“Grand Commander…”
“Husband!”
“What?”
Unexpectedly, Shen Du stood up, placing one hand on the table corner next to her. He leaned forward, seemingly unaware of Gao Chengxue’s presence, and said in a low voice, “Madam, what did you call me?”
“Husband.”
Zhu Yan sighed again. Who had told her not to imagine becoming the true Madam Shen after entering the household?
“Haha, the Grand Commander and his wife are truly a loving couple, a model for us all,” Gao Chengxue wiped away his sweat and took the tea cup with the Ministry of Justice emblem from Zhu Yan’s hand. He smiled and said, “The Grand Commander personally requests someone, Scribe Zhu should hurry along.”
Zhu Yan looked at her now empty hands and frowned, “But I’ve only been employed for half a month. My salary…”
“Of course it will be counted, of course it will be.”
“Just focus on handling matters for the Grand Commander. Don’t come back until the task is completed.”
“In the future, the Ministry of Justice will rely on you to gain favor with the Grand Commander.”
So that was their plan.
“It seems I have no choice but to go!”
Shen Du adjusted the fish pouch at his waist. Inside was a unique golden fish tally, different from all other court officials, representing the unique power bestowed upon the Internal Guard by His Majesty.
Zhu Yan was still dawdling. Beside her, Gao Chengxue was sweating profusely, not daring to urge her too harshly in front of Shen Du, silently cursing that women truly couldn’t handle important matters.
Shen Du curled his lips and tapped his fingers on the table, “Why don’t we close the case and drag those piles of bones outside Tingxing Gate, burying them anywhere?”
“Impossible!”
Zhu Yan left with Shen Du. Gao Chengxue watched them mount their horses before turning away, still shaken.
Without Gao Chengxue present, Zhu Yan immediately stepped down from the stirrup. By now, she had completely separated this White King of Hell from her childhood memories, not willing to stay a moment longer.
Shen Du wasn’t angry. He looked at Zhu Yan, who was about to leave, and asked, “Where is Madam going?”
Zhu Yan’s long lashes fluttered like a feather fan. She turned around and answered in a muffled voice, “Of course, I’m going to investigate the case for you, Grand Commander. After all, solving this case quickly would be a relief for both of us.”
The skills she had learned from her mentor were vastly different from Shen Du’s preferred methods. To her, severe torture was the worst strategy, and directly confronting suspects could easily alert them. However, Zhu Yan knew that persuading Shen Du to adopt her approach was a pipe dream. So, it was better for them to investigate separately, which might even be more efficient.
But thinking of Lu Chuichui and the mountain of case files, Zhu Yan feared that in a few days, that little girl would come crying to her.
Shen Du didn’t seem to intend to stop her. However, he hadn’t missed the impatience in Zhu Yan’s eyes. He swept his cloak behind him and glanced at Zhu Yan’s face, “This case has been fully entrusted to my Internal Guard by His Majesty. By rights, the Ministry of Justice has no reason to interfere. So…”
Zhu Yan sensed trouble, and then heard Shen Du’s deep voice, “If it’s discovered that the Ministry of Justice is investigating privately, it will be dealt with as factionalism and personal favoritism.”
“Is that clear to everyone?”
His words were for everyone, but his eyes remained fixed on Zhu Yan’s face.
Everyone else acknowledged the order, leaving Zhu Yan standing alone, looking incredulously at the man on horseback. She then said self-mockingly, “I never thought that I, a mere woman, would need to be so guarded against by the Grand Commander. You truly flatter me.”
Anyone could hear the sarcasm in Zhu Yan’s voice. Jinglin, always protective of his master, was already displeased due to Zhu Yan’s earlier deliberate contradiction in front of everyone. With old and new grudges combined, he was even more unhappy now, “If it weren’t for the Grand Commander’s grace, Sixth Miss Zhu wouldn’t even be able to touch a hair of this case.”
Zhu Yan almost laughed out loud. Why Shen Du had requested her from the Ministry of Justice, others might not know, but how could she not? How could Jinglin not know?
“Indeed, that’s true. Then I thank the Grand Commander for his patronage. In the future, I will certainly do my utmost, devoting my heart and soul to solving the case as soon as possible.”
She, Zhu Yan, was incompatible with the Internal Guard. Solving the case quickly was indeed her wish, so she could return to her role as a ninth-rank scribe in the Ministry of Justice.
“Mm, it’s good that Madam understands.”
A gust of wind blew, lifting Shen Du’s cloak. Under that cold gaze, she still thought that Shen Du was truly handsome.
She must be going blind.
“Mount up!” Shen Du extended his hand.
Her gaze shifted from Shen Du to Jinglin, and Zhu Yan’s face bloomed with a smile:
“I was presumptuous earlier. Now that I’ve joined the Internal Guard, I’m naturally a member and must follow its rules. I’m just a ninth-rank scribe, how could I ride the same horse as the Grand Commander?”
She suddenly stepped forward to Jing lin’s saddle, cupped her hands in salute, and said:
“There are no spare horses anyway. Guard Jing, being considerate of his subordinates, surely won’t abandon this lowly one. I’ll have to trouble Guard Jing to share his mount with me today.”
After finishing, she bowed to Shen Du’s direction, then came over to climb onto Jinglin’s horse, preparing to mount.
Despite his vast experience, Jinglin hadn’t expected Zhu Yan to come up. He instinctively leaned back, suddenly feeling a chill behind him. Turning his head to meet his master’s narrowed eyes, he began to panic, “Madam, if you want to ride, you should naturally be with the Grand Commander. I…”
“Ah…”
Jinglin tumbled off the horse, rolling on the ground. His cloak with the sea hawk pattern wrapped around him as he rolled twice, gathering so much dust that its color was indistinguishable.
He didn’t dare even glance at Shen Du’s expression now, nor did he care whether Zhu Yan’s actions were deliberate mischief or sincere. He leaped up and stood straight:
“Ma-Madam, please. I’ll, I’ll lead the horse for you.”
Zhu Yan raised her delicate eyebrows, fearless in the face of Shen Du’s hawk-like glare. She feigned innocence:
“Well… that’s too kind. Let’s ride together then. There’s no distinction between men and women in investigating cases. Guard Jing, just treat me as you would any ordinary man.”
Jinglin didn’t dare. He thought to himself that the Sixth Miss Zhu’s mind wasn’t as sharp as rumored. Couldn’t she feel that it was cold enough here to form frost?
“Madam, please!”
Zhu Yan didn’t want to share a horse with Jinglin. After saying this, she mounted the horse, letting Jinglin lead the reins. She thought to herself, since Shen Du had made her uncomfortable, now that she had found an opportunity, she naturally wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine.
Making his most valued subordinate walk and lead the horse, wasn’t that delightful?
They hadn’t gone far when they saw a man in the distinctive sea hawk patterned robe of the Internal Guard riding towards them. As he approached, he dismounted and knelt before Shen Du’s horse: “Grand Commander, among the corpses dug up at Ximing Temple earlier, this was found in the hand of the fifth male body.”
The guard presented a slightly yellowed piece of paper. Jinglin first received it with a handkerchief for Shen Du, then handed it to him.
Zhu Yan rode closer and immediately recognized it as a handwritten note from the Li Family Bank in the Western Market.
“This is from the Li Family Bank, in Yong’an Ward of the Western Market,” Zhu Yan said confidently. After carefully examining the half-obscured handprint on it, she became even more certain, “Without a doubt.”
Seeing Shen Du turn to look at her, Zhu Yan explained, “There was a false accounting case at the Li Family Bank before. The other day, while organizing case files, I came across a record of their handwriting and seal imprints. However…”