Chарtеr 70: Lаi Luоzhi
"If thеу've cоvеrеd thеir trаcks so thorоughlу, doesn't thаt mean... thеу wоn't stор until thеy aсhieve their goal?"
Shen Du lоwеred his gаze slightlу. "Тhе сasе hаs nоw rеаchеd its final stage. If wе сan't еstablish his motive within thе allottеd time, then wе mау trulу lоsе..."
"Imрossible!" Zhu Yаn intеrruptеd Shеn Du with rightеous indignаtion, hеr еxprеssiоn firm and unwilling tо concеde. "I won't let things unfоld thаt wаy. Еven with only а fеw dаys lеft, I will dеfinitеlу find thе еvidenсе. We аbsolutеly cаnnot fаil—еvil will nеver triumрh оvеr gоod. I will save уou."
"He's not as еasy to dеal with as уou imаginе." Shen Du rеmained calm, sitting back down in his chair and twisting the ring on his finger. "If this matter could be resolved simply, it wouldn't have dragged on until now."
Zhu Yan slumped into her chair like a deflated balloon, looking up at the ceiling and complaining, "Why is my fate so bitter? Ever since I married you, you've only given me three months to live. Working with you on this case, I've even offended someone I shouldn't have. Now, the path ahead seems to be about choosing how I'll die—whether to keep my body intact or be reduced to a pile of ashes. Tell me, should I just end it myself to spare myself your torment?"
Hearing Zhu Yan's words, the heaviness in Shen Du's heart eased slightly, at least no longer as oppressive as before.
"Ending it yourself still requires enduring pain. If you truly feel life is meaningless, why not let me kill you with a single sword strike? That way, you won't suffer much, and you'll still keep your body intact, won't you?"
"You!"
Just as the atmosphere had begun to lighten, Shen Du's teasing provoked Zhu Yan's anger. Pouting, she stood up and said, "All you do is talk nonsense. Anyway, the deadline the Empress gave you is almost up. If you still can't find the murderer by then, you'll have to take the blame yourself. When that time comes, you'll beg me. I don't believe you'll still be so defiant when your life is on the line."
With that, Zhu Yan turned and walked away.
She didn't want to deal with Shen Du—at least not for the next little while. She didn't want to see him again.
Leaving the Ministry of Justice, Zhu Yan had nowhere to go. The situation could be described as urgent.
Though resentful toward Shen Du, the case still needed to be investigated. After a moment's thought, she decided to find Lu Chuichui to see if there were any clues on her end.
Speak of the devil—just as Zhu Yan was about to head back to the Ministry of Justice, she saw Lu Chuichui rushing out in a panic, looking as if she'd seen a ghost.
"What's wrong?" Zhu Yan stepped forward to ask, but Lu Chuichui seemed dazed, pointing behind her. "He... why is he here?"
This "he" undoubtedly referred to Shen Du.
Zhu Yan was puzzled. Was Shen Du really that terrifying? Why did everyone who saw him act as if they'd encountered a ghost?
Although he bore the title "White King of Hell," after spending time with him, she realized he wasn't truly as ruthless and unpredictable as the King of Hell.
"He's the Great Pavilion Commander—there's nowhere in Chang'an he can't go." Zhu Yan supported Lu Chuichui as they walked away, sighing dejectedly. "The time the Empress gave us is almost up. If we can't close the case soon, we'll really be in trouble."
Lu Chuichui nodded in agreement. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned to Zhu Yan with a look of pleasant surprise."You're treating me to tea, I have some things to tell you."
"Hmm?" Zhu Yan was puzzled. What time was it for Lu Chuichui to still be in the mood to joke with her like this?
"Let's go. Since the case is unsolvable for now anyway, we might as well find a place to have a good talk."
Half-persuaded, half-reluctant, Lu Chuichui led Zhu Yan to a newly opened teahouse.
The two sat facing each other, and Zhu Yan thus learned another matter from Lu Chuichui's words.
Regarding affairs at court...
In the early days of the Empress's accession, some former dynasty ministers believed that her ascension violated moral principles. Not only did they write poems to insult her, but during court sessions, they also hurled even more offensive insults at the Empress. More blatantly, this person openly gathered followers to rebel against the Empress, completely disregarding her authority.
The Empress was helpless, but for the sake of the people's peace, she endured. Yet this minister not only failed to restrain himself but repeatedly provoked the Empress's anger. Finally, she could bear it no longer, but she could not personally act and ruin her own reputation.
Just as the Empress was at her wit's end, Lai Luozhi appeared. He crafted a large urn big enough to hold a person and, in the court, found a random reason to quarrel with this official. Seeing the argument reach an irreconcilable point, Lai Luozhi, to punish this person, directly threw him into the urn.
At first, that minister did not take it seriously, believing himself to be a loyal official with popular support, holding a high position of power. He thought that a mere flatterer like Lai Luozhi could do nothing to him, and even if Lai Luozhi tried to act, someone would step in to stop him.
But this time, the minister miscalculated. The reason Lai Luozhi dared to treat a minister this way was entirely because he had the Empress's backing.
Lai Luozhi ordered a fire to be lit, then placed the urn over the raging flames, roasting that minister alive.
The scene described is too gruesome to dwell on, and the minister's agonized cries echoed throughout Chang'an City for three days without ceasing.
Even the quiet nights were filled with the echoes of that minister's wails, causing panic among the common people and court officials alike.
Later, Lai Luozhi decided to go all the way and completely purged all those who opposed the Empress.
From then on, the throne was stabilized, and the Empress heavily relied on this person, appointing him as Deputy Minister of the Imperial Household, a first-rank official outside the Three Departments and Six Ministries.
Even the Prime Minister, Zhang Xingwei, had to be monitored and restrained by him.
Lai Luozhi also established the Judicial Affairs Bureau, meddling in all matters of injustice.
The entire court feared Lai Luozhi's methods, daring to be angry but not to speak out, while the Empress trusted him implicitly.
Thus, everyone could only live in fear, and court affairs proceeded according to Lai Luozhi's will.
This situation only ended with the appearance of the White King of Hell, Shen Du.
There were discussions at court that Shen Du was a pawn promoted by the Empress to suppress Lai Luozhi.
Though the words were harsh, they were not without reason.
Shen Du was also well aware of his position, appropriately counterbalancing him to curb his arrogance, thereby maintaining balance in the court.
After hearing Lu Chuichui finish recounting all this, Zhu Yan was completely stunned.
Such events had occurred at court before, and she had known nothing about them.
"How did you know all this?" Zhu Yan asked in astonishment, looking at Lu Chuichui. If she didn't know these things, how did Lu Chuichui find out?"I only heard about it, but this matter is absolutely true," Lu Chuichui said with full confidence. "As women, we naturally have little say in court affairs, and besides, we were too young back then to have any right to inquire. So, the peace and prosperity we enjoy today is largely thanks to Shen Du."
"No matter how capable he is, he's still just a pawn in the Empress's hands," Zhu Yan stated the truth. "These words may sound harsh, but he understands it well. And because of this, some people will undoubtedly find his presence intolerable."
"Even if they can't tolerate him, he still has the Empress's protection. That's why this case plays a pivotal role. If the Empress loses trust in Shen Du, the entire court will be turned upside down. Not only will Shen Du have a hard time, but even people like us won't be able to stay out of trouble."
Zhu Yan looked at Lu Chuichui with some surprise. "You usually seem so simple-minded, but how did you come to think about these things and speak so profoundly? Did some wise person teach you this?"
Hearing this, Lu Chuichui blushed and quickly denied it. "What are you talking about? I am, after all, a Ninth-rank Clerk. I can figure these things out on my own. Who needs to teach me?"
Seeing Lu Chuichui's expression, Zhu Yan knew she was lying.
Pushing the tea in front of her toward Lu Chuichui, Zhu Yan lowered her voice mysteriously and said, "Tell me quietly, who told you about this and carefully analyzed the pros and cons for you? I won't tell anyone else."
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