Chapter 15 Even someone who'd spent his whole life playing with eagles had his share of being pecked by one…
"This is a document left by the Chuzhou government four years ago. Take a look."
Ji Jinghe grew increasingly uneasy, and as he opened the book, he became even more confused.
This was indeed the document Chu Xingjian sent to Chuzhou four years ago, but it wasn't one of the ones they were looking for that had been sent in the spring. The one they had was just a routine household registration investigation, and it had nothing to do with finances, nor did it raise any questions.
Zhang Yanche gradually put away his smile and said seriously, "There is nothing we are looking for in Chuzhou. In the twenty-first year of Hongwen, Chu Xingjian only sent three documents to Chuzhou. The matters mentioned in them were all about the year-end household registration survey. They are all here."
While Ji Jinghe was looking through the documents, he said, "When I went to Chuzhou this time, I also checked the local gazetteer from that year. According to the Ministry of War's roster of post station soldiers, Chu Xingjian's documents to Chuzhou should have been issued by the end of January. However, in January of the twenty-first year of Hongwen, Chuzhou and Hezhou were experiencing heavy snow."
That heavy snowfall was a rare event in decades, so much so that the land of Chuzhou was frostbitten. To ensure the accuracy of the information, he specifically asked the local officials and elders, and they confirmed that it had indeed happened.
According to the Ministry of War's roster, on January 24th of the 21st year of the Hongwen reign, a courier delivered a document to Chuzhou. The document arrived on the 26th and returned on the 28th, a journey of no more than five days.
If it were a normal day, it would be believable, but in heavy snow, when horses are slow, how could they be so fast?
If it's true, just fill it out truthfully; why fabricate facts? It can only be said that the records on the roster are false; someone deliberately did this to deceive and mislead.
Chu Xingjian did not send any documents to Chuzhou in January, and naturally there were no documents stored in either the capital or Chuzhou. This was not, as they initially thought, that Chu Xingjian intentionally concealed the facts and destroyed the evidence in advance.
If the falsification of the roster is established, it means there will be no end to the investigation, and all the evidence he considers credible will have to be overturned and started over.
“I returned early today and took the opportunity to visit the Ministry of War. I also checked on that courier; he is still serving in the Imperial Carriage and Imperial Household Department. I can order an investigation,” Zhang Yanche said.
Ji Jinghe remained silent, placing the document he had finished reading on the table. The restlessness in his heart lingered for a long time, and his mind was entangled with various thoughts, making it impossible for him to sort out any ideas or calm down to react.
The case, which he thought would soon be solved, was actually more complicated than he had imagined.
Looking at the yellowed pages of the document on the table, his heart tightened, as if he had thorns in his back, making him restless.
Ji Jinghe casually took out two secret letters from the drawer. One was sent to him by Chu Xingjian not long ago, and the other was the one he found when he sealed off Liu Shengyuan's house.
He put the three items together and examined them closely... The unease in his heart surged more and more, making him more certain, and even giving rise to an unprecedented loathing of himself.
"The secret letter was not written by Chu Xingjian... it's fake."
Zhang Yanche was taken aback. Seeing the stiff expression on her face, he stood up and picked up the two items to compare them. He even took a step forward and moved them to a well-lit place, as if afraid of missing the slightest detail.
The handwriting on the document from four years ago was steady and deliberate, with even strokes and natural curves at the turns, especially the last stroke of the character "远" (yuan), which had a smooth trailing effect.
On the secret letter, although the characters are similar, they are noticeably stiffer. The strokes are uneven in strength, and the "walking" radical in the character "far" is angled upwards at the end, which is completely different from the previous writing.
Upon closer inspection, one can see that Chu Xingjian always added a "flying white" stroke when writing, but this feature disappeared in the secret letter, as if a different person was holding the pen.
Those unfamiliar with Chu Xingjian's calligraphy style might immediately assume it was written by the same person when compared to modern fonts. However, over time, people change, and their writing habits gradually evolve.
It can be said that this secret letter was written by the current Chu Xingjian, but it is absolutely impossible to say that it was written by Chu Xingjian four years ago.
They were all wrong.
This secret letter is fake.
From beginning to end, all his conjectures were wrong.
Someone is imitating Chu Xingjian's existing handwriting, deliberately misleading people, and is the same group of people who modified the roster.
Zhang Yanche: "The handwriting can be imitated, but how do you explain the private seal on it?"
Ji Jinghe pointed to the secret letter he had received: "If they intend to frame me, why can't they forge something that even I can?"
Thinking about it this way, the events before and after are connected.
From the secret letter obtained from Liu Shengyuan's home, to the relationship he had with Chu Xingjian and the local officials involved in the incident, to the disappearance of documents from both the capital and Chuzhou... if Zhang Yanche hadn't personally gone to investigate, they would have been kept in the dark for a long time.
And their next target for investigation will inevitably be the prefect of Chuzhou. Since the charge against Xu Yun of seizing hundreds of acres of fertile land in Chuzhou can only be traced back to Chuzhou, the investigation must begin there.
Even if the investigation yields no results, his relationship with Chu Xingjian will gradually sour, and they will eventually fall out.
After a fierce battle, the one who reaps the benefits is the one in the shadows.
No wonder he couldn't find any clues even after thoroughly investigating the Chu family; it turns out someone had already tampered with things and was deliberately trying to sow discord.
Once he confirms the secret letter, he will surely join the court in impeaching Chu Xingjian. If he can sway the emperor's mind, Chu Xingjian will be doomed.
The moment his understanding was overturned, he felt both shocked and excited, with a hint of unease and resentment mixed in, leaving Ji Jinghe unable to calm down for a long time.
He was so confident in what he considered to be established facts, but they were nothing more than a smokescreen put up by others. All his efforts a year ago, all his hostility and exploitation of the Chu family, were nothing but self-deception.
Looking at the ridiculous secret letter that had deceived him for so long, he could only laugh, mostly with self-mockery and helplessness.
Having spent his whole life playing with eagles, he eventually got pecked in the eye by one.
"Tomorrow, I will arrange a thorough investigation of the post station staff and clerks. I want to see who is behind this."
Due to the struggle between the old and new parties, Chu Xingjian secretly made many enemies, but in terms of suspicion, the only officials whose names could be named were the two current vice ministers, Xia Zhao and Yan Jun.
However, the most effective way to verify this is to start with the roster.
Zhang Yanche: "If that's the case, then let's go with the flow and pretend we don't know anything. That's the only way to put on a good show."
The sandalwood incense wafted gently, its milky white smoke disappearing into the dust. The two were lost in their own thoughts, and a tacit understanding grew silently between them.
Zhang Yanche raised his hand and touched the tea set on the small table. After a moment of thought, he said, "I forgot to tell you, when I got home today, my cousin asked me to tell you that yesterday at the Imperial Academy, he happened to witness Zheng Qinghe making a secret deal and buying a fake witness. He said he is willing to testify to seek justice for the Chu family's young master if needed."
As the words fell softly, they stirred ripples in Ji Jinghe's heart, making it impossible for him to calm down.
Wrong, all wrong.
*
Half an acre courtyard.
Baozhu continued rubbing Yu'an's injured ankle with medicated oil, casually recounting the news she'd overheard in the kitchen: "Lin Qiaoyan came home vomiting and had diarrhea, and today she came to the Ji residence and told Madam about it. Madam ordered a thorough investigation of the kitchen..."
Yu An was taken aback, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart.
Ji Jinghe did not stop it.
"Don't worry, young lady, I'm clean-cut. A thorough investigation won't find anything wrong," Baozhu reassured her, seeing her slightly stunned expression.
More than two months have passed since the wedding, but life continues as usual without any change. Baozhu can't help but worry about her mistress again, but what can she do? She's been stuck with an unreasonable blind son-in-law, and she can't expect her daughter to always be subservient.
I wonder if the girl's words still hold true, and if she'll still be willing to let go when things really come to that.
Baozhu sighed, "When I think of that orchid now, I feel it's a pity. The Xu family sent someone to say that the orchid came from Jiuwan Mountain. Didn't you also get yours from Jiuwan Mountain? How can the son-in-law be so biased?"
The more truthful it is, the more disheartening it becomes.
Since Ji Jinghe liked the orchids of Jiuwan Mountain, he could clearly tell that the ones sent by the Xu family were treasures, while the ones she gave away were simply being given away. His true intentions were crystal clear.
When Yu'an first married into the Ji family, she learned from Ji Shu that the orchids in the study were all top-quality varieties from Jiuwan Mountain. With nothing else to do, she went there and braved the heavy rain to obtain the orchids. She carefully nurtured them for a month before finally letting them go to waste.
"I won't do such stupid things again, don't worry."
Yu An glanced out the dark window and vaguely sensed a figure flash by. Just as she was wondering who it was, there was a knock on the door.
That commotion... it's Qingque.
Yu'an tucked her legs under the brocade quilt and watched as Qingque came in carrying a thick stack of papers.
“Young Madam, this is the pine soot paper that His Majesty bestowed upon the Master half a month ago. Hearing that you like watermark paper, he asked me to bring it over for you to use.”
Yu An looked up, her face full of surprise.
Not only her, but Qingque, who was ordered to do so, was also surprised. The couple had just had a big argument, and in the end, it was Ji Jinghe who lowered his head.
That pine soot paper was a secret recipe made by a hermit in Jiangnan, using Huangshan pine soot and cloud-patterned stone marrow as auxiliary materials. The paper was bluish-green like ancient jade, and the ink would melt instantly upon application. It also had a natural pine fragrance and was hundreds of times more expensive than the water-patterned paper she usually used.
You gave her such a good thing?
Baozhu looked at Yu'an, and seeing that she didn't react, she didn't reach out to take it, but asked, "Did the master say anything else?"
"No." Qingque paused, then added, "Master said that he has a day off tomorrow and wants to go to Rongshou Hall with the young mistress to pay their respects. They won't get up early; they can do it around 9:00 AM."
The sudden gesture of goodwill caught Yu An off guard, sending chills down her spine, a feeling as eerie and unsettling as a dying person eating their last meal.
Unable to sleep due to unease, Yu An woke up early to wash up and went to Rongshou Hall. On the way, she happened to meet Ji Jinghe in the corridor.
"I had already instructed someone to re-handle the matter of the Imperial Academy yesterday. I'm sorry you've had to endure this; I was too arbitrary."
Seeing the weariness in her eyes, Ji Jinghe also felt his own eyes stinging; he hadn't slept well last night either.
Things changed too quickly and were hard to accept; they needed to mend their relationship again.
Ji Jinghe's sudden straightforwardness cleared Yu An's mind, all because of this matter.
But if he didn't believe it, why did he go back and investigate again? After thinking it over, Yu'an could only attribute the reason to the Imperial Concubine.
"Is Zhuo'an's injury any better? Did you like the things I sent over?"
"Everything is fine."
Ji Jinghe's brows gradually relaxed, and he casually said, "That's good. If Jingshu hadn't told me you like watermark paper, I wouldn't know what to give you."
A note from the author:
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Tomorrow at 9 PM [heart]
Ji Jinghe: We're doomed, we were wrong (feeling guilty)
Yu An: [Question mark]
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