Chapter 53: Chapter 52: Ascending the Court
"Chief Historian, may I ask you a question?" Fu Lu seemed to have been curious for a while, but finally got the chance to speak, "Were you... born with such courage?"
"Not exactly." Zhu Yu wanted to say that courage can be cultivated, but thinking that as the concubine’s daughter of Prince Shuo, this statement might be hard to uphold, she temporarily thought of another reason, "Mainly, I figured out one thing; inanimate objects won’t jump up and harm people on their own.
Once a person dies and the lamp goes out, what’s left of that body is no different from the pigs and sheep on a butcher’s block.
When have you ever heard of a butcher being afraid of the pigs he slaughters?"
Fu Lu thought Zhu Yu made a lot of sense. He couldn’t stand those young women and housewives who would scream in shock at the sight of a tree’s shadow swaying, crying out "ghost".
Though at the Prince Mansion, there were only a few old women like Mrs. Zhao, who were too old to make such a fuss. Still, it didn’t help when he went to the Yunyin Pavilion with the master, where the concubines would always find ways to create some noise around the master.
It was hard on his ears.
But he didn’t say it out loud. After all, he didn’t know if the master had ever mentioned Yunyin Pavilion to the lady.
Just in case he hadn’t... it was better to keep his mouth shut.
Zhu Yu didn’t know what Fu Lu was thinking at the moment. She just saw him practicing and sweating a lot, with a bronze mask on his face, which must be uncomfortable. So she said, "How about I keep watch at the door while you go inside and wash your face to refresh yourself? It’s better than stewing in sweat uncomfortably."
Fu Lu looked at Zhu Yu with even deeper admiration.
His lady was truly skilled and courageous, yet humble! Far better than those arrogant young ladies of noble houses!
This time, the Holy Emperor granted the master a wonderful marriage!
As Fu Lu got up to wash his face, he thought to himself that the master simply overthought things and was too pessimistic!
In his opinion, with the capabilities and intelligence of the master and the lady, such misfortunes couldn’t possibly happen!
A man as heroic and brilliant as the master could hardly find a woman more suitable than the lady. They were a match made in heaven; they had to last forever!
Just like that, the two waited idly in the secluded courtyard all day. By the time it was completely dark, Zhu Yu was so bored that she nodded off on the edge of the table. Suddenly, hearing footsteps outside, she barely opened her eyes, while Fu Lu, who was guarding the door, stood up cautiously, hand on the sword at his waist.
His furrowed brows soon relaxed, and he turned joyfully to Zhu Yu, saying, "Chief Historian, my elder brother is back! It seems they’ve succeeded!"
Zhu Yu was delighted to hear it, quickly getting up and going outside just in time to see a talisman running in from outside.
"Chief Historian, sorry to keep you waiting!" The talisman was all smiles, "The villains behind the Ghost Immortal Temple have all been captured. The lord said, fearing you were getting anxious waiting, that he sent me ahead on horseback to inform you, so you can join us at the county government to interrogate the prisoners."
Zhu Yu, who had been lethargic all day, was now fully invigorated and promptly patted the wrinkles on her clothes: "Let’s go! We’ll set out right away!"
Usually, by this time in the evening, Qingshui County would be very quiet.
But today was an exception.
The entrance of the Qingshui County Government was unusually bright, with armed imperial guards and unfamiliar governmental officials standing out front, while none of the regular officials of Qingshui County Government could be seen.
A crowd of Qingshui County residents gathered outside the county government. Lately, there had been quite a few spectacles in the county, and each incident struck a chord with the people, leaving them eager for more exciting events to occur.
So, when someone noticed the unusual activity at the county government entrance, the news spread quickly, and many rushed over to see what was happening, even if they didn’t know the reason.
After waiting for a while, a large procession approached from afar, led by the recently famous Golden-faced Imperial Censor, who had been a beacon of light for the citizens.
Their appearance prompted a cheer from the crowd.
Following him were some unfamiliar governmental officials and imperial guards, and behind them, two men with their arms bound. Their faces were dirty, and their hair unkempt, making them unrecognizable.
Behind these two was also Li Wencai, County Magistrate Li, with his hands similarly tied.
This Mr. Li was no longer the imposing figure he usually was; dressed only in his underclothes, his hair partly undone, he appeared weary from the journey. A large bruise on his forehead was clearly visible in the light from the government office’s lanterns.
Seeing the bump on Li Wencai’s head and his embarrassed state, those at the front couldn’t help but start laughing.
Those further back, confused, hurriedly asked around.
"Mr. Li has been beaten into a pig’s head!" someone shouted from the crowd.
The laughter erupted, wave after wave, impossible to stop.
Li Wencai, tied and stumbling behind a horse, had walked the whole way with legs like lead and blistered feet.
Having never suffered such hardship, he was nearly dead from exhaustion. Hearing that shout and the crowd’s laughter, his anger flared up. He turned his head, wanting to see who was mocking him, so he could settle the score if he managed to get through this.
Before he could see clearly who in the dense crowd was heckling him, he was roughly pushed by the imperial guard behind him, almost falling flat on his face, then dragged into the government office.
The crowd stayed outside, craning their necks to see what would happen next. But as they waited, the Golden-faced Imperial Censor just sat at the hall, silent, while the three captured men were untied and knelt below, unsure of what they were waiting for.
Zhu Yu and Fu Lu rushed over to find the entrance to the government office already surrounded, but they were recognized as the personal attendants of the Golden-faced Imperial Censor due to their masks, and the people in front quickly moved aside, opening a path for them.
Zhu Yu spurred her horse forward and hurriedly dismounted at the entrance, tossing her reins to an imperial guard and quickly rushing inside.
Lu Qing was seated in the hall, watching Zhu Yu’s approach. With the mask concealing his face, his mouth twitched slightly, but he sat upright, exuding an air of authority.
"Now that Chief Historian is here, let’s commence the court session," he said to the governmental officials on either side of the hall.