Chapter 53 Sand and Fish
Emperor Jinghe's decree arrived very quickly.
No more than three days after the winter solstice, a group of palace guards, weary from their journey, arrived in Fuling County with imperial credentials.
The one who announced the imperial edict was an unfamiliar middle-aged female official with a serious expression and a flat, emotionless voice. She unfurled the bright yellow scroll in front of everyone in the main hall of the prefectural government office.
The decree was lengthy, first praising the Fifth Princess Ling Wei for her "loyalty, courage, diligence, keen insight, pacification of the region, and pacification of the people," and characterizing the Xishan case as an achievement of "eliminating treacherous officials and demonstrating imperial power."
Then, changing the subject, he said, "With the pacification of Fuling just completed, everything is in need of rebuilding, and there are countless matters to be handled." To spare my son any trouble, he specially appointed the Second Princess Ling Yao as the "Imperial Envoy for the Post-War Affairs of Xishan," and ordered her to set off for Fuling immediately to take over all subsequent matters.
The Fifth Princess Ling Wei has successfully completed her mission and can return to the capital to report on her mission at a later date.
After the decree was read, the hall fell silent.
Zhao Ying's expression changed slightly, and she secretly glanced at Ling Wei at the head of the table.
Ling Wei remained expressionless, calmly accepting the imperial decree and expressing her gratitude. When the female official handed the decree to her, she lightly pressed her fingertips against Ling Wei's palm before stepping back.
Ling Wei understood.
Sure enough, the female official then asked Ling Wei to move to the inner hall, citing that "His Majesty has given another oral instruction to the Fifth Prince".
After dismissing everyone in the inner hall, the female official took out a private letter without a title from her bosom. The envelope bore the four characters "To Wei'er" written in Emperor Jinghe's own handwriting.
"His Majesty has instructed that this letter must be read by Your Highness personally," the lady-in-waiting said in a low voice, then bowed her head and retreated to the door.
Ling Wei opened the letter. The wording and sentence structure were less cold and formal than an imperial edict, and more like a mother's concern.
They asked her if her body could handle it, if she was used to the food in Fuling, and if she slept well at night.
Then, the pen paused, the ink darkened slightly, and it got to the point.
"The political situation is like a river; if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. I govern the world, not a pool of clear water."
Cai Mingshu was indeed greedy and despicable, but in his more than twenty years of handling various complicated and important matters, he never made any major mistakes.
Although her staff was full of corrupt officials, it also had its share of capable ones. The South River dike, salt tax, grain transport... none of these tasks could be accomplished without her team. The nobles would not deign to do them, and the upright officials would be powerless to do them.
"If we were to behead him or sever his arm now, the court would be thrown into disarray, everything would come to a standstill, and it would be no blessing for the nation."
“I know you are young and impetuous, and you can’t tolerate any imperfections. But a ruler must sometimes be able to tolerate imperfections, as long as they are still in my hands and can be used to build walls and dams for me.”
"Yao'er's trip this time has its own purpose. After this setback, the Cai faction should be less arrogant. Let's put this matter to rest. This is the best outcome for both you and the court."
At the end of the letter, Emperor Jinghe's handwriting softened slightly: "The wind and snow in the Western Mountains are cold. Return to the capital soon. Your father thinks of you day and night, and your mother... also hopes for your safe return."
Ling Wei's face remained calm, but countless thoughts were churning in her mind.
Her mother was indeed a top-notch chess player.
Letting Ling Yao take over meant that the subsequent purge wouldn't be too severe. This appeased the Cai faction while also giving Cai Mingshu a warning: Let your people see that without me, you can't even hold onto this territory of Xishan.
They also conveniently removed their fifth daughter, who had stirred up a hornet's nest, to prevent her from digging deeper into the Western Hills and uncovering something truly unmanageable.
As for the private treasury, Ling Wei unconsciously stroked the edge of the letter with her fingertips.
Emperor Jinghe made no mention of this matter in his letter. Based on her understanding of her mother, if she had truly known about it or even tacitly approved of it, she would either be furious and rebuke her for trying to guess the emperor's intentions, or she would issue a more subtle warning.
Such silence seems more like an avoidance born of ignorance: the emperor doesn't want to delve into whether the money in his private treasury is truly clean.
So, how did Tsai Ming-shu manage to do it?
Ling Wei walked to the window, gazing at the unmelted snow in the courtyard, her thoughts racing.
The most likely scenario is washing.
Cai Mingshu used front companies like Changrongji to siphon profits from illegal mining into legitimate palace purchases, tributes from various regions, and even profits from certain industries within the Imperial Household Department. This process was layered and laundered, ultimately resulting in clean accounting figures that flowed into the emperor's private treasury.
What Emperor Jinghe saw were only the "surpluses" and "savings" presented by the Ministry of Revenue or the Imperial Household Department. She might suspect that her subordinates had tampered with the accounts, but as long as the books looked good and the sources were legitimate, she would not delve into whether the blood of miners was stained underneath.
Even emperors need money to maintain their dignity.
Cai Mingshu accurately grasped this point and provided "decent money".
Therefore, Emperor Jinghe protected her not because of the spoils, but because he needed her methods of making money without getting the emperor's hands dirty.
“If the water is too clear, there will be no fish…” Ling Wei repeated the words from the letter in a low voice, a complex smile curving her lips.
Therefore, the wounds she inflicted on Xishan over those three months were ultimately nothing more than a trade-off between sand and fish in her mother's eyes.
An indescribable weariness welled up in my heart, but it was quickly suppressed.
She should have realized this long ago.
As they stepped out of the inner hall, Zhao Ying and Qing Shu were still waiting outside, their expressions revealing their worry.
Ling Wei's gaze swept over them, her voice calm and even: "I have heard His Majesty's decree. The Second Princess will be arriving soon. All case files, evidence, and prisoners in Fuling should be cataloged, sealed, and prepared for handover."
"Your Highness!" Zhao Ying couldn't help but take a step forward, "What about Sun Man, Du Wen, and those account books..."
"Do as the decree commands," Ling Wei interrupted her. "Everything that should be handed over to the Second Princess will be handed over. As for us..."
"We will depart in three days to return to the capital."
"Yes." Qing Shu was the first to accept the order and pulled Zhao Ying hard.
Zhao Ying opened her mouth, but ultimately lowered her head in dejection.
For the next three days, everyone in the prefectural government was extremely busy.
The case files were organized, the evidence was inventoried, and the list of criminals was checked. Everything was categorized and sealed, all in preparation for the arrival of the Second Princess, Ling Yao.
Ling Wei appeared to have let go, but in reality, she did two things in private.
First, Xuan Ying secretly transferred several key miner witnesses rescued from the black mine out of the city, escorted by reliable people, to the capital via another route, where they were placed in the care of trusted confidants of the Prince's Palace.
Secondly, she made a separate confidential copy of the information in Sun Man's confession concerning the core network of the Cai Party, as well as several clues about the flow of funds that she later discovered, and kept it close to her body.
These things are the blades she used to tear open the dark secrets of Xishan, and also the bargaining chips she might use in the future.
She won't hand it all over.
On the morning of the third day, before dawn, Ling Wei and her group had already packed up.
Zhao Ying, accompanied by a troop of personal guards, escorted the prince to the ten-mile-long pavilion outside the city. With red eyes, she clasped her hands in a fist salute and said, "Your Highness, please take care. This humble servant will be stationed in Fuling, awaiting Your Highness's future orders!"
Ling Wei patted her shoulder, said nothing more, and turned to get into the carriage.
Shen Zhilan was already in the car. When she saw her come in, he handed her a warm copper hand warmer.
The carriage rumbled away from Fuling County. The journey there was a covert investigation, but the return was by imperial decree to go back to the capital. The difference in their state of mind was like heaven and earth.
Carriages and horses lined the official road, heading north.
After walking for about an hour, they were already more than twenty miles away from the city.
The official road gradually narrowed, with harvested, barren fields and sparse woods on both sides. The winter sun was bleak, and the wind howled through the bare branches.
Ling Wei leaned against the carriage wall, closing her eyes to rest. Shen Zhilan sat quietly to one side, flipping through a local chronicle she had found along the way. Qing Shu rode his horse beside the carriage, his eyes scanning the front and sides warily.
Suddenly, the guards leading the way reined in their horses and made a gesture.
The convoy slowed down.
"Your Highness," Qing Shu urged his horse closer to the carriage window and whispered, "there's a situation by the roadside ahead."
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