297: Lin Ran resigns

He looked at the dense list of cases on the screen, and his stomach suddenly rumbled.

The roast chicken inside the oil-paper wrapping was still steaming.

Shang Wan Ning's fingertips, which had been tapping the armrest, paused. She glanced at the oil-paper package, then at Tudor's instantly reddening earlobes.

"Do spirits get hungry?"

Upon hearing this, Tudor immediately quieted down.

Inside the hall, only the rustling sound of the tablet screen being swiped and the constant protest from the new judge's stomach remained.

"Ta, ta, ta..."

When the mark for the eighty-fourth case was closed:

Shang Wan Ning spoke: "That's enough."

Tudor stopped his work. The Empress had descended from her stone throne at some point. She stood right in front of him, handing over the judges brush and the book of life and death.

"I won't torment you anymore."

Shang Wan Ning's tone was so flat it was impossible to tell if she was pleased or angry. "If you dare to deceive Me again, it won't be this easy to get away with."

Her phoenix eyes swept across the main seat of the Department of Judges. "I truly wouldn't mind replacing you. Whether you can keep this seat steady depends entirely on your abilities."

"Go handle the handover for the position of Honor Guard Commander yourself. I'm too lazy to pick someone else; seeing you all lately just irritates Me."

Tudor steadily took the judges brush and the book of life and death. They felt heavy in his hands. He only replied, "Yes."

After a moment of silence, he suddenly said: "Actually, my real name is Cui Xu."

Shang Wan Ning raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Is there anything else that's fake? Say it all at once. If you wait until later, I won't have the patience to listen."

"That's all."

Tudor shook his head, his face expressionless.

"I still prefer the name 'Tudor'; it feels more comfortable." He paused, his amber eyes looking at Shang Wan Ning. "Your Majesty has always done very well and worked very hard."

Shang Wan Ning huffed and turned her face away: "Spare me that. Flattery won't extinguish My anger."

She turned and hurried away, the hem of her black robes sweeping across the floor tiles. She left behind the words: "The Department of Judges is short on people; go ask You Yu for more. Whoever you choose, I approve."

Tudor watched the Netherworld Empress's back disappear into the shadows of the palace gate, his lips seemingly curling upward.

"Your Majesty seems quite proud and aloof."

...

Shang Wan Ning had just stepped into her inner chamber, not yet having caught her breath from the frustration caused by the judge, when her personal attendant hurried forward and whispered: "Your Majesty, Assistant Lin is here; she has been waiting for three hours."

Lin Ran?

Shang Wan Ning paused.

The Bridge of Helplessness has been chaotic lately; how could she, Meng Jiang's capable assistant, have time to come here and wait?

Something is wrong. With the mess from the Demon realm dumped on them, every department wishes they could grow eight hands.

Lin Ran is not someone who doesn't know the importance of things.

She waved the attendant away and pushed the door open.

Lin Ran was indeed sitting quietly in a chair in the small outer hall, her back straight, her posture still carrying the uprightness of a policewoman.

But her complexion didn't look good, revealing an unconcealable exhaustion. Even her ponytail, which was usually combed meticulously, had a few loose strands hanging by her neck.

Hearing the movement, Lin Ran immediately stood up: "Your Majesty."

"Sit."

Shang Wan Ning walked to the main seat and sat down, not beating around the bush: "Waiting for Me for so long, is something the matter?"

She examined Lin Ran and keenly noticed the faint dark circles under her eyes; the gaze that was usually full of sharpness was now covered with a layer of gray.

Lin Ran didn't sit. Her hand subconsciously twisted the button on her uniform cuff: "Your Majesty, this Subordinate has come to resign."

Shang Wan Ning's hand, holding the teacup, paused in mid-air. When she set it down, the bottom of the cup clattered loudly against the table.

"Resign?" Her mood sank. "Heh, give Me a reason."

Lin Ran took a deep breath and looked up at Shang Wan Ning, her eyes filled with a light mist worn away by time.

"Time flies so fast. When I first met Your Majesty, I was only twenty-eight. In the blink of an eye, I'm almost forty."

"Your Majesty also knows that a living person cannot withstand the cold of the Netherworld. Over these years, my energy and spirit have long been exhausted."

She tugged at the corners of her mouth, but the smile didn't reach her eyes; instead, it added a touch of reluctance.

"My cultivation is stuck at the early fifth stage and hasn't progressed. Last time Sister Meng went into seclusion, I forced myself to keep the Bridge of Helplessness running, brewing meng pos soup for years, and my foundation has long been hollowed out."

"Ling Xi checked my pulse and didn't dare to hide it from me, saying I have at most three years left."

Shang Wan Ning's hand on her lap suddenly clenched tight, and the inner chamber fell silent instantly.

[Three years?]

The female police officer who used to chase criminals across three streets and could pin a criminal's wrist with her bare hands now had only three years left.

She looked at Lin Ran's face, seeing no resentment in her eyes, only the calmness of accepting fate.

And a hidden urgency to seize the remaining days.

"Have you ever hated Me?" Shang Wan Ning asked suddenly, her throat feeling as if something was stuck in it.

"Just because you were born with the full fate of a celestial official, I kept you in the underworld as a substitute for Lady Meng."

Her throat moved. "You should have been a police officer in the human world, with a lively home, friends coming and going, and living a steady life."

Lin Ran was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "I've never hated you, but I have resented you!"

"But then I thought, if I really died, wouldn't I have to come back and work for Your Majesty anyway? That would be an even worse deal."

"Besides, A Ning has treated me very well; to hate you would be ungrateful. Being able to return to the human world to accompany my parents for three years is enough; I am content."

She added: "The salary I've saved is enough to buy a large three-bedroom apartment next to the Earth God Temple; after they pass away, the benefits for middle and high-level underworld officials can allow my parents to enter the system without exams. It's quite good."

Seeing her pretending to be relaxed, Shang Wan Ning felt a stifling tightness in her chest.

After a long while, she said hoarsely: "How about~ I accompany you back to the human world? I should let your parents see what their daughter's partner looks like."

As soon as the words were out, even the Empress herself felt a bit uncomfortable.

Lin Ran shook her head like a rattle-drum: "Don't, please don't."

She looked terrified. "I'm afraid my parents would be scared to death by you. No, I mean, scared to death by your identity!"

Shang Wan Ning frowned: "Am I ugly?"

"It's not that you're ugly."

Lin Ran said anxiously: "It's the identity. A human police officer, getting together with the Netherworld Empress..."

Her voice trailed off, and her face turned a little red.

A suspicious blush quietly crept up Shang Wan Ning's jade-white earlobes. She suddenly picked up the cold tea and gulped down a large mouthful, only to choke and start coughing.

"Cough, cough..."

She set the cup down in a flurry, staining the collar of her phoenix robe with a few water droplets. She wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand to hide it, her eyes drifting away, not daring to look at Lin Ran.

[ARan, after being a Subordinate for so many years, how are you still so bold!!]

Seeing A Ning rarely look embarrassed, Lin Ran's lips curled up quietly, thinking that the Empress is actually quite cute sometimes.

Shang Wan Ning cleared her throat, forcing a straight face to show some imperial dignity.

"Enough, stop joking around. I approve your resignation."

She stood up and walked to the window, turning her back to Lin Ran, and said: "The underworld will always be your retreat. Live these three years well."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Lin Ran bowed respectfully and deeply.

"Go."

Shang Wan Ning didn't turn back, just raised her hand and waved.

Lin Ran didn't say anything more, turned around, and left, her footsteps gradually fading away until they could no longer be heard.