Transmigrated Female Official

"Don't worry, of course we'll save Qingluo." The Sixth Princess calmly took a sip of tea and then asked, "Have you investigated all the guards who searched Guangrentang that day?"

"I've found out. On the surface, their families are all clean, and none of them became rich overnight. Although they were well concealed, I still discovered that one of them, Lei Tian, ​​has an unusual relationship with Long Kui's daughter, Long Xiaohan. You could say that the only difference between him and a male servant is an initiation ceremony."

"Oh?!" The Sixth Princess's eyes lit up, and she smiled, "Interesting, then there might be a turning point in this matter."

"But Lei Tian is a very opportunistic person. Getting on Long Xiaohan's good side is like climbing on Long Kui's good side. It will probably be difficult to pry anything useful out of him."

"Take down Longkui, it's certainly not an easy task... We need to plan carefully." The Sixth Princess put down her teacup and continued, "Let's have Lady Jiang Sha rescue Qingluo first. More people means more ideas."

"Okay." Ji Qiran had been waiting for these words.

After the conversation, the two immediately set off. The Sixth Princess went to find Jiang Sha, while Ji Qiran went to meet Du Yuan. With Du Wu in hand, Du Yuan would likely have no choice but to tell the truth.

Following the Sixth Princess's instructions, Jiang Sha did not wait for the morning court the next day, but went directly to the Phoenix Palace to meet the Emperor after everything was prepared.

The Empress had some doubts about Jiang Sha's solo arrival: "You said there were new developments in the case, so why didn't Lady Long Kui come with you?"

Jiang Sha said, "Your Majesty, this matter is also related to the people of Wuhua Palace, which is why I had no choice but to bring witnesses here privately."

The Empress glanced at Jiang Sha with her phoenix eyes and said indifferently, "Bring your witnesses up."

"Yes." Jiang Sha nodded to the attendants at the palace gate, and then Du Yuan was led into the Phoenix Palace.

After the Empress recognized the person, she immediately asked, "Isn't this the attendant who overheard Minister Chu's conversation with Ziyan?"

"Exactly."

"I deserve to die!" Du Yuan knelt down on the ground with a thud, his forehead pressed against the floor.

Seeing Du Yuan's posture, the Empress somewhat guessed that things had taken a turn for the better, and asked, "Could it be that you have come here today to confess your sins?"

Du Yuan kowtowed three times before replying, "Your Majesty, my brother Du Wu and I have depended on each other since childhood. Later, my brother was burdened with gambling debts and was chased and beaten by others. I couldn't bear to see my brother lose his life because of this, so I was bribed and did something unforgivable!"

"So... in fact, you didn't pass by the inner hall of Guangrentang at all that day, nor did you hear the conversation inside. The truth is that someone tempted you with money to fabricate facts and slander Minister Chu?"

The Empress's voice carried a chill, and Du Yuan couldn't help but shiver: "...Yes."

"Then why did you tell the truth today?"

"Lord Jiang is wise and discerning... He has already detained my elder brother. I know my crimes are heinous, and I only beg Your Majesty to forgive my brother Du Wu, who was unaware of the truth all along."

"..." The Empress stared at Du Yuan, who hadn't dared to look up, for a long time before finally saying, "You certainly have deep brotherly affection." Even ordinary families could be like this, yet her own sons...

Even so, they cannot escape their guilt.

“To slander a female official of the tenth rank or below is a serious crime.”

"I admit my guilt!" Du Yuan had risked his life to give a false testimony for Du Wu's sake, but now that Du Wu's life was in danger, he couldn't care less about anything else.

"Tell me, who exactly ordered you to do this?"

"It's Li Yan, the executive female officer of Wuhua Palace."

"It's her?!" The Empress frowned; she remembered Li Yan. "Then why is Li Yan acting this way?"

"I don't know," Du Yuan said. "It seems that Lord Li knew I was short of money; she took the initiative to approach me."

After Du Yuan finished speaking, Jiang Sha stepped forward and added, "Your Majesty, Li Yan was originally the executive officer of Guangrentang. I wonder if Your Majesty still remembers that she and the Fifth Prince once..." Jiang Sha was alluding to that scandal that was known throughout the palace.

"I am not senile yet!" The Empress interrupted Jiang Sha with displeasure, and said, "It was I who personally bestowed the Fifth Prince into her fold."

"Your Majesty, please calm down." Jiang Sha quickly bowed, but did not back down. "Li Yan has been in Guangrentang for many years and was originally highly valued by Ji Jie. According to my understanding, when Lord Chu was first appointed as a sixth-rank female official, Li Yan had some complaints."

The Empress said, "Minister Chu, you are so young yet you have already attained such a high position. It is normal for some people to be dissatisfied."

“His Majesty is right.” Jiang Sha paused before continuing, “But the reason the Fifth Prince ambushed Princess Anyang and Lord Chu…”

Seeing that Jiang Sha's words were ambiguous and that she seemed to want to say something but hesitated, the Empress pursed her lips and said, "Lord Jiang, please speak frankly."

"Although the Fifth Prince is a prince, he is still nominally Li Yan's male servant. Yet he harbored hatred for Lord Chu out of love... and ultimately died because of this obsession. It's hard to guarantee that Li Yan won't have any thoughts about Lord Chu."

"Hmm..." The Empress agreed with Jiang Sha's statement and ordered, "Immediately detain and interrogate Li Yan. Since she is from the Wuhua Palace, this matter will be entirely handled by Lord Jiang."

"Your Majesty, I obey your decree." Jiang Sha seized the opportunity to ask, "Your Majesty, Lord Chu has already suffered greatly in the imperial prison, and now it has been proven that he was wrongfully imprisoned..."

"First, reinstate Minister Chu to her original position. Once everything is clear, I will make it up to her properly."

"The Holy One is wise."

Jiang Sha's private audience with the emperor wasn't meant to bring down Long Kui; her primary objective was to rescue Chu Qingluo. The task entrusted to her by the Sixth Princess was finally completed.

When facing a powerful opponent, you must have enough patience and wait for the crucial moment to deliver a powerful blow!

……

As Chu Qingluo stepped out of the prison, the setting sun cast its golden rays upon her, reflecting her slender figure on the ground. A gentle breeze carried the delicate fragrance of trees and grass. At that moment, the sky was vast and the air was fresh.

Before her stood a tall man, who remained silent, but his eyes were full of smiles.

"I told you, I'll take you away from here soon."

He was confident, he was determined. Chu Qingluo looked at him and smiled knowingly: "You did it, you didn't break your promise."

Just as the two were filled with emotion, a group of guards escorted Li Yan over, passing right by them.

Chu Qingluo and Li Yan's gazes met in the air. Li Yan showed no sign of guilt or fear, and instead engaged in several rounds of intense eye-to-eye combat with Chu Qingluo.

"Don't think you've won just like that," Li Yan couldn't help but blurt out.

"Whether it's a win or a loss, it's a pity you won't be able to see it," Chu Qingluo said casually.

"You don't need to worry about that!" Long Kui had personally assured Li Yan that she would protect her life if anything happened, so she believed that she would leave the prison soon.

Seeing that Li Yan was completely unaware of her impending death, Chu Qingluo smiled contemptuously and said, "Do you think that people who know too much can live to be a hundred years old?"