Chapter 37 Imperial Edict from the Palace: Huan Xun, Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Frontier Army, is hereby respectfully welcomed...
A sentence that no one dared to answer.
Everyone was like ducks with their beaks sewn shut, completely silent.
Gao Ge was closest to Zi Jing, and when asked the question, he dared not meet the latter's gaze. He only lowered his eyes and stared intently at the pool of blood on the ground that was spreading from under the corpse and growing larger and larger.
At this moment, any smooth words or cunning schemes all turned into the stench of blood, thick with the smell of rust, in the air.
It's terrifying and makes you shudder.
He had only ever seen arrogant and domineering scions of noble families and powerful relatives, who treated their inferiors like ants and their superiors like gods. They regarded the lives of those below them as worthless and killed people as easily as slaughtering chickens, pigs, dogs, and swine.
But today, everything before him told him that not all those of lowly birth and humble origins groveled below the social class; some even dared to point their blades at the most noble and powerful in the world.
Gao Ge stared at the blood on the ground. Before he knew it, the chill that had been emanating from him gradually faded, replaced by an undisguised excitement.
He suddenly lifted his robe and knelt heavily at Zi Jing's feet, his forehead pressed against the blood-stained floor tiles, and kowtowed, saying, "Captain, I am here to expose all the evil deeds of the former master Zhao Shuhuai and the county magistrate He Ren."
"The two men are guilty of treason, smuggling grain, rape, plunder, and cruelty. All of the above charges are true."
"They not only colluded with enemy countries and sold off military equipment and supplies to the Koreans, but also used various pretexts to extort money from the people. They even condoned their subordinates' indiscriminate killing of innocent people, causing immense suffering to the populace. Even the spies sent by the lords were captured by them. Zhao Shuhuai's ill-gotten gains are all hidden in the back mountains. I am willing to report his whereabouts in detail."
Gao Ge declared: "Although I have served them, I have not served for more than a year and have no blood on my hands. Now, I am willing to stand up and testify against their crimes, hoping to atone for my crimes and cleanse the court of treacherous officials."
The prefect's staff member almost prostrated himself on the ground: "This humble servant...is willing to die for you, sir."
After a passionate and impassioned speech in which he confessed his sins, he finally came to an end.
Zijing looked at the person kneeling on the ground, listened to his confession, and chuckled softly, a laugh as cold as ice.
He strolled down the steps, the tip of his knife slicing across the ground as he circled the person who was almost lying on the ground twice.
Just as he was about to speak, the eunuch who was delivering the decree rushed in from outside the gate, raising his hand as he ran and shouting in a shrill voice, "Spare his life! Spare his life!"
The other person was sweating profusely and panting heavily, holding a bright yellow scroll aloft, which stood out against the thunder and lightning of the dark night.
I caught a glimpse of someone passing through the vermilion gate and stepping onto the long corridor.
Zi Jing narrowed his eyes, his expression changing slightly.
As the newcomer approached the end of the corridor, his murderous aura vanished, and in an instant, his demeanor changed, his robes billowing in the wind as he stepped forward to meet him.
The tall, thin eunuch descended the steps, his heels barely touching the bricks and stones of the courtyard.
He was already in front of him in an instant, suddenly kneeling on one knee, cupping his hands and holding the sword, his voice deep and respectful:
"Your subject, Huan Xun, Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Frontier Army, respectfully welcomes Your Majesty's edict."
Now that the imperial edict is in hand, if I continue to use a false identity, I will inevitably waste time with empty talk and pretense.
At this point, whether his identity was true or false was no longer of great importance to him. Besides, he would be leaving Huaiyuan soon, and revealing his true identity now would save him a lot of trouble.
One by one, everyone present knelt down in front of the bright yellow scroll.
When the eunuch heard the person in front of him announce his true identity, his pupils suddenly contracted. He had obviously not expected that the commander of the Dingbei Border Army would be here. He was so frightened that he almost dropped the imperial edict in his hand.
He remembered that when the Prince of Yan went to the palace to plead for his second son, he said that the person handling the case was just a captain.
Seemingly unable to believe that someone who had been ill was still here, the eunuch asked in surprise, "Young Marshal Huan?!"
Huan Xun raised his eyes, the sharpness in them hidden beneath a gentle exterior, the murderous intent and ferocity from before completely concealed.
He spoke with utmost respect, his voice deep and clear: "It is indeed your humble servant."
Upon hearing that he was the commander of the Northwest Frontier Army, everyone except for Xuan Ce's troops was stunned.
Gao Ge, who was kneeling on the ground, froze.
At that moment, he seemed to realize that they might have already lost from the very beginning.
The real enemy is right in front of them, yet they remain completely unaware of his true identity.
Zijing, Huanxun... he silently thought of these two names in his mind.
The character 恂 originally means sincere and respectful, and also implies humility and composure.
The original meaning of 竞 is to compete and strive, and it is extended to mean to forge ahead and be vigorous.
When people in the past chose a courtesy name, they emphasized that "the name should express virtue and complement each other with opposite meanings," which happens to be a perfect complement to the courtesy name Xun.
“Zijing, Huanxun… Ha…” Gao Ge laughed at himself inwardly. The answer to the riddle was already on the surface of the riddle, yet they hadn’t realized it at all.
It turns out that Huan Zijing was actually Huan Xun. The claim that they just happened to share the same surname was false; Zijing was simply his courtesy name. To dare use one's own courtesy name as a pseudonym shows just how audacious he was.
The eunuch glanced at the reactions of those around him, realizing he wasn't dreaming. After a couple of seconds of stunned silence, he admitted the truth.
After exchanging a few polite words with Zijing, he said, "Then... Commander, please listen to my decree."
Zi Jing respectfully replied, "Yes."
The eunuch slowly opened the imperial edict and read it aloud in a drawn-out tone:
[Imperial Edict from the Empress Dowager]
Huan Qing, hear the imperial decree:
I have long heard that Zhao Shuhuai, the Prefect of Dingzhou, is a member of the imperial clan and should be self-disciplined and devoted to public service to uphold the virtues of the Emperor. I never expected that he would betray the Emperor's grace, behave improperly, and even collude with the county magistrate to commit dereliction of duty and corruption.
In consideration of his kinship, he is hereby relieved of his post and shall be escorted back to Jian'an by your entourage to be handed over to the Censorate for investigation.
Your investigation has been thorough and has greatly comforted my heart. However, this case is of great importance, and the subsequent matters will be handled by the Censorate. You may resign from this post and need not concern yourself with it any further.
I hope you will have a good start and a good finish. Please send someone to take good care of you along the way and make sure you arrive in Jian'an safely.
Once the matter is settled, submit a memorial to report back.
So be it.
June 11th, the first year of the Xuande reign
After the Empress Dowager's decree was read, everyone looked at each other, not daring to breathe. Beneath the thunder, there was a deathly silence. Crimson lightning struck, making everyone's figures appear even more solemn.
Xie Cheng and Lu Jinshi knelt on either side of Huan Xun, their brows furrowed and their expressions of worry evident.
Killing the son of a prince is no small matter, and now the Empress Dowager has issued an imperial edict ordering the immediate handover of Zhao Shuhuai. However… his body is already cold and stiff.
How can we teach them to handle this hot potato properly?
Moreover, Huan Xun slit Zhao Shuhuai's throat with a swift stroke when he knew the imperial edict had arrived.
If someone with ulterior motives were to secretly report this matter to the eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree, it would likely trigger immeasurable disaster. Such blatant rebellion would probably bring about even more serious calamity.
The consequences... are even more unimaginable.
"Your subject... receives the decree." Just as everyone was waiting for the person kneeling in the center of the courtyard to reply, a calm voice, devoid of any fear, rang out.
Even in the midst of a fierce gale, it could be heard exceptionally clearly.
Upon hearing that he was to receive the imperial decree, the eunuch was overjoyed, secretly relieved that he had arrived at the perfect time and could finally give his master in the palace an explanation.
He then respectfully handed the imperial edict to the young man, his not-so-bright eyes darting around the dimly lit courtyard. With a fawning smile on his face, he asked, "I heard that the Prefect has come to the county government in person. I wonder if Commander Huan could introduce us? I would like to pay my respects to the Prefect in person."
The boy accepted the imperial edict, stood up, and his high ponytail fluttered in the fierce wind.
"My Lord Prefect—" He casually ran his thumb along the edge of the imperial edict scroll, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, his brows and eyes showing a deep sorrow.
The eunuch, unaware of the situation, stepped forward and asked, "General Huan, tell me quickly, how is the Prefect?"
The eunuch was extremely anxious, as if he feared that things would get out of hand if he acted rashly.
Urged on by him, Huan Xun seemed to have been thinking for a long time, and shifted his body to the side.
The crowd, who had just stood up, seemed to understand and made way for them.
In the pitch-black light, the eunuch with small, long eyes looked back and saw the person lying on the ground. He raised his whisk and pointed, "Who is that? Why is he lying there?"
Huan Xun stood beside him, a faint smile on his lips, but his tone was one of utter bitterness. He whispered in his ear, "To be honest, this man is indeed the Prefect Zhao you are looking for... Lord Zhao Shuhuai."
"Oh dear, why is Prefect Zhao lying on the ground like this, doesn't he feel..." Before he could finish speaking, the eunuch seemed to realize something was wrong. He turned to look at the person beside him, his voice trembling more than ever before: "He, Prefect Zhao, he..."
Huan Xun, unusually looking distressed, replied with a heavy heart, "Just half a quarter of an hour before the imperial envoy arrived, Prefect Zhao, despite all the evidence against him having been thoroughly investigated, still stubbornly resisted. Leaving aside his refusal to listen to interrogation for now, he attempted to escape with his confidants and mobilize the garrison to fight against Xuan Ce's army. The imperial envoy should know that using the imperial troops as a private army is a heinous crime of treason."
"His collusion with the Rouran is an indisputable fact. These two crimes combined are enough to warrant execution. In order to stabilize the morale of the army and secure the region, I had no choice but to take swift and decisive action, using my authority to execute him and his confidants on the spot." He sounded very regretful: "I just didn't expect... that it would coincide with the Empress Dowager's decree."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at the people Zhao Shuhuai had brought: "I was able to stop this riot thanks in no small part to the fact that these followers of the Prefect's Office turned to the light and informed me in time. Otherwise, there might have been some great chaos today."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Ge, who was kneeling at the very back, loudly announced his identity: "Your Excellency, everything the Commander said is true, without the slightest falsehood. He had no choice but to make this decision. I hope Your Excellency will not hold the Commander accountable."
This was the perfect opportunity to offer their "pledge of allegiance." Gao Ge was well aware of this, and He Chenlao saw it all too clearly. He then launched into a passionate speech, enumerating Zhao Shuhuai's crimes and affirming that Huan Xun's actions were all for the good of the country and its people.
After hearing Huan Xun's words, the remaining men from the prefect's office gradually abandoned their wicked schemes. Standing with a dead man in the present situation was tantamount to treason, and they might not even be able to save their lives.
Huan Xun's words had given them a chance to live. As long as they could survive, they didn't need to be his enemy. Moreover, Zhao Shuhuai's crimes were all solid evidence. Furthermore, Zhao Shuhuai's brother-in-law and advisors had already defected. Even if they told the truth, no one would believe them.
After listening to their back-and-forth conversation, the eunuch was stunned for a long time. He stared at the corpse, then suddenly his neck tilted to the side and he fainted.
*
Yu Nie got up very early to buy a gift for someone.
She, Langxi, and Ahui packed up the peacock blue paint they were going to give to the Rong family, lifted it together onto the carriage, and drove into the city.
The Rong family needed the items urgently, so the three of them went ahead. After handing over the paints, Rong Dajia invited them to stay for lunch, but considering that choosing gifts would take some time, they had to politely decline his kind invitation, citing important matters.
After drinking half a cup of tea, they prepared to get up and take their leave.
Hearing that they were going to prepare parting gifts for Huan Xun, Rong Da Jia couldn't help but speak earnestly about the news he had heard that morning. He looked around and leaned closer to them, asking, "Have the fairy and the two young Taoist priests heard about it?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Nie blinked her bright almond-shaped eyes and teased, "Why are you being so mysterious, Mr. Jia? Did you hear something interesting?"
After much deliberation, Rong Dajia's gaze swept back and forth between the three faces, and as if afraid of being overheard, he lowered his voice:
“The son of Prince Yan, Prefect Zhao of our prefecture, died last night.”
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Author's note: Inner eunuch: refers to a palace eunuch who conveys imperial edicts, not a specific position.
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