Chapter 84#

Upon receiving this rebuke from Emperor Shunyuan, Prince Xian knelt with his knees striking the cold golden bricks, daring not say another word.

He knew that at this moment, speaking more meant making more mistakes; any word might inadvertently touch the Emperor’s forbidden scale.

But given the current situation, remaining silent was akin to waiting for death. Sure enough, a sharp glint flashed in Luo Mingpu’s eyes as he raised a scroll of confession high with both hands: “Your Majesty, this is the confession obtained overnight from the interrogation of Mianzhou Granary Commissioner Guo Yanhua. Every word in it corresponds exactly with Lou Changsui’s admissions!”

Liu Quan shuffled forward with quick steps to receive the confession, presenting it to Emperor Shunyuan.

“Chief Academician Wen has presumably already presented Your Majesty with the account books hidden by Lou Changsui. Those books record the quantities of incense tributes from Mianzhou over the years—already far exceeding the limits of what the common people can bear. Under such exorbitant taxes and levies, how can the people survive?”

At this point, Luo Mingpu suddenly became agitated: “What is most intolerable is that those hundreds of thousands of catties of incense were never respectfully offered to Your Majesty, but were instead embezzled by treacherous individuals and funneled into the black market for exorbitant profits. Yet the infamy of such extortion and exploitation falls upon Your Majesty, and upon the realm of Great Qian!”

Emperor Shunyuan picked up the confession, his eyes scanning the dense black ink marks. His expression grew increasingly grim, and finally, he closed his eyes and slammed the document heavily onto the table.

Luo Mingpu’s words had clearly struck the deepest wound in his heart. As the Son of Heaven, how could he tolerate bearing such eternal infamy for no reason?

“Shen Bi, do you confess your guilt?”

“Father!” Prince Xian trembled all over, quivering, “Your son is wronged!”

Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Bu Zhangyi immediately rushed forward and knelt, crawling on his knees a few steps, and spoke in a loud voice: “Your Majesty, please see clearly! How can Prince Xian be deemed guilty based solely on a single confession and the words of one man! I have always instructed the granary officials under me that the tributes presented to Your Majesty must be perfect and flawless, without the slightest blemish! My heart is loyal to Your Majesty, but it is the flawed execution by those below—some harsh, some negligent—that has led to today’s calamity!”

He continued: “Your Majesty often complains that the tea tips from Huizhou are not fresh and tender enough, yet has never criticized the incense from Mianzhou for being impure. This shows it is merely a matter of execution. Guo Yanhua failed to empathize with the people’s hardships—that is his crime—but his loyalty to Your Majesty cannot be slandered! Your Majesty may summon Guo Yanhua to the hall and see for yourself whether he is covered in wounds, whether he was beaten into a false confession!”

“At this point, you still dare to quibble!” Luo Mingpu’s eyes blazed with fury as he pointed angrily at Bu Zhangyi.

He had indeed employed severe torture, but what Guo Yanhua had said was the truth!

Bu Zhangyi did not argue with him, but only kowtowed repeatedly to Emperor Shunyuan: “I implore Your Majesty to order the Three Judicial Departments to retry Guo Yanhua, to restore his innocence, and to give Prince Xian justice!”

Gong Zhiyuan, having enjoyed the spectacle enough, finally deigned to step forward from among the officials to deliver the fatal blow to Prince Xian’s faction.

Today’s scene was entirely a mirror of the victory celebration, but this time, it was not they who were in the throes of desperate struggle.

Gong Zhiyuan bowed to Emperor Shunyuan: “Your Majesty, according to what this old minister has learned, the various establishments in the capital—Chunlai Fang, Lixiang Fang, Hongxiu Lou; in Liangzhou, Chungu Fang and Baide Zhuang; in Songzhou, Bailan Fang and Chenchun Fang; in Liuzhou… these are all properties of the Liu clan, Prince Xian’s maternal family. On the surface, they appear unrelated, each occupying its own domain, but in truth, they are all controlled by a single person—that person is none other than Prince Xian! Your Majesty need only send someone to investigate to find that these estates have been perpetually supplied with large quantities of incense from Mianzhou, yet this incense is by no means purchased from Mianzhou incense merchants!”

“Preposterous!” Bu Zhangyi interrupted frantically, “The Chief Grand Secretary slanders Prince Xian based on mere conjecture without any solid evidence—how is this reasonable!”

Gong Zhiyuan glanced at him, his expression calm and leisurely as he continued: “Prince Xian might argue that this has nothing to do with him, that it was merely the granary commissioner being overly strict with the people to curry favor with Your Majesty. But there is one thing that is absolutely impossible for him to explain away—and that is, where exactly did all the substandard tribute incense from Mianzhou over the years end up?”

“Substandard goods were naturally destroyed on the spot!”

“Fine! Let us assume, as Minister Bu says, that all the incense was destroyed, and the fruits of the people’s year-long labor were completely wasted.” Gong Zhiyuan gave a cold laugh, his tone suddenly sharpening, “But how do you explain the massive quantities of incense flowing into the estates under Prince Xian’s name? From whom were they purchased? Can that person produce purchase records and vouchers for the incense? The incense fields of Great Qian are limited, the growth of incense trees is fixed—where did all this incense come from! Bu Zhangyi, you know perfectly well that any deep investigation will expose the truth. You are merely trying to buy time, seeking a sliver of hope to survive!”

“Chief Grand Secretary Gong speaks with such conviction today, yet produces not a shred of solid evidence. I wonder who has deceived you into slandering a member of the imperial clan!” Bu Zhangyi shook with rage.

“Your old minister dare not deceive Your Majesty.” Gong Zhiyuan’s expression turned solemn as he turned to Emperor Shunyuan. “These words were imparted to me before his death by the convicted minister Cao Youwei. Although Cao Youwei failed His Majesty’s grace and held office without doing his duty, he was exceptionally diligent in investigating Prince Xian. Cao Youwei knew perfectly well how Prince Xian colluded with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, using the pretext of offering tribute to extort the people’s hard-earned wealth!”

“It was only because Prince Xian’s actions, in name, did not violate the laws of Great Qian—they were merely like the shop taxes, mining taxes, wine and vinegar taxes, charcoal taxes, and meltage fees—various ways of extorting the wealthy households and common people. Although Cao Youwei recognized their evil, he lacked any legal basis to impeach them, and thus delayed in reporting it. However, I believe that such conduct is even more vile than outright embezzlement. They exploit loopholes in the court’s laws, layering oppression upon the people, inciting widespread resentment, while hiding behind the scenes and profiting immensely. And yet, the people’s curses fall upon Your Majesty!”

Bu Zhangyi roared: “Utter nonsense! How can the words of a contemptible dead man be trusted!”

Gong Zhiyuan’s face twisted with sarcasm as he bluntly laid it out for him: “The Cao faction was steeped in corruption, becoming the chief scourge of the court. The former Crown Prince, for condoning and tacitly allowing it, has also paid the price. Let me ask Minister Bu: since the Cao faction could spend money like water and wield influence that reached the heavens, then where did Prince Xian’s wealth come from during these years of his bitter struggles with the former Crown Prince—matched blow for blow? Do not tell me that Prince Xian, destitute and penniless, could fight on equal footing with a Crown Prince who possessed wealth that rivaled a nation!”

Bu Zhangyi froze instantly, his lips moving several times but finding no words to refute.

The struggle between Prince Xian and the former Crown Prince, with court officials taking sides, was an open secret—a hidden truth no one dared speak aloud. But Gong Zhiyuan had thrown caution to the wind today, brutally tearing away that veil of shame, laying everyone’s embarrassment bare in the hall, clearly willing to pay any price to drag Prince Xian down.

Such a mutually destructive move—would it not allow Shen Zheng to reap the benefits like a fisherman?

Bu Zhangyi frantically scanned the crowd of figures, his gaze suddenly locking onto the short, thin Shen Chen in the corner.

Shen Chen looked as if he had expected this, his eyes rolling furtively.

Bu Zhangyi’s heart jolted as if waking from a dream!

How had he forgotten—Gong Zhiyuan also had a son-in-law who was a prince!

With the Crown Prince gone, propping up Shen Chen, Gong Zhiyuan could still firmly hold the position of Chief Grand Secretary and dominate the entire court!

At that perfect moment, Wen Zhuo turned his head and cast a glance toward where Gu Weizhi was standing.

Gu Weizhi understood immediately, and without hesitation, he knelt and straightened his robes: “Your Majesty, your subject presumes to have something to say.”

Emperor Shunyuan narrowed his eyes, studying him for a moment. Scattered memories from the Spring Terrace Chess Gathering flashed through his mind, and he gradually matched them to this face.

“Speak.”

“Having served in the Ministry of Revenue for several months, I have carefully examined the account books of tributes from various regions and detected certain irregularities.” Gu Weizhi spoke with neither arrogance nor humility. “Although the types of tributes differ from place to place, the proportion of substandard goods is generally only one in a hundred—such as with Huizhou’s Songluo tea, Nanzhou’s silk, Jiangzhou’s porcelain, and Pingzhou’s nuts. However, the wastage rates for Mianzhou’s Storax and Ambergris, as well as Liangzhou’s Bitter Thorn Wine, are alarmingly high. One must note that Great Qian produces Ambergris not only in Mianzhou—Qiongzhou is also a major supplier—yet it has never seen such absurd losses.”

“Is it because the people of Qiongzhou, Huizhou, Nanzhou, Jiangzhou, and Pingzhou are more honest, and their officials more orderly? I suspect not. I have looked into the official appointments in Mianzhou and Liangzhou in recent years and discovered that four years ago, Mianzhou Prefect Hong Bingxuan had been in office for less than three months when he was reassigned by Minister Tang of the Ministry of Personnel to the remote Gezhou. Only then was Lou Changsui, transferred from Bozhou, appointed to replace him. As for Granary Commissioner Guo Yanhua, he was personally placed in Mianzhou by Minister Tang seven years ago. I venture to suggest that if Lord Lou had been unwilling to cooperate, he would likely have met the same fate as Hong Bingxuan!”

“Gu Weizhi! How dare you!” Tang Guangzhi was furious. “Since when does the Ministry of Revenue meddle in the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel!”

“Your subordinate naturally would not overstep my authority to interfere with Minister Tang’s jurisdiction.” Gu Weizhi bowed in response, his eyes clear and expression frank. “I only wish to make one thing clear to His Majesty. Although the Granary Commissioner is merely a minor ninth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue, he holds the power to receive the tributes for His Majesty. In reality, his authority far exceeds that of a local fifth-rank prefect. It is not an exaggeration to say he can look down his nose at the prefect. This is well known to all who have served in the provinces. Guo Yanhua set the inspection standards for tributes so harshly precisely to make things difficult for the local authorities and to extort favors for himself!”

Although Xie Langyang was not on the same path as Gu Weizhi in this life, their tacit cooperation from the previous life remained. Moreover, the priority now was to bring down Prince Xian, so he immediately stepped forward to echo the statement—

“Your Majesty, I can bear witness! Guo Yanhua of Mianzhou and Gu Geping of Liangzhou are both fellow townsmen of Minister Tang. They visit the capital every year to pay their respects, and their official positions were specially arranged by Minister Tang. Since officials have different ranks and positions vary in desirability, a plum post like Granary Commissioner is by no means attainable by ordinary people.”

“Good… very good, Xie Langyang, you ungrateful snake! I’ll strangle you!” Tang Guangzhi, mad with rage, disregarded all court etiquette and lunged at Xie Langyang, his hands reaching for his throat.

Xie Langyang, caught off guard, stumbled backward repeatedly. But as a frail scholar, how could he withstand the fury of a Tang Guangzhi in full rage?

In an instant, he was knocked to the ground. At first, he tried to maintain decorum, merely blocking the blows: “Minister Tang, show some decency! Where is our dignity in the court!”

“Go to hell!” Tang Guangzhi’s eyes were bloodshot as he rained down punches and kicks. “I never mistreated you in the five years you served in the Ministry of Personnel! You’ve coveted my position and fabricated this scheme against me!”

Forced into a corner, Xie Langyang had no choice but to fight back. In moments, they were rolling on the ground, tangled together, their official robes torn and their hair in disarray, locked in an undignified brawl.

“What a disgrace!” Emperor Shunyuan shook with rage. “Drag Tang Guangzhi out of here!”

The imperial guards rushed in, grabbing Tang Guangzhi by the collar and pulling him away. He struggled violently, still clutching a tuft of Xie Langyang’s hair as he was dragged off.

Xie Langyang scrambled to his feet, disheveled. His collar was torn wide open, blood trickling from his nose and the corner of his mouth. The air of refined elegance he usually bore as a son of a noble family was completely gone.

He held his nose, his chest heaving heavily, and glared at the retreating Tang Guangzhi.

Beside him, Gu Weizhi suddenly let out a long sigh and patted his own chest, his tone carrying a hint of lingering fear: “Thank goodness it wasn’t me being beaten.”

Xie Langyang: “…”

Emperor Shunyuan understood in his heart that Tang Guangzhi’s loss of composure was merely an attempt to muddy the waters.

Both he and Bu Zhangyi were attached to Prince Xian, and Prince Xian could hardly escape involvement.

What made Prince Xian even more detestable than the former Crown Prince was his actions—more cunning and more covert.

Emperor Shunyuan harbored guilt toward Empress Cao, which was why he had always shown partiality and leniency toward the former Crown Prince. Even though Shen Zhen was under house arrest at Fenghuang Terrace, his life was still comfortable.

But toward the powerful Liu clan, Emperor Shunyuan was filled with deep disgust.

In the past, the Liu family had married their daughters to both him and his brother, hoping to cast a wide net, control the new emperor, and dominate the empress’s position.

Emperor Shunyuan, rebellious in his youth, had used Cao Xiruo as a knife in his hand to suppress Empress Liu at every turn, driving her to an early death.

He had given Prince Xian his status and allowed him to cultivate powerful ministers—only to appease the Liu clan, dangling a carrot before them.

Now that the former Crown Prince had fallen, and the Liu clan had conveniently shown their weakness, how could he easily let this opportunity slip?

“Issue my decree! Tang Guangzhi, Minister of Personnel, and Bu Zhangyi, Minister of Revenue, have conspired together in corruption. Strip them of their official robes and all titles immediately, and detain them in the Dali Temple pending trial. Prince Xian, Shen Bi, has received the imperial grace yet secretly formed a faction, besmirching the Emperor’s name. I hereby revoke his title of Prince Xian, remove him from the imperial register and stipend, and imprison him in the Imperial Clan Court under strict custody. Further judgment will be rendered once the case is fully clarified!”

As soon as the imperial decree was issued, the imperial guards surged forward. Bu Zhangyi still struggled, shouting “Injustice!” at the top of his lungs. Shen Bi, his face ashen, stared at his enraged father on the dragon throne. He suddenly broke free from the guards’ grasp and let out a cold, hollow laugh.

“Everything is merely inference. Neither Guo Yanhua nor Lou Changsui has ever met me, never had any contact with me. The claim that the Liu family has estates across the land is merely the Chief Grand Secretary’s words alone. Yet Your Father immediately revokes my title, removes me from the imperial register… Your Majesty, you’ve been waiting for this opportunity all along, haven’t you?”

“No matter how hard I tried, how much I sought to win your favor, you have always despised me—only because I am the son of the Liu family!” Shen Bi laughed, tears streaming down his face as he stumbled backward. “When Shen Zhen was still here, you used him to suppress me, used Empress Cao to suppress my mother. Now that the Cao faction has fallen and Shen Zhen is confined, I thought I might finally earn your regard. But you’ve merely found a different way to suppress me. You never had any intention for me, never once considered me. From the very beginning, I never had a chance to compete, did I?”

“Insolent! Hold your tongue!” Emperor Shunyuan’s eyes bulged with bloodshot fury.

Scorched charcoal clinked and crackled in the bronze braziers within the hall, the sound echoing and intensifying off the high walls and thick barriers.

The mask of righteousness on Shen Bi’s face finally shattered. He let the tears flow freely, trailing down his neck and soaking into his princely robe.

At this moment, he seemed like the child he once was, with hair tied in twin knots, running after his father the Emperor, only to be perpetually set aside and ignored.

Once upon a time, someone had told him that, as the legitimate eldest son, he bore the responsibility of being heir to the throne. If his father was strict with him, it was out of frustration that iron could not be forged into steel.

He believed it. So, he swallowed all his grievances, learned to endure and restrain, pretended to be magnanimous and tolerant, and strove to do everything flawlessly.

Later, others told him that he had not tried hard enough, did not understand how to empathize with his ministers, did not grasp the ways of the world, which allowed Shen Zhen to seize an opening.

He believed that too. So, he forced himself to become smooth and versatile, learned to form factions and cliques, striving to win praise from all officials and the compliance of the entire court.

But no one had ever told him the truth. He had lived so wearily, so futilely—not because he was not good enough, but simply because his father did not love him, feared him, despised him.

His tall frame swayed, like duckweed in the rain, tottering on the verge of collapse, fragile and defenseless.

“We are both your sons—why is it so different! So different!” Shen Bi’s voice was hoarse and broken, a bleeding, questioning cry. “You still recognize him as a prince, allow people to visit him, forbid anyone from humiliating him. But me? What about me? Without a shred of evidence, you sentence me to death! Just because I am of the Liu family’s blood? Your Majesty, have you forgotten—I also carry your blood!”

“Take him away!” Emperor Shunyuan’s roar nearly tore the gilded hall apart.

Shen Bi no longer struggled, no longer screamed. He let his body be carried up by the imperial guards, step by step, out of the Hall of Martial Valor.

The heavy snow outside had stopped, but the sky had not cleared. The vast, pale daylight surged in like waves, instantly swallowing him—this single speck of dust.

No matter how noble and exalted a prince born of the imperial lineage may be, in the end, he was still nothing but flesh and blood. At the final curtain, he was no different from any common mortal.

Inside the golden hall, a dead silence reigned.

All the officials bowed their heads and lowered their eyes, each digesting this shocking upheaval within themselves.

Emperor Shunyuan was utterly exhausted. Beneath his dragon robe, his frame was slightly hunched, a strand of white hair falling inadvertently across his forehead.

Two great mountains had crumbled with a thunderous roar. In the corner, Shen Chen no longer seemed so inconspicuous.

He seized the moment, stepped forward, and put on an expression of naive innocence, his tone filled with just the right amount of concern: “Father, if Lou Changsui is indeed an utterly unforgivable scoundrel, does that mean there might be hidden secrets behind the case of General Liu Kangren?”

Emperor Shunyuan slowly raised his eyes, his gaze falling upon this son whom he had never really taken seriously. His tone was indifferent: “Oh?”

Shen Chen knew that stepping forward at this moment could very well invite the remaining wrath of his father, but to win the support of Duke Liu, he had to take this gamble.

This time, he could not rely on Gong Zhiyuan or Xie Langyang to speak for him. He had to make Duke Liu’s eyes fix firmly on him!

“Lou Changsui once accused General Liu of stealing grain from the official granaries. But, Father, please consider this: Mianzhou had already suffered famine for half a year, and the common people had been relentlessly exploited by Guo Yanhua for years. How could there have been any surplus grain left in the official granaries to steal?” Shen Chen spoke with the air of someone who had given the matter deep thought, analyzing slowly. “I venture to guess that General Liu fell into Lou Changsui’s trap, that he was pushed forward to take the blame!”

As he spoke, he stole a glance at Duke Liu among the assembled officials.

According to his prediction, Duke Liu must be feeling grateful at this moment, his eyes reddened. Even if he remained silent, he would surely express his unspoken thanks through his gaze.

But to his surprise, Duke Liu, leaning on his staff and standing tall, instead looked past him, his gaze vaguely directed toward Shen Zheng, a complicated expression on his face.

Shen Chen: “?”

What kind of move was this?

Both were deeply entangled with the Yongning Marquis Estate—why did Duke Liu look at Shen Zheng instead of him?

Was he inherently more invisible than Shen Zheng?

On the other side, Shen Zheng stood with his hands behind his back, calm and composed. Catching Shen Chen’s bewildered glance, he raised an eyebrow and smiled.

That smile sent a chill down Shen Chen’s spine.

Had he made another mistake, falling into Wen Zhuo’s trap?

Emperor Shunyuan was silent for a moment, then spoke in a tone that betrayed neither pleasure nor displeasure: “Your guess is quite accurate. Liu Kangren was indeed set up by Lou Changsui.”

A surge of joy rose in Shen Chen’s heart: “Then, should we restore General Liu’s posthumous honor—”

“Troubling for you.” Emperor Shunyuan cut him off, his tone still cool and detached. “Out of all the civil and military officials here, you’re the only one who still remembers Liu Kangren.”

Then, Emperor Shunyuan dropped a bombshell of a statement: “But you worry too much. Liu Kangren has already escaped.”

It felt as if a thunderbolt had struck Shen Chen on the head. His mind went blank in an instant, and his ears rang with a dull roar.

What did “escaped” mean?

He wasn’t dead?

How was that possible!

The imperial decree had come down so urgently—how could Liu Kangren have survived!

In the blink of an eye, Shen Chen snapped back to reality. He finally understood why Duke Liu had been so calm that day.

So Duke Liu had known all along that Liu Kangren was not dead at all!

Shen Chen’s mind raced. He immediately changed his tune, pretending to have blurted out something in a moment of urgency: “Father, what do you mean? Did Fifth Brother and Chief Academician Wen let Liu Kangren escape from the prefectural prison during their relief efforts in Mianzhou?”

If he could pin the crime of privately releasing a convicted criminal on Shen Zheng, it would be a godsend.

Even if Liu Kangren had indeed been wronged, defying an imperial decree was a blatant challenge to the imperial authority and the majesty of Heaven. Emperor Shunyuan would never tolerate that!

“Father, that is the Mianzhou prefectural prison!” Shen Chen pressed his advantage, feigning disbelief. “With layers of guards watching, and the Patrol Division on constant duty day and night, how could a major criminal escape from prison?”

He cast another sidelong glance at Shen Zheng. Shen Zheng feigned a momentary look of panic, but as he saw the dawning triumph in Shen Chen’s eyes, Shen Zheng silently mouthed two words to him—

“Fool.”

Shen Chen’s expression fell, his triumph instantly extinguished.

Then he saw Wen Zhuo unhurriedly roll up his sleeves, a smile playing at the corners of his lips, and adopt a tone of patient explanation: “Your Sixth Highness may not be aware, but Liu Kangren did not escape from prison. He was personally released by Lou Changsui. Lou has confessed to this without reservation, and the Commandant was an eyewitness. It was precisely by following this thread that Fifth Highness and I were able to root out the group of chief villains in Mianzhou.”

“What?!”

The words escaped Shen Chen’s lips before he could stop them, and he stood rooted to the spot, frozen.

Xie Langyang, disregarding the bruises and blood around his eyes, stared sharply at Wen Zhuo’s unruffled face. A nameless, indescribable chill crept into his heart.

Making Lou Changsui bear the guilt of defying the imperial decree to release the prisoner—how in the world had they managed that!