Realizing she had mistaken the person, the woman appeared flustered. She quickly flew out of the urn and ran towards Shen Du.
Perhaps due to the strong momentum, the woman couldn’t control her speed. Just as she was about to brush past Shen Du, he grabbed her.
The woman hurriedly knelt on the ground, speaking in a fluster, “Grand Coordinator, so you’re the real Grand Coordinator. I thought…”
As she spoke, the woman glanced back at Lai Luozhi, utterly confused.
“You thought what?” Jinglin, standing nearby, asked. He found it amusing that this woman had come to plead her case but couldn’t even identify the right person.
The woman looked embarrassed. If she had to blame anyone, it would be Lai Luozhi for being too handsome, making her mistake him for the White King of Hell.
“I thought that man was the Grand Coordinator.”
Hearing this, Shen Du wasn’t angry at all. He just glanced expressionlessly at Lai Luozhi before preparing to leave on horseback.
Jinglin and the others hurried to follow, but before they could move, the woman knelt in front of Shen Du’s horse again.
“Grand Coordinator, please wait. This humble woman is named Yunque, from Jiangnan. I’ve come specifically to plead for justice in the Jinxiu Fang case from six years ago. Please investigate, Grand Coordinator.”
Shen Du gave her a cold look, ignoring her. Just as he was about to turn away, the woman quickly blocked his horse again. “Grand Coordinator, if you don’t agree, you won’t be able to leave here today.”
Shen Du glared at her fiercely. He was already in a bad mood today.
He had expected Zhu Yan to apologize to him after returning to the manor yesterday, but a whole night had passed without seeing her.
He had heard that Zhu Yan had left Shen Manor early this morning for the Ministry of Justice. She was becoming increasingly bold, not even saying where she was going.
He was on his way to the Ministry to find her and get some answers when he encountered this situation.
If he didn’t want to see Lai Luozhi carelessly taking lives, he wouldn’t have bothered with Lai Luozhi’s affairs.
“Jinglin.”
At Shen Du’s command, Jinglin immediately understood.
Shen Du turned his horse, preparing to pass through another alley, but seeing Shen Du about to leave, the woman quickly moved forward. Jinglin stopped her and said sarcastically, “You can’t even tell the Black and White Kings of Hell apart, yet you’re pleading for justice. You nearly lost your life needlessly, and now you’re making such a fool of yourself. Don’t bother the Grand Coordinator of the Inner Court anymore.”
“It wasn’t on purpose,” Yunque argued defensively. “The books in our area say both Kings of Hell like to eat human flesh and stop children from crying at night. They say the Black King of Hell is dark-skinned, and the White King of Hell is fair-skinned. How was I to know the Black King of Hell is so fair?”
As she spoke, Yunque couldn’t help but glance at Lai Luozhi again, mumbling, “Not only is he fair-skinned, but he’s also so handsome, even more beautiful than a woman. No wonder I mistook him.”
Hearing this, Lai Luozhi became furious on the spot. He clenched his fists and glared at the woman.
This woman truly didn’t know her place, daring to say in front of everyone that he was fair-skinned and effeminate. Did she think her life was too long?
Jinglin gave a cold laugh after hearing this, ignoring her.
He had already saved the person and needed to follow the Grand Coordinator to find Madam Shen. He had no time to waste here.
Seeing Jinglin about to leave, Yunque quickly blocked him again, insisting, “You can’t go. You let the Grand Coordinator of the Inner Court leave. I have nowhere to plead my case. I won’t let you go.”
Hearing this, Jinglin frowned deeply. Was this woman a leech? Was she sticking to him?
“I can’t make decisions. Even if you keep me here, I can’t help you plead your case.”
“Then… who should I go to with my grievance?” Yunque quickly asked, her hands still tightly holding onto Jinglin, afraid he might run away.
“The yamen,” Jinglin said, then signaled to his fellow Inner Court brothers. “Take her to the yamen, and don’t let her cause trouble on the way. We don’t want her blocking anyone else’s path and getting caught again.”
Hearing this, Lai Luozhi’s already dark face grew even darker. Shen Du was increasingly disregarding him. Even his subordinates dared to look down on him like this. Did they think he was incapable?
But with so many commoners watching on the street, he couldn’t directly confront Jinglin. He could only swallow his anger, glaring fiercely at Jinglin. “Let’s go,” he said, turning to leave with his men.
At the Ministry of Justice.
Zhu Yan was discussing the case with the Local Constable and the officials of the Ministry of Justice.
This latest murder case had not yet spread through Chang’an, and everyone agreed it was best not to cause the same impact as years ago.
Xu Xiangren nodded. Even now, thinking of the past events made him uneasy. “It’s settled then. We’ll investigate privately and hope to solve the case quickly, without causing citywide panic like before.”
Wu Taiming, the director of the Ministry of Justice, nodded repeatedly, then turned his gaze to Zhu Yan. “This matter will be entrusted to you to handle. Do you have any objections?”
Zhu Yan shook her head. She had no objections to taking on this case, but…
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Yan looked at Wu Taiming. “With just one person’s efforts, I’m afraid some clues might be overlooked. I wonder…”
“I’ll go too,” a determined voice rang out among the crowd before Zhu Yan could finish.
The speaker quickly stepped forward. It was Ji Fangming, the Registrar of the Ministry of Rites, who had always admired and looked up to Zhu Yan.
He was Zhu Yan’s senior by one year, but in terms of ability, he was far inferior to her.
Therefore, he was full of admiration and respect for Zhu Yan, always hoping for a chance to work with her to solve cases.
Now that an opportunity had presented itself, he couldn’t let it pass. He volunteered enthusiastically.
Everyone looked at him as he walked determinedly to Zhu Yan’s side. “Officer Zhu, please allow me to assist you in investigating this case.”
Zhu Yan’s lips twitched. She had no objections, but Officer Ji was her senior by one year. She would need to carefully consider how to interact with him in the future.
“Then it’s settled,” Wu Taiming said, seeing that Zhu Yan had no objections. “This case is unusual and has many strange aspects. You two must be extremely careful.”
“Yes,” both of them nodded firmly, their expressions resolute, which slightly eased everyone’s concerns.
Lu Chuichui was still worried, looking at Zhu Yan with concern. “Let me tell you, your safety should always come first. If you die, I’ll sing in the Hibiscus Garden for three days to celebrate, ensuring you won’t rest in peace even after death.”
Lu Chuichui’s words nearly made everyone’s jaws drop to the floor.
They all knew about her relationship with Zhu Yan and understood her current feelings.
But using such words to provoke a friend was truly unprecedented.
Hearing this, Zhu Yan wasn’t angry at all. Instead, she smiled gently. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you succeed. When I solve this case and receive another commendation, I’ll invite you for tea and treat you to a grand feast. You must wait for me.”
“I’ll certainly wait for you,” Lu Chuichui said, her worried expression breaking into a smile through her tears. “I won’t eat for the next few days. I must save my appetite to take advantage of your treat.”
Lu Chuichui’s words once again drew laughter from everyone, but she remained unfazed.
Jokes aside, Zhu Yan’s safety was paramount, and she didn’t care about anything else.