Cao Jing also stood up, his gaze toward her rather cold. His lips moved as if wanting to speak, but he said nothing more, only stepping forward to open the door and walking out with her.

Upon entering the main hall of the Drum Office, they saw an official in purple robes standing in the middle with his hands behind his back, waiting for them.

The commoner who had come to file the complaint had already been led outside and was nowhere to be seen.

Meng Tinghui’s expression was unpleasant. Recalling that the duty clerk had said someone had been sent to the Imperial Stables Department to report the matter, she immediately cupped her hands toward the official and said, “You must be Deputy Minister Wei Mingxian from the Imperial Stables Department.”

Wei Mingxian smiled, looking her up and down before saying, “Magistrate Meng.” He glanced outside, his voice inevitably lowering, and spoke quite directly: “I’ve heard about the Wang Qi matter from someone, and I’ve come here specifically to ask a favor of Magistrate Meng. Would it be possible to withdraw this complaint?”

Hearing this, Meng Tinghui suddenly smiled. “Certainly.” She bowed again and said, “I have other matters to attend to and must go first. After withdrawing this complaint, I will certainly send someone to the Imperial Stables Department to inform Lord Wei.”

Wei Mingxian hadn’t expected her to agree so readily. His expression showed some surprise, but he still smiled and said, “Then I shall wait at the Imperial Stables Department.”

Meng Tinghui nodded, lowered her eyes, and tucked her sleeves before turning to quickly walk out of the Drum Office. She instructed the duty clerk outside to take the commoner outside the palace gates to find a place to rest for a while, then hurriedly made her way to the Chancellery.

When she reached the Left Gate, she frowned and looked back, realizing that Cao Jing had not come out with her. But the thought merely crossed her mind without dwelling on it, and she returned to the Remonstrance Hall alone.

First, she found the Court Diarist to ask where the Crown Prince was currently located, then took out the complaint and sealed it, wrote an accompanying memorial, and then ordered someone to deliver the complaint directly to the Crown Prince’s desk.

Shortly after the messenger left, Cao Jing returned.

Meng Tinghui sat formally at her desk, head lowered as she examined documents.

Cao Jing looked at her and asked hesitantly, “Did you withdraw that complaint?”

Meng Tinghui didn’t raise her eyes, only casually making a sound without answering him.

He didn’t inquire further, his gaze lingering on her face for a few moments before returning to his desk to work. He didn’t speak to her again for a long time.

Around dusk, someone came to the Remonstrance Office. Entering, he asked, “Magistrate Meng?”

Both Meng Tinghui and Cao Jing looked up to see a Yellow-Robed Secretary from the Crown Prince’s retinue and hurriedly rose to greet him.

The man walked over, ignoring Cao Jing, and addressed her directly: “The Crown Prince has reviewed the complaint and memorial that Magistrate Meng submitted. He has issued a vermilion rescript directing it to the Censorate, ordering Wang Qi, the Minister of the Imperial Stables Department, to be arrested and taken to the Censorate prison by tomorrow morning. This matter, along with the previous Qingzhou military camp affair, is to be thoroughly investigated. In two days, Minister Pan of the Court of Judicial Review, Vice Minister Liu of the Ministry of Justice, and Censor-in-Chief Xue will conduct a joint trial of the three departments.”

Meng Tinghui was shocked. She had only expected that Wang Qi would at most be ordered to return home while awaiting investigation. She never thought Wang Qi would be imprisoned in the Censorate, nor did she expect the Crown Prince would order a joint trial by the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate!

She hadn’t anticipated that the complaint she submitted would be processed so quickly and so harshly.

It seemed that previously, because the senior ministers of the Eastern Bureau had blocked the Qingzhou affair, they hadn’t been able to dismiss Wang Qi and hold him accountable. The Crown Prince must have harbored resentment for a long time. This case was a perfect opportunity for him to make an example of Wang Qi again—how could he not use it?

Cao Jing’s expression was also shocked. He turned to look at her but couldn’t utter a word. After a while, he frowned slightly, bowed slightly to the Secretary, and walked out, lifting his robe.

She watched Cao Jing’s retreating figure and withdrew her gaze after a long moment, letting out a soft sigh. She thought that Cao Jing must thoroughly hate her now.

The Yellow-Robed Secretary addressed her again: “The Crown Prince asks if Magistrate Meng has anything else she wishes to report?”

Meng Tinghui lowered her head and said softly, “His Highness is wise.”

The Yellow-Robed Secretary, seeing that there was no one else around in the Remonstrance Hall, finally revealed a smile. He stepped forward to her desk, spread his wide sleeves, and from inside produced a small square wooden box, which he gently placed on her desk, saying, “This is what the Crown Prince asked me to bring to Magistrate Meng.”

She raised an eyebrow, looking at the small wooden box.

It was square and neat on all sides, with a proper red-wood color. The surface was covered with intricately carved vase patterns, outlined with colored lacquer, exquisite and eye-catching.

Suddenly her heart tightened. When she reached out to take the wooden box, her fingertips were trembling. Then, in front of the Secretary, she opened it to see that the box was divided into four small compartments, each containing some food.

Looking at each one, there was candied ginger, sweet candy fruits, sugar-coated lychees, and crystal dumplings, all translucent and tempting, captivating to behold.

Meng Tinghui held the wooden box, frozen in place, her face slightly flushed.

The Yellow-Robed Secretary said softly, “Magistrate Meng, the Crown Prince sent me to buy these from the night market on West Jin Street yesterday, and they were kept in the ice compartment of the Imperial Kitchen for most of the day before being brought here.”

She lowered her eyes, closed the box lid, and pursed her lips before saying, “Please convey my response to the Crown Prince: This humble official thanks His Highness for his kindness, but I dare not accept it.”

Though she said she dared not accept it, she gripped the wooden box tightly, her palm burning hot.

Seeing her like this, the Yellow-Robed Secretary didn’t say anything more, just smiled and bowed before walking out.

Suddenly her legs felt weak, and she sat down.

She couldn’t help but open the wooden box again, carefully examining the snacks inside, looking them over repeatedly, unable to bring herself to close it.

The Secretary’s words still echoed in her ears—

Bought from the night market on West Jin Street…

Bought from the night market…

The night market…

She couldn’t suppress the smile at the corners of her mouth, her eyes moist, afraid that this was a dream, and the next moment she would wake up to find that everything was just her imagination.

The fine patterns on the wooden box pressed against her palm, each line imprinting itself into her heart.

Suddenly a shadow passed outside the hall, and she came back to her senses, quickly covering and putting away the wooden box, her expression changing as she resumed a serious demeanor, picking up her brush and lowering her head.

Although it was spring, the sun still set early. Before long, the sky turned from dusky gray to deep blue.

The sounds of people in the various halls of the Chancellery had diminished. The palace candles in several large rooms had been extinguished. Only then did Meng Tinghui close her documents, gather her things, blow out the candles, and walk out.

The early spring night wind still carried a chill as it hit her face. She tightened her collar, her feet moving quickly, the bun at the back of her head slightly loosened, with strands of hair blown about by the wind.

As she walked, her hand involuntarily reached into her sleeve pocket to touch the small plum-red wooden box.

The corners of her mouth lifted again in a slight smile.

Even the night wind became pleasant, and the long brick path beneath her feet seemed less long and less difficult to walk.

She tucked her chin into the high collar of her official robe and bit her lip with a light smile.

After all… after all, she wasn’t just indulging in unrequited feelings.

The stern face of the Crown Prince flashed through her mind, and her heart instantly became warm and soft, as sweet as if soaked in honey.

She took a deep breath of cold air, clutching the wooden box as she strode around the street corner.

Suddenly, several human figures darted out from the shadows beneath the vermilion wall, lunging straight at her, grabbing her neck from behind, covering her mouth, and then quickly dragging her to a dead end not far away.

Her throat burned with pain. She was startled and wanted to scream, but her mouth was covered, and no sound came out. She felt a heavy pain in her back, and in a dizzying moment, her entire body was pressed down onto the hard stone ground.

Her chest ached next, and she felt several men’s hands reaching for her, beginning to forcefully tear at her official robes. The soft sound of fabric being ripped was small yet terrifying, gently reverberating in the quiet night.

She struggled desperately, her long hair scattered in disarray all over her body, but she couldn’t overcome the several pairs of hands pinning down her limbs.

The cold wind against her skin stung her exposed body.

A man’s rough lips pressed down, forcefully biting and kissing her body, his large hands reaching down to pull off her long skirt while forcing her legs apart.

The heavy breathing of the other men reached her ears.

Her eyes became wet, her vision blurry. In the darkness, she couldn’t make out the faces of these men; she only felt her body stiff with pain.

The man on top of her propped himself up slightly, beginning to undo his belt.

She felt the pressure on her knees lessen somewhat. Her heart racing, she used all her strength to raise her leg and thrust it forward, violently hitting the man’s groin.

The man let out a low sound of pain.

The next moment, a heavy slap landed on her right cheek with great force, so violent and heavy that it instantly made her see stars.

She coughed lightly, her mouth still covered and unable to make a sound. She felt she couldn’t breathe, and then another slap hit her left cheek. The side of her head struck hard against the corner of a stone brick. The sharp pain instantly obliterated her consciousness, and she lost all sensation.