Chapter 331 After the Court (II)

In the Hall of Shouren.

The moment Xiang Zheng sat down, he flicked his wrist and sent a cup of freshly cooled tea crashing to the floor.

Xue Jie had long anticipated his outburst and immediately knelt down without a sound.

The other young eunuchs serving tea and sweeping the hall were scared out of their wits, collapsing into a dark sea of kneeling bodies.

Xiang Zheng sat quietly on the dragon throne, eyes closed, slowly steadying his breath.

Xue Jie knelt for as long as it took the Emperor to calm himself.

Xue Jie kept his gaze lowered, counting the shards of the broken teacup one by one on the floor.

After a long while, Xiang Zheng opened his eyes and saw Xue Jie still kneeling stock-still. Only then did his anger begin to cool. "Rise."

Xue Jie rose with some difficulty and immediately bent down to pick up all the fragments himself, handing them to the young eunuch beside him with a low voice: "Carefully piece them together. If any piece is chipped or cracked at the edge, report back to me. Mind you don't let His Majesty cut his feet on any shards."

He knew his humility would please Xiang Zheng and spare him a great deal of unnecessary trouble.

Sure enough, after the young eunuch scurried off in fear and Xue Jie turned back around, Xiang Zheng's expression had visibly softened, even turning a bit teasing: "Old Geezer, your legs aren't what they used to be, are they?"

Xue Jie replied gently, "His Majesty sees clearly. This old servant's legs aren't what they once were at this age. But if His Majesty commands, this old servant would crawl if he had to."

Seeing him so docile, Xiang Zheng, for all his fury, couldn't bring himself to take it out on this pitiful old dog begging for mercy. "Enough. Go fetch another cup of tea."

Xue Jie acknowledged the order and withdrew, his steps a little unsteady.

When he returned, he brought not only tea but also a piece of news: "Your Majesty, Deputy Commander Qiu has returned to the capital and is waiting outside the hall for your summons, saying he has something to report."

Xiang Zheng's hand froze as he reached for the tea. "Bring him in."

Qiu Sinian had returned almost at the same time as Le Wuya, having been thoroughly diligent in his surveillance and investigation duties.

He'd written a long memorial detailing every step of his pursuit with exhaustive precision.

The memorial was easy to write—he just had to leave out every point where he and Le Wuya's group crossed paths, and the story still held up perfectly.

After Xiang Zheng finished reading it, he asked, "What about that young guard who went with you?"

Qiu Sinian answered in writing: "He's waiting outside the hall for your summons."

Xiang Zheng gave another order: "Bring him in."

When Ji Zhun stepped onto the soft carpet, it felt like walking on clouds—soft and weightless. But when his gaze swept past the corner of the imperial yellow robe, he realized that it wasn't the carpet that was soft—it was his legs.

He nearly went limp on the spot, dropping to his knees with a thud. "Y-Your Majesty!"

Xiang Zheng was sharp. One look told him the man was guilty and nervous, and his face darkened. "Speak."

He'd expected the man, in his panic, to slip up.

But to his surprise, Ji Zhun's story matched Le Wuya's to the letter.

Though Ji Zhun wasn't good at lying, it was easy enough to tell only what he'd seen with his own eyes while hiding what he didn't want known.

He had indeed seen the yamen runner A Shun kill someone with his own eyes, after which he and Zhong Piaoping were thrown into jail together.

After being cleared, Le Wuya told him to head to Xiaolianzi Mountain with Wang Cheng.

He'd been inexplicably chased by the mountain garrison soldiers, then had to dodge a sudden mudslide, barely escaping with his life...

Xiang Zheng asked the key question: "Why did Wenren Mingke send you to Xiaolianzi Mountain?"

Ji Zhun said, sounding wronged: "Th-That Lord Wenren seemed to have figured out this humble one's identity..."

Xiang Zheng: "..." Was there even a "seemed" about it?

If his timing and location weren't so suspicious, why would Zhong Piaoping have attacked him on sight?

But Ji Zhun had his own logic.

He said timidly in his defense: "Lord Wang sent this humble one to tail Surveillance Commissioner Wenren, originally to gather intel. This humble one thought at the time that if he could use this chance to earn Surveillance Commissioner Wenren's trust, wouldn't he be able to dig up even more secrets..."

Under the Emperor's stare, his head sank lower and lower. "This humble one... knew he'd been made. Other than stubbornly going along with them, there was really no other choice..."

As for what happened next, his story matched Le Wuya's again.

By the end, Xiang Zheng was at a loss for words.

When had the Changmen Guard gotten this bad?

Without realizing it, his disappointment and dissatisfaction with Wang Su ticked up another notch.

What Xiang Zheng couldn't possibly understand was that Wang Su had picked Ji Zhun precisely because of his sworn-brother bond with Qiu Sinian.

Wang Su wasn't just keeping tabs on Le Wuya—he was also watching Qiu Sinian.

He didn't like this Deputy Commander Qiu Sinian.

No chief in any position would like a blade that wasn't swung for them.

But in Xiang Zheng's eyes, the bottom line was that Wang Su had picked a useless fool who could ruin everything.

What was he playing at?

Was he trying to send someone with a loose mouth who was easy to control, so he could later use his words to cook up slander against Wenren Yue?

Or was this guy actually some formidable character in disguise?

Xiang Zheng turned to Qiu Sinian, his expression unchanged: "Qiu Sinian, as Deputy Commander of the Changmen Guard, don't you know how to keep your men in line?"

Qiu Sinian, down on one knee, lowered his head, his face like iron, looking like a man sincerely owning his mistake.

Xiang Zheng: "..."

Tsk.

He'd forgotten the man couldn't speak.

Though Qiu Sinian held the title of Deputy Commander of the Changmen Guard, he'd always been a lone wolf. When you gave him a surveillance mission, it was always foolproof. But he had no tongue and no heart—he never asked about or cared what happened to anyone else, relying entirely on his formidable skills and cold, hard demeanor to keep the Changmen Guards under him in check.

His style had never changed, just like when he'd once ignored whether Le Wuya lived or died.

Le Wuya's death had been Xiang Zheng's final test for Qiu Sinian.

He didn't relay messages for Le Wuya, didn't send medicine, didn't send food—he watched his former master walk step by step toward death.

Qiu Sinian passed this test, and only then earned the qualification to become Deputy Commander of the Changmen Guard.

Such a cold and effective tool—what Xiang Zheng valued in him was precisely his ruthlessness and sharpness, and the fact that he could never build a power base.

If even he had now learned to "groom" subordinates and cultivate loyalists, then with his superb qinggong, given time, wouldn't the entire Changmen Guard end up in his pocket?

The more he thought about it, the more likely the latter possibility seemed.

This Ji Zhun might well be playing dumb—a real wolf in sheep's clothing.

Xiang Zheng asked, "Who set the fire in Dansui County prison, to silence the witnesses?"

Ji Zhun said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, it was this humble one."

Xiang Zheng: "..."

Recalling Qiu Sinian's instructions, Ji Zhun confessed, "At the time, this humble one overheard that Surveillance Commissioner Wenren had traced it back to Lord Wang's doorstep. This humble one had no carrier pigeons on hand, and all the post stations had been taken over by Surveillance Commissioner Wenren, so there was no way to send word. I—I thought to help Lord Wang out..."

He stealthily raised half his head, and there was even a hint of wanting credit in his tone: "...However, Lord Wenren perhaps never noticed this humble one..."

Even Xiang Zheng, perched at the very top of the world, couldn't help but come down to earth for a moment and curse under his breath.

What a complete idiot!

Wen Renyue had not failed to notice him at all—he simply couldn't be bothered to deal with him.

Even the news that the Dansui case implicated Wang Su was likely bait he had cast on a bare hook, specifically to lure him into acting, so as to prove that someone was trying to silence the Zhou brothers!

And yet this idiot had come running with his tail wagging and bitten the hook!

Xiang Zheng's lips twitched a few times, but he still didn't let the curses out. He turned instead to Qiu Sinian: "Did Wenren Mingke spot you?"

Qiu Sinian shook his head gravely.

Of course not.

He had deliberately presented himself for the lord to see.

Xiang Zheng then asked Ji Zhun, "Speak up!"

Ji Zhun, looking pitiful and following Qiu Sinian's script, said, "We were short-staffed, so Deputy Commander Qiu and this humble one mostly operated separately. This humble one really can't say..."

If he had vouched for Qiu Sinian's innocence too hard, it would instead have made them look like they were in cahoots.

If one was to play dumb, one had to play dumb to the very end, to show that the two served different masters:

Ji Zhun answered only to Wang Su, while Qiu Sinian answered to the Emperor.

Xiang Zheng nodded with slight satisfaction: "He greatly resembles your former master. Looking at him, do you not have any other feelings?"

Qiu Sinian shook his head coldly and seriously.

He had never had other thoughts.

His heart had never wavered.

Unable to glean anything from Qiu Sinian's expressionless face, Xiang Zheng stopped wasting his time.

And because Ji Zhun was truly too pathetic and useless, Xiang Zheng didn't feel like bothering with him: "You may go."

Since Wenren Yue had publicly stated in court that he could not identify the arsonist, that meant he had no intention of pursuing the matter further.

Xiang Zheng had little desire to have Ji Zhun killed.

An insignificant Changmen Guard—having him or not made no difference.

However, his involvement in the Dansui arson case made the situation a bit tricky.

This fool was Wang Su's own pick. If Wang Su ratted him out and Ji Zhun then turned up dead, it would make the Emperor look like he was covering his tracks and silencing witnesses—like he was cleaning up Wang Su's mess for him.

The fool Wang Su himself had chosen, and the pit he himself had dug—let him sit in it.

Ji Zhun had been anxious the entire way, sure he was a dead man this time. But upon hearing that the Emperor did not intend to punish him, he was so relieved that tears nearly spilled from his eyes: "Thank you, Your Majesty!" And thank you, Deputy Commander Qiu!

...

Wang Su was no fool.

Of course he would sooner die than confess.

To every accusation, he denied every single charge.

But the holes in his story that he couldn't patch up were steadily growing.

The letters between him and Zhou Wenhuan that Le Wuya had gathered from Dansui were indeed not in Wang Su's usual handwriting.

But the problem was—if not using one's usual handwriting could get you off the hook, then wouldn't the eighty-two great crimes once pinned on Le Wuya have to be reduced by one?

Moreover, within the letters, Zhou Wenhuan had clearly called him "Lord Wang," and he had not denied it.

And this person always spoke of "imperial will," which was also consistent with Wang Su's habitual style of sucking up to the emperor.

However, based on the letters alone, one could only say Wang Su was suspected—far from enough to sentence him to death.

Thus, the Three Judicial Offices had to find another angle.

That Bo Xin had gone to the Ministry of Personnel to retrieve Zhou Wenchang's performance reviews was a fact that couldn't be denied.

And Xu Yingrui's servant, who had been caught spying on his master and had his money and token confiscated, was also undeniable.

Then let them start by investigating the source of Wang Su's money.

In the presence of the Three Judicial Offices, the Minister of Revenue opened the vault marked "Jia" and pried open the sealed chests from the confiscation of the Le household's property.

As the lids were lifted, all present were stunned.

Packed full inside were—chest after chest of soil and twigs!

Who would have thought—Wang Su still insisted he knew nothing, and in his words, even suggested that the Ministry of Revenue was full of corrupt officials, and that since the Sixth Prince had once overseen the ministry, who knew what shady stuff he might have pulled.

The Sixth Prince was far away in Dansui recovering from his injuries, so this mudslinging could not yet stick to him.

But the Minister of Revenue was furious.

Was this not accusing him of neglect of duty and abuse of power?

How dare he!

Unable to bear such an injustice, he immediately wrote a lengthy impeachment memorial right then and there, protesting his innocence and demanding that the Le household be reopened and the scene re-examined.

After the Yuefu was placed under seal, it lay abandoned for years, with no one to care for it, only a hasty layer of new bricks laid over the ground as a flimsy cover-up.

The bricks were brand new, and stepping on them felt uneven—clearly they had been placed there afterward.

As for the felled trees and smashed rockeries, those could never be restored.

—After all, Wang Su had limited trusted aides, and this matter couldn't be too openly discussed. Could one expect a Second-Rank Official like him to carry a bucket of mortar and a trowel himself, sneaking into the Yuefu to do major renovations?

Wang Su still made excuses, claiming he knew nothing, arguing that over the years, perhaps thieves had broken into the unattended Yuefu and stolen things.

The Minister of Revenue was furious half to death and immediately shot back:

Bullshit!

What thief in the world would pass up gold, silver, and valuables to steal trees and rocks? Aren't there enough trees and rocks in the wild for them to steal!?

In his rage, the Minister of Revenue ransacked his files and dug up an old case related to the matter.

—In the past, when the Zong family uncle and nephew sold official posts and titles and ran loan-sharking operations, Le Wuya had personally admitted his involvement.

Tell me, if Le Wuya's family wasn't poor, where did all that money go?

If he was that broke, it would be a miracle if he didn't have to borrow—how could he possibly have run a loan-sharking operation?

While the Minister of Revenue sent one scathing memorial after another denouncing Wang Su, Le Qianzhang came to a spot not far from the Yuefu, hands tucked in his sleeves, silently gazing at the old vermilion gate where people came and going.

After accidentally learning the truth from Yuan Zijin, Le Qianzhang had forcibly suppressed his urge to go find Le Wuya.

They had history between them, but no kinship.

Now, Ali was surely a prime surveillance target for the Changmen Guard—why should he go to him and bring him undeserved trouble?

But Le Qianzhang never expected that Wang Su's downfall would trigger such a chain reaction.

Ali's old case was like pulling one thread and the whole web shifts.

Those eighty-two major crimes were the result of everyone piling on when the wall was already falling—hardly a solid foundation.

At the time, Le Qianzhang had wanted to say that Ali wasn't that kind of person.

But at the time, the entire Le family was implicated and couldn't clear themselves, so they could only stay silent.

And that silence lasted for years.

Le Qianzhang knew that his connection with Ali was ill-fated from the start, but his two sons had truly been dragged down by him—they were innocent.

If only...

If only this time could...

Le Qianzhang stood for a long while, and having seen enough, went home in low spirits. As soon as he entered the door, he ran straight into an excited Le Jue.

Le Jue grabbed his sleeve as soon as he saw him: "Father, what's going on? I haven't seen you this happy in ages!"

Le Jue had been coming home these days without even cooking, holed up in his room, tinkering with who knows what.

He was completely unaware of the big stir over Wang Su's downfall that had been all over town these past few days.

Le Qianzhang, seeing him looking so pleased with himself, countered: "By the look of you, it's you who's got something?"

Le Jue, unable to keep it in, said mysteriously: "Father, I think I've made something great! Let me show you!"

In the past, Le Qianzhang would have earnestly advised him not to stick his neck out or try to outshine others.

Safety is a blessing.

But those words rolled around on his tongue, and what came out was: "What is it?"

After saying those three words, his heart suddenly felt light.

It was as if a burden he'd carried for years had been lifted from his shoulders, giving him a long-lost feeling of relief and pride.

Le Jue rubbed his nose and spilled everything: "It was Lord Wenren who inspired me, telling me to try improving the firearms currently used in the military!"

He paused, then added: "Oh, right, Lord Wenren is the one who came to our house that day—"

Le Qianzhang interrupted him.

"Yes." His tone was gentler and more understanding than ever before. "I know which Lord Wenren you mean."