Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Luo Dachun was momentarily taken aback, then clasped his hands and smiled, "I am Nie Qiuyuan from Yichuan County. You must be Lord Su, the Deputy Judge of Dazhou?"
The scholar in green robes smiled slightly and replied, "Indeed, Lord Nie, your reputation precedes you."
"Long time no see!" Luo Dachun said with a sincere yet feigned smile.
The two of them laughed as if they were old friends and walked towards the designated meeting place.
"Brother Luo, do you know each other?" I seized the opportunity to satisfy my curiosity.
"Just a guess," Luo Dachun replied. "Before coming here, I had to familiarize myself with the information about the Henan Circuit. With one prefecture, twenty-nine states, and one hundred twenty-six counties in Henan Circuit, there are only a few dozen officials known for their detective work. Among men of this age, there are no more than three, and Su Liche is the only one who looks frail. It’s quite obvious. Didn’t he figure me out right away?"
So it turned out to be a detective's instinct. However, I had always admired Luo Dachun's ability to gather and analyze information. In modern times, collecting and filtering information is often handled by specialists. Their work forms the very foundation of all investigative activities.
"This Lord Su is quite extraordinary! Don’t let his frail appearance fool you; he is known for his cunning mind. His methods of investigation are completely different from the usual steady approach," Luo Dachun said with a laugh, secretly gossiping about him.
I was curious but felt it inappropriate to ask further questions at that moment, so I patiently followed behind them as we walked slowly.
The inn was not far from the Luozhou Inspectorate, so we arrived quickly on foot. Along the way, we encountered several groups of people in formal attire who greeted each other warmly and introduced themselves, creating a lively atmosphere.
In my eyes, this should have been a gathering of detectives from the Henan Circuit, resembling what I had seen on television—everyone looking cool and unique, even engaging in witty banter. However, it was nothing like that; they exchanged hearty laughs and spoke in official tones with an air of flattery that I found quite tiresome.
Upon further understanding, I learned that there were ten individuals summoned to Luozhou for this case collaboration. These ten were recognized as the most capable detectives in the Henan Circuit. Among them, only Nie Qiuyuan held the title of county magistrate; the others were primarily legal officers from various states—officials responsible for criminal justice at the state level. Among these ten was even a senior official—Bai Qianfan himself from the Mizhou Inspectorate under Henan Circuit.
It was difficult to make comparisons, so I decided to simplify things. After all, they were all captains or even chiefs of the municipal police department, while we were merely the local officers of the District Police Station.
Given our status, being recognized as one of the top ten outstanding youths was truly remarkable!
At that moment, a red figure caught my attention.
To say it caught my attention wouldn’t be entirely accurate, as it was hard not to notice; almost everyone’s gaze was drawn to that red figure. The banquet was held in the East Flower Hall of the Luozhou Inspectorate, and she stood quietly under a willow tree in the Flower Hall, leaning against the trunk.
What made her so captivating was that this person in red was a woman—a stunningly beautiful woman.
She appeared to be around twenty years old, with her hair styled in a cloud-like bun adorned with golden hairpins. A golden flower sticker decorated her left cheek beneath her eye, adding to her dazzling beauty. Her features were exquisitely defined, her skin as white as cream, and her enchanting eyes sparkled with a mesmerizing light. Yet, there was something sharper and more spirited in her gaze that made her stand out remarkably.
Oh dear, where did I find so many adjectives? This wasn’t my style! But she was simply too beautiful; even as a woman myself, I felt a pang of envy before her radiance. Unconsciously, I rummaged through my vocabulary to find words to describe her.
As the crowd approached, the woman straightened up from the tree trunk and cast her gaze toward us.
The well-mannered men were momentarily speechless upon seeing such a celestial being. It was she who smiled slightly and spoke first: “Greetings everyone, I am Ruo Chanjuan, the Chief Constable of Yingzhou. The one I represent is He Mian, the Judicial Officer from Yingzhou. However, He Sir fell ill suddenly before his departure and had to send a letter requesting me, as Chief Hunter, to take his place.”
The men paused for a moment before enthusiastically introducing themselves one by one. I marveled inwardly; it seemed that even at this time, there were already female hunters. This wasn’t even the era of female emperors yet—how open-minded the Tang Dynasty was!
Ruo Chanjuan was not only beautiful but also had an appealing name. From her mannerisms and speech, she appeared quite capable. I noticed that when she spoke, she didn’t use any soft or humble terms like “woman,” but simply referred to herself as “I,” straightforward and clear like a man.
While Ruo Chanjuan conversed with others, her gaze intentionally swept over the crowd before finally landing on Nie Qiuyuan beside me. We were both associates of the top ten outstanding youths and wouldn’t approach anyone for small talk; yet her eyes precisely locked onto the most handsome person in the group.
This is probably a common human sentiment. However, my feelings quickly shifted from admiration for the beauty to a burning anger. What if such a woman came to compete with me for my idol? That would be disastrous! A threat like this is far greater than the Holy Mother! I could easily manipulate Han Meilan, but this kind of woman could very well lead to my downfall if I’m not careful!
The only thing that reassured me was that Nie Qiuyuan didn’t even glance at her, seemingly uninterested.
Just as I was feeling restless, I heard someone behind me whisper urgently, “You need to deliver this to the lady right away! Hurry, hurry! If you take too long, she’ll be angry again!”
I was taken aback and turned around, only to be even more surprised. Approaching swiftly, surrounded by two officials in crimson robes, was a thin middle-aged man in purple robes adorned with a gold fish pouch. Those in purple were of the third rank or higher, so this thin man must undoubtedly be the historically renowned Fang Xuanling.
My heart was a whirlwind of emotions—nervousness, excitement, admiration, and amusement—so much so that I forgot about the troublesome rival I had encountered. Calculating in my head, Fang Xuanling should be 47 years old this year since he was one of the planners of the Xuanwu Gate Incident along with Du Ruhui, Changsun Wuji, Wei Chi Jing De, and Hou Junji. He had just been granted the title Duke of Xing this year due to his significant contributions. Currently, he held the position of Chancellor and discussed state affairs alongside the Chancellor and Minister of Rites.
Since my studies were related to law, among the early Tang chancellors, I paid the most attention to Fang Xuanling because he led the legal reforms during the early Tang period. The Tang Code revised under Fang Xuanling’s leadership remained largely unchanged for centuries.
So, Li Shimin’s legal ideals were also realized through his efforts?
However, from what I overheard, he really did seem to fear his wife as the legends suggest! It was evident that even when handling official matters away from home, he had to bring his wife along—what a burden! His wife, Lu Clan, was also quite famous in history for standing firm against imperial power and giving rise to the well-known tale of jealousy.
“Ah, everyone has arrived! Come on in; no need for formalities—just sit down!” The man in purple had no airs about him; he waved his hand like an ordinary old man and turned to the Luozhou Governor beside him. “Let’s get started quickly; the sooner we begin, the sooner we can finish. Let’s not stay too late!”
It seemed that if they stayed too late, the Chancellor would have to face his wife’s scolding upon returning home.
Comment 0 Comment Count