Chapter 64
As December arrived, the weather became noticeably colder. Inside the Ministry of Rites, although basins of charcoal were added one after another, the chill remained biting.
Wei Luo was young and in good physical condition, but Liu Shen, the vice minister who was over seventy years old, was already showing signs of declining physical strength.
Wei Luo then instructed the eunuch, "Bring some more tea."
He spent the morning finalizing the list of redundant personnel to be dismissed from the Embroidered Uniform Guard with Liu Shen and Guo Zheng. By the time the list was finalized, it was already noon.
Liu Heng walked in looking anxious. Wei Luo asked, "What's wrong?"
"A large crowd has gathered at the entrance of Bingmasi, and it seems they are causing trouble!"
"...Ha, good, I've been waiting for them to cause trouble!"
Wei Luo, instead of being surprised, laughed and threw the list on the table. Just as he was about to leave the hall, Guo Zheng hurriedly called out, "Your Highness, what has happened?"
"Oh, it's just that some people were arrested."
These seemingly casual words, however, were like a thunderclap to the two regents. Arresting someone was a minor matter, but once the arrest was made, trouble would follow.
Guo Zheng stepped forward and advised, "Your Highness, news of the arson at Paozi River has spread throughout the court and the public. I know that Your Highness's actions were for the public good, not for personal gain, but—"
"Sir, do you want me to release the person?"
Wei Luo took the lead, his sharp gaze fixed on his teacher, Guo Zheng.
Guo Zheng was stunned. He didn't know why, even though the person in front of him was the same person, his appearance was completely different.
It's as if the once kind and benevolent crown prince has suddenly transformed into a high and mighty emperor, his sharp edge so striking that no one dares to look him in the eye.
Guo Zheng lowered his head slightly and lowered his voice, saying, "Keeping people imprisoned indefinitely is not a solution. I am foolish and would like to know Your Highness's plans?"
Wei Luo smiled but didn't answer directly. Instead, he pointed to the roster and asked, "Do you think these redundant staff members can be laid off smoothly?"
“Difficult!” Liu Shen’s silent sigh was the only answer he received. “There are more than 4,500 people on the list, most of whom are imperial relatives, officials and nobles. It would be a huge blow to deal with any of them.”
“That’s right. No matter what we do, they’ll make a fuss. Whether it’s stealing books or setting fires, it’s just an excuse to oppose the layoffs.”
"So Your Highness wants to make an example of someone?"
Guo Zheng was surprised. He suddenly realized that all the dozen or so prisoners held in Bingmasi Prison were on the layoff list! Immediately, his gaze toward Wei Luo became complicated.
The docile kitten has grown up and is now showing itself to everyone as a fierce tiger!
Before he could finish his thought, Wei Luo was already standing in front of him, his eyes unfathomable. "Now that I've done it, I'm not afraid of their resistance. I just need some outside help."
For Liu and Guo, Wei Luo's actions seemed like acting first and informing later, but the three of them were already in the same boat and could only work together.
The two men cupped their hands in a gesture of respect, saying, "Your Majesty, we will do our utmost."
"good."
Wei Luo turned to look at Liu Heng, gesturing for him to take out the items.
Soon, the two witnessed Wei Luo's abilities.
This is another book, which records many crimes and offenses, and seven of the perpetrators are among the dozen or so people who were arrested.
"Now, I'm relying on the two of you."
"What about...the Military Command?"
"Ignore them, let them make a scene first."
*
On the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month in the twenty-ninth year of Yongzhen, the day before the Laba Festival, a memorial of impeachment, led by the Second Grand Secretary Liu Shen and signed by Guo Zheng, the Vice Minister of Rites, and submitted by officials from the Six Ministries, arrived at the Emperor's desk.
The memorial listed the appalling illegal and criminal acts of twenty-one sons of noble families in the court, causing an uproar in public opinion. Those who were originally dissatisfied with the Crown Prince's arrests, as well as those who wanted to stir up trouble, fell silent.
If the arrests at Paozihe were just a warm-up, then this impeachment is the real deal, and the blade needs to be drawn to draw blood.
*
As evening fell, many nobles arrived at the outer residence of the Shen family in the southern city. Master Shen instructed Miao Niang to entertain them, while he found a room to have a private conversation with Wang Zhen, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Wang Zhen said, "The Crown Prince has already prepared the list of redundant officials to be dismissed, and it will be submitted to the Emperor after the Laba Festival."
Mr. Shen was immediately startled and instinctively craned his neck to ask, "Who's on the list?"
"Is there any need to guess? The booklet was drafted by the Crown Prince in consultation with Liu and Guo, and it's likely that most of those who were dismissed were our people."
Mr. Shen nodded in agreement. The two of them tacitly agreed that this was a well-intentioned scheme, using the pretext of reducing redundant staff to actually engage in factionalism and exclusion.
Although he was the crown prince, it was unavoidable.
Master Shen murmured, "I never thought I'd be at their mercy, like a fish on a chopping board."
Wang Zhen looked at him, frowned, and said, "This doesn't sound like something Lord Shen would say."
Master Shen chuckled, "Brother, a few days ago I desperately tried to send men to cause trouble at the Military Command, but I ended up being outmaneuvered. Our Crown Prince has a strong backbone!"
"That's because they have a master guiding them from behind."
Both men were seething with hatred, especially Wang Zhen, the highest commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He never expected that after years of hard work, he would be controlled by someone else at the critical moment of life and death. Seeing that his years of efforts were about to turn into nothing, his murderous intent reached its peak.
Wang Zhen gritted her teeth and urged, "What I mean is, let's just steal the roster and make it public."
Secrets are made, leaks are ruined. This is especially true when it comes to matters of official position and wealth; no one wants their "iron rice bowl" (secure job) to be shattered. As long as the list is published before the emperor issues the order, a large number of people will protest, and they will be willing to risk their lives to do so.
This bold idea had been lingering in Wang Zhen's mind for a long time, and he simply couldn't hold it in any longer when he came today.
He asked Mr. Shen for his opinion, "What do you think?"
Mr. Shen frowned and said, "Isn't this... too risky?"
"At this point, you must make a decisive decision, my brother. If this succeeds, the Crown Prince will suffer. In the end, won't it be the Third Prince and your Shen family who benefit?"
After pondering for a while with his head lowered, Master Shen couldn't help but ask, "Where to steal it? Who to send?" The potential profits were simply too great.
"I've already inquired; the roster is kept at the Ministry of Rites. As for the candidates—"
Wang Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly, dipped his finger in the tea, and slowly wrote Zhao Lian's name on the table.
No one is more suitable than him.
Mr. Shen's brows relaxed, but as Guo Zheng's son-in-law, would he help?
Wang Zhen noticed his worry, so she patted his hand and said, "Don't worry, I'll handle this person..."
As the night deepened and the dew grew heavy, Wang Zhen quietly left through the back door, and Master Shen did not go to the front hall to see anyone. In his eyes, those people were now all vengeful ghosts.
Their sons were all impeached by Liu Shen and charged with crimes punishable by exile. Now that his own son, Shen Fan, was still missing, he simply didn't have the energy to help others save their sons.
Mr. Shen simply gave up and went straight back to his home in Beicheng.
There were originally three people at the dinner table, but now only his wife and daughter are there, and Shen Fan's seat is empty.
Master Shen felt empty inside. After taking off his official robes, he intended to ask, as usual, how the search was going, but seeing that both of them looked listless, he figured the search hadn't yielded any good results, so he silently picked up his chopsticks and buried his head in his food.
Shen Yao noticed that her father looked terrible. In just a few days, he seemed to have aged ten years, and his face looked haggard.
A mix of emotions welled up inside me.
Shen Yao picked up a piece of fish and gave it to her father, her tone gentle, "Dad, please eat more, you've lost weight."
Mr. Shen looked up, nodded emphatically, and laughed, "Good, my daughter has really grown up. She knows how to care for her father now. I haven't raised you in vain... Hahaha."
Tears welled up in Mr. Shen's eyes, and Madam Shen spat out, "You're an old man with one foot in the grave, yet you're still so pretentious. Aren't you ashamed?"
One sentence made Master Shen blush, and his eyes almost pop out of their sockets.
"Woman, talking nonsense!"
Seeing this, Shen Yao chuckled and quickly changed the subject: "Dad, Mom, the food is getting cold."
Just then, a servant ran in and said loudly, "Miss, someone outside has asked me to give this to you."
It was a small note.
Shen Yao took it, and as soon as she opened it, the familiar handwriting immediately caught her eye: "See you at the Shen residence in Nancheng."
Her expression changed, and she quickly crumpled the note and held it in her hand, afraid that others would see it.
Good heavens! Why did Wei Luo go to the Shen Mansion all by herself?!
What if someone recognizes me?
My heart was pounding like a drum.
Thinking this, she couldn't sit still any longer and hurriedly got up and ran outside, saying, "I have something to do, I won't be back tonight."
"..."
*
The lights were on in the old house in the south of the city.
Although Master Shen left to avoid trouble, people still came in droves to ask for favors, and Miao Niang was the one who entertained them all.
Therefore, when the servant announced that her son-in-law "Xu Xuan" had arrived, Miao Niang almost cried with joy, "Son-in-law, you've finally come! I knew the master wouldn't leave all the people to me to deal with."
God knows how exhausted she was dealing with all those grown men!
Miao Niang then pulled Wei Luo to the front hall and introduced him to everyone, "This is my son-in-law, Xu Xuan."
"..."
Like Tang Sanzang mistakenly entering the Spider Cave, Wei Luo was instantly pulled into the center by these people. A buzzing noise came from all directions, enveloping him completely.
My mind was a complete blank, and it took me a while to figure out what had happened. It turned out that these people had come to offer bribes in order to save the unworthy descendants listed in the impeachment memorial.
They're practically offering themselves up for disaster. Wei Luo was just figuring out how to proceed with his plan when these people confessed without him even asking.
Miao Niang continued to add tea and water, and he simply sat down and, as Master Shen's son-in-law, discussed countermeasures with everyone.
...
"Thank you, Young Master Xu. Until we meet again."
When Shen Yao arrived, Wei Luo was smiling and seeing a man off.
His kind tone and elegant demeanor took Shen Yao by surprise.
She quickly pulled him aside and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, why are you here? And using Xu Xuan's identity, do you know what might happen if someone finds out—"
"Don't worry." Wei Luo interrupted her, took her cold hand in his, pulled her into his arms, and whispered, "These people don't know Xu Xuan, and as for me, even fewer people have met me. Don't worry."
"Then you can't use Xu Xuan's identity."
When she got anxious, her tone became much harsher, and Wei Luo frowned as he heard it.
"I used Xu Xuan's identity, wasn't it you who introduced me to Miao Niang? When I arrived today, Miao Niang immediately called me 'son-in-law' without saying a word and dragged me to the hall to greet the guests. I was even more surprised than you at the time, but I didn't expect that none of them knew Xu Xuan. Otherwise, how could I have fooled them?"
"you--"
Shen Yao was speechless.
She suddenly realized that Wei Luo was right.
It's really not his fault, but... but it still feels awkward.
Shen Yao looked at him strangely and snorted, "Madman."
Wei Luo was taken aback at first, but seeing her reaction, he couldn't help but laugh and asked, "Who's the madman?"
"It's just you and me here, who else is crazy?"
After saying that, Shen Yao turned and left, leaving Wei Luo standing alone, bewildered in the wind.
“…Me?” Wei Luo shook his head and smiled bitterly, then followed.
In the vast darkness, with the wind whistling in her ears, she walked extremely fast, much faster than usual. Wei Luo followed behind her, watching her figure gradually disappear into the darkness, then gradually be touched by the scattered candlelight.
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