But fantasy remained fantasy. If she wanted to act like a madwoman, she’d use Lian Yu’s head to hit the pillar, otherwise that would truly be the act of a fool.

After Xuanwu and the others left, she only asked coldly, “Why?”

Lian Yu sat in the hall, “What why?”

“Why do you ask when you know the answer!” Suzhen sneered. “Why drag Li Zhaoting into the case?”

“Are you feeling sorry for him?” Lian Yu raised his eyebrows.

Suzhen was both shocked and angry, that fire burning so intensely she wanted to rush forward—

“I have no relationship whatsoever with Li Zhaoting, and I don’t feel sorry for him.” She had wanted to say, “You’re right, I do feel sorry for him,” and have a fight to the death.

But though she no longer loved Li Zhaoting, she wouldn’t harm him like this.

She only gritted her teeth and said, “This case has nothing to do with him. I don’t need other unrelated people involved in my case handling. The result would be that he doesn’t respect me, and I don’t respect him. Is my explanation clear and understandable enough?”

Lian Yu suddenly stood up, his eyes clearly showing ruthlessness.

“I don’t need to understand. The one who needs to understand is you, who didn’t bring your brain when you left home! First, if you can’t solve my mother’s death case, you’ll never be allowed to touch this Gu Shuangcheng case. Second, if you truly make such progress as to solve my mother’s case, then let me give you another reminder: if you make as big a mess in this Gu Shuangcheng case as you did when trying Pei Fengji, this time no one will clean up after you. When responsibility is pursued to the person handling the case, I’ll have Li Zhaoting die in your place! Whether you cherish him or not, I have no tender feelings for him whatsoever! Do you understand now?”

Having said this, he sneered and swept his sleeves as he entered the inner hall.

Leaving Suzhen standing there alone, her heart growing cold.

From the moment Aluo asked her to take on the Gu Shuangcheng case, she had felt something unusual about it. But at that time, she couldn’t take the case without setting aside personal feelings. When Gu Nanguang filed his complaint and she heard everything that made her heart race, and then Dowager Consort Ai appeared—she hadn’t known her identity initially, but when Quan and Li bowed to her, she realized it was this Dowager Consort. She understood this case was a trap, but Consort Ai had said Lian Yu only served the people when needed.

Faced with people’s doubtful and disheartened gazes, she had no choice but to take the case. She couldn’t let common people feel they had no recourse and become disheartened.

She understood Lian Yu’s meaning. The Jade Consort matter was also confusing and nearly impossible to overturn. He was using this to compress time. As for Shuangcheng’s death, probably only a few people knew some inside information, including Dowager Consort Ai and Lian Yu. If she investigated and found the truth, the heavens might change!

Should she be grateful or resentful that even though they had become like strangers, he still considered her safety? He dragged Li Zhaoting into this—in the past she might not have understood his intention, but after his words just now and what she’d witnessed in court these past two years, how could she not understand?

First, he suspected Quan Feitong and was using Li Zhaoting as a weapon against him.

Second, if someday she truly discovered something earth-shattering in the Shuangcheng case but couldn’t hold the main culprit accountable, then the Ministry of Justice would still be right, and someone must bear responsibility for the “wrong” results she uncovered. Then he would use Li Zhaoting as her scapegoat.

Third, he knew about her past with Li Zhaoting. If she cherished Li Zhaoting and wanted to protect his life, even if she discovered something, she couldn’t expose what shouldn’t be exposed.

Lian Yu, oh Lian Yu.

She stepped out of the Golden Palace Hall, looking toward the blinding sun.

That brilliant golden light stung her eyes so she couldn’t open them. She sought to act with a clear conscience, but who would praise such foolish behavior?

On the gavel in the Judicial Commissioner’s office, two characters were carved, which she had discovered unintentionally while trying cases.

She didn’t know if they were carved by the previous Judicial Commissioner, or by her father, or by even earlier predecessors.

“Redress wrongs.”

She looked back once at the Golden Palace Hall, then finally walked quickly into the scorching sun.

At the Quan residence, Quan Feitong glanced indifferently at Aluo once but didn’t mention personal grievances, only asking her to keep them company. He apologized to Tingyu and the others, saying he had urgent matters to attend to. Tingyu smiled tolerantly, saying it didn’t matter and telling him to go ahead. He quickly left with Chao Huang.

Though Aluo was happy to see her master, her heart remained tense.

She remembered something that happened before she went to pay respects at Shuangcheng’s grave. She had taken Mei’er to the Gu residence first, intending to pay a courtesy visit, but thinking that once everything was revealed, Gu Nanguang would surely react violently, she went nearby to buy paper, brush, ink and inkstone, wrote a letter, and had Mei’er deliver it to the gatekeeper.

The letter described what had happened back then.

She told him that Xiao’an was very likely the murderer. At that time, she hadn’t suggested finding Li Huaisu to retry the case, only saying she would find a way to have Lian Yu assign someone to investigate and find the killer.

After all, he had treated her extremely well all these years. She had planned to broach the subject herself first. If Feng Suzhen refused, then she would have Gu Nanguang test the waters.

Later, when Lian Yu and she confirmed their feelings, she abandoned the idea. Though Feng Suzhen hadn’t agreed, she also didn’t have Gu Nanguang step forward again.

She hadn’t expected Feng Suzhen to still charge headlong into this.

Was she determined to compete with her in front of Lian Yu to prove who was superior? Very well, let there be a contest then. Her champion examination, her major national case—she too wanted to see what this person would do when the murderer turned out to be the Great Zhou Empress Dowager, the emperor’s beloved foster mother!

“Shuangcheng—no, you just explained to your teacher, I should change how I address you.”

Tingyu’s gentle voice interrupted her contemplation.

Aluo quickly stood up, her face showing guilt. “Teacher, it’s this student’s fault for deceiving you all these years.”

Tingyu shook his head, his gaze kind and profound. “What is there to blame? This was your secret, your difficulty. What is there for me to reproach? I only hope that no matter what you encounter, you never forget your original intention.”

“This student respectfully remembers the teacher’s instruction.” Aluo nodded, but there was something she had always found strange. “This student doesn’t understand—why did Teacher choose to help His Majesty this time?”

Tingyu replied, “It’s not really helping. I understand that your senior brother and His Majesty have different political views.”

“In my lifetime, I’ve taken countless disciples, adhering to the principle of teaching without discrimination. But what path they should take is not for me to decide. Right and wrong in this world are difficult to determine. Who is right and who is wrong—that’s for history to judge, or sometimes even history cannot decide. One can only ask oneself. From when His Majesty was Crown Prince, his actions over these ten years have had merits and faults, but the merits far outweigh the faults. He can be considered a once-in-a-century ruler. Universal imperial examinations benefit the world. If we can contribute even a small part, why not be happy to do so?”

“Moreover, as a monarch, sending invitation cards to opposing ministers and entrusting us to handle them—just for this broad-mindedness alone, we should do something,” said Shiyu beside them, stroking his beard and smiling.

Aluo was both surprised and delighted, but still puzzled. “How dare he be certain that senior brother would…”

Tingyu smiled slightly. “That would be the communication between those two. Your senior brother also seems to agree that women should take the examinations, just hasn’t proposed it.”

Quan Feitong had always been unpredictable in temperament; no one could guess his thoughts. Aluo couldn’t help but nod.

Mingjing spoke little. She also politely said, “Finally, thanks to Master Jing bringing distant guests to help.”

Mingjing shook his head. “Miss speaks too highly. That was truly His Majesty’s arrangement. Those two aren’t Mingjing’s friends.”

Aluo was surprised and silent for a moment. “Jin Kingdom aside, but now Great Zhou is allied with Wei Kingdom. Chu Kingdom has always regarded Wei Kingdom as a great enemy. If His Majesty stepped forward, how could he possibly move Chu Kingdom ministers?”

“His Majesty once wrote to the Chu King, mentioning that Great Zhou wanted to implement women’s examinations, asking if the Chu King believed this policy could succeed. The Chu King declared it absolutely impossible. His Majesty then said that as long as the Chu King would lend him one minister, great things could be accomplished. This is roughly it. How exactly the two negotiated, we don’t know very clearly.”

Aluo’s heart filled with joy. This joy momentarily overwhelmed the earlier agitation from competing with Feng Suzhen. Tingyu and the others were her elders. Hearing elders praise her husband—how could she not be happy?

She said, “Teacher and the two masters shouldn’t rush to leave. Today was senior brother gathering with you old friends. His Majesty still owes you a palace banquet in gratitude.”

The three exchanged glances, their expressions showing some gravity and complexity.

“Teacher?”

Tingyu scooped up some tea leaves with the tea lid. “His Majesty also mentioned the banquet. We will stay for some time, but whether to eat this meal or not is ordinary. Within months in the capital, I fear great events will occur. We want to stay and see.”

“Great events?” Aluo was quite shocked. For something to make even Tingyu so tense, it must be momentous. “Teacher, did you divine something through divination? What kind of great event? Is it calamity? Where does the disaster originate—”

“Mm, I previously divined regarding the universal imperial examinations, using the capital as the subject, wanting to see success or failure. But the result showed numbers of misfortune—someone who affects Great Zhou’s destiny will die.”

Aluo was so shocked she dropped her teacup. “Will His Majesty be in trouble?”

“His Majesty has the bearing of an emperor. Your master cannot casually divine and calculate for him. This violates the natural order and will backfire. Both the divination subject and the diviner will face calamity,” Shiyu said quietly. “Miss, please be at ease. His Majesty is a dragon among men—how could he easily come to harm?”

Aluo finally relaxed, but seeing the tea leaves in the covered bowl, her heart stirred. “Teacher, could you divine for Aluo as well?”

Tingyu paused upon hearing this. “Life has its own encounters. Sometimes knowing fortune and misfortune isn’t a blessing.”

“Please grant this, Teacher!”

Seeing Aluo’s determination, Tingyu had the household bring fresh water and tea, brewing anew…

After complex procedures, the teacup formed a pattern on the table. The three looked at it, and the usually quiet Mingjing exclaimed “Oh!” in great surprise. “Miss’s destiny is noble among the noble. This Virtuous Consort title may not be the end.”

Leaving the imperial city, Suzhen dismally discovered that Wu Qing and the others had already returned home. However, near where they had been waiting for her, there was one more person.

She wasn’t in the mood to greet this person she would have to work with on cases that would cause her enough grief. After walking just a few steps, her wrist hurt.