Chapter 9

Night had just fallen.

Qiao Ling received the gifts sent by the Eldest Princess and went to see Zhang Yuying first.

Zhang Yuying, understanding her intentions, told her: “The Eldest Princess is the eldest daughter of the current emperor, and the oldest of all his children. She has already established her own household and taken up official duties. She has a lot of influence in the court. Some even say…”

She hesitated for a moment, then continued: “Perhaps the Eldest Princess has a chance to ascend to that position!”

Qiao Ling stroked the jade pendants and said: “The Eldest Princess has come to show her favor is a good thing.”

With this noblewoman’s support, at least those who were secretly watching Prince Lu’s movements would be deterred.

But the Eldest Princess’s actions…

Qiao Ling whispered: “When you were fighting the lawsuit with the Zhang family, did the Eldest Princess help you?”

Zhang Yuying looked at her and said softly: “Miss, at that time, regardless of whether the Eldest Princess had any prior relationship with me or felt pity for me, she couldn’t speak out.”

Zhang Yuying was confronting her own father and brother – the “father” came first, so the “brother” could be omitted.

How could the Eldest Princess openly support a young woman in a war against patriarchal authority?

Even if the father was an unjust father, it wouldn’t be possible.

“But, if anything happens in the future, you can ask the Eldest Princess for help.”

Zhang Yuying told her: “The Eldest Princess has always been willing to support the eldest daughters of noble families to fight for their titles and enter the court. You know, the current inheritance system for titles is a bit vague. The rightful heir is the eldest son.”

“The eldest son is the eldest son, and the eldest daughter is also the eldest. Some families will make the eldest daughter the heir, but in cases where there is an eldest son, more often than not, they will bypass the eldest daughter and choose the eldest son – this is following the order of male descendants.”

“The Eldest Princessis willing to support women to inherit titles, firstly, to increase her allies. Even if that person doesn’t choose to help her, just standing in the court would be very meaningful to her.”

“Secondly, once there are more examples like this, could it be applied to the royal family? Especially since the current emperor hasn’t chosen a successor, and the former Queen doesn’t have any children left.”

Qiao Ling couldn’t help but ask: “Are there many female inheritors in the court?”

Zhang Yuying pondered: “Between one-fourth and one-third.”

She said: “There will always be cases where the legitimate wife only gives birth to a daughter. In such cases, how could they be willing to give up the title to a bastard son? There are also some enlightened families who don’t discriminate between genders and simply choose the eldest daughter.”

“And besides, there are also couples who are deeply in love and only have one daughter. Then, the title naturally belongs to their only daughter….”

By the end, Zhang Yuying’s tone was tinged with a hint of complexity.

Qiao Ling couldn’t hold back and asked: “Are there really families like that?!”

Zhang Yuying smiled faintly, a touch of sadness in her eyes: “Miss, have you ever heard that I was known as one of the top beauties in Divine Capital, along with Duke of Yue Xing’s daughter and Lady Zuo?”

Qiao Ling instantly understood, but she was also a little incredulous: “I know, but I didn’t know that Duke of Yue Xing only had one daughter?!”

“Yes,” Zhang Yuying shrugged, a hint of sadness in her eyes: “Duke of Yue Xing is a very devout follower of the Sage, and he and his wife are deeply in love. He only married one wife and had only one daughter. So, of course, the position of heir belongs to his only daughter.”

Zhang Yuying had reason to feel sad.

They both shared the title of “Number One Beauty of Capital”, but Lady Zuo’s cards and the path she had taken were so much better than hers.

Those men in high positions treated Lady Zuo with appreciation mixed with a touch of respect, but when they saw her, they unconsciously showed a hint of playfulness and condescension in their tone and demeanor.

Even just because they were known together, many people spoke up for Lady Zuo, implicitly or explicitly belittling her.

How could someone like Zhang Yuying be on par with the heir of a prestigious family!

She had also met Lady Zuo a few times by chance. The other woman was kind to her and even helped her a few times.

Such a clever woman, fearing that she would be embarrassed, even her help was subtle.

Zhang Yuying was grateful to her, but it made her even more miserable.

If the other woman was truly just a beautiful woman with a good background, she could at least console herself a little. But when the other woman’s character was truly impeccable, what could she do?

“Don’t laugh at me, Miss,” Zhang Yuying looked out the window. The summer night rain fell on the glass windows. She said softly: “Sometimes, I really, really envy her…”

Qiao Ling’s face contorted, her darkness creeping in: “She’s beautiful, has a good background, a harmonious family, she’s an only child, she’s wealthy, and she has a Duke of Yue’s position waiting for her – why didn’t heaven just give her the throne?!”

Zhang Yuying: “…”

Qiao Ling walked around darkly: “How can there be someone so lucky? Why am I so unlucky, born in the countryside?!”

Zhang Yuying: “…”

Qiao Ling walked around darkly: “She definitely wouldn’t be forced to get married for money!”

Zhang Yuying: “…”

Zhang Yuying rubbed her temples, unable to help but laugh: “Okay, I know you’re trying to comfort me…”

The frost in her eyes faded, and she turned to the bedroom to make the bed, laughing: “Get settled early, Miss. You have to go to the Mrs. Jiang’s class tomorrow.”

Qiao Ling lay down, pulled the blanket over her, but couldn’t help but say: “If you’re really uncomfortable, go Touch the gold. He’s so soft!”

Zhang Yuying smiled and nodded: “Okay, I understand.”

Summer rain came quickly and ended just as fast.

But at this moment, the rain was at its heaviest.

A worker named Liu Jin was running frantically on the road.

The heavy rain blurred his vision and also blurred his desperate cries for help.

A stone brick on the road had loosened. It wouldn’t have been a problem normally, but now, with the rain, water had filled the gap. Liu Jin stepped on it, and with a “plop,” a splash of water erupted, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.

The sound of cold metal scraping against the stone brick floor came. The person in the darkness approached.

Liu Jin trembled involuntarily and held his breath.

The person seemed to enjoy the prey’s fear, walking calmly and leisurely through the rainy night.

The dragging sound of metal pierced Liu Jin’s eardrums.

His teeth were chattering, his heart beating wildly, as if it would jump out of his throat. He regretted not arguing with the manager earlier, why did he have to be sent out to buy wine in this heavy rain?

The sound of metal scraping came closer. He trembled and lay on the ground, tears streaming down his face, not even daring to look at the demon who was about to take his life…

Just then, the chilling sound suddenly stopped.

Liu Jin mustered his courage and opened his eyes, only to see a red umbrella blooming in the darkness a few meters away.

His gaze went down, and he saw a pair of white boots soaked in rain, followed by a white robe with silver trim, and a golden sash hanging from the waist, shining with nobility.

The person holding the red umbrella sneered, his voice laced with anger, not as calm as Liu Jin had imagined.

“Making me come out in this heavy rain, you deserve to die.”

The rain was still falling.

But it seemed to have calmed down a little.

Liu Jin vaguely heard the sound of bells, followed by a beam of light.

I must be scared out of my mind.

He thought: How could there be light at night!

The evil spirit in the darkness and the person with the red umbrella were not on good terms. Liu Jin heard the chilling sound of metal scraping move towards the person with the red umbrella.

He didn’t dare to look, and he wished he could even close his ears.

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground came – he really hated that he wasn’t deaf!

Liu Jin lay on the ground, trembling, until a series of urgent hoofbeats shattered the night’s silence.

The shining blade enveloped him.

Someone asked urgently and fiercely: “Name?!”

“What are you doing?!”

The sound of armor rubbing came, and the warriors holding weapons around him retreated.

Liu Jin looked up and saw a tall, imposing young man in silver armor, his expression indifferent.

His gaze swept over Liu Jin, and the young man dismounted. A warrior held his reins for him. He took a few steps forward, lowered his head, and met the unclosed eyes of the headless corpse on the ground.

“What a nuisance…”

Liu Jin heard someone sigh.

He mustered his courage and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a man dressed as a warrior using his drawn sword to push aside the headless corpse’s arm.

The black clothes on the corpse seemed to have ripped, revealing the flesh underneath. Liu Jin didn’t dare to look closer, he glanced at it and quickly averted his gaze.

Cheng Mu, the captain of the Imperial Guard, who held the sword, frowned: “We dealt with the madman earlier, but then someone was still murdered at night. We thought it was a thief imitating the previous crimes, but now, it seems more complicated…”

He stared at the headless corpse’s left arm and his voice tightened: “Zeng Shaoqing, take a look!”

Liu Jin heard the name and his heart skipped a beat. He turned his head to look.

He had heard people mention this Shaoqing of Dali Temple who had solved many strange cases, even catching a serial killer from years ago. Shendu was wealthy and filled with idle people, many of whom spent their time in teahouses. The storytellers in the teahouses had greatly spread his fame, and through these idle people, Zeng Shaoqing’s reputation became even more widespread.

But when he looked, Liu Jin was slightly disappointed.

The Zeng Shaoqing in the storytellers’ mouths was a sharp-eyed, intelligent man with a keen eye. Liu Jin had always imagined him to be around forty years old, with wise and insightful eyes, holding a feather fan, his beard three feet long. But the Zeng Shaoqing who stood before him now was a young man, at most twenty-three or twenty-four years old.

Although his appearance wasn’t ugly, it could even be described as handsome, it was completely different from the wise elder he had imagined!

Liu Jin felt a kind of unspoken disappointment, but at this moment, no one knew or understood his disappointment.

Zeng Yuanzhi wore a pair of long gloves that reached his elbows. He half-squatted down, used tweezers to lift the cloth covering the corpse’s left arm, revealing a black spider hidden beneath the cloth, starkly exposed to everyone.

He continued the autopsy without stopping, and after a while, he raised his head and said: “His bones are a bit strange, there are signs of artificial lengthening, and the wear and tear on his joints is abnormal. It’s very likely that he was a manufactured tool used to achieve a certain goal. Judging by his facial bones, he should be from the south. Based on the calluses on his hands, he may have served in the military. As for the spider on his arm…”

Zeng Yuan looked thoughtful and didn’t give a conclusion.

Cheng Mu had seen a lot and had some guesses – it was probably a symbol of some evil cult.

But he felt something was wrong: “But the people who were caught earlier didn’t have spider tattoos on their arms.”

He couldn’t figure it out and looked up at his superior, Yu Pu, the newly appointed captain of the Imperial Guard and the head of the Chief of Jingzhao.

He also has a nickname, called “Goshawk”

Yu Pu coldly stared at the bloodshot eyes for a moment, then turned towards Liu Jin.

He motioned for his men to help Liu Jin up and said: “Tell us, what did you see?”

Liu Jin didn’t dare to look at him directly and subconsciously lowered his eyelids, but he happened to see his hands.

A pair of hands wearing black gloves.

The next day, the Duke of Yue’s mansion.

The Mrs. Jiang was a very easygoing person.

After receiving the task from the old lady to teach Qiao Ling, she had people prepare everything she needed to learn that evening, even though her student hadn’t arrived yet.

“First, you need to learn the layout, the Topography, which families live where, and what buildings are in different parts of the city.”

“Then, you need to learn about our in-laws. For example, my family and the old lady’s family, the eldest sister-in-law’s family, and even the Duke of Yue’s maternal family. And then, there are families who are close to our mansion, you can’t be disrespectful to them when you meet them in the future.”

“Finally, there are the rules of the palace!”

The Mrs. Jiang was very serious and straightforward: “There might be all sorts of rumors about your marriage, and some people might even say things to your face that are inappropriate. Just be strong and don’t be afraid. If they know the main person won’t be happy but still say it, then they are your enemies. You can be as ruthless as you want with your enemies!”

“You are the legitimate wife of the Duke of Yue, the Jiang family recognizes you, the court recognizes you, that’s enough. It’s none of anyone else’s business!”

Qiao Ling knew that the Mrs. Jiang was well-intentioned and was giving her a heads-up – everyone knew that the Duke of Yue’s mansion wouldn’t have chosen someone like her to be the Duke of Yue’s wife if it weren’t for a rush marriage.

She responded gratefully: “You can be as ruthless as you want with your enemies – Aunt, I got it!”

The Mrs. Jiang was happy to see that she wasn’t being coy, but for some reason, she felt a sense of unease in the back of her mind.

A cough welled up in her throat. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed a few times before continuing: “You are the future wife of the Duke of Yue of Yue. This has been approved by the Ministry of Rites. But according to the old customs, on the day before the wedding, you need to go to the palace to pay your respects to the Empress. Since the Queen Mother is vacant, you need to go and pay your respects to the Queen of Mother…”

“But you don’t need to be afraid,” the Mrs. Jiang said, trying to reassure her: “The Queen Mother is old and rarely sees people. In recent years, noble ladies who have entered the palace have mostly just bowed at the palace gate and didn’t have to go inside. But just in case, you need to be prepared. Maybe when you go, the Queen Mother will be in a good mood and want to chat with you?”

She looked again, but Qiao Ling’s face didn’t show any anxiety or unease. She stood tall and confident, full of ambition.

The Mrs. Jiang was slightly stunned, forgetting what she was going to say next.

She was momentarily lost in thought, unaware that Qiao Ling had taken the lead, flipped through the materials she had prepared, and asked curiously: “Is that all?”

The Mrs. Jiang was taken aback.

She was worried that this girl wouldn’t be able to absorb all this information in a short time!

She hesitated and said: “What else do you want to learn?”

Qiao Ling said enthusiastically: “I want to find some practical law books to read, preferably the ‘Criminal Code’!”

Zhang Yuying was speechless.

The Mrs. Jiang was tongue-tied.

Both of them thought the same thing at the same time – What are you trying to do?!