That night was a mixture of joy and sorrow.
My father, Luo Jin, Minzhi, Minyan, and I were all squeezed into my father’s study. I don’t think I had ever seen my father so happy; he held the silver blade bestowed by the Emperor, turning it over and over in his hands, unable to get enough of it. Luo Jin was in high spirits, vividly recounting to them how I had displayed my great prowess. Usually, I loved hearing people praise me, but by the end, even I had goosebumps. The way he told it, it wasn't me out there; it sounded more like Sun Wukong battling the Cave of the Silk Spirits.
Minyan stared at me with wide, adoring eyes, while Minzhi took every opportunity to complain to everyone about how anxious he had been while waiting outside.
When Yingxue came in to deliver snacks, she caught my eye and gave a small, bitter shake of her head. This was a sign that my two mothers were still angry. It seemed they were truly upset this time—not just with me, but with my father as well. My actions today had pretty much utterly destroyed all the ideals they held for my future.
This made me think of the disappointment my father back in my previous life had shown when I failed to grow up into a proper lady. This time, I feared, it was even more serious. I knew that in the minds of my two mothers, the most important thing for a woman was to marry into a good family and devote herself to her husband and children. From a certain perspective, that wasn't a bad way of thinking. But...
"Chao’er?" my father called. I looked up and realized that Lord Luo, the "crosstalk performer," had finished his show and was now speaking to me with a stern face. He was to be my direct superior from now on, so I couldn't afford to be negligent. I quickly adopted an attentive posture.
Luo Jin said, "Report to the Ministry of Justice on time tomorrow morning."
I nodded quickly. On my first day of work, I certainly wouldn't be late.
He continued, "I won't give you any special treatment. You will receive the same treatment as the other brothers."
I nodded again.
Luo Jin looked at me and gave a very cunning smile. "Newcomers to the Ministry usually have an adaptation period of three to six months. During this time, your main tasks will be patrolling the streets, maintaining public order, and familiarizing yourself with the various regulations of the law."
That old fox. He had said something like this before. He might actually make me a jailer. Mimicking his expression, I asked with a smile, "And if one shows outstanding performance in their post?"
Luo Jin burst into laughter. "I knew you’d ask that. In that case, of course, one can be promoted exceptionally."
That was exactly what I was waiting for. "Lord Luo is my leader—you won't go back on your word, will you?"
Luo Jin glared at me. "Of course not."
After seeing Lord Luo off, Yingxue accompanied me back to my courtyard. I whispered to her, "When you went in just now, was my Little Mother really crying?"
Yingxue shook her head. "It was Lady Zhang who was crying; the Second Miss was comforting her. The Second Mistress didn't cry; she was just sitting there, looking like she had things on her mind. She didn't seem very angry, actually."
This news was a bit unexpected. My steps instinctively turned toward my Little Mother’s quarters. The oil lamp in her bedroom was still lit; it seemed she hadn't gone to sleep yet, but the silence made me a little uneasy. I knocked cautiously on the door. My Little Mother’s voice said calmly, "Is that Chao’er? Come in."
She was sitting in front of her dressing table combing her hair. Her long black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, contrasting with her oval face, which was as white and smooth as lard. Though she was in her thirties, she was still as delicate and beautiful as a blooming lotus.
I approached her with a thick-skinned grin and took the comb to help her. My Little Mother watched me calmly through the mirror. Her reaction was somewhat outside my expectations, which made my heart race even more. Generally, the calmer the surface, the greater the storm brewing beneath...
"Chao’er?" she called softly. I looked up and met her gaze in the mirror. Although the bronze mirror wasn't as clear as a silvered one, it was enough to see how similar our two faces were. I rarely looked in mirrors because they always made me feel like I was looking at someone else's face. Even though I had long since accepted this body, looking in a mirror still gave me an uncomfortable sensation.
For the first time, I realized just how much my face resembled my Little Mother’s. According to the traditional aesthetic of the Yan Tian Kingdom, our type of looks wasn't considered particularly beautiful. The beauty worshipped here was a slender melon-seed face, delicate long eyebrows, phoenix eyes, and a small mouth—exactly like Wu Xiu’s type.
But both my Little Mother and I had oval faces. Our eyes were large, but perhaps too round, and the contours of our lips weren't refined enough. Furthermore, even though I had just turned fifteen, I was already over 165 centimeters tall. Qingrong had once said I "didn't grow well."
For such an "ugly girl" to take it upon herself to break off an engagement with a Prince's manor... anyone who heard of it would probably think I was incredibly ungrateful.
My Little Mother sighed and said wearily, "Forget it. What’s done is done; there’s no use talking more. I only want to ask you one thing: if the Prince’s manor truly comes to break the engagement, you won't regret it?"
I nodded. It wasn't that Mingshao wasn't good, but the thought of a day coming when he would be surrounded by a flock of wives, and I would be just one of them, made me feel uneasy all over. Did I learn all this martial arts just to have an advantage when fighting over a man's favor?
Seeing me nod, my Little Mother seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and a trace of a smile appeared on her lips. "As long as you don't regret it. Though it is indeed a good marriage, in the end, my daughter must be happy."
I threw my arms around her neck. She had a faint, sweet scent, somewhat like lavender.
She stroked my cheek and said, with a mix of gratification and lament, "I never expected that I, Mei Qing, would give birth to a female knight-errant with such outstanding martial arts. Well, having your own salary means you won't have to worry about food and clothing."
Was that all the hope she had for me? Seeing my face fall, she laughed. "I’m praising you. Think about it yourself—how many women can be as unrestrained as you?"
Speaking of which, I suddenly felt like saying "thank you" to the mysterious power that ruled over fate. If I hadn't landed in Wu Chao’s body but had ended up in a different family, I probably wouldn't have been able to grow up into the carefree person I was today. The question was, whom should I thank? Thank the Lord? Thank the Buddha? Or perhaps thank Allah?
Sigh, how did my thoughts get so muddled again?
The work uniform issued by the Ministry of Justice fit much better after my Little Mother’s alterations. Supposedly, the black robes symbolized the cold, impartial solemnity and supreme status of the law, while the red piping symbolized loyalty and passion.
My Little Mother tied my hair into a ponytail and took it upon herself to tie a red silk ribbon around it. I wanted to say I was going to work, not a beauty pageant, but seeing her eyes shining, I couldn't bring myself to say it. As long as she was happy, I’d wear it; everyone knew I was a woman anyway.
Xiao Hei had already led "Love You for Ten Thousand Years" to the steps outside the side gate to wait for me. My first day of work was truly grand. Not only did my siblings come to see me off, but my father came as well. Only Lady Zhang was absent, which was within my expectations; she certainly hadn't let go of her anger yet. I didn't dare see her until she calmed down.
The whole family looked excited. My Little Mother looked a bit worried, repeatedly instructing me, "You are a person of the imperial court now; you must never be reckless again..."
And so, carrying my silver blade, I galloped onto my precious mount with great spirit. Then, under Wu Xiu’s suppressed laughter and my Little Mother’s rolling eyes, I made a very cool parting gesture and rode off.
Since it was still early, there weren't many people on the road. Only the old lady selling wontons at the street corner saw me; she was so shocked she dropped a bowl into the soup pot. I gave her an apologetic smile and quickly spurred my horse toward the Ministry of Justice.
I didn't know how many new members had been recruited after yesterday's martial exam, only that most of them had been dispatched to neighboring counties. Including me, there were only twenty people staying at the Central Capital’s Ministry of Justice headquarters. We had all seen each other during yesterday's exam, and now, squeezed together in uniform waiting to start work, there was an inevitable sense of mutual respect. Seeing me, they weren't as surprised or awkward anymore; a few even came over to ask for martial arts tips. By the time Luo Jin came out, we were already well-acquainted. The veteran constables behind Luo Jin looked at us with knowing smiles in their eyes.
Luo Jin gave us a serious speech and then had a veteran constable named Chen Zhan begin assigning the day's tasks. They were the usual arrangements: being a jailer, recording prisoner statements, or going out to gather clues. When it was my turn, he said, "Xi Xia will follow me to patrol the streets."
My face immediately fell. This old fellow was actually sending me to patrol the streets—did he think I hadn't attracted enough attention already?
Chen Zhan walked up to me with a swagger and said, "Let's go." Seeing my gloom, he gave a faint smile and asked, "What? You look down on this job?"
I remained silent.
He smiled again. "This job isn't very interesting; you mostly encounter trivial little disputes. However, if there were really no one patrolling, the streets of the Central Capital would fall into quite a bit of chaos. After all, we are constables; we have to do all the work of maintaining order. Besides, this job is the closest to the common people, don't you think?"
He looked at the silver blade in my hand and led my horse over for me. "Mount up."
His words sounded very familiar, like something I had heard someone say when I first became a police officer... Actually, I wasn't being overly ambitious; it was just that subconsciously, I felt like a veteran officer, and being forced to do the work of a junior recruit made me feel a bit indignant.
I looked up at Chen Zhan, and he smiled again. "I know you newcomers are all dying to run into a big case, but after being a constable for over ten years, you start to feel that it's best if there are never any big cases, and everything stays peaceful." With that, he handed me the reins and said, "Let's go."
I obediently mounted my horse and followed him out.
Chen Zhan was quite a talkative person. Along the way, he explained the patrol route, the scope of our authority, and how to handle petty thieves and pickpockets. As he talked, he laughed to himself. "I've patrolled these streets countless times, but this is the first time I've been stared at by so many people."
I couldn't help but give a bitter smile. I had noticed it even without him saying so. There seemed to be more people on the street than ever, giving it a lively, festive atmosphere. A few children even ran behind the horses, shouting and clamoring. Seeing them, I suddenly remembered the first time I went out on the street behind Minzhi after arriving in the Central Capital and saw the constables...
It felt like that had only happened yesterday, and in the blink of an eye, it was other children's turn to watch me. Time really flies.
Just as I was feeling sentimental, I suddenly caught sight of a thin man standing behind an old lady. The old lady was looking up at me in a daze, and the man was also looking up at me in a daze—but one of his hands was inside the old lady's basket.
What was the situation? I froze for a second or two before it clicked. I leaped from my horse and landed in front of him. He was still staring at me. I gave him a smile, and he instinctively smiled back. I pulled his hand out of the old lady's basket and gave it a hard twist. He let out a loud cry and snapped out of it.
"You woman..." he started screaming like a stuck pig.
I applied more pressure, successfully cutting off the rest of his sentence. Now, shouldn't I say something?
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." After solemnly finishing this sentence, a wave of indescribable joy washed over my heart. It was as if, because of this one sentence, the work of Xi Xia and Wu Chao had merged into one. I looked back at Chen Zhan; though his face showed quite a bit of surprise, he didn't say anything.
The petty thief was so intimidated by me that he didn't dare make a sound. I nimbly pulled out his belt and tied him to my saddle. Then I looked up and asked Chen Zhan, "Brother Chen, what should we do now?"
Chen Zhan smiled again. "Send him back to the Ministry, or just leave him hanging on the saddle and take him back when you return to the office."
The second method seemed a bit disrespectful to human rights. I decided to send him back first. Chen Zhan nodded and said, "Fine. I'll wait for you up ahead."
When I brought him back to the Ministry, I was surprised to see a very familiar figure walking through the moon gate leading to the inner courtyard. I chased after her and saw that it was indeed Li Xiu.
She was also stunned to see me, then realized something. "So you really are from the Ministry of Justice. No wonder..."
I looked curiously at her maidservant's attire. "Why are you still here?"
Li Xiu lowered her eyes, looking slightly helpless. "Lord Luo said I can't go back until the case is closed, otherwise he fears for my safety."
At least half a month had passed since I returned; had this human trafficking case still not been solved? I couldn't help but feel suspicious. After thinking it over, I couldn't resist running to find Luo Jin.
Luo Jin looked up from a pile of case files and said, "This case seems simple, but gathering evidence is extremely difficult."
He stood up and paced a few steps. "Do you know who the biggest suspect is, based on the clues Li Xiu provided?"
I stared at him blankly. Had he become addicted to being a crosstalk performer? Why was he being so mysterious now? I was anxious, so I played along and put on an expectant expression. "Who is it?"
Luo Jin lowered his voice, sounding very mysterious. "Lady Changping."
I looked at her in confusion. Was Lady Changping very famous? Just who was this person?
***
**Glossary**
