t very brave. The first time he followed the Vice Minister, he was scared sick. It seemed he suffered some spiritual shock. After that, the Lord took him two more times, and each time he fell seriously ill. During his last illness, there were even rumors of ghosts in the Court. He resigned and went home before you arrived.”

As he spoke, Cheng Xuehai pulled a triangular-folded talisman from his robe, saying mysteriously, “This is a talisman my wife sought for me. After carrying it, those things never appeared again.”

Liu Ruheng’s mouth twitched slightly. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, “Where did Sister-in-law seek this talisman? I’ll go seek one after I finish my shift.”

It was already dusk when she finished her shift. Liu Ruheng looked at the sky and decided to go to the place Cheng Xuehai mentioned to seek a talisman. If things went smoothly, she could even catch the evening market.

The early summer evening was quite cool. The sun had already set. After leaving the gates of the Court of Judicial Review, Liu Ruheng walked slowly toward the address Cheng Xuehai had given. Fortunately, that place was not far from the market, saving her the trouble of a detour.

The place Cheng Xuehai mentioned was a Taoist temple inside a small alley. From a distance, Liu Ruheng saw three to five carriages parked at the entrance. The temple’s incense seemed quite popular; smoke curled in the air, and Liu Ruheng could smell the unique scent even from a distance.

The moment before entering the temple, Liu Ruheng suddenly thought: the Left Prime Minister had once led people to destroy an evil cult called the “Hibiscus Sect.” Some cult members had seized the opportunity to flee. Could it be that those cult members deliberately murdered the Left Prime Minister? Immediately, Liu Ruheng dismissed the idea. The person who murdered the Left Prime Minister should be powerful and influential; otherwise, the Emperor would not have kept the death a secret, and every witness from that day would not have been silenced one by one.

“This young master, have you come to ward off evil, pray for a son, or pray for wealth?”

A young man dressed in brocade walked toward Liu Ruheng with a smile. Behind him followed an impatient little maidservant. Seeing the young man starting to strike up a conversation with someone else again, the maid rolled her eyes. “Can you stop dawdling? I’ve run here no less than five times for this pill.”

The young man gave Liu Ruheng an apologetic smile, then turned to the little maid with a grin: “Sister Xique, you know the pills my master refines. Countless people beg for just one and can’t get it. What’s wrong with running a few more times? Doesn’t this allow you to see me a few more times?”

Liu Ruheng sighed softly, hesitating whether to enter. Adhering to the thought of “since I’m already here,” she decided to bypass the two and walk further inside.

By chance, Liu Ruheng had not walked far when she saw a female Taoist practitioner sitting on a prayer mat in meditation. This seemed more reliable than the brocade-clad man earlier. She stepped forward a couple of paces, and just as she was about to speak, the female Taoist opened her eyes. Her pupils had a layer of hazy white. Liu Ruheng softened her voice: “Greetings, Taoist Master. I have come to seek a talisman for protection and peace.”

The female Taoist did not speak. She rose directly and walked with steady steps into the inner room. Liu Ruheng stood in place, staring at her back in a daze, wondering what on earth was going on in this temple. Not long after, the female Taoist emerged from the inner room holding a talisman similar to Cheng Xuehai’s. Her lips moved, but she didn’t make a sound. Liu Ruheng couldn’t tell if she was reciting a mantra or speaking.

When the female Taoist stopped, her hand reached toward the incense burner, scooped out a handful of incense ash, and sprinkled it evenly over the talisman. Her grayish-white pupils looked toward Liu Ruheng again, and her pale finger pointed to the offering table nearby, where several large characters were written: “One tael of silver per talisman.”

Liu Ruheng’s right eyelid twitched violently. She quickly stowed the talisman, dropped a tael of silver into the merit box, and fled the place.

Perhaps because she left too hastily, Liu Ruheng actually walked in the wrong direction. By the time she realized it, she had walked to the door of a guest room that looked similar to the front courtyard. Just as she was about to leave, the sound of breaking porcelain came from inside. “Left Prime Minister… was… killed…”

Liu Ruheng froze in her tracks. The voices inside were blurred and unclear. She stood by the window, listening carefully to the movement inside, but besides the voice she had just heard, she could only hear a man and a woman arguing about something.

However, Liu Ruheng was certain she had indeed heard the words “Left Prime Minister.”

The moment of their heated emotion had passed, and no matter how much Liu Ruheng pressed her ear closer, it was in vain.

The door creaked open. Liu Ruheng turned stiffly; an extremely fat orange cat was leaning against the door.

“Who is outside!”

The person inside shouted loudly. The orange cat gave a dainty meow. The person inside snorted coldly, “What is the world coming to, still imitating a cat’s cry.”

Liu Ruheng thought ‘oh no.’ Before the person inside could come out, she covered her face and ran toward the outside of the temple at top speed. As she passed the hall housing the divine statues, a female Taoist was standing at the door. Her gaze was fixed intently on Liu Ruheng, her eyes so sharp they seemed to see right through her.

Liu Ruheng did not stop, fleeing all the way to the bustling market before finally breathing a sigh of relief. By now, any thought of buying things was completely gone.

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