A missing husband, a wish to see him alive, do a favor for a woman from a distant locale. Luo Wei couldn’t have imagined seeing the day where Long Xuan decided to use such base tactics. Qing Zhou was Ming Jian Villa’s home, and this woman was Madam Wang-Ning. Looks like Long Xuan had been spending a lot of energy for this Ning Fei. It seems Luo Wei’s plot to have Luo Ze capture him had caught Long Xuan’s eye.
“Yes, I am.” Madam Wang-Ning looked up at Luo Wei as she heard him speak. The smile on his face dazzled her for a brief moment.
“Qing Zhou is a beautiful place,” Luo Wei said, “What does the Wang family do for a living?”
Minister Gu coughed.
Madam Wang-Ning caught on quick and gathered herself, “My husband and I farm the land for a living.”
“Whereabouts in Qing Zhou?” Luo Wei asked.
“Yu Yang.”
“Oh, Yu Yang,” Luo Wei clapped his hands together, “I seem to recall that there’s a Taoist temple there that’s quite famous. It’s called Zhen Jun Temple, have you been there before?”
“I have.” Madam Wang-Ning nodded.
“Madam Wang-Ning, think before you answer the young master’s questions,” Minister Gu said, “We’ll have no nonsense here.”
“When did you ever go to Yu Yang?” Long Xuan asked Luo Wei, “I don’t remember you ever going there before.”
“I went to find exotic stones,” Luo Wei said to Long Xuan, “When did Your Imperial Highness start paying attention to my comings and goings?”
“Answer him,” Zhao Jun Yi asked of the woman, “Have you been there or not?”
“Perhaps Madam Wang doesn’t remember,” Luo Wei said, “That temple only allows male visitors. It’s a rarity, and the temple is famous for it.”
Madam Wang-Ning quickly added, “I wasn’t clear just now. My husband visits often, I’ve only ever waited for him outside the temple.”
“Sounds like you’re really dedicated to him,” Zhao Jun Bo paid her a compliment, but it was hard to tell if he meant it or not.
Madam Wang-Ning was about to break out in tears again, but Luo Wei addressed her, “Madam Wang, even if you’ve been away from Yu Yang for some time, how could you forget that Yu Yang is an area renowned for its Buddhist practices? Why would there be a Taoist temple there?”
Madam Wang-Ning’s entire body went slack at that. She looked at Minister Gu, helpless.
Luo Wei turned his gaze to Gu Jun too, “Minister Gu, this woman’s full of lies, could you not tell? If the soldiers from the camp were after her looks, why would they take her husband and not her? What could they possibly do with a man? Were they after her or money?”
Luo Ze slammed his hand into his desk in rage, shouting at the woman, “Tell us who you are!”
Madam Wang-Ning was frightened into silence, her eyes fixed only on Gu Jun.
“Rather strange, isn’t it? A woman who claims to farm for a living without an ounce of muscle,” Luo Wei turned his eyes on Long Xuan.
Long Xuan’s face was ice cold, “Take her away for interrogations!”
Gu Jun was just about to give the orders, but Luo Wei spoke up again, “The capital’s commandant camp is rife with imperial military secrets. The fact that she wove such a complex lie to get inside belies her treacherous intent. Shouldn’t this case be investigated under the purview of more than just the Ministry of Justice?”
Long Xuan replied, “So you’re saying she ought to be tried under the Three Ministries(1)?”
“Why would a common woman want to get inside a military camp?” Luo Wei questioned, “She might not even be a citizen of Greater Zhou.”
“Minister!” Madam Wang-Ning looked at Gu Jun, her face were full of tears again, real ones, this time.
“Madam Wang-Ning,” Luo Wei stared her down, “Do you really think Minister Gu would protect you now?”
“Luo Wei,” Long Xuan said, “Are you trying to cast suspicions on Minister Gu?”
“Minister Gu is an important member of our imperial court,” Luo Wei answered, “I wouldn’t dare cast suspicions on him.”
“Then why are you trying to call him into question?”
“Was I trying to call him into question? If Minister Gu has done nothing wrong, then what does he care about what I say?”
This was the first time that Luo Wei and Long Xuan had been true opponents in a contest of words. Those present all had their own feelings about it. Luo Ze’s group were obviously happy, Liu Wu Sheng was annoyed, Gu Jun worried over it, and Jiang Yun Si did his best to hide his surprise.
“Take her away!” Luo Ze commanded his guards.
At this moment, Madam Wang-Ning did the unexpected and didn’t wait to be caught by the two soldiers approaching her. She took aim at a column in the hall and rushed towards it, slamming her head on the stone with deadly consequence.
Liu Wu Sheng stood suddenly, but under Long Xuan’s signal, sat back down again.
FOOTNOTES:
1. Three Ministries – Original text is “San Si Gong Shen”, which can be translated to “judgement by the three ministries/ministers”. This form of judgement is often reserved for heinous crimes such as treason, murder, and other crimes with a death sentence.
TRANSLATOR’S NOTES:
Hey guys!! Thanks for keeping up with the reading. Work has been murder lately, and I didn’t get a chance to write a note at the end of the last chapter. I made a mistake a couple of chapters ago, mixing up the last character for the prefect’s title with the first character of his name. All fixed now.
I also want to thank the two anonymous readers who bought me coffees! : ) Thank you both for keeping this going!
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