The Female Supporting Character Just Wants to Farm [Transmigration] - Chapter 17

Just after seeing Chang Yingxue off and before she could even enjoy a good cup of tea, a servant announced that the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Zhang Zhao, was here to visit. Zhang Zhao, out of respect for the Duke’s Estate, didn’t dare to summon Gao Luoshen to the court for questioning and had to come in person. Gao Luoshen didn’t have a clear memory of the minor characters in the book, but she had a vague recollection of Zhang Zhao. She believed he was the one who solved the poisoning case at the Prince’s residence, although in the book, the maid had successfully administered the poison, and the Prince of Chu almost died.

A time of many troubles.

Gao Luoshen mumbled to herself, clapped her hands, and got up, fully intending to go and meet Zhang Zhao.

Suddenly, Gao Luochuan rushed in, his face anxious. He glared at Gao Luoshen and said in a low voice, “How can a young, unmarried woman meet with an outsider? Zhang Zhao is from the Court of Judicial Review. If this gets out, people will think it has something to do with our Duke’s Estate.” He paused, his brow twitching. “You don’t need to go. I’ll handle this.”

Gao Luoshen glanced at Gao Luochuan and scoffed inwardly. Don’t young ladies in this family meet with outsiders all the time? But seeing the genuine worry and concern on his face, she softened her tone. “I’m just cooperating with the investigation. What’s wrong with that? Brother, are you trying to obstruct official business?”

Gao Luochuan held his breath. He stared at Gao Luoshen for a long time, then said stiffly, “You are not to go. Father and I will handle this. There’s no need for the women of the estate to show their faces.”

“But Big Brother, you weren’t there. How can you handle it?” Gao Chun interjected slowly. “I’ll go with Second Sister. We were both there.”

When Gao Chun spoke, Gao Luochuan’s expression relaxed. His excuse about not meeting outsiders was just that—an excuse. Gao Luoshen was so unreliable that he was afraid she would cause new trouble. Now that Gao Chun had spoken, he felt much more at ease. After pondering for a moment, he let out a long breath and said, “Alright then. I’ll go with you.”

Gao Luoshen rolled her eyes at Gao Luochuan and asked, “What can you do there?”

This one sentence reignited Gao Luochuan’s anger. If he hadn’t been mindful of his Third Sister, he would have started scolding Gao Luoshen.

Zhang Zhao entered the Duke’s Estate and waited in a side hall. He hadn’t seen the Duke, and he hadn’t even seen the heir, only a few sharp-witted servants. The people of the Duke’s Estate were well-mannered, but the two young masters weren’t necessarily reliable. With one hand behind his back, he twirled his beard with the other, his eyes narrowed as he let out a long sigh.

“I apologize for the wait, Minister Zhang.” Although Gao Luochuan had been mocked by Gao Luoshen, he still went with his two sisters. He entered the hall, cupped his hands at Zhang Zhao, and smiled warmly.

Zhang Zhao returned the gesture. He glanced at the two young ladies from the Duke’s Estate for a moment before returning his gaze to Gao Luochuan. He sighed lightly. “It’s truly a last resort to disturb the two young ladies of your estate. This is a matter of great importance, and a royal decree has been issued to thoroughly investigate this case. That is why I have come to inquire about the details.”

Gao Luochuan turned and looked at Gao Luoshen, then cupped his hands at Zhang Zhao again. “Please, Minister Zhang, don’t be so polite. Ask whatever you need.”

Zhang Zhao’s eyes lit up. If the Duke’s Estate had decided not to let him see Gao Luoshen, there was nothing he could have done without a royal decree. But who didn’t know that Duke of Dingguo, Gao Jun, was the Emperor’s favorite? With the Duke’s heir being so cooperative, things would be much easier. He turned to Gao Luoshen and asked, “I heard that the Second Miss had a conflict with Miss Chang?”

Gao Luoshen’s lips curled up, and she nodded. “Yes.” She figured Chang Yingxue wouldn’t hide anything from the Court of Judicial Review. Besides, with her personality, if she lied, she would certainly be found out. Without waiting for Zhang Zhao to continue, she said, “I had a quarrel with Chang Yingxue. She tried to attack me. Although I am usually gentle and kind, I will not tolerate bullying. I naturally fought back and kicked her. As for her maid, I didn’t lay a hand on her.”

Zhang Zhao’s smile froze, and even Gao Luochuan’s expression turned grim. Imagine a young lady from a noble family kicking someone—how would that look? They didn’t know that Gao Luoshen had been wearing men’s clothes that day, making it easy for her to move. Zhang Zhao recovered and asked, “If that’s the case, why did Miss Gao accuse the maid of mistreating her master?”

“It wouldn’t sound good if the truth got out,” Gao Chun said. “My Second Sister did it to save the face of the Grand Minister’s family. After all, hurting a young lady from the Duke’s Estate is not a good thing. The maid was already guilty, so why not have her take the blame? It would make everyone look better.”

Zhang Zhao nodded. This kind of thing was common in the capital. Most of the time, servants would take the blame for their masters. He wasn’t interested in the conflict between Gao Luoshen and Chang Yingxue. He focused on the main point and asked, “So, you’re saying that the Second Miss saw that the maid was acting suspiciously even before that?”

Gao Luoshen glared at Gao Chun. She saw a flicker of mischief in her eyes and knew she was doing it on purpose. Facing Zhang Zhao, Gao Luoshen gave a proper smile. “The maid was acting sneakily, not at all like my Fangze, who is very frank. Even if she was from a small family, when she entered the Prince’s residence, she should have been cautious and envious. Why was she acting like that? I thought she was being shifty-eyed and made a guess, but I never expected the Prince of Chu’s heir to actually find something on her.”

Zhang Zhao looked enlightened. His expression as he looked at Gao Luoshen slowly changed. The rumors about her in the capital weren’t good. He actually believed that Gao Luoshen was just annoyed with Chang Yingxue and her maid and had gotten lucky. Chang’s maid wasn’t a beauty, but she was at least pretty. She was nothing like the way Gao Luoshen described her. At this point, Zhang Zhao knew he wouldn’t get anything more out of her. His mind was made up. He cupped his hands at the Gao siblings and said, “Thank you, Miss Gao, for providing the lead.”

This is a lead? Gao Luoshen looked at Zhang Zhao, then turned to glare at Gao Chun, who had a smile on her face. The capital is too dangerous. I should pack up and go back to the villa to farm.

Just as Zhang Zhao was about to leave, Gao Luochuan suddenly spoke up. “I wonder what the Court of Judicial Review has found?” he asked.

Zhang Zhao’s expression turned cold and serious. He shook his head and only said, “I can’t say.” The case was connected to a major one from fifteen years ago, and no one dared to bring it up easily.

As for Gao Luoshen, her mind was clear. What’s there to say? It’s nothing but the deposed Crown Prince case from fifteen years ago. It involved so many people that the Emperor still won’t admit he made a mistake and took the lives of the Crown Prince and Empress. He just had a platform built to mourn his son, and he goes up to look out from it every so often. Some people said that the Emperor’s refusal to name a new Crown Prince was still related to the former Crown Prince, Yin Chunjun.

Gao Luoshen quietly glanced at Gao Chun, who showed no change in expression, as if the matter had nothing to do with her. Did she not think it was related to the deposed Crown Prince case? Did her people not investigate? The followers of the former Crown Prince, a large number of them, seem to have become her supporters, right? With that thought, Gao Luoshen’s expression became subtle.

This woman is too dangerous. I need to stay away from her.

A few days later, news came from the palace that the Emperor was taking the case seriously and had appointed the Prince of Chu’s heir and the Court of Judicial Review to investigate it fully. The Emperor had also personally included Gao Luochuan’s name on the list.

When Gao Luoshen heard this news, she started to walk toward Gao Chun’s courtyard, but a dark shadow suddenly darted past, like a crow in the woods.

Is Gao Chun having a secret affair? Gao Luoshen was immediately on high alert. Her expression was solemn and she walked with a proud stride, as if she were facing a formidable enemy, into Gao Chun’s courtyard.