Chapter 5: The Decision to Resign

Qin Yu quickly shook his head. "I dare not, I dare not."

"Fine, you go back first. I am going to the Imperial Palace to report this matter to His Majesty. Once I am finished with this, I, Su Qing, will reward you handsomely."

With that, the Princess turned and left.

Prince Su, frantic, blocked her way and said, "Are you really going to ask His Majesty for a divorce? Have you lost your mind? Get back here at once!"

The Princess pulled out a dagger and pressed it against her own throat. "Move! If you dare to stop me today, I will die right before your eyes!"

Qin Yu had no interest in the domestic disputes of such formidable figures. He quickly led his men away from the Prince’s mansion to report back to the Ministry of Justice.

Once outside the Prince’s estate, Qin Yu finally let out a long sigh of relief. He realized the danger of his position; someone who dared to harm Prince Su's child was definitely not someone he could afford to provoke.

This case could not be investigated any further.

In any case, his predecessor had already managed to squirrel away a fair amount of silver, and with the one thousand taels of gold he had just acquired, he would have enough to live in luxury for the rest of his life. Qin Yu decided to resign.

Upon arriving at the Ministry of Justice, Huo Zhendong’s face darkened when he saw him. "Why are you back so soon?"

"My Lord, I have fulfilled my duty. The case is solved," Qin Yu said, bowing with cupped hands.

"What?" Huo Zhendong was stunned, then asked with suspicious disbelief, "You said the case is solved? Did I hear that correctly?"

"My Lord, you heard correctly. The case is indeed solved."

Upon confirmation, Huo Zhendong burst into laughter. "Haha... Good! Excellent! That is wonderful! Who is the culprit? Was it the Princess?"

"No..."

Qin Yu then recounted the process of solving the case. Huo Zhendong was grinning from ear to ear. He patted his chest and said, "You have performed a great service in solving this case. I will certainly report this to His Majesty and see that you are rewarded."

Qin Yu shook his head. "My Lord, there is no need for a reward. The credit for solving this case belongs entirely to you. It was your careful analysis of the files and your guidance that led me to the solution. As for what you tell His Majesty, that is for you to decide."

Huo Zhendong was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"I do not want the credit. I have worked at the Ministry of Justice for many years and I am tired. I wish to step down and live a quiet life. I humbly ask for your approval, My Lord."

"You... you are afraid of offending people and dare not continue investigating this case, aren't you?"

"Exactly. I am truly afraid."

Hearing this, Huo Zhendong stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.

Qin Yu continued, "There are plenty of people eyeing this position of Left Assistant Minister. You are generous, My Lord; just let someone else take it."

After a moment, Huo Zhendong’s eyes flickered. "You are, after all, a fifth-rank official. Whether or not you can resign is not something I alone can decide. The Minister of Justice must agree, and we must obtain His Majesty's consent."

"I will petition His Majesty myself. When he considers whether to allow my resignation, he will certainly seek your opinion. Since the Minister of Justice is not in the capital, your decision is of critical importance."

"Then I will have to speak a few ill words about you."

"That is only to be expected."

"Very well, I grant your request!"

...

Meanwhile, nothing could dissuade the Princess. She traveled all the way to the Imperial Palace. After reporting her arrival, an imperial decree was sent down for them to wait in the Imperial Garden.

A short while later, Emperor Qianwu approached in casual attire, his face beaming with a smile, clearly in an excellent mood.

"Haha... I knew there was a reason the magpies were chirping on the branches this morning! So it was you, sister-in-law, who had come. You haven't entered the palace for quite some time. Your sister-in-law has been telling me she misses you. I have already sent someone to fetch her; she will be here shortly. Let us have a pleasant chat here in the Imperial Garden today."

Thump.

Su Qing knelt on the ground and, following etiquette, knocked her head against the floor three times in precise succession.

"Greetings to Your Majesty! Long live, long live, long live His Majesty!"

Emperor Qianwu was stunned.

He instinctively glanced at Prince Su and saw that the Prince looked miserable, covered in bloodstains, with a strong, pungent scent of blood emanating from him.

Emperor Qianwu squinted and hurriedly reached out to help Su Qing up.

"This is the Imperial Garden, not the Council Hall. I am wearing casual clothes and have not even referred to myself as 'Zhen,' implying we should act as family. Why must you perform such a grand salute?"

But Su Qing was stubborn and refused to stand.

"Your Majesty! I want a divorce from Prince Su!"

"...What?!"

Emperor Qianwu was stunned for a long moment, letting out an exclamation.

Since ancient times, it had always been the man who initiated a divorce; this was the first time a woman had ever done so, and it was to divorce the only Prince in the Great Qian Dynasty. Emperor Qianwu could never have imagined such a thing would happen.

"Your Majesty, did you not hear clearly? Then I shall say it again: I want a divorce from Prince Su! You must agree to this, Your Majesty!"

Su Qing spoke with an uncompromising tone. If anyone else had dared to speak to Emperor Qianwu in such a manner, he would have ordered them dragged out and beheaded long ago. But when Su Qing said it, he found himself without any temper at all.

"Sister-in-law, do not be so hasty. Stand up and speak. Let me understand the situation first."

After pulling Su Qing up by force, Emperor Qianwu looked at Prince Su, his face darkening. "What is going on? Tell me everything, one by one! Do not dare to hide a single word!"

Prince Su gave a bitter smile and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is indeed my fault..."

After a while, Emperor Qianwu was absolutely furious.

"You scoundrel! You actually suspected your own wife, with whom you have spent every day and faced life and death together? How could you be so stupid?!"

"Your Majesty, this matter..."

"You scoundrel! Are you still trying to argue?"

"It’s not that..."

"Not what? Why don't you apologize to your sister-in-law?" Emperor Qianwu glared fiercely at Prince Su.

Prince Su had no choice but to obediently apologize to Su Qing. "It was indeed my fault. You know I am a crude man. Please, just forgive me this once."

Su Qing remained unmoved. She did not even look at him. She knelt down again, about to say something, when a eunuch shouted from a distance:

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"

A middle-aged woman in casual attire walked over quickly. Seeing Su Qing kneeling, she shot a sharp glare at Emperor Qianwu.

"How could you let Su Qing kneel?"

Emperor Qianwu signaled to the Empress while saying, "Sister-in-law wants a divorce from my foolish brother and insists on kneeling. What was I supposed to do?"

The Empress was slightly startled, then hurriedly helped Su Qing up, looking at her with pity. "My dear sister, you must not say such things lightly. Come with me to the inner palace and tell me what happened."

Su Qing had no choice but to be led away by the Empress.

After the two were out of earshot, Emperor Qianwu’s expression grew stern. "It really wasn't her?"

Prince Su sighed. "It really wasn't her."

"Who do you think is the mastermind behind this?"

"How would I know? I am completely confused myself. It is better to let Qin Yu continue the investigation."

"That Qin Yu only had good luck, running into a fool who vented his anger on a corpse. I don't think he has any real talent."

"Then let Huo Zhendong investigate. Qin Yu has a low background and a low rank. That old fellow was beaten by me quite soundly, so he certainly won't dare to be negligent."

"Do not ever strike a government official again. The Great Court Assembly is the day after tomorrow. I will arrange this matter. You should just stay quiet and stop causing trouble."

"Yes, Your Majesty."