Impératrice douairière Xiaoxuan

Chapitre 5

From afar, you could hear the clapper strike three times.

"My lord, it's already past midnight. You should rest early!" Wang Chao said respectfully.

Bao Zheng put down his pen, pinched his brow, and smiled faintly, "It's already past midnight... No wonder my eyes are sore."

“These past few days, you haven’t had much rest,” Wang Chao said. “Madam came to visit you secretly a few times, but she didn’t dare to disturb you, sir. She must be very worried.”

Bao Zheng was taken aback upon hearing this, and slowly rose to his feet. He had been so focused that he hadn't even noticed his wife's visit. He stepped out of the outer study, and Wang Chao locked the door behind him as they headed towards the mansion in the back courtyard.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard a slight sound behind him. Wang Chao froze and quickly turned around, but found nothing unusual.

"What's wrong?" Bao Zheng stopped and asked.

Wang Chaofu carefully scanned his surroundings and replied, "It's nothing, probably just a cat."

After the two left, a dark figure deftly flipped down from the roof beam, landing silently, clearly demonstrating considerable skill in light-footed movement.

The door to the outer study was locked, but the man in black didn't touch it. Instead, he took out a small silver hairpin from his pocket, reached it through the crack in the window next to him, and gently pushed it open.

The man in black leaped into the study through the window, then closed it and quietly walked to the desk, where he began to rummage through the items. Although the moonlight outside was like water, the room was quite dark because the doors and windows were closed. The man's eyesight was indeed excellent; he bent down and rummaged through the items methodically, without making a mess.

"The Qingli Detailed Compilation of Imperial Edicts," "The Format of Imperial Edicts Compiled during the Huangyou Era..."

"The General Amendment to the Salt Tax..."

"The great principles of the Criminal Code..."

No wonder Bao Zheng is still up so late; it turns out he has so much to do besides the case. The man in black thought to himself, then carefully put the books away again.

Just as he was about to open the drawer, he suddenly heard the door slam open, and a sword light, like flowing mercury, shot straight at him!

The man in black hurriedly dodged, ducked down, slid out from under the table, and drew a soft sword from his waist.

The two swords clashed, sparks flying!

The newcomer was dressed in a red official robe and a black official hat. The glint of the sword reflected on his face, making his handsome features even more striking.

"Zhan Zhao!"

The man in black recognized the newcomer and knew he was in trouble. He knew he was no match for the cat and had to make a run for it.

He parried the sword with force, used the move "White Snake Spits Tongue" to aim straight for Zhan Zhao's throat, forcing him away, and then leaped out of the house while the air was clear.

Outside, blades gleamed like snow, and Wang Chao, Ma Han, and others stood with knives in hand, having been waiting there for some time.

Hesitated for only a moment, but Zhan Zhao had already leaped out after him, his giant sword flashing like lightning, heading straight for the doorway...

A black mask floated to the ground!

"Miss Mo!" Zhan Zhao withdrew his sword, his starry eyes filled with anger. "What are you trying to do by breaking into Kaifeng at night?"

Mo Yan stood there, surrounded by weapons pointing at each other, feeling utterly helpless. With a bitter expression, she said, "If I say it's a misunderstanding, will you believe me or not?"

Zhan Zhao naturally didn't believe it: "What were you looking for in the study just now, young lady?"

"You said during the day that someone left a letter asking you to capture my senior brother, so... I wanted to see if there were any clues in that letter." Mo Yan said innocently, "I just wanted to take a look, I'm not here to steal anything, you don't need to do this."

"Put her in jail first, and Judge Bao will interrogate her tomorrow," Zhan Zhao gestured to Ma Han and said in a deep voice.

Suddenly a voice rang out from behind the group: "No need to wait until tomorrow, take her to the study." It was Bao Zheng's voice. It turned out that he had heard the commotion halfway there and had turned back.

"grown ups!"

Zhan Zhao wanted to advise him to rest first, but remembering Bao Zheng's temper, he swallowed his words. He stepped forward, took the soft sword from Mo Yan's hand, and led her to the study.

"Lord Bao! I am innocent!"

Bao Zheng had barely sat down when Mo Yan spoke quickly.

"Then tell me, young lady, what have they wronged you about?" Bao Zheng asked with a slight smile.

"You're accusing me of stealing! But I didn't steal anything!" Mo Yan said aggrievedly. "I already told you, I just wanted to see that letter. There aren't many things in Kaifeng Prefecture that I'd like to see..." Her eyes glanced at the Juque sword in Zhan Zhao's hand, "...but some that I'd like to see."

“Miss Mo, I did not say you stole anything,” Zhan Zhao said.

"You didn't say it out loud, but your eyes conveyed that meaning."

In the candlelight, her eyes shone with an unusual brightness as she looked at him with unwavering conviction. Zhan Zhao was momentarily speechless. Although her words were somewhat far-fetched, that was indeed what he had thought at the time.

"If you wish to read the letter, young lady, you can speak frankly to this official. Why did you sneak into Kaifeng at night?"

“Well… Lord Zhan repeatedly told me not to get involved in your department’s affairs. I think you probably wouldn’t even let me see the letter. Besides…” she said with a smile, “Lord Bao is so busy with his affairs, I couldn’t bear to bother you with such a small matter, so I simply came myself.”

Bao Zheng had just checked the items on the table, and they were exactly as he had left them; nothing was missing. Having seen countless people, he could tell that although the girl was innocent and romantic, her eyes were upright and her spirit clear, unlike a treacherous person. He figured what she said was true.

“Young lady, the letter is here, take a look.” Bao Zheng took the letter from the side and gestured for Wang Chao to give it to her.

Mo Yan received the letter but didn't rush to open it. She examined the envelope against the candlelight for a moment, then brought it to her nose and smelled it. Next, she took out the letter and examined it for a while, just like the envelope, before unfolding it to read it carefully: "To capture the culprit Jin Feng, number two." Bao Zheng asked, "Have you found anything, young lady?"

Mo Yan frowned and shook her head, saying, "Judging from this letter, I can't guess who this person is either."

Wang Chao and Ma Han couldn't help but find it amusing. The letter had no name, no signature, and no address, so there was no trace of its origin. Naturally, she wouldn't know anything about it.

Bao Zheng was not bothered by this and still asked, "Are there any clues?"

“This paper is bamboo paper from eastern Zhejiang. It has no added powder or wax, and it is not printed. It is readily available in the market and is quite ordinary. There is nothing special about it.” She frowned and said, “The ink is pine soot ink. It does not contain any dragon's blood or musk to enhance the fragrance. It is also ordinary. It can be seen that the person who wrote this letter is not a refined person.”

Upon hearing this, Bao Zheng nodded.