Chapter 134: Three Tokens

Three Tokens

Nie Jinxuan never courts trouble, yet she never fears it either! As for the incident just now, if only Princess Consort Yun Chen Yan'er had come alone today, Nie Jinxuan might not have been so sharp, but for Zhen Xiao Lian, who already knew the inside story and was still putting on a show here, it truly made Nie Jinxuan disgusted beyond measure, so naturally she would not easily forgive her!

Now that Nie Jinxuan is no longer the Consort of Prince Chen, she believes Zhen Xiao Lian cannot do anything to her either. So, after leaving directly, she went straight to the front hall.

But as soon as she stepped into the front hall, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but be stunned, because she had expected the visitor from the palace to be someone sent by Zhang Guifei to deliver a message, yet unexpectedly the visitor turned out to be Grand Internal Superintendent Gao Caiyong!

At the same time, another person came with Gao Caiyong, and that person was none other than Mo Yujue, with whom Nie Jinxuan had crossed paths a few times before!

Thus, seeing both of them arrive together, Nie Jinxuan's mind instantly filled with doubt, and at that moment, perhaps hearing the footsteps, Mo Yujue looked up, saw Nie Jinxuan, and immediately rose from his seat.

"I have met Prince Chen… I have met Third Miss."

Mo Yujue remained very courteous, and then Gao Caiyong also stood up.

"Hehe~, Third Miss, I, your humble servant, pay my respects to you~!"

Although Nie Jinxuan is no longer a Princess Consort, Gao Caiyong still treated her as before. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan hurried forward and politely bowed.

"Oh no, it is I, Jinxuan, who should be paying my respects to you, Grandmaster Gao~!"

Saying that, Nie Jinxuan smiled again at Gao Caiyong, then turned her gaze and nodded to greet Mo Yujue. Afterwards the three each took their seats, and as soon as they sat down, Nie Jinxuan was the first to speak.

"Anyway, Grandmaster Gao and Young Master Mo have come especially today—do they have something to ask of Jinxuan? If there is, feel free to say it; as long as Jinxuan can help, I will certainly not decline~!"

Nie Jinxuan got straight to the point, and upon hearing this, Grandmaster Gao immediately laughed.

"Hehe~, Third Miss, you are quick‑witted and straightforward; I greatly admire that. Moreover, what I admire even more is your clever mind… Hehe, not bad. I have indeed come this time with a matter to ask Third Miss for help~! However, the one you are to help is not me, but Mo the Guard!"

Gao Caiyong laughed as he spoke, and when he finished, he turned his head toward Mo Yujue beside him. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan was startled, then also turned to look, and at that moment, Mo Yujue said in a measured tone

"Indeed! This time I, together with Grandmaster Gao, have come because we wish to ask Third Miss to assist the Ministry of Punishments!"

In the simplest terms, he explained his purpose, and then Mo Yujue continued to elaborate directly.

"To be frank, recently the capital has seen several murder cases; the victims range from merchants of wealthy families to commoners of poor households, so their backgrounds are varied. Yet I have found that despite these differences, there is one commonality: the manner of death is extremely brutal! In fact, in all my years investigating cases at the Ministry of Punishments, I have never encountered such savage killings! Therefore…"

"So, Young Master Mo, you suspect the murderer might be the same person?"

Interrupting Mo Yujue, Nie Jinxuan whispered, and upon hearing this, Mo Yujue immediately nodded and then said

"Yes! I do have such a suspicion. But it is merely intuition, not yet certain, and based on the Coroner's autopsy results, no commonalities have been found yet…"

Having said that, Mo Yujue paused briefly, shifted his posture slightly, and then looked at Nie Jinxuan again and said

"Therefore, I thought to seek counsel from Third Miss. A few days ago I heard that Third Miss was investigating a case within the former palace, so I did not wish to disturb you. Then some events occurred, making it even harder for me to bring the matter of the investigation to you… Yet just yesterday afternoon, another corpse was found outside the city, the manner of death equally brutal, so today I was forced to come and trouble you."

Mo Yujue spoke plainly yet courteously. As soon as he finished, Nie Jinxuan burst into laughter.

"Hehe~, Young Master Mo, you are truly overly polite. For such a trivial matter, why overthink it?! Just come straight to me and that's enough… After all, Young Master Mo, have you forgotten? If we speak seriously, Jinxuan would have to call you 'Second Uncle'! Why do you have to be so formal~!"

Although Mo Yujue serves in the Ministry of Punishments with a modest rank, in reality, beyond that he also holds another identity: he is the second son of the General of the Nation's household!

A few years ago, Nie Jinxuan's elder sister Nie Jinlan married into the General of the Nation's household, becoming the lady of the house, so consequently Nie Jinxuan and Mo Yujue are now related by marriage!

Thus, when Nie Jinxuan said that, the usually stoic Mo Yujue also smiled, a rare sight. Yet he couldn't help but speak

"Third Miss, you are kind. While what you say is correct, allow me to be frank: Third Miss now holds a special status, and if I act rashly, it would inevitably cause you greater trouble. Therefore, on this point I must consider your situation; after all, I have a request of you and cannot let you be plagued by rumors…"

"And precisely because of this, before coming today I deliberately went to the palace and reported the matter to the Emperor, so the Emperor specifically ordered Grandmaster Gao and me to come together… This way, the first point is clear and proper, and secondly it prevents idle gossipers from spreading rumors that would trouble Third Miss!"

……

I must say, Mo Yujue's considerations for Nie Jinxuan were truly thorough. At that moment, as soon as Mo Yujue finished speaking, Gao Caiyong beside him laughed and echoed

"Hehe~, so as I said, Mo the Guard's planning is indeed meticulous. Of course, I did not come today merely for a visit; the Emperor, in his wisdom, upon hearing Mo the Guard's request, not only approved it but also instructed me to bring something to Third Miss…"

Speaking thus, Grandmaster Gao rose, took an object from his bosom, and seeing this, Nie Jinxuan hurried to her feet, stepped forward, and took the object with both hands. It was then that she realized the item Gao Caiyong handed her was a golden token!

Its golden hue shimmered, the delicate, exquisite engraved patterns… it was a token of superb craftsmanship, and in its center was a large engraved 'imperial' character!

At that moment, looking at the golden token in her hand, Nie Jinxuan immediately frowned in confusion, and then Gao Caiyong laughed and explained

"Third Miss, do you know what this is? Hehe, I'm not afraid to tell you… This golden token, in the entire Eastern Tomb, there are only three of them! The three are the 'Dragon' token, the 'Jun' token, and the 'Yu' token you now hold!"

"Among these three tokens, the Dragon token represents the 'True Dragon', meaning that anyone bearing the Dragon token is as if the Emperor himself is present; ordinarily only ministers of rank third rank or higher are granted the Dragon token by the Emperor. The Jun token represents 'Junlin', used by the Emperor to mobilize troops during special events… As for this Yu token, it signifies 'Before the Throne', and its function is that anyone holding this Yu token can move freely, whether in high officials' residences, the Great Prison, or even the imperial palace itself, without obstruction!"

Gao Caiyong spoke each word carefully, and upon reaching this point he smiled, stepped forward and helped the perpetually hunched Nie Jinxuan to stand, saying

"Therefore, Third Miss, you now understand what the Emperor means by giving you this Yu token! It means that when you investigate cases in the future, you can search freely anywhere, regardless of the location, and no matter whether the other party is a first‑rank official, a royal noble, or even a palace concubine—if they have broken the law, you can investigate them to the end… Hehe, so Third Miss, why haven't you thanked the Emperor yet?!"

Gao Caiyong wore a smiling face, and at that moment Nie Jinxuan's eyes widened in shock, but she quickly performed a respectful bow, only to be grabbed by Gao Caiyong.

"Hehe, that's enough, that's enough, I was merely speaking. The Emperor said there's no need for Third Miss to thank him; as long as Third Miss uses this Yu token to uncover the truth and cleanse the corruption, that will be the greatest tribute to the Emperor…"

Gao Caiyong's words were easygoing and sincere; after speaking, he said a few more things to Nie Jinxuan, urging her to keep the token safe and strictly confidential, lest unscrupulous individuals learn its whereabouts and develop evil intentions that could harm Nie Jinxuan, and then he left the Nie residence.

When Gao Caiyong departed, Mo Yujue discussed some case matters with Nie Jinxuan, then rose as if to leave, but Nie Jinxuan called him back, stating that since multiple murder cases have already emerged, they could not delay any longer. Thus the two left the Nie residence together and headed straight to the Ministry of Punishments.

Nie Jinxuan and Mo Yujue hurried to the Ministry of Punishments. Without delay, Mo Yujue led Nie Jinxuan to the room where the corpse was laid out, and upon entering, Nie Jinxuan discovered that Meng Xian was also present.

Obviously, having examined those corpses, Meng Xian had already completed his inspection. So, seeing this, Nie Jinxuan did not rush to look at the bodies; instead she went straight to Meng Xian and whispered

"Mr. Meng, long time no see. I heard you were unwell before; may I ask if you are feeling better now?"

"Thanks to Prince Chen… er, Third Miss's concern, I am unhindered."

Nie Jinxuan first politely greeted Meng Xian. Upon hearing this, Meng Xian, though a bit formal, gave a slight nod and smile. Then his expression hardened, and he whispered

"However, since Third Miss has come today, it must be about the murder cases, so please first take a look at these corpses, okay?"