Wife, Protect Me! - Chapter 15 - Chosen Worker Fate

Upon hearing that the prisoner had committed suicide, Pei Zhe hurried to the prison.

Two jailers, looking at a corpse lying on a straw mat, said with mournful faces, “We apologize, sir. It was our negligence. We didn’t watch closely enough, and she ended up bashing her head against the wall to kill herself.”

After examining the corpse and questioning several jailers and prisoners in adjacent cells, Pei Zhe confirmed that the woman had indeed taken her own life. He waved his hand and said, “It seems she understood that suicide would at least leave her with a whole body, unlike a beheading. This isn’t your fault. Store the body in the mortuary for now. I will report this truthfully…”

“If only she had known better, why did it come to this…”

Sighing at the corpse on the ground, Pei Zhe left with his hands behind his back. Just as he was about to exit the prison, a voice suddenly spoke up, “This wasn’t a simple suicide. She was calm at first, but after hearing the Yunmen music from outside, she suddenly became agitated. The moment the music stopped, she killed herself. That music was a signal. There must be others behind this case…”

Pei Zhe paused mid-step, glanced at the body being carried away, and turned to look at the young girl imprisoned alone in a cell. He said, “I am a Presented Scholar from the fourteenth year of the Zhisheng era. Among the fifty scholars who passed the imperial examination with me that year, fewer than twenty are still alive today. Yet, I have remained secure all these years, with a minor promotion every three years and a major one every five. Do you know why?”

The girl asked in confusion, “Why?”

Pei Zhe replied, “Because I never ask why.”

“…”

As the girl stared blankly, he continued slowly, “Child, remember this: in Chang’an, you can have anything except curiosity. Because you never know what kind of whirlpool lies behind the door of curiosity… Never speak of what you just witnessed to anyone, understand? Otherwise, my efforts to save you would have been in vain.”

Gu Yanran thought for a moment, then looked up at Pei Zhe and asked, “If you are so cautious, sir, why did you risk saving me?”

The Magistrate of Chang’an didn’t say anything but simply patted his chest gently.

The girl remained silent for a long time before finally nodding slowly and saying, “Regardless, I must thank you for saving my life, sir.”

She knew very well that in Great Xia, a slave assassinating their master was a capital offense.

If the Magistrate of Chang’an hadn’t shown leniency, she would have already lost her head. Pei Zhe waved his hand and said, “The one you should thank isn’t me, but Li Nuo. You should understand that if it were anyone else, you wouldn’t have had the chance to come to the Chang’an County Office. You would have died in some noble family’s dungeon in Chang’an, suffering humiliation and torture before your death, and no one would ever know of your demise…”

Gu Yanran bit her lip. Of course she knew this.

Before taking action, she had mentally prepared herself for such an outcome.

That Li Nuo didn’t kill her or do anything to her, but instead sent her to the county office, truly exceeded her expectations. Yet how could she thank the son of her father’s murderer?

Pei Zhe, aware of her inner turmoil, sighed and said, “He must have already realized that I showed favoritism by sparing your life, yet he didn’t expose it. So, you shouldn’t have called him a ‘scoundrel.’ He is your savior…”

The young girl had bitten her lower lip until it bled, murmuring, “Why?”

Pei Zhe shrugged and replied, “That’s a question you’ll have to ask him…”

Though he had only known Li Nuo for a single day, his years of experience in officialdom told him that the son of the Minister of the Court of Revision didn’t seem to be a bad person.

Leaving the young woman to her thoughts, Pei Zhe clasped his hands behind his back and exited the cell.

Returning to the county office courtyard, he habitually reached for his waist, then his expression changed abruptly. Looking down in shock, he exclaimed, “Where’s my token?”

Meanwhile, in a carriage on a Chang’an street, Li Nuo stared at a jade token in his hand, rubbing his temples in frustration. While the Law Codex was beneficial, its side effects were hard to guard against. The elegant calligraphy was one thing, but this habit of petty theft was quite troublesome…

This unfamiliar token was likely something he had unintentionally taken from the Magistrate of Chang’an earlier.

Despite his efforts to be careful, he couldn’t completely avoid it.

Steward Wu glanced at the jade token in his hand and earnestly advised, “Young master, it’s not wise to carry a token from the Fengqi Tower. If the young mistress sees it, you know what will happen…”

Li Nuo had heard of the Fengqi Tower during court proceedings—it seemed to be a famous pleasure house in Chang’an.

He immediately decided, “Quick, turn around! Back to the county office!”

A short while later, at the Chang’an County Office.

Li Nuo returned the Fengqi Tower VVIP jade token to the Magistrate of Chang’an, saying, “I found this in the office earlier. Could Lord Pei help locate its owner?”

Pei Zhe breathed a sigh of relief, accepting the token with a smile. “Don’t worry, I will definitely find the owner and return it.”

After returning the item, Li Nuo left the county office once more, borrowing the thick volume of the Great Xia Law from the magistrate on his way out. Since he intended to follow the path of Legalism and frequently preside over cases, he needed to familiarize himself with the laws of Great Xia.

Though the Great Xia Law was substantial, it paled in comparison to the bar exam.

Government offices in Great Xia closed relatively early, around four in the afternoon. With Li Nuo going to bed at ten, he had plenty of time in between that shouldn’t be wasted. He needed to use it to catch up on the knowledge he had missed.

…

At the residence of the Minister of the Court of Revision.

His nominal wife had been absent all day, and his father, whom he had never met, was busy with official duties and rarely came home. Once again, Li Nuo ate dinner alone. However, for him, solitude was quite comfortable. After the meal, he secluded himself in his room. A thick stack of books lay on the table before him.

In addition to the Great Xia Law borrowed from the Magistrate of Chang’an, Li Nuo had also instructed Steward Wu to gather books on history, geography, and various schools of thought.

These formed the foundation for understanding this world. The written language of Great Xia resembled traditional Chinese characters, which Li Nuo found slightly challenging to read, though he could comprehend most of it. For passages with many unfamiliar characters, he would first consult reference books to decipher them.

The book titled Shuowen was written by a Confucian sage, containing nearly all commonly used characters with detailed explanations of their forms and meanings, often serving as a dictionary.

This world wasn’t solely comprised of Great Xia, but Li Nuo had only skimmed information about other nations, focusing his attention instead on the Hundred Schools of Thought.

These intrigued him far more.

Among the Hundred Schools, not all possessed cultivation capabilities—most were merely nominal designations.

For instance, the “Gourmet School” consisted merely of ordinary people devoted to culinary arts.

Similarly, the “Angler School” was just a self-proclaimed title for fishing enthusiasts.

Only slightly over ten mainstream, systematic schools truly enabled cultivation and wielded formidable power. These dozen or so schools had experienced peak glory centuries ago but gradually declined over time due to their own limitations and changing eras.

Currently, Confucianism undoubtedly boasted the largest following, though present-day Confucianism differed vastly from its counterpart centuries prior.

Despite numerous disciples, most remained at lower cultivation realms. Reaching the fourth realm was already rare, while fifth-realm Great Confucians were as scarce as phoenix feathers. As for sixth-realm Demisaints or seventh-realm Confucian Sages—none existed.

Contemporary Confucian disciples pursued cultivation primarily for official careers, which explained Confucianism’s enduring popularity.

As for Legalism, suppression by nobility and authorities left few practitioners. Even in institutions like the Ministry of Justice, Imperial Censorate, and Court of Judicial Review, most officials cultivated Confucianism.

The Strategist, Agrarian, Mohist, and Medical Schools maintained unbroken lineages due to their specialized utilities, with disciples still active in court departments like the Ministry of War, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Works, and Imperial Medical Bureau—though all remained distant from centers of power.

Meanwhile, schools like Eclecticism, Logicians, Yin-Yang School, and Diplomacy School were seldom mentioned. The Diplomacy School particularly stood out—during the Warring States period, its practitioners moved between nations, deciding a country’s survival with mere words and effortlessly shifting global dynamics. At its zenith, it overshadowed all other schools. But as the Warring States era ended and major powers achieved unification—leaving only minor buffer states—centuries without major conflicts led to the Diplomacy School fading from history. Its remnants now served as retainers or advisors in noble households, a pale shadow of former glory.

Had he not needed to solve cases to prolong his life, Li Nuo might have chosen Confucianism.

More likely, he would have simply embraced idleness. After all, with a father holding sub-national-level rank, he already enjoyed wealth and comfort—why exert himself?

By merely behaving as a proper official’s scion—avoiding misconduct and oppression—he’d already be contributing to the nation.

Of course, that was merely hypothetical.Li Nuo glanced at the prominent countdown on the cover of the Law Codex—only twenty-six short days remained. For him, lying flat was equivalent to waiting for death…

What kind of chosen laborer’s fate is this!