Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Forget it, I'll just have to bear it myself...
You scapegoat! Wu Haimin!
Wu Haimin seemed completely oblivious to the intense resentment emanating from Lin Yan's heart, a resentment powerful enough to burn through the earth's core. He even patted Lin Yan's shoulder with considerable satisfaction, the force conveying a greasy "Do a good job, I'll come to you again next time" vibe: "Good, good, good, I knew Lin Yuanwailang was reliable! Go ahead and do it, don't feel burdened!"
After saying that, he casually flicked his sleeves, strode back to his spacious and comfortable private room, which was filled with unimportant clutter, humming a little tune.
As Lin Yan watched the disappearing figure, he felt his blood pressure rising to the height of the chiwen (a mythical creature believed to bring good health) on the roof of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
He slumped back into the broken wooden chair, which creaked under the weight, as if groaning for its owner.
Before them stood a massive mountain of excrement, called "Double Ninth Festival Ceremony," which Wu Haimin had flung at them.
Beside him lay a mountain of his own unprocessed, nonsensical documents.
Lin Yan's gaze fell on Xie Mingyuan, briefly brightened, and then dimmed again.
no.
This job is too big and too hot to handle. Xie Mingyuan is new and not yet familiar with the business. If we rashly hand it over to him, and something goes wrong, Xie Mingyuan will suffer the consequences along with him.
Forget it, I'll just have to bear it myself.
Lin Yan resignedly, heavily, and with a sense of tragic grandeur, pulled out the files related to the Double Ninth Festival.
He took a deep breath, picked up his pen, and began to struggle through this sea of bitterness called "work".
At three-quarters past dusk, Lin Yan felt like a salted fish that had been squeezed dry, dragging his heavy steps back to the back alley of the Lin residence.
He found his way to the old locust tree with practiced ease, took out a neatly folded piece of dark-patterned paper from his pocket, and stuffed it into the cold crack in the stone.
He put extra care into writing this secret report.
The first half objectively records the atmosphere inside the government office after Zheng Jing was dragged away, as well as the performance of the new head, Xie Mingyuan.
In the latter half, the writing style shifts, and the report begins to describe Wu Haimin's "great achievements".
[...General Wu was in charge of the overall situation and had a heavy workload. Due to the cumbersome accounts after the autumn sacrifice, he was unable to handle everything himself. Therefore, he entrusted me with the detailed tasks of the Double Ninth Festival ceremony, including climbing to a high place to pray for blessings and hosting a banquet for the officials. These tasks included drafting the procedures, coordinating with various government departments, verifying the material list, and drafting the first draft of the memorial. He also mentioned that if I had any questions, I could consult him...]
Every word was flawless, filled with gratitude for the boss's "trust" and a determination to "take responsibility" for the work.
The moment Lin Yan's fingertips touched the cold stone wall and he stuffed the paper inside, the pent-up energy within him, which had been suppressed all day, finally found a secret outlet.
Wu Haimin, you scapegoat! You exploitative maniac! You have plenty of money, little work, and live close to home, spending your days drinking tea, reading newspapers, and humming tunes, while you dump all the dirty and tiring work on me!
"If you have any questions, you can ask for instructions"? What can your mouth do besides spout empty promises?!
Lin Yan clasped his hands together and bowed towards the direction of the palace: "Your Majesty, wise and mighty! I beg you to take away Wu Haimin, this thief who exploits his subordinates!"
After the prayer ended, Lin Yan entered the house and went straight to the dining table.
The palace was shrouded in darkness.
Jin Jiu appeared silently outside the side hall of Taiyi Palace, as if he were part of the shadows. He held a secret report that he had just taken from a crack in the stone under the locust tree and respectfully presented it to Li Defu, who was guarding the door.
Li Defu took it and tiptoed into the warm pavilion.
Xiao Che was leaning back on the soft couch, flipping through an ancient book by the bright candlelight, looking languid.
"Your Majesty, Jin Jiu has obtained Lord Lin's secret report." Li Defu bowed and presented the paper.
"Hmm." Xiao Che didn't even lift his eyelids, casually instructing, "Just put it there."
Li Defu placed the secret report on a corner of the imperial desk as instructed and was about to leave when Xiao Che added casually, "From now on, there is no need to extract Lin Yan's reports; just present them to me as is."
Li Defu paused, a slight tremor running through his heart.
As before? Your Majesty, this is...
"Yes, this old servant understands." Li Defu suppressed his surprise, bowed and withdrew, conveying the decree to Jin Jiu in the shadows.
A rare, faint look of bewilderment flickered across Kim Gu's perpetually unchanging face.
As is? Does Your Majesty want to see those rambling, account-like observation records? There are so many.
But he merely nodded slightly, and his figure vanished back into the darkness, as if he had never been there.
The next morning, at the Taiyi Hall.
After processing several urgent memorials, Xiao Che's gaze fell on a slightly thick piece of dark-patterned paper in the corner of his desk.
He picked it up casually and unfolded it.
Xiao Che skimmed through the first half of the passage about everyone's reactions after Zheng Jing was dragged away and Xie Mingyuan's performance, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
Hmm, it seems Xie Mingyuan is indeed a capable person; no wonder he was handpicked.
Our attention then shifts to the latter half, specifically the section about Wu Haimin.
[...General Wu is in charge of the overall situation and has a heavy workload. Due to the complicated accounts after the autumn sacrifice, he is unable to attend to everything. Therefore, he has entrusted me with the detailed tasks of climbing to a high place to pray for blessings on the Double Ninth Festival and hosting a banquet for the officials. He has also told me that if I have any questions, I can consult him...]
The handwriting is neat and the wording is respectful; there is not a single mistake.
Xiao Che lightly tapped the words "heavy workload", "too busy to be in two places at once", and "delegated to subordinates" with his fingertips.
He could almost picture Lin Yan outwardly respectful and docile, but inwardly cursing and swearing.
Just as Xiao Che thought of Lin Yan smiling, he quickly suppressed his smile.
Wu Haimin? It's him again.
The good-for-nothing son of Wu Hongzhen, the Minister of Personnel.
This guy's reputation in the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Sacrificial Affairs seems to be... not very good?
You entrust this to me?
Oh.
A strange sense of unease quietly rose in Xiao Che's heart.
Wu Haimin arrived at the Ministry of Rites earlier than Lin Yan. Before Lin Yan took up his post at the Ministry of Rites, Wu Haimin mostly exploited the previous Assistant Director of the Ministry of Rites to do his work.
Since Lin Yan had made such a clear accusation, he couldn't pretend he hadn't seen it.
"Li Defu".
“This old servant is here.” Li Defu immediately stepped forward.
"Issue an edict to the Ministry of Rites and the Department of Sacrifices: except for the newly appointed Director Xie Mingyuan, all officials of the Department of Sacrifices shall immediately enter the palace." Xiao Che gently put Lin Yan's report aside. "I want to investigate carefully who else is colluding with Zheng Jing."
Li Defu's heart skipped a beat: "Yes, this old servant will go and deliver the decree immediately."
Xiao Che picked up the jade teacup beside him, took a slow sip, looked out at the bright sunlight, and curled his lips into a very faint but slightly mischievous smile.
Wu Haimin, right?
I want to see if the Ministry of Rites can still function properly without your subordinate, Lin Yan, this doctor who oversees everything.
The atmosphere in the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Sacrifices office had just eased slightly due to Xie Mingyuan's arrival.
Wu Haimin was sitting with his legs crossed, leisurely sipping his newly arrived pre-rain Longjing tea, pondering which of his lovers' houses he would go to that evening to listen to music.
Lin Yan was like an old ox in shackles, struggling with his work, feeling his brain cells dying at a visible rate.
Suddenly, a troop of imperial guards entered the government office, and behind them was Li Defu.
Li Defu's highly recognizable face appeared at the door, followed by two expressionless eunuchs.
"Imperial edict has arrived—" Li Defu's distinctive high-pitched voice rang out.
With a whoosh, everyone sprang up as if they'd been pricked in the butt, then knelt on the ground, including a bewildered Wu Haimin and an equally confused Lin Yan.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Wu Haimin, Director of the Ministry of Rites and Sacrificial Offices, Lin Yan, Assistant Director, and Wang Jian, Principal Clerk... shall enter the palace immediately. This is the imperial decree." Li Defu's voice echoed in the silent government office.
Everyone enters the palace?
Wu Haimin's heart sank suddenly. An ominous premonition gripped him instantly. He knelt on the ground, his knees icy cold. The leisurely and comfortable feeling of sipping tea just now had vanished, leaving only his heart pounding like a drum and a chill that shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
His Majesty summoned the entire Ministry of Rites? Except for that newcomer, Xie Mingyuan?
This is clearly aimed at Zheng Jing's case; it's a thorough investigation, and it's meant to implicate others!
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant: Had Zheng Jing tampered with the accounts he had handled? Did the "tribute" he usually received count as "collusion"? Which subordinate might implicate him to protect himself?
The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. Cold sweat instantly soaked through his undergarments, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, hitting the cold floor tiles and spreading out in a small dark patch.
Lin Yan was equally astonished, but more so bewildered and with a hint of barely perceptible vigilance.
He quickly pondered: Could his report have had an effect so quickly? But why was His Majesty summoning everyone to the palace, including him, the one who had "reported"? What was going on here?
Lin Yan glanced subconsciously at Wu Haimin's terrified and cowardly appearance, and the resentment that had accumulated in her heart due to work strangely dissipated a little.
Wang Jian and the others in charge were pale as death, kneeling on the ground trembling like fallen leaves. The miserable scene of Zheng Jing being dragged away was still vivid in their minds. Was it their turn now?
"My lords, please." Li Defu's voice was calm and even. The imperial guards behind him silently stepped forward, their hands on their sword hilts, and an invisible pressure came over them.
The Imperial Palace, a side hall of the Taiyi Hall.
The group was taken directly to the vicinity of the Taiyi Hall.
However, as soon as Lin Yan arrived at the square in front of the palace, he was politely stopped by an unfamiliar eunuch: "Lord Lin, please come with me. His Majesty has other arrangements."
Lin Yan was taken aback. A separate arrangement?
Does His Majesty wish to see this secret guard?
Led by the eunuch, Lin Yan wandered through many twists and turns before finally arriving at a quiet and elegant side hall.
The hall was bright and clean, filled with the delicate fragrance of pear blossoms, and sunlight streamed through the window lattices onto the polished floor.
On a small table, several plates of delicate pastries were already laid out, along with a cup of pre-rain Longjing tea steaming with wisps of heat, and next to it was a small bowl of sweet yogurt drizzled with osmanthus honey.
"Lord Lin, please wait here for a moment. His Majesty may summon you after he has finished his official business." The eunuch bowed and then quietly withdrew, gently closing the door behind him.
Lin Yan stood in the hall, completely dumbfounded.
His Majesty wouldn't imprison everyone else while treating himself to good food and drink?
Lin Yan tentatively walked to the small table and sat down, picking up the cup of tea. The warmth emanated from the delicate porcelain. He took a sip, and the clear, mellow aroma of the tea filled his mouth, causing his tense nerves to relax involuntarily.
Who cares? I have food and drink and I don't have to be stuck in a pile of official business. It's pretty good.
Lin Yan felt that he hadn't done anything wrong and that he shouldn't be punished, so he stayed in the side hall with a clear conscience.
On the other side, in a closed duty room on the other side of the Taiyi Hall, the atmosphere was completely different from the elegant side hall where Lin Yan was.
A note from the author:
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