Chapter 040: Past Lives

Zhang Zhe came from a background of civil service examinations.

Unlike the imperial examination, the civil service exam selects officials who are temporarily employed to assist government officials. According to the regulations of this dynasty, civil servants cannot become censors or participate in further examinations. Therefore, those who take the civil service exam are usually people who have repeatedly failed the imperial examination or come from humble backgrounds.

Zhang Zhe belonged to the latter group.

He lost his father at a young age and was raised by his widowed mother. Although he was talented, he was not well-versed in the eight-legged essay, classics, or strategies. After passing the civil service exam, he served under Gu Chunfang, the Censor of Henan, specializing in redressing grievances and enforcing laws, where he showed remarkable talent.

Gu Chunfang recommended him to the court.

Within three years, he was noticed by the emperor for his judgment on a doubtful case and was appointed as a member of the Ministry of Justice.

However, in his previous life, his career was full of obstacles.

Jiang Xuening felt bitter thinking about it.

He could have been remembered in history for his integrity and righteousness, staying away from the palace intrigues, but he was dragged into them by her.

When Zhang Zhe was newly appointed as the Vice Minister of Justice, the Jinyiwei (Embroidered Uniform Guard) wanted to fully control the judicial power. However, Zhang Zhe found their actions arrogant and abusive, leading to conflicts between the two departments.

Zhou Yinzhi, who was in charge of the Northern Branch of the Jinyiwei, wanted to eliminate Zhang Zhe, while Zhang Zhe aimed to reclaim judicial power and repeatedly impeached Zhou Yinzhi for corruption and undermining the court.

The two were like fire and water.

Behind Zhou Yinzhi was Jiang Xuening. At that time, she was opposing the Xiao family and needed Zhou Yinzhi’s help, so she saw Zhang Zhe as an obstacle.

Initially, she made things difficult for him due to their opposing stances;

Later, she found it amusing to tease him because of his cold demeanor.

As the empress, even if her behavior was excessive, Zhang Zhe could not afford to offend her. Initially, he tolerated her, but she did not know when to stop and became increasingly demanding.

Zhang Zhe often advised her with loyal words.

At that time, Jiang Xuening was highly regarded by everyone and did not take his advice seriously, thinking he was stubborn and inflexible. Until later, when Xiao Shu and the Xiao family pressed harder, they one day obtained evidence of Zhou Yinzhi and his party’s corruption and bribery. They exposed everything and deliberately handed the case to the Ministry of Justice, letting it fall into Zhang Zhe’s hands.

The affairs of the court and the harem were closely related.

Xiao Shu was ambitious, aiming for the position of empress. She was pregnant, and if she gave birth to a royal heir, it would be significant. If she managed to establish her power in the court and secure the position of empress, Jiang Xuening would be in a dire situation.

After all, she had fiercely fought against the Xiao family before.

Neither she nor Xiao Shu would let their enemy remain unscathed if given the chance.

Overnight, Jiang Xuening suddenly found herself in a desperate situation, seemingly with no way out but to face death.

People love to add to the splendor but rarely offer help in times of need.

Those who had gathered around her during her peak suddenly scattered like a receding tide.

But Jiang Xuening did not want to die.

So, she chose Zhang Zhe.

That day, Shen Jie summoned several cabinet ministers, including Xie Wei, to the Qianqing Palace, along with Zhang Zhe, who was responsible for handling the case. The discussions continued until the palace gates were locked, so an order was given for the officials to stay overnight in the palace.

Jiang Xuening waited under the long palace walls.

Her figure was covered by the shadow of the high walls.

A young eunuch led the way with a lantern, illuminating the figures of two people walking towards her from a distance.

The person walking in front was Xie Wei.

As he got closer, he recognized her at a glance and stopped, saying, “I suddenly remembered that I left a jade pendant in the cabinet office this morning. I’ll go back to get it. Lord Zhang, you go ahead.”

With that, he turned and walked back.

One of the young eunuchs immediately followed with a lantern.

At this moment, Jiang Xuening stepped out of the shadows and looked at the person left behind, saying, “Lord Zhang, I have something to say to you.”

Zhang Zhe seemed surprised that she dared to stop him in the palace at midnight.

Especially since Xie Wei was with him today.

He silently lowered his eyes, already guessing her intention, and said, “Your Highness, forgive me, but I cannot comply.”

The night was deep, and they were alone.

One was the empress, the other an external official.

Although Zhang Zhe was upright, he feared the consequences. After saying this, he was about to bow and leave to avoid suspicion, but as he was about to walk away, Jiang Xuening grabbed his wide official robe sleeve.

His steps halted immediately.

Her slender, white fingers rested on the dark embroidered fabric, and she looked up at him slightly, her voice trembling, “Do you want to see me die?”

Zhang Zhe was silent.

Jiang Xuening’s fingers slowly tightened, her transparent, smooth nails painted with bright red polish, creating a striking contrast in the dim night. She pleaded with him in a soft manner she was not accustomed to, “When the carriage overturned on the post road, you protected me even at the cost of breaking your leg; when the rebels attacked, I hid in the tall grass, and you risked your life to divert them. Zhang Zhe, you have been so good to me, can’t you continue to be good to me?”

At that moment, his stiff hand hanging by his side slowly clenched, and he said, “Your Highness is the mother of the nation, and Zhang Zhe is a minister of the court. Receiving the emperor’s salary, it is my duty to be loyal to the emperor. In times of danger, it is my duty to protect Your Highness with my life. But the case of Zhou Yinzhi’s faction is a matter of national importance, and the rise and fall of the dynasty depend on it. Zhang Zhe cannot act out of personal interest.”

“Duty…”

Jiang Xuening stubbornly held onto the corner of his sleeve, refusing to let go. Hearing this, she laughed and looked straight into his eyes.

She only asked, “Really?”

Zhang Zhe finally avoided her gaze and closed his eyes, a hint of struggle in his throat, and said heavily, “If Your Highness believes that my past actions to save you were out of overstepping my bounds, I am willing to accept punishment.”

Jiang Xuening slowly released her fingers.

The corner of the sleeve she had grabbed was slightly wrinkled and fell down.

She said anxiously, “I know that Lord Zhang does not tolerate corruption, and those who form factions and engage in corruption in the court should be punished by law. But do you know what will happen to me if Zhou Yinzhi falls? I do not ask Lord Zhang to spare them for life, but please show mercy and help me through this difficult time. In the future, I will present their crimes to you one by one and let them confess and be punished!”

Zhang Zhe took a step to leave.

Jiang Xuening did not stop him again, but looked at his cold back about to disappear into the darkness and said the biggest lie she had ever told in her previous life, “Zhang Zhe, help me. After this, I will be a good person, okay?”

Zhang Zhe stood there for a long time.

The night was too dark, and although there was a faint moonlight above, she could not tell what Zhang Zhe was thinking at that moment.

All she could hear was her own pounding heartbeat.

That night, Zhang Zhe finally left without saying another word from under the long palace wall.

Xie Wei, who went back to retrieve the jade pendant, did not return for a long time.

Jiang Xuening stood in the night until the dew became heavy and she heard the time being announced in the palace before returning to Kunning Palace.

Every day that followed was torment for her. Until half a month later—

The case of Zhou Yinzhi’s faction engaging in corruption and bribery was reviewed by the three judicial departments, and the news spread. Half of the involved officials had solid evidence against them and were dismissed, exiled, or executed in the autumn. The other half were spared due to insufficient evidence and contradictory testimonies, with some being demoted and others reinstated.

During the trial, some evidence of the Xiao family’s factional activities in the court was also uncovered, arousing Shen Jie’s suspicion.

The Xiao family’s plot failed.

Jiang Xuening’s position as empress was preserved.

That day, she was genuinely happy, repeatedly sending people to inquire when the court session would end. She did not even want to see Zhou Yinzhi, only thinking about where to intercept Zhang Zhe and what to say to him.

But she never expected that the person who came back to report said that Lord Zhang had been imprisoned.

The earring she was about to put on fell and shattered.

No matter how much she calculated, she could not predict the change in people’s hearts.

Or perhaps, Zhou Yinzhi was always an ungrateful wolf.

In this crisis, Jiang Xuening tried her best to maintain her power and protect Zhou Yinzhi. However, she did not realize that Zhou Yinzhi had already weighed the pros and cons and had secretly switched allegiance to the Xiao family, serving Xiao Shu.

Jiang Xuening did not know if those people were truly innocent.

She only knew that after the three judicial departments concluded their review, Zhou Yinzhi presented solid evidence of their corruption and bribery, putting Zhang Zhe, who had previously declared their innocence, in a dangerous position. Zhou Yinzhi then united with officials in the court to impeach Zhang Zhe for corruption and falsely accused him of having an affair with the empress.

A lifetime of integrity was ultimately tarnished.

Once an arch-enemy of the Jinyiwei, Zhang Zhe fell into the imperial prison under Zhou Yinzhi’s control. How could he fare well? Not to mention the Deputy Minister of Justice, Chen Ying, who was skilled in various tortures and opposed Zhang Zhe.

Jiang Xuening dared not imagine what kind of days he endured in prison.

Nor did she dare to think if he believed she had plotted against him to eliminate him.

She only knew that half a month after Zhang Zhe was imprisoned, his home was raided. His elderly mother, who had no one to care for her and worried day and night about her only son’s safety, fell ill and eventually passed away.

Zhang Zhe was known for his filial piety.

But in prison, he did not even get to see her one last time.

It was said that the cold and emotionless Minister Zhang wept uncontrollably in prison upon learning of his mother’s death.

He was known for his integrity, having judged countless cases without error.

He was highly respected among the people.

The judges handling Zhang Zhe’s case were reluctant or unwilling to convict him, and many in the court petitioned on his behalf. But in the end, three days after his mother’s death, Zhang Zhe requested ink and paper from the prison guards and wrote his own confession, detailing his crimes and sentencing himself to death by execution in the autumn.

The confession was presented to the three judicial departments, and half the court sighed in regret.

Looking back now, that night of pleading under the palace wall was the last time Jiang Xuening saw him.

She wondered if Xie Wei from her previous life had kept his word.

As the figure gradually disappeared down the long street shrouded in rain, the wind blew in from the window, chilling her to the bone. Jiang Xuening slowly withdrew her gaze, finally feeling a bit of cold.

When she raised her hand to her face, she found it covered in tears.

Zhang Zhe, in my previous life, I was the empress, a bad person, and I owed you so much.

In this life, I will not be the empress, I will be a good person—

Can I be worthy of you?

“Miss, what did you see? Why are you crying?”

Seeing her standing by the window for a long time without moving, Lian’er and Tang’er came forward to check, only to be stunned by her tear-streaked face.

Jiang Xuening smiled, took a handkerchief, and wiped her red eyes, saying, “It’s nothing, the wind was too strong and got into my eyes.”

She asked the two maids to close the window. Feeling a bit tired from waiting for Yan Lin, she lay down on the chaise longue in the room to rest. As she closed her eyes, she felt a sense of peace.

She softly said, “Wake me when Yan Lin arrives.”

The two maids responded quietly, “Yes.”

But so late, would the young master Yan still come?