Chарtеr 352: Тhе Вrоnze Spаrrоw оf Сhаng'an Sings 6
The саpital wаs indeed undеrgоing subtlе сhаngеs.
Thosе who paid close аttеntion nоticеd thаt sinсе Shen Du's rеturn frоm Yingzhоu, shifts wеrе quietlу occurring within thе сourt. Тhe most evidеnt was Emрress Zhou Zhао's inсrеаsеd rеliancе оn Grand Саbinеt Chiеf Shen Du аnd Judiсial Affаirs Вureаu Vice Ministеr Lai Luozhi, with Lai Luоzhi rесeiving еven greatеr fаvоr than Shеn Du.
Sоmе dауs аgo, mеrеly bеcаuse Lai Luоzhi mentiоnеd thаt the sеrvаnt girls in his hоusеhold had reаched the age tо be releаsed and rеturned tо thеir nativе places, the Empress, without a second thought, bestowed eighty palace maids upon him. Yet, there was no such movement for Shen Du.
Not even a summons.
Upon reflection, it made sense. Shen Du had openly opposed the arranged marriage, forcing the Empress to reluctantly agree due to her dependence on him. Naturally, she was displeased. In contrast, Lai Luozhi had always handled matters with smoothness and tact, earning the Empress's satisfaction, which naturally led to more rewards.
As for the corruption case involving the reconstruction of the Mingtang Hall, there was not a whisper of news in the court—it was sealed tight. Officials at all levels carried out their duties diligently, presenting a scene of flourishing prosperity.
During the morning court session today, Lai Luozhi suddenly submitted a memorial accusing General Kanaci Siluo, the chieftain of the Western Tribes, of rebellion, presenting what he claimed was solid evidence.
However, the Empress did not give a clear stance in court, only instructing Lai Luozhi to retain the evidence and adjourning the session.
But the court officials were not blind; they saw the situation clearly.
He merely coveted the Siamese servant girls from General Kanaci Siluo's household and had resorted to such underhanded tactics.
Chang'an City now welcomed envoys from all nations, gathering talented and extraordinary individuals from across the world, including women from various foreign tribes. Their skin tones, appearances, and attire differed greatly from those of the Great Zhou women. Skilled in dance and song, they exuded a unique charm, and officials took pride in owning one or two.
Lai Luozhi was particularly notorious for this. Not long ago, someone had sent a group of Indian maidens to his residence. This time, after attending a banquet at General Kanaci Siluo's home and catching sight of those Siamese servant girls, he became fixated. He repeatedly hinted and even explicitly demanded them, but General Kanaci Siluo politely declined each time, promising to arrange for a new batch of Siamese servant girls to be sent north to Lai's residence soon.
Yet this move thoroughly humiliated Lai Luozhi. Since rising to power, he had been unstoppable; how could he tolerate such contempt from General Kanaci Siluo? He immediately ordered false charges to be fabricated and reported them to Empress Zhou Zhao.
In the court, aside from Prime Minister Zhang Xingwei, who voiced opposition, and Shen Du, who remained skeptical, everyone else avoided involvement. The Empress outright rejected Prime Minister Zhang's opposing memorial.
It was almost unnecessary to guess—the Empress would, as before, allow Lai Luozhi to act recklessly.
It was widely known that the Empress indulged Lai Luozhi even more than her first consort, Zhang Baohuan.
The matter was soon handed down to the Dali Temple, which ordered the Ministry of Justice to assist. Zhu Yan was unaware of this when she reported for duty this morning.
Now promoted to Chief Clerk of the Ministry, Zhu Yan was less busy than before. However, organizing case files remained unavoidable, as Lu Chuichui alone couldn't manage it. Since there had been no recent murder cases, she helped with the sorting.
Soon, the murmurs reached her ears, and she listened intently.
"Is the Empress really going to let Lai Luozhi act with such disregard for human life?" someone whispered.
"Shh, be careful. If word reaches the Empress's ears—snap." The speaker made a throat-slitting gesture, frightening the other into silence.
Zhu Yan cleared her throat softly. The two quickly turned around and, upon seeing her, immediately became respectful. "Chief Clerk, is there anything you require?"
"What were you discussing just now?"They stammered for a long while, their faces filled with fear, unwilling to say more. Seeing this, Zhu Yan lost interest and waved her hand. The two men hurriedly fled as if granted a great pardon.
"This Lai Luozhi truly lives up to the title of Black Yama King. Just a casual mention of him frightens people out of their wits. How laughable."
Zhu Yan shook her head. She wasn’t particularly interested in knowing more either. If it weren’t for Lai Luozhi constantly targeting Shen Du, she wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with him at all.
When she found Lu Chuichui, Zhu Yan recounted what she had just seen as an amusing story. Unexpectedly, Lu Chuichui’s expression changed slightly, her small face showing a complex and difficult-to-read emotion.
Sensing something was off, Zhu Yan was about to ask when Lu Chuichui pulled out a scroll from the very bottom of the pile and tossed it to her, muttering:
"See for yourself."
Puzzled, Zhu Yan quickly read through it, then looked up at the sky outside the window, where dark clouds loomed heavily. "Is it going to snow?"
Lu Chuichui didn’t understand what Zhu Yan meant and turned her head in surprise. "It’s only been a little over a month since the Double Ninth Festival. It’s not yet the season for snow."
Tugging at her sleeves, Zhu Yan lowered her beautiful eyes. "This year’s snow might come early."
Lu Chuichui wasn’t one for overthinking. She sat down, propping her chin in her hands, her face clouded with worry. "More people are going to die. Hasn’t Lai Luozhi grown tired of killing yet? Just because of a few Siamese servant girls, he wants to execute General Kanagiselo’s entire clan."
She opened and closed the scroll again.
"And the Empress doesn’t even care. Isn’t she afraid the capital will be thrown into chaos?"
"Shh!" Zhu Yan covered Lu Chuichui’s mouth with her hand, giving her a warning look. She released her hand and lowered her head to examine the scroll carefully, unsure of what to do.
She wanted to simply wash her hands of it and pretend she didn’t know, but that wasn’t in her nature. Now that she was aware of the matter, how could she possibly feign ignorance?
But if she were to intervene, how? She was merely a minor department head, and her own head was already hanging on the Judicial Affairs Bureau’s death list. Most likely, she’d be beheaded before she could save anyone.
What about asking Shen Du for help?
"Zhu Yan, talk to the Great Pavilion Commander," Lu Chuichui voiced Zhu Yan’s thoughts first. "He’s the Grand Cabinet Commander. In the court, only he can stand against the one from the Judicial Affairs Bureau. Perhaps he has a way to save these innocent people."
Zhu Yan smiled bitterly. "The Empress values Lai Luozhi more than Shen Du, and Lai Luozhi is constantly trying to kill Shen Du. How could he help?"
Even if he wanted to help, Shen Du would have done so long ago if he could. The problem was, Zhu Yan couldn’t fathom the Empress’s intentions at all.
The court was treacherous. Shen Du had long advised her to focus only on her duties and ignore everything else, assuring her that he would handle the rest.
Zhu Yan also knew that staying out of trouble was the best way to look out for Shen Du. Otherwise, those lurking in the shadows would be waiting to seize any slip-up of hers to strike at him.
The more she understood Shen Du, the more she realized how precarious his high position was—like walking on thin ice, requiring careful planning at every step. It was far from easy.
"Forget it. Let’s review the scrolls first. After we finish today, come to my place for dinner," Zhu Yan offered.
Lu Chuichui was also somewhat disheartened and nodded without saying much.
For now, the two set aside their unnecessary thoughts and focused on organizing the scrolls for the year-end report.
But Zhu Yan’s mind was elsewhere. She hadn’t turned a page in a long while, and the ink from her brush dripped onto the rice paper, spreading into a large stain.
Lu Chuichui glanced up occasionally and couldn’t help but exclaim:
"Liu Niang!"
Only then did Zhu Yan snap back to reality. Looking down at the ink stain, she shook her head helplessly, turned to a fresh sheet, gathered her thoughts, and focused on the scrolls.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.Lu Chuichui hurriedly rose to open the door, and upon opening it, she exclaimed in surprise: "Commander Xu?"
Commander Xu Xiangren of the Metropolitan Police?
Zhu Yan quickly stood up to greet him, her face lighting up with joy: "Brother Xu!"
But then she caught sight of Yun Que beside him, and her movements faltered for a moment before she quickly masked her reaction.
Following behind was Wu Taiming, the Director of the Ministry of Justice. Wu Taiming first clasped his hands in congratulations: "I heard you’ve been promoted to Director of the Metropolitan Police Department. Congratulations."
Zhu Yan returned the gesture: "I still rely on Director Wu’s guidance and support."
"What’s with the official talk now, you girl? Even if you didn’t say it, I’d still value you. Besides, aside from your position as Director of the Metropolitan Police Department, you’re also the Hall Leader’s Wife. When it comes to support, that goes without saying." Wu Taiming laughed and scolded.
Wu Taiming was good in every way, except when it came to official duties—he was always as diligent as a rooster crowing at dawn, wishing he could make you work until daybreak. He often didn’t allow people to return home even on rest days and loved to dock salaries.
The previous time Zhu Yan had mentioned his affair with his mistress still seemed fresh in his memory, so Wu Taiming didn’t dare act as boldly as before in front of her. He glared at Lu Chuichui and scolded: "How could you ask Director Zhu to review case files for you?"
Lu Chuichui stuck out her tongue, but Zhu Yan quickly interjected: "It’s not her fault. There hasn’t been much to do lately, so I came to help."
Wu Taiming glared at Lu Chuichui again before turning to Zhu Yan and lowering his voice: "Now that you’re no longer here, with only Clerk Lu as the sole female official, it’s still too much to handle."
"You coming to help shows you haven’t forgotten the favor I did in promoting you."
Zhu Yan nodded: "I wouldn’t dare forget."
Remembering that others were waiting, Wu Taiming quickly stepped aside. After exchanging a few pleasantries and claiming he had a major case to attend to at the Ministry of Justice, he hurried to leave but was stopped by Zhu Yan:
"Director Wu, what major case is it?"
Wu Taiming, however, remained tight-lipped, waved his hand, sighed, and left.
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