Emperor Rui had bestowed a magnificent mansion upon Pei Jingyi, complete with emerald tiles and vermilion eaves. Its previous owner had been a high-ranking official, and the courtyards were designed with exquisite opulence, where gold and jade reflected one another in a dazzling display.
Today marked the third day of Pei Jingyi’s bet with Gu Huaiyu. The official leave granted by the Chancellor was still in effect, so Pei spent his time leisurely playing a game of go with a close friend.
Nie Jin, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, was of a similar age to Pei Jingyi, but their temperaments were worlds apart. Nie Jin was an “iron-faced judge” who could not tolerate a single grain of sand in his eye.
Nie Jin sat perfectly upright, his posture as stiff as a board. His official robes were washed so often they had turned pale, and though the cuffs were frayed, they were pressed perfectly flat.
He placed a white stone on the board, his voice as cold and hard as iron. “According to the seventh volume, third article of the Criminal Code, anyone who subjects a court official to extrajudicial punishment shall receive fifty strokes of the cane, followed by dismissal and exile.”
Pei Jingyi acted as if he hadn’t heard a word. His thumb and forefinger cracked open a pine nut, which he tossed carelessly into his mouth. With the Nine Li Blood protecting his body, the wounds in his mouth had almost completely healed.
Nie Jin stared at him unblinkingly, his gaze sharp and focused. “Three years ago, Minister Chen of the Ministry of Finance—a high-ranking official of the second rank—was found hanging from a roof beam the day after a drunken slip of the tongue. His entire family of forty-six vanished overnight. Do you know what he said?”
Pei Jingyi glanced at him. Was there even a need to ask? Even a pig could guess the answer.
Nie Jin’s fingers tightened around a game stone, not waiting for an answer. “He said, ‘His Majesty is exhausting the people and wasting wealth to build monuments for Empress Gu. Gu Yu deceives his superiors and hides the truth from those below, ruling the heavens with a single hand. The two-hundred-year foundation of Great Chen will be buried by the hands of these Gu siblings.'”
Pei Jingyi gave a soft, mocking snort. It was exactly the kind of thing one would expect.
“Jingyi, that was the first case I handled after entering the Court of Judicial Review.”
Nie Jin closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, his gaze was like that of a hunting hawk. “Minister Chen was a mentor to me. The case file is seventy-four pages long, written by my own hand. It sits on my desk to this day.”
The hand Pei Jingyi used to crush pine shells paused for a moment. He flicked the debris off his robes with a casual gesture. “Did you come here to play go, or what?”
Nie Jin’s expression remained somber. From his sleeve, he produced a silk handkerchief wrapped tightly around an object. He opened it to reveal an old, simple hair pin in the shape of a flower.
Pei Jingyi arched an eyebrow. The flower pin was a style meant for young children, rarely seen on the head of a grown woman.
“Minister Chen had a daughter. She was twelve that year. I found this in the backyard of the Minister’s manor on the day the case was closed.”
Nie Jin placed the hair pin on the game board. “She used to pester me to fly kites with her. I refused her seven times, citing ‘busy official business.'”
“If she were still alive, she would have reached her hair-pinning ceremony by now. She would have understood the propriety between men and women and wouldn’t have pestered me to play anymore.”
Pei Jingyi crossed his arms nonchalantly, appearing entirely uninterested.
Nie Jin continued to stare at him. “Jingyi, we have known each other for two years. I know you have greatness within you and that you do not fear Gu Yu’s tyranny. If you write a formal complaint accusing him of using extrajudicial torture, I will investigate it impartially and bring him to justice.”
Pei Jingyi found the suggestion almost laughable. “Has no one ever tried to sue Chancellor Gu at the Court of Judicial Review before?”
Nie Jin looked at him, his gaze like a blade scraping against bone. “No one has ever dared.”
“I have gone from door to door to invite them. Every official in court is like a mouse seeing a cat. They avoid me as if I were the plague. They would rather cut off their own fingers or maim themselves than write the character ‘Gu’ on a legal deposition.”
He didn’t use words like “lapdog” or “spineless,” but his gaze was as cold as iron hooks.
Pei Jingyi knew the state of the court all too well. He asked with a playful smile, “Since you know that’s the case, why are you asking me to go to the Court of Judicial Review to sue the Chancellor?”
Just as Nie Jin had said, he knew Pei Jingyi was different from the others; that was why he placed his hopes here. He said in a deep voice, “The net of heaven has a large mesh, but it lets nothing through. No matter how high Gu Yu’s rank is, can he truly be greater than the laws of this dynasty?”
