Chapter 51
Xuan Shu has been waiting for news from Zhang Xian.
When the night was still and the east was about to brighten, Xuan Shu finally couldn't contain himself any longer and called out, "Someone come here."
The door hinge creaked, and Feng pushed the door open and walked in: "What do you want, Your Highness?"
Xuan Shu looked out the door and said, "I've been gone for two hours. Is there any news from Zhang Xian?"
Suifeng stood with his head bowed, "Your Highness, not yet."
Xuan Shu said calmly, "I understand."
The east was already getting bright, and the faint light filtered through the carved window lattices, casting mottled shadows on the blue brick floor.
Xuan Shu threw the book in his hand, put on his clothes and stood up.
"Your Highness, are you worried that something might go wrong with Zhang Xian?"
Suifeng took a step forward and asked softly.
Xuan Shu lowered his eyelids slightly, and his long eyelashes covered the thoughts in his eyes. After a while, he spoke the words to Zhang Xian.
"Your Highness anticipated that Li Shufeng would use this opportunity to delay, so he should have taken some measures, right?"
"Not all the silver is necessary," Xuan Shu said, his smile as light as the crescent moon outside the eaves. "Just ask him to give up some of it. When daybreak comes, the officials will come to the palace to submit their petitions. I've already told Zhang Xian."
Suifeng was shocked when he heard this, his expression changing constantly, which was extremely exciting: "Your Highness... don't you plan to save him?"
Xuan Shu did not answer. He just looked out the window at the gradually brightening sky and said calmly, "Everything depends on Zhang Xian."
If he had been more resourceful, he would have gotten more money.
About a quarter of an hour later, Zhang Xian trotted through the palace gate, beads of sweat beading on his forehead. He took two steps at a time up the stairs, straightened his clothes outside the palace gate, and then shouted loudly.
"Your Highness!"
Xuan Shu was pacing in the inner hall. He looked up suddenly when he heard the voice and walked quickly to the hall door. "How is it? Is everything done?"
Zhang Xian slumped to his knees, his face still flushed from the journey. "Your Highness, we've obtained a total of 180,000 taels of gold and 1.8 million taels of silver. I've already sent people to transport them overnight, and they're all hidden somewhere safe." He wiped the sweat off his forehead and gritted his teeth, saying, "Your Highness is truly as foresighted as anyone. That Li Shufeng is truly a ruthless man! He actually tried to fool me with a mere one million taels!"
"Your Highness gave him a way out, but he's so ungrateful. He confessed that there are still three million taels missing from the capital. I saw him send people out of the city to get them. He even swore that if Your Highness would give him some time, he would return the money in full!"
Xuan Shu's heart was filled with excitement. After many days of planning, he finally achieved results!
Sui Feng, standing by, suddenly widened his eyes and asked anxiously, "There's still another three million taels? This fellow embezzled so much, he really deserves to be killed! Eunuch Zhang, have you found out the whereabouts of that silver?"
"Not really." Zhang Xian shook his head.
Suifeng didn't quite understand. "Why don't you ask? How can we not get to the bottom of such an important matter? At the very least, we should send someone to investigate! Even if we have to dig three feet underground, we will find those three million taels for Your Highness!"
Zhang Xian asked calmly, "What are you investigating? Li Shufeng is already a dying man. Once he dies, and the court confiscates his property, Your Majesty will discover his shameful activities."
"Even if His Majesty doesn't publicly order an investigation, he will order the Imperial Guard to investigate secretly. If our people rashly intervene, it will inevitably leave traces, which would be disastrous. As for finding out the whereabouts of the three million taels, there is no need for that."
"This is just a ploy to save his life. He deliberately quoted such a huge sum just to whet Your Highness's appetite and force Your Highness to save his life for this money that he hasn't yet received."
"So, whether he claimed the silver was in the capital or somewhere else, or made up other excuses, his purpose was only one - to find ways to delay."
"If that's the case, questioning him now will surely yield lies. By the time we spend days verifying his claims, the opportunity will have already passed. However, by then, as long as he can still offer a large sum of money, the mere charge of lying to protect himself... won't be enough to cost him his life."
Suifeng frowned, "What about the three million taels?"
"There should be some silver, but definitely not three million taels," Xuan Shu chuckled. "He's exaggerating, but he's doing it to save his life. As long as he survives, there will be a way around it. Even if he can't get the full three million taels, as Zhang Xian said, a few hundred thousand taels short won't kill him."
As for how much Li Shufeng has hidden privately, we will have to wait until the imperial court raids his house to count it.
At this point, Xuan Shu felt relieved. As the sky outside the window brightened, Xuan Shu rubbed his sore eyes and said, "I'm going to rest. I'll go see Father after I wake up."
It’s time to put an end to the matter of Li Shufeng.
For such treacherous ministers, it is natural to first seize their wealth and then take their lives.
…
At first light the next day, Xuan Shu had just woken up when he heard a commotion outside the palace. The eunuch on duty was arguing with the visitor, his voice shrill and impatient.
The person who came was Song Zheng.
He was not wearing his official uniform, but was kneeling on the stone steps in front of the palace in plain clothes. He was completely unaware of the heavy snow, and only shouted loudly towards the palace door:
"Your Highness! I beg Your Highness to save my teacher!"
Zhang Xian came hurriedly down the corridor, scolding the other eunuchs behind him, "You useless bastards! How could such a grown man be allowed in?! Hurry up! Drag this fool out of here! His Highness is sleeping peacefully. If we wake him up, we'll all be dead!"
Song Zheng, however, ignored him and shouted at the top of his voice, "Your Highness! Your Highness!"
Xuan Shu had already heard the noise in the hall.
Then Zhang Xian shouted, "How dare you! Do you think your life is too long?! Why don't you open your eyes and see where you are?! I think you are courting death!"
"Zhang Xian."
Suddenly, the prince's lazy voice was heard in the hall.
Zhang Xian hurriedly turned around and knelt to plead guilty: "Your Highness, please forgive me! I deserve to die for disturbing your Highness's sleep. I will kick you out right now!"
"Who's outside?"
Upon hearing this, Song Zheng immediately broke free and knelt before the palace gate. "Your Highness! I am the Minister of Personnel, Song Zheng. Today, Your Majesty summoned my mentor, Li Shufeng, who has yet to return. My mentor once instructed that if he doesn't return for a long time, only Your Highness can save his life!"
The prince stood in the warm room, where silver charcoal burned brightly in a gilded incense burner, casting his shadow on the carved window lattice. He fiddled with the heater absentmindedly and asked through the half-open window.
"What happened to him?"
On the stone steps outside the hall, Song Zheng knelt in the snow, his breath condensing on his eyelashes. He kowtowed heavily toward the figure in the window, his forehead touching the cold blue bricks.
"The elders have jointly submitted a petition and are now kneeling in Chongming Hall, urging Your Majesty to execute our teacher. If Your Majesty does not come immediately, our teacher will probably die."
Song Zheng's eyes were slightly red and his voice was choked.
"Killed?"
Xuan Shu placed the heater next to the incense burner, and the silhouette on the window paper moved slightly.
"Not yet," Zhang Xian continued, "I just heard that His Majesty is still hesitant and wants to consult a diviner first."
"Divination?"
Xuan Shu narrowed his eyes slightly.
He couldn't tell for a moment whether he really wanted to kill someone or was just looking for an excuse to delay time.
"I implore Your Highness to go to Chongming Palace. My teacher said that Your Highness will not go back on his word and will definitely be able to save my teacher."
The palace door creaked open, and light poured in like a waterfall, outlining Xuan Shu's figure with a silver edge. He stood against the light, his voice full of amusement.
"How do you know I'm not someone who doesn't keep his word?"
Xuan Shu turned around and walked inside. His eyes met Zhang Xian's briefly, and he immediately understood.
Zhang Xian squatted down, his tone as calm as if he was chatting casually, and asked casually: "Sir, please be patient. Lord Li and Your Highness are strangers. Why would Lord Li ask you to come and ask Your Highness to save him?"
When Song Zheng heard this, he felt like he was struck by lightning and his body trembled.
It's obvious that this silver is what the prince wants!
This was the person the prince had promised to save in advance!
What does he mean by asking this?
Could it be that... the prince never thought of saving people from the very beginning?
If this is true, the fact that the prince accepted money must never be known to outsiders.
So if he told the whole story of Li Shufeng's request to save the prince...
It is equivalent to...
He knew things he shouldn't have known.
And the ending is bound to be... a dead end.
Thinking of this, Song Zheng felt a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
"Don't worry, isn't Lord Li still okay? Besides, this question shouldn't be difficult to answer!"
Zhang Xian said gently with a warm smile on his face.
Song Zheng felt a sudden chill down his spine. He suppressed the trembling in his heart and said with a stiff upper lip.
"My mentor once said to me that the crown prince is the foundation of the country, and his every word and action affects the country. Your Highness, as the master of the Eastern Palace, should conduct himself with sincerity."
"The Book of Rites says, 'A gentleman's words are trustworthy and have a basis in truth.' Your Highness has been taught by sages since childhood. How could you go back on your word like a commoner?"
"Besides, the Crown Prince's words are as precious as gold. If he makes no promises, how can he win the support of the people? How can he govern the country? My dear teacher, it is precisely because he has full confidence that Your Highness will strictly abide by the Way of the Sovereign that..."
Zhang Xian sneered, "A gentleman's words should be trustworthy and backed by evidence. Three years ago, your teacher handled the disaster relief money. Of the promised 100,000 taels of silver, how much of it ultimately reached the victims? Lord Li has no idea."
Upon hearing this, Song Zheng was choked and speechless, his face turning alternately blue and red.
Zhang Xian glanced at the prince.
The prince stood still, his face expressionless. After a moment, he said, "Come here, change clothes."
As soon as he finished speaking, a group of palace maids rushed in from outside the hall.
In just a moment, the prince was fully dressed and walked out of the East Palace surrounded by his attendants.
Song Zheng stood still, his throat rolling, and in the end he didn't dare to take a step to follow.
When they arrived outside the Chongming Palace, they saw officials in blue and red official uniforms kneeling on the ground. When they saw the prince, they immediately became excited and cheered loudly.
"His Highness is here, it's His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Your Highness, I beg you to punish the traitor!"
"Li Shufeng is selling titles to amass wealth and building palaces! Your Highness, please report the truth to the Emperor and don't let this villain obscure His Majesty's hearing!"
…
There was a lot of noise outside the hall, and it could be heard clearly inside the hall.
But a moment later, Jiang He came out quickly, bowed and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty has ordered it. Please come in!"
Xuan Shu nodded slightly.
When he entered the hall, he saw three elders - Cui Qun, Su Jian and Zheng Heren - all there.
Li Shufeng knelt before Emperor Yongshou and when he saw the prince coming in, he looked at him for help, but was met with an indifferent glance from Xuanshu.
"Father," Xuan Shu bowed slightly, speaking slowly, "What's going on?"
"Your Highness," Zheng Heren said excitedly, "Li Shufeng disrupted government order and embezzled vast sums of state treasury! His son practiced sorcery, causing the palace he oversaw to be destroyed by thunderbolts. This is a warning from heaven! For Your Majesty, for Da Sui, this son must be killed!"
"The divination results also show that Li Shufeng's immoral behavior has brought upon him divine punishment!"
Cui Qun added at the right time.
Emperor Yongshou frowned, apparently hesitant.
The Crown Prince stood in the hall, a gentle breeze blowing through, lifting a corner of his sleeve. He raised his head, gazing towards the throne. His voice was clear, yet every word carried weight. "In your humble opinion, while it's better not to consult the gods, since we have consulted the stars and the heavens, it would be disastrous if we disobey their instructions."
Upon hearing this, Prosecutor Su glanced at Cui Qun out of the corner of his eye and sighed inwardly.
Lord Cui was very clever, and the Crown Prince really added fuel to the fire at the critical moment!
Cui Qun and Zheng Heren were also very excited.
The prince also made a great contribution by killing this official!
Li Shufeng was the only one standing there in shock. He wasn't completely unprepared, but he had no way out. He could only convince himself to trust the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince's words at this moment completely shattered his last line of defense.
Li Shufeng was completely panicked, and fell to his knees with a pale face: "Your Highness! Your Highness, you can't do this! I have already given away all my wealth, and you promised with your own mouth that you would protect my life! How can Your Highness..."
Exposing the prince's secrets in public like this should have dragged the prince into the water.
But Xuan Shu glanced at Li Shufeng calmly, with a faint smile on his lips.
Cui Qun was shocked when he saw this, as if he heard the sound of a huge bell - Li Shufeng is in danger, and great things are to come!
He immediately shouted, "Your Majesty! Li Shufeng is so despicable! How dare he slander the Crown Prince in public!"
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