Chapter 290: Approaching Me to Investigate a Case?
In the end, Bai Ruozhu persuaded her family to return home to rest, knowing that they needed to regain their strength to face the potential storm coming the next day. But the moment she returned to her room, her shoulders slumped, and she placed Dengdeng on the bed before burying her face in her hands and crying out loud.
She was unwilling, truly unwilling! Why should such a law exist? Her second brother had worked so hard and suffered so much, yet was implicated because of Bai Yibo’s mistake. Why should it be like this?
FInally, she wiped her tears with her sleeves, moved to her desk to grind the ink, and began to write on a piece of white paper.
She planned to compile a joint letter signed by the villagers. This letter could not be without content. Though she was no talented lady, she was capable of writing a sincere memorandum of understanding.
First, she pointed out Bai Yibo’s violations of the law, emphasizing that no one could escape justice. She then mentioned her second brother’s diligence in his studies and his exceptional literacy, as well as how innocent he was to have suffered due to Bai Yibo’s actions. She also wrote about the various resentments between their families, including how Bai Yibo had publicly ridiculed Bai Zepei after learning that he had passed the Imperial Examination, and how Bai Yibo, jealous at heart, had drunkenly cursed her whole family on the village wall. This was proof that Bai Yibo did not have a close relationship with them and his assurance of not sharing the purchased test questions with her second brother. Reflecting further, she sought to utilize the claims of the villagers who knew Bai Zepei personally to validate his righteous character.
She made sure to make it as believable and clear as possible without dwelling too much on trivial matters from both families, lest it deter the imperial envoy from reading it. After making several revisions, she finally finished writing in the dead of night.
Still, Bai Ruozhu knew that in the house, only Dengdeng could sleep, everyone else was most likely still awake.
She took out a new piece of white paper and copied everything over. As she was writing, a faint tapping sound came from the window behind her. Without turning her head, Jiang Yichun quickly hopped inside and stood behind her.
Instead of rushing to speak, he quietly studied the scribbles on her draft. Though he was initially puzzled by her habit of writing punctuation marks, he was soon drawn in by the content of her writing.
He had already investigated her family’s situation, and although he was familiar with most of the information, he found her writing both realistic and engaging, as if the events were playing right before his eyes. Her arguments were well-substantiated, making it hard for anyone not to agree with them.
In her previous life, Bai Ruozhu had completed her master’s degree and written countless papers. This kind of task was not difficult for her.
He stood quietly behind her, watching as she carefully copied her writing onto a clean sheet of paper. He couldn’t help but admire her handwriting. It was small but full of strength, her characters may not be flawless, but they had a certain momentum. If he hadn’t seen it for himself, he might have assumed a man was the author.
Perhaps her anger added a rare vigor to her writing.
Once she finished writing, she carefully reviewed the document to make sure there were no errors. Upon confirming it was perfect, she tossed her pen aside. She literally threw it, and the pen heavily hit the floor, almost snapping into two.
Jiang Yichun’s eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed she was fuming with anger; he wondered if it would burn him as well. Even though he knew coming to see her at this moment would likely expose him to hostility, he couldn’t help but worry about her and wanted to comfort her.
Suddenly, Bai Ruozhu turned around. Her gaze, cold and clear, landed on Jiang Yichun. "Did you know that getting close to me was a way to investigate my uncle?" she asked.
At her accusation, Jiang Yichun couldn’t help but laugh. Her anger appeared to confuse her reasoning, leading her to come up with such absurd thoughts.
"I wasn’t responsible for the investigation. I only received the secret order to lead the case a few days ago. I was very surprised at that time and explained your second brother’s situation to my teacher. But the rules are the rules, and my teacher had no other choice eventually but to agree with my collection of evidence," Jiang Yichun explained. If his subordinates or colleagues heard his explanation, they would surely be astonished that he could actually justify his actions in such a situation.
Bai Ruozhu’s gaze softened a bit compared to its previous coldness.
"Then why didn’t you explain it to me clearly?" Bai Ruozhu asked somewhat petulantly. He had warned her, but the way he did it made her anxious and restless.
Jiang Yichun rubbed his nose. When he came to visit Bai Ruozhu, he took off his emotional mask. He preferred her seeing his sincere feelings.
"You know the rules of the Imperial Office. If I casually revealed it to you, it would put you in danger. Moreover, I was afraid that your hysterical reactions might attract attention from those with ulterior motives, which would eventually implicate your second brother even more." Jiang Yichun explained.
"I found it inappropriate to bring up the matter with your second brother, so I arranged for Li Shunsheng to see the secret order. He truly cares for your second brother and risked telling him and Xie Dun about the case. They even wanted to jointly defend your brother. Seizing this opportunity, I encouraged them to hold together and send a joint letter."
While talking, Jiang Yichun gently massaged Bai Ruozhu’s intense wrinkled eyebrows, hoping to soothe her worries away.
"Don’t worry too much. I’ve already submitted the evidence proving your second brother’s innocence. The difficult part now is dealing with the law’s collective responsibility clause. But if you can persuade the Bai Clan’s leader to expel Bai Yibo, it may help alleviating the issue."
Bai Ruozhu seemed to relax a bit at his words. The prickly defenses she had put up lessened.
"My intentions are the same. If he is expelled from the clan, combined with the memorandum from the villagers, the case against my second brother should be overturned. However, this incident will inevitably affect my second brother’s future prospects," Bai Ruozhu sighed, and a sour feeling returned to her nose. She deeply felt the injustice on behalf of her second brother.
Seeing the red rims around her eyes, Jiang Yichun also felt a pang in his heart. He wished nothing more than to gather her into his arms, comforting her, and assuring her that he would take care of everything. But he refrained. He knew Bai Ruozhu all too well. Just like her name suggested, she was like the bamboo, resilient and unyielding, even in the face of fierce wind and rain.
Unlike most women, she did not need pity, moreover, which was almost an insult to her. What she needed was recognition and silent support.
"Don’t be afraid. Your second brother is determined and lights up with real talent and learning. He might need to walk down a challenging path due to this incident, but it won’t stop him. He will eventually shine brightly."
Jiang Yichun didn’t say this merely to comfort Bai Ruozhu. He saw Bai Zepei’s actions at the County Government Office today and heard him say, "Even if I can’t pursue the Imperial Examination, I, Bai Zepei, won’t go hungry or cold in my life, I will still have my day in the sun." These words resonated deeply within Jiang Yichun and made him truly admire Bai Zepei’s spirit.
Wasn’t he, Jiang Yichun, unable to take the Imperial Examination path as well? Yet he also had fought his way to his current position.