Chapter 87 The Reason for Wei Jun's Death (Part Two) "Lan Huai'en, did you do...?"
The following day, all the officials in the court learned of the rebellious prince's suicide and the punishment of the eunuch director. Shocked, they were even more perplexed by the emperor's attitude. Yang Ren, seeing the crown prince unharmed, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The emperor had become increasingly capricious in the past two years, his temper shifting in an instant. It seemed that the anger he hadn't directed at the crown prince had been vented on the eunuch director.
In short, both matters were beneficial to the stability of the court, and no one had any objections.
The three judicial departments are still involved in many cases, and the confessions of the rebel king and his cronies were sent over last night. They are currently unsure of what to do, and dare not put the matter aside or submit a memorial to the emperor, so they went to ask the chief minister in private.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Just investigate however you need to."
“Grand Secretary Yang, it is truly that we have not been able to fathom His Majesty’s intentions, and dare not act presumptuously.” Gao Mo, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, stepped forward and took out a slip of paper from his sleeve, handing it to him: “Grand Secretary, please take a look.”
Yang Ren took the document, glanced at it briefly, and then discreetly slipped it back into his sleeve. His tone remained unchanged, but his attitude had shifted: "I need not elaborate on the details of the judicial review process. This case involves treason, so we must proceed with utmost caution." With that, he turned and left. The two exchanged a knowing glance.
When Yang Ren went to the Wenhua Hall to request an audience with the Crown Prince, Chen Xiu was also there. He was hesitating whether to excuse himself and take his leave when he saw Yang Ren already presenting the note to the Crown Prince.
"Your Highness, the people on the list are very likely all involved in the treason case."
The crown prince stood up, his face somewhat somber. He turned his gaze to Chen Xiu and handed him the note.
Chen Xiu was perceptive and could almost guess what was going on from their expressions, but when he saw the names in person, his heart skipped a beat, and he asked in surprise, "Your Excellency, who is this person confessing? Is there any concrete evidence? This matter is of great importance and cannot be taken lightly. Yang He is a border general; if he is implicated, the situation in Liaodong may become unstable..."
The Crown Prince rose from his seat, paced back and forth, and said in deep thought, “His Majesty was furious about the rebellious prince’s coup, and even after learning of his suicide last night, he was still not appeased. Now, whoever crosses this line will not have a good end. However, we are all aware of the situation in Liaodong. The invasion of foreign tribes has already led to the loss of most of the land north of the Liao River. If it weren’t for Yang He’s effective defense over the years, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Right now, regardless of whether the evidence is conclusive, Great Qi cannot afford this risk. We cannot disregard the overall situation.”
She turned around and looked at the two of them intently: "In my opinion, Yang He should not be investigated any further. Naturally, His Majesty should not know about this either."
Several of them were Chen Xiu's students. Chen Xiu, who had been deep in thought a moment ago, seemed to wake up from a dream and interrupted, "Yang He was forced into this situation, and it is really inappropriate to show leniency to the others. These people are my students, and I dare to vouch for their character; they have no ill intentions. But since the judicial authorities are investigating, I dare not cover up or protect them. I only hope that the matter will be investigated as soon as possible and that their innocence will be restored."
Yang Ren looked surprised. He knew Chen Xiu's character to some extent, knowing him to be kind and righteous, but his sudden confident statement was puzzling. If those disciples really found out something, how would he handle the situation?
"In turbulent times, it's inevitable that some will take advantage of the chaos to attack and eliminate dissidents. Those with ill intentions should be thoroughly investigated, but those who use this opportunity to stir up trouble should not be let off the hook either." The Crown Prince said this, and the two understood, responding in unison, "Yes."
Afterwards, an attendant announced that another official was requesting an audience, so Yang and Chen took their leave and returned to the cabinet. Chen Xiu still looked preoccupied, and Yang Ren hesitated several times before finally saying "Jianchu" before stopping abruptly. Knowing he wouldn't get any information, Yang Ren simply coughed lightly to bring Chen Xiu back to his senses.
The autumn rain had just stopped, and the afternoon sun peeked out. The clouds had not yet dispersed, and the few rays of sunlight that pierced through were pale and weak. The air still carried a damp scent. The colors of the red walls and green tiles became even more intense, and the remaining water droplets clung to the eaves, shimmering with fragmented and mottled light.
Inside the Zhaojian Palace of the Eastern Palace, Xu Shuying finished copying a scroll of scripture, rubbed her sore eyes, and glanced unintentionally out the window. She saw an unknown little sparrow fly out of the roof and disappear in the blink of an eye. She was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, she heard a commotion outside, and a palace servant came to report: "Several newly arrived ladies of the Eastern Palace wish to see you."
Shuying sighed inwardly, a fleeting trace of pity in her eyes, and nodded in agreement.
The three women entered together and were about to bow when Shuying quickly stopped them, saying, "We are all of the same rank, there's no need to be so formal."
The concubines below the rank of "Cairen" and "Shunü" did not receive a formal investiture ceremony, and their allowances were roughly the same, so there was no clear distinction between them. Shuying had seen the lower-ranking concubines in the harem before, and most of them received little favor and simply looked after each other to get by.
Palace maids brought chairs and served tea. Seeing that this concubine was kind and gentle, the three women relaxed and began to laugh and joke with her. Shuying had been confined to the Eastern Palace for many years and couldn't remember the last time she had heard such innocent laughter. She felt a little dazed, her heart pounding inexplicably, a mixture of excitement and bewilderment.
The girls came from humble backgrounds and had excellent personalities. They quickly became close and soon even started playing a game of leaf-picking. At first, Shuying pretended not to know how, but later she stopped caring and had someone stand guard outside while she closed the door and played with them.
The three men came from different backgrounds.
The eldest among them, Jiang Tiaohua, came from a slightly better background than the others. She was originally the daughter of a minor local official. Two years ago, she entered the palace to be selected as a concubine but was not chosen. Because she lived far from home, she ended up staying in the palace by chance. She was generous and straightforward, and also capable and efficient in her work. All the female officials in the harem liked her very much.
Speaking of the past, she couldn't help but sigh: "I was about to be promoted to the seventh-rank position of the Director of the Imperial Jewelry Bureau, but I never expected to fail at the last minute. I'm really not willing to accept it."
"Wow, Sister Jiang is so young and promising!" The one who exclaimed was the youngest, Hua Gu. She was a palace maid recommended by Consort Xie. She was thin and small, with a round face and a pointed chin. Her bright black eyes could not hide her lively and spirited nature.
She picked and chose the leaf cards in her hand, muttering, "I'm just a little palace maid in Chenghua Palace who manages flowers and plants. The Imperial Concubine loves arranging flowers. One day, the Imperial Concubine arranged a vase of flowers called 'Ten Perfections Hall Flowers,' and renamed us according to the flowers: Plum Blossom, Orchid, Camellia, Narcissus, Nandina domestica, Lingzhi, Pine Branch, Cypress Branch, Persimmon, Ruyi. When she counted to the end, there was one more. The Imperial Concubine looked at the bronze vase and said, 'Then you can only be called Flower Girl.' Flower Girl, Flower Girl, it's barely better than my old name 'Fourth Sister.'"
Shuying laughed along with the others. She had seen Consort Ning arrange flowers before, and figured that the flower maker probably didn't recognize the bronze flower vase, only the sound of the glass. For a moment, Consort Sun flashed into her mind; Consort Sun also loved flower arranging.
But the next moment, Hua Gu called out to her: "I've met Sister Xu before. Back then, you were serving the young prince of Zhaoyang Palace, right? The young prince was naughty and ran outside Chenghua Palace. You chased after him so hard, and I even handed you a bowl of water."
Shuying tried hard to recall, but she couldn't remember the details at all; in those years, she had devoted herself entirely to Prince Chang Le. But she still smiled and said, "So it was you that day! Thank you so much!"
The remaining girl, Du Qiu, didn't talk much, just listened quietly to everyone's stories. Jiang Shaohua, afraid that she would be neglected, took the initiative to ask her. Du Qiu was a little shy and spoke in a soft voice: "I was brought in from outside the palace by Eunuch Sun. My family had fallen on hard times, and I had many brothers and sisters. When my parents heard that the palace eunuchs needed people, they pushed me out, saying that if I became successful, the whole family would never go hungry again."
Hua Gu, who was standing to the side, held her hand, while Shu Ying silently pushed the pastries towards her: "Yes, Xiao Qiu. Try some pastries."
It wasn't very late, but the sky was already gradually darkening. The palaces and pavilions, near and far, overlapped and undulated, their outlines blurred by the biting autumn wind. Inside the East Palace's study, the lights were bright. Chen Xiu and He Shu had just left, but Zhou Shaoyun, who had already taken his leave, lingered. Yan Chao glanced at him: "Zicheng, is there anything else?"
Zhou Shaoyun lowered his head and took a few steps forward, asking softly, "Your Highness, was the order from the rebel king to mobilize the military command given to them on your own?" When he looked up and met the Crown Prince's suddenly sharp gaze, his heart tightened, but a sense of smugness arose inexplicably. He added, "Those who committed suicide in the imperial prison were also at Your Highness's behest, weren't they?"
Yan Chao frowned, her displeasure evident in her words: "Zhou Shaoyun, you are insolent. Has no one ever told you that a subject and official should be careful with your words and actions? Based on your current slanderous accusations, I will immediately order your men to drag you out and hand you over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for investigation."
"So, you want to become the next Shen Wei?" Yan Chao sneered coldly.
“No. Shenwei has ultimately failed Your Highness, and I will do better than him,” he paused, his tone slightly lower, but each word clear, “I know that mentioning Shenwei will displease Your Highness, and I know that my confession is somewhat abrupt. Please rest assured, Your Highness, I do not wish to be his shadow, but rather the sharpest blade in Your Highness’s hand. What Your Highness points to will be what my heart desires.”
"I have no shortage of capable and loyal ministers around me. There is no need for you to make a show of loyalty. Just do your job well and you will not have failed my trust in you. Zhou Shaoyun, stop being so clever, or you will be courting death."
Zhou Shaoyun had never seen the Crown Prince speak so sternly and knew that he was already angry. It was not advisable to say anything more, lest it add fuel to the fire. He could only bow his head and say, "Your subject will follow Your Highness's teachings."
"Step back."
"yes."
Yan Chao put down her pen, pressed her temples, and closed her eyes to rest. Zhou Shaoyun was merely a minor official in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, rarely even having the opportunity to present a memorial to the emperor, and he had to be extremely respectful when communicating with his superiors. Now, he dared to act so arrogantly in front of her, relying on his relationship with Shen Wei—he was truly ignorant of his place. She shook her head, dismissing her displeasure; it wasn't worth getting angry with such a person. If he offended her again someday, she could deal with him then.
After a long silence, I slowly opened my eyes and saw several sprigs of newly cultivated pink plum blossoms in a white glazed vase on the table. I had heard that Consort Xie liked them, so the greenhouse had cultivated more of them. A few days ago, Lan Huaien had also sent me some hibiscus, which were beautiful, but they withered quickly.
Beside the plum blossoms was the painting "Ten Thousand Pines in the Wind," and she was slightly lost in thought: This winter, he would not bring a single pine branch covered in dew and snow to the East Palace.
Liang Lu entered, bowing slightly and softly calling out, "Your Highness." Seeing the documents he was carrying, Yan Chao gestured for him to put them down and casually asked, "How are those new people at Zhaojian Palace doing?"
"It's fine for them to have fun, just remind them to keep a low profile. But the palace servants below are not allowed to cause trouble. Also, keep an eye on them if they have any contact with outsiders. As for the rest, let them be."
The next few days were sunny and clear, a perfect time for crisp autumn air.
Yan Chao was extremely busy because the emperor had fallen ill again. This time it was abdominal pain, and the imperial physician diagnosed that the main cause was eating foods that were incompatible in nature. Further investigation revealed that the emperor's diet that day included ginseng and licorice soup and steamed carp.
However, the causes of this illness were complex. The emperor's health had been declining over the past two years, especially this year. He had recently suffered a major bout of anger, leading to depression, insomnia, and poor appetite. The licorice-infused carp was merely the final blow. ①
As for other important but unspeakable reasons, only the Imperial Physician dared to tell the Crown Prince in private: the Emperor had been taking the elixir of immortality for too long, and his foundation was too deeply damaged, making it difficult to remedy.
The court officials were concerned for the Emperor's health, and the memorials submitted in recent days mostly offered words of advice on taking care of himself, invariably repeatedly mentioning the drawbacks of elixirs. Whether the Emperor actually read these memorials was irrelevant, but he still needed to know that his subjects were worried and concerned for their sovereign. Naturally, the Emperor wouldn't listen.
Once the emperor had fully recovered and Yan Chao no longer needed to attend to him, he finally had some free time to visit Lan Huaien's residence. His time recuperating at home had caused the ailing emperor to think of him several times.
Lan Huaien was able to get out of bed, but his walking was still unnatural. When he saw Yan Chao arrive, he struggled to go to the front hall, but Yan Chao went into the inner room first and pressed him back onto the bed. He was somewhat flattered: "Your Highness gave me medicine that very night and then sent someone to inquire. I know Your Highness's intentions. Why did you have to come here in person? I'm fine."
Yan Chao sat down beside him, quietly observing him. He seemed to be in good spirits, though his complexion still looked somewhat sickly. After all, he had suffered a serious injury, and the emperor, in a fit of anger, hadn't held back his words. Moreover, the executioner was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so those thirty strokes of the cane must have been quite severe.
Lan Huaien felt uncomfortable under her gaze, so he casually asked, "I wonder if His Majesty is well?"
"It's nothing serious for now, just need some rest." Yan Chao thought to herself, "He's really loyal to ask me these questions now." Hearing the sound of tea boiling on the stove outside, its fragrance gradually becoming richer and sweeter, she unconsciously took a deep breath and asked, "That day before the Emperor, you didn't break in to shield me from that imperial decree of marriage, did you?" She hadn't had time to investigate further afterward, but it was clearly not a purely accidental incident.
"It was indeed an accident that I broke in. The timing of the pill was calculated by Master Wu. I didn't know that His Highness's marriage was so important..." He suddenly tried to turn over, but the movement aggravated his injury. The sharp pain shot straight to his head, causing him to gasp and his eyes to widen.
Seeing this, Yan Chao quickly helped him up and asked anxiously, "Has the wound reopened?"
Lan Huaien gritted his teeth and shook his head repeatedly.
Yan Chao frowned and turned to take off his clothes, "Let me see."
Yan Chao held him down to prevent him from struggling, and glanced at him sideways: "Since you dared to undress me that day, are you afraid of what I will do to you now?"
Lan Huaien choked, his head drooping, and he reluctantly lay down, muttering a sophistry: "I didn't mean to, and now is not the time for you to take revenge." Suddenly feeling a chill behind him, his teeth chattered, and he buried his face deep in his chest, letting her do as she pleased.
"It looks quite clean to me. If you're in a lot of pain, can you call someone in to change your dressing?"
Lan Huaien said no, and only breathed a sigh of relief after putting on his clothes, blocking any possible questions Yan Chao might ask about the injury, and jumped back to the previous topic: "That day, His Majesty was probably angry, and just happened to catch me breaking the rules, so he vented his anger, and also to show His Highness. Otherwise, if His Majesty really wanted to kill me, there would be plenty of reasons, and your pleas would be useless."
“His Majesty has never used his eunuchs to reprimand me. Lan Huaien, did you do something that gave you away?” Yan Chao brought in a teapot, poured two cups of tea, and steamed them up. Without turning her head, she said, “And you, even if you were really speaking rashly, you wouldn’t have been so careless as to say just one sentence.”
Lan Huaien stared at the wisps of white mist, as if there was a layer of emptiness before his eyes. He gestured with his lips and said, "I didn't notice anything unusual. I'll have someone investigate later. As for breaking into the palace, I was a little anxious at the time. When I heard Your Majesty was going to bestow a marriage, I thought it was about to happen, which is why I hurriedly interrupted you."
Yan Chao turned and sat down, his gaze indifferent: "Are you aware of Sun Shan's imperial decree to select concubines for the Crown Prince?"
"I don't know. His Majesty gave him a private message, and if it was a secret decree, it would be normal to keep it from me. However, isn't he His Highness's man? I thought you knew."
“I didn’t receive any prior notice. He’s a man of the Crown Prince’s man, not yours. I’ve already warned him. You need to be careful about the rest yourself. I can’t interfere in the infighting among the eunuchs.” Yan Chao paused. “These days, Zheng Hui has been filling in for you in the Directorate of Ceremonial.”
"As expected. However, Zheng Hui is a straightforward and inflexible person, so I hope he won't cause you any trouble."
As dusk fell, an inconspicuous blue sedan chair emerged from Masheng Hutong. As if on purpose, the sedan chair weaved through several alleys before disappearing into Chongwenmen Inner Street.
Zhou Shaoyun took in all of this. He took a sip of wine, closed the window, and his gaze was as deep as an icy pool.
"Your Highness, what exactly do you intend to do?"
Author's Note: ① The incompatibility between licorice and carp mainly stems from ancient texts; modern medicine has no evidence that consuming them together is harmful. This is merely for plot purposes and should not be taken seriously.
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