On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The late spring moonlight shines through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the blue brick floor of Chen Mo's house.

Chen Mo lay on the bed, tossing and turning. His old wife Wang beside him had already begun breathing evenly, with traces of tears on her face.

He kept his eyes open, looking at the swaying tree shadows on the ceiling, his heart was in turmoil.

Why couldn't he sleep?

Because the moment he agreed to ask Lin Zhen for help from his wife, he regretted it.

Dapeng is my wife's only younger brother. He has been following his father-in-law around the streets selling needles and thread since he was a child. He is honest and kind, and blushes when he sees a girl. How could he do such a thing as rape?

But the official document clearly stated: Liu Cuilian, the daughter of Liu the butcher in the south of the city, accused Dapeng of being violent and rude. There were witnesses and evidence, and even her virginity had been verified. The county magistrate convicted her in court and sentenced her to be executed the following year.

This is almost a dead end, but I still have to ask Lin Zhen for help.

I don’t know whether Lin Zhen will agree. If he doesn’t agree, then all the good impression I have built up in his mind these days will be wasted.

"Alas...what a misfortune for our family." Chen Mo sighed softly, fearing that he would wake up his wife beside him.

He recalled the scene three days ago when his wife knelt before him: her hair disheveled, her forehead banging against the blue bricks, she pleaded hoarsely, "Master, Dapeng has never dared to kill a chicken since he was a child, how could he possibly rape a commoner? This must be the Liu family, the butcher, trying to extort money! They want to marry Cuilian off to the young master of the silk shop, and they set this up because they think Dapeng is poor!"

In fact, Chen Mo never asked Dapeng what the truth was, as he wanted to avoid suspicion.

The officialdom is like a battlefield. If you can avoid getting burned, try to stay away.

But his wife's tears pierced his heart like needles. Twenty years ago, he was still a poor scholar, and his father-in-law spent all his money to support his studies. Now that his father-in-law was gone, if he couldn't even save his wife's only brother, wouldn't he be ungrateful?

"Oh. Never mind..." Chen Mo muttered to himself, "You are my family after all, so I'll just consider it as repaying my father-in-law's kindness."

He decided to give it a try no matter what the outcome.

Even if I can't save Dapeng, it's at least an explanation to my wife.

The next morning, Chen Mo woke up before dawn.

My wife was already busy in the kitchen, and a steaming hot breakfast was placed on the table: a bowl of plain noodles, two poached eggs, a plate of pickles, and a basket of buns.

This is considered a very rich meal under normal circumstances.

"Are you up? Eat it while it's hot." No matter what, Wang was still enthusiastic towards him.

Seeing him come out, she quickly wiped her hands and served him a bowl of noodles.

There were faint dark circles under her eyes, obviously she hadn't slept well.

Chen Mo sat down and picked up his chopsticks, but found it difficult to swallow. "Someone might come today."

He hesitated for a moment, then spoke again, "No matter who they are, don't meet them. Wait until I get back and discuss everything. Especially don't accept any gifts from them."

He was worried that Zhang Li or other people who wanted to give gifts would come to his house, and his wife would not be able to handle it and cause more trouble.

Wang nodded, wanted to say something, but swallowed it back and just silently picked up a poached egg for him.

Seeing this, Chen Mo felt even worse, and even the sumptuous breakfast tasted like chewing wax.

He put down his chopsticks and said, "Don't worry about Dapeng's matter. Since I promised you, I will do it." He paused, but couldn't help but add, "But don't get your hopes up too much. I can only try my best. Whether it will succeed or not is hard to say."

"I know." Wang raised her head, her eyes red. "As long as you are willing to ask the prince for help, no matter what the result is, I will thank you."

"Why do we have to say these things between husband and wife?" Chen Mo waved his hands, but his heart felt heavier.

After hurriedly finishing breakfast, Chen Mo changed into his official uniform and went to the newspaper office.

Now that the newspaper is under the control of the empress, there is more to do than before.

He needed to finish today's work in advance so that he could go to the palace with peace of mind.

After working at the newspaper office until 9:00 a.m. and finishing reviewing the manuscripts and arranging the things that needed to be arranged, Chen Mo called a carriage and headed straight for the Regent's Palace.

The gate of the palace is heavily guarded.

Chen Mo handed over his business card and explained his purpose. The guard went in to report and came back to tell him shortly.

"Master Chen, the prince is not in the mansion. He has gone out."

"Where did you go?" Chen Mo asked.

"It seems he went to our newly opened brothel. You know the prince's temper. Whenever a new business opens, he always has to go and take a look to feel at ease." The guard said hesitantly.

Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat.

Brothel? Newly opened?

Could it be the new restaurant opened by Zhang Li, Louwailou, which is known as the best restaurant in Beijing?

Wow, Chen Mo had heard about this a long time ago. It was said that just a pot of tea there cost ten taels of silver.

He sighed, it seemed like he would have to wait today.

"Young man, may I go in and wait for the prince?"

The guard was a little embarrassed, but considering that he was a member of the Ministry of Works and had just been there yesterday, he let him in.

Chen Mo sat down in the reception room. The maid served him tea and snacks, but he had no appetite.

They waited from noon to afternoon, and from afternoon to evening. The sun was about to set, but Lin Zhen still hadn't returned.

He became more and more anxious and kept looking out the window, hoping to see Lin Zhen.

It was not until it was completely dark that a noise came from the door and Chen Mo quickly stood up.

Lin Zhen walked in with someone, who was the Chess and Card Buddha.

Lin Zhen looked a little tired. Seeing Chen Mo, he was stunned for a moment: "Old Chen? Why are you here? Have you been waiting for a long time?"

"Greetings, Prince." Chen Mo bowed quickly.

Lin Zhen waved his hand, motioning him to sit down, and then said to the chess and card Buddha: "Old Chess, go to the back and rest first, I'll come over later."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The chess and card Buddha looked at Chen Mo strangely and went to the back hall.

Lin Zhen said, "Please sit down. What's the urgent matter that has kept you waiting all afternoon?"

He gestured for Lai to go down first, and he sat in the main seat, took the wet wipes handed to him by Huanbi and wiped his hands.

Chen Mo calmed himself down, knowing that now was not the time to hesitate, so he told everything about Dapeng, from how Dapeng was accused, to how the county magistrate decided the case, to how his wife begged, how he agreed, and finally emphasized.

"Sir, to be honest, my wife has always believed that her brother was wrongly accused and has begged me to try no matter what. I know this is difficult and may violate the law, but... well, every family has its own problems."

Lin Zhen listened quietly, with no expression on his face, only occasionally picking up the teacup and taking a sip.

After Chen Mo finished speaking, he was silent for a while before slowly speaking: "You said Dapeng was wronged?"

"That's what my wife said. I don't know the details, mainly because I'm only acting as a deputy minister of the Ministry of Works and have no authority to interfere in the affairs of the Ministry of Justice." Chen Mo answered honestly, "But I know Dapeng. He has been a very honest boy since he was a child. He doesn't even dare to look up when he sees a girl. How could he possibly commit rape?

Lin Zhen put down his teacup and looked at Chen Mo sharply. "Old Chen, you've just been promoted, so you should know the rules of the officialdom. What is the charge of interfering with the judiciary?"

Chen Mo's heart tightened, and he quickly stood up: "I understand what the prince is saying. But...but my wife is so pitiful, I can't do anything about it."

Lin Zhen looked at him, suddenly sat up straight, and said in a serious tone: "You said that Liu the Butcher sued Dapeng for rape. What evidence do you have?"

"According to my wife, we only have Liu Cuilian's confession and...a torn piece of clothing," Chen Mo recalled his wife's words. "But Dapeng said he went to return the sewing kit Liu Cuilian had lent him that day and never touched her. Butcher Liu's family insisted he had ulterior motives and even found a few thugs to serve as witnesses."

"A thug serves as a witness?" Lin Zhen frowned. "And the county magistrate believed it?"

"Yeah." Chen Mo sighed, "I heard that Butcher Liu gave the county magistrate two big fat pigs and a lot of silver."

Lin Zhen's face darkened and his fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a "knock knock" sound.

Finally, he said, "Old Chen, although you're not from the Ministry of Justice, you should know what defamation is. You said the local magistrate accepted money from the butcher. Do you have any evidence? Moreover, didn't Dapeng know to tell everyone about your official position in Beijing? If he told everyone about it, would the local magistrate dare to accept it? If something went wrong and led to misunderstanding, do you know what the consequences would be?"

He recalled that when he was in the government, what he hated most were these corrupt officials who took human lives lightly.

An honest citizen is being wrongly killed just because he has no money and power. Is there any law in this world?

"I...ah, I will listen to the prince." Chen Mo also knew that what he brought up today was not in accordance with the rules, so he lowered his head in shame.

"What about Liu Cuilian? Why did she frame Dapeng?" Lin Zhen asked.

"My wife said that Liu Cuilian had been in love with the young master of the silk shop for a long time. Butcher Liu wanted to climb up the social ladder and disliked Dapeng's poverty, so he designed this drama to get rid of Dapeng and let his daughter marry into the silk shop in a grand manner." Chen Mo became more and more excited as he spoke. "My lord, this is clearly a false accusation!"

Lin Zhen placed the teacup on the table. "Whether this is a false accusation or not is not your decision. So, since you're mine, and this is the first time you've spoken to me about this, I'll send someone to investigate. If what you say is true, then justice will be served to your brother. If you simply want to exonerate your brother, you'll have to bear the consequences. At the very least, you'll lose your job. Now, tell me your stance: do you want to investigate or not?"

Chen Mo gritted his teeth: "Cha! I trust my wife, she won't say nonsense to me!"

"Okay, I'll help you with this." Lin Zhen stood up and paced back and forth in the living room.

Judging from what Chen Mo said, he and his wife have a very good relationship, and it is a sincere relationship that has supported each other for decades. His wife would not lie to him, but it is not certain whether Dapeng would lie to his wife.

So, this matter has to be handled in a low-key manner. It would be best if it could be done quietly, but if Dapeng is really suspected of rape, Lin Zhen will not protect him.

"Alright, it's getting late, you should go back too." Lin Zhen waved his hand, "Remember, don't make this public. I'll send someone to investigate."

"Thank you, Prince!" Chen Mo didn't dare to stay any longer and quickly said goodbye and left.

After walking out of the palace, he breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling that the burden on his shoulders had been lightened a lot.

No matter what the outcome, he finally took this step.

As for whether Dapeng can be saved, it depends on Lin Zhen.

When he got home, his wife was still awake and waiting for him.

Seeing him come back, he hurriedly asked: "What happened? What did the prince say?"

"The prince has agreed to investigate."

Chen Mo recounted what had happened, emphasizing Lin Zhen's anger and determination.

After hearing this, the old wife burst into tears again: "Thank you, old man."

"What are you thanking me for? Go to sleep." Chen Mo waved his hand, but he was still nervous.

He didn't know how Lin Zhen would investigate, nor did he know if he could find out the truth.

But he knew that since Lin Zhen had agreed, there must be a way.

Chen Mo still didn't sleep well that night.

He didn't know what kind of outcome was waiting for him.

......

After Lin Zhen sent Chen Mo away, he paced in the reception room for a while, with anger still in his eyes.

He recalled Dapeng's simple and honest appearance as described by Chen Mo, and thought about how the local officials dared to take human lives so lightly. He could not help but clench his fist and smash the table, causing the remaining tea in the teacup to splash everywhere.

"Someone come here!" he shouted in a deep voice, with unquestionable majesty in his voice.

A moment later, Wang Chunsheng, dressed in a dark suit, walked in quickly and knelt on one knee. "What are your orders, my lord?"

Wang Chunsheng is a capable general under Lin Zhen. He has made many outstanding achievements in the northwest battlefield. He is an upright person and is a suitable person to investigate the case.

Lin Zhen walked to the bookshelf and took down a gilded token engraved with the words "Regent Prince's Palace." It felt heavy in his hand. "Take this token immediately and go to the Censorate to dispatch three censors. Then go to the Prince's Palace Guards and request fifty light cavalrymen to accompany you to Bohai County."

He handed the token to Wang Chunsheng, his fingertips turning slightly white from the force.

Wang Chunsheng took the token and felt the coolness on it. He looked up at Lin Zhen and asked, "What does the prince want me to investigate?"

"There's a rape case in Bohai County involving a man named Dapeng," Lin Zhen said gravely. "Reports indicate he may have been wrongly accused, and the local magistrate is suspected of corruption and abuse of power. Your mission is to first, uncover the truth about the rape and bring justice to both the victim and the wronged. Second, you're to secretly investigate whether the Bohai County magistrate has engaged in corruption, bribery, or abuse of power."

He walked over to the map, pointed to the location of Bohai County, and continued, "Remember, you are here on behalf of the royal palace. You must not engage in any corruption or abuse of power. You must be fair and just. After you uncover the truth, first protect Dapeng's life and control the relevant personnel. Do not act rashly. Wait for my further instructions."

Wang Chunsheng's expression was solemn as he kowtowed again. "I understand! I will live up to the Prince's trust and will investigate the truth. I will not allow any injustice to happen, and I will not tolerate corrupt officials."

"Very good," Lin Zhen nodded, his eyes sharp as an eagle. "There is no time to lose. You should set out early tomorrow morning. Be careful on the road. If anything goes wrong, you can use this token to mobilize the local garrison for assistance."

"Yes!" Wang Chunsheng responded, carefully put away the token, and stood up to leave.

"Wait," Lin Zhen suddenly stopped him, "This case may involve a wide range of people. You need to act with caution and protect yourself and your entourage."

"I will keep the prince's teachings in mind." Wang Chunsheng saluted again before turning and leaving.