I'm Not Your Friend!

Li Nuo was at a loss.

The former Magistrate of Chang'an was a crucial witness. Now that he was dead, the case would be even harder to investigate.

Behind Li Nuo, Steward Wu looked up at the sky and sighed to himself.

They'd been out all day. When would the young master finally go home? He was already starving. The new chef Li Manor had hired was truly a master of his craft. Steward Wu had even decided what he wanted for dinner, yet here he was, stuck waiting.

At last, he couldn't hold back any longer and asked quietly, "Young master, are you going to take this case?"

Li Nuo glanced at the old woman, who was so grief-stricken she was nearly fainting, then asked Steward Wu, "Can we have the Court of Judicial Review investigate this case?"

Magistrate Pei didn't dare investigate, and Li Nuo could understand why. Even if turning the case over to the Court of Judicial Review meant he wouldn't be involved himself, he still wanted justice for the old woman, even if he couldn't gain anything from it.

Steward Wu smiled and waved a hand. "There's no need to go to all that trouble..."

He beckoned to someone in the distance. A peddler carrying a shoulder pole set down his wares and trotted over. "Steward Wu, what can I do for you?"

"Go to the Official of the Ministry of Personnel's residence and ask him whether his son raped a girl half a year ago."

"And then?"

Steward Wu waved a hand. "There is no 'then.' Just come back after you've asked."

The peddler nodded and sprinted off in a certain direction, soon vanishing from Li Nuo's sight.

Li Nuo looked at Steward Wu. "That's all it takes?"

Steward Wu smiled. "Please wait a moment, young master."

Li Nuo had no idea what Steward Wu was up to. But he still had a few cases to handle today, so he first invited the old woman to rest off to one side and continued with the cases that followed. He thought that, if all else failed, he could visit his father that evening. With the Court of Judicial Review's methods, investigating a case shouldn't be difficult.

Pei Zhe glanced at Steward Wu and silently mourned for the Official of the Ministry of Personnel.

That was life.

In some people's eyes, commoners were no better than ants.

But in the eyes of others, you were an ant too.

At that moment, a sumptuous family banquet was being held at a grand residence somewhere in Chang'an.

The Ministry of Personnel's Ministry of Evaluation oversaw the performance reviews of more than ninety percent of Great Xia's officials. As its Official of the Ministry of Personnel, Wang Duo was extremely busy with official business. That was why he valued his days off so much. Whenever one came around, he would set aside all his work, burn incense, bathe, and spend time with his family...

The Wang family was large and thriving. The brothers in the family got along well, united as one. His only regret was that he had just one son.

As the head of the Wang family's main branch, he really ought to have had more children.

But his wife had suffered a miscarriage scare while pregnant, and after giving birth to their son, she could no longer bear children. Over the years, Wang Duo had never considered taking a concubine.

He had come from humble beginnings. In the early years, his wife had supported his studies by washing clothes and weaving cloth for others every day, even while pregnant. She worked from dawn until dusk and denied herself food and clothes, spending every penny she earned on him. How could he bear to make her unhappy?

Fortunately, they had a son. Though his mother had spoiled him from childhood, Wang Duo had kept him from going astray like other spoiled young masters. He had reached the Martial Arts Second Realm at a young age and applied himself reasonably well to his studies. If he passed the Imperial examination, then as the Official of the Ministry of Personnel, Wang Duo could ensure his son's career would be smooth sailing...

Even if he failed the Imperial examination, the family fortune he had built up would still secure his son a life of wealth and honor.

Halfway through the banquet, Wang Duo glanced at the young man seated below him and asked, "How are your studies at the academy these days?"

The young man was eating. At the question, he coughed a few times and said, "They're... they're better than they were a few months ago."

Wang Duo nodded. "Study hard at the academy. Even if you can't master all the Six Arts, you must be proficient in at least one, and you can't be too weak in the other five. Once you pass the Imperial examination, even if you only place at the bottom of the Jinshi list, I can ensure you rise from Subordinate Ninth Rank to Seventh Rank within ten years..."

With an Official of the Ministry of Personnel for a father, the young man would surely rise swiftly once he entered government service. He nodded repeatedly in agreement. Just then, a Wang family servant hurried in and said, "My lord, someone just came to the gate and said he had a question to ask you."

Wang Duo lowered the food he had picked up with his chopsticks and asked, "A question? What question?"

The servant glanced at everyone at the banquet, hesitating to speak.

Wang Duo looked at him. "There's no one here but family. Speak plainly."

The servant hesitated for a moment, then said, "That person asked whether the young master... whether the young master raped a girl half a year ago..."

The young man froze. Then anger appeared on his face. "That old geezer just won't let it go, will he? I was just drunk and lost control that time. Normally, even if that girl had stood naked right in front of me, I wouldn't have given her a second glance..."

With his status, he was never short of women. But the ones who threw themselves at him were either worn-out women who had been used by countless men, or scheming women hoping to marry into a wealthy family. He wasn't interested in any of them. That time, he'd been carried away by drink and wanted to see what it was like to have a respectable girl. He hadn't expected the aftermath to become such a nuisance.

"Shut your mouth! This trouble is your own doing!" Wang Duo glared at him, then turned to the servant. "Which office is that person from? Chang'an County Office or the Ministry of Justice?"

Half a year ago, because of this matter, he had locked his son in his room and made him face the wall for three days.

Punishing him was one thing, but as a father, he couldn't stand by and let his son's future be ruined by this.

Even if Redemption Silver could buy his way out of punishment, a criminal record would still affect his future promotions if he passed the Imperial examination.

As the Official of the Ministry of Personnel, he knew these things better than anyone.

Only the Chang'an County Office and the Ministry of Justice could handle the matter. The former Magistrate of Chang'an had even come to see him about it, promising to his face that nothing would go wrong. He had also spoken to people at the Ministry of Justice. No one had mentioned the matter again in the past six months.

Could it be the newly appointed Magistrate of Chang'an?

It seemed this new magistrate didn't know how things worked...

As he thought this, the servant said, "He said he was from the Minister of Justice's Mansion."

Clatter!

The jade chopsticks in Wang Duo's hand suddenly fell onto the table.

Crash!

Bowls shattered across the dining hall.

A moment later, at the Wang residence.

The young man's face was deathly pale. He knelt on the ground, trembling all over, and clung to Wang Duo's leg. "Father, you have to save me!"

A richly dressed woman also clutched Wang Duo's hand, her eyes brimming with tears. "My lord, Yue'er is our only child. You can't abandon him! If anything happens to Yue'er, I won't go on living either!"

Wang Duo's face was just as pale, but as the head of the household, he forced himself to stay calm. "Stay here. I'll go see a few officials first."

A short while later, Wang Duo hurried out through the back gate and visited several grand residences nearby, one after another.

Some belonged to people from the Ministry of Justice, and others to people from the Capital Prefecture.

Usually, they all bowed and scraped before him, greeting him with smiles. But now he was the one asking for help, and Wang Duo was extremely deferential.

"I heard magpies chirping first thing this morning. So that's why—their song heralded an honored guest! Lord Wang, please, have a seat!"

"What brings Lord Wang here? Quick, quick—bring out the fine tea I've been saving!"

Time was short, so Wang Duo cut straight to the point. "To be honest, my son has run into a bit of trouble..."

"Lord Wang, don't worry. Your business is my business. I'll be counting on you to give this year's Ministry of Personnel evaluation your consideration..."

"So it's about your son's case. A small matter, a small matter. I'll have someone notify the Chang'an County Office right away."

But after Wang Duo explained the details, their attitudes changed.

"What? The Minister of Justice has personally taken notice of this case?"

"Lord Wang, I'm afraid I can't help you with this..."

"My lord is ill and simply cannot receive visitors."

"Lord Wang, my lord says he isn't here."

"Show him out! Show him out!"

Wang Duo wandered down the street in a daze. The officials who usually bowed and scraped before him, the colleagues who had once called him brother, had all greeted him with smiles at first. But as soon as they heard the case involved the Court of Judicial Review, their faces changed. Not one of them was willing to lend a hand. By the end, he couldn't even get through their front gates.

At last, after a long hesitation, Wang Duo entered the final residence.

He explained his reason for coming to the gatekeeper. Before long, an elegant, middle-aged man came out into the courtyard. Seeing Wang Duo's pale face and terrified expression, he asked in confusion, "Lord Wang, what's wrong?"

Wang Duo hurried forward, grabbed the man's hand, and said anxiously, "Vice Minister Chen, you have to save me!"

The middle-aged man patted his hand. "Don't panic. Whatever it is, take your time and tell me. We've been friends for years. If you're in trouble, how could I stand by and do nothing?"

The next moment, after Wang Duo finished explaining what had happened, the middle-aged man exclaimed, "What? Your son raped a common girl, and Li Xuanjing's men have come after him?"

Wang Duo nodded. "Lord Chen, you have to save me!"

The middle-aged man's face darkened.

Save him, save him? Save his ass!

Every official in Chang'an feared being targeted by Li Xuanjing, even those who had done nothing wrong. And Wang Duo's son had committed such a heinous crime.

What kind of person was Li Xuanjing?

A living Yama!

Who would dare stick their neck out for a case he had his eye on?

Reach in, and he'd cut off your hand. Stick out your head, and he'd chop it off.

The middle-aged man brushed Wang Duo's hand away without hesitation and said firmly, "We've been friends for twenty years. Today, we sever that friendship. From this moment on, I'm not your friend!"