CHAPTER 372: CHAPTER 372 TABOO

The family rules of the Duke Mansion are quite thick, copying five hundred passages, Su Jin didn’t dare imagine.

So when the Old Madam ordered her to copy the family rules as punishment, Su Jin pleaded, saying, "The young miss of the Yongcheng Bo Mansion burned her hand, I gave her ointment to heal it, let me redeem my fault with merit."

Princess Nanzhang walked in and, upon hearing Su Jin’s words, let out a cold laugh.

"Redeem with merit?"

"The Duke Mansion repeatedly indulges you, making you uncontrollable, treating the family rules as nothing!"

"As the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion, you chased a dog on the street, completely disgracing the Duke Mansion. If you are not punished severely this time, I’m afraid it will happen again and again!"

The Old Madam looked at Princess Nanzhang and said, "Tomorrow you can enter the palace and ask the Empress Dowager for some Bihun Ointment, let Xuexue bring it to the young miss of the Yongcheng Bo Mansion; we can’t let the girl’s hand scar."

Princess Nanzhang gladly agreed.

Because requesting the ointment this time was by no means a difficult task for her.

The conversation between the Old Madam and Princess Nanzhang extinguished Su Jin’s hope of redeeming her fault with merit.

The best scar-removing ointment is Bihun Ointment, a tribute item.

No matter how good her ointment is, can it possibly beat Bihun Ointment?

Not even given the chance to redeem her faults, Su Jin was truly helpless.

If she didn’t go to the Buddhist Hall, the Old Madam would have the women force her there.

Knowing to adapt to circumstances is wise, it’s just copying family rules, right?

She would copy them!

Su Jin turned and left Qihao Hall, with Xingxing following closely behind.

"Miss, do you really have to copy the family rules five hundred times?" Xingxing asked.

"Go find out about the Yongcheng Bo Mansion," Su Jin said.

"I’ll go right away."

...

After Su Jin left Qihao Hall, Princess Nanzhang also came out.

Watching Su Jin walk away, Princess Nanzhang’s eyes turned cold.

"Tell Young Master Xie about the Eldest Young Madam’s punishment, exaggerate it," Princess Nanzhang said.

"Yes."

...

Su Jin went alone to the Buddhist Hall.

In the Buddhist Hall, pen, ink, paper, and inkstone were all available.

It’s just that seeing Su Jin, the women in the Buddhist Hall were somewhat fearful.

After all, last time when Xie Jinyu and the others were punished to kneel, the women turned a blind eye and were fiercely reprimanded by Su Jin.

Moreover, Su Jin had come to the Buddhist Hall many times, each time ending inconclusively, and the one backing her the most was the Emperor, who might do it again this time.

Better not provoke her, best to avoid.

Anyway, it’s only copying family rules, not kneeling, which requires supervision.

If she couldn’t complete five hundred copies of the family rules, she wouldn’t be able to pass through Princess Nanzhang and the Old Madam.

Su Jin sat on a chair and then started grinding ink.

After copying one passage of the family rules, Xingxing finally returned.

"Why did it take you so long?" Su Jin asked.

Xingxing looked frustrated.

It wasn’t that she took long; it was simply that she couldn’t find any maid willing to talk to her along the way.

She ran back to Agarwood Pavilion and asked.

"The woman from the small kitchen told me that Lady Yongcheng is Duke Chong’s half-sister, and the Old Madam has always doted on the young miss of the Yongcheng Bo Mansion, she even once wanted the Second Young Master to marry her," Xingxing said.

Su Jin felt overwhelmed.

Why does she keep encountering those with twisted relations to Duke Chong’s Mansion?

She put down her pen, resting her chin with her hand, lost in thought.

After a long rest, Xingxing couldn’t help but urge her; without finishing copying the family rules, she wouldn’t be permitted to leave.

Su Jin felt a headache at the sight of the family rules.

She calculated that to finish copying five hundred entries of the family rules, it would take her at least a month.

To stay in the Buddhist Hall for a month and do something she didn’t like would drive her mad.

She didn’t believe she wouldn’t think of a way to get out within a month.

Rubbing her wrist, Su Jin continued to copy the family rules.

Ministry of Justice.

Having just cracked a case, Xie Jingchen rode back.

He sat down, not even having time for the chair to warm, nor tea to be served.

A government official came over, placing a dossier in front of Xie Jingchen.

"Young Master Xie, Lord Lin asks you to solve this case within three days," the government official said.

Xie Jingchen, "...."

"No problem, I’ll leave now," the government official said.

The government official withdrew.

On one side, Xie Jingchen found the dossier headache-inducing, while on the other side, Lord Lin was quite pleased.

Though he had been used by Marquis Dongxiang for a long time, after Marquis Dongxiang left, he left his son-in-law with him and gave him a word: All difficult cases should be handed over to him.

Lord Lin took that to heart as if using a feather as a command.

With no one to constrain him from above, he became the sole authority in the Ministry of Justice.

With people to direct below, it felt incredibly satisfying.

Young Master Xie was astute and tactful, solving cases as if divinely helped. Within a few days, he had already helped solve two cases for him.

Lord Lin was not one to claim others’ credit without warrant; the credit due to Xie Jingchen, he would not seize.

When reporting to the Emperor, Lord Lin praised Xie Jingchen unsparingly.

His commendation was such that it inspired regret.

A dragon begets a dragon, a phoenix begets a phoenix; General Xie capturing King Beimo alive at the border, and naturally, Young Master Xie, being his most beloved son, was no mediocre offspring.

It’s a pity that such a dragon-son, unexpectedly, was poisoned, not long for the world.

Were he ordinary and unambitious, it would be acceptable, but being exceptionally talented just highlighted the tragedy, imagining the heartache of General Xie sending off his son to an early grave.

The more exceptional Xie Jingchen was, the more it prompted sympathy from others.

Initially, many officials opposed Xie Jingchen assisting at the Ministry of Justice, but Lord Lin simply stated that there weren’t enough hands at the Ministry, and Marquis Dongxiang couldn’t stand seeing his son-in-law idle, encouraging him to put him to work; he only asked Young Master Xie to lend a helping hand, affairs of the Ministry he would ensure would not go awry.

As the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, he still had the authority to bring in a few people to aid with no salary expected.

Now that Xie Jingchen could help with investigations, Lord Lin used him extensively, leaving others with no grounds for complaints.

Xie Jingchen picked up the dossier and started reading it.

Another government official came in from outside, "Young Master Xie, someone from the Duke Mansion has come."

"Let him in," Xie Jingchen said without lifting his head.

Soon, a servant came in and said, "Young Master, the Eldest Young Madam made a mistake and was punished by the Old Madam with thirty boards and is kneeling in the Buddhist Hall."

"What mistake did she make?" Xie Jingchen asked.

"The Eldest Young Madam chased a dog on the street, causing the young miss of the Yongcheng Bo Mansion’s face to be scalded," the servant replied.

"...."

Xie Jingchen’s brows furrowed deeply.

He stood up and took a few steps out.

But after walking a few steps, he stopped.

He looked at the servant and said, "You go back first."

The servant withdrew.

Xie Jingchen turned back, sat down again, and the Hidden Guard, puzzled, said, "Young Master?"

Xie Jingchen’s eyes were deep and cold.

"Grandfather most objects to household affairs impacting official duties. Unless it’s a matter of life and death, Manager Li would never send someone to inform me."

Su Jin, being the daughter of Marquis Dongxiang, and favored by the Emperor, the Old Madam, even if given the courage, would not dare openly harm Su Jin’s life.

Since it wasn’t Manager Li who sent the person, it naturally had to be Princess Nanzhang.

Xie Jingchen and Su Jin were deeply affectionate.

Knowing she was punished, he would surely go back to plead for Su Jin.

And the only result of pleading would be—

Involving himself.

Self-cultivation, managing a family, governing the state, ordering the land; if he couldn’t even manage the person beside his pillow and only blindly protected her, the Old Madam, in her anger, would punish him even more severely.

Xie Jingchen wasn’t formally employed at the Ministry of Justice, just called upon by Marquis Dongxiang to help Lord Lin, not indispensable.

If the Old Madam punished him, preventing him from coming to the Ministry of Justice, no one could say anything.

Having just solved two cases and receiving some praise from the hundred officials, that wasn’t enough to be complacent.

Xie Jingchen instructed the Hidden Guard, "You go back and take a look."