Chapter 3 The Light in Her Eyes 3
She wanted to be affirmed by him so much that she got carried away. But one day, she would make Cheng Jue affirm her and even be proud of her.
Cheng Jue did not ignore her arm-raising movement, although she had done it very carefully.
The hazy moon peeked out from the horizon. He raised his arm to the same height as she had just been, with his fingertips touching the corners of her eyes. He thought: Is she crying again? How come she is like water, shedding tears at the slightest provocation?
Well... I'll buy another piece of candy and send it to you tomorrow.
Zhou Zhenzhen was in a bad mood, and didn't say much on the way back with Meng Fan. Usually, the two of them chattered together, but this time, only Meng Fan was talking excitedly, and she didn't respond at all. After a while, he also felt very embarrassed, and asked tentatively: "Did Master Cheng... scold you?"
She touched her face and smiled bitterly: "Is it so obvious?"
"There is no one in our yamen who has not been scolded by Lord Cheng. I can guess it by looking at your face. But seriously, Lord Cheng has been very lenient to you. I heard from Lord Wang before that Lord Cheng selected the fifth place winner of the first class of the imperial examination to serve as an official in the Dali Temple two years ago. She was a famous talented woman in Chang'an City. She was scolded by Lord Cheng and cried. Finally, she submitted a memorial to His Majesty to resign. His Majesty found out after inquiring that she could not stand Lord Cheng's torment, so he moved her to another place. Now she is a principal in the Ministry of Justice. Even now, when the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice have contact, she is still trembling when she meets Lord Cheng, and she can't even speak a complete sentence."
"so serious?"
Meng Fan shook his head and said, "That's right. So Zhou Zhenzhen, you should be content. You are still standing in the Dali Temple. You should be grateful to heaven and earth. You can't ask for too much."
His original intention was to comfort her, but now these words had another meaning in Zhou Zhenzhen's ears: Cheng Jue didn't even care about her as much as he cared about others. He probably thought she was hopeless. Her fate after that would probably be even worse than that of the head of the Ministry of Justice.
Zhou Zhenzhen's face turned pale, but it was getting dark very quickly, and Meng Fan didn't notice her change, but kept talking to himself. The two turned a street and saw the Full Moon Tea House in front of them.
"You should go back soon!"
As soon as Zhou Zhenzhen took a step forward, several people in tight clothes turned out from the street corner and blocked her way. The leader asked, "Are you Zhou Zhenzhen from the Dali Temple?"
Before Zhou Zhenzhen could say anything, Meng Fan pulled her back, brushed off his official uniform, and said loudly, "The Dali Temple is handling matters, why don't you get out of the way?"
Cheng Jue, with his own strength, made the Dali Temple a place that everyone in Chang'an City feared. Most ordinary people would back off when they heard that it was the Dali Temple, but the few people in front of him showed no fear at all. The leading man raised his thick black eyebrows, sneered, and said, "The Dali Temple is nothing in our eyes. My master would like to invite Lord Zhou to come to his house for a chat."
"Who is your master?"
"This is not your business."
"You..." Meng Fan took a step forward, Zhou Zhenzhen reached out and grabbed him. She shook her head gently and whispered a few words. Meng Fan turned his head and looked at those people again. She had already walked forward and said crisply: "I'll go with you."
Seeing her resolute attitude, the leading man felt a little favorable towards her: "Please come in!"
Zhou Zhenzhen followed those people and disappeared from sight. Meng Fan turned around and ran quickly to the Dali Temple. Because he ran too fast, he fell down as soon as he opened the door, and fell straight to Cheng Jue's feet, falling hard.
"It's not a festival, Lord Meng, why should you be so polite and show such a great gift?"
Meng Fan took two breaths, supported himself on the ground and stood up, and said anxiously: "Zhou Zhenzhen...Zhou Zhenzhen was taken away."
Cheng Jue paused with the pen he was holding suspended in his hand, and a drop of ink spread on the paper. His eyes moved past sharply, as sharp as a knife, causing Meng Fan to flinch. He asked anxiously in a low voice, "What's going on?"
"Suddenly, a few people came out and said that their master wanted to see Zhou Zhenzhen. They were dressed unusually and spoke arrogantly, not taking our Dali Temple seriously at all. I wanted to stop them, but Zhou Zhenzhen insisted that I come back to report to the master first."
Cheng Jue's eyes turned and he had already made up his mind.
"Sir, can you think of a way to save Zhou Zhenzhen?"
Meng Fan's anxiety and worry were not false. The girl was able to attract such a lot of people in such a short time. It was really amazing. Cheng Jue stood up and paced twice, then walked to the window and opened it. It was late at night, and it was not a wise move to go to that place at this time.
But he couldn't remain indifferent when he thought of the little girl who secretly wiped her tears behind his back. It was really amazing that even someone like him who thought he was hard-hearted could not remain indifferent to her.
"Meng Fan, I promise that Zhou Zhenzhen will be fine."
He spoke to the empty courtyard, to Meng Fan, and also to himself.
Zhou Zhenzhen was covered with a mask, and the men led her around for a long time before they finally stopped. The mask in front of her eyes was removed. Because she had not seen the light for a while, and because she was in a special environment, her eyes were instantly pierced by the golden light and hurt. She closed her eyes tightly, and then opened them again, and everything in front of her appeared clearly in front of her.
This is a palace, decorated magnificently and gilded everywhere. The man sitting on the high seat at the top is over 50 years old, but he is still vigorous and one can vaguely see the decisiveness he had in his youth.
Although it was expected, it was her first time to see the emperor, so she was a little nervous. She knelt down with a little more force. After a crisp "dong", her whole face was almost distorted. She gritted her teeth and relaxed for a while before saying, "Your Majesty, I greet you."
"Stand up!"
When Zhou Zhenzhen stood up, she staggered for a moment before she stood steadily. Emperor Xuanhe looked at her inconspicuously and said, "You don't look surprised to see that it's me. It seems that you have guessed it long ago?"
"Your Majesty, those gentlemen who brought me here were very imposing when they came to me. They did not hesitate at all because I was an official of the Dali Temple. I guess their master must be a person of high status and power. Although they are their subordinates, they treated me with courtesy. Their manners were not like those of ordinary guards, but more like well-trained secret guards in the palace."
Emperor Xuanhe laughed out loud and said, "No wonder Cheng Jue kept you. You are really smart. Since you guessed that I called you, have you ever guessed why I came to you?"
Zhou Zhenzhen said: "I went to the Dali Temple because of the princess case, and your majesty naturally came to me for this case."
Emperor Xuanhe stared at her, his smile slowly fading: "I know that there has been progress in this case, but I am really worried that the case has not been reported yet. I want to ask you, do you have the key evidence?"
The atmosphere around her suddenly turned cold, and Zhou Zhenzhen felt an overwhelming pressure coming towards her. Her calves became weak and she could hardly stand.
His Majesty's words clearly indicated that he had placed spies in the Dali Temple, but why did he go to her instead of Cheng Jue?
If she didn't say it, she would be guilty of deceiving the emperor and that was something she couldn't bear. If she said it... Cheng Jue must have his reasons for not taking action against Huo Chi. If her words ruined his plan and made him fail, then he would really drive her out of the Dali Temple.
In Zhou Zhenzhen's heart, leaving Dali Temple and leaving him was no better than death.
"Lord Zhou, I asked you a question, why didn't you answer?"
Zhou Zhenzhen knelt on the ground again, lowered her head, closed her eyes, and said firmly: "Your Majesty, I don't know."
Emperor Xuanhe's eyes sparkled, and his face was already showing signs of impending disaster. He asked again in a low and authoritative tone, "I'll ask you again, do you have any crucial evidence?"
Every word was like a huge rock, bending one's back so that one couldn't straighten up. Zhou Zhenzhen clenched her fists, opened her eyes, and said more resolutely than before: "I don't know."
"I don't know?" Emperor Xuanhe's voice turned cold, and he was already angry. "Zhou Zhenzhen, do you know the crime of deceiving the emperor? What is the punishment?"
"The crime of deceiving the emperor is unforgivable. The lighter punishment is beheading, and the heavier punishment is extermination of the whole clan. However, I really do not know what your majesty is talking about."
"How dare you!" Emperor Xuanhe was so angry that he slammed the table so hard that it shook. Zhou Zhenzhen's back was sweating, but she still gritted her teeth and held on. When the atmosphere suddenly became tense, a eunuch hurriedly came to report: "Your Majesty, the Dali Temple Minister Cheng Juecheng asked to see you, saying that there has been a major progress in the case and he wants to report to your Majesty in person."
After the palace gates were locked, court officials were no longer allowed to enter the palace, but because Princess Jintai's death was of great importance, Emperor Xuanhe gave Cheng Jue a golden medal and a command arrow, allowing him to enter and leave the palace at will. In fact, this was the first time Cheng Jue entered the palace without being summoned.
Emperor Xuanhe glanced at the kneeling Zhou Zhenzhen and said, "Let Cheng Jue come in."
Zhou Zhenzhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and felt that the invisible hand that was pinching her throat loosen.
Cheng Jue came at midnight, his body not tinged with coldness. After paying his respects, he stood beside Zhou Zhenzhen, his eyes moved away from her sweat-soaked back, and spoke in a deep voice: "According to my investigation, there has been some progress in the case of Princess Jintai. I will write down the whole story in a memorial, please read it, Your Majesty."
The eunuch chief Liang Duoshi presented the memorial. Emperor Xuanhe read it very quickly. Anger appeared on his face, but his frown unconsciously relaxed.
"How dare Huo Chi to murder Jintai in this way? He is so ambitious and cruel!"
"At present, the clues come from Princess Ankang's oral statement, and there is no conclusive physical evidence to prove Huo Chi's crime. In addition, there are still doubts in this case, and Huo Chi cannot be convicted..."
"Since we already know that he did it, we should send people to search his house." Emperor Xuanhe interrupted Cheng Jue and glanced at Zhou Zhenzhen. "Cheng Jue said that it was you who got the confession that identified Huo Chi?"
Zhou Zhenzhen lowered her head even lower: "Yes."
"Then why didn't you tell the truth when I asked you?"
Your Majesty went around in circles and ended up back at his own act of deceiving the emperor. Zhou Zhenzhen was panicked and hesitated, not being able to utter a complete sentence.
Cheng Jue bowed and said, "This case is investigated by my Lord. Zhou Zhenzhen's ability is just a side skill and cannot be used as real evidence. Therefore, I order her not to tell anyone about it, so as not to damage the reputation of me and the Dali Temple."
The implication is that if Emperor Xuanhe wanted to get to the bottom of the matter, the first person he should contact should be Cheng Jue, not Zhou Zhenzhen.
Emperor Xuanhe glanced at him and had already made up his mind. He nodded, reprimanded him a few words in a non-threatening manner, and ordered people to send the two of them out of the palace.
It was not until she managed to leave the palace that Zhou Zhenzhen could no longer bear the double attack of her weak knees and legs, and she was about to fall. Cheng Jue was quick to grab her, and without hesitation, he hooked his arm around her knees and carried her to the carriage.
Zhou Zhenzhen sat down with a red face. Cheng Jue followed in and seemed to think that there was nothing wrong with what he had just done. He sat down, looked at her for a while, and suddenly bent his fingers and flicked her forehead. That place was tender and instantly turned red. It hurt so much that tears welled up in her eyes: "Master Cheng..."
"How dare you, little girl, be so bold and presumptuous! How dare you conceal something from your Majesty! Do you know that if I hadn't come, the only outcome of your actions today would be death!"
His stern face when he was scolding people was particularly terrifying. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and stubbornly met his gaze. "My Lord has asked me to explain several reasons why Huo Chi could not have killed Princess Jintai. Even if he is the real murderer in the end, at least at this moment he is innocent. My Lord has his own considerations for not taking action against him. I can't ruin my Lord's plan and cause trouble for him."
She argued so confidently that Cheng Jue wanted to hit her again. However, seeing the red spot on her forehead, he couldn't bear to hit her again. His voice turned cold, "Just because of this, you don't want to live anymore? Do you think your life is so worthless?"
"Yes, if I disrupt your plans and make you disappointed in me, no longer trust me, or even expel me from the Dali Temple, then I would rather die."
Her eyes were firm and her words were filled with a scorching heat that instantly enveloped him.
He never knew where her admiration for him came from, but at this moment, no matter how indifferent he was, he could not ignore it.
Seeing his stunned expression, Zhou Zhenzhen leaned closer to him with her hands on her side, without blinking, "What about the lord? The lord rushed into the palace with a golden order, knowing that there were still many doubts about the princess's case, and still told His Majesty that Huo Chi was a suspect. What did the lord think? And why?"
Cheng Jue saw a face so close to him. Her eagerness and persistence tonight were so obvious, but he still didn't fully understand what he was thinking when he rushed into the palace.
He is the kind of person who will not easily speak out anything unless he is absolutely sure.
After turning his mind back and forth several times, he turned sideways away from her burning breath, leaned against the car wall, and said coldly: "Publicly, you are doing a good job. I have been investigating the case of Princess Jintai for many days. It would be difficult for someone else to take over quickly at this moment. Privately, you are the person I personally selected to investigate the case in the Dali Temple. If you die unclearly, it will be a disgrace to me and the Dali Temple."
When Zhou Zhenzhen heard this, her shoulders drooped immediately, and all the strength in her body seemed to be drained away. But she thought of something else and was still unwilling to give up. She bit her lip and said, "Then Huo Chi..."
"Since I have said it, I must have my own plans."
Zhou Zhenzhen was completely speechless. She huddled in the corner like a pitiful puppy, with her face turned away.
She knew that Cheng Jue would never sit idly by and do nothing if he knew she had entered the palace.
When he really came, she lied to herself and told herself that no matter why he came, he probably cared about her a little bit. Although she didn't expect him to say anything that would please her, the fact was as she expected, and she couldn't help feeling sad.
Cheng Jue couldn't see her face, but he saw her shoulders twitching uncontrollably and her eyes red.
…
Then when you give out candies tomorrow, add one more piece.
