Chapter 57 October Sunshine: A True Manifestation of Fate

On the table lay the training records of the Left Guard in recent days. The Emperor was to inspect the capital's guards in the winter month, and the guards were training even more diligently. Yue Shanling sat before the table, seemingly reviewing the records, but his mind was actually elsewhere.

That night's trip to the Right Spring Palace yielded nothing; none of the records in the archives contained any information about Du Hui.

Moreover, he scoured all the records from the twenty-sixth year of Jianwu through the mountains. The number of these records was far less than he had imagined. Not only did they not mention the Prince of Jin, but the records after August of the twenty-ninth year of Jianwu were completely blank, with no further records.

If the gap in records after August was due to the confinement and siege of the officials of the Eastern Palace, then before that, he was in the Eastern Palace and knew a little about the people who came and went there. Even some of the remonstrances he recalled were not recorded in the register, let alone those secret discussions that could not be known to others.

No wonder those old files have remained unprocessed in the warehouse for so many years. The records of the Right Spring Palace, like those of the Imperial Guard, did not transcribe detailed government orders, but rather the tacit understanding between the recorder and the superior.

Yue Shanling closed his eyes, his heart filled with restlessness. Whoever wanted him to notice something amiss, why hadn't they left any clues? Did the person behind it all want him to figure it out himself?

He was a mere guard officer, and had been away from the capital for many years, with almost all his connections there severed. Unfortunately, he had no access to the archives containing records related to the events of that year. He had already investigated everything he could; what other place could he possibly have contact with?

For a fleeting moment, Yue Shanling thought of Fu Sui. As a princess, Fu Sui had an easier time moving around in the inner court than he, an outsider who couldn't enter without an imperial edict. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he immediately suppressed it.

When the Prince of Jin got into trouble, Fu Sui was only two or three years old. He was unsure how much Fu Sui knew about the Prince of Jin's past, and he didn't want to involve Fu Sui either.

If… Yue Shanling thought of Du Hui, if the death of the Prince of Jin was truly related to the Eastern Palace and the current emperor, should he continue the investigation? Fu Sui's life is now stable and affluent, and her relationship with the current emperor is quite close. Once these old stories are revealed, what will Fu Sui do? How will she face the brother she once relied on? Can she still live as carefree as she does now?

He touched the side of his neck, where there was a scar that hadn't faded over the years, and on the other side, the soft mark that belonged to her.

The person he wanted to follow had already returned to his homeland, and the person he wanted to love, he didn't know how to protect.

Officials leaving the court walked out in twos and threes. Meng Yan patted Yue Shanling on the shoulder: "What's wrong? You look distracted." He then leaned closer to examine Yue Shanling's expression. "Something's definitely wrong. Tell me the truth."

Yue Shanling smiled and said, "I've been going back late these past few days and haven't been sleeping well."

Upon hearing this, Meng Yan also complained, "Oh, who says otherwise? I get up earlier than the chickens and go to bed later than the dogs every day. Once the winter training is over, I'll have done my job for this year and be able to take a good rest at the end of the year."

The two walked together toward Chang Le Gate. As they approached the palace gate, they saw that Gong Li Gate, which was opposite Chang Le Gate, was open, with several eunuchs going in and out.

"Be careful, these are important records. If you ruin them, you'll be in big trouble." A man dressed in the robes of the Imperial Household Department gave instructions from the side, while several scholars from the Hongwen Academy stood by watching.

Meng Yan peeked out and recognized the eunuch as an acquaintance. He asked, "What is Eunuch Liu busy with?"

The eunuch who was directing the servants turned around upon hearing the sound and immediately put on a broad smile: "Generals, has the court session ended?"

Yue Shanling and Liu Zhongguan paid their respects from afar, separated by the Chongli Gate.

Liu Zhongguan quickened his pace and came to Meng Yan and Yue Shanling, his smile undiminished: "These are all records of current affairs. It's not even the end of the month yet, and they're being moved to the history museum." He pointed to the eunuchs who were busy moving the books, "They're all so clumsy. If we don't keep an eye on them, they'll break or lose them, and we won't be able to explain it to them."

The Records of Current Affairs are a compilation of the emperor's discussions with his ministers, and are stored in the Imperial History Office once a month. Looking up from the mountain ridge, the Imperial History Office is located behind the Secretariat, near the Qianhua Gate.

Orders to transfer officials within the palace can be left unrecorded, and copies from the Crown Prince's palace can contain omissions, but the records of current affairs must be detailed for verification.

After the death of the Prince of Jin, Emperor Taizu dispatched the Imperial Guards to Hedong and also purged court officials. Drafting edicts, issuing decrees, dismissing officials, and demoting officials all required the approval of the Secretariat and the Chancellery, which must be recorded in the Records of Current Affairs.

Yue Shanling secretly pondered. Behind the Qianhua Gate lay the inner court, a gate that could not be opened without authorization. As for the Chongli Gate, if he were a civil official or a scholar of the Chongwen Academy, he would naturally have a reason to enter and exit, but he was a guard general. What method could he devise to enter the History Bureau?

"You go about your business, we're leaving the palace now." Meng Yan exchanged a few pleasantries with Liu Zhongguan before parting ways.

Yue Shanling quickly regained his composure and left with Meng Yan as if nothing had happened.

Back in the left guard's duty room, Yue Shanling stared at the desk, frowning.

An envelope lay neatly placed in the center of the desk. Knowing what Yue Shanling possessed on his desk, he was certain this envelope wasn't originally there.

He first examined the table carefully. Apart from the mysteriously appearing envelope, there was nothing else unusual on the table. Even the two sheets of paper he had written on the mountain the night before were still lying on the table, one corner pressed down by the envelope. The inkpad lid was not tightly closed, leaning crookedly against the edge of the ink box, barely touching the edge of the envelope.

Yesterday's military order came in a hurry. After stamping it over the mountain ridge, he rushed to the garrison without having time to tidy up his desk. He then went straight back to his residence and only came to the garrison again today after court.

He picked up the inkpad.

He used to use the ink paste sent by the princess's mansion. When the Duke of Wei came to the garrison, he saw the ink paste and casually stamped a few marks on it. After that, he put the ink paste away and never let anyone else touch it. He replaced it with a box of red ink paste bought from the market.

The inkpad, left out overnight, remained bright red and moist, and the imprint made yesterday was still very clear.

After covering the ink pad with ink from the mountain ridge, he picked up the letter.

The envelope was the most ordinary one on the market, unsealed, and the paper was also the most common type, yet the handwriting was quite distinctive. The entire letter appeared so natural, as if it were just an ordinary letter, delivered by soldiers of the garrison rather than bypassing the garrison's guard posts and appearing silently on his desk.

When Yue Shanling arrived at the teahouse as promised, he finally met the "owner" of the letter.

This was a man of about forty years old, somewhat thin and short, with a sparse beard. He was slightly hunched over, his neck hunched forward, like a scholar who had spent his entire life hunched over his desk.

Upon seeing Yue Shanling approach, the man rose to greet him, appearing quite familiar with him: "My surname is Ge, and you may call me Liangrong, General. Please have a seat."

The man probably knew that Yue Shanling had no interest in exchanging pleasantries with him, so once Yue Shanling sat down, he directly stated his purpose: "General, you may not recognize me. I was a scholar in the Prince of Jin's mansion when he was in Bingzhou. If you don't believe me, you can check the records of the personnel in the Prince's mansion back then."

Yue Shanling didn't reply. The official roster of the Prince of Jin's mansion wasn't hard to find. He dared to reveal his identity, so he probably wasn't afraid of being investigated.

"I have invited you here today, General, because there is something I need to tell you," the man surnamed Ge said, looking directly at Yue Shanling, enunciating each word clearly. "It concerns the true cause of Prince Jin's death."

Yue Shanling did not immediately inquire about the cause of Prince Jin's death, but instead asked, "Did you put that horse movement record in the Wei Zhong case storehouse?"

"How can we be sure it's not divine will that will clear the name of the Prince of Jin?"

What a mysterious twist of fate! Yue Shanling re-examined the man before him. A former sixth-rank scholar of a prince's mansion, now no longer holding a position in the court. The Baiqu stele could not possibly be his work. Who is the powerful minister behind him? Or perhaps, a member of the imperial clan?

"I don't understand what you mean, Lord Ge. The Prince of Jin died because of the earthquake. The whole court was deeply saddened. The people are grateful for the Prince of Jin's kindness and praise his achievements. How can there be any injustice?" Yue Shanling pretended to be ignorant and refused to listen to Ge Wenxue's words.

The man seemed to have anticipated Yue Shanling's reaction and asked calmly, "General, are you absolutely certain about the death of Prince Jin? I have heard of your past loyalty to Prince Jin, even though I am not an official in the capital. Now that Prince Jin's injustice remains unaddressed and his spirit is restless, you have been deceived by the villains and have devoted yourself to the murderer of Prince Jin. Although I have only just met you, I feel deeply sorry for you."

"The murderer of Prince Jin?" Yue Shanling raised an eyebrow, wondering what this person's intentions were.

The man opposite him was not affected by Yue Shanling's murderous aura at all; on the contrary, he became even more indignant, as if he had been suppressing his anger for a long time: "The one who killed Prince Jin is the current emperor!"

Yue Shanling silently observed every subtle expression on the man's face before finally speaking: "Ge Wenxue should tell Qin An these things."

Ge Wenxue chuckled: "General Yue, are you perhaps going to tell Qin An about these things?"

Seeing Yue Shanling look up in confusion, he continued, "Qin An is now serving the princess. If something is told to Qin An, it will inevitably reach the princess's ears. The princess is young and under the Emperor's close surveillance. These sordid affairs of the court will only add to her worries. As former officials of the Prince of Jin, we only hope that the princess can stay away from all strife. General Yue, the princess is the only bloodline left by the Prince of Jin. I hope that you can also consider the past relationship with the Prince of Jin and not let the princess fall into unease."

These words struck a chord with Yue Shanling. He naturally hoped that Fu Sui could live a peaceful and joyful life forever, but if these people really wanted to use the death of the Prince of Jin as a pretext, could Fu Sui really stay out of it?

He pondered for a moment before saying, "Words are meaningless. Does Ge Wenxue have any evidence for what he said?"

Ge Wenxue was waiting for this sentence, and a hint of joy even appeared in his eyes: "Of course, the general will know at a glance."

Standing before Chongli Gate once more, Yue Shanling felt a surge of emotion. Just a few days ago, he was pondering how to gain access to the history museum to investigate, and now, unexpectedly, the opportunity had presented itself.

Starting with the Baiqu stele, the deliberately selected transfer record, the suddenly appearing envelope, Ge Wenxue who took the initiative to come to his door, and the upcoming history museum, one thing after another made Yue Shanling overly suspicious, and even began to wonder if the conversation between Liu Zhongguan and Meng Yan that day was also deliberately arranged.

The gatekeeper at Chongli Gate examined the fish-shaped tally and warrant from Yue Shanling. Ge Wenxue did not come with him, but instead gave him a pass from the inner court.

It's the inner court again. The last time the Prince of Xiping was deceived, the information also came from the inner court. Are these people's influence so far-reaching, or is there someone in the inner palace passing on information to them?

Regardless of the reason, Yue Shanling was certain that the person who orchestrated all of this was definitely not a former minister of the Prince of Jin.

After Emperor Taizu's death, some of the palace eunuchs were transferred to Xianling Mausoleum to guard it, while a group of palace maids were released. After the late emperor abdicated, another group of palace women were assigned to serve him. Until the late emperor passed away, the palace once again sent people to guard the mausoleum.

After several such incidents, there were no longer any old faces from the Taizu era in the palace, especially in several key positions, all of whom were supported by the current emperor.

When Prince Jin was alive, he never tried to infiltrate the inner court. After Prince Jin passed away, the officials of the original Prince's Mansion were immediately dismissed. Even if these people had some connection with the inner court back then, none of them are officials in the capital now. Where would they get the opportunity to interfere in the inner court after the current emperor has rearranged it?

The gatekeeper returned the fish-shaped tally and the warrant to Yue Shanling and shouted for the gate to be opened. The hinges on the door rattled, and the heavy palace gate was gradually pushed open a crack.

A few words of conversation drifted over; it turned out to be several eunuchs passing by. One of them lagged slightly behind, talking as he walked with the person in front of him. When he took a step, he would habitually push off with the ball of his foot, and when he landed, he would land on the outside of his foot first.

Yue Shanling watched the group disappear around the corner of the palace wall before turning his gaze away and stepping into Chongli Gate.

Inside the museum, scrolls of records are neatly arranged and placed on different shelves according to time.

Yue Shanling first quickly flipped through the relevant records from the 29th year of Jianwu, which detailed several orders and decrees issued by Emperor Taizu. Although there were demotions and punishments for officials under the Crown Prince and for officials in the Hedong region, the reasons were consistent with the decrees issued that year, without any discrepancies.

No difference means no abnormality; at least, the thoughts of the founding emperor were not put on paper back then.

After reviewing the records of the 29th year of Jianwu, he traversed mountains to find the records of the 25th year of Jianwu. In that year, the court was embroiled in a heated debate over the abolition of the crown prince and the establishment of a new one. Shortly afterward, the Prince of Jin hastily married and returned to his fiefdom. The records of that year were also the contents that Ge Wenxue had instructed him to read.

At that time, the Prince of Jin was still in the capital, and there were still nearly four years before the earthquake at Shenshan. Why did Ge Wenxue insist on making him look at the records of that year?

With this in mind, Yue Shanling opened the political chronicle of the 25th year of Jianwu.

"In the twelfth month of the twenty-fifth year of Jianwu, the emperor summoned the Secretariat and Chancellery to discuss important matters."

Yue Shanling's breath caught in his throat. His hand trembled as he pressed the neatly written characters on the political journal, reading it word by word. His widening eyes reflected his belated shock.