Before setting off for Jingzhou, Zhu Yong went to see Zheng Xia first.
Although the Dragon Guard Army's report on the case investigation had been ignored in court, when they delivered a chest of case files to the Ministry of Justice, the ministry accepted them.
Since the case hadn't been officially closed yet, Zheng Xia remained in his prison cell.
"This place is better than any prison I've ever stayed in," Zheng Xia said with a laugh to his old friend, lying on the wooden bed. "If not for these chains and the guards outside, I'd almost think we were back in our old study quarters."
Zhu Yong looked at the stacks of books by the bedside, feeling both amused and sorrowful. "You're still thinking about studying?"
Zheng Xia pushed himself up with one hand. "I haven't touched a book since I was imprisoned. After all this time, when they asked what I needed most, I immediately requested books."
Zhu Yong hurriedly supported him, examining Zheng Xia closely. His friend had become so emaciated that Zhu Yong wouldn't have recognized him if they'd met outside.
Zhu Yong's gaze fell on Zheng Xia's left hand - dry, stiff, missing two fingers.
"It was fine when I last saw you," Zhu Yong said, his voice hoarse with pain.
"Fine? It was already rotting. When I arrived here, Captain Ding said if I wanted to save the arm, the decayed fingers had to be amputated." Zheng Xia looked at his own left hand. "So they cut them off. This hand is useless anyway."
He then looked at Zhu Yong. "Enough of this. What's really happening? Why has my case been reopened so suddenly?"
Although the case revolved around him, he had been completely isolated in prison, knowing nothing of the outside world.
As Zhu Yong explained the situation, Zheng Xia listened with shock and changing expressions -
"So this time, it's... luck?" he murmured quietly.
To call it good luck didn't feel quite right.
Clearly, he had been caught in the power struggle between the Empress and court officials.
"Someone like me - if I died, I'd just be dead," he said, looking up at Zhu Yong with eyes full of self-blame and concern. "But you've been dragged into this too."
Zhu Yong smiled. "It was my choice. Besides, I've requested and received the Empress's permission to go to Jingzhou as an imperial envoy to conclude this case."
Zheng Xia sat up straight in surprise. "Why would you do that? Even if you're implicated, if you resigned and left the capital, those powerful figures wouldn't pursue you relentlessly. Why jump into the fire voluntarily?"
Zhu Yong replied, "Regardless of the Empress's intentions, she's the one who overturned this unjust case. I know what those people will do next - they'll try to ruin the Empress's reputation. So I need to personally explain to the people of Jingzhou, to let everyone know that while the Empress is involved in governance, she's not causing chaos."
Zheng Xia fell silent. There was no avoiding being drawn into this conflict.
Zhu Yong stood up. "Also, I'm doing what you would do."
Zheng Xia was puzzled. What he would do?
"With all your knowledge and learning, you willingly spent over a decade in Jingzhou as a low-ranking official taking orders from others, all to prevent students from having their futures ruined by corruption." Zhu Yong looked at Zheng Xia with a smile. "Now it's my turn to do the same."
If Zheng Xia was willing to remain obscure and unrecognized, then Zhu Yong was willing to be notorious.
...
...
As Zhu Yong departed for Jingzhou, officials from the Ministries of Justice and Personnel also headed toward Jingzhou, but the uproar in the capital showed no signs of subsiding.
Various discussions about the matter spread everywhere.
"The Empress shouldn't do this. How can she act this way?"
"Why can't the Empress do this? Because she's a woman?""Is it that women can only risk their lives to save the Little Highness, go to the Border Commandery to fight the enemy, force Prince Zhongshan to retreat, but cannot speak a single word in court?"
The men who had just begun to speak in taverns and teahouses were immediately refuted by women—and not just the idle noble ladies who spent their days eating, drinking, and having fun, but also the young women and wives hawking baskets along the streets, and the alewives in the taverns and teahouses.
There was no helping it. Empress Chu had done far too many things women were not supposed to do.
"It’s not about whether she can or cannot—it’s that what she did was wrong."
"Each ministry and office in the court has its own duties. The Empress ordered the Dragon Guard Army to investigate cases, but what is the Dragon Guard Army? They are the Emperor’s Guard."
"They are not official law enforcers, yet they break into homes at will, arrest whomever they please, set up private prisons, and extract confessions through illegal torture."
"If Zheng Xia’s wrongful conviction was a case of someone abusing their power, then isn’t the Empress doing the same by abusing hers?"
Of course, the matter did not stop at debates over gender. After the scholarly men in Confucian robes and fine beards raised their questions, the young girls and women who appeared in public dared not and did not know how to respond.
Guards galloped through the streets, and when people saw the python patterns on their robes, they hurriedly stepped aside without any need for shouts—their eyes filled with fear and dread.
In the eyes of the common people, the Dragon Cloak Guard was no longer just the Emperor’s Guard.
Besides witnessing the Dragon Cloak Guard nearly clash with the Capital Garrison, there were many private rumors describing how terribly Jiang Jijiu was treated after his arrest, how the Dragon Cloak Guard broke into homes and destroyed families in Jingzhou, and how even the commandery governor was kicked aside by them. Whoever they declared guilty was guilty—
"Some have even started using the Dragon Cloak Guard to scare children, saying, 'If you don’t behave, the Dragon Cloak Guard will take you away.'" Qi Leyun, with her sleeves tied back, gripped an arrow and spoke softly.
In the Water Pavilion of the imperial garden, Chu Zhao was hosting an arrow-throwing game.
Aside from attending court and handling state affairs, Chu Zhao regularly held banquets, inviting noblewomen—an activity befitting an empress.
Once the Empress issued an invitation, whether the noblewomen were willing or not, they had to attend.
Those who attended but had no desire to curry favor with the Empress remained seated quietly, and the Empress did not mind. She amused herself, surrounded by those willing to accompany her. After all, even before becoming Empress, she had many companions.
The bonds formed among young women in their inner chambers were hard to break and did not fade with changes in status.
Zhou Jiang threw an arrow, and it landed steadily in the pot.
"This rumor is the most damaging," she said. "Children don’t know how terrifying the Dragon Cloak Guard is—they only know being taken away is frightening. And when everyone in the streets uses this to scare children, even if the Dragon Cloak Guard does nothing, they become the monsters used to silence crying children."
Chu Tang leaned slightly closer and whispered to Chu Zhao, "Should I leave the capital for now and move to the academy?"
This matter involved court affairs, and with officials behind the spread of rumors, it was not something that she and the other girls, or Xiao Tu and his companions shouting in the streets, could oppose.
Chu Zhao laughed. "Then you must first beat me."
She threw an arrow, and it landed steadily in the pot.
Chu Tang sighed helplessly. "I don’t know archery or martial arts—how could I compete with Your Majesty?"
Even as she said this, she took the arrows handed by the palace maids and enthusiastically joined the game.
Chu Zhao turned to the girls and said, "I know there are accusations and slander against the Dragon Cloak Guard everywhere now—" Here, she smiled; she, too, had started referring to the Dragon Guard Army as the Dragon Cloak Guard. "The goal is to slander me."She had long been aware of these rumors—knew even more about them, and even knew where some of the rumors originated.
They were all recorded in writing, but there was no need to break down doors and arrest everyone.
"Your Majesty," Zhou Jiang suddenly asked, "why are you doing this? Do you think it's right?"
This was a direct challenge, startling all the young women present.
After all, the current Chu Zhao was not the same as before—she was now the Empress.
Even Qi Leyun, who considered herself the most straightforward, paled slightly. Wasn't this question too blunt? By asking this, wasn't she implying that the Empress's actions were wrong?
Those who enjoyed playing chess often thought and acted differently from others—
If Chu Zhao wanted to strike someone now, she wouldn't need to do it herself. She had the Dragon Cloak Guard. Qi Leyun had this thought and instinctively glanced around.
Chu Zhao's expression remained completely unchanged, as if she had just asked who would like to play pitch-pot next.
"Are you referring to the Zheng Xia case?" she said. "It's simple—because it's an unjust case."
Zhou Jiang was taken aback.
"I discovered issues with this case," Chu Zhao continued, taking the arrows handed to her by a palace maid. "And since someone was appealing the injustice, it was only natural to investigate. It's as simple as that."
The other young women still seemed dazed, but Zhou Jiang already wore an expression of sudden understanding.
It wasn't for power struggles, nor for flaunting authority—it was simply because it was an unjust case. She saw it, so she took action.
"I cannot turn a blind eye when people cry out against injustice."
"Since I sit in the court and oversee this land, I cannot pretend not to see."
"As for whether this is right or wrong."
Chu Zhao looked at the bronze pot ahead, the smile fading from her face.
"You shouldn't ask me. Instead, you should ask why I must do this, and who forced me to take such action."
"What I must do is only one thing."
She threw the arrow, and it landed steadily in the bronze pot.
"Investigate the unjust case, clear the names of the innocent, and ensure the guilty cannot escape."
……
……
In the summer twilight, Old Master Zhou, cooling off under the corridor eaves, paused with a chess piece in hand after hearing Zhou Jiang's account.
"Is that so," he said, then shook his head with a smile. "Truly acting as she pleases." He murmured softly, "The heart of an emperor."
Zhou Jiang placed a chess piece and said, "Grandfather, I told you she's just handling an unjust case she discovered. It's not targeted at the Grand Tutor and his faction. By doing this, she has no other choice—the Grand Tutor and others forced her to find alternative paths. If you want to question right and wrong, go ask the Grand Tutor."
Old Master Zhou studied the chessboard and laughed. "If you ask the Grand Tutor, he would naturally say that unjust cases should be investigated, but the Empress cannot overstep her boundaries."
"Rules, rules, what rules?" Zhou Jiang placed another piece. "Isn't it just because the Empress is a woman? Rules are made by people. The Empress is also a person—who says rules can't be remade?"
Old Master Zhou laughed heartily, but when he looked at the chessboard, he glared. "Who taught you the rule of stealing pieces when I'm distracted!"
Zhou Jiang placed another piece and smiled. "Anyway, I've won." With that, she stood up, lifted her skirt, and scampered away.
Old Master Zhou shook his head. Only then did the nephews waiting outside the courtyard gate hurriedly enter, asking what happened and what the Empress had said.
The Empress regularly held banquets for noblewomen, using these gatherings to help influential families understand her stance.
"A Jiang directly asked the Empress whether her actions were right or wrong," Old Master Zhou said.
This single sentence made his nephews jump in alarm."Why is this child so reckless?" "The court officials aren't reproaching the Empress, yet she actually dares to question." "I said we shouldn't have let her go."
"Will the Dragon Cloak Guard come break down our doors too?"
Old Master Zhou tapped the chessboard to silence everyone.
"The court officials aren't questioning not because they don't dare, but because they disdain to ask, deliberately embarrassing the Empress," he said. "What the Empress needs most right now is to question. A Jiang asked well."
The younger generations quieted down, understanding Old Master Zhou's meaning.
"Father," one asked, "do you mean you approve of the Empress's action?"
Old Master Zhou said, "It's not about whether I approve or not." He looked at everyone. "It's that the Empress's action isn't wrong."
"How could it not—" the younger generations started speaking chaotically, "private guards—"
Old Master Zhou raised his voice: "Because she is the Empress, the sovereign."
The younger generations immediately fell silent.
Old Master Zhou lowered his voice, speaking slowly: "Have all of you, and so many others, forgotten that the Empress is also your ruler? Moreover, she was appointed by the late Emperor to protect the country and support the Little Emperor. Don't think of her as a woman. Consider this: if a sovereign makes a mistake, whose fault is it?"
There's a common saying among court officials:
The minister is at fault.
"As court officials, if you don't remonstrate, don't speak up, don't act, what right do you have to say the sovereign is wrong?"
The younger generations fell silent, lost in thought.
So that's how it is—
Similar scenes occurred in many deep courtyards and inner chambers, where women recounted what they had seen and heard at the Empress's banquet, while the men of the household closed their doors to discuss and deliberate.
Though such discussions wouldn't spread to wine shops and tea houses for public debate, they caused many to fall silent.
The indignant discussions in wine shops and tea houses continued, but they felt like damp firewood—unable to catch fire properly.
"Regardless, the Empress condoning such behavior from the Dragon Cloak Guard is evil—" a man in a wine shop slammed the table angrily.
Some nearby voiced agreement.
Some kept their heads down, pouring wine without speaking.
Some turned to look out the window: "The weather's nice today."
Others simply put down their wine cups: "Third Master Xu, I came today to discuss business. If you're not interested, we can reschedule, or you can have your elder brother come instead while you continue with your important matters."
The angry man felt both irritated and stifled. He was already unpopular at home and had finally secured a silk business deal—he couldn't let his elder brother take it back.
"Your families have great enterprises, how can you not care about this matter?" he frowned. "What if the Dragon Cloak Guard raids your shops and properties—"
The man who spoke earlier smiled: "Thank you, Third Master Xu. Our Xu family abides by the law, harms no one, has a clear conscience, and fears nothing."
What nonsense, making it sound like the Dragon Cloak Guard were champions of justice. Just as Third Master Xu was about to say more, the man looking out the window suddenly exclaimed: "Look, there's excitement outside—"
Excitement? What excitement?
Several people looked out the window, hearing commotion from the street.
"Come quick—Jingzhou has sent the Empress a huge umbrella—"
Umbrella?
Jingzhou?
For the Empress?
They could no longer remain seated, all rushing to the window to look at the street.
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