Lose My Heart to the Lovely Kitten Princess - Chapter 24
Chapter 24 Justice Department
Shortly after Chu Yunshen entered the justice department, people came over and paid respects to him, “Your Highness!”
“Your Highness, these six people are in charge of punishment and take care of all other generic matters throughout the department,” Di Yangze introduced the six people standing in the first row. Then he turned to point at the two people standing on the side, “These two are in charge of reviewing and managing tricky local cases. Those six men behind are in charge of going on location to try tough cases and uphold justice as our agents.
Chu Yunshen turned to look at the people as the supervisor explained their duties.
Cheng Xiaoxiao reached her neck out of Chu Yunshen’s arms and looked around with curiosity. After listening for so long, she roughly realized that the justice department here worked just like a yamen from the ancient times of where she came from.
“Your Highness, this is the secretary of the justice department, Qin Cheng. He will be working closely with you from now on. You can look him up if you need any help,” introduced Di Yangze as he brought Chu Yunshen before a young man. He was wearing an official hat set with a sun patterned gold pearl and was dressed in an official robe bearing the emblem of a fledgling learning to take flight on its chest.
“Your Highness!” greeted the secretary, Qin Cheng, immediately as he knelt before Chu Yunshen and paid his respects.
Chu Yunshen narrowed his dark eyes as he glanced at the supervisor, Di Yangze.
Although Qin Cheng was here to work for Chu Yunshen, he was sent to keep tabs on Chu Yunshen in reality.
Di Yangze broadly smiled as he asked, “Your Highness, are you unhappy with him? Then I can find you someone smarter.”
“No, he’s fine,” said Chu Yunshen calmly.
“Okay, great. In that case, that’s your office over there,” continued Di Yangze as he pointed to a quiet room and led Chu Yunshen over. Then he turned to shout at Qin Cheng, “Hurry up and show His Highness the way!”
“Yes, Sir. This way, please, Your Highness,” replied Qin Cheng as he hurried over to lead the way in front of the supervisor and Chu Yunshen.
The moment they entered the room…
The supervisor turned to bow and pay obeisance to Chu Yunshen and said, “Your Highness, allow me to take my leave and continue working on my case!”
Chu Yunshen nodded and told him to leave.
The Chu Yunshen held the cat as he checked out the place. There was only simple furniture in the room, and there wasn’t a couch he could rest on.
He placed the cat on the chair and gestured for Xiaowu to hand him his books.
“Yes, Your Highness!” replied Xiaowu as he placed the books about cat rearing on the table.
Qin Cheng came with tea at this moment. Then he handed the tea to Chu Yunshen and said ingratiatingly, “Your Highness, please have some tea.”
“Leave it there,” replied Chu Yunshen without even raising his head from stroking the cat and reading his book.
When Qin Cheng stole a glance at the book Chu Yunshen was reading, he couldn’t help feeling stunned to see it entitled, ‘How To Make Your Cat Like You’. Then he caught sight of all the cat related books on Prince Jing’s table.
He shook his head uncontrollably as he thought in his heart. Di Yangze was overthinking it since the prince had no intention of working on cases.
All the prince cared about was cat rearing, and he was no different from any other rich man’s idle son from the capital.
After waiting for a while and not hearing any orders from Chu Yunshen, Qin Cheng found it pointless to stay, so he asked, “Your Highness, if you have no other work for me, please allow me to take leave and continue with my tasks.”
“Mhm,” acknowledged Chu Yunshen as he sat on the chair lazily with his eyes glued to his book the whole time.
Xiaowu came up close to Chu Yunshen after Qin Cheng left and said, “Master, we have made headway with the paper the letter was written on.”
Chu Yunshen’s eyes darkened as he turned to glance at Xiaowu.
Xiaowu whispered, “It’s Chiting paper specially supplied from Zhejiang. Due to its difficulty in production and rare raw materials used, other than the Emperor, only the Empress Dowager, Empress, highest-ranking imperial concubines, and officials above the third grade can get to use it. The royalty requisite the paper from the ministry of internal affairs while the officials collect it from the revenue ministry, and all requisitions are documented. Based on the timing of the letter, I sent people to investigate who requested the paper during this time.”
“Okay, focus the investigation on the palace,” said Chu Yunshen. Then he paused from stroking the cat to take a sip of tea.
“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll get to it now,” said Xiaowu as he bowed and left.
“Are you saying that all the prince has done today is playing with cats and reading books?” said the supervisor to Qin Cheng, who was standing beneath him.
Qin Cheng bowed and said, “Yes, that’s right. Other than getting me to send tea, he didn’t give me any other orders. But…”
“But what?” asked Di Yangze as he frowned.
The emperor especially instructed Di Yangze not to give Prince Jing any serious cases, assign petty cases to him instead and report back to him with Prince Jing’s every action.
How was Di Yangze to report to the emperor? Was he going to say that His Highness did nothing except play with his cat all the time?
“But His Highness’s personal guard wasn’t by his side all day,” replied Qin Cheng perplexedly.
“What can a personal guard possibly do? Don’t waste your energy on other people! I want you to focus on His Highness! Report back to me about what he does in detail! Do you understand?” said Di Yangze as he slammed the table furiously
Qin Cheng instantly replied in surprise, “Yes, Sir!”
“Leave!” shouted Di Yangze impatiently.
“Yes, Sir! Allow me to take my leave!” said Qin Cheng as he left Di Yangze’s room crestfallenly. Qin Cheng bumped into Prince Jing, who was on his way out of the government office, while Qin Cheng was about to head home, so he immediately floated over to bow and greet him, “Goodbye, Your Highness.”
Chu Yunshen acknowledged him calmly. Then he glanced at Qin Cheng as he walked out without pausing.
“That lackey!” sneered Xiaowu as he stood next to Chu Yunshen.
When Qin Cheng heard Xiaowu, he raised his head to glance at him. But Xiaowu lifted his sword and glared right back at Qin Cheng furiously. Qin Cheng was so startled that he hung his head immediately.
After returning to Prince Jing’s residence, Cheng Xiaoxiao stared enviously at the baby bird, who was able to stay in its cage and eat and drink as it pleased today.
Why was the baby bird so lucky? It could stay at home and do nothing all day.
Why didn’t she have the same luck?
Chu Yunshen spent the entire day at the justice department reading while he teased her.
Not only did Cheng Xiaoxiao barely have any tasty food, but she was also on tenterhooks all day.
Cheng Xiaoxiao spent the day petrified that Chu Yunshen might use new tricks he learned from those books on her.
But Chu Yunshen and Xiaowu seemed to have urgent matters to attend to after they arrived home. After placing her in the bedroom, the two of them rushed over to the study.
That was perfect.
Cheng Xiaoxiao’s eyes glinted.
She used her paws to push open the baby bird’s cage deftly.
“Chirp!” The baby bird instantly flew out happily and landed on her head.
“Meow,” Cheng Xiaoxiao meowed happily.
Since the baby bird had been cooped up all day, it was time she took it out for a walk.
After leaving the room, Cheng Xiaoxiao explored Prince Jing’s residence with the baby bird sitting on her head. She heard several maids gossiping when she got to a rockery.
It sounded like they were talking about cats.
So Cheng Xiaoxiao instantly pricked her ears up.
She heard the maids making nasty comments about her, “I have no idea what’s so great about that cat? It’s just a scrawny cat that His Highness picked up from nowhere!”
“Yes, I agree! Do you think that the cat is capable of some sorcery? I heard His Highness sent Miss Wan Yun packing at the frontier because of the cat!”
Cheng Xiaoxiao heavily breathed as she hooked her claws into the ground. Wan Yun was the one who made the prince drive her from the residence.
Then someone’s hushed voice came from in front, “I heard Miss Wan Yun died not long after she returned to Prince Qing’s residence!”
“Really? She’s so pitiful!”
“It’s all that cat’s fault!”
CRASH!
A few rocks came sliding down from above the rockery. The maids looked up to see a cat standing there full of energy with a baby bird on her head.
“AH!” screamed the maids instantly as they fled.
Cheng Xiaoxiao stood at the top of the rockery as she watched the maids scatter. Then she thought that ought to teach them a lesson for gossiping about her instead of working!
She wanted to give them a shock!
After giving the maids a shock, Cheng Xiaoxiao caught the scent of food, so she followed the smell and leaped over a few walls. Then she reached an unknown courtyard, where she stood on the wall and watched as the female kitchen cooks hurried to finish cooking a sumptuous spread.
Were they gossiping about her again?
She subconsciously pricked her ears and eavesdropped on them.
“His Highness spent the entire day at the justice department, so he must be starving. We must cook more for His Highness tonight.”
“Exactly! His Highness is on the battlefield all the time. Now that he back in the capital, His Majesty makes him the commandant of justice at the justice department. He really doesn’t get a day’s peace.”
“Honglan, are done cooking the braised fish?”
“Right away!”
Cheng Xiaoxiao eavesdropped on them for a long time and was on the verge of drooling after listening to them talk about food all day, but she could only enjoy the scent of this food since she was a cat.
She could only look at the food from a distance and couldn’t go close to take a single bite.
Cheng Xiaoxiao was almost done admiring the food when she suddenly stood stiffened where she was. She had caught sight of a handyman in the courtyard glancing around furtively.
He had a sneaky look on his face and seemed to be up to no good!
Cheng Xiaoxiao instantly pricked her ears up warily with her body stiff and spread all her claws out.
She wanted to see what the handyman was up to.
Cheng Xiaoxiao chased after the handyman until they reached Chu Yunshen’s bedroom.
How dare he have the audacity to sneak into Chu Yunshen’s room? Cheng Xiaoxiao became anxious as she stared at Chu Yunshen’s closed bedroom door.
No, she had to get someone’s attention!
“Meow!” roared Cheng Xiaoxiao again.
But just as Cheng Xiaoxiao was about to meow again, a shadow suddenly loomed overhead.
When she looked up, she saw the handyman exiting Chu Yunshen’s room and falling right on top of her and crushing her beneath him.
“Chirp chirp!” the baby bird immediately chirped wildly.
The handyman waved his hand, and the baby bird instinctively jumped far away. Then it jumped elsewhere and kept chirping.
“Meow!” Cheng Xiaoxiao struggled to get up, but her tiny bit of strength was completely futile against the handyman pressing atop her.
Cheng Xiaoxiao brandished her front paws until she made two deep marks on the ground.
“Do you want to die, little fellow?”
The handyman got her by stranglehold and lifted her up. He had no idea where Prince Jing kept his letters even after searching the room!
Hurried footsteps suddenly rang. Then the handyman immediately ducked behind the blinds in the inner room. Cheng Xiaoxiao was suffocating so badly behind the blinds that she almost wanted to claw it apart!
“Hey, how did the baby bird get out of the cage?”
Two maids talked outside. “I recall it was sitting inside obediently when I left.”
“Did we forget to close the cage?”
“His Highness’ bedroom door was shut! How could it have gotten out?”
“See? The window is open!”
Chu Yunshen’s bedroom door was open, and the voices of the two maids chatting could be heard.
“Chirp chirp!”
The two maids shut the baby bird into the cage as they said perplexedly, “Why does this little guy keep chirping? Do you think it’s hungry?”
