Young widow in her boudoir

Upon returning to Cuiwu Courtyard, I learned that Pei Zhiheng had not returned tonight because His Majesty had assigned him another case.

This case is tricky; the investigation has led back to the old prince.

The old prince had a distinguished military record, but over the years he had become corrupt and accepted bribes, and even the Empress Dowager couldn't control him.

This was a hot potato, and the entire court avoided it like the plague, except for Pei Zhiheng, who took it on.

He is a man who doesn't tolerate any wrongdoing, and when investigating cases, he is swift and decisive, never wasting a moment.

The powerful figures in the court had long regarded Pei Zhiheng as a major threat and wished they could get rid of him as soon as possible.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Xie Rutang heard that he had obtained evidence the night before, and that the old prince's family and several officials involved in the case were dismissed from their posts, interrogated on the spot, their property confiscated, and imprisoned in the Dali Temple to await trial.

The news spread, and the whole city was in an uproar.

In the morning, I saw Pei Zhiheng carrying the imperial edict, returning to the Pei residence in glory from the Shen family. He was dignified and upright, but cold and aloof.

Xie Rutang, being a member of the Shen family, only glanced at it from afar before weakly lowering her eyes.

The figure in the light was stunningly beautiful and ethereal; she was worlds apart from him.

Despite her beauty, he was of noble birth, and she could not possibly use herself as a bargaining chip to beg him to save her brother.

The next day, I heard that Pei Zhiheng was going to go boating on the lake with Su Yao.

He sat upright in the hall, pure and virtuous. As long as she didn't mention it, no one would know what he had done to her in the study, and he would get his wish to marry Miss Su.

Xie Rutang knew that she had suffered a loss in silence.

However, she had already given up on that idea.

They were never from the same world.

……

On this day, with the reward bestowed by the eunuch in yellow robes, the Pei family held a banquet and invited the Tong family and the Shen family to celebrate together.

Xie Rutang changed into a silk dress and went to the Pei residence with the old lady.

After Pei Zhiheng rose to become a close advisor to the emperor, the Pei residence underwent several renovations and expansions, becoming much more grand and imposing.

The stone lions in front of the gate are tall and imposing, and the imperial plaque hangs under the eaves, its deep vermilion lacquer gleaming in the sunlight.

The mansion's courtyards are connected one after another, with winding corridors, artificial hills and flowing water, and carved beams and painted rafters.

She sat down in the garden with a group of female relatives.

Because of her embarrassment, Xie Rutang kept her head down, not daring to look at the majestic and cold figure in the distance. Pei Zhiheng didn't even notice her presence as a widow.

The table was laden with delicacies, the kind of exquisite food that only the ladies of the palace could enjoy. It wasn't until an hour later that the food became leftovers.

After bidding farewell to the women, Xie Rutang then took a carriage back to his residence.

Only after returning to the Shen residence did Xie Rutang straighten her sleeves in the wind and turn to head towards her mother-in-law's courtyard.

"What?! One hundred taels of silver as hush money?!"

The old lady slammed down the bird's nest she was holding, startling the entire room into a deathly silence. "Xie, who gave you the audacity to try and extort me!"

The matter of inheriting the lineage of two families was originally something I wanted to keep out of the open, and whether His Majesty would agree to it was another matter.

Most importantly, her mother-in-law went so far as to drug her with aphrodisiacs in order to force her into a relationship with Pei Zhiheng.

Xie Rutang could only lower her eyes, concealing the coldness in them. "If word gets out about this, it will likely damage your reputation and that of both families. The Second Master is currently favored by the Emperor, and you've finally managed to gain some respect among those noble ladies, even overshadowing Madam Li. If they find out…"

Upon hearing this, the old lady lost her appetite for the bird's nest in her hand.

As soon as Zhiheng finished investigating the case, she, the old lady, felt honored.

Several women from the social circle are sending out invitations in various ways, and even some ladies who used to ignore her are sending people to inquire after her.

Last time, Madam Li made sarcastic remarks about her "relying on her godson for prestige," and she was kicked out of the poetry gathering. These past few days, she's been making a scene by staying indoors.

The old lady only enjoyed a few days of glory.

No, no, that won't do.

The old lady hardened her heart and said, "Fine, I'll give you one hundred taels."

"Keep your mouth shut about this with Zhiheng, or I'll tear your face to shreds!"

After a while, the old lady clutched her chest and began to curse, "Yuan'er, you died too soon! Open your eyes and see how your wife is bullying your old mother! I told you she was a jinx, but you wouldn't listen and insisted on marrying her..."

Xie Rutang had achieved her goal, and left with the purse in a good mood.

No matter how much the old lady inside humiliated her, she remained unmoved.

My sister-in-law, nephew, and niece have already settled down on Changchun Street.

Xie Rutang brought a piece of meat wrapped in oil paper to visit them that day, and was surprised to find an extra figure in the courtyard.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Zhang Dashan from their county, who later became a scholar.

Xie Rutang was stunned for a moment, then blurted out, "Zhang Dashan?!"

The man paused slightly, then turned around, revealing a refined face.

He wasn't annoyed. "I'm not called 'Big Fool' anymore. I passed the imperial examination last year and now I'm called 'Scholar Zhang'."

Xie Rutang blushed slightly, realizing her rashness and secretly regretting it.

He looked so different that she almost didn't recognize him.

Hearing the noise, Lin Yan, who was in the kitchen, came out to greet them, wiping the sweat from her face with her sleeve. "Ru Tang, you're here. I'm new here and don't know anyone, so I asked Scholar Zhang to help me arrange for Cheng Ge'er to go to school."

"Do you still remember him? Now, Scholar Zhang is known far and wide in our village as a filial son. He only has an elderly mother left at home. She used to save every penny to support him to go to the capital for the imperial examination. Our county magistrate even specially provided rice and noodles for the mother and son every month."

Lin Yan patted the flour off her hands and pulled her to the stove, lowering her voice.

"This scholar Zhang liked you before you were married. Who would have thought that he would be promoted by his teacher and settle down in the capital? He is still unmarried. In my opinion, he probably still has feelings for you."

"I just asked him for help yesterday, and he came over first thing this morning. He talks about hometown ties, but I don't believe it."

Xie Rutang frowned subconsciously.

"If you remarry into the Zhang family, there are few people in his family, and Zhang's mother is a simple and honest person. You can live a peaceful and stable life without having to deal with those scheming and infighting."

Before leaving, Lin Yan winked at her again, "You two chat, I'll go cook for you."

After saying that, he turned and went back to the kitchen, leaving the two of them standing in the courtyard.

Xie Rutang couldn't help but blame her sister-in-law for her own actions. Zhang Qingci was now an official in the capital and had a bright future. He was no longer the poor and destitute boy he used to be. Why would he look at a widow like her?

Zhang Qingci scratched the back of his head and coughed lightly: "This meat is for stewing, right? I'll go chop some firewood to start a fire."

……

At dusk, at Dali Temple.

The files on the desk had been neatly arranged. Pei Zhiheng raised his hand to rub his temples and came out of the duty room.

As soon as I stepped out of the government office, I saw Yan Wenzhao, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, standing with his hands behind his back in front of the steps, as if he had been waiting for a while.

Seeing him come out, Yan Wenzhao turned his head slightly and said in a low voice, "A new batch of death row inmates were brought in today. The case is quite big and involves that old case in the north."

Pei Zhiheng didn't stop walking, his eyes fixed straight ahead, "Let's talk at the teahouse."

Yan Wenzhao glanced at him, but he remained calm.

Pei Zhiheng was the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination two years ago. This examination was usually full of talented people, but he came out on top and became the youngest Minister of the Court of Judicial Review in nearly a hundred years. Even His Majesty made an exception and promoted him to this position that many people would not be able to reach even if they worked their hair out.

Although he entered officialdom in the same year as Pei Zhiheng, he couldn't help but be jealous of his talent.

But after Pei Zhiheng took over the long-standing mess at the Dali Temple, working tirelessly day and night, I no longer envy him. If I were Pei Zhiheng, I might not be able to be as unwaveringly fair as him.

After the case of the old prince, those families who had secretly bribed powerful and influential people immediately fell silent, fearing that Pei Zhiheng would follow the trail and find out what happened.

The two were just about to get into the carriage.

Yan Wenzhao exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that the widow from your household?"

The official boots that had been rolling over the bluestone slabs suddenly stopped.

In the past few days, he had almost forgotten that there was such a person in the Shen family.

Pei Zhiheng looked in the direction he pointed.

Then they saw a woman standing at the entrance of the courtyard in the alley. She was wearing a light pink dress with Suzhou embroidery of white magnolias. She had only a jade hairpin in her hair. Her black hair was like clouds. The woman was very beautiful and looked around with affection.

I spotted her in the crowd at a glance.

Pei Zhiheng had almost forgotten Xie Rutang, but upon catching a glimpse of her alluring figure, he was reminded of the memories from a few days ago.

Xie Rutang was talking to a strange man.

He's been so busy these past few days that he's almost forgotten about the old lady's request for him to take on the responsibility of supporting both families.

He did not consider himself a lecherous person.

However, it must be admitted that Xie Rutang is beautiful.

He closed his eyes, and the image of him pinning her down in his mind flashed before his eyes, as if he could smell her seductive fragrance again.

I've been so busy these past few days that I've finally put that thought to rest.

But upon seeing that slender figure, he was drawn back in.