sigh Another good for nothing dude…this corrupt official, we are totally judging you. 😦

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Chapter 23: Reversal (Part I)

The beauty was like a poisonous flower, with a lethality behind her smile.

Chen Zhao’s whole body went soft. His only thought was that Jiang Ruan’s gentle argument had already dug numerous traps for him to fall in. Anything he said now would only be perceived as false. From the beginning, he had no chance of winning.

Qian Wan Li was not faring much better than Chen Zhao. Jiang Ruan, undermining the judge in such a way, had made it impossible for the trial to continue. Only, Qian Wan Li had already collected the bribe, so he had put in a great effort to keep up appearances. However, today, this thorny situation had already gone beyond his expectations. Not to mention, Imperial Censor Wang was present as well and had witnessed the whole ordeal. If he stubbornly supported Chen Zhao, it would be hard to convince the people, moreover, he was not sure what Wang Daren would think of this action. On the other hand, if he supported Jiang Ruan, he would have to return the money that he had already received from Chen Zhao, and he felt really unwilling to do so. Furthermore, he had also planned to ask for a sum of money from Jiang Quan as well, so this gold mine of his could not be squandered away. Only, he needed to think of a way where it could be possible for him to have his cake and eat it too?

But the reality did not allow Qian Wan Li to ponder even for much longer. A moment later, the sound of the beats of a drum^[1] fell into the people’s ears. Li Mi rushed towards Qian Wan Li and cupped his fist to him. “Qian Daren, there is someone outside, beating the drum of justice.”

[1] Gǔshēng ( 鼓声 ) – sound of a drum; drumbeat

To beat the drum of justice, no one had made such a move on East Street before! Everyone knew what kind of a place this government office was. If one really suffered an injustice, shelling out silver was better than beating the drum. If they had no silver with them, even if they beat the drum for a year, no one would care about them and the person might possibly be sent to jail for it.

Upon hearing this, Qian Wan Li was also surprised. “Who is beating the drum of justice?” He looked to the side, where Wang Daren sat, and sought his opinion, “What do you think, Daren?”

"Bring the person in,” Wang Daren said coldly, his voice like a gong striking Qian Wan Li’s heart. Qian Wan Li couldn’t help but be frightened.

The person was quickly brought in. It was a young girl who was dressed as a maidservant. When she entered the court, she knelt.

“Who are you? What injustice have you faced?” Without waiting for Qian Wan Li to speak, Wang Daren spoke first. Qian Wan Li didn’t dare to stop him and could only complain in his heart. It seemed that Wang Daren was determined to intervene in this case. But Qian Wan Li couldn’t refuse his intervention. This Imperial Censor Wang was a favourite of the Emperor and usually, he would never suffer a loss. This person was as stubborn and unyielding as a stone. Unable to stand most officials, the ones that were positioned under his control would ultimately not have a good end. It could be said that Imperial Censor Wang was like a demon in the minds of the officials. So, when the demon spoke now, he didn’t dare to slight him. Although the money was good, he had to keep his official hat on his head. Qian Wan Li made up his mind that it was worthless to keep Chen Zhao's money, and as for Jian Quan, he would forget about him too. Since Imperial Censor Wang was present, he would present the image of being a just and incorruptible official who was a parental figure to the masses.

Having made up his mind, Qian Wan Li hummed and said, “Yes, what grievances do you have? If you speak honestly- this official- I myself, and Daren here will give you justice.”

The people standing outside let out a laugh; Qian Wan Li’s words were bound to make them laugh. When a corruptible official swore to bring justice to someone, it would only make people think that he was putting on airs. Chen Zhao looked at Qian Wan Li blankly. Suddenly, he began to panic. Things weren’t proceeding as he had expected. Now even Qian Wan Li’s attitude had become quite ambiguous. If at this crucial point, he defected, what hope would he, Chen Zhao, have?

Translated by : SamAtrey

TLCed by : irisu-san

Edited by : Anks & Ely