"Thank you, Steward Zhao!"
"No need for thanks, no need..."
Seeing Steward Zhao turn to leave, Chu Chu quickly called out to stop him, "Steward Zhao, may I ask you something?"
Steward Zhao turned back and looked at the young girl's hesitant expression, "If you have something to say, just speak up."
Chu Chu put down her bundle and moved closer to Steward Zhao, staring at his wrinkled face, "Steward Zhao, you've been in Prince An Manor for many years, right?"
Steward Zhao immediately became wary. He was asked this question hundreds of times every year, and every time the person asking had nothing good in mind. Nevertheless, he maintained his gentle expression, "It has indeed been many years. I've been here for as long as this Prince An Manor has existed."
Chu Chu looked around carefully, making sure there was no one else in the room and no eavesdroppers outside, then leaned close to Steward Zhao's ear and whispered, "Then you must know that Prince An... he's actually the head of Six Doors, right?"
Steward Zhao was startled, thinking he must have misheard due to nervousness, "Six Doors?"
"Yes!"
She had been thinking since earlier - if this Prince An wasn't the head of Six Doors, why would her Divine Detective brother Jing work as his guard and even live in his home!
Seeing Steward Zhao still stunned, Chu Chu quickly added, "I know about Six Doors! Six Doors is in the capital. I know what Six Doors looks like too - facing south with the main entrance to the north, three bays with six black-lacquered doors in total, two stone lions guarding the front, two officials standing under the gate, and a large ebony plaque above with the gilded characters 'Six Doors'."
Steward Zhao had been waving his hands repeatedly since Chu Chu started speaking, and by the time she finished her last sentence, he was almost jumping up, his beard twitching, his usually slow and gentle tone completely changed, "Oh dear! Girl Chu, you must stop mentioning this Six Doors! That's all made-up nonsense from wandering storytellers, completely baseless. How could such a clever girl like you believe those storytellers' tales!"
Chu Chu was even more anxious than him, hopping with impatience, "Six Doors really exists! I was just taking the coroner exam for Six Doors at the Ministry of Justice!"
Steward Zhao looked at the nearly crying girl and shook his head with a sigh, patiently explaining, "There is indeed talk of Six Doors, but what is Six Doors? What people call Six Doors actually refers to the Three Law Courts in the capital. You know the Three Law Divisions, right? That's the Ministry of Justice, the Grand Court of Revision, and the Censorate. You just came back from the Ministry of Justice - you must have seen those three bays with six black-lacquered doors at the main entrance? The Grand Court of Revision and the Censorate have the same style of gates. This is what Six Doors means."
Steward Zhao straightened his expression and continued, "The exam you took was for the coroner position in the capital's Three Law Courts. It's not entirely wrong if you insist on calling it Six Doors, but our Wang Ye particularly dislikes people making up stories about government offices. Don't anger him with your wild claims!"
Chu Chu didn't believe him at all, "Brother Jing said he makes his living in Six Doors, that he's a civil official in Six Doors!""Do you know who your Brother Jing is? He's the youngest son of the current First Rank Grand Secretary—Lord Jing, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review! When he spoke to you like that, he was just being modest and polite. All the young officials working in the Three Law Divisions in the capital joke around like that, but none would ever say such things in front of our Wang Ye."
"And Big Brother! Big Brother is the 'Soul-Chasing Blade,' ranked fifth among the Divine Detectives of the Six Doors!"
Steward Zhao was nearly in tears. Having lived in the capital for so many years, he'd never encountered anyone so stubborn. "My dear young lady, your Big Brother is a legitimate Third Rank General of the State, the Chief Guard of Prince An Manor! Where did such a mystical title come from?"
Chu Chu finally burst out with a loud "Waa!" as she cried, "You're lying! All of you are lying! There is a Six Doors! There is! There is!"
Steward Zhao felt dizzy and overwhelmed. If it were any other matter, he would have softened and coaxed her when she cried and made a scene, but this was the one thing he couldn't indulge her in.
Yet, it was clear that this young girl couldn't be reasoned with through ordinary means.
Steward Zhao forced a stern expression. "If you dare mention the Six Doors again, be careful or Wang Ye will have you dragged out and beaten until your backside is bruised and swollen! No one will be able to save you then!"
Chu Chu immediately fell silent, biting her lip, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at him with a face full of grievance.
Steward Zhao silently breathed a sigh of relief. Phew, it turns out that scaring my little grandson is indeed the most effective method!.. (As expected, the same method used to scare my own grandson works best here...)
Seeing that Chu Chu was subdued, Steward Zhao's expression softened. Noticing her tears still falling like pearls, he couldn't help but comfort her, "Actually, Wang Ye is quite kind. Didn't he find you a place to stay in the capital? He's just a bit stubborn—even the Emperor treats him with respect. As long as you don't provoke him, it'll be fine..."
Chu Chu wiped her tears, lifting a tear-streaked face, pouting and sobbing, "Then... then what official is Wang Ye? Why is he so powerful?"
"Oh, that's hard to explain... He has no official title or rank. Just remember that Wang Ye is appointed by decree to oversee the Three Law Divisions, managing all the cases in the world and all the people who handle them."
"Isn't that just the boss of the Six Doors then!"
"You're saying it again!"
☆、7 Jujube Ginger Soup (Seven)
The first sensation Xiao Jin Yu became aware of as his consciousness returned was pain. The agony spread from the bones in his legs all the way to his waist and back, as if countless insects were madly gnawing at him. Even his intact upper body was sunk in a deep numbness.
As his vision slowly cleared, Xiao Jin Yu recognized that he was lying in the bedroom of the Royal Mansion's One Heart Garden. The room was brightly lit, and someone was slumped over the round table in the center. He didn't need to see clearly to know who it was.
Having not slept for two days and then suddenly experiencing this episode, Xiao Jin Yu felt as if all his bones had been disassembled. Lying in bed, he couldn't be bothered to move, nor did he want to waste words on unnecessary talk. He went straight to the point, "After she examined the corpse, she didn't change her clothes or wash her hands, right..."
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