[Xixi, what's going on?]
Xixi?
Was that the system's new name?
The Tong family's attention had all been diverted by the possibility that Tong Yibin might be in danger, leaving them no time to dwell on that for now.
[Someone deliberately handed your eldest brother a case that had been tampered with.]
How could that be allowed?
[Protecting my eldest brother is my bounden duty!]
Tong Aning stood up. "Mother, no matter how busy Eldest Brother is, he still needs to eat. Let me take him some food."
Meeting her daughter's clear eyes, Su Zhouyue nodded and instructed, "Bring a food box."
"Yes."
The food box arrived.
Tong Aning haphazardly put some things into it, picked it up, and swept out like a gust of wind.
Su Zhouyue: "..."
She called after her, "Yingtao, A Shu, take good care of your young lady."
A voice drifted back from far away-
"Rest assured, Madam."
When Tong Aning arrived, the palace gates had not yet been locked for the night, but she was not allowed inside.
"Fourth Miss Tong."
Standing before the palace gates, Tong Aning suddenly heard someone calling her. She looked over, and her eyes lit up. She remembered this man.
[He's the one who gave me that big ruyi scepter!]
Eunuch Wang broke into a sheepish sweat. That had been His Majesty's gift; he dared not take the credit.
Tong Aning greeted him sweetly. "Eunuch Wang."
Ah, no wonder the Princess Royal and Wei Mingning both looked on Tong Aning with such favor. Fourth Miss Tong really was likable.
Eunuch Wang acknowledged her greeting, then asked, "What brings you here, Fourth Miss Tong?"
Tong Aning pointed at the food box Yingtao was carrying. "I came to bring Eldest Brother dinner."
Thinking Tong Aning did not know, Eunuch Wang reminded her, "The Ministry of Justice provides meals."
Tong Aning gave a guileless smile. "My eldest brother likes eating these."
[I can't let anyone harm my eldest brother!]
Eunuch Wang: !
Could someone have poisoned Vice Minister Tong's food?
This was no small matter. He had to tell His Majesty at once.
Eunuch Wang said, "Then hurry inside. You mustn't lose any time."
"All right. Thank you, Eunuch Wang."
Eunuch Wang even summoned a young eunuch specifically to guide Tong Aning to the Ministry of Justice offices.
[Eunuch Wang really is such a good man! But... I remember eunuchs like him are supposed to stay with His Majesty all the time, aren't they? Why is Eunuch Wang leaving so early?]
[Host, His Majesty gave Eunuch Wang time off.]
[That's so nice...]
Eunuch Wang felt rather pleased. His Majesty did indeed treat him very well.
[With Eunuch Wang away from His Majesty's side, won't someone take his position?]
Eunuch Wang: ...
His smile vanished.
He really did need to hurry back to Changle Palace.
He hastened back, walking even faster than Tong Aning.
Tong Aning: ...?
[What's wrong with him?]
[Perhaps he's concerned about work.]
Tong Aning did not understand, but respected it.
With Yingtao in tow, she followed the young eunuch to the Ministry of Justice offices.
As soon as she entered, Tong Aning spotted Tong Yibin beside a desk with case files piled higher than a mountain.
At the same time, Tong Yibin saw her too.
Tong Aning marveled, [Eldest Brother really is a workaholic.]
It was not as though he wanted to be.
But apart from working at the Ministry of Justice, he had no other interests.
Nor was there anything else that gave him greater satisfaction than redressing people's grievances and sweeping away evil.
Tong Yibin walked over to Tong Aning and asked, "Aning, what brings you here?"
"I came to bring you dinner, Eldest Brother."
Tong Yibin took the food box. When things were out of the ordinary, something was afoot.
When he opened the food box and looked inside-yes, it was even stranger.
Tong Aning said earnestly, "These are freshly made flatbreads from the kitchen. They smell wonderful, and they won't interfere with your work, Eldest Brother. You can eat while you work."
Tong Yibin: ...
Under his little sister's hopeful gaze, Tong Yibin forced the corners of his mouth to lift. "Thank you, Aning."
"Have you finished all your work, Eldest Brother?"
Tong Yibin nodded. "I'm just about done."
Tong Aning: "!!!"
Tilting her face up, Tong Aning said tactfully, "Why don't you take another careful look, Eldest Brother?"
Tong Yibin: "?"
Aning would not bring him dinner for no reason. Did this have something to do with that system of hers?
That system knew many secrets unknown to others. Could some danger be about to befall him?
Tong Yibin said calmly, "All right."
[Xixi, do you think Eldest Brother will find it if he checks again?]
[That would be rather difficult. The other party had the witnesses lie during the hearing. Once your eldest brother finalizes the case, they'll have the witnesses recant.]
However foolish Tong Aning might be, she knew that once the witnesses recanted, her eldest brother, who was responsible for verifying the case, would inevitably be implicated.
[Who exactly is going to such painstaking lengths to target my eldest brother?]
[The other vice minister.]
Tong Yibin looked up from the case files.
This case should never have been his responsibility in the first place.
The other vice minister had taken leave at short notice because of something at home, and only then had it fallen to him.
Tong Aning bristled fiercely. [I really want to flatten that vice minister with one punch.]
Hearing this, Tong Yibin looked at Tong Aning's clenched fist and could not help chuckling.
He walked over to Tong Aning and patted her head. "Aning, go home first."
"Eldest Brother..."
"Don't worry. Your eldest brother isn't someone to be trifled with either."
Tong Yibin gently reassured Tong Aning.
Tong Aning sensed a dazzling light in Tong Yibin's unruffled eyes.
[Could this be-]
Was Aning about to praise her?
[The unflappable composure of an old fried dough stick?]
Tong Yibin did not like fried dough sticks, and he admonished his little sister, "Eat fewer fried dough sticks. They're bad for your health."
Tong Aning: ?
Tong Yibin escorted Tong Aning to the door. Still worried, Tong Aning had eyes only for Tong Yibin, a sight that softened one's heart. "Then you must be extra careful and thorough."
Tong Yibin rarely showed his feelings, but right now, he felt that this little sister of his truly was adorable.
The corners of Tong Yibin's lips curved. "Don't worry."
Tong Aning reluctantly left the Ministry of Justice offices.
A certain emperor who had hurried over to eavesdrop watched with a fathomless gaze.
Eunuch Wang said, "Your Majesty, this servant didn't deceive you, did he?"
"You didn't, but there are plenty of people who wish to deceive Us."
To think someone had tampered with a Ministry of Justice case. Who exactly was trying to harm the Tong family in secret?
But...
The emperor watched Tong Aning's retreating figure. The young girl was only fifteen. Though she housed an adult's soul, she still had a child's disposition. Just now, she was talking to the young eunuch guiding her, asking how high the palace walls were and how many trees were planted within them.
The emperor said meaningfully, "Don't you think that keeping Fourth Miss Tong confined to the Tong residence would bury her talents?"
Eunuch Wang's heart jolted.
What did His Majesty mean by that?
Author's note: