In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

Zhu Qingyu had ruined Miss Zhuang's wedding today, which was not her intention, but she had expected the Zhuang family to come and demand an explanation. Upon entering and seeing the two of them, she first apologized:

"Lord Zhuang, Miss Zhuang, I am truly sorry for what happened today. Although I know it cannot be undone, I am willing to do my best to make amends to Miss Zhuang as a token of my apology."

Miss Zhuang's graceful appearance was clearly inherited from Lord Zhuang, who was in his thirties, handsome, tall and elegant, a real heartthrob.

Although Lord Zhuang was a high-ranking official of the third rank in the imperial court, equivalent to a deputy national-level official in modern times—a figure most ordinary people like her would never even see—his tone was very friendly as he asked with a smile:

"Please sit, Madam Zhang. Marriage is predestined and cannot be forced. I didn't come here for that, and you don't need to worry about it. I came to ask you, Madam Zhang, have you been coerced by anyone?"

Zhu Qingyu looked over in shock, unable to hide her astonishment, and for a moment, she didn't even know how to answer.

Because she never expected Lord Zhuang to ask such a question, and she never expected that even though she had ruined Miss Zhuang's marriage today, he would still be so forgiving and concerned about her.

Clearly, it was Miss Zhuang who sensed something was wrong and, worried about her situation, brought Lord Zhuang over.

Seeing that she did not answer, Lord Zhuang looked at Miss Zhuang sitting to the side.

Miss Zhuang's expression was one of natural concern as she said:

"Madam Zhang, perhaps I am meddling, but you seem to be in trouble today. With Prince Gu present, you might not be able to speak freely, so I originally wanted to ask you alone, but I couldn't find you at the temple, and I don't know where Prince Gu took you. I was a little worried that something might have happened to you, so I asked my father to come to your house to check on you."

Lord Zhuang was very patient and continued along the lines of Miss Zhuang's conversation:

"Madam Zhang, you need not be afraid or nervous. This is under the Emperor's nose, in broad daylight, where laws and regulations exist. Imperial relatives and nobles should set an example by upholding the law. As the head of the Office of Transmission, I act on behalf of the Emperor, hear the words of my subjects, and handle inquiries into grievances. These are all my duties. If anyone is coercing you, you can tell the truth, and I will act in accordance with the law to help you."

Both Miss Zhuang and Lord Zhuang spoke with frank and sincere goodwill.

Through the kindness in those words, Zhu Qingyu seemed to see again the compassionate heart of Lord Zhuang between the lines on the drum.

This compassion and kindness made Zhu Qingyu feel extremely ashamed.

Of all the officials she had met before, none were as good as Lord Zhuang; those who were good were not like the kind of people one would expect in officialdom.

However, her initial approach to Miss Zhuang was not motivated by pure motives; she had ulterior motives.

If others treat me with sincerity and kindness, how can I repay them with sweet words, deception, and trickery?

Zhu Qingyu rose, bowed to Lord Zhuang, and replied:

"Lord Zhuang, Miss Zhuang, your treatment of me is truly shameful. My acquaintance with Miss Zhuang today is not accidental, but rather something I deliberately did."

Zhu Qingyu was the one who was shocked just now, and now it was Miss Zhuang's turn. Miss Zhuang pointed to herself with a blank expression:

"Huh? You deliberately tried to get to know me. Why?"

Zhu Qingyu felt even more ashamed, her face turning red:

"I know you've been negotiating your marriage with the Duke's family recently and must be short of money for your dowry, so I wanted to strike up a conversation with you and give you some money. Perhaps Lord Zhuang would help me out of consideration for the money. I'm truly, truly sorry, and I beg your forgiveness."

A beautiful woman shedding tears naturally evokes pity.

A beautiful woman blushing with shyness only makes her more endearing.

Even though the beautiful woman deliberately tried to get to know her, and even if she used tricks, Miss Zhuang didn't feel offended. Instead, she smiled and said:

"I see. You're here to give me money, not to rob me. Why should I blame you? So, you're genuinely in trouble, which is why you're asking my father for help, isn't that right?"

At this moment, Lord Zhuang suddenly asked:

"Madam Zhang, the head merchant of Yangzhou, who is she to you?"

Zhu Qingyu had gone to great lengths to try and get in touch with Lord Zhuang and use his authority to rescue Zhang Shen.

Now that Lord Zhuang had asked her, she knew she should remain calm, seize the opportunity, and give a brief overview. But when it came time to speak, an indescribable emotion welled up in her throat, making her voice tremble with emotion.

"Zhang Jingyan is my husband. He was implicated in a salt smuggling case and imprisoned in the Imperial Guard prison. I wanted to get to know you, sir, so that I could ask if you could lend a helping hand to get him out of trouble. I know that you are a man of high moral character and an incorruptible official, and that you would not bend the law for money. But my husband is indeed innocent."

Upon hearing the words "imperial prison," Miss Zhuang gasped in shock.

"Heavens above, why is this the Imperial Prison?"

Even Lord Zhuang sighed upon hearing about the imperial prison:

"Madam Zhang, although it is my duty to seek justice for the people, cases involving the Embroidered Uniform Guard being imprisoned under the Emperor's secret orders are outside my jurisdiction, and it would be difficult to investigate them. As for the case file of this salt smuggling case, I have also seen it, and it only records that Zhang Jingyan was detained by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but I have no idea about the specific reasons. Since you say he is wronged, do you know what he has done, why he was detained, and what his grievances are?"

Having had a moment to process, Zhu Qingyu controlled her surging emotions and asked concisely:

"Lord Zhuang, are you familiar with the case of Hu Xiaofeng and Zhao Shiyuan from back then? What caused it?"

The case of Hu Xiaofeng and Zhao Shiyuan's smuggled salt was the first major case personally supervised by the Emperor. At that time, Lord Zhuang was also involved in the entire process and naturally knew everything clearly.

The only suspicious point in the Zhao Shiyuan case was the account book that was reported, which the emperor still finds hard to let go of.

Connecting the cause and effect, Lord Zhuang immediately grasped the situation:

"So that's how it is. The fake account book was made by Zhang Jingyan. Then, Madam Zhang, I'm afraid this matter will be difficult. I know what you're thinking. Zhao Shiyuan's crime is true. If it were a different presiding judge, Zhang Jingyan wouldn't be considered guilty, and could even be considered to have made a meritorious accusation. But you may not know that the person who supervised this case back then was none other than the Emperor. Do you know what a sovereign is? A subject's disrespect for his sovereign is a grave crime. Even if I were to rashly plead for Zhang Jingyan, I'm afraid the chances of success would be less than 30%."

How could it be the Emperor?

Zhu Qingyu had no idea that the presiding judge in Zhao Shiyuan's case was actually the Emperor.

The fact that the emperor himself was personally handling the case left Zhu Qingyu wondering whether to praise the emperor's diligence or Zhang Shen's bad luck in running into trouble with no room for maneuver.

A buzzing sound echoed in her ears. Zhu Qingyu sat back down in her chair, looking utterly dejected. She almost lost her balance the first time she sat down, and almost instinctively apologized to Lord Zhuang:

"I was being presumptuous, please forgive me, sir."

Seeing this frail woman so distressed over her imprisoned husband, Lord Zhuang felt a pang of pity and said:

"There is a workaround, but it requires Lady Zhang and her husband to have enough luck and patience."

Zhu Qingyu suddenly raised her head, her eyes regaining their light:

"Please teach me, sir!"