Chapter Forty-Nine
Xia Guan Shilang Wu Li stood blankly in his own courtyard, staring blankly as the Censors of the Censorate led a large contingent of Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) to surround his house.
He couldn't believe it. Why was an abandoned courtyard in the capital where gunpowder was privately manufactured under the name of the Eldest Princess? Why was their carefully concealed secret suddenly ruined by a fire? Why did the whole thing spiral out of control? Most terrifyingly, the Emperor followed the clues and not only secretly imprisoned the Eldest Princess but also wiped out all the private profits that the Ministry of War had painstakingly cultivated over the years by taking advantage of its control over gunpowder.
"Lord Wu, we'll have to trouble you to come with us." Several censors from the Censorate, carrying a few account books in their hands, made a gesture of invitation with a forced smile.
"Your Excellency, Censor." Wu Li was already heartbroken. He knew that alarming the Censorate never ended well. Watching his servants, wives, concubines, and children being scolded and kneeling on the ground, Wu Li, the Vice Minister of War, calmed down. "My father, the Minister, is getting old. I hope that you censors will be more lenient."
He had barely finished speaking when he saw the Minister being carried out by two Imperial Guards. He was emaciated, with his feet occasionally dangling in the air.
The Imperial Censor said, "Lord Wu, you should go to the prison and serve the Minister well."
...
"My son, don't you understand?" The Minister leaned against the prison door, breathing heavily, and said with a bitter smile, "I should have thought of it sooner, I should have... cough cough!"
Wu Li: "Father, and the First Prince, we still have hope."
The Minister shook his head. "Wu Li, haven't you realized it yet? It's the Emperor. He wants to take action against the Ministry of War."
Wu Li stood there stunned, saying in disbelief, "Even if the Emperor wants to take action against the Ministry of War, that abandoned courtyard belongs to the Eldest Princess."
The Minister closed his eyes and sighed, "If that courtyard belonged to an ordinary family, would it have needed to alarm the Emperor? The Ministry of War would have dealt with it easily long ago. It's precisely because it belongs to the Eldest Princess that the Censorate was mobilized. Heh... that the Emperor can follow the clues and dig out all the things the Ministry of War has been doing all these years."
Wu Li still couldn't believe it. "Then why only investigate the Ministry of War? What about the Princess?"
Minister: "From beginning to end, we and the First Prince overlooked... cough, it's one thing that the abandoned courtyard was under the name of the Eldest Princess, but it's another thing that she was manufacturing gunpowder. Sigh, I should have realized that things weren't so simple when the Eldest Princess was involved."
Wu Li: "Father, you're not saying that the Emperor is joining forces with the Eldest Princess to begin the purge..."
The Minister stood up shakily, and Wu Li quickly supported him. "We've been living in comfort in the capital for too long, my son. Yunxiu Kingdom has been at war for five years straight. The Emperor gave her whatever she wanted. The invincible Yunzhao Army was built entirely with gold and silver from Yunxiu Kingdom. The national treasury is empty, and the northern border is still not pacified. The Princess hasn't come back to recuperate; she's come back to help the Emperor fill the national treasury, and then..."
"Father, stop talking." No matter how much Wu Li struggled, he had to admit that the whole thing was actually clear from the beginning, but they didn't expect the Emperor to be so ruthless and unscrupulous.
The Minister placed his deeply lined hand on Wu Li's hand and gave another bitter laugh. "Son, don't worry, it will be someone else's turn soon." Then, he shouted loudly to the jailer outside the cell, "Please inform the Censor that the Minister of War and the Vice Minister have both confessed."
Several heavy snowfalls subtly blanketed the capital in white, leaving everything desolate. Ordinary people busied themselves with pickling and fermenting vegetables. On the streets, bowls of steaming noodles were placed on tables one after another, and people were discussing among themselves, all clearly sensing the unusual nature of this winter.
Ever since the Minister of War and his son, the Vice Minister of War, were imprisoned, the atmosphere has been tense, and officials of all ranks are filled with anxiety.
Everyone knew perfectly well that ever since the Ministry of War became the second "Ministry of Revenue," most onlookers were extremely envious, and many of them actually had dirty hands.
Of course, there are also those who are clean-cut. At this time, they leisurely stroll along the street, casually find a stall, and happily eat a few bowls of steaming local noodles. They are eager to show their faces as much as possible, afraid that others will not know that they have no connection with the Ministry of War and are completely honest.
These people probably weren't eating hot noodles; they were eating bowls of gloating and righteous indignation.
Those who were dishonest lived in constant fear and trembling at home, finding even the most exquisite dishes tasteless. Some had even made arrangements for their deaths.
This mixture of anxiety and schadenfreude lasted for over a month, until another heavy snowfall finally brought the Censorate to put down their account books. However, the outcome was quite unexpected.
The Minister of War and his son, both exiled to the frontier, were punished. All of the Wu family's possessions were confiscated, but their wives, concubines, children, and servants were not severely punished; they were simply destined to become refugees. Everyone speculated that the Emperor had shown leniency because the father and son had confessed truthfully.
Perhaps learning from the previous example, those with dirty hands immediately handed over all their ill-gotten gains from the past few years to the Censorate. After all, the father and son were incredibly sincere in their repentance, having written down the names of almost every official who had financial dealings with the Minister and Vice Minister of War, some of whom had dealings with things unrelated to gunpowder.
The censors were also having a headache. What was originally a case of illegally manufacturing gunpowder had been turned into a case of embezzlement and bribery by the honest father and son.
Now, all the civil and military officials in the capital were gritting their teeth and trembling with fear. Those officials who could normally leave their homes were now unable to even step over their own doorsteps. The usually bustling morning court session became unusually peaceful. Everyone looked at each other, their eyes conveying a clear message: "Say less."
It's likely the Emperor didn't want to escalate the situation. Being free of official duties is a blessing, but once you're in office, you inevitably have to bear certain burdens—Emperor Zhaoming was well aware of this. A royal decree, a testament to imperial grace, finally brought an end to the gunpowder manufacturing case sparked by the fire.
Those who were more closely associated with the matter were dismissed or demoted, while those who only scratched the surface were fined. The civil and military officials, who had been on edge, finally left their homes with a sigh of relief, constantly praying for the Yunxiu Kingdom and the Emperor.
In the inner palace, Emperor Zhaoming lay on Empress Yu's lap, his soft, boneless hands tenderly massaging her head.
Emperor Zhaoming closed his eyes and said with great enjoyment, "With the Empress constantly massaging me, I can live a few more years."
Empress Yu lowered her eyes, her gaze filled with tenderness. "Your Majesty, may you live to be a hundred years old."
Emperor Zhaoming said: "People can be compared to anything, but they should never be compared to circumstances."
Empress Yu seemed to be deep in thought. After a while, she smiled sweetly and said, "Your Majesty, you seem to be in a good mood today."
Emperor Zhaoming sat up, cupped that eternally virtuous and graceful face in his hands, and smiled, his expression brightening with joy. Gazing at the woman before him, a long-cherished thought flashed through his mind—the national treasury was finally no longer empty, but it was still not enough.
After returning from the Milky Way, Mo Yinghuo went back to her clean and secluded solitary prison cell, drinking hot wine, oblivious to the heart-pounding events happening outside the court, chatting idly with the prison guards, and living a very comfortable life.
Emperor Zhaoming did visit her several times, feigning deep sorrow, but no one knows what they said to each other. Each time, the emperor ordered all unrelated people to retreat eight hundred miles away, wishing that only the two siblings remained in this unusual prison.
In truth, Mo Yinghuo didn't need to stay in prison indefinitely. All she needed to do was use her status to get the Censorate involved. The Emperor could then have her return to her residence under the pretext of illness, with the Imperial Guards stationed at the Princess's residence – it would be practically the same as being in prison. However, the residence would certainly be more comfortable than this private room; at least she could practice archery, take walks in the courtyard, and brew tea.
However, Mo Yinghuo was determined to stay in prison for a longer period of time and refused to leave no matter what. Emperor Zhaoming walked out of the prison inexplicably, muttered a few words to the chief eunuch beside him, and then returned to the palace without looking back.
Mo Yinghuo didn't particularly like this solitary cell; rather, lately, she was unsure how to face Zhao Shu. So, she decided to hide in this cell, temporarily separating herself, hoping the situation would calm down and pass by.
The Censorate fabricated a reason: the Ministry of Revenue had made a mistake in registering the name; the abandoned courtyard didn't belong to the Princess, but to someone else. Whose it was was irrelevant; why the Ministry of Revenue had made the mistake was also irrelevant. The officials, having just narrowly escaped death, had no time to care about such things; they only thought that surviving such a close call meant they had to be extra careful, and turning a blind eye might just prolong their lives.
Those two siblings were people they couldn't afford to offend. They had always been powerful enough to overshadow the emperor, but the officials suddenly realized that these four words were perfectly harmoniously integrated between the two.
Zhao Shu had just returned from Jietai Temple. During the days that Mo Yinghuo was away from the mansion, he got along exceptionally well with Granny Shen and Zhu Chunhua. Granny Shen was always shrewd, and with Mo Yinghuo absent, she treated Zhao Shu as the second-in-command of the mansion, serving him with great respect.
"Master Zhao, His Highness has returned this morning," Granny Shen said to him as he entered.
Zhao Shu: "Where is she?"
Granny Shen said with a beaming smile, "After coming out, she dragged Zhu Chunhua straight to Yanxi Tower. It's already dark, and they still haven't come back. I really don't know what they've been up to." As she finished speaking, she suddenly felt a sense of oppression, which vanished in an instant. Before she could recover, the person in front of her had already walked out of the mansion gate.
In the capital city, at the Yanxi Tower, red plum blossoms are covered in snow, red lanterns stretch to the sky, and laughter and songs fill the air. This place is both a secluded meeting place for high-ranking officials and a suitable place to dispel their troubles.
Mo Yinghuo rested his chin on one hand and raised a cup of wine in the other. With his eyes still blurry with drunkenness, he slapped the table and laughed, "Come, Gongliang Zhong, this general toasts you."
Zhu Chunhua had never been to such a place before, and her face was naturally flushed red. She dared not drink anymore and quickly supported Mo Yinghuo, saying, "Your Highness, I am Chunhua."
"Spring flowers and autumn moon..." Mo Yinghuo slowly poured the wine onto the ground. Suddenly, she patted Zhu Chunhua's shoulder and said sternly, "This princess will definitely tear the people of Shiling Kingdom to pieces!" The murderous intent that had been hidden in her calm eyes for more than 20 years suddenly overwhelmed Zhu Chunhua's eyes like a tidal wave.
Zhu Chunhua stood there stunned, at a loss for what to do. Suddenly, a figure dressed in black, thinly clad, walked into the room, and Zhu Chunhua snapped out of her daze.
"Host Zhao, what brings you here too?" Zhu Chunhua exclaimed as if she had seen a savior.
Zhao Shu glanced at Mo Yinghuo, who was slumped over the table, and asked in confusion, "Why are you so drunk?"
Zhu Chunhua shook her head. "I just told His Highness that I had returned to the manor, and she seemed to say that she dared not go back."
Zhao Shu: "Why don't you dare go back?"
Zhu Chunhua looked puzzled, her small eyes wide. "Yes, isn't that the princess's residence? Oh, right, Abbot Zhao, the Fourth Prince just came here and had a few drinks with the Eldest Princess. That Fourth Prince is really handsome, even more so than the young men who drank with the princess earlier. And..."
Zhao Shu: "Let's go back to the mansion."
Upon hearing that she was returning to the manor, Zhu Chunhua immediately perked up. "I'll go settle the bill for the wine. The Princess told me to take a few jugs of women's incense back to the manor when I leave."
"..."
"Is there Xu Gong or He Lang at Yanxi Tower?" Mo Yinghuo asked to himself, his head buried in his arms.
A moment of silence.
"Zhao Shu." Seeing no one answer, Mo Yinghuo looked up and saw a man in black robes sitting upright in front of her. She was stunned for a moment, then reacted, and slyly curled her lips. She even used the back of her hand to lightly stroke that extremely handsome bronze face, and said leisurely, "Zhao Shu, I am the dignified Princess of Yunxiu Kingdom."
After saying that, Mo Yinghuo looked very aggrieved and said softly with her head down, "How could you bully me?"
Zhao Shu was already stunned by her icy touch, but when he suddenly heard Mo Yinghuo say such a... sentence, his hands, which had been resting unintentionally on his knees, suddenly tightened, and a hint of confusion appeared in his pupils. "Your Highness, what... what did you say? You bullied me..."
Mo Yinghuo interrupted him, glanced around, tapped the intricately carved wine table with her fingers, frowned in thought, and suddenly burst into laughter, rambling incoherently, "This wine table won't do, it's too small, it can't support the weight... The couch isn't big enough either, it won't work..."
Zhao Shu had a hole in his heart. He didn't understand what Mo Yinghuo was talking about, but for some reason, he vaguely sensed a hidden, restless desire from the man's red eyes and provocative words.
After a long silence, Zhao Shu tugged hard at Mo Yinghuo's sleeve and whispered, "Your Highness, let's go back..."
Mo Yinghuo: "Zhao Shu, do you know, I actually met you a long time ago, right... um."
Zhao Shu was even more terrified than when he heard the word "bullying." He quickly tugged at Mo Yinghuo's sleeve again, "Where have I seen you before?"
Mo Yinghuo slumped over the table, "Dream..."
Zhao Shu quickly pressed, "When? What happened?"
Mo Yinghuo shook his head. "I can't say it. It's too shameless. I'm afraid you'll get angry if I do."
Zhao Shu spoke in a soft, gentle voice, as if coaxing a child, "It's alright, I'm not angry."
Indeed, it's three parts alcohol and seven parts naivety.
Mo Yinghuo beckoned to him with her finger, "Come here, I'll explain everything to you..."
Zhao Shu leaned down, Mo Yinghuo's lips almost touching his ear, her cold, moist breath flowing from his ear to his neck, but Zhao Shu paid no attention to it. His incredulous eyes widened, one hand resting on the table, his fingers digging so hard they almost dug into his palm, while his other hand gripped Mo Yinghuo's clothes tightly to prevent her from moving.
By the time Zhu Chunhua rushed into the inner room of Yanxi Tower, carrying several bottles of women's incense in her hands and tucked under her elbows, Zhao Shu's lips were already pale and bluish. His small eyes darted around as he anxiously asked, "Master Zhao, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Zhao Shu suddenly stood up. Whether it was from standing up too abruptly or from being too frightened and exhausted, he staggered and swayed his shoulders. Fortunately, he managed to steady himself by grabbing the table.
Zhu Chunhua had never seen Zhao so out of control. To say she was out of control would be an understatement; rather, it was as if she had been provoked by something. However, all the spare moments were filled with the wine that the Princess had repeatedly urged her to drink. So, she could only temporarily become one with the wine, which exuded a refreshing and intoxicating fragrance. Her bewildered yet concerned eyes rolled from side to side, sometimes landing on the Princess who was drunk and slumped on the table, and sometimes on Zhao, who could barely stand.
After a long while, when Zhu Chunhua was almost a wine sculpture, Zhao Shu finally calmly squeezed out two words from his throat.
"Return to the residence."
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