Under the slightly subtle gaze of Zhang Daren, Hua Liuli understood why she was summoned to the Ministry of Justice.
"What the three of you mean is that you want me to find out whose handwriting in the palace matches the one on this letter?" Hua Liuli picked up the letter and found the sentence -- "Hua Liuli has captured the Crown Prince's heart. To prevent accidents, she must be killed" -- particularly striking.
"Please, Junzhu, lend us a hand," Zhang Shuo stood up and bowed to Hua Liuli, "The noble status of the women in the palace and the precious calligraphy make it inappropriate for them to fall into the hands of the Ministry of Justice officials. We have no other options."
Although there were not many consorts in the imperial harem, they were all the Emperor's women. It wouldn't be appropriate for a group of Ministry of Justice officials to demand their calligraphy treasures. They had to find a more subtle way to seek assistance from someone of the same gender.
Now, with the mastermind behind the scenes hidden, while they were themselves out in the open, they couldn't easily seek help. What if the person they sought help from turned out to be the real culprit?
After careful consideration, they found the most suitable candidate in Fushou Junzhu. Firstly, the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Crown Prince all valued Fushou Junzhu. Secondly, Fushou Junzhu frequently entered the palace, making her the most suitable person for this task.
"Zhang Daren, you are too polite," Hua Liuli stood up and returned the gesture, "I will do my best, but I cannot guarantee success."
"Junzhu, we are already immensely grateful for your willingness to help," Zhang Shuo happily said, "If there is anything you need from the Ministry of Justice, please let us know."
Hua Liuli nodded and walked out of Zhang Shuo's office. In the large hall outside, several officials were busy transcribing documents. Their writing speed was extremely fast, and in no time, they had transcribed several lines of text. Some even wielded brushes in both hands, writing on two sheets of paper simultaneously.
Truly, the mysterious the Ministry of Justice was a place of hidden talents.
Hua Liuli was amazed and developed an inexplicable admiration for the Ministry of Justice.
With the fall of the Xie family and Princess Leyang's suicide attempt, the consorts in the imperial harem had become extremely quiet. Even Consort Xian, who used to cry and complain the most, now obediently stayed in her palace, not daring to provoke Emperor Changlong.
The Eldest Prince of Jinpo, He Wang cautiously followed behind the eunuchs and entered the main hall of the Chengyang Palace. He was supposed to meet Emperor Changlong three days ago, but due to the Xie family incident, he was stopped at the palace gate. He had to wait for three days in the guest residence before finally receiving the summons from Emperor Changlong.
Compared to the Jinpo Palace, the Great Jin Palace had an air of elegance and refinement. He Wang dared not look around and instead performed his greetings properly before presenting the letter handwritten by his father.
"Your generosity is unnecessary. you are here in the Great Jin to learn and would not spend much. Why offer a city as a gift?" Emperor Changlong smiled, showing his appreciation, "Since you insist, Zhen will reluctantly accept it."
He Wang thought to himself, if you didn't reluctantly accept it, how could the officials in Jinpo feel at ease?
After suffering such a significant defeat, Jinpo had already lost his courage. Everyone because so timid that they worried in their dreams that the Hua family's army would invade the imperial city.
"Your title is He?" The Crown Prince sitting nearby looked at He Wang, "This title is good. Harmony is paramount in all matters. It is touching that the monarch of your country has such an understanding. Gu was initially worried about what would happen if your country did not comprehend the importance of peace."
Upon hearing this, He Wang trembled and quickly replied, "Under the summoning of the esteemed Emperor Changlong, our entire country cherishes peace and will never invade another country."
"Both Zhen and Zhen's beloved son are people who cherish peace," Emperor Changlong smiled with satisfaction, "It's good that your country shares the same ideals."
He Wang wanted to cry but had no tears. If it wasn't good, would he be beaten?
However, relieved by the affirmative response from Great Jin, He Wang finally relaxed. According to Great Jin's intentions, as long as Jinpo did not offend Great Jin, Great Jin would not wage war against them.
Understanding this point, He Wang repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
"It seems that He Wang hasn't seen the Second Prince of Jinpo for a long time and must be yearning to meet him."
He Wang: No, I don't miss him at all.
"The Second Prince of your country had killed our people, a crime that is unforgivable. Considering that your esteemed father has offered us several cities, our country can spare his life, but he must spend the rest of his life in the Ministry of Justice dungeon," the Crown Prince glanced at He Wang, who had a relieved expression on his face, and smirked, "However, our country is not unreasonable and will not prevent brothers from meeting each other. From now on, you will be allowed to visit the Second Prince in the Ministry of Justice dungeon once every month."
He Wang was initially stunned but then happily expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Your Royal Highness, for your great kindness."
From childhood to adulthood, he and his mother had endured countless insults and abuses from his second brother and his second brother's mother. Now he finally had the opportunity for revenge and he wouldn't easily let it go.
A gentleman takes ten years to seek revenge!
When He Wang left the palace, he took with him an imperial edict granting permission for Jinpo's envoys to leave the Great Jin. The envoys from Jinpo, upon seeing this edict, burst into tears of joy.
For almost two months, they had been too afraid to leave their residences in the Great Jin, fearing that they would be spat on. Finally, they could be relieved. That night, they left the Great Jin Capital secretly, without looking back, carrying their packed belongings.
"I never want to come to this cursed place again," one of Jinpo's envoys sat on horseback and looked back at the towering city walls of the capital with lingering fear.
The Great Jin's capital city was truly eerie, incredibly eerie.
When they returned, they would have to be more polite to the women around them. After encountering women from Great Jin, they realized that many of their Jinpo's most formidable women deserved the term "gentle as water".
Early the next morning, the envoys from the Daimao Kingdom learned about Jinpo's envoys leaving the capital. They gathered together, contemplating how to approach Emperor Changlong and request permission to return home.
"The initial excuse for Great Jin keeping us here was to treat us all equally. Now that Jinpo's envoys have already left the capital, there is no reason to continue detaining us," Envoy A anxiously suggested, "Why don't we visit Emperor Changlong today and plead with him to allow us to return home?"
"Do you know why Emperor Changlong released them so readily?" Envoy B, who had gathered information, lifted a cup of cold tea from the table and drank two large sips, "Not only did Jinpo send their Eldest Prince, but they also offered a city to Emperor Changlong as the Eldest Prince's tuition and living expenses."
The Jinpo Kingdom, which had ruthlessly slaughtered the people of Great Jin in the past, was now kneeling obediently.
"Jinpo has deep enmity with the Great Jin, so it's only fair that they give up cities and land. However, we have never killed innocent people from the Great Jin..." Envoy A suddenly paused, his face turning pale, "Do you remember that one of the charges against the Xie family was colluding with the enemy and betraying the country?"
"Isn't it Jinpo who colluded with the Xie family?" Other envoys were puzzled, "What does this have to do with us?"
Envoy A's face turned white as a sheet, "I've heard that the Xie family proposed to the Emperor of Great Jin to modify the conventions of Great Jin according to our Daimao's conventions and etiquette. Do you think the one colluding with the Xie family might be one of our Daimao's ministers or..."
A prince?
Envoy A glanced at He Yuanting, who sat at the head of the table, unable to bring himself to utter the remaining two words.
He Yuanting looked at Envoy A for a moment, then remained silent. After a long pause, he stood up and said, "Benwang will try to see Emperor Changlong. If things don't work out, we'll find another way."
"Your Highness, if Emperor Changlong doesn't want to let us go, he won't meet with you. Going to the palace will only bring embarrassment," Envoy B suggested, "Princess Yan is studying at the Imperial Academy. Why not let her seek help from the influential people there and have them inquire about it?"
He Yuanting smiled bitterly, "What does a little embarrassment matter? As long as all of you can safely return to our country, Benwang will be at ease."
Upon hearing these words, the envoys were moved to tears. The Third Prince was the legitimate son of the Empress, and for the sake of their return and the Daimao Kingdom, he had endured countless grievances.
As the envoys had anticipated, the imperial palace rejected He Yuanting's request to meet with Emperor Changlong, citing the Emperor's busy schedule and asking him to come back in a few days.
"Just two days ago, I saw the Great Jin's Crown Prince accompany his betrothed to buy jewelry. If Emperor Changlong is truly so busy, how can the Crown Prince, as the heir, have time to spend with a young lady?" Another envoy remarked.
The rest of the envoys fell silent. One envoy tried to console them, "Let's think positively. What if the Great Jin's Crown Prince is just a lazy person by nature?"
In that case, the next generation of the Great Jin would be in trouble.
Meanwhile, He Wang was unaware that the Daimao envoys were secretly envious of Jinpo's envoys to be finally able to leave Great Jin Kingdom. The Jinpo envoys had left the previous night, and when He Wang woke up in the morning, he put on his best clothes and confidently made his way to the Ministry of Justice.
Guided by the prison guards, He Wang stood before an old prison cell door.
He looked left and right but couldn't see his younger brother's figure, feeling somewhat disappointed. He had dressed so nicely, and if he couldn't provoke his younger brother, what was the point?
The prison warden held a bunch of keys and opened the door to an adjacent cell, addressing a chatty inmate who couldn't stop talking, "You, come out."
"Alright!" the talkative prisoner stood up and patted A'Da's shoulder, "Brother, wait for me to come back. I'll continue telling you the glorious deeds of my ancestors."
A'Da silently said "get lost" to him.
Since being locked up with this chatterbox, he had realized that death wasn't the most terrifying thing; the most terrifying thing was being tormented like this. But with his dant'ian1Dantian, dan t'ian, dan tien or tan t'ien is loosely translated as "elixir field", "sea of qi", or simply "energy center". Dantian are the "qi focus flow centers", important focal points for meditative and exercise techniques such as qigong, martial arts such as t'ai chi ch'uan, and in traditional Chinese medicine disabled and his martial arts skills gone, he couldn't defeat this person in a fight and could only endure it forcefully.
He glanced at He Wang, who stood outside the cell door, dressed in luxurious clothing, and then lay down on his side.
For him, even a moment of temporary silence was the ultimate pleasure.
"Eldest Brother, are you being locked up too?"
Just as He Wang was feeling lost, the obese man in the neighboring cell spoke up. Seeing the greasy, dirty face, the scrounged chin, and the belly that couldn't be hidden by his clothes, He Wang took a step back, unable to help but ask the prison guard, "Does the Ministry of Justice prison in Great Jin also detain wild boar demons?"
"What do you mean by wild boar demons? Where are there monsters in this world?" the prison guard lifted his chin with a meaningful smile, "Isn't this your younger brother?"
He Wang fell silent.
Although he found his younger brother extremely unpleasant, his conscience told him that his younger brother wasn't that ugly.
The two brothers faced each other through the cell door, silently gazing at each other for a while before He Wang turned around and walked away.
"Eldest Brother, Eldest Brother..." Prince A'Wa reached out his arm, trying to hold back He Wang, but He Wang walked faster and faster, almost running, until he disappeared from Prince A'Wa's sight.
If he didn't run faster, he would burst out laughing in front of Great Jin's prison guards.
Prince A'Wa waited for a long time in the neighboring cell but never saw the talkative inmate return. As night fell, he couldn't help but ask the prison guard about the whereabouts of the talkative prisoner.
"Him?" The prison guard looked at Prince A'Wa with a knowing smile, "He has served his sentence. You won't see him again."
Prince A'Wa was stunned, "Say, can prisoners in the Ministry of Justice wear jewelry?"
The prison guard chuckled softly and did not answer the question. He just hummed a tune and walked away.
Under the slightly subtle gaze of Zhang Daren, Hua Liuli understood why she was summoned to the Ministry of Justice.
"What the three of you mean is that you want me to find out whose handwriting in the palace matches the one on this letter?" Hua Liuli picked up the letter and found the sentence -- "Hua Liuli has captured the Crown Prince's heart. To prevent accidents, she must be killed" -- particularly striking.
"Please, Junzhu, lend us a hand," Zhang Shuo stood up and bowed to Hua Liuli, "The noble status of the women in the palace and the precious calligraphy make it inappropriate for them to fall into the hands of the Ministry of Justice officials. We have no other options."
Although there were not many consorts in the imperial harem, they were all the Emperor's women. It wouldn't be appropriate for a group of Ministry of Justice officials to demand their calligraphy treasures. They had to find a more subtle way to seek assistance from someone of the same gender.
Now, with the mastermind behind the scenes hidden, while they were themselves out in the open, they couldn't easily seek help. What if the person they sought help from turned out to be the real culprit?
After careful consideration, they found the most suitable candidate in Fushou Junzhu. Firstly, the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Crown Prince all valued Fushou Junzhu. Secondly, Fushou Junzhu frequently entered the palace, making her the most suitable person for this task.
"Zhang Daren, you are too polite," Hua Liuli stood up and returned the gesture, "I will do my best, but I cannot guarantee success."
"Junzhu, we are already immensely grateful for your willingness to help," Zhang Shuo happily said, "If there is anything you need from the Ministry of Justice, please let us know."
Hua Liuli nodded and walked out of Zhang Shuo's office. In the large hall outside, several officials were busy transcribing documents. Their writing speed was extremely fast, and in no time, they had transcribed several lines of text. Some even wielded brushes in both hands, writing on two sheets of paper simultaneously.
Truly, the mysterious the Ministry of Justice was a place of hidden talents.
Hua Liuli was amazed and developed an inexplicable admiration for the Ministry of Justice.
With the fall of the Xie family and Princess Leyang's suicide attempt, the consorts in the imperial harem had become extremely quiet. Even Consort Xian, who used to cry and complain the most, now obediently stayed in her palace, not daring to provoke Emperor Changlong.
The Eldest Prince of Jinpo, He Wang cautiously followed behind the eunuchs and entered the main hall of the Chengyang Palace. He was supposed to meet Emperor Changlong three days ago, but due to the Xie family incident, he was stopped at the palace gate. He had to wait for three days in the guest residence before finally receiving the summons from Emperor Changlong.
Compared to the Jinpo Palace, the Great Jin Palace had an air of elegance and refinement. He Wang dared not look around and instead performed his greetings properly before presenting the letter handwritten by his father.
"Your generosity is unnecessary. you are here in the Great Jin to learn and would not spend much. Why offer a city as a gift?" Emperor Changlong smiled, showing his appreciation, "Since you insist, Zhen will reluctantly accept it."
He Wang thought to himself, if you didn't reluctantly accept it, how could the officials in Jinpo feel at ease?
After suffering such a significant defeat, Jinpo had already lost his courage. Everyone because so timid that they worried in their dreams that the Hua family's army would invade the imperial city.
"Your title is He?" The Crown Prince sitting nearby looked at He Wang, "This title is good. Harmony is paramount in all matters. It is touching that the monarch of your country has such an understanding. Gu was initially worried about what would happen if your country did not comprehend the importance of peace."
Upon hearing this, He Wang trembled and quickly replied, "Under the summoning of the esteemed Emperor Changlong, our entire country cherishes peace and will never invade another country."
"Both Zhen and Zhen's beloved son are people who cherish peace," Emperor Changlong smiled with satisfaction, "It's good that your country shares the same ideals."
He Wang wanted to cry but had no tears. If it wasn't good, would he be beaten?
However, relieved by the affirmative response from Great Jin, He Wang finally relaxed. According to Great Jin's intentions, as long as Jinpo did not offend Great Jin, Great Jin would not wage war against them.
Understanding this point, He Wang repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
"It seems that He Wang hasn't seen the Second Prince of Jinpo for a long time and must be yearning to meet him."
He Wang: No, I don't miss him at all.
"The Second Prince of your country had killed our people, a crime that is unforgivable. Considering that your esteemed father has offered us several cities, our country can spare his life, but he must spend the rest of his life in the Ministry of Justice dungeon," the Crown Prince glanced at He Wang, who had a relieved expression on his face, and smirked, "However, our country is not unreasonable and will not prevent brothers from meeting each other. From now on, you will be allowed to visit the Second Prince in the Ministry of Justice dungeon once every month."
He Wang was initially stunned but then happily expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Your Royal Highness, for your great kindness."
From childhood to adulthood, he and his mother had endured countless insults and abuses from his second brother and his second brother's mother. Now he finally had the opportunity for revenge and he wouldn't easily let it go.
A gentleman takes ten years to seek revenge!
When He Wang left the palace, he took with him an imperial edict granting permission for Jinpo's envoys to leave the Great Jin. The envoys from Jinpo, upon seeing this edict, burst into tears of joy.
For almost two months, they had been too afraid to leave their residences in the Great Jin, fearing that they would be spat on. Finally, they could be relieved. That night, they left the Great Jin Capital secretly, without looking back, carrying their packed belongings.
"I never want to come to this cursed place again," one of Jinpo's envoys sat on horseback and looked back at the towering city walls of the capital with lingering fear.
The Great Jin's capital city was truly eerie, incredibly eerie.
When they returned, they would have to be more polite to the women around them. After encountering women from Great Jin, they realized that many of their Jinpo's most formidable women deserved the term "gentle as water".
Early the next morning, the envoys from the Daimao Kingdom learned about Jinpo's envoys leaving the capital. They gathered together, contemplating how to approach Emperor Changlong and request permission to return home.
"The initial excuse for Great Jin keeping us here was to treat us all equally. Now that Jinpo's envoys have already left the capital, there is no reason to continue detaining us," Envoy A anxiously suggested, "Why don't we visit Emperor Changlong today and plead with him to allow us to return home?"
"Do you know why Emperor Changlong released them so readily?" Envoy B, who had gathered information, lifted a cup of cold tea from the table and drank two large sips, "Not only did Jinpo send their Eldest Prince, but they also offered a city to Emperor Changlong as the Eldest Prince's tuition and living expenses."
The Jinpo Kingdom, which had ruthlessly slaughtered the people of Great Jin in the past, was now kneeling obediently.
"Jinpo has deep enmity with the Great Jin, so it's only fair that they give up cities and land. However, we have never killed innocent people from the Great Jin..." Envoy A suddenly paused, his face turning pale, "Do you remember that one of the charges against the Xie family was colluding with the enemy and betraying the country?"
"Isn't it Jinpo who colluded with the Xie family?" Other envoys were puzzled, "What does this have to do with us?"
Envoy A's face turned white as a sheet, "I've heard that the Xie family proposed to the Emperor of Great Jin to modify the conventions of Great Jin according to our Daimao's conventions and etiquette. Do you think the one colluding with the Xie family might be one of our Daimao's ministers or..."
A prince?
Envoy A glanced at He Yuanting, who sat at the head of the table, unable to bring himself to utter the remaining two words.
He Yuanting looked at Envoy A for a moment, then remained silent. After a long pause, he stood up and said, "Benwang will try to see Emperor Changlong. If things don't work out, we'll find another way."
"Your Highness, if Emperor Changlong doesn't want to let us go, he won't meet with you. Going to the palace will only bring embarrassment," Envoy B suggested, "Princess Yan is studying at the Imperial Academy. Why not let her seek help from the influential people there and have them inquire about it?"
He Yuanting smiled bitterly, "What does a little embarrassment matter? As long as all of you can safely return to our country, Benwang will be at ease."
Upon hearing these words, the envoys were moved to tears. The Third Prince was the legitimate son of the Empress, and for the sake of their return and the Daimao Kingdom, he had endured countless grievances.
As the envoys had anticipated, the imperial palace rejected He Yuanting's request to meet with Emperor Changlong, citing the Emperor's busy schedule and asking him to come back in a few days.
"Just two days ago, I saw the Great Jin's Crown Prince accompany his betrothed to buy jewelry. If Emperor Changlong is truly so busy, how can the Crown Prince, as the heir, have time to spend with a young lady?" Another envoy remarked.
The rest of the envoys fell silent. One envoy tried to console them, "Let's think positively. What if the Great Jin's Crown Prince is just a lazy person by nature?"
In that case, the next generation of the Great Jin would be in trouble.
Meanwhile, He Wang was unaware that the Daimao envoys were secretly envious of Jinpo's envoys to be finally able to leave Great Jin Kingdom. The Jinpo envoys had left the previous night, and when He Wang woke up in the morning, he put on his best clothes and confidently made his way to the Ministry of Justice.
Guided by the prison guards, He Wang stood before an old prison cell door.
He looked left and right but couldn't see his younger brother's figure, feeling somewhat disappointed. He had dressed so nicely, and if he couldn't provoke his younger brother, what was the point?
The prison warden held a bunch of keys and opened the door to an adjacent cell, addressing a chatty inmate who couldn't stop talking, "You, come out."
"Alright!" the talkative prisoner stood up and patted A'Da's shoulder, "Brother, wait for me to come back. I'll continue telling you the glorious deeds of my ancestors."
A'Da silently said "get lost" to him.
Since being locked up with this chatterbox, he had realized that death wasn't the most terrifying thing; the most terrifying thing was being tormented like this. But with his dant'ian1Dantian, dan t'ian, dan tien or tan t'ien is loosely translated as "elixir field", "sea of qi", or simply "energy center". Dantian are the "qi focus flow centers", important focal points for meditative and exercise techniques such as qigong, martial arts such as t'ai chi ch'uan, and in traditional Chinese medicine disabled and his martial arts skills gone, he couldn't defeat this person in a fight and could only endure it forcefully.
He glanced at He Wang, who stood outside the cell door, dressed in luxurious clothing, and then lay down on his side.
For him, even a moment of temporary silence was the ultimate pleasure.
"Eldest Brother, are you being locked up too?"
Just as He Wang was feeling lost, the obese man in the neighboring cell spoke up. Seeing the greasy, dirty face, the scrounged chin, and the belly that couldn't be hidden by his clothes, He Wang took a step back, unable to help but ask the prison guard, "Does the Ministry of Justice prison in Great Jin also detain wild boar demons?"
"What do you mean by wild boar demons? Where are there monsters in this world?" the prison guard lifted his chin with a meaningful smile, "Isn't this your younger brother?"
He Wang fell silent.
Although he found his younger brother extremely unpleasant, his conscience told him that his younger brother wasn't that ugly.
The two brothers faced each other through the cell door, silently gazing at each other for a while before He Wang turned around and walked away.
"Eldest Brother, Eldest Brother..." Prince A'Wa reached out his arm, trying to hold back He Wang, but He Wang walked faster and faster, almost running, until he disappeared from Prince A'Wa's sight.
If he didn't run faster, he would burst out laughing in front of Great Jin's prison guards.
Prince A'Wa waited for a long time in the neighboring cell but never saw the talkative inmate return. As night fell, he couldn't help but ask the prison guard about the whereabouts of the talkative prisoner.
"Him?" The prison guard looked at Prince A'Wa with a knowing smile, "He has served his sentence. You won't see him again."
Prince A'Wa was stunned, "Say, can prisoners in the Ministry of Justice wear jewelry?"
The prison guard chuckled softly and did not answer the question. He just hummed a tune and walked away.
