Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was early spring, and the chill in the air had not yet dissipated when the Tianlu Guards surrounded the Wang family estate. Boxes upon boxes of valuables were seized from various rooms and laid out in the courtyard.

A group of men, women, and children knelt before the Wang family gate, trembling as they faced the young leader of the Tianlu Guards.

The young man sat upright in a chair, holding a cup of hot tea, occasionally taking a light sip. The faint steam rising from the cup made his complexion appear even paler.

He wore no official hat; his jet-black hair was gathered into a bun with a white jade hairpin. His delicate features resembled those of a pampered son from a wealthy household, yet no one dared to underestimate him.

His name was Lin Qing, the Deputy Commander of the Tianlu Division and the sole disciple of the current Commander of the Tianlu Division.

With such a status, Lin Qing wielded considerable influence in the Dayuan Dynasty, able to command respect and fear alike. Yet, he was far from pleased.

He was a transmigrator—someone who had crossed over into this world, which was the setting of a book titled "After My Identity Was Exposed, the Fake Heiress Became Everyone’s Beloved."

The heroine of the story was Lin Junrou, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yongning.

She had fallen in love at first sight with Prince Rui. However, on the eve of their arranged marriage, the secret that she was the fake heiress was exposed, causing a scandal that spread throughout the capital. It was revealed that when the Marquis’s wife gave birth, her child had been switched.

The fake heiress enjoyed luxury at the marquisate, while the true heiress was raised in the countryside, suffering endless abuse.

To protect the family’s reputation, the Marquis was forced to bring the true heiress back.

The fake heiress was fair-skinned with jade-like bones and bright eyes; the true heiress was sallow and thin, with sores on her hands and feet.

The fake heiress was gentle, graceful, and virtuous; the true heiress was timid and unrefined.

The fake heiress was exceptionally talented, the most gifted young woman in the capital; the true heiress was illiterate and hardly educated.

As a result, the true heiress became a stark contrast to the fake one. No one respected her, not even her own family, until one night at a banquet she was found lying in bed with a young nobleman.

That nobleman rejected her and only took her as a concubine. Within a year, he was tortured to death. The heroine married Prince Rui, and three years later, after the emperor’s death, the prince rebelled, seized the throne, and she became Empress, bearing triplets and enjoying both sons and daughters.

Lin Qing winced at the absurdity of the plot.

She was the true heiress.

When she transmigrated, the body was only five years old, emaciated to the bone, covered in scars.

Not wanting to follow the storyline, Lin Qing fled. On the way, she met her master and disguised herself as a boy to join the Tianlu Division. Now, she was the Deputy Commander.

At that moment, a Tianlu Guard approached, his face grim, handing Lin Qing a list.

“Deputy Commander, the Wang family’s assets have been inventoried.”

Lin Qing handed her teacup to a guard nearby and glanced over the list. The items were miscellaneous, neither few nor abundant. Wang Duan had served as Minister of Revenue for ten years; the haul was roughly reasonable.

If they took only these things, the Tianlu Division’s already poor reputation would suffer further. Fortunately, she had prepared for this.

Wang Duan’s face was pale but composed.

“Deputy Commander Lin, I am, after all, a third-rank minister appointed by His Majesty. If I truly committed a crime, the Ministry of Justice would investigate. Do you Tianlu Guards think you can just ransack my home at will? Are you disrespecting His Majesty?”

Lin Qing snorted lightly.

“The Tianlu Division operates independently from the Three Departments and Six Ministries. If we are here to arrest you, it means your guilt has already been established.”

“I have served diligently for twenty years, never hiding anything, loyal to the court and the people. Yet you Tianlu Division, notorious for eliminating rivals by any means, are simply fabricating accusations against me. Just yesterday the memorial was submitted, and today you ransack my home. Excellent! Truly ruthless!”

Outside, many townsfolk had gathered. Seeing the Tianlu Guards’ uniforms, they dared not shout but whispered among themselves, some showing anger toward the guards, others pity for the Wang family.

Someone called out, “Minister Wang is an upright official!”

Whispers grew louder, rising like boiling oil.

“Minister Wang is wronged!”

“He is a man of the people, a good official!”

“Do not harm Minister Wang!”

Wang Duan’s eyes reddened. Wiping tears from his face, he shouted, “Thank you all for your sympathy. If only my efforts bring peace and prosperity to the Dayuan Dynasty, I would die content!” Then, suddenly, he dashed toward a nearby tree, headfirst.

No one expected such resolve and failed to stop him in time.

Lin Qing had been watching him. With a swift kick, she leapt forward like a gust of wind, striking his abdomen and sending him flying over five meters. She landed gracefully and dusted her shoes.

Wang Duan gasped in pain, unable to stand for a long moment before the Tianlu Guards quickly bound him tightly.

He cursed loudly, “Lin Qing, you are aiding evil! You will not die a good death, you—”

Lin Qing ignored him. He was a master of theatrics, feigning care for the people outwardly, but in truth, he was the financial backer of Prince Rui’s rebellion.

Time was nearly up.

She glanced toward the distance, where another group of Tianlu Guards was approaching.

They had arrived.

Lin Qing smiled faintly at Wang Duan.

“Who said no evidence could be found?”

The crowd parted as the Tianlu Guards brought forward a woman.

She appeared to be in her thirties, alluring and beautiful. After a glance at Wang Duan, she quickly lowered her head.

Wang Duan’s pupils dilated briefly before narrowing again.

Lin Qing noted their expressions and sat back down.

“Why don’t you tell us who this lady is and what your relationship with her is?”

Wang Duan hesitated.

Before he could answer, the woman suddenly spoke.

“I do not know Minister Wang!”

Lin Qing gave her a sharp look.

“How do you know I am speaking of Minister Wang?”

The woman was startled. The young man appeared gentle when smiling, but when he stopped, his cold glance chilled her like a wolf’s stare.

Terrified, she knelt, stammering, “I... I...”

Before she could finish, Wang Duan interrupted, “She is my concubine! Wuwuwu—”

His words were cut off as a Tianlu Guard nearby clamped his mouth shut.

The woman seemed to find courage and sobbed, “I am Li Qing, indeed Minister Wang’s concubine.”

“How did you two meet?” Lin Qing asked, then added with a teasing tone, “Not childhood sweethearts, separated by youth, suffering hardship, reunited in recent years and becoming lovers, I suppose?”

Lin Qing’s interest was piqued as she stared intently at Li Qing.

Li Qing grew increasingly flustered and frightened. How could this young man know exactly what she intended to say?

Her voice trembled, as if her mouth were glued shut.

“J-just as you said...”

“Oh?” Lin Qing elongated the sound, glancing at the lady of the house kneeling behind Wang Duan.

“The world says Minister Wang is devoted to his wife, never taking concubines or divorcing even without heirs. But now, it seems, appearances can be deceiving. How much of Minister Wang’s reputation is true? That remains to be examined.”

The onlooking townsfolk took in every word. Hearing Lin Qing’s remarks, their doubts about the Tianlu Division lessened. They looked at one another, uncertain whether to continue defending Wang Duan.

Wang Duan gritted his teeth, glaring at Lin Qing in helpless rage.

At this moment, a group emerged from the crowd, dressed in plain clothes but walking with the same bearing as the Tianlu Guards, their badges at their waists.

They brought several people before Lin Qing.

“Deputy Commander, these individuals incited unrest among the crowd and have been arrested.”

Lin Qing nodded. Concerned about potential uprisings, she had ordered a team to mingle with the townsfolk to catch troublemakers. They had succeeded.

The detainees, male and female youths, looked unremarkable. One burly man had a torn sleeve stained with a dark blotch.

A stain?

Lin Qing’s eyes narrowed. She grabbed at the sleeve, tearing the cloth with a rip, revealing a tattoo on the man’s arm.

It was inked in an unfamiliar black dye, depicting intertwined snakes with a pair of eagle wings.

Lin Qing recognized the tattoo. On the border of the Dayuan Dynasty was a small nation called Gouyue, where men tattooed this emblem upon reaching adulthood.

Relations between Dayuan and Gouyue were tense.

Some townsfolk recognized the mark and gasped.

“They’re Gouyue people!”

“Oh my, why are Gouyue nationals defending Minister Wang?”

Lin Qing smiled inwardly. Fortune favored her.

Suppressing her smirk, she loudly accused, “Traitor Wang Duan, I thought you were merely corrupt, but you collude with foreign spies. Is this your so-called patriotism?”

Wang Duan was furious and desperate, veins bulging on his forehead, but his mouth was still gagged.

Then, another Tianlu Guard hurried over, carrying a box in one hand and a ledger in the other, presenting them to Lin Qing.

“Deputy Commander, three secret chambers were found beneath Li Qing’s residence, filled with countless treasures and gold. We are cataloguing them now. Hidden compartments in the study revealed ten forbidden superstitious texts and two ledgers.”

The guard opened the box, revealing neatly arranged letters and account books.