Chapter 68: An Enlightening Investigation

Sometimes, having a boyfriend like Grand General Qin, who is as flawless and ethereal as a piece of jade, can be quite troublesome. No matter how significant a matter might seem to you, in his eyes, it is nothing more than a speck of dust, not even worth mentioning. That calm, breezy, and indifferent attitude leaves an ordinary mortal like Luo Yunyao completely helpless.

Luo Yunyao took a few more deep breaths before speaking with a delicate rationality, maintaining the forced composure, gentleness, and even tenderness she had put on earlier: "So, since the trial for this case has already begun, I, the suspect, am still a fugitive fleeing from justice?"

She practically had to grind her teeth to force out the words "fleeing from justice."

Qin Jinghao realized that he had nearly driven the girl of his heart to her wits' end. Clearly, she was someone who would dress as a man and deceive the Emperor, yet deep down, she was impossibly obedient and well-behaved.

The Grand General reached out and ruffled the hair of the Minister of War, Lord Luo, much like someone smoothing the fur of a small animal. "It is no matter. Didn't the letter say that Yue Liuxi is the chief judge?"

Luo Yunyao was momentarily stunned, clearly failing to react in time. Her pair of apricot-shaped eyes displayed her beauty to the fullest, tinged with a helpless and adorable confusion.

Qin Jinghao watched Luo Yunyao's dazed expression with leisurely amusement. Just as the Minister of War was about to gather her wits, and to prevent her Imperial Highness the Princess of Biluo from making another unreasonable fuss, he cooperated by unfolding the letters sent to them and placing them right before her eyes.

Luo Yunyao quickly understood. Stopping herself from overthinking, she steadied her mind and carefully read the contents of the letter.

Ouyang Jingxu wrote that the case was practically cleared and requested Qin Jinghao's return. Furthermore, he urged him to bring back the Minister of War, Lord Luo, who ought to be in a prison cell instead. If the suspect went missing, would the blame fall on Grand General Qin or on him, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review?

That was the exact line Luo Yunyao had seen earlier, which was why she thought her little outing carried such a grave sin. She had only glanced through it hastily; how could she have found the time to read the rest? The Minister of War had already been scared out of her wits by Ouyang Jingxu's opening sentences, and her only thought was to rush back and prove that she, the newly minted top scholar, walked a straight path and had never fled from justice.

When Luo Yunyao finally forced herself to read the rest of the text, she grew so angry she wanted to curse. On one hand, she was furious that Ouyang Jingxu, the Chief Justice, was so poor at official correspondence that he buried such crucial information instead of putting it in a prominent place. On the other hand, she was angry at herself for rashly misjudging the Grand General. Fortunately, she hadn't voiced her suspicions aloud, thus averting a major blunder.

What Ouyang Jingxu had written further down was that evidence exposing the flaws in Yue Liuxi's scheme had already been found. The time had come to strip away Yue Liuxi's facade, and he cordially invited the inseparable Minister of War and the Grand General to return and watch the spectacle.

After reading this, the anxiety and helplessness that had previously risen to Luo Yunyao's throat completely dissipated.

Once relieved of her burden, her Imperial Highness the Princess of Biluo abandoned all regard for her image. She comfortably nestled herself back into Qin Jinghao's embrace and closed her eyes for a moment to rest her body, tired from a full day of walking, and her spirit, exhausted by the recent scare.

Although her apricot eyes were closed, cutting off her connection with the outside world, a sudden realization dawned upon her in the surrounding darkness. Fatally weary, she spoke in her crisp, oriole-like voice: "So, does this mean the case is considered closed today?"

Qin Jinghao reached out to massage Luo Yunyao's shoulders. With a gentle touch reminiscent of clashing jade, his voice was incomparably melodious: "Yes. Yunyao has worked hard these past few days."

Luo Yunyao was so flattered by the pair of well-articulated, jade-white hands massaging her shoulders that she could barely remain still in the Grand General's arms.

In a patriarchal society such as this, what an immense honor it was to have someone of higher status and rank massage your shoulders!

Qin Jinghao, the man of her heart, was truly the most gentle, perfect lover and desirable husband in the entire world. The more Luo Yunyao thought about it, the prouder she felt, and the more blessed she considered herself to be for having lived three lifetimes of good fortune.

To win such a husband, what more could a woman ask for?

Luo Yunyao's heart melted into a puddle of warmth. In truth, her noble Imperial Highness the Princess of Biluo was also utterly exhausted physically from days of climbing mountains and wading through streams.

Yielding to the Grand General's ministrations, she pretended to naturally and comfortably accept the honor he bestowed upon her. Under the smile of the wild chrysanthemums, she closed her eyes once more, though her mouth refused to remain as quiet as her body: "So, before I even managed to investigate the people involved in the case, Ouyang Jingxu has already solved it?"

Naturally, the Minister of War, Lord Luo, had not forgotten the pledge she had made earlier. She had enthusiastically grabbed the Grand General's hand, charging forward with high spirits while vowing to defeat Ouyang Jingxu, hailed as the absolute best Chief Justice and top detective in Western Qin for nearly three centuries.

And now... she seemed to have been utterly crushed into dust by a Chief Justice who looked thoroughly eccentric and, above all, happened to be a devoted fanboy of Yue Liuxi.

Qin Jinghao hesitated over his choice of words. He assumed that the seemingly frustrated Minister of War needed comforting, yet comforting people was one of the Grand General's weakest skills.

Time grew still. An impatient wild chrysanthemum in the grass yawned, listlessly losing interest in the couple who were such a perfect match made in heaven.

Luo Yunyao did not wait for the Grand General's reply, nor did she harbor any negative emotions—after all, she had known the Grand General for quite some time, and his habit of being poor with words was something she understood all too well. In fact, compared to remarks from the Grand General that sounded cuttingly sarcastic while he remained utterly oblivious, she actually preferred when he sat in quiet contemplation, struggling to find a reply. At times like these, it made her feel like she had the upper hand.

Very naturally, Luo Yunyao continued: "I suppose I was rather overestimating myself, daring to say I would outperform Ouyang Jingxu, a Chief Justice with such a long-standing reputation. Still, I won't deny that Ouyang Jingxu is truly formidable. Just how many days has it been since the incident occurred? I recall I was only handed over to the Court of Judicial Review a day or two ago, yet Ouyang Jingxu has already found Yue Liuxi's vulnerabilities."

Although this statement gracefully brushed past the secret wager Yue Liuxi had made with Ouyang Jingxu and subsequently lost, the Princess of Biluo's underlying hint was clearly to ask how Ouyang Jingxu had managed it and exactly what he had uncovered.

Yet the Grand General simply lacked romance—no, Qin Jinghao did understand romance; there were no sweeter sweet-nothings in the world than the ones Qin Jinghao used to stir Luo Yunyao's heart, as the Minister of War proudly and shamelessly thought to herself.

Qin Jinghao's very existence was Luo Yunyao's most beautiful landscape of romance.

Luo Yunyao discovered that ever since she and the Grand General got together, or rather, ever since they exchanged their pledges of love, Qin Jinghao's ineptitude with words wasn't entirely all-encompassing. It mostly manifested as a growing skill in sweet-talking and playfully teasing her, which only made his shortcomings in other conversational areas stand out even more. Spending every waking moment with him, her Imperial Highness the Princess of Biluo—his primary and sole target for sweet talk—had profound personal experience of this.

When it came to state affairs and dealing with people, the Grand General's eloquence was truly weak, and he completely lacked observation skills and sensitivity!

Being poor with words, the Grand General answered the very part of Luo Yunyao's speech that he least should have: "Actually, it wasn't overestimating yourself. Ouyang Jingxu didn't investigate it all by himself."

Hearing the Grand General put it this way, Luo Yunyao could no longer pretend she hadn't understood the implication behind Chief Justice Ouyang's remark that "the time has come to strip away Yue Liuxi's facade." She had no choice but to follow up on his words and ask: "So Grand General Qin was involved in this behind Lord Luo's back?"

The hand Qin Jinghao was using to massage Luo Yunyao's shoulder paused. His slender, jade-white fingers rested steadily upon her shoulder without making any further movement. Even the drowsy wild chrysanthemums sensed something amiss in the silent atmosphere and hurriedly hid themselves beneath the foliage.

Qin Jinghao seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, his hand slid down from Luo Yunyao's shoulder: "Mhm, I helped him investigate a bit." If one listened closely, the Grand General's usually steady, jade-like voice carried an earth-shattering hint of hesitation and reluctance.

Back then, after Ouyang Jingxu left, Qin Jinghao had wanted to take Luo Yunyao out for a stroll to clear her mind. Instead, she became single-mindedly obsessed with investigating the case, even though the Grand General already knew that he and Ouyang Jingxu had practically solved it.

They were simply waiting for Ouyang Jingxu to interrogate the maid who had filed the imperial grievance against Luo Yunyao. Because of Luo Yunyao, the matter had become a public sensation, meaning a massive crowd of commoners was bound to gather and watch the interrogation. At that moment, they would extract incriminating words from the maid, present the evidence Ouyang Jingxu had gathered in plain sight of everyone, and render it too late for Yue Liuxi to defend herself or for the Emperor to shield her. The verdict would be sealed.

Yue Liuxi would inevitably pay the price for the crimes she had committed.

Therefore, when Ouyang Jingxu received the notification from the Ministry of Punishments to conduct the trial of the accusing maid, he had consulted Qin Jinghao on whether he would attend.

As for Qin Jinghao, he had never once believed Luo Yunyao was guilty, and naturally, he cared nothing for that so-called trial. Furthermore, the Grand General was far more interested in his own girl, who was still locked up in the detention cells of the Court of Judicial Review; he certainly couldn't leave a prone-to-overthinking Luo Yunyao alone in prison.

It was just that the Grand General hadn't expected his attempt to take Luo Yunyao out for a stroll would result in her stubbornly wanting to investigate the case herself. Unwilling to dampen her spirits, Qin Jinghao had kept quiet about the fact that the case was already solved.