Gao Xuecheng was trying to stay out of it. Lai Luozhi rolled his eyes, about to say something, when Zhu Yan bowed and said:
“Your Highness is wise. This humble official lacks talent and learning, and as a woman, I fear I wouldn’t be of much use at the Court of Judicial Review. I’ve heard the first task upon entering is to carry heavy urns – with my slight build, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be of much help to Undersecretary Lai.”
Lai Luozhi’s eyes gradually darkened, but as Princess Yong’an hadn’t spoken, he held his tongue. Some nearby with less self-control stifled their laughter. Lai Luozhi swept his gaze around, and silence fell instantly.
Zhu Yan continued: “My husband dislikes it most when I investigate cases. A married woman should follow her husband’s wishes. I’ve been married to him for a long time without bearing children. Just the other day, he was angry and confined me to the house, insisting I quit my job at the Ministry of Justice and return home to have children. He pestered me day and night without cease. I argued logically to keep my position as a scribe, promising not to neglect to give the Chief Minister an heir. Only then did he agree. The Court of Judicial Review is so busy – even if I wanted to join, I’m afraid my husband wouldn’t allow it.”
Everyone stared as Zhu Yan spun this tale, shamelessly flaunting her marital bliss. Her words were logical and impossible to refute.
They could only drop the matter.
“If that’s the case, then never mind,” said Princess Yong’an, her eyes revealing a hint of disdain as she glanced contemptuously at Gao Xuecheng.
Zhu Yan’s anxious heart finally settled a bit, but when she looked up, she suddenly met Lai Luozhi’s gaze.
Her heart jumped – that look was not only vicious and fierce but also malevolent. It was enough to make Zhu Yan uneasy for days.
After finally seeing off the group, everyone at the Ministry of Justice breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhu Yan expressed her gratitude to Gao Xuecheng, while Lu Chuichui beside her had also been worried for Zhu Yan.
“Sister Six, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. It seems you’ll need to keep a lower profile from now on.”
Zhu Yan also felt uneasy. “If I had known this matter would put me in such a predicament, I really shouldn’t have meddled.”
Zhu Yan regretted it somewhat. If she had let Shen Du take the spotlight during the interrogation of Madam Tang at Ximing Temple, today’s events might not have happened.
“Alright, alright, nothing’s wrong now. Let’s go have some tea to calm our nerves.”
Lu Chuichui said, not waiting for Zhu Yan’s refusal before dragging her away from the ministry.
However, just as the two sat down at a teahouse, a yamen runner from the ministry hurried over. “My ladies, the Court of Judicial Review just reported that Undersecretary Lai has taken Madam Tang from them.”
“What?” Zhu Yan was startled and looked at Lu Chuichui in confusion.
Lu Chuichui was equally baffled. If Zhu Yan couldn’t understand it, how could she?
At this point, Zhu Yan felt increasingly uneasy.
Upon returning to the Shen residence, Shen Du noticed Zhu Yan’s poor expression and asked, puzzled, “You look so pale. Have you encountered another major case?”
Zhu Yan shook her head and sat down. “No case, but I’ve encountered some strange things that I can’t figure out.”
“Tell me about it.” Shen Du’s expression remained calm as he picked up a cup of tea and took a sip.
“Lai Luozhi took Madam Tang from the Court of Judicial Review. What do you think his intention is?”
Shen Du chuckled lightly and put down his tea. “He never keeps useless people around, and Madam Tang has gone mad. There’s no need to worry about it anymore.”
“But it’s still a human life. Are we just going to ignore it?” Zhu Yan asked, concerned.
“She didn’t think so much when she killed someone. This is just karmic retribution. Are you still feeling sorry for her?”
“I…”
Zhu Yan was speechless. Shen Du’s words were harsh but had some truth to them.
Night fell, and Zhu Yan lay in bed, tossing and turning.
Lai Luozhi’s piercing gaze kept appearing in her mind, sinister and terrifying.
What was going on? Why did it make her so uneasy? Zhu Yan couldn’t understand.
Early the next morning, Zhu Yan arrived at the Ministry of Justice.
Today, however, she was greeted with a reward from the Empress.
Faced with this honor, Zhu Yan was confused and increasingly fearful.
“What’s going on?”
Zhu Yan looked at Lu Chuichui beside her.
Lu Chuichui shook her head quickly, indicating she didn’t know either.
At this moment, a yamen runner handed Zhu Yan a letter. “This was delivered by the Prime Minister early this morning. He said these are all rewards from the Empress. Lady Zhu hadn’t arrived at the ministry yet, so the Prime Minister left these and departed, instructing me to personally deliver this to Lady Zhu.”
Zhu Yan hurriedly opened the letter. After reading its contents, her heart clenched again.
It turned out that all of this was Lai Luozhi’s doing: When reporting to the Empress about the Buddha Swallowing Sins case, Lai Luozhi had greatly praised Zhu Yan’s assistance in solving the case. The Empress already favored using women in government, and hearing this, she developed a good impression of Lai Luozhi. She followed his suggestion and rewarded Zhu Yan with gold ornaments and a promotion to Senior Scribe of the Ministry of Justice.
Learning these details, Zhu Yan collapsed into her chair.
She understood better than anyone the principle of “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down,” but now, even if she didn’t want to be that prominent nail, it was too late.
Lai Luozhi had pushed her into the spotlight. This made the already uneasy Zhu Yan even more noticeable to others.
Zhu Yan couldn’t understand why Lai Luozhi had done this. Was he simply trying to win her over?
She couldn’t feel happy about the promotion and honors at all.
However, others in the ministry, unaware of the underlying reasons, praised Zhu Yan.
Even Lu Chuichui, without thinking deeply, congratulated her, “Congratulations, Sister Six! You’ve been promoted so soon after taking office. Your future is bright!”
Zhu Yan gave her a cold look. “You heartless thing. You might not understand, but don’t you know this isn’t good for me? It might even shorten my life.”
Hearing this, Lu Chuichui looked puzzled.
“How could it shorten your life? The higher your position, the more people will fear you. You should be happy.”
“Haha…” Zhu Yan’s laugh was worse than crying. “With your brain, you probably won’t understand the reasoning in your lifetime. I just hope that after I’m buried, you’ll burn some paper money at my grave. At least that would comfort me a bit, considering our sisterhood.”
As Zhu Yan spoke more sorrowfully, Lu Chuichui became even more confused and even angry.
“The more you say, the less I understand. Explain it clearly to me. What’s going on?”
Seeing Lu Chuichui’s insistence, Zhu Yan had no choice but to explain.
After analyzing the pros and cons for Lu Chuichui, she finally understood.
“So, does this mean you’re in danger?”
Zhu Yan nodded hopelessly. “I’m afraid I’ve climbed too high to come down. Unless I lose my life, otherwise…”
“That’s nothing,” Lu Chuichui suddenly interrupted before Zhu Yan could finish, her eyes shining. “Don’t forget, you not only have this official position but another identity as well.”
“Hm?” Zhu Yan was startled, not understanding Lu Chuichui’s meaning at all.
“You’re also the wife of the Chief Minister of the Grand Secretariat,” Lu Chuichui said teasingly. “Lord Shen is not someone to be trifled with. As long as you stay on his good side, no one would dare touch you.”
“…” Zhu Yan was speechless.
But while Lu Chuichui’s words were crude, the logic wasn’t wrong.
Shen Du’s nickname as the “White King of Hell” wasn’t for nothing. As long as she maintained a good relationship with Shen Du, even if Lai Luozhi wanted to harm her, he’d have to get past Shen Du first.
Just as she was about to feel relieved, she suddenly remembered that the time Shen Du had given her was running short, and her head drooped again.
Like a defeated rooster, she said, “Forget it. Relying on him is no better than relying on myself. I just hope I can live peacefully in the little time I have left.”
Seeing Zhu Yan so lifeless and negative, Lu Chuichui didn’t know how to console her.
Leaving the ministry, on the way back to the Shen residence, as Zhu Yan had guessed, people occasionally approached to congratulate her.
Zhu Yan just responded with a foolish smile, not saying much. She knew that the common people congratulating her were unaware of the dangers in the imperial court.