The Ming Dynasty's henchmen, working from nine to five

Chapter 19 The Wronged Princess

Shen Lang has always loved horses, especially those from the Western Regions, which suit his taste best.

The Flying Cloud White horse given by the princess was a descendant of the Western Region Heavenly Horse and the Qinghai Steed.

He was eight feet tall, with a flat waist, broad back, and long neck, perfectly suited to his aesthetic sense.

Shen Lang was overjoyed. He stroked the horse's smooth mane and asked, "Does this horse have a name?"

Li Zhongdao: "Reporting to Your Excellency, her name is Jiaojiao."

Shen Lang was taken aback, then chuckled and said, "Jiaojiao?"

"A bright white horse gallops in the empty valley, a bundle of fresh grass, and a man as beautiful as jade."

"Did the princess choose this name?"

Li Zhong chuckled and said, "Not only that, this horse is a childhood playmate of the princess."

"When the princess was young, she accompanied the prince to the palace to meet the emperor. When they passed by the imperial stables, she saw this little colt in the distance."

"The princess immediately sat down and refused to get up, grabbing the prince's clothes and crying and making a fuss, insisting on taking it home."

"The prince had no choice but to go to the palace to plead with His Majesty, and finally the princess's wish was granted."

Li Zhong said with emotion, his eyes filled with nostalgia.

Shen Lang patted the horse's neck and asked, "Then wouldn't I be stealing the princess's love?"

Li Zhong smiled and said, "The princess said that a fine horse is a match for a hero, and it's its good fortune to be able to follow Lord Shen!"

"The princess also said that Feiyunbai, with its white body and black tail, runs like a flowing cloud, and the vast world outside is where it should go."

"If it is kept in the stable all the time and cannot run freely, it probably will not be happy."

Shen Lang laughed loudly, "In that case, I shall accept your offer without hesitation."

"Is the princess at the manor?"

"Your Excellency, the princess has gone out to visit friends."

"Then I will trouble you to convey my message, and I will take good care of you and never let you down."

Li Zhong looked pleased and bowed with his hands clasped.

In the eyes of horse lovers, this Flying Cloud White horse is absolutely worth its weight in gold.

Shen Lang was in high spirits after receiving this unexpected joy.

If he didn't need to report to Princess Jing'an, he would have loved to immediately mount his horse and ride freely on the official road.

Galloping on horseback against the wind, traversing the fleeting years.

Just thinking about it made him feel completely refreshed!

……

"Your Highness, Lord Shen has returned!"

Lotus Garden.

Princess Jing'an sat gracefully on a stone bench in the pavilion.

She wore a moon-white brocade robe with gold embroidery on the upper body and an indigo-blue horse-face skirt with lotus scroll pattern on the lower body. Her hair was adorned with kingfisher feather and pearl flowers and a gilded hairpin.

Her makeup was exquisite, her red lips full; anyone who saw her would praise her stunning beauty, beyond compare.

Opposite her sat a middle-aged man dressed in a scholar's robe, writing with great speed and dexterity.

"Shen Lang, wait a moment. I'll come and talk to you after I finish this painting!"

Shen Lang cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "I'm not in a hurry. The Princess looks exceptionally beautiful today, so I should paint a few more portraits of her."

Upon hearing this, Princess Jing'an visibly became even happier. She struggled to maintain her dignified and noble demeanor, and said without moving her lips:

"How can you be so oblivious? Hurry up and prepare some pastries and tea for Lord Shen!"

The maidservant curtsied and hurried off to prepare.

Shen Lang strolled around the lotus garden with his hands behind his back. Seeing Da Hu standing guard not far away, he walked over and casually asked:

"Did you take care of everything I asked you to do this morning?"

Da Hu straightened up and said solemnly, "It's done. The person has been sent to the Ministry of Justice. He's not dead."

"The Ministry of Justice has issued a reward, and the Princess Consort has asked the steward to keep it for you, saying that it will be given to you when you return."

Shen Lang waved his hand: "You're the ones who arrested him, what use are you to me? You can take him and divide him up."

"A gang of desperados not only brazenly entered the city, but even dared to break into the Prince's mansion at night. Such arrogance! Doesn't the Ministry of Justice have anything to say about this?"

Da Hu glanced at Princess Jing'an and lowered his voice:

"The Princess Consort specially ordered Steward Li to make a trip, hoping that the Ministry of Justice would arrange more manpower around the Prince's residence to strengthen patrols and guard duties."

"As a result... Manager Li was kicked out as soon as he finished speaking."

"They said these trivial matters were not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, and that we could go wherever we wanted to seek justice!"

"The princess was so angry that she cursed for almost half an hour, nearly tearing the roof off..."

"If the artist hadn't arrived in time, who knows what kind of chaos would have ensued today."

Shen Lang was taken aback: "Do the people from the Ministry of Justice really think that way?"

Big Tiger exclaimed excitedly, "I saw it with my own eyes, there's not a single lie!"

Shen Lang's brows gradually furrowed.

A fugitive wanted by the imperial court infiltrated the capital and launched a night raid on a prince's residence. Although he failed, it was still no small matter.

Apprehending wanted criminals is the primary responsibility of the Ministry of Justice; how could it be unrelated to them?

No matter how dire the situation of the Prince's Mansion, it is still the Prince's Mansion. What is their intention in humiliating it like this?

Just as Shen Lang was lost in thought, the princess's conversation ended.

She ordered her servants to see the painter off and arranged to meet again the next day. Then she beckoned to Shen Lang, "Shen Lang, come here."

"Greetings, Your Highness." Shen Lang bowed in greeting.

"Yes, no need for formalities, please sit."

Princess Jing'an admired her own beauty several more times before reluctantly putting away the scroll.

One was a master painter who loved to depict beautiful women, and the other loved to be painted as a peerless beauty.

This meeting was truly a case of soldiers meeting good generals, and generals meeting talented individuals; they hit it off immediately and things quickly became unstoppable.

If it weren't for other important matters, today would definitely have been a day of revelry.

Princess Jing'an took out a small mirror, adjusted her hair according to her reflection, and asked softly, "..."

"I heard you went to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters. Did you find out the identities of those two assassins?"

Shen Lang cupped his hands and said, "It hasn't been found out yet, Your Highness. Rest assured, Commander Zhou is personally in charge of this matter, and the truth will come out soon."

Princess Jing'an put down the mirror, her lips pursed: "While you were away, I was bullied again!"

"The Ministry of Justice is utterly shameless! They think my Prince's Mansion has no one to rely on, and they've completely disregarded my safety!"

"Given what has happened at the Prince's residence, I only wish for them to send a few more people to strengthen the guard."

"Is this some kind of unreasonable request?!"

Princess Jing'an became more and more agitated as she spoke, her chest heaving and her almond-shaped eyes welling up with tears, clearly feeling extremely wronged.

Upon seeing this, the maidservant quickly stepped forward to comfort her.

Shen Lang also gently comforted him, saying, "I have heard that the case of the flower thief has now been handed over to the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard for joint trial."

"Among the three departments, the Ministry of Justice is the leading one."

"His Majesty has ordered that the case be solved within a month. Perhaps the Ministry of Justice is indeed short-handed and is not deliberately making things difficult for the Princess."

Princess Jing'an didn't actually need those few people from the Ministry of Justice; she just wanted to save face.

She wanted to tell the outside world that the Prince's Mansion had not fallen into ruin.

But to everyone's surprise, the Ministry of Justice didn't even give them that much face. And to make matters worse, they openly mocked and ridiculed them.

This made her feel extremely humiliated.

Hearing Shen Lang say this, she felt a little better.

Princess Jing'an raised her snow-white chin slightly and gave a soft hum:

"The Prince's mansion is being targeted by three groups; there's no chance that the womanizer might be among them!"

"The Ministry of Justice's inaction on this matter is a dereliction of duty, a serious dereliction of duty!"

"I'm going to the Imperial Clan Court tomorrow to make a scene and demand an explanation!"

Shen Lang smiled and said gently, "Princess, don't be afraid."

"If the Ministry of Justice won't handle it, I will. I'll investigate this case."