Having received Emperor Shunyuan’s rebuke, Prince Xian’s knees struck the cold golden bricks, and he dared not say another word.
He knew that at a moment like this, the more he said, the more mistakes he would make. One wrong word might well touch Emperor Shunyuan’s sorest spot.
Yet remaining silent now would be no different from waiting to die. Sure enough, a sharp glint flashed through Luo Mingpu’s eyes. He raised a written confession high above his head with both hands. “Your Majesty, this is the confession obtained after interrogating Guo Yanhua, the superintendent of the Mianzhou prefectural granary, throughout the night. Everything recorded here corresponds exactly with Lou Changsui’s confession!”
Liu Quan hurried down the steps, took the confession, and presented it to Emperor Shunyuan.
“Director Wen has surely already delivered the account books hidden by Lou Changsui to Your Majesty. Those books record the amount of spices Mianzhou paid in tribute over the years—figures that have long surpassed the limits the common people can bear. With such exorbitant taxes and levies, how could the people possibly survive?”
At this point, Luo Mingpu suddenly grew impassioned. “What is utterly intolerable is that those tens of millions of jin of spices were never offered to Your Majesty at all. Instead, corrupt officials lined their own pockets, sending them into the black market to make enormous profits. Yet the blame for these harsh exactions was left for Your Majesty to bear, along with the reputation of the Great Qian!”
Emperor Shunyuan picked up the confession and scanned the dense lines of ink. His expression darkened steadily. At last, he simply closed his eyes and slammed the confession down on the desk.
Luo Mingpu’s words had clearly struck the deepest pain in his heart. As the Son of Heaven, how could he tolerate being burdened with an undeserved reputation that would condemn him for generations?
“Shen Bi, do you plead guilty?”
“Imperial Father!” Prince Xian’s entire body shook. Trembling, he said, “Your son is innocent!”
Seeing that the situation was turning against them, Bu Zhangyi immediately scrambled forward on his knees. After shuffling several steps, he raised his voice. “Your Majesty, please judge this fairly! How can Prince Xian be found guilty based on a single confession and one man’s testimony? I have always instructed the officials beneath me that the tribute presented to Your Majesty must be of the finest quality, without the slightest flaw. My loyalty to Your Majesty is beyond question. Unfortunately, the people below me carried out their duties improperly—some were excessively harsh, while others were negligent—and that is what brought about today’s calamity!”
He continued, “Your Majesty often complains that the tea tips from Huizhou are not fresh or tender enough, yet you have never criticized the purity of Mianzhou’s spices. Clearly, this was simply a difference in how the two granary superintendents carried out their duties. Guo Yanhua failed to show compassion for the people’s suffering, and that is his crime, but his loyalty to Your Majesty cannot be slandered! Your Majesty may summon Guo Yanhua to the palace and see for yourself whether his body is covered in injuries, whether he was tortured into giving a false confession!”
“Now that things have come to this, you still dare to quibble!” Luo Mingpu was so furious that his eyes nearly split open as he pointed at Bu Zhangyi.
He had indeed used severe torture, but Guo Yanhua had also told the truth!
Bu Zhangyi did not argue with him at all. He merely kowtowed repeatedly before Emperor Shunyuan. “I implore Your Majesty to order the Three Judicial Offices to reinvestigate Guo Yanhua’s case, restore his good name, and give Prince Xian the justice he deserves!”
Gong Zhiyuan had watched the spectacle long enough. At last, he stepped out from among the assembled officials to deliver a fatal blow to Prince Xian’s faction.
Today’s scene was an exact repetition of the victory banquet, except that this time, it was not their side that had fallen into a desperate struggle for survival.
Gong Zhiyuan bowed to Emperor Shunyuan. “Your Majesty, as this old subject understands it, the Chunlai House, Lixiang House, and Red Sleeve Tower in the capital; the Spring Song House and Baide Manor in Liangzhou; the Bailan House and Morning Spring House in Songzhou; and the establishments in Liuzhou… all belong to the Liu clan, Prince Xian’s maternal family. On the surface, they have nothing to do with one another and each operates in a different place. In truth, however, they are all controlled by one person—and that person is none other than Prince Xian! Your Majesty need only send someone to investigate. These estates have received a steady supply of Mianzhou spices for years, yet those spices were never purchased from Mianzhou’s spice merchants!”
“Absurd!” Bu Zhangyi interrupted anxiously. “The Grand Secretary has no evidence whatsoever and is condemning Prince Xian based on mere speculation. What kind of justice is that?”
Gong Zhiyuan merely glanced at him, his expression calm, and continued. “Prince Xian may perhaps claim that this matter has nothing to do with him, and that the granary superintendent was merely trying to curry favor with Your Majesty by imposing excessively harsh demands on the people. But there is one matter he will find impossible to explain: where, exactly, did all the substandard tribute spices from Mianzhou go over the years?”
“Anything that failed to meet the standards was naturally destroyed on the spot!”
“Very well. Let us assume, as Lord Bu claims, that all those spices were destroyed—that the fruits of the people’s yearlong labor were squandered in their entirety.” Gong Zhiyuan let out a cold laugh, and his tone abruptly sharpened. “But how do you explain the enormous quantities of spices that found their way to the estates under Prince Xian’s name? From whom were they purchased? Can that person produce account books and receipts proving the purchases? The number of spice fields in our Great Qian is limited, and the growth of the spice trees follows its own fixed cycle. Where could so much additional spice have come from? Bu Zhangyi, you know perfectly well that a thorough investigation will expose everything. You are merely trying to buy time and grasp at a final chance of survival!”
“Grand Secretary Gong speaks with such certainty today, yet cannot produce a shred of evidence. I wonder who has deceived you into slandering a royal kinsman here in the imperial court!” Bu Zhangyi trembled with rage.
“I would never dare deceive Your Majesty.” Gong Zhiyuan’s expression turned solemn as he faced Emperor Shunyuan. “Everything I have said was told to me by the condemned criminal Cao Youwei before his death. Though Cao Youwei betrayed Your Majesty’s trust and occupied his office while doing nothing, he alone took the investigation into Prince Xian especially seriously. He knew every detail of how Prince Xian colluded with the Ministries of Revenue and Personnel, using the pretext of tribute payments to fleece the people and drain the wealth of the common folk!”
“Prince Xian’s actions did not technically violate the laws of Great Qian. They were merely another method of extorting wealthy households and ordinary people, much like the stall tax, mining tax, wine-and-vinegar tax, charcoal tax, and meltage silver. Although Cao Youwei knew how vile this conduct was, he could find no specific provision of law under which to make a formal accusation, and so he delayed reporting it. But in my view, such behavior is even more despicable than open embezzlement. These men exploit loopholes in the laws of the court to bleed the people dry layer by layer, while hiding behind the scenes to amass enormous fortunes. Yet it is Your Majesty whom the people curse!”
Bu Zhangyi roared, “Utter nonsense! How can the words of a man who deserved to die be believed?”
Gong Zhiyuan’s face filled with mockery. He no longer bothered to conceal his meaning and addressed Bu Zhangyi directly. “The Cao faction was corrupt to the core and had become the greatest evil in the court. The Former Crown Prince has already paid the price for tolerating and abetting them. I would ask you, Lord Bu: if the Cao faction could spend money like water and had influence reaching into every corner, then during all these years of struggle between Prince Xian and the Former Crown Prince, when the two sides were evenly matched, where did Prince Xian’s wealth come from? Do not tell me that Prince Xian was penniless yet still managed to fight the crown prince to a standstill!”
Bu Zhangyi froze. His lips opened and closed several times, but he could find no reply.
The struggle between Prince Xian and the Former Crown Prince had caused the court officials to choose sides. It was a secret everyone understood but no one dared mention. Yet today, Gong Zhiyuan had thrown caution to the wind. He had brutally torn away that last veil of decency, laying everyone’s disgrace bare in the middle of the court. He was clearly willing to pay any price to drag Prince Xian down with him.
But if both sides suffered, would that not merely allow Shen Zheng to profit as the fisherman?
Bu Zhangyi frantically scanned the layers of figures before him. His gaze suddenly settled on Shen Chen, short and thin, standing in a corner.
Shen Chen looked as though he had anticipated this all along, his eyes darting restlessly.
Bu Zhangyi’s heart jolted. In that instant, he understood.
How could he have forgotten? Grand Secretary Gong also had a son-in-law who was an imperial prince!
Even after losing the crown prince, if Shen Chen were raised up in his place, Gong Zhiyuan could still remain securely seated as Grand Secretary and control the entire court!
At precisely the right moment, Wen Zhuo turned his head and glanced toward where Gu Weizhi stood.
Gu Weizhi understood at once. He swept up the hem of his robe and knelt. “Your Majesty, this subject begs permission to speak.”
Emperor Shunyuan narrowed his eyes and studied him for a moment. Fleeting fragments of memory from the Spring Terrace Chess Gathering surfaced in his mind, and only then did the face before him gradually fall into place.
“Speak.”
“After entering the Ministry of Revenue several months ago, I carefully reviewed the tribute ledgers from every region and discovered that something was amiss.” Gu Weizhi remained neither servile nor arrogant. “Although the types of tribute vary from place to place, no more than one item in a hundred is usually rejected. This is true of Huizhou’s Songluo tea, Nanzhou’s silk, Jiangzhou’s porcelain, and Pingzhou’s dried fruits. Yet the rate of damage for Mianzhou’s styrax and ambergris, as well as Liangzhou’s bitter-thorn liquor, is astonishingly high. It should be noted that Mianzhou is not the only place in Great Qian that produces ambergris. Qiongzhou is also a major contributor, yet it has never reported such absurd losses.”
“Is it that the people of Qiongzhou, Huizhou, Nanzhou, Jiangzhou, and Pingzhou are more honest, and their officials more orderly? I fear that is not the case. I carefully investigated the appointments of officials in Mianzhou and Liangzhou in recent years and discovered that four years ago, Mianzhou’s prefect, Hong Bingxuan, had been in office for less than three months when Lord Tang of the Ministry of Personnel reassigned him to the remote prefecture of Gezhou. He was subsequently replaced by Lou Changsui, who had come from Bozhou. As for Guo Yanhua, the superintendent of the prefectural storehouse, he was personally placed in Mianzhou by Lord Tang seven years ago. I venture to speculate that if Lord Lou were unwilling to cooperate, he might well meet the same fate as Hong Bingxuan, might he not?”
“Gu Weizhi! How dare you!” Tang Guangzhi roared furiously. “When did the Ministry of Revenue gain the authority to interfere in the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel?”
“This subordinate naturally would not dare to overstep his authority and meddle in Lord Tang’s affairs.” Gu Weizhi bowed as he answered, his eyes clear and his manner utterly open. “This subordinate merely wishes to make one matter clear to His Majesty. Although the superintendent of a prefectural storehouse is only a low-ranking ninth-grade official under the Ministry of Revenue, he controls the acceptance of His Majesty’s tribute. In practice, he wields far greater influence than the local fifth-grade prefect. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he can act with impunity over the prefect himself. I believe anyone who has served as an official outside the capital understands this. Guo Yanhua set the standards for inspecting tribute so harshly that he clearly made things difficult for the local authorities and appears to have been demanding bribes in return!”
Xie Langyang had followed a different path from Gu Weizhi in this life, but the tacit understanding they had forged in their previous one remained. Besides, their foremost task at present was to bring down Prince Xian. He immediately stepped forward in support.
“Your Majesty, I can testify to this! Guo Yanhua of Mianzhou and Gu Geping of Liangzhou are both natives of Lord Tang’s hometown. They visit the capital every year to pay their respects, and their appointments were personally arranged by Lord Tang. Officials may be divided by rank, but offices also differ in profitability. A lucrative post such as superintendent of a prefectural storehouse is certainly not one that an ordinary person could obtain.”
“Good… Very good, very good, very good! Xie Langyang, you ungrateful bastard, stabbing me in the back! I’ll strangle you!”
Consumed by humiliation and rage, Tang Guangzhi actually disregarded courtly decorum and lunged at Xie Langyang, grabbing him by the throat with both hands.
Caught off guard, Xie Langyang stumbled backward again and again. Unfortunately, as a frail scholar, he was no match for Tang Guangzhi in the grip of his fury.
In an instant, he was knocked to the ground. At first, he still tried to preserve his dignity, doing nothing but fend him off. “Lord Tang, mind your manners! This is the imperial court—have you no shame?”
“Go to hell!” Tang Guangzhi snarled, his eyes bloodshot as he rained down punches and kicks. “You’ve been in the Ministry of Personnel for five years! When have I ever mistreated you? You’re clearly coveting my position, so you deliberately framed me!”
Driven to desperation, Xie Langyang could only fight back. The two of them immediately tumbled into a heap, tugging at each other’s official robes, their hair coming loose as they grappled without distinction between victor and loser.
“What kind of spectacle is this?” Emperor Shunyuan trembled with fury. “Guards, drag Tang Guangzhi away!”
The Imperial Guards rushed in and seized Tang Guangzhi by the back of his collar, hauling him away. Tang Guangzhi continued to struggle, and even as he was dragged out, he still had a lock of Xie Langyang’s hair clenched in his fist.
Xie Langyang scrambled awkwardly to his feet. His collar had been torn open, and blood stained the corner of his mouth and the inside of his nostrils. The carefree refinement of the noble scion he had always been was nowhere to be seen.
Covering his nose, he breathed heavily and glared darkly at Tang Guangzhi as he was dragged farther away.
Beside him, Gu Weizhi suddenly let out a long breath. He raised a hand and patted his chest, his voice carrying a hint of lingering fear.
“Thank goodness it wasn’t me he attacked.”
Xie Langyang: “…”
Emperor Shunyuan understood that Tang Guangzhi’s loss of control was nothing more than an attempt to throw the situation into chaos.
Both he and Bu Zhangyi were aligned with Prince Xian, so Prince Xian could hardly escape involvement.
What made Prince Xian more detestable than the Former Crown Prince was that his actions were more sophisticated and concealed.
Emperor Shunyuan felt guilty toward Empress Cao, and thus had always favored and shown leniency to the Former Crown Prince. Although Shen Zhen had been confined to Fenyang Terrace, he had still been treated reasonably well.
But toward the powerful Liu family, Emperor Shunyuan was filled with disgust.
Back then, the Liu family had married two of their daughters off to his elder brother and to him, hoping to cast a wide net, control the new emperor, and seize the empress’s throne.
In his rebellious youth, Emperor Shunyuan had once used Cao Xiruo as a blade, suppressing Empress Liu at every turn until she wasted away in sorrow and died.
He had granted Prince Xian his status and permitted him to associate with powerful ministers merely to appease the Liu family—to dangle a carrot before them and keep them in line.
Now that the Former Crown Prince had fallen and the Liu family had happened to reveal an opening, how could he possibly let the opportunity pass?
“Transmit My decree. Tang Guangzhi, Minister of Personnel, and Bu Zhangyi, Minister of Revenue, have colluded in corruption. Strip them of their official robes at once, revoke all their offices and titles, and remand them to the Dali Temple pending trial. Prince Xian, Shen Bi, has bathed in Imperial grace, yet secretly formed a faction and sullied My reputation. Effective immediately, revoke his title as Prince Xian, strip him of his imperial clan membership and stipend, and imprison him in the Imperial Clan Court under strict guard. Once the truth of the case has come to light, further judgment shall be rendered!”
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, the Imperial Guards swarmed forward. Bu Zhangyi continued to struggle and shout that he had been wronged, while Shen Bi stood there with a face ashen as death. Gazing at his furious father seated upon the Dragon Throne, he suddenly broke free of the guards’ grasp and let out a cold, derisive laugh.
“It is all based on conjecture. Neither Guo Yanhua nor Lou Changsui has ever met Your son or had any contact with him. The claim that the Liu family owns estates throughout the various regions is nothing more than the word of a single Grand Secretary. Yet Father immediately stripped me of my title and removed me from the imperial clan…” Shen Bi stared at him. “Father, you were waiting for this opportunity all along, weren’t you?”
“No matter how hard I tried, no matter how desperately I sought your favor, you have always despised me. Only because I am the son of the Liu family!” Shen Bi laughed through his tears, retreating again and again. “When Shen Zhen was here, you used him to suppress me, and Empress Cao to suppress my mother. Now that the Cao faction has been destroyed and Shen Zhen confined, I thought I might finally earn your favor. But you merely found another way to suppress me. You have never favored me. You have never once considered my interests. From the very beginning, I never had a chance to compete, did I?”
“You insolent wretch! Stop this nonsense!” Emperor Shunyuan was so furious that blood vessels bulged across his eyes.
Within the hall, the charcoal in the censer crackled as the embers collided. The sharp bursts of sound echoed against the high walls and thick barriers, growing louder and more intense.
The mask of righteous composure on Shen Bi’s face finally shattered. He allowed his tears to stream down, slipping along his neck and disappearing into the folds of his princely robe.
At that moment, he seemed to have become that same little boy from years ago, his hair tied in two childish knots as he ran after his father, only to be left coldly neglected at his side.
At one point, someone had told him that he was the eldest legitimate son, burdened with the responsibility of becoming Crown Prince, and that his father was strict with him only because he expected him to live up to his potential.
He had believed it. Thus, he swallowed his grievances, learned to endure and restrain himself, and pretended to be magnanimous and tolerant, making sure that everything he did was beyond reproach.
Later, someone else told him that he had not worked hard enough, that he did not know how to show consideration toward his subjects and lacked an understanding of human nature, allowing Shen Zhen to seize the advantage.
He had believed that too. Thus, he forced himself to become adept at dealing with all sides, learned to form alliances and cultivate a faction, and strove to win the praise of every official until the entire court bowed to his will.
But no one had ever told him the truth. He had lived so weary a life, struggling in vain, not because he was not good enough, but simply because his Imperial Father did not love him. He feared him. He loathed him.
His tall frame swayed like duckweed adrift in the rain, tottering as though a single blow might bring him down.
“Why do you treat us so differently when we are both your sons? Why such a difference!” Shen Bi’s voice was hoarse and shattered as he demanded, his words seemingly wrung from a bleeding heart. “You still acknowledge him as a prince, allow people to visit him, and forbid anyone from humiliating him! But what about me? What about me! Without a shred of evidence, you would have me put to death! Is it only because I carry the Liu family’s blood? Imperial Father, have you forgotten? I carry your blood as well!”
“Take him away!” Emperor Shunyuan’s roar nearly tore through the golden hall.
Shen Bi no longer struggled or shouted. He allowed the Imperial Guards to lift him up and carry him away from Wuying Hall, step by step.
The heavy snow outside the hall had stopped, but the sky had not cleared. The pale white heavens surged in like sea spray, swallowing him—this mere speck of dust—in an instant.
For all their noble imperial blood, the scions of Heaven were, in the end, no more than flesh and blood. When the curtain fell, they were no different from the common multitude.
Within the golden hall, a deathly silence reigned.
The assembled officials lowered their heads and eyes, each struggling to digest the shocking upheaval that had just taken place.
Emperor Shunyuan was exhausted as well. His body stooped slightly beneath his dragon robes, and a strand of white hair had slipped quietly onto his brow.
With two great mountains collapsing in an instant, Shen Chen, who had lingered unnoticed in a corner, finally no longer seemed so insignificant.
Choosing his moment, he stepped forward and put on an expression of childlike innocence. His tone was perfectly weighted with concern. “Imperial Father, if Lou Changsui truly is beyond forgiveness, then could there be another explanation for General Liu Kangren’s case?”
Emperor Shunyuan slowly lifted his eyes and let his gaze fall upon this son, whom he had rarely paid much attention to. His voice was indifferent. “Oh?”
Shen Chen knew that stepping forward at this moment might well draw down the remnants of his Imperial Father’s fury. But if he wanted to win Duke Liu’s support, he had to take the gamble.
This time, he could not rely on Gong Zhiyuan or Xie Langyang to speak for him. He had to make Duke Liu’s attention focus firmly on him!
“Lou Changsui once accused General Liu of stealing grain from the government granaries. But Imperial Father, think about it: Mizhou has been suffering from famine for half a year, and the common people have been ruthlessly exploited by Guo Yanhua for years. How could there still have been surplus grain in the government granaries to steal?” Shen Chen analyzed the matter slowly, putting on an air of deep consideration. “This son dares to speculate that General Liu fell into Lou Changsui’s trap and was pushed forward to take the blame for him!”
As he spoke, he stole a glance toward Duke Liu among the assembled officials.
According to his expectations, Duke Liu ought to be filled with gratitude at this moment, his eyes reddening. Even if he said nothing, surely he would thank Shen Chen silently with his gaze.
Yet, contrary to his expectations, Duke Liu stood straight despite leaning on his cane. Instead of looking at Shen Chen, he gazed over his head toward Shen Zheng, his expression complicated.
Shen Chen: “?”
What kind of response was this?
They were both deeply entangled with the Yongning Marquis’s Residence, so why did Duke Liu favor Shen Zheng instead of him?
Could it be that he was simply born more transparent than Shen Zheng?
Across the hall, Shen Zheng stood with his hands behind his back, calm and composed. Sensing Shen Chen’s astonished gaze, he arched a brow and smiled.
That smile sent chills down Shen Chen’s spine.
Had he made another mistake and fallen into Wen Zhuo’s trap?
After a brief silence, Emperor Shunyuan spoke without either anger or pleasure in his voice. “Your guess is accurate. Liu Kangren was indeed framed by Lou Changsui.”
Shen Chen’s heart leapt. “In that case, should General Liu’s good name be restored posthumously—”
“You’ve gone to such lengths.” Emperor Shunyuan cut him off, his tone still neither warm nor cold. “With so many civil and military officials in the court, you alone still remember Liu Kangren.”
Then Emperor Shunyuan suddenly uttered a bombshell. “But your concern is unnecessary. Liu Kangren has already escaped.”
It was as though a bolt of lightning had struck Shen Chen directly on the head. His mind went blank, and his ears rang loudly.
What did he mean, escaped?
He wasn’t dead?
How was that possible?
The imperial edict had been issued with such urgency. How could Liu Kangren possibly have survived?
In the blink of an eye, Shen Chen came sharply back to his senses. At last, he understood why Duke Liu had been so calm that day.
So Duke Liu had known all along that Liu Kangren was not dead!
Shen Chen’s thoughts raced. He immediately changed his approach, pretending that he had misspoken in his agitation. “What does Imperial Father mean? Could it be that during their relief efforts in Mizhou, Fifth Brother and Director Wen allowed Liu Kangren to escape from the prefectural prison?”
If he could establish that Shen Zheng had released an imperial criminal, then Heaven itself would be helping him.
Even if Liu Kangren had truly been wronged, defying an imperial edict amounted to an open challenge to the authority of the throne. Emperor Shunyuan could never tolerate it!
“Imperial Father, that was the prefectural prison of Mizhou!” Shen Chen pressed on while the iron was hot, feigning disbelief. “The bailiffs watched him in layers, and the Patrol Office kept guard day and night. How could they have allowed such a serious criminal to break out and flee?”
Once again, he glanced at Shen Zheng from the corner of his eye. Shen Zheng pretended to look flustered, but just as a note of triumph began to appear in Shen Chen’s eyes, Shen Zheng silently shaped two words with his lips—
“Idiot.”
The corners of Shen Chen’s mouth drooped, and his triumph vanished in an instant.
Wen Zhuo leisurely rolled up his cuffs, a smile playing at the corners of his lips as he offered an explanation with patient composure. “Sixth Prince may not know this, but Liu Kangren did not escape from prison. He was personally released by Lou Changsui, who has confessed to the matter without reservation. The Commandant witnessed it with his own eyes. Fifth Prince and I followed that lead, which was how we uncovered the entire nest of corrupt officials and heinous criminals in Mizhou.”
“What?!”
The words burst from Shen Chen’s lips, and he stood frozen where he was.
Xie Langyang paid no attention to the bloodstained bruise beside his eye. He stared at Wen Zhuo’s unruffled face, overcome by an indescribable sense of dread.
How had they managed to make Lou Changsui shoulder the crime of defying an imperial edict to release Liu Kangren?
