The autumn wind grew cooler, and yellow leaves carpeted the ground. The streets of the capital, both large and small, remained bustling with people. Neither the recent earthquake nor the debauchery of the nobles added much more than gossip material for the common folk busy with their livelihoods. Life continued as usual.
A young woman in her early twenties stood motionless on a busy street corner. Passersby cast curious glances her way.
After an indeterminate time, she suddenly stopped a pedestrian and asked, “Brother, how do I get to the Shuntian Prefecture office?”
The man she stopped appeared to be in his twenties as well, with a shrewd look that suggested he wasn’t entirely straightforward.
Noticing that the person who had stopped him was a young woman of passable beauty, the man’s enthusiasm was immediately piqued. He pointed and said, “Go straight ahead, turn left at the intersection, then walk west for two blocks and turn left again. You’ll be there.”
The woman looked bewildered.
Seeing this, the man smiled and said, “Why don’t I just take you there? I’m not in a hurry anyway.”
Beautiful women were always popular, and while this woman might not be considered a great beauty to someone who had seen the capital’s finest, she was quite attractive, especially with her fair and delicate skin that inspired tenderness in those who saw her.
The man was happy to lend a hand, not expecting anything in return, but enjoying the chance for conversation.
The woman nodded and followed him.
Those who noticed this scene thought to themselves: Tsk tsk, this young wife must be from out of town. How reckless to follow a stranger like that. She might get kidnapped.
We should follow and keep an eye on them. There might be some excitement to watch.
Quite a few people who weren’t in a hurry had similar thoughts and followed in small groups.
On the way, the man asked, “Sister, you’re not from around here, are you?”
The woman pressed her lips together and remained silent.
“Did you come to the capital alone?” the man asked again.
The woman still didn’t respond.
“What business do you have at the Shuntian Prefecture office?”
The woman continued to say nothing.
The man stroked his chin, thinking to himself: What a waste.
Fortunately, the Shuntian Prefecture office wasn’t far. After a short walk, the man pointed and said, “Sister, look, we’ve arrived at the Shuntian Prefecture office.”
“Thank you, Brother,” the woman finally spoke, expressing her gratitude as she walked step by step towards the entrance.
The man who had led her there didn’t leave.
Joking aside, it would be an even bigger waste to leave without seeing how things unfolded.
The woman lingered at the entrance for a moment, then walked to the large drum and picked up the drumstick, striking it forcefully.
Dong dong dong—
The deep sound of the drum broke the monotony of the prefecture office.
Zhen Shicheng put down the case files on his desk, immediately energized.
The beating of the drum to report an injustice meant there was work to be done.
Soon, Zhen Shicheng saw the young woman who had struck the drum. He tapped his judge’s mallet and inquired about the reason for her visit.
The woman gently caressed her belly, and her first words stunned everyone in the hall.
“This humble woman has heard that Magistrate Zhen is dedicated to serving the people. I have come to the capital to ask the great magistrate to help find the father of the child in my womb.”
Find the father?
Many of the yamen runners exchanged glances, already imagining countless possibilities.
This young woman was fair-skinned and pretty, quite attractive. Could it be that she had been taken advantage of by some young nobleman and then abandoned?
The young woman was from out of town, so perhaps her husband had come to the capital first to make a living, and after becoming successful, had taken new wives and concubines.
The most boring possibility was that she had simply been separated from her husband and had come to the yamen for help in finding him.
Compared to the curiosity of the yamen runners, Zhen Shicheng was much calmer. He asked gently, “Where are you from?”
“This humble woman is from Jinli Town in Qianhe County.”
Upon hearing that the woman was from Jinli Town, Zhen Shicheng unconsciously frowned, feeling a sense of foreboding.
“Do you have your travel documents?”
The woman produced her travel documents and handed them to a yamen runner to present to Zhen Shicheng for verification.
After confirming the woman’s place of origin, Zhen Shicheng continued, “Tell me about the specific circumstances of your search for your husband in the capital.”
The woman spoke loudly, “Your Honor, I am not looking for my husband, but for the father of the child in my womb, because that man is not my husband!”
With these words, the yamen runners who had been speculating along these lines became excited.
Zhen Shicheng’s expression turned cold.
There had been an earthquake in Qianhe County several months ago, and many people had been sent from the capital for disaster relief. Could the man this woman was looking for be someone from the imperial court?
Of course, protecting fellow officials wasn’t Zhen Shicheng’s style.
“Continue,” he said.
“That man asked me to accompany him for several days. Unexpectedly, more than a month later, I discovered I was with a child. With nowhere else to turn, I could only come to find him…”
Zhen Shicheng stroked his beard. “So, you’re saying you have a husband elsewhere?”
The woman softly answered in the affirmative.
The yamen runners immediately looked at the woman with utter contempt.
To have a husband and still accompany another man, this woman had no virtue.
“If that’s the case, how are you certain the child in your womb belongs to someone else?” Zhen Shicheng asked.
The yamen runners looked at Zhen Shicheng with admiration.
As expected, the magistrate had cut right to the heart of the matter.
The woman bit her lip and said, “I have been married for many years without bearing a child. After accompanying that noble gentleman, I discovered I was with a child. If the child isn’t his, whose could it be?”
A yamen runner muttered, “That’s hard to say. If she could accompany a nobleman, couldn’t she have accompanied others?”
Several people chuckled.
The woman’s gaze turned sharp as knives as she looked at the person who had spoken, her face flushing red. “This woman is not that kind of fickle person. It was my husband who accepted silver from that nobleman—”
She could say no more and covered her face, weeping.
The yamen runners were stunned.
There were such men?
Zhen Shicheng coughed lightly. “Do you know the identity of that man?”
“This humble woman knows, but I cannot find him. That’s why I’m begging the great magistrate for help.”
“Uh, who is he?”
The woman was silent for a moment, then said in a trembling voice, “That noble gentleman… is the Crown Prince.”
With these words, the entire hall was shocked.
Zhen Shicheng’s expression twisted for a moment as he looked at the few beard hairs he had pulled out in his shock, wincing in pain.
He was getting older, and his beard was already thinning. If he kept pulling it out, he’d soon be bald.
The next moment, Zhen Shicheng’s head began to throb.
This woman claimed the child in her womb was the Crown Prince’s. Although it seemed absurd and far-fetched, when he thought about how the Crown Prince had dared to sleep with even the Emperor’s consorts, he suddenly didn’t find it surprising at all.
“Do you know the punishment for falsely implicating the Crown Prince?”
The woman trembled. “This humble woman wouldn’t dare. I have evidence!”
“Where is this evidence?”
The woman hesitated for a moment, then took out an object from her bosom and presented it to Zhen Shicheng.
It was a jade pendant.
Seeing the four-clawed dragon pattern on the jade pendant, Zhen Shicheng’s eyes narrowed.
The woman lowered her head and said, “This jade pendant was given to me by the noble gentleman.”
Zhen Shicheng fell silent for a moment.
The Crown Prince had gone to comfort the disaster victims on behalf of the Emperor and ended up paying to sleep with a victim’s wife. That was bad enough, but to leave behind such a token—was he afraid people wouldn’t have evidence?
Thinking about how the Great Zhou had such an heir apparent, Zhen Shicheng felt utterly exhausted.
Seeing Zhen Shicheng’s silence, the woman kowtowed with a loud thud. “Your Honor, this woman truly has no way out. After the noble gentleman left, my husband accused me of losing my chastity and quickly took a concubine, indulging in pleasure. By the time he discovered I was with child, he had already squandered all the silver he had received. Now he’s forcing me to come to the capital to ask the noble gentleman for more silver. If I don’t comply, he threatens to beat me to death…”
Several days later, Zhen Shicheng entered the palace to report to the Emperor.