She lifted her steps and walked forward.
In the great hall, the Marquis of Pingyang sat in the seat of honor.
His severe, sharp eyes were fixed intently on the courtyard outside.
Until he saw his own daughter being supported by a maid as she entered.
Li Wenshu bowed slightly.
“Father.” Her voice was very calm.
No different from usual.
The Marquis of Pingyang asked, “Weren’t you supposed to go to the temple today?”
“Your daughter did not go.”
“Why not?” The Marquis of Pingyang clearly already knew she had gone to the Academy.
Li Wenshu remained composed, saying, “I went to the Academy.”
“What for?”
“Someone came to notify me that Ah Cheng was bringing people from the City Patrol Department to investigate the room where Du Mubai committed suicide all those years ago.” She spoke calmly, as if Du Mubai were someone completely unrelated to her!
The Marquis of Pingyang still wore a very stern expression as he asked, “So what did the investigation reveal in the end?”
Li Wenshu then explained the entire sequence of events from beginning to end.
“You’re saying that back then, the three who shared his room framed him for plagiarizing poetry?”
“Yes, and all three have already confessed!”
“As for Du Mubai’s murder, could it be related to those three?”
“Based on height comparisons, it wasn’t those three.”
“Mm!”
Mm?
Du Mubai had been a protégé of the Marquis of Pingyang’s household back then!
After hearing all this, not only did the Marquis of Pingyang not get angry, he merely uttered a single “mm.”
His reaction was rather too bland.
Li Wenshu said, “Academy Official Xiao He had hoped that Father would go stop Ah Cheng and prevent him from so rashly investigating the case, but because Father was not present, I went ahead. I should have advised Ah Cheng to first go to the Ministry of Justice before touching Du Mubai’s case, but the circumstances at the time left me no choice but to stand on Ah Cheng’s side.
If there are any repercussions, your daughter is willing to bear full responsibility. Please do not punish others, Father.”
The Marquis of Pingyang said, “Even if I had been present, I would have let Ah Cheng investigate. Fortunately, it wasn’t a false alarm. Since that’s the case, I will handle the aftermath of this case myself. You may return for now.”
“Yes!”
Li Wenshu bowed again.
And departed!
Just after Li Wenshu left, Li Qiao emerged from a side door, though no one knew when he had arrived.
He gazed at his sister’s departing figure, his heart aching.
“Why doesn’t Father speak plainly to Wenshu?” he asked.
The Marquis of Pingyang rose and walked several steps toward the hall entrance.
He heaved a long sigh.
“She has been so well-behaved and sensible since childhood—why must I expose what’s in her heart!”
Li Qiao also sighed, then asked, “So how should this case be handled now?”
“Let the Ministry of Justice decide first. If Ah Cheng encounters any difficulties, you as his older brother should help him promptly. If he can successfully overturn this case, it will be of great help to his future entry into the court.”
“Yes, your son understands.” Li Cheng still had concerns. “However, the officials who investigated Du Mubai’s case back then may be implicated, and among them are Father’s people as well. I fear that if this reaches the Prince, those officials will be dismissed.”
“That cannot be helped! They were careless in their investigation and made a wrong judgment. Such people are merely burdens to keep around. Excellence breeds naturally—those without ability are simply useless!”
“Understood!”
The Marquis of Pingyang gazed at the large tree in the courtyard whose branches were bent low by the heavy snow, his eyes gradually dimming.
…
Li Cheng took the case file written by Ji Yunshu and brought his people to the Ministry of Justice.
The people at the Ministry of Justice had already caught wind of this.
Minister Huang of the Ministry of Justice and Vice Minister Zhong, upon learning of it, both feigned illness and left.
Since Minister Huang had been chronically ill, his feigning illness wouldn’t raise suspicion.
But Vice Minister Zhong was in robust health, so his feigned illness seemed rather fake.
The reason both men feigned illness was actually quite simple.
The people responsible for filing the case back then included both Minister Huang and Vice Minister Zhong.
If they agreed to overturn the case, wouldn’t that be admitting they had indeed made a wrong judgment back then? Whether they’d lose their official positions was one thing, but then there was Du Mubai’s status.
Du Mubai had been a scholar candidate back then!
This involved the Ministry of Rites.
And it involved various departments.
Therefore, the case overturn file that Ji Yunshu wrote was a hot potato.
Who would dare take it!
As soon as Li Cheng entered, a minor official inside informed him, “Young Master Cheng, your timing is unfortunate. Minister Huang and Vice Minister Zhong have returned home due to illness.”
“I already anticipated this move!” Li Cheng wasn’t surprised. He planted himself on a seat in the inner hall, his gaze sweeping over all the Ministry of Justice officials present, and said, “They may dodge the first, but they can’t dodge the fifteenth. This case will definitely be overturned.”
He slammed that case file heavily onto the tea table beside him!
Frightening everyone into silence!
Li Cheng pointed at someone and said, “You, go immediately to Minister Huang’s and Vice Minister Zhong’s residences and report what I just said to them.”
“Me?”
“That’s right, you!”
The man was caught in a dilemma.
Not going wouldn’t do!
Going wouldn’t do either.
He didn’t know what to do?
Seeing him standing frozen for so long without moving, Li Cheng’s temper flared. “What? Have all you people at the Ministry of Justice become timid as mice? Either hiding or afraid! Does this case trouble you all so much?”
Brother, it really is troublesome!
You weren’t involved in this case back then, so you don’t know the consequences of its implications!
Department Director Deng stepped forward and said, “Young Master, please don’t make things difficult for us.”
“Make things difficult?” Li Cheng rose abruptly, his face showing anger as he said, “Do you know that this is a murder case, not some petty marketplace squabble? Do you think you can avoid it? Do you think I want to investigate? Now the facts are right before our eyes—Du Mubai was murdered by someone who deliberately created the false appearance of his suicide. You made a wrong judgment back then, yet now you don’t dare face your own mistakes. How exactly have you all been serving as officials?”
His voice was loud!
Just as he finished speaking—
Applause sounded from outside the door.
Everyone looked toward the sound to see a man dressed in fine robes walking in.
Two guards followed behind him.
When they saw who it was, everyone in the inner hall except Li Cheng knelt in salutation.
“We pay our respects to the Third Prince.”
So it was the Third Prince, Na Tuo, who had arrived!
He wore a smile on his face, and ignoring everyone’s kowtowing, walked up to Li Cheng and said, “This prince thought you were just an unlearned, dissolute young master, but it turns out a tiger father has no dog for a son!”
A compliment!
But Li Cheng’s face remained cold.
Because—
The Third Prince had been close to Gong Shilin since childhood, and he and Gong Shilin had been enemies since childhood, so naturally even his enemy’s friend became his enemy too.
Even though his own father and older brother pledged loyalty to the Third Prince!
But that was their business. Li Cheng couldn’t be bothered with all that—an enemy was an enemy.
“I thank the Third Prince for his praise, but I dare not accept it.”
“You’ve handled such a major case—of course you dare accept it. It seems the Marquis of Pingyang was right to have you join the City Patrol Department. You truly are excellent material.”
Hey, hey, hey, could you stop with the endless praise?
Li Cheng laughed coldly. “But what exactly is the Third Prince suddenly doing here?”
Na Tuo’s face showed complete sincerity as he said earnestly, “This prince has naturally come to help you.”