The nights after the start of autumn are already chilly.
Qin Wenyuan returned to his residence quietly, without causing a ripple.
The old steward had already reassigned the guards at the back gate, and he personally guarded it, leading the master into the mansion.
She removed her black cloak, damp with night dew, and without stopping, went straight into the study.
The sandalwood incense wafted faintly as he stood solemnly before his beloved wife's memorial tablet, lighting three sticks of incense.
Amidst the rising smoke, a piece of plain white silk was picked up, and the fingertips gently traced the engravings on the memorial tablet.
Again and again...
The dim candlelight illuminated his serene profile, and as the incense ash fell inch by inch, time seemed to stand still at that moment.
After a long while, he turned around and sat down at the desk.
The ink stick was silently ground in the inkstone, the ink as thick as night.
He picks up his brush, dips it in ink, and writes with powerful strokes, each character penetrating the paper.
The vision in my mind has already been fully formed; now it is just a matter of pouring it onto the paper.
With the final stroke, the ink flowed freely.
Qin Wenyuan put down his pen and stared quietly at the unfolded memorial.
Once the ink has completely dried, place a heavy paperweight on top.
He slowly rose, straightened his slightly wrinkled robes, and faced the direction of the imperial city.
With solemn expression, he lifted his robe, bent his knees, bowed his head, and meticulously performed the three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony.
His movements were solemn and composed, carrying a sense of resolute determination, as if he were making a desperate gamble.
After finishing the ceremony, Qin Wenyuan took one last look at the memorial under the paperweight, then blew out the solitary lamp on his desk.
The study was instantly swallowed by thick darkness. He turned and left, his figure disappearing into the deeper night.
All was quiet except for the gentle breeze outside the window, which had quietly crept in and silently brushed against the desk.
Sometime later, the memorial disappeared without a trace.
Pan Yue, commander of the Xuanji Guard, requests an audience at the Imperial Study.
He was best at defense and was usually responsible for guarding the palace, not for intelligence gathering.
However, Lingduo was burdened with an important task at the time, so he temporarily entrusted him with the task of keeping an eye on Qin Wenyuan.
"Your Majesty, Qin Wenyuan bribed the head of the Ministry of Justice and secretly met with Jiang Jinxiao, the former Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Affairs..."
All of Qin Wenyuan's actions that night were observed by Pan Yue; there were no secrets whatsoever.
He quickly recounted the process and then presented the memorial to the emperor.
Qin Minghuang opened the book and read it quickly.
Your humble servant, Qin Wenyuan, the Junior Director of the Imperial Household Department, respectfully reports:
I confess my sins with blood and sweat, and beg for mercy so that my remaining life may be spared in order to save my wayward son.
Your subject, Qin Wenyuan, is filled with trepidation and fear. I kowtow a hundred times and risk my life to report this with tears of blood.
I am deeply grateful for the Emperor's grace and have been appointed to the position of Junior Treasury, where I am responsible for matters concerning precious tributes, ritual objects, and the Imperial Treasury.
I live in constant fear, day and night, lest I perish.
However, I am muddle-headed and incompetent. I have been framed by treacherous officials and coerced by wicked and stubborn people.
They committed heinous crimes, for which even death cannot atone for them.
Now, I know that my sins are grave and I dare not ask for forgiveness. I can only lay bare my heart and soul to tell you the whole story, and humbly beg Your Majesty for mercy.
With my humble efforts, I have managed to save my son Huaizhang's life.
Even if I were to turn to dust, I would still be grateful for Your Majesty's grace in the netherworld!
Firstly, the injustice of the old case in Linhai Prefecture in the sixth year of the Taiwei era:
In the sixth year of the Taiwei era, the land of Linhai Prefecture was overturned by a dragon, causing widespread suffering and death. His Majesty, being benevolent, issued an edict to provide relief, and his grace was boundless.
The Cui family harbored wolfish ambitions, using the guise of disaster relief to engage in embezzlement and even setting up a trap to frame loyal officials!
My only son, Qin Huaizhang, was serving as the Military Advisor of the Granary in Linhai Prefecture at the time.
At that time, he was young and honest, unaware of the dangers of the world, and was framed by the treacherous Cui family for forging accounts and embezzling grain.
At the time, I was also deceived by his deceptive appearance and failed to see through his treachery in time.
This is a vicious tactic employed by the Cui family to use the disaster as a means to build their own power!
Secondly, Chen Chen was implicated in the crime of being coerced by the Nine Gates Golden Stream Hall:
The Cui family framed my son first, and their henchmen, the villains of the "Nine Gates Golden Flow Hall," coerced me from behind.
They used Huai Zhang's crimes as leverage to coerce me into committing illegal acts within my duties as the Director of the Imperial Household Department.
They secretly intercepted the imperial camphor and traded it with them!
Camphor is a sacred object used in sacrifices to Heaven and ancestors, and in grand ceremonies of the imperial clan. I know that this is a heinous crime of blasphemy against the gods and deceiving the emperor!
However, in order to protect my illegitimate son, I was momentarily confused and committed this rebellious act!
Whenever preparations were being made for a grand ceremony, I would secretly tamper with the incense boxes while they were being packaged.
The upper half is genuine borneol, for inspection purposes; the lower half is filled with a counterfeit made by me using a secret method, which has a similar smell and appearance.
At the time of the handover, the upper half of the genuine item was used for the grand ceremony to deceive people.
The lower half of the counterfeit, along with some genuine pieces, was secretly intercepted by me and handed over to the villains of the Golden Flow Hall.
Such acts of deception and misleading the Emperor are crimes for which I am condemned to die a hundred times over!
Whenever I undertake this task, it is as if I am walking on thin ice, my clothes soaked with sweat. But when I think of my family, I can only grit my teeth and persevere, barely clinging to life.
Thirdly, Chen's minor contribution in redeeming his crimes:
Although I am trapped in a quagmire and suffering day and night, I have never dared to forget the Emperor's kindness.
To atone for my sins and to find an opportunity to save my son, I desperately pondered a plan to escape and counterattack.
Heaven have mercy! I obtained from the Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Affairs the secret method for contacting the important figures in Fengjing of the Cui family!
The method is as follows: on the fifth day of each month; at the Lanyue Pavilion in the west of the city, in the waterside pavilion in the west wing; at exactly midnight.
A white jade hairpin in the style of "Moon Reflected in a Cold Pool" is required as a token, and the contact person's name is "Mr. Bamboo".
This clue may provide His Majesty with an opportunity to uncover the Cui clan's hidden agents and follow the trail to their source.
I am willing to use this as an excuse to atone for even a fraction of my sins.
Your Majesty, weeping and grieving, pleads:
Your Majesty! I know my sins are as heavy as a mountain. I intercepted the imperial incense and deceived the emperor. Any one of these acts is enough to warrant my death ten thousand times over!
However, my son Huaizhang was actually a victim of Cui's scheme, and his injustice has not yet been redressed.
My love for my child is so deep, the pain of which is beyond words.
I humbly beseech Your Majesty to remember my many years of humble service, and to consider that this clue about "Mr. Bamboo" may be of benefit to the court. Your Majesty's grace is boundless, and you are showing mercy beyond the law!
I implore Your Majesty to show mercy and spare Huai Zhang's life.
Even if I were to die standing here on these steps, I would smile in the netherworld, forever grateful for Your Majesty's virtue!
Your subject, Qin Wenyuan, knows his crimes are beyond redemption. I kneel before the palace gates awaiting execution, my head stained with blood as I kowtow and weep in despair, awaiting my fate!
"Heh..." Qin Minghuang scoffed.
No wonder he was able to keep the royal family in check for so many years; Qin Wenyuan's abilities are evident.
The memorial was written with earnest words, but if you think about it, what did he actually give up?
Using empty promises and a packet of cheap powder, he managed to extract the contact information of the Cui family's agent from Jiang Jinxiao, and then returned to his residence to write a memorial to the throne.
He didn't know if he was being watched, but having been in power since the beginning of Taiwei, he knew his own methods, so he took a gamble.
According to him, the borneol he was "forced" to withhold was secretly traded to the Nine Gates, without mentioning what happened afterward.
Since they have already made a do-or-die decision and are willing to plead guilty, they should not be lying about this.
This shows that Qin Wenyuan is no longer of any value in investigating the iron ore mine.
Qin Minghuang pondered for a moment, then handed the memorial back.
"Put it back exactly as it was taken back."
"Go to Chengyuan, inquire about the whereabouts of the dragon's brain incense, and kill it."
"yes!"
Inside the official residence of the Jingzhao Prefecture, Qin Zhaoyue stood up and stretched her aching back.
Sitting in the armchair for too long was uncomfortable, so I curled up and took a nap, but my body ached all over from the bumps.
"I say, Lord Yinzhe, we can't just stay here all day long as the enemy doesn't show up. What kind of situation is that?"
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