Proud Feather

Chapter 23 Hope
Jiang Shijun, a native of the northwest, had his path to the imperial examination cut short due to his family's involvement in a scandal, so he was recommended to the Eastern Palace.

Among so many staff members in the Eastern Palace, he was inconspicuous, but in his previous life, he had been lurking in the capital for many years in order to overthrow the Second Prince, and had given key evidence to Chu Ling.

Chu Ling knew that her elder brother had been the crown prince for many years, and had amassed a considerable influence around him. In her previous life, she was ignorant and naive, and by the time she finally understood, the prince's faction had already dispersed.

Back to the present, the eldest brother has just left and the princelings are still there. Of course, she cannot miss the opportunity and should recruit those who can be used as soon as possible.

Jiang Shijun is a good starting point. His past life experience shows his loyalty, his inconspicuousness will not arouse the vigilance of some people, and he is a very sociable person with good relations with all the princelings.

"Stand up." Chu Ling looked at him, "Mr. Jiang, do you know why the Crown Princess came to see you?"

Jiang Shijun has a round face and a smile on his face even before he speaks, which makes people think of the four words "harmony brings wealth" at first sight.

Without any hesitation, he replied frankly, "I heard that the princess will be ordered to supervise the investigation of the Crown Prince's murder case. I think it is related to this."

"That's right." Chu Ling said, "I heard that you were a criminal lawyer in your early years, is that right?"

Jiang Shijun bowed in response.

She smiled and said, "You know, I, a princess, have always been arrogant and domineering, and I don't like to study. If I were asked to supervise the three judicial departments in handling cases, I would probably be deceived by them without even realizing it. The Crown Princess recommended you to me, saying that you have some skills in criminal law. Would you be willing to help me?"

……

At this moment, a dull drinking party was taking place in a small courtyard near the East Palace.

"I went to see Master Zhu the day before yesterday, but he refused to see me and closed the door to visitors."

"Master Huang did meet me, but he was also full of concerns and didn't know anything when I asked him questions."

"I haven't seen Fang Wu for many days. I heard there were noises in his house. He seemed to be packing up his things. I think he was going to run away."

"How despicable! When the Crown Prince was alive, these people received so much kindness. Now that the Crown Prince's body is still warm, instead of avenging him, they are only thinking about their own future!"

The staff were indignant at first, but later became dejected.

"This is human nature. The Crown Prince is gone, the eldest grandson is still young, and there's no one to take charge. What can we do? His Majesty has already ordered the three courts to investigate. Even if we want revenge, it's not our turn!"

"Even so, you can't run away now, right? You have to wait until the real culprit is found."

"That's right! Once you've pledged your loyalty, you must first serve your former master wholeheartedly before considering the future."

At this time, someone asked: "Where is Lao Jiang? Why didn't he come?"

The host waved his hand and said, "I was originally going to come, but the eunuch said that he went to the East Palace to see the Crown Princess."

"Eastern Palace!" The other two people felt something in their hearts.

The owner of the house understood their thoughts and said, "You all know about the princess's poisoning, right? I heard that His Majesty was furious and asked the princess to supervise the three judicial departments to investigate the case. Lao Jiang was a criminal lawyer in his early years, and I guess the Crown Princess sent him there for this purpose. Don't get your hopes up, we all know the princess's temper. She can't do anything serious. She probably just sent him there for questioning."

"That being said, the princess is still a princess after all. If she doesn't understand, wouldn't it be great if someone could give her some pointers..."

"Yes, it's said that there was something strange about the prince's body, and it was the princess who discovered it..."

"That was just an accident." The owner shook his head. "If the nobles really had this intention, why didn't they summon us for so long? Even Master Zhu and Master Huang didn't get the nobility's attention, let alone us?"

That's true. Even if the Crown Princess really wanted to use an old person, she should have summoned the officials of the Eastern Palace first.

After all the talk, the atmosphere was still depressing. The staff drank one glass after another until someone suddenly knocked on the door and Jiang Shijun came in happily.

"Brother Wu, Brother Bi, Brother Li!" "Old Jiang, what are you doing..." The owner of the house was stunned.

"Great news!" Jiang Shijun ordered the old servant to close the door, looked around, and his low voice was filled with joy. "I met the princess in the East Palace! She hired me as her legal advisor! You know what this means? I can get in touch with the murder case of the crown prince!"

The three of them were both surprised and delighted: "Really?!"

Jiang Shijun nodded, his face full of smiles: "Don't worry, I don't think the princess is as willful as the rumors say... We have hope of avenging the prince!"
-
Early in the morning, a royal carriage appeared at the palace gate.

The guards led the way, and the palace maids held lanterns as they paraded out of the palace gate, crossed the water bridge, and entered Ping'an Street.

"Silence! Silence!" The Jinwu Guards rode back and forth, clearing the way. "When the princess is out, everyone should keep out of the way!"

This scene attracted many people to watch.

"Who is it? What happened?"

"Didn't you hear them shouting? The princess is on her way! Come here quickly and don't block the road!"

"Which princess?" The person asking the question seemed to be a foreigner, looking around curiously.

"Who else could it be? Your Majesty, there is only one adult princess currently, and that is Princess Jiahe!"

"Huh?" The stranger thought the voice sounded familiar. "Is he the one who often goes to Dahuai Temple... to listen to sutras?"

His words were unclear, but his meaning came through clearly with his subtle expression.

That's right! There have been a lot of rumors about this princess recently, such as that she fell in love with a monk from the Dahuai Temple and that she visited the temple not long after her brother passed away. It really reminds people of the princesses of the Taizong Dynasty and those absurd stories that were widely circulated.

Is this really the custom among princesses of this dynasty? It really makes people stay away from them.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" An unhappy voice came from the side. The onlookers turned their heads and saw that the man was wearing green clothes and seemed to be a minor official.

Of course, a clerk is nothing in the capital, but for ordinary people, it is natural that people are curious about his connection with an official.

"Sir, I also heard it from someone. Is this news wrong?"

The clerk said, "You are out of touch with the news. The Dahuai Temple was sealed off the day before yesterday."

"Ah?" The outsider was surprised. "I've been busy collecting goods these past two days and didn't know about it. Sir, why is the Dahuai Temple closed for no reason?"

"Because they were plotting to murder the princess!" the clerk replied. "The princess went to the Dahuai Temple because she heard the monk there could treat heart problems. Who knew the monk harbored such evil intentions that he actually poisoned the princess? When His Majesty learned of this, he was furious and sealed off the Dahuai Temple."

At this point, he glanced at the crowd of people spreading rumors and said, "Don't listen to gossips and rumors that ruin the princess's reputation. If His Majesty learns of this and investigates, there will be no good consequences."

The onlookers were shocked: "It turned out to be like this..."

Some people also tried to make up for it: "I said this news was outrageous. I didn't believe it before. It turns out it's not true."

"Sir, what is the princess doing now?"

At this time, the imperial carriage passed through Ping'an Street and stopped at the Dali Temple.

The clerk smiled slightly and said, "The princess has been ordered to urge the Dali Temple to pursue the murderer."

(End of this chapter)