Chapter 39 This is the real purpose of our tomb exploration...
Helpless, Shen Guitang could only give her another candied fruit. However, to prevent himself from softening again, he pretended to be stern and said, "There's only one left, you can't have any more."
Hengbo chewed the last candied fruit and held it in her cheek, reluctant to swallow it for a long time. Fortunately, this did not affect her communication with Shen Guitang.
What she cared about most at that moment was who the person pretending to be a ghost in the imperial tomb was.
In response, Shen Guitang replied, "I regret to inform you that I am also unaware of this."
Receiving her clearly disbelieving gaze, Shen Guitang sighed helplessly: "He dug a tunnel from his lair to the outside, and he escaped through the tunnel."
“Besides,” he said, a hint of resentment in his eyes, “the situation was urgent. Miss Cuihua, you were poisoned. I couldn’t just stand by and watch you die.”
Hengbo touched his nose. He had indeed underestimated his enemy that day. He really didn't expect that the old spider demon had even coated his weapon with poison.
“But don’t worry,” Shen Guitang knew that Hengbo was very concerned about the man’s identity, and finally restrained his unruly demeanor: “He is seriously injured and cannot have gone far. I have already sent people to investigate.”
Hengbo recognized that he was referring to "me," which meant that he had not reported the matter. Although she didn't know how he had reached an agreement with Ji Run, it wasn't her concern. She only needed a result.
In addition, she had another question: they were clearly heading towards the back hall, so why did Shen Guitang suddenly point out that it was not the way to the back hall?
When Shen Guitang saw her bring up the matter, she smiled slightly and explained to her like a patient and responsible teacher: "At the time, I only thought that the person took away the candle wax to scare us away, but I did not expect that it was a smokescreen."
"Originally, the rear hall should have been due south. However, over the years, that person has changed the only path leading to the rear hall, much like the Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains. In the darkness, it is difficult for us to notice the shift in the passageway. Therefore, what we actually arrived at was a fork in the road he led us to. As for where we finally arrived, it must have been the burial pit of the late emperor."
Upon hearing this, Hengbo quickly understood. No wonder Shen Guitang had been groping around on the stone bricks for a while.
In an effort to make it as realistic as possible, the man would have moved the original stone bricks to the newly opened side path. However, he alone could not match the exquisite craftsmanship of the artisans, so the patterns on the stone bricks on the side path would inevitably be damaged or misaligned, which is how Shen Guitang discovered the flaw.
If they had gone directly into the burial pit back then, the outcome today would be very different.
After all, for an emperor who founded his dynasty through war, the weapons buried with him would surely have been enough to kill all three of them.
Hengbo has one last question: now that they've all returned, shouldn't the imperial mausoleum be repaired?
Shen Guitang smiled faintly: "The gates to the imperial mausoleum have already been opened, so repairs are still necessary. However, the officials temporarily staying at the post station and the guards of the mausoleum area have all been slaughtered, so we need to solve the manpower problem first."
Hengbo nodded knowingly. How can the mausoleum be repaired if there are no people?
Shen Guitang continued, "Furthermore, strange phenomena have been occurring frequently at the site where Empress Dowager Zhengde's coffin is temporarily placed. According to the astronomical observation, it is because Empress Dowager Zhengde's spirit in heaven does not wish to disturb the late emperor and empress dowager's rest. If we insist on burying her in the imperial mausoleum, there may be ominous signs."
Hengbo was greatly shocked upon hearing this. She never believed in divination or prophecy, and besides, she had always disliked the late emperor and empress dowager, so she couldn't believe they would be so considerate. Therefore, upon suddenly hearing this, she felt a sense of disorientation.
Shen Guitang covered the corners of her slightly upturned lips with a folding fan. Her expression of doubting life was really cute, but the smile still disobeyed her and showed its presence from her eyebrows.
"There is no doubt that this was indeed a conspiracy, and it was done by me and Lord Ji."
...
As they left Hengbo's room, Heifeng, who had been following Shen Guitang, finally couldn't help but expose him: "You clearly didn't do anything about the matter of Empress Dowager Zhengde not being buried in the imperial mausoleum."
Shen Guitang waved his fan indifferently, "If Ji Run wants to drag me down with him, he can't just not let me collect any interest at all."
Hei Feng inwardly complained that Shen Guitang was really unwilling to suffer any loss, and then asked aloud, "You said that Ji Run dragging you into this was Wen Yue testing your stance. What do you mean by that?"
Shen Guitang was in a good mood at the moment, so she didn't mind his many questions: "It's very simple. If Empress Dowager Zhengde had not been buried in the imperial mausoleum, I, as the official of the Ministry of Works appointed by His Majesty, would definitely have been punished. The day he seemed to be confiding in me in the carriage, he was just trying to confirm whether I was willing to offend His Majesty for the sake of the late Crown Prince's kindness. In this way, Wen Yue can judge whether the princess is safe in my residence."
Black Wind panicked: "Now that Empress Dowager Zhengde is not buried in the imperial mausoleum, wouldn't you be..."
Shen Guitang interrupted him: "If the inn hadn't been massacred, things would have turned out this way, but now," he chuckled, "you just wait and see, our Emperor's hush money is about to arrive."
"Moreover," he took out a small, hollowed-out gold ball from his pocket, which was what Black Wind had been ordered to find and ultimately retrieved from the late emperor's remains.
It is said that it contains a secret that could shake the very foundation of a nation.
Yet he was casually tossing this precious and terrifying object up and down, saying, "Isn't that the purpose of our tomb exploration?"
Hei Feng remained silent, agreeing. Shen Guitang had initially set his sights on the Ministry of Works for this very reason, and now, if they could decipher its secrets, they would have the confidence to contend with Ji Heng.
...
In the Golden Palace, all the civil and military officials lowered their brows and lowered their eyes, not daring to utter a sound, a stark contrast to the heated debate that had taken place half an hour earlier.
The controversy at today's morning court session naturally revolved around the attack on the imperial mausoleum, a case that shocked the court and the public. Although the actual targets were the post station and guards near the mausoleum, it was immediately clear to anyone with discerning eyes that the mastermind was targeting the mausoleum itself, or more precisely, the emperor's construction of the mausoleum.
His Majesty wanted to build a mausoleum, but some people insisted on causing trouble. Some people with unclear minds immediately saw this as a good opportunity to flatter the Emperor, and they wished they could write a magnificent article in the main hall to curse the ancestors of those who did the sabotage.
However, this flattery backfired. Upon hearing this, the emperor's expression changed drastically. He dismissed the man from his post for using foul language in front of the emperor and declared that he would never be employed again.
Even after being dragged out of the Golden Palace, he had no idea how he had ended up in this state.
But besides those who are foolish, there are naturally those who know exactly what's going on.
His Majesty has four sons, none of whom are born to the Empress.
Although the eldest prince held the title of the eldest son, he was born with a limp, thus he was destined to be ineligible for that position from birth. Naturally, Ji Yue would not get involved in these power struggles.
The fourth prince, Ji Xing, is only six years old this year, and his mother is just an unfavored concubine in the palace. His maternal family has no power. Even if he wants to compete, he has to see if there is anyone willing to serve him.
Therefore, the most intense fighting in the court today is between the Second Prince's faction and the Third Prince's faction.
The Second Prince, Ji Xiao, is fifteen years old. His mother, Consort Hui, is the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Anguo. Consort Hui is dignified and virtuous. Now that the Empress is unwell, she is temporarily taking over the responsibility of managing the six palaces.
The Second Prince's faction was the first to launch an attack, and they naturally turned their attention to the Third Prince's faction.
As for evidence? The incident of Minister of War Yan Zong instigating his son-in-law Zhao Lian to cut corners during the construction of the imperial mausoleum only happened recently, and Zhao Lian is still in jail. At worst, we can drag him out, give him a good beating, and force him to confess to the crime of intentionally damaging the imperial mausoleum.
It was all torture to extract a confession; in any case, the Second Prince Ji Xiao is now determined to pin the blame on Yan Zong.
If Zhao Lian confesses, does Yan Zong really think he can escape? Even if he doesn't die, he'll be skinned alive.
The Third Prince's faction was truly caught off guard this time.
The emperor was extremely suspicious and abhorred the princes forming factions. Therefore, even though a group of officials had pledged allegiance to the third prince, they dared not visit him too often.
This led to many of the Third Prince's officials not even knowing whether they had actually done it.
Fortunately, all those years of navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom haven't been for nothing; at least everyone has developed a thick skin, like a city wall. Regardless of whether it was done by them or not, they'll deny it outright first.
But besides these two factions, there were also a group of censors who formed their own distinct faction. These censors were known for attacking anyone they could find, showing no respect even to the emperor.
Now that the two princes' factions are starting to fight like dogs, the censors who feel they haven't had a chance to vent their anger properly must seize this opportunity to do so.
They didn't take sides, offending both factions completely, practically pointing their fingers at the emperor and accusing him of misjudging people and failing to properly educate his son.
He watched as a perfectly good court assembly suddenly turned into a chaotic war of words among the officials, and he himself was even dragged into it.
Ji Heng felt his blood rushing backward and almost fainted from anger.
He suddenly stood up and slammed his hand on the dragon throne, but no one noticed except for the eunuchs and maids who were always by his side.
As for those officials who noticed this? They were so engrossed in their criticisms that they didn't care whether the emperor was angry or not.
Seeing that he was being ignored like this, Ji Heng was so enraged that he almost fell over. Fortunately, Eunuch Chen noticed and quickly caught him.
Unexpectedly, Ji Heng slapped him to the ground and strode into the hall with great momentum.
Seeing Ji Heng's unfriendly expression, everyone finally stopped what they were about to say, and shrank back, pretending to be quails.
Ji Heng swept his dark gaze over the Second Prince's faction: "You, very good!" He then turned and swept his gaze over the Third Prince's party, "You, very good too!"
Finally, he looked at the group of officials who were still stubbornly refusing to speak, as if they were about to crash into the pillars of the main hall at any moment... Well, he decided not to cause trouble for himself.
He withdrew his gaze from the censors and said in a sinister tone, "Since all of you ministers are so concerned about this case, I will issue an edict ordering the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate to cooperate in handling the case. I will give you seven days, how does that sound?"
The officials whose names he called stepped forward, exchanged glances, and respectfully said, "Your subject obeys the decree."
Perhaps it was a coincidence, but these three officials disdained any of the factions that had just been arguing in the hall.
Ji Heng nodded with slight relief upon seeing this, then said coldly, "I am tired, so today's morning court session is over."
Without waiting for the reactions of the others, he took a step and left the hall first. When Eunuch Chen saw that His Majesty had left alone, he quickly got up and followed him in small steps.
In the Golden Palace, Ji Heng could still control his rage, but once he returned to the Hall of Diligent Governance, he no longer needed to suppress his temper.
Sensing the impending storm, the palace maids and eunuchs had already knelt down and could not rise. Eunuch Chen, who had followed Ji Heng back, also kept his eyes down, his mind at ease, and remained silent.
Ji Heng reached out and tore open his court robe, then drank the tea that had been prepared on the table in one gulp. A few drops of clear liquid flowed down his collar from the rim of the cup, but they could not extinguish even a trace of the burning fire in his heart.
"Idiots! A bunch of idiots!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Eunuch Chen noticed that the tea in the porcelain cup was almost empty, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and come forward to pour him more tea.
Ji Heng was so angry at his timid and hesitant appearance that he laughed and scoffed, "Look at your pathetic self."
Seeing that he could still insult him, Eunuch Chen knew that his anger had subsided somewhat, and went along with him, saying, "This old servant has already accomplished the most in his life by serving His Majesty tea and water."
Ji Heng glanced at him and said, "You think you can make me happy? Did you see that today in court, no one paid any attention to me?"
At this point, his tone turned cold and stern again. Eunuch Chen quickly handed him tea, saying, "You yourself said they're a bunch of fools. What's the point of arguing with a bunch of fools?"
He was clearly just going along with Ji Heng's words, but Ji Heng was a man whose moods were truly unpredictable. He turned his head and stared at the man in front of him with a pair of sinister eyes, "Are you saying that my sons are also a bunch of fools?"
Eunuch Chen cursed inwardly, put down his teacup, and immediately knelt down, slapping himself repeatedly while shouting, "This servant deserves to die! This servant deserves to die!"
He didn't hold back at all, and soon both sides of his face were swollen, and blood began to seep from the broken corners of his mouth.
After all, he was an old man who had served him for many years. If he didn't stop him, it might discourage the people below. Ji Heng finally waved his hand to signal him to stop.
Eunuch Chen hurriedly crawled to Ji Heng's feet to apologize: "Your Majesty is magnanimous, this old servant will remember Your Majesty's grace."
Ji Heng glanced at him and softened his tone slightly: "Get up and go find Physician Liu to get some good ointment to apply to your old face, it's swollen like a pig's head."
Despite the pain, Eunuch Chen forced a grateful smile and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty..." But before he could finish, Ji Heng impatiently interrupted him, saying, "Summon Eunuch Zheng and Wen Jie."
Eunuch Chen's bowing posture stiffened, and his hands, which were hanging in his wide coat, curled slightly, but his face remained respectful as he said, "Yes, this old servant will take care of it immediately."
Since being appointed as the emperor's lecturer, Wen Tinglan has been working in the Hanlin Academy on the compilation and review of literature and history. Although he was occasionally summoned by Ji Heng to inquire about matters, they were not confidential. He can be said to be a breath of fresh air in the vortex of power.
However, since he was ranked as a fourth-rank official, he still had to attend the morning court twice every ten days.
When a young eunuch stopped him in front of his carriage and told him that the emperor wanted to see him, he showed no surprise. He gave a few instructions to his coachman and then returned to the palace.
On the way, as if to get closer, the young eunuch took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Wen Tinglan, saying, "I wonder if Lord Wen still remembers me? The last time I saw you, you had not yet won the six highest honors in the imperial examinations. My congratulations are a bit late now."
After a moment's thought, Wen Tinglan remembered that this was the little eunuch who had led the way for him when Ji Heng summoned him to Shenxiao Palace.
His cold expression softened slightly: "Thank you, sir."
Seeing his expression, the young eunuch knew that he remembered him, and his face became more sincere. Seeing that no one was around, he lowered his voice and said, "It's a bit hot today, Lord Wen, you should take extra care."
Wen Tinglan's eyebrows twitched slightly, then he nodded: "I've remembered it, thank you for your guidance, Eunuch."
The little eunuch's face grew even happier: "You can just call me Xiao Fuzi, there's no need to be so formal."
...
Inside the Hall of Diligent Governance, Wen Tinglan stood respectfully at the lower end, while Ji Heng focused intently on writing on paper.
After a while, Ji Heng put down his brush and said to Wen Tinglan, "Tinglan, why are you so reserved? Someone, please bring a seat and some tea."
As soon as he gave the order, a eunuch immediately brought over a rosewood chair, and a palace maid brought teacups to serve him.
Wen Tinglan sat down calmly, picked up the teacup, sipped it carefully, and then put it down. There was not a sound between drinking the tea and putting down the cup; her dignified demeanor was a sight to behold.
Who wouldn't find a gentleman pleasing to the eye? Ji Heng was no exception, and his anger subsided considerably.
"Tinglan was also in the hall just now. What are your thoughts on today's court assembly?"
After a moment's thought, Wen Tinglan said truthfully, "The three gentlemen are all people who strive for excellence and are pragmatic. I'm sure they will not disappoint His Majesty's expectations."
Upon hearing this, Ji Heng burst into laughter, but the laughter did not reach his eyes. "The three lords will naturally satisfy me, but what I want to ask today is not this."
His gaze suddenly turned sharp as he looked at Wen Tinglan: "Tinglan, what do you think of my two sons?"
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A message from the author: Happy New Year everyone!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-02-06 22:27:53 and 2024-02-10 22:52:00!
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