Imperial Palace

“Women’s imperial examinations?” Shuangcheng couldn’t help but be somewhat shocked. Over there, Xiao Mei was so astonished that her mouth fell open.

Lian Jie nodded, but then said, “It can’t be directly called women’s imperial examinations—it’s universal imperial examinations, regardless of gender. Sixth Brother says that our predecessors looked down on women and valued men, but now it’s also inappropriate to value women while suppressing men. Only through universal participation can there be true equality.”

“Sixth Brother raised this idea in court early on. The court ministers at the time found it inconceivable, but later, after experiencing Li Huaisu’s success in the examinations and becoming an official, and the Minzhou women’s trials, when Sixth Brother issued his decree, women’s schools in various regions sprouted like bamboo shoots after spring rain. Sixth Brother says that now is about the right time.”

“However, Li Huaisu’s matter is currently known only to a few people in the inner court. Once the new examination policy is announced, it will inevitably cause a sensation throughout the realm. I’m afraid that in most common people’s eyes, challenging ancestral family rules and letting hens crow at dawn would be like a flood or fierce beast. When the time comes, how many women will actually dare to take the examinations, resisting the three obediences and four virtues? And among these women, how many would truly have the ability to compete with male scholars who have been preparing for the imperial examinations since childhood, well-read in poetry and books with aspirations for official advancement?”

Shuangcheng kept nodding, then suddenly lowered her voice and asked, “Under these circumstances, has His Majesty considered having the examiners provide relevant information to favor female candidates, to take the lead?”

Hearing this, Yan Da actually smiled and said, “Young Mistress is astute. How could there be no one behind every reform? The court’s support is certain, but His Majesty also said that any innovation needs to be done step by step, solidly. The tallest tree catches the wind—it’s not necessarily required to take first place, but there must be women who can reach the palace examinations. But is it over once women reach the palace examinations? At that time, there will definitely be renowned scholars and great Confucians questioning these people’s true learning. Therefore, no matter how much manipulation there is, the candidates must possess real talent and learning to respond to the world’s people when facing intense scrutiny. Only then can the first step of this transformation be completed.”

“Aluo understands,” Shuangcheng’s heart was filled with excitement. “If the Princess Imperial is willing to come forward and take the examinations, it would further demonstrate the imperial family’s determination for reform, encouraging more women to take the examinations. When it really comes to scholarly debates, with the Princess Imperial’s learning, though she may not necessarily surpass all the men in the realm, she would still be outstanding.”

“Exactly so.” Si Lanfeng and Gao Chaoyi answered in unison.

This time, the two rarely spoke with one voice.

“Currently,” Lian Qin interjected, “Sixth Brother and we have all separately contacted a group of court officials’ wives and female relatives. There are quite a few eager to try, and through local officials’ reports, we’ve learned about the outstanding situation of women’s schools in various regions. Now we have people from both the common folk and official families.”

“Although our Imperial Sister is confused about Huo Chang’an’s matter in various ways, her poetic and literary talents are exceptional and outstanding. In the imperial family, no one is more suitable than her. It’s just that now she’s at the Dowager Consort’s residence, almost never leaving her quarters.”

Several people’s faces showed considerable helplessness. Lian Jie spoke quite politely, saying that if Shuangcheng could talk with the Princess Imperial and inspire her to take the examinations, that would be perfect.

Shuangcheng looked at everyone and spoke slowly, word by word, “If Aluo cannot persuade the Princess Imperial, would you be willing to let me try?”

The bright moon hung in the sky with clear radiance. She spoke with a smile, and everyone was stunned upon hearing this.

Imperial Study

Lian Yu instructed Xuanwu, “Go out of the palace for me and deliver a visiting card.”

“A visiting card?” Xuanwu was somewhat shocked. “Your Majesty, you are the sovereign, the other party is a subject…”

“How verbose you are! Just say that I have matters to discuss with him—half official, half private.” Lian Yu’s voice turned cold.

Quan Residence

When Suzhen was leaving, Quan Feitong escorted her to the gate, but Suzhen stopped him. “Just to here. I can return by myself.”

Seeing her determination, Quan Feitong didn’t insist, only suddenly smiled and asked, “Do you still have Li Zhaoting in your heart?”

Suzhen was slightly stunned, then heard him say, “You tore his sleeves badly.”

Suzhen silently cursed—she must have mistaken Li Zhaoting for that person. She didn’t want to have any more entanglements with Li Zhaoting, so she answered very seriously, “Speaking from the heart, I must have been confused from sleep at the time. I’d rather tear Your Lordship’s pants than pull his sleeves.”

Quan Feitong’s eyes lit up with laughter. “What should I do? Though you still won’t agree to me, this minister is even more determined in my resolve to never give up until I reach the Yellow River.”

“I’ll come pick you up for court tomorrow.”

Suzhen thought to herself: I’m not going to court—I’m starting to work on cases.

She didn’t return to the Court of Judicial Review first. Now that Lian Yu had withdrawn the hidden guards from around her residence, she wanted to go somewhere.

Half an hour later, she arrived at the Ministry of Justice offices.

Since it was nighttime, Minister of Justice Xiao Yue wasn’t at the offices. The matter of her relationship with Lian Yu souring was currently known only within a small circle, and even Minister Xiao didn’t yet know, let alone a few record-keeping clerks.

Therefore, she quickly entered the Ministry of Justice archives again under the pretext that the Court of Judicial Review needed to examine old Ministry records for investigating a wrongful conviction case.

However, this time, she couldn’t find the Feng family file she had seen before. This document seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Fearing that staying too long would arouse suspicion, she soon came out.

Would her brother still come to find her? If he really came, what could she show him? Where on earth had that damned horoscope gone? Why?!

She was secretly alarmed but showed no emotion, only temporarily suppressing the problem in her heart as she returned to the Court of Judicial Review.

As night deepened, the night passed without incident.

The next day, Quan Feitong indeed came to escort her to court. She had Uncle Fu send this gentleman away. Around lunchtime, she drove Xiao Zhou and the others all to the main hall. She didn’t dare touch Wuqing, and Tieshou looked too honest, so after thinking, she decided to teach Zhuiming a lesson.

“Making you sell me out—let’s see if you dare next time, if you dare!”

“Help…”

Zhuiming was beaten until his head was covered in bumps, howling as he ran around everywhere. Xiao Zhou was laughing wickedly on the side. After Suzhen finished teaching him a lesson, she announced, “Alright, everyone has rested enough. It’s time to close the case at hand.”

Hearing this, everyone was somewhat stunned. Zhuiming reached over and shouted, “Li Huaisu, are you alright?”

“The case you have at hand now is… His Majesty’s mother’s case. Last time we suffered heavy losses—not to mention nearly dying in the tomb ambush, not to mention the mysterious forces blocking us behind the scenes, not to mention that Consort Yu’s remains have turned to ash with no evidence remaining—it’s simply impossible to solve the case. Given how you and he are now, you’re still working cases for him? What are you thinking?!” Zhuiming roared angrily, waving his sleeve and grabbing the teapot from the table to pour water directly into his mouth.

“Zhuiming, if you can’t speak properly, don’t speak. What could our Huaisu possibly want from him?” Tieshou shouted.

“I’m just feeling sorry for her!” Zhuiming’s face turned red as he stood up and stamped his feet.

Wuqing also spoke up at this time, her gaze extremely sharp. “Huaisu, Zhuiming’s words are crude but the reasoning isn’t wrong. This case—the Emperor told you not to handle it anymore because you were in danger before. Now that he’s treating you this way, by both emotion and reason you shouldn’t continue working on it. If you don’t do it, by heaven and earth’s conscience, there’s nothing wrong with it publicly or privately. Why torture yourself like this!”

Suzhen looked over and saw Tieshou nodding, and even Xiao Zhou didn’t object this time.

“Yes, His Majesty said to stop meddling in Consort Yu’s case. Shouldn’t we seek good fortune and avoid disaster? You can work on other cases that would definitely make him look at you with new eyes.”

“Do you really still want him to look at you with new eyes?”

However, this statement from Xiao Zhou excited even Tieshou, and Zhuiming was howling even more, glaring at Suzhen with the frustration of iron not becoming steel.

“Li Huaisu, if you really wanted to get close to him again, you should have gone up earlier to compete with that Gu Xiluo. We gave you the opportunity, didn’t we? Bringing you before him—he would definitely have felt guilty then, and you could have used many methods, rather than risking your life and property to attract his attention! You didn’t take Gu Shuangcheng’s case, and I was still happy about it. You want to serve the people’s cause—there are plenty of wrongful convictions in this world. Why demean yourself like this!” Wuqing felt there was no meaning in listening further, coldly finished speaking, and turned to leave.

“Stand right there!”

Suzhen also spoke coldly.

She glanced at several people. “Regarding Consort Yu’s case, I don’t care if she’s Lian Yu’s mother or anyone else’s mother. This woman died violently in the palace years ago—this is one injustice. Now someone has ground her bones to dust—this is a second injustice. That day, two coroners followed us into the tomb to examine the remains and died tragically in the tomb—this is a third injustice. I haven’t forgotten for a moment the scene when the families learned of the coroners’ deaths, crying and kneeling before me, begging me to find the killer and avenge their husbands and sons.”

“In this world, any case involving the powerful and wealthy—which one doesn’t have danger? Just because there’s danger, should I not handle it?”

“When I initially took the imperial examinations, it wasn’t for fame or to become an official—I only wanted to clear my parents’ name and reunite with Young Master Li. But through a series of mishaps, I became a judicial official.”

“Someone sitting in this position must overturn wrongful convictions for the people, must let them see justice done and reunite with their wives, children, and families. Since I occupy this position, I must do the work!”

“If I wanted to reconcile with Lian Yu, I indeed wouldn’t necessarily need to put myself in danger. If I wanted to completely avoid Lian Yu, I could just abandon this official position and roll back to Huai County. But this is my job. I’ve done nothing wrong. Why should I avoid it? If I avoid it, not only would I be failing the dead, but without enough experience to handle it, how would I fight the biggest battle of my life—the Feng family case?”

“If you’re willing to advance and retreat together with me, I’m grateful. If not, feel free! I didn’t take Gu Shuangcheng’s case because I had personal considerations. This case—I cannot avoid it any longer!”

In the hall, everyone fell completely silent. Each person turned their face aside, their expressions both shocked and complex, except for Wuqing, who was facing away from everyone with unknown thoughts.

Suzhen said nothing more and walked past Wuqing toward the exit of the main hall.

“But how would you begin this case? The assassins who attacked the tomb that day are dead. Even spreading their portraits throughout the martial world yielded no clues about their origins. If you say the assassins were related to whoever killed Consort Yu years ago, that lead is completely severed. If they’re unrelated, it’s even more troublesome—you’d be investigating two groups of killers. If you want to investigate starting from Consort Yu herself, previously you could still examine bones to determine the specific cause of death, but now that Consort Yu is completely gone, what can you do?”

Xiao Zhou suddenly spoke, frowning as he looked at her.

“Remember what I said before I was captured—I want to reconstruct all the circumstances before Consort Yu’s death, see who she had connections with, and unravel this thread by thread to find the killer.”

Suzhen turned around and answered slowly.

“What do you need us to do? How should we cooperate with you?” Tieshou quickly asked.

“Count me in too.” Zhuiming mumbled.

Suzhen’s lips curved slightly upward. Finally, her gaze fell on Wuqing.

Wuqing said nothing, only turned around and pulled Xiao Zhou along. “We’re going out.”

Xiao Zhou frowned. “You’re not taking a stance—what does that mean?”

“Aren’t you the smartest? Times are different now. The Court of Judicial Review entering the palace always requires the Emperor’s permission, right?” Wuqing said flatly, then extended her hand toward Suzhen. “Since you wouldn’t want to see the Emperor now, you must have written a letter, right?”

Suzhen smiled deeply.

However, the news that Wuqing and Xiao Zhou brought back was that after the letter was sent in, Qinglong personally came out and said the Emperor had ordered that Judicial Officer Li could not enter the palace to investigate the case.

Everyone was greatly disappointed, all looking toward Suzhen. Suzhen took a deep breath. “I’ll attend court tomorrow and request it personally.”

The next day, Quan Feitong came again.

When the door opened, Quan Feitong arrived and glanced sideways at Uncle Fu. “Where’s your master? Is he still in seclusion at home today? Never mind—this minister will come find her after court. She’s avoided me for two consecutive days. I don’t believe she has the nerve to keep avoiding me.”

Uncle Fu answered slowly, “She says you guessed wrong.”

Quan Feitong was slightly stunned. The Court of Judicial Review’s gate opened wide, and Suzhen slowly peeked out from behind Uncle Fu, her eyes slightly curved. “Third Lord, please!”

Black hair with official cap, winged ornaments on the cap sides, official robes with wide sleeves, sleeves embracing the clear breeze.

Quan Feitong laughed but also looked at her with some focused attention. Today he held a folding fan in his hand. With a flick of his fingers, the fan pointed toward two sedan chairs outside. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have traveled with them.”

Suzhen laughed heartily. “Without them, I still have these brothers of mine.”

“Excuse me.” Wuqing walked out from inside.

“Coming through.” Then came Tieshou.

“Move aside.” Zhuiming squeezed up with a steamed bun in his mouth.

“Get lost.” Xiao Zhou brought up the rear, fiercely waving his fist at him.

Quan Feitong was consecutively pushed four times. Both angry and amused, he glared hard at Suzhen. Chao Huang and Li Zhaoting respectively leaned out from their sedan chairs. Suzhen greeted them without favoritism. “Brother Li, my respects. Brother Chao, winter greetings.”

Chao Huang responded. Li Zhaoting quietly lowered the curtain of his sedan chair.

Suzhen didn’t mind—she’d find it strange if Li Zhaoting acknowledged her any day. She quickly got into her official sedan chair. Wuqing and the others guarded the four corners around the bearers.

On the road, she occasionally lifted the side curtain for fresh air and suddenly noticed quite a few onlookers on both sides of the street, pointing and discussing animatedly.

She couldn’t help but find it strange. Court officials went to court every day—the capital’s citizens should be accustomed to it. If it were like this every day, wouldn’t it waste their livelihoods? Thinking again, she understood—today she was traveling with Quan Feitong and others.

The citizens found it odd—how could righteousness and evil suddenly be traveling together?

Just as she was thinking this, Xiao Zhou’s face appeared. “Your intimate association with the treacherous minister—the people don’t like it. Be careful about losing popularity. The Emperor will be furious when he sees this too.”

“Precisely because Mu San and I have nothing going on, I’ve already avoided what I should avoid. He’s helped me several times. If I had to take detours even when going out, that would make me quite ungrateful. If I lose popularity, so be it. As for the Emperor…” she smiled, “he has Aluo now. How could he care about such things?”

She lowered the curtain, ending this topic that would still make her heart clench tightly.

“Who are those people over there?”

“Look, someone’s trying to stop the sedan chair!”

Outside, there was a commotion. Her sedan chair tilted to one side, and people were shouting continuously with amazement, their voices surging like a tide into her ears.

“Judicial Officer Li, please help me seek justice, I beg you, please…”

That aged, hoarse, weeping wail seemed to have experienced all of life’s misery, old and without support. It reminded her of that old gentleman in Minzhou prison—his face worn by a lifetime of hardship, rough hands, and ravine-like wrinkles. Her heart shuddered, and she unconsciously straightened up.

“Huaisu, don’t come out. In extraordinary times, be careful it’s an assassin’s trick.” Xiao Zhou’s alert voice also penetrated inside.

Wuqing also said quickly, “That’s right, wait a moment.”

Suzhen’s hand reaching for the curtain paused.

“No, wait, they’ve come out too. No, this is very wrong. This person looks familiar…”

At the side of the sedan chair, Xiao Zhou murmured strangely, as if seeing something incredibly unbelievable.

At this moment, the crowd actually quieted down. Suzhen’s heart grew increasingly suspicious. What sort of person had suddenly appeared? Though she was in the sedan chair in a narrow, confined space with limited vision, she could clearly sense that Quan Feitong, Li Zhaoting, and Chao Huang—the three traveling before and after her—had gotten out of their sedan chairs to investigate. That aura emanating from powerful, dominating men was truly awesome.

“So it’s him!”

With Xiao Zhou’s low exclamation, she finally lifted the curtain and stepped out.

At first glance, from the corner of her eye, Quan Feitong, Li Zhaoting, and Chao Huang were standing side by side, all staring ahead with extremely… subtle expressions.

Her heart skipped another beat!

Perhaps intimidated by these three men, the surrounding citizens were unusually quiet.

So quiet it was almost eerie.

This was an extremely prosperous street in the capital. There were already many people, and because they were watching the excitement between her and Quan Feitong, quite a few onlookers had gathered. Now, encountering someone blocking sedan chairs to file complaints, with these masses of dark heads and pairs of curious eyes, there were probably no fewer than a thousand people.

And all these people were looking at her and at this person standing before her. They seemed to be waiting for the complainant to state some shocking injustice, or for her to uncover some clues.

Finally, she focused her gaze on this person.

This was a man. He kept his head lowered, making it somewhat difficult to see his appearance clearly, but he had a thin build. White strands wound around blue silk on top of his head, with fine hair ornaments—a black-green everyday robe of expensive material. Yet his temples were disheveled, and his clothes were torn and filthy. He knelt on both knees, holding a petition tightly in both hands. His fingernails were dirty and black, covered in scabs, and the petition was raised high above his head.

His posture was extremely humble yet extremely dignified—this must be someone well-versed in etiquette! Suzhen narrowed her eyes slightly. His kneeling posture and the height of the petition were exactly right—one bit more would be excessive, one bit less would be insufficient. This person’s family circumstances were probably quite good.

But why would he be reduced to such a state?

What matter, what person was he trying to report? Moreover, his appearance was so shrouded in mystery that he didn’t seem to match his aged voice.

The fog of confusion in her heart grew ever thicker.

Her gaze involuntarily fell on the petition. That paper looked somewhat horrifying—large patches of crimson red rushed toward her.

Since becoming an official, she had handled quite a few major cases involving life and death, but she had never received a blood petition…

In the silence so profound that even a dropped needle could be heard, with everyone holding their breath waiting for something to happen, she finally spoke with her most powerful voice: “Who comes here, what do you report? You—raise your head.”

The man gave a bitter laugh and slowly raised his head. Suzhen was immediately greatly shocked.

No wonder Quan Feitong and all the others, even Xiao Zhou, were so astonished and bewildered.

It was the face of an older man, but still looked handsome and refined, scholarly and elegant. She couldn’t say she was very familiar with this person, but he was definitely not a stranger.

Because she often saw him at court.

His official position wasn’t high, but it wasn’t low either. In fact, when she won the top imperial examination honors years ago and rode through the imperial street, taking on the Mochou case afterward, half of it was thanks to this gentleman’s advocacy.

“Please, Judicial Officer Li, seek justice for this subordinate’s daughter Shuangcheng!”

The middle-aged man on the ground finally spoke through his tears, a pair of still-clear eyes now carved with grief and anguish.

Suzhen suppressed the thousand muddy horses and ten thousand little fairies galloping through her heart, trying her best to look appropriately shocked—no, composed. She cleared her throat and said, “Lord Gu, Huaisu has heard that His Majesty has already assigned this case to Minister Xiao of the Ministry of Justice. If this subordinate overreaches by taking the case, I fear it would be inappropriate emotionally and unreasonable legally.”