Chapter 22 – Big Red Sister, Are You Happy?

Prefect Lord Gao hadn’t expected that right from the start, he would be faced with such a lopsided lawsuit.

The widow Liu kneeling below was actually accusing people from Prince Cheng’s manor of trying to seize her two daughters.

That was Prince Cheng—a member of the imperial clan.

Lord Gao’s heart went cold as he followed procedure, first questioning her about what had happened.

Ling Gurong lowered his head slightly and asked Tang Chaoyang, “Madam, do you truly think the prefect will stand up for widow Liu and her daughters?”

He called her “madam” quite naturally. After all, Tang Chaoyang was now dressed up as a weathered, middle-aged woman.

Tang Chaoyang replied calmly, “He will.”

Ling Gurong raised a brow. “Why are you so sure the prefect would risk offending Prince Cheng’s manor for the sake of a few commoners?”

Tang Chaoyang finally spared him a glance, her eyes a little puzzled.

This man… he looked rather like the middle-aged gentleman who had given her silver in the medical clinic that other time.

And now he’d disguised himself as a young man.

She chose not to expose his disguise and simply answered, “Because I believe in His Majesty. The emperor is wise.”

Ling Gurong gave a soft cough, inexplicably receiving yet another compliment.

This woman—why did she keep praising him every so often?

“And why do you believe in the Son of Heaven so much?” Ling Gurong genuinely couldn’t understand.

They shouldn’t have met before.

He’d only been on the throne a few months—why did she trust him so firmly?

Strange.

Tang Chaoyang gave him a look full of hidden meaning and said unhurriedly, “Because I want to believe, so I believe.”

Who would be foolish enough to say they didn’t trust the emperor? Was their neck begging for the blade?

She didn’t see the need to explain herself too much to a stranger.

Ling Gurong heard this answer and murmured, “…Impressive.”

Inside the hall, Prefect Gao was practically riding a tiger now and couldn’t get off.

So many commoners were watching outside—he could only grit his teeth and proceed. “Men, go summon people from Prince Cheng’s manor.”

The crowd kept whispering among themselves.

“The prefect actually sent someone to summon them?”

“Who knows how this will end?”

“Don’t be naive. At most, someone from the manor will come just to make an appearance. They won’t suffer any real consequences. On the contrary, those three women are in even greater danger.”

Everyone was deep in discussion.

Ling Gurong guessed that Tang Chaoyang probably didn’t know much about Prince Cheng’s manor, which was why she dared urge widow Liu to file a complaint.

Well, worst case, he could step in to help them from the shadows.

*

No one knew how long it had been when the bailiff returned, respectfully bringing in a middle-aged man.

This man was the steward of Prince Cheng’s manor. For petty matters like commoners causing a fuss, the noble lords themselves never needed to appear.

The steward knelt and paid his respects to the prefect. When questioned, he replied, “My lord, our manor employs many servants. If some of them have acted recklessly under our banner, His Highness would never condone it.”

He turned to look at the widow Liu. “Madam, can you describe the appearance of the men who harassed you?”

The prefect instructed someone to fetch the court sketch artist.

Ling Gurong watched the proceedings in the hall and chuckled lightly, his eyes calm. “Madam, look—the steward has already said it was servants acting under false pretenses. It has nothing to do with their master. They can easily throw a few scapegoats to take the blame.”

Tang Chaoyang was utterly unruffled. “Oh.”

Seeing her remain so composed and unhurried, Ling Gurong felt a flicker of curiosity.

Did this woman have some hidden card to play?

Inside, widow Liu tried hard to recall the faces of those five men. The situation back then had been so terrifying that she could only remember the face of the leader who spoke.

The steward’s gaze was cold. Foolish wretch—she actually dared to accuse the manor at the yamen.

Just then, Tang Chaoyang spoke up. “My lord, this humble woman was also present. I remember clearly the appearance of those five men.”

The steward shot her a frigid glare, secretly sneering—yet another one who didn’t fear death.

Ling Gurong also wanted to step into the hall. He curved his lips and called, “My lord, I, too, remember their faces. I can help create a likeness.”

In the shadows, the hidden guards protecting Ling Gurong were all breaking into a cold sweat for Prefect Gao when they heard their emperor calling him “my lord.”

The prefect had Tang Chaoyang and Ling Gurong come in. “Who are you?” he demanded.

Tang Chaoyang had no official rank and was dressed as a common woman. She needed to kneel to answer.

She did so fluently. “My lord, this humble woman is named Tang Dahong, a barefoot doctor. When those five men came to the wonton stall, they started smashing everything without a word—”

When Ling Gurong heard “Tang Dahong,” he nearly lost control of his expression. What an awful name.

He knew perfectly well it must be an alias.

Ling Gurong had given himself the identity of a scholar, so he didn’t have to kneel.

With Tang Chaoyang and Ling Gurong’s help, portraits of the five servants from Prince Cheng’s manor were quickly produced.

Widow Liu cast them a grateful look and knocked her head on the floor in thanks.

More and more onlookers crowded outside the yamen.

It hadn’t been this lively in ages.

Prefect Gao didn’t know whether he should cry or be glad.

Tang Chaoyang was allowed to stand up again. She glanced out at the gathered crowd, then drew her gaze back.

Ling Gurong was thoroughly intrigued by her now. He couldn’t guess what she planned to do next.

It was obvious the steward intended to pin the blame on a few expendable underlings and end the matter.

If that happened, the real culprits behind it all would never be punished.

Before he realized it, Ling Gurong was genuinely curious—what would Tang Chaoyang do next?

Sure enough, just as everyone expected, when the bailiffs brought the five men in, they knelt and confessed at once. They claimed it had all been their idea—to kidnap the twin sisters to pay a debt.

The people sighed inwardly.

This complaint had only cost the manor a few servants. The prince’s household remained untouched.

Widow Liu began to tremble with anxiety. Her spirit was nearly spent.

Where would she take her daughters now?

The steward glanced blandly at the twin girls. Those sisters could be delivered to the second young master for his amusement.

Prefect Gao sighed. Since the manor’s men insisted it was their own doing, he could only sentence them accordingly.

“My lord, may this humble woman ask the steward a question?” Tang Chaoyang said.

“Granted,” Prefect Gao replied.

Tang Chaoyang turned to the steward, her tone politely puzzled. “These five servants—whom do they usually attend to?”

The steward did not answer right away.

“What’s wrong? Can’t you say?”

Tang Chaoyang smiled faintly. “Don’t tell me they aren’t qualified to serve any of the masters. But I remember that when the second young master used to go out, these men were always at his side.”

The steward shot her a frosty look. “They are the second young master’s attendants.”

Tang Chaoyang wasn’t intimidated in the least.

She first bowed to Prefect Gao, then turned to face the crowd outside the hall.

“Everyone—have you ever read the Jin Penal Code? There is an article stating that anyone who forcibly abducts or seizes a law-abiding woman shall be punished with flogging and exile. If the circumstances are severe, the penalty is death.”

“However, noble families shield their sons and let them escape punishment.”

Tang Chaoyang gave a small, cold laugh. “The second young master of Prince Cheng’s manor—how many times has he abducted women? Are you telling me all those incidents were the servants acting on their own?”

“Can you honestly believe such nonsense?”

“Well, I, for one, do not.”

The onlookers stared silently at the woman in the hall, shocked by all they’d heard and seen today.

A mere woman dared stand in the yamen and speak of the penal code.

Under the late emperor, the laws had been nothing but empty words. Power and wealth were the true law.

Tang Chaoyang knew that the new emperor intended to give the Jin Penal Code real effect. It couldn’t be applied fully yet, but at least there were some principles now.

She took two petitions stamped with bloody handprints from her sleeve.

Turning, she held them up in both hands. “My lord, these are statements of accusation from the families of two women abducted by the second young master of Prince Cheng’s manor.”

These were the only two households willing to write such complaints. The rest didn’t dare provoke the prince’s household.

The bailiff took the petitions and passed them to Prefect Gao. The prefect skimmed them quickly, his gaze growing sharp as he looked Tang Chaoyang up and down.

Tang Chaoyang smiled gently, not finished yet. “Officials cannot let their sons act with impunity. The emperor himself decreed that all officials must discipline their children. Prince Cheng’s manor committing such a crime today—is this not defying the emperor’s will?”

At the words defying the emperor’s will, the steward’s face finally changed.

Who dared defy the emperor? That was nearly rebellion.

The steward was already entertaining murderous thoughts toward Tang Chaoyang. This wretch—how dare she be so brazen?

He knocked his head on the floor, crying out to Prefect Gao, proclaiming his innocence.

Ling Gurong quietly fixed his gaze on Tang Chaoyang. When he looked back at the crowd outside, he saw people confused and others secretly stirred.

He had just been preparing to promote the Jin Penal Code.

This “Tang Dahong” had handed him the perfect opening.

He sighed, then made a small hand gesture.

Not long after, Yuwen Jie, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in purple robes, entered the yamen with a squad.

When Tang Chaoyang saw Yuwen Jie, her heart gave a sudden jolt. In her past life, he had been the new emperor’s sharpest blade.

His ruthless reputation preceded him.

Yuwen Jie wrapped his long fingers around the hilt of his sword at his waist.

His fierce gaze swept quickly over the crowd, pausing for an instant on Ling Gurong before shifting away.

“I have heard that Prince Cheng’s manor disregards the Jin Penal Code and dares defy imperial authority. Men—take everyone from Prince Cheng’s manor into custody.”

When the Embroidered Uniform Guard took charge, not even the prefect could intervene.

It was clear Prince Cheng’s manor was about to suffer greatly. The new emperor was going to make an example of them to ensure respect for the penal code.

Although this wasn’t exactly how she’d planned things, it made no real difference.

Tang Chaoyang smiled.

From Fei Yan being punished for failing to discipline his son, to the emperor warning all officials to restrain their families, to establishing the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and now striking at Prince Cheng’s manor—everything had happened much sooner than in her last life.

In this life, Liu Erniang wouldn’t have to worry about being separated from her sister and mother.

Tang Chaoyang no longer planned to use Liu Erniang for her own purposes. She wouldn’t live shackled by hatred again.

Raising An’an was what she needed to focus on.

Ling Gurong watched Tang Chaoyang’s faint smile. That sallow, plain face somehow looked a little alive at this moment.

In a low voice, he asked, “Big Red Sister—are you very pleased?”

Tang Chaoyang: “?”

Big Red Sister?

How awful.

The two of them silently locked eyes.

Tang Chaoyang smiled. “I am very pleased. The emperor is wise.”

Ling Gurong almost suspected that if she knew who he was, she was deliberately buttering him up.

Among the crowd outside the yamen, some literate scholars had gathered.

When the scholars discussed the penal code, the commoners nearby had listened curiously.

Someone asked, “Will widow Liu and her daughters be safe now?”

Could ordinary folk truly file charges against the powerful? Did they dare?

And the scholars vaguely felt a stirring premonition:

The Jin Empire was at the dawn of renewal.