You expect me to serve your mistress? The mistress is driving this scumbag and his entire family cra

Chapter 164 Examining the Corpse
Liang Jiang rode straight to the prison.

The jailer immediately came forward and bowed to her upon seeing her.

Liang Jiang continued walking inside without stopping: "No need for formalities, take me to the prison where Tong Shouliang is imprisoned."

"Tong Shouliang's body has already been loaded onto a vehicle and is being transported to the mortuary; it's not here."

Liang Jiang paused, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"In this sweltering heat, he had been dead for several hours before being discovered. If he had been left any longer, he would have bloated. Fortunately, two bandits were killed at the Meridian Gate yesterday, and there was a cart heading to the mortuary, so we took him along the way."

"The case is not closed, and the coroner has not yet examined the body. How can you dispose of the body so hastily?"

"His cell was locked up tight, and several guards kept watch over it every step of the way. Not even a mouse could get in. There could be no other reason than suicide, so there was no need to investigate."

Liang Jiang was still somewhat unwilling: "How long did the carriage travel? Which direction?"

"The carriage has just left, but Princess, please don't bother. What's so interesting about a corpse? Its face is covered in brains, white and yellow, it's enough to make even a grown man like me feel creeped out."

Liang Jiang immediately turned around, mounted her horse, flicked the reins, and chased after the carriage carrying the corpse.

Fortunately, Liang Jiang stopped the hearse at the intersection not far away.

Besides the people from the mortuary, there was also a prison guard on the vehicle, who was specifically responsible for escorting the prisoners.

Liang Jiang reined in her horse, stood across the front of the carriage, identified herself, and then pointed to the three corpses side by side on the carriage, asking, "Which one is Tong Shouliang?"

The jailer pointed: "The one in the middle."

The carriage was a flatbed cart with a tarpaulin for sun protection and partitions at the front and back. The three corpses were placed side by side, with their heads facing inwards and their feet facing outwards, and there was no space to put their feet down.

To examine the body in the middle, Liang Jiang had to jump from the back of the carriage onto the horse and carefully move to the front using both hands and feet.

The other two bodies were disposed of yesterday because the weather was hot and the smell was unpleasant.

The oilcloth beneath him was covered with dried bloodstains.

The jailer was certain that this fragrant and delicate princess would not dare to go inside to check.

Liang Jiang frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, then covered her face with a handkerchief, tiptoed up, and actually climbed up.

The jailer exclaimed in alarm, "Princess, this is no joke! You must be careful. If you come into contact with the corpse's aura, you'll not only fall ill, but you'll also suffer bad luck!"

Liang Jiang carefully squeezed forward, and the car suddenly lurched forward.

She was already standing on tiptoe with nowhere to stand, and this jolt made her unsteady. With one hand on Tong Shouliang's corpse, she almost fell over and had an intimate encounter.

She hurriedly raised her hand, shook it disgustedly, and got goosebumps all over her body.

The jailer reined in the suddenly agitated horse, drawing out the last syllable of his voice, "Whoa!" He then apologized to Liang Jiang, "Princess, please forgive me. This horse was too wild, and I couldn't keep an eye on it for a moment."

Liang Jiang barely managed to steady herself and angrily warned, "Stay steady!"

Then, using a horsewhip, he lifted the shroud covering the face of the middle corpse, and after just one glance, he almost vomited.

Just as the jailer had said, Tong Shouliang's crown was sunken, and his face was completely disfigured, covered with almost dried yellow-green stains, making it impossible to see his features.

A few persistent greenbottle flies lingered above his head.

She suppressed her discomfort, tore off the veil covering her face, and tore it into four pieces with a dagger, intending to wipe away the filth from Tong Shouliang's wound and examine it.

The jailer gripped the reins, his face turned to watch her movements nervously, hesitating several times as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Just as they were wiping, they heard the sound of galloping hooves in the distance, and someone shouted from afar, "Is Princess Heya here?"

The jailer immediately responded eagerly, "Yes, here it is."

"By imperial decree, Princess Heya, receive the decree!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Jiang dared not delay. After a moment's thought, she cut a lock of hair from Tong Shouliang's corpse, wrapped it in cloth, stuffed it into her sleeve, and then carefully walked back and jumped off the carriage. The newcomers were imperial guards from the palace.

Liangjiang knelt down and said, "Liangjiang accepts the order."

The Imperial Guards dismounted and said, “By order of the Emperor, summon Princess Heya to the palace immediately without delay.”

Liang Jiang received the imperial decree, glanced helplessly at the corpse-carrying cart beside her, and had no choice but to give up for the time being, following the messenger directly into the palace.

The morning court session had ended, but several officials from the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice were kept behind to discuss matters in the Emperor's Qianhe Hall.

When Liang Jiang arrived at the Qianhe Hall, the emperor was having a meal.

The meals were very simple, a far cry from the extravagant and luxurious imperial life that Liang Jiang had imagined.

Two desserts, a bowl of white rice, a bowl of clear soup, and three delicious side dishes. It was not even as elaborate as Liang Wenshi's daily meals.

Besides the scent of ink, the hall was also filled with the aroma of food.

It was already lunchtime. Several officials had come to court before dawn and had been standing all morning. They were all very hungry, but they all stood to the side with their heads down, not daring to make a sound.

The hall was shrouded in a low-pressure atmosphere, creating a sense of oppression, as if the sun was obscured by dark clouds.

Liang Jiang knelt before the emperor's dragon throne. The emperor's face was unreadable. He told her to rise and then said calmly:
"Princess Heya must not have eaten yet, right? Try this crab roe shumai. The filling is made with chicken broth, and it contains shrimp and crab roe. It's fresh out of the pot and smells delicious."

The eunuch Lin behind him immediately noticed and took the plate of shumai, handing it to Liang Jiang.

This was an imperial favor that could not be refused. Liang Jiang then accepted the shumai, thanking the emperor for his grace. The aroma of the shumai had indeed made her a little hungry.

"Eat up, don't be shy." The emperor sipped his soup slowly and elegantly, and instructed Eunuch Lin: "Give Princess Heya a seat."

Liang Jiang was immediately flattered and sat down sideways, still holding the plate of shumai, without taking a bite.

I had just finished examining the body and hadn't even washed my hands yet. Just thinking about the solid slap I'd given Tong Shouliang's corpse made me lose my appetite.

What's more, these shumai have a crystal-clear outer skin, and the meat filling inside contains yellow crab roe and green scallions. The yellow and green colors are just like Tong Shouliang's face covered in paint.

Ugh, it's really hard to swallow.

The emperor paused, his hand holding the spoon still: "Why aren't you eating?"

Liang Jiang didn't know how to express her thoughts tactfully, so she could only reply perfunctorily, "I'm not very hungry yet."

"Don't you like it? What would you like to eat? I'll have the imperial kitchen make it for you again."

“No need,” Liang Jiang hurriedly declined, “I really like shumai.”

Seeing that the emperor was staring at her, she had no choice but to bite the bullet, pinch a shumai between her two fingertips, and quickly put it into her mouth.

The freshly cooked shumai don't look hot anymore.

Taking a bite, with a "plop," the scalding hot oily soup splashed into my mouth, making my tongue go numb.

I really feel like throwing up.

Liang Jiang dared not be disrespectful in front of the emperor. She raised one sleeve to cover her face, opened her mouth, and hissed as she inhaled the cold air, which was so hot that her eyes almost welled up with tears.

The emperor suddenly burst into hearty laughter: "You said you weren't hungry, but you're wolfing it down like this. You must have burned yourself, right?"

Liang Jiang stopped trying to be defiant: "This humble woman has been impolite, Your Majesty, please forgive me."

The emperor put down his spoon and wiped his lips with a handkerchief: "What crime have you committed? The one who is guilty is this cook. Eunuch Lin, go and ask the imperial kitchen who made this shumai. Give him thirty strokes of the cane."

Is this how we're going to get beaten up?
Everyone says that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; the ancients were right.

How could this emperor, who seems so kind and gentle, be so cold-blooded, cruel, and ruthless?
(End of this chapter)