Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Missing Girl

Wen Jing had barely stepped inside when she saw that Grand Scholar Wang was actually there. Her heart gave a sudden jolt. He must have come about the marriage between her and Wang Erlang. The old scholar was truly impatient.

“This is such a trifling matter; there was no need for Grand Scholar Wang to come in person. A steward would have done just as well,” Wen Qiran said with a broad smile, the gloom of the past several days swept clean away.

“Erlang lost his parents young. Of course I must pay more attention to his marriage. Seventh Miss is a fine girl. If we delay too long, someone else may snatch her away,” Wang Xuelin said half in jest.

The more Wen Jing heard, the more uneasy she became. How was she supposed to refuse this marriage?

When Grand Scholar Wang saw her, the wrinkles on his face deepened with delight.

“Seventh Miss pays respects to Grand Scholar Wang,” Wen Jing said, curtsying.

“Good, good. In a few days you’ll have to change how you address me,” Grand Scholar Wang teased, his joy plain to see.

Wen Jing smiled and lowered her head, but inwardly she felt only disgust. She loathed this sense of being at another’s mercy. As for the old saying that marriage was ordained by parents and matchmakers, if it was a man she did not wish to marry, no one could force her.

After Wen Qiran sent Grand Scholar Wang off, he returned in high spirits. Only when he saw that the smile on Wen Jing’s face had faded did his own expression settle somewhat.

“Seventh Miss, Grand Scholar Wang came today in person to settle the date. It’s set for the sixth day of next month, an auspicious day. Your mother and I both think it is excellent,” Madam Wen said with a smile.

“Your daughter will obey Father and Mother’s arrangements,” Wen Jing said, lowering her head.

“Then it’s decided. Prepare the dowry properly. Do not let any formality be neglected,” Wen Qiran said to Madam Wen.

Madam Wen pretended not to hear the hidden meaning in his words and smiled. “Rest assured, my lord. Even if the household is strapped for money, Seventh Miss will not be shortchanged.”

Dowry...

Those two words flashed through Wen Jing’s mind. Could this be Madam Wen’s true intention? No wonder she had not obstructed this “excellent match.”

The sixth day of next month. There was barely a month left...

After Madam Wen left, Wen Qiran looked at Wen Jing and said, “Seventh Miss, trust your father’s judgment. For a girl, what she seeks in life is stability, enough food and clothing, a harmonious marriage, and filial children. In my eyes, Wang Erlang is a worthy man. Besides, if you marry into the Wang family, Old Master Wang will certainly protect you in everything. That would put your father more at ease as well.”

Wen Jing nodded. She did not know how to refute her father’s “advice.”

In a sense, his view was not entirely wrong. In particular, by the standards of a feudal society, it was understandable enough. The Wang family was indeed a good match. But she had no emotional foundation with Wang Erlang at all. This was a gamble. Some marriages did grow into love after the wedding, but far more ended in lifelong resentment.

...

“Xiaoliu, look—could that be the imperial procession over there?”

A guard standing at the gate of the Court of Judicial Review stared dumbfounded at a line of extravagant carriages racing toward them from a distance.

“I’ve never seen anything like it either. Could the Emperor be coming to inspect our court?” another guard said, scratching his head.

“That shouldn’t be it. If the Emperor were out in person, the procession would be even larger. There’d also be guards protecting him,” the first guard replied.

Before they could finish speaking, the carriages stopped abruptly at the gate. The two exchanged a glance. Whoever it was, they were clearly here for the Court of Judicial Review. No matter who had come, they must be some great figure. They hurried forward to greet them.

The curtain was lifted, and a man in a purple robe trimmed with gold stepped down from the carriage. He had sword-shaped brows, bright eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips. His black gaze swept coldly over the guards before he strode straight toward the gate with a look of utter contempt, as though the Court of Judicial Review were his own home.

The two guards did not dare stop him. One quick-witted fellow hurried off at once to notify Lord Liang.

When Lord Liang heard the news, his face darkened. He set down his teacup at once and, while walking, straightened his black gauze hat. Ji Changge and several other officials from the Court of Judicial Review followed behind him. The group rushed out in great haste, with the guard trotting along behind them, swallowing hard.

Who exactly was this man of such formidable presence?

“This humble official did not know that Prince Xuan had arrived. Please forgive me, Your Highness,” Lord Liang said, dropping to his knees. The others knelt after him in a wave.

“Get up,” Prince Xuan said impatiently, then walked straight into the front hall.

“Lord Liang, Lord Ji, my prince has urgent business to discuss with you both,” said the handsome man beside Prince Xuan with a polite smile.

Lord Liang and Ji Changge hurried in after him, while the rest tactfully withdrew.

“Your Highness is here today...” Lord Liang began.

“Assistant Minister He Ruiguang’s daughter, He Yunxiu, is missing,” Prince Xuan said, turning before Lord Liang could finish.

Both Lord Liang and Ji Changge were taken aback. “When did she go missing?”

“Three days ago,” Prince Xuan said.

He Ruiguang was the Assistant Minister of War, and also Prince Xuan’s maternal uncle. Prince Xuan’s mother, Noble Consort Rong, was He Ruiguang’s elder sister.

“Why is this only being reported today?” Ji Changge asked, though what he truly wanted to say was: why did Minister He not come report this in person?

Prince Xuan shot him a cold glance. “That is none of your concern. Find the person.”

Ji Changge arched a brow and said no more.

Lord Liang wiped the sweat from his forehead. This Prince Xuan was infamous for his fiery temper; he lit at the slightest spark. As for the young marquis, he was practically family to him, yet the prince still spoke with no regard at all.

“I am giving you two days. If you cannot find her...” Prince Xuan looked first at Lord Liang, then at Ji Changge, and gave a cold snort.

The sweat on Lord Liang’s brow flowed even faster. With a pained expression, he said, “Your Highness, is two days perhaps... too tight...”

Prince Xuan looked at him icily. “Two days is not enough? Must I bring you a corpse?”

Under that oppressive stare, Lord Liang closed his mouth.

“That old flatterer, Cao Tai, I gave him only one day,” Prince Xuan added.

Lord Liang could not help feeling both exasperated and sympathetic. From the look of it, the prince had already shown him mercy. One could only imagine how that “old flatterer” Cao Tai was crashing around in the Ministry of Revenue like a headless fly.

“Your Highness, please tell this humble official in detail: when and where did Miss He disappear? Who was the last person to see her? That will help us search for her,” Lord Liang said.

“You’re asking me? And who am I supposed to ask?” Prince Xuan snapped.

Lord Liang felt close to collapse. With no clues at all, where was he supposed to find a young woman on the streets of the capital?

“Then this humble official will have no choice but to go ask Minister He for the particulars,” Ji Changge said, looking at Prince Xuan.

Prince Xuan glared at him for a long while before finally saying, “Minister He does not wish for this matter to become known to outsiders, which is why I have come to report it on his behalf. I want you to investigate in secret. Minister He has already sent people to look as well.”

“How would Your Highness have us search?” Lord Liang asked, hastily wiping his forehead again, afraid that any careless word would anger the prince.

“I told you to investigate. If I knew how to find her, why would I come looking for you?” Prince Xuan said, glaring.

“Yes, yes, of course,” Lord Liang said repeatedly.

He had meant to ask whether they were to search the whole city or conduct the search covertly, and which places Minister He had already checked and which had not yet been searched. But Prince Xuan already looked thoroughly impatient. Any more questions would only earn him a scolding. Forget it. At worst, Cao Tai would be there to suffer with him.

Wen Jing watched the few officials outside pressing their ears to the door, then heard the roar inside growing louder and louder. Who would dare speak to the Lord of the Court of Judicial Review like that?

Ding Wu leaned close and said softly, “Prince Xuan is inside.”

Prince Xuan? Wen Jing searched her memory but found no impression of him at all. She must not have met him before. Otherwise, with such a dreadful personality, she would never have had no recollection of him.

Just then, the door creaked open, and a man with a face full of impatience walked out, followed by another man who wore an unbroken smile. Wen Jing thought to herself that this must be Prince Xuan.

Prince Xuan swept past everyone with his eyes angled disdainfully to the side, proud as a peacock displaying its feathers. That was Wen Jing’s impression of him.

Lord Liang and the others followed behind Prince Xuan.

At that moment, a guard hurried in and said to Lord Liang, “My lord. A female corpse has been found on Changning Street in the east of the city.”

“Take me to see it,” Ji Changge said, his expression darkening. He had taken only a few steps before turning back and saying, “Wen Evaluator, come with me.”

Wen Jing answered at once.

Prince Xuan stopped and turned. “I’m going too.”

“As Your Highness wishes,” Ji Changge said, dropping the words and walking on.

...

Changning Street.

By the time Ji Changge arrived, he found that a troop of soldiers had already sealed off the scene so tightly that not even water could seep through. The common folk who had gathered stood far off, pointing and whispering, but none dared speak loudly.

From horseback, Ji Changge spotted He Ruiguang. So he had also caught wind of the matter and had hurried over in advance to see whether the body was his daughter’s.

“Excuse us, please make way. The Court of Judicial Review is handling the case,” Ding Wu called out, stepping forward.

To his surprise, the soldiers did not even turn their heads, as though they had heard nothing at all. This infuriated Ding Wu, and he shouted again, “The Court of Judicial Review is handling a case. Bystanders, keep away!”

Still the soldiers did not move an inch.

Ding Wu glanced at Ji Changge helplessly. He really had no way forward. They could hardly charge in. And in a fight, they would not beat these men anyway.

Then the soldiers suddenly parted to make a path, and a broad-shouldered official stepped out.

“Why is Minister He here?” Ji Changge asked as he dismounted.

“I was merely passing by. I heard that a female corpse had been discovered here, so I came to take a look,” He Ruiguang said.

Seeing how composed He Ruiguang appeared, Ji Changge wondered whether the corpse could possibly not be He Yunxiu.

“Minister He is truly devoted to the people,” Ji Changge said with a smile, then stepped aside and walked in.

Wen Jing followed and found that the ground was empty, with only a few small drops of blood.

“The body has already been taken away for safekeeping,” He Ruiguang said calmly.

Ji Changge stiffened. It seemed then that the female corpse was indeed He Yunxiu. He Ruiguang’s reaction was far too composed.

“Uncle, was it really Cousin Yunxiu?” Prince Xuan asked in shock.

He Ruiguang nodded.

“I’m sorry, Minister He, but you cannot take Miss He’s body away. The Court of Judicial Review must open a formal case and investigate,” Ji Changge said, watching as several soldiers carried off a sack and prepared to leave. He guessed that the sack contained He Yunxiu’s body.

He Ruiguang’s eyes turned cold. He looked at Ji Changge expressionlessly and said, “There is no need for Lord Ji to worry. I will handle this myself.”

With that, he waved the soldiers on.