Proud Feather

Chapter 70 Ignore
As soon as Chu Ling left the palace, Minister of Justice Lin Wenyu got the news.

"Incognito? Bringing the imperial carriage!"

"Did you go to the Dali Temple? Did you say you were going to the Ministry of Justice?"

The clerk replied, "They didn't tell me, but I inquired and it seems they didn't inform me in advance about going to the Dali Temple. Only Master Gao knew about it when we arrived at the yamen."

Lin Wenyu paused.

The official asked again, "Sir, should we go and greet her? The last time the princess came on an inspection tour, she was supposed to visit us after visiting the Dali Temple, but she left straight away. The neighboring government office has been making insinuations about this, asking if we've offended the princess."

"Why bother with them?" Lin Wenyu disagreed. "Our princess is a person who acts on impulse."

"That's true, but the Dali Temple received a commendation," the clerk said enviously. "Offending the princess is fine, but your Majesty's attitude..."

Seeing his expression, Lin Wenyu's heart was moved. He naturally knew that the emperor's attitude was not based on such a commendation, but the people below were moved. He could not take it seriously, but he could not let other government officials look down on him.

"Even if we go to welcome her, the princess may not come."

Seeing signs of progress, the clerk quickly urged, "You can go and take a look! After all, the princess has been ordered to supervise the work, so it's only natural for us to go and coordinate. Even if the princess doesn't come, you can still fulfill your responsibilities by making a few remarks, and no one else can find fault with you."

Lin Wenyu thought about it and it made sense. The last time Gao Mian received His Majesty's praise, wasn't he envious? Of course not! Leaving the impression of being a capable official on His Majesty's side, who knows when it might come in handy!
Besides, if he couldn't solve the case within the deadline, it would be fine. But if he did succeed, he would at least take some credit for it, right? If Gao Mian took the opportunity to climb over his head, where would he put his face?
So Lin Wenyu packed up and went to the Dali Temple.

The princess's carriage was parked outside the yamen, and was guarded by a head aunt.

Lin Wenyu put on a smile and walked forward to speak.

The head aunt bowed politely to him and replied, "Minister Lin, you are so thoughtful. The princess is currently investigating a case and will be free later."

Lin Wenyu smiled and said, "I will be waiting here. Since taking over this case, the Ministry of Justice has been busy from morning till night. I have long wanted to report the progress to the princess, but I have never had the chance."

Zheng Qiu responded politely, not exposing his mistake. "Minister Lin, you've worked hard. The princess knows that the Ministry of Justice has its own rules and regulations, so she didn't come to disturb you."

Lin Wenyu felt a bit relieved. It seemed the princess had chosen the Tian family last time because they were easier to deal with than the Dali Temple. It didn't really matter; the Ministry of Justice could handle this kind of thing occasionally. After all, the Tian family wasn't a big deal; the Second Prince wasn't even angry.

So Minister Lin waited patiently at the gate of the Dali Temple. Whenever officials from other yamen passed by, either intentionally or accidentally, he would smile and reply, "The princess rarely leaves the palace. I am waiting to report to you."

"Yes, it's the case. We have accumulated a lot of clues."

"The princess is worth a lot of money. I will come here more often so that the princess can make fewer trips."

Minister Lin waited and waited, but by noon the princess still hadn't come out, and the lunch prepared by the palace was delivered.

He debated whether to continue waiting. It would be awkward to leave midway, but it would be embarrassing to sit there while others enjoyed the delicious imperial meal.

Fortunately, the aunt in charge was thoughtful and personally brought the imperial meal to apologize to him, saying that the princess still needed some time.

Lin Wenyu took advantage of the situation and treated it as a meal given by the princess. He shamelessly ate it among the officials of the Dali Temple.

Needless to say, he understood why the officials below were so restless. It was so prestigious to receive a meal from the palace, and the neighboring government offices were so envious that their eyes turned red.

It's okay, isn't it just flattering the princess? How difficult can a willful little princess be to deal with? He'll use his skills to coax the superiors and make her happy.

Minister Lin sat there for another hour, his mind vacant. Finally, there was movement from inside. Gao Mian, leading a group of officials, escorted the guests out in a grand procession, chattering non-stop. "Pah! Poor kid! All you know how to do is flatter!"
Lin Wenyu snorted angrily. This group of people acted as if they couldn't see him. The princess walked out of the door alone, and Gao Mian respectfully saw her off.

He quickly approached before the imperial carriage started moving: "Your Highness Lin Wenyu pays his respects to the princess."

Chu Ling only then saw him and said, "Oh, Minister Lin, long time no see."

The princess was overseeing a case he was handling, so how could he not see her for so long? It would seem like he was neglecting his duties. Lin Wenyu hurriedly said, "Princess, I've been busy investigating and haven't reported the progress of the case to you yet..."

"It's okay, just be busy!" Chu Ling looked unconcerned. "This princess has something else to do, so I won't disturb you anymore."

Then he waved his hand, and the eunuch shouted "Start", and the imperial carriage passed by him.

Lin Wenyu watched the imperial carriage disappear around the corner, and then received meaningful looks from people around him. He was so angry that his face turned blue.

He didn't dare scold the princess, so he could only vent his anger on the clerk beside him: "It's all your fault, what a lousy idea!"

This time, not only did he not save face, but he was even more embarrassed.

What did the princess mean by not bothering him? Isn't it that the Ministry of Justice can't be relied upon for this case? The Dali Temple is needed, and the Ministry of Justice is just a decoration, right?

……

Inside the imperial carriage, Zheng Qiu said, "Princess, why are you being so disrespectful to him? A gentleman can be deceived by his own methods, but if a villain offends him, it will be very troublesome."

Chu Ling smiled and said, "I just want to offend him. He's one of the people you mentioned, right?"

Zheng Qiu nodded: "This Minister Lin is a master of speculation."

"So, if he's so slippery, how could he reveal his flaws without being provoked?"

Zheng Qiu thought about it and it made sense. Since the princess had decided to do this, what did a mere Minister Lin mean to her?
Lin Wenyu became angrier the more he thought about it, and he went back to the Ministry of Justice and asked someone to send all the files over.

When others asked him about it, he said with a sullen face, "I think the princess is not satisfied with our progress. We need to get down to business. Don't just sit there and do your investigations. The deadline is almost up. If there's no progress on the case, I'll lose my job, and you'll be punished too!"

For a while, all the staff of the Ministry of Justice were busy, and it seemed that they were learning from their mistakes and becoming braver.

After scolding his subordinates, Minister Lin closed the door of the public housing and asked his confidant, "What has the Dali Temple investigated so far? What has Gao Mian been doing recently?"

The confidant replied, "Master Gao is investigating the Crown Prince's whereabouts during his lifetime and has targeted several corrupt officials whom the Crown Prince has punished."

"Were they the ones that were taken away during the river repair?"

The confidant agreed.

"What about the princess? What have you been doing lately?"

"Regarding the case of Dahuai Temple, I heard that Wenxianju was removed from the case. I don't know what happened next. The Imperial City Bureau took over, so we can't ask too much."

Lin Wenyu pondered, "In the case of the Dahuai Temple, the Tian family has been driven back to their hometown. Further investigation will only eliminate their accomplices. This is the princess's personal grudge, and it also involves the concubines in the palace. We cannot interfere lightly. The key lies in the Dali Temple. I want to see what tricks that kid Gao Mian can come up with..."