Chapter 111 (None)

Ding Shang entered the guesthouse. Whether it was from rain or sweat, his hair, which was sticking wetly to his forehead, was soaked through, and his court robes were mostly wet.

"Your Majesty." Ding Shang stepped forward and bowed with a worried expression. Jiang Ling saw that he was panting heavily and his lips were dry and chapped, and pointed to the chair, saying, "No rush, sit down and have some tea to calm down."

Ding Shang thanked her gratefully, sat down, picked up the teacup, and felt the warm tea, which warmed her heart once again.

At first, the weather was hot and humid, and then it started to rain. Busy running around non-stop, Ding Shang was so busy he didn't even have time to eat or drink.

The work of a servant was arduous, and Ding Shang never expected to find a respite in the Chui Gong Hall. He paused, his expression one of understanding, then picked up his tea and drank it all in one gulp.

"Your Majesty is unwell, and I dare not disturb you. I apologize for causing Your Majesty trouble."

Ding Shang repeatedly apologized, his attitude extremely respectful. He bowed and began to talk about checking the list.

"Her Majesty gave the order, and fearing that I might be fooled by my subordinates, I personally went to several palace gates, carefully checked the list, and copied it down."

Ding Shang took out a piece of paper and presented it to Jiang Ling. Jiang Ling took it and opened it. It listed the names of people leaving the palace, which palace gate they entered and exited through, where they were serving, and approximately when they left and returned to the palace.

“These scoundrels under me have been accepting bribes and allowing them to come and go. I have ordered them to be arrested and interrogated severely. They will not be let off lightly.”

Ding Shang peeked at Jiang Ling's face, his face flushed with nervousness, and he was so nervous that he was sweating profusely and his words were stammering.

Emperor Yuanming used the south-facing palace gate for entry and exit, while court officials mostly used the east and west gates, and palace maids and eunuchs could only use the north gate.

Apart from the main south gate, palace maids and eunuchs could enter and exit from the east, west, and north gates. The Imperial City Guard was responsible for guarding the palace gates. If the guards allowed them to enter and exit freely, it would be considered a serious crime of trespassing and illegally leaving the palace.

Jiang Ling understood immediately; Ding Shang was worried about him, and he would inevitably be blamed for oversight. However, since Ding Shang had frankly handed over the list to Jiang Ling, it was enough to demonstrate his loyalty.

Jiang Ling couldn't show up right now; they could deal with it later. She gave a soft "hmm" and remained silent for a moment.

Seeing this, Ding Shang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease. He continued, "After obtaining the list, I summoned all those who had left the palace and interrogated them. Only two people from the Palace Administration Department, named Gouqi Shuilian, were there. They had been ordered by Palace Attendant Song to deliver documents to the Ministry of Personnel and were not at the Palace Administration Department. Palace Attendant Song told me to have them come to me when they returned. I waited for a while, but they did not return. Seeing that it was getting late, I could not stay any longer and came to report to Your Majesty."

The Palace Administration Office was less than half a cup of tea's distance from the Ministry of Personnel. Jiang Ling had visited the Palace Administration Office and met with Song Gongzheng several times.

Song Gongzheng was nearly thirty years old, rarely smiled, and walked silently. Perhaps it was related to her job, but the look in her eyes always revealed a coldness that sent chills down one's spine.

Ding Shang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, I believe there's something amiss with Gouqi and Shuilian. I've investigated everyone else, and it's only these two. Song Gongzheng enjoys His Majesty's trust, is impartial and lawless, and has never made a mistake in her duties. I shouldn't say anything more. Your Majesty, what do you think..."

Jiang Ling's lips curled into a mocking smile. The fact that Emperor Yuanming trusted Yuan Changsheng and herself was enough to prove his blindness and folly.

"In that case, you should wait. The Ministry of Personnel is not far away, and Gouqi and Shuilian should be back by tomorrow night."

Ding Shang hesitated, his expression suggesting he wanted to speak but couldn't. Jiang Ling smiled slightly and asked, "Do you suspect they've already been silenced?"

"Your Majesty," Ding Shang's expression changed, and he hurriedly said, "That is indeed what I thought, but before I saw the two of them, I couldn't explain it to His Majesty..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Jiang Ling's face. Seeing that she was calm, he couldn't help but swallow hard, his face flushed, and he stood up and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, I am utterly loyal. I have indeed been misled by those below me. I beg Your Majesty to plead with the Emperor on my behalf."

The Imperial City Guard might wield immense power in the capital, but not within the palace. The Inner Palace Secretariat and the Imperial Household Secretariat have always been at odds with the Imperial City Guard.

Although the Palace Administration is under the command of Emperor Yuanming, it is nominally subordinate to the Inner Secretariat of the Ministry of Personnel. If Gouqi Shuilian were to pass on a message to Vice Minister Zhao to investigate them, it would inevitably implicate the Imperial City Guards for accepting bribes and neglecting their duties.

Jiang Ling was taken aback. She looked at Ding Shang and said slowly, "There are officials in the court impeaching you."

Ding Shang dared not meet Jiang Ling's gaze. Her tone was firm, and her guilty conscience, which had been seen through, made his scalp tingle involuntarily. After a brief moment of contemplation, Ding Shang hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I am guilty. I should not have displayed my scheming in front of Your Majesty."

The Imperial City Guard wielded immense power, especially since they only obeyed Emperor Yuanming, and few in the court dared to offend them.

However, unauthorized release from the palace was a grave taboo. This matter had not arisen overnight, and there should have been court officials impeaching him, but Ding Shangdu had blocked them all.

Jiang Ling had previously had Ding Shang replace the palace gate guards. Judging from the way palace maids and eunuchs were entering and leaving the palace, it was clear that the Imperial City Guard was already corrupt and rotten.

The truth will eventually come out, and Ding Shang wanted to use Jiang Ling to smooth things over. Only then could he successfully find the list and hand it over to Jiang Ling.

Jiang Ling smiled. Ding Shang was cunning and shrewd; she had been careless and had almost been fooled by him.

“Your Majesty should not be angry. I dare not provoke Your Majesty.” Ding Shang explained with difficulty, wiping the sweat from his forehead from time to time. “I need to catch my breath so I can deal with the people under me. Your Majesty, I am loyal to Your Majesty, as Heaven can bear witness. It’s just that these people are my old subordinates. I trusted them because of our past relationship and did not discipline them strictly. It was all my negligence. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

Jiang Ling remained silent for a moment, then solemnly said, "Envoy Ding, the Imperial City Guard must clean house. On this point, I believe there is no doubt about it. What do you think?"

Ding Shang knew that Jiang Ling was not easily fooled, so he replied without hesitation, "Yes, Your Majesty, I dare not say another word. I obey Your Majesty."

Jiang Ling continued calmly, "The Palace Administration Bureau and the Imperial City Guard know each other well and both have something on them. Yuan Changsheng should also be well aware of what the Imperial City Guard has done. When he argued with the Imperial Guards, he didn't mention a word about entering and leaving the palace. What exactly is it about Yuan Changsheng that you have on him?"

Ding Shang was shocked. He looked up at Jiang Ling abruptly, only to find her expression unchanged, her eyes revealing no emotion. A chill ran down his spine. He quickly lowered his head, his mind a jumble of thoughts, unsure how to respond.

Seeing Ding Shang's hesitant expression, Jiang Ling didn't rush to ask any questions, but picked up her teacup and patiently began to drink.

"Your Majesty, this matter concerns Consort Liu's reputation..."

Ding Shangfei glanced quickly at Jiang Ling and stammered, "Five years ago, the Imperial City Guard caught a daring rogue who tried to sneak into the palace. The rogue was called Fang Manniu, and he used to make a living by collecting night soil. Fang Manniu was an orphan who loved drinking, gambling, and whoring, and he couldn't repay his loans. The loan sharks were ruthless, and Fang Manniu was tortured half to death. He heard from somewhere that the palace was paved with gold bricks, and he wanted to sneak into the palace and steal a few gold bricks to pay off his debts. Fang Manniu also said that he used to know a man named Yuan Dafu, who later became a eunuch in the palace. He thought that if he sneaked into the palace and couldn't steal any gold bricks, he could use their acquaintance to castrate himself and become a eunuch, so the loan sharks would never find him again."

"Yuan Dafu?" Jiang Ling frowned and read the sentence sharply.

"Fang Manniu called himself Yuan Dafu. I inquired about his appearance, and according to his description, he looked exactly like Yuan Changsheng. Fang Manniu said that Yuan Dafu's mother was a prostitute, and he didn't know who his father was. He grew up in the brothel until he was seven or eight years old, after which his mother died, and the brothel burned down completely. He escaped from the brothel and made a living by begging and petty theft on the streets. That's when Fang Manniu met him. The two later followed an old man who had no children and collected night soil, and went with him to collect night soil. With more hands, the old man also sold some firewood. Yuan Dafu was clever and quick-witted, and those high-ranking officials..." The servants of wealthy households would always tease him when they saw him, not minding his dirt and stench, and would even invite him in for tea and snacks, Fang Manniu said. Yuan Dafu frequented the residence of Vice Minister Liu the most; the master of Vice Minister Liu's residence even taught Yuan Dafu to read. When Vice Minister Liu's daughter was betrothed to the Emperor by the late Emperor, the Liu residence was bustling with activity, and even Fang Manniu received a reward. Fang Manniu said that after that, Yuan Dafu never entered the Liu residence again; he fell seriously ill, and after recovering, he disappeared without a trace. Fang Manniu later inquired everywhere and learned that Yuan Dafu had castrated himself and entered the palace as a eunuch.

Ding Shang paused, still somewhat hesitant, and said dryly, "Fang Manniu spouted wild rumors, saying that Yuan Dafu coveted the daughter of Vice Minister Liu, and that he was heartbroken to see his beloved marry someone else, so he castrated himself and entered the palace, just to catch a glimpse of her from afar. At that time, the Emperor had not yet been made Crown Prince, and I thought Fang Manniu was just talking nonsense. Since it involved the empresses of the inner palace, I feared that he would continue to spread rumors and dare to break into the palace, so I dealt with him."

Jiang Ling said "Oh," and then asked, "Fang Manniu is already dead?"

Ding Shang froze, almost swearing an oath, and said repeatedly, "Fang Manniu has indeed been beaten to death. I personally felt that he was no longer breathing and had him thrown into a mass grave. Your Majesty, I have not lied in the slightest. Fang Manniu was not kept alive as a threat."

Even if Yuan Changsheng admitted his name was Yuan Dafu, he entered the palace while Consort Liu entered the Prince's residence. Yuan Changsheng was of humble origin and might not even know Consort Liu; it was all just Fang Manniu's speculation.

Fang Manniu is dead, and there's no way to verify his identity. Liu is an official, and Ding Shang wouldn't dare offend her. Most importantly, if Emperor Yuanming were to find out, the imperial family would lose all face, and Ding Shang, as someone in the know, wouldn't fare well either.

"Yuan Changsheng is known behind his back as the Cold-Faced King of Hell. I have had several arguments with him. On one occasion, I deliberately mentioned Fang Manniu, Yuan Dafu, and the Liu family in front of him. I did not mention anything else, only a few names, and Yuan Changsheng's expression changed."

Ding Shang looked embarrassed, coughed, and said, "I told Yuan Changsheng that Fang Manniu was still alive and that he was an old friend of mine, and that I wanted to meet him. Yuan Changsheng did not answer me, but only said that he knew nothing about the matter of the Imperial City Guard and would never mention it to His Majesty. Later, Yuan Changsheng searched everywhere in the capital for Fang Manniu, but Fang Manniu had long since turned to bones, and the old man who had taken them in was also long dead. He couldn't find him anywhere and thought that I had hidden Fang Manniu. Yuan Changsheng must have been very wary, which is why he didn't complain to His Majesty about the matter of the palace gate guards."

From beginning to end, Ding Shang believed most of the time that Consort Liu and Yuan Changsheng were in a relationship, but he remained vague in his words and dared not speak rashly.

Jiang Ling didn't need evidence; she finally understood why Consort Liu could command Yuan Changsheng.

Yuan Changsheng's entry into the palace and Consort Liu's entry into the Prince's residence are not suspicious.

Ding Shang was not as clever as Consort Liu. While he could not see the political situation clearly, Consort Liu could see it very well.

As a palace attendant, Yuan Changsheng already wielded immense power. He came from humble origins and had no relatives or support. Gold and silver were of little use to him; he had never made a mistake with money over the years and could be described as having nothing to lose.

As for his looks, Yuan Changsheng himself was handsome. Huang Liang was very jealous of him and had secretly cursed him several times, saying that he was arrogant and looked down on everyone because of his good looks.

Why did Yuan Changsheng dare to defy the world? Why did he work tirelessly year after year, personally leading his guards on patrols day and night?

Because in this way, he could see Consort Liu. Even if he couldn't see her, just passing by Rouyi Palace would put him very close to her.

Jiang Ling didn't press the matter further and let Ding Shang return to his residence to rest.

Looking at the misty rain, she couldn't help but recall the alleyway under the moonlight.

Yuan Changsheng lost his composure and came to question her. At that time, he must have been in a state of utter chaos and turmoil.

Perhaps, his life, which had never been blessed by the heavens, became like a gentle spring breeze after the arrival of Consort Liu.