Chapter 41#
Inside the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager’s health had improved over the past two days.#
Many consorts from the harem came to visit, and the imperial grandsons also appeared before her. Over the past few days, she found it somewhat noisy. She glanced at the tonics sent by the Crown Prince, waved her hand, and ordered them taken away: “Take them away.”
Lady Yu had them removed and brought up a bowl of freshly brewed medicinal soup. The Empress Dowager caught sight of the red dates floating on the soup. “Your idea?”
“His Highness the Sixth Prince ordered this before leaving the palace today. He consulted the imperial physician, who said dietary therapy would be more effective,” Lady Yu said.
The Empress Dowager’s eyes settled on the medicinal soup, a trace of amusement appearing in them: “Did he come by this morning?”
“He did. Seeing that you were still resting, he gave his orders and left,” Lady Yu said.
Noticing the Empress Dowager was in good spirits, Lady Yu spoke softly: “Today, Lady Xiao submitted a request to enter the palace, saying she wished to visit you.”
At the mention of the Xiao family, the Empress Dowager’s eyes lifted slightly, and the smile that had been on her lips faded. “She has the nerve to come.”
Lady Yu sensed the Empress Dowager’s displeasure. In previous years, when the Xiao family sent visitors, the Empress Dowager was always very happy.
It was only since His Majesty went on campaign for a few years and that the Empress Dowager began handling some state affairs that her attitude toward the Xiao family gradually shifted.
As she spoke, a sound came from outside—the Emperor had arrived.
When the Emperor entered, he caught a glimpse of the Empress Dowager drinking the medicinal soup from the corner of his eye. He waved for the others to withdraw, leaving only Lady Yu standing by his side. He took the bowl of medicine from Lady Yu’s hands and sat down naturally beside the Empress Dowager: “Mother looks a bit better today.”
The Empress Dowager nodded slightly. “Your Majesty is occupied with a myriad of state affairs; there was no need for you to come personally. Sending someone would have sufficed.”
“I am concerned about Mother. I can only feel at ease after seeing you in person.” The Emperor scooped up a spoonful of the medicinal soup and gently blew on it. “Lady Xiao submitted her request this morning. Since she is sincere, Mother may as well see her.”
The Empress Dowager lowered her eyes to the spoonful of soup, a sharp glint flashing in them: “Sincere? If she were truly sincere, she would have long since abandoned those improper thoughts.”
“The mastermind of the examination fraud case died in the Imperial Prison, poisoned. After a thorough investigation, the Embroidered Uniform Guard found the murderer—someone from the Censorate.” The Emperor stirred the medicinal soup, his tone as if making casual conversation.
“The Censorate?” The Empress Dowager looked up at the Emperor. “Whose doing?”
The Emperor placed the spoon back in the bowl; the porcelain spoon clinked softly against the rim. “Left Vice Censor-in-Chief Xiao Yao. The killer was a man his subordinate let in.”
With such a major corruption case, everyone in the court knew the Emperor was serious about a thorough investigation. For the mastermind to die in the Imperial Prison at this moment was nothing more than the court factions being unable to hold back, afraid that Chen Yuanli would be interrogated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and reveal problems.
The Censorate oversaw all officials. It had never been involved in court factional struggles. Getting dragged into this now would undoubtedly give others a handle to criticize.
The Empress Dowager was silent for a moment, then said: “Handle the Xiao family’s matter as you see fit. No need to consider me. If it affects the court situation, don’t be lenient with them.”
“The Xiao family rendered meritorious service in stabilizing the realm. Uncle Xiao, after all, contributed greatly to the court. There may be a misunderstanding.” The Emperor sighed softly at this, handing the medicinal soup back to Lady Yu: “Rest assured, Mother. I have ordered the Three Judicial Offices to handle this matter. Today, the Three Offices are gathered at the Court of Judicial Review. If it is a misunderstanding, they will be exonerated.”
Suddenly, someone reported from outside the door.
The Emperor and Empress Dowager paused their conversation as Eunuch Rong entered.
“Speak freely if there is a matter,” the Emperor said.
Eunuch Rong paused briefly. “Reporting to Your Majesty, reporting to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, His Highness the Sixth Prince has sent word that he has gone to the Court of Judicial Review for the matter of the Imperial Academy.”
-*
“His Highness the Sixth Prince has been assigned this task, so he came here.”
“But how old is His Highness the Sixth Prince this year… the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate will send people over shortly. Isn’t it inappropriate for His Highness to be here?”
The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review stood, looking at the young prince sitting before him, drinking tea. The case files of Chen Yuanli were placed right in front of him, and this young prince was flipping through them—no one knew if he understood them or not.
A few days ago, His Majesty ordered that the task of appeasing the Imperial Academy students be assigned to the Sixth Prince. The Sixth Prince had neither established a residence outside the palace nor held any court office. That this task fell upon him, rather than the other princes, was truly unexpected. Only a few civil officials from the Imperial Academy strongly endorsed it, saying the Sixth Prince’s words at the Imperial Academy assembly had greatly inspired the students.
So when the Sixth Prince requested to see the case files at the Court of Judicial Review, even before orders came from above, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already quietly sent word.
If the Embroidered Uniform Guard was sending messages, wasn’t that just His Majesty sending instructions?
Upon learning this, Minister Liu of the Court of Judicial Review had fled without a moment’s delay, leaving all trivial matters for the Vice Minister to handle.
The officials of the Court of Judicial Review looked at the little ancestor who had been reading the case files for half an hour: “Your Highness the Sixth Prince, would you like a drink of water?”
“Is this all? Are there any other case files?” Ying Fusheng asked.
The Court official hesitated: “This…”
“The Imperial Academy students say Chen Yuanli directed public opinion and may be suspected of shielding corrupt officials. If this matter is not clarified, the students’ emotions will be difficult to calm.” After Ying Fusheng finished speaking, seeing that the Vice Minister hadn’t moved: “Am I not allowed to see them? Or are these case files not meant for private eyes?”
Which Court official would dare be careless? They immediately looked to the Vice Minister.
Only after the Vice Minister waved his hand did they go to retrieve the case files related to Chen Yuanli and bring them to the Sixth Prince.
The Vice Minister observed for a long time from the side before handing the matter over to other officials.
“Your Excellency, Vice Minister, shall we invite His Highness to the inner hall to review the case files?” an official whispered.
The Vice Minister walked to the side, his expression softening: “No, leave His Highness here. The person who sent word from the Embroidered Uniform Guard was the Vice Commander, the one from the Qi family.” He didn’t understand what the Embroidered Uniform Guard was thinking, but it seemed that the Sixth Prince’s coming here now was with their tacit approval.
He mused: “Do you think the Embroidered Uniform Guard will take this lying down, Chen Yuanli dying in the Imperial Prison?”
Someone dying in the prison was undoubtedly a slap in the face for the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
“But this time it was clearly the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice…” the Court official whispered. “Is the Xiao family’s matter something we can handle?”
The Vice Minister said nothing.
The Xiao family, a centuries-old aristocratic house, was once a grand and flourishing clan with countless disciples. The clan’s sons excelled in both civil and military affairs. When the late emperor was in power, the Xiao family supported him with their entire clan. Xiao family generals once guarded the borders, and Xiao family elders, as civil officials, had written several volumes of law for Great Yuan, thereby establishing its legal foundations.
Since the Emperor ascended the throne, the Xiao family had withdrawn from court conflicts, standing as an independent faction within the court, never forming cliques for private gain.
It could almost be said that without the Xiao family, there would be no Three Judicial Offices today.
At the mention of the Xiao family, several officials fell into silence.
“That was the Xiao family of the past. The current Censorate is nothing but a den of…” Before the Court official could finish, his colleague stopped him, hinting that the Sixth Prince was still nearby and he should say no more.
Shen Yunfei watched the few people whispering furtively in the distance. “Your Highness, they are talking about you.”
Ying Fusheng lowered his eyes to the case files, his peripheral vision glancing at those officials who had gone to fetch the files. He said casually: “Naturally, they would. After all, the people coming here soon are not unrelated to me.”
At that point, his hand, turning the pages, paused: “They’re here.”
And just then, a commotion came from outside. The Court officials who had been waiting looked up to see the people entering. The Vice Minister recognized them, concealed his thoughts, and stepped forward to greet them: “Minister Xu, Lord Xiao.”
Ying Fusheng closed the scroll, his eyes landing on the two newcomers from the corner of his vision.
Both were in official robes, each followed by one or two attendants. The middle-aged man walking in front had a stern expression, looking difficult to deal with—it was Vice Minister Xu of the Ministry of Justice.
After looking him over, Ying Fusheng focused his attention on the old man who was a few steps behind.
The old man was aged, his face weathered, his temples white.
But as he entered, the gazes of many officials gathered on him. Several officials nearby even stepped back, deliberately making space for him.
“Is Old Xiao here?”
“Old Xiao, this way, please.”
Such respect surprised Shen Yunfei, who was beside Ying Fusheng. He reminded him softly: “Your Highness.”
At this moment, the old man had already silently swept his gaze over everyone in the hall, a sharpness hidden in his clouded eyes. He scanned his surroundings, pausing slightly when his gaze passed over Ying Fusheng. He stepped forward and bowed: “This old minister pays respects to Your Highness.”
The newcomer was none other than the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, a senior elder of the Xiao family, an official who had served two reigns. Since the founding of the Censorate, he had contributed to the establishment of Great Yuan’s laws. Officials of the Three Judicial Offices respectfully called him Old Xiao.
Ying Fusheng looked at the old man, and the old man looked back at him.
Many officials, seeing this, exchanged flickering glances.
Old Xiao’s original family was the Xiao family behind the current Empress Dowager. The Sixth Prince was now raised at the Empress Dowager’s side, and the Xiao family was the clan of the current Empress Dowager’s mother. By seniority, Old Xiao was still an elder of the Sixth Prince.
Although the Xiao family had never shown any particular favor to the Sixth Prince, when the Sixth Prince celebrated his birthday alongside the Crown Prince earlier, the Xiao family had sent congratulatory gifts.
With all eyes converging on them, the Sixth Prince showed no sign of disrespect. He set down the case files and returned the greeting with perfect propriety: “Greetings, Lord Xiao.”
Seeing Ying Fusheng take the initiative to bow, Old Xiao’s eyes flashed with a hint of satisfaction. Then he straightened up and stepped aside, introducing for Ying Fusheng: “This is Vice Minister Xu You of the Ministry of Justice.”
Xu You stepped forward: “Your Highness the Sixth Prince.”
Seeing the master-servant relationship between these two, Ying Fusheng understood in his heart.
After the greetings, he turned and sat back down.
Old Xiao’s expression remained unchanged. He merely nodded, his gaze slightly settling on the young prince. An attendant beside him leaned in and whispered: “Today, the Sixth Prince arrived suddenly, without prior notice. It’s said he was assigned this task.”
With glances exchanged all around, officials from the Three Judicial Offices arrived one after another, and the atmosphere in the hall gradually grew solemn.
Sensing something was off, Shen Yunfei looked at the Sixth Prince and whispered a reminder.
Seeing the old man standing proudly, Ying Fusheng said softly: “He’s waiting for me to invite him to sit.”
The officials looked at each other in dismay. The discussions of the Three Offices were internal affairs. As everyone stood there, the Sixth Prince flipped through the case files without any sign of getting up. They had no choice but to look at Old Xiao, who also remained standing, saying nothing even though everyone had arrived.
After waiting for a long time, the Sixth Prince, seemingly immersed in the case files, finally came to his senses: “I got a bit absorbed in reading. Please, sit down, Lord Xiao.”
Only after hearing the Sixth Prince speak did Old Xiao bow and take a seat nearby.
Seeing Old Xiao sit, Ying Fusheng said: “Everyone, please sit. I’m only here to observe today. No need to mind me.”
Since the Sixth Prince had said so, the officials present couldn’t very well go to the side hall to deliberate. The Court officials looked at the Vice Minister, whose gaze rested on Ying Fusheng for a moment before he had everyone take their seats.
Soon, the officials of the Three Judicial Offices separated into their groups and sat down.
The Vice Minister immediately laid out the details of the Chen Yuanli case. Since the corruption case of the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, the Court of Judicial Review and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had worked closely together, almost taking the lead in the case. This time, Chen Yuanli’s entry into the Imperial Prison was also a transfer from the Court of Judicial Review to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for interrogation, bypassing the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate, following the Emperor’s decree.
Ying Fusheng listened to the Vice Minister recount the case. In the Three Judicial Offices of the court, the Court of Judicial Review reviewed cases, the Ministry of Justice adjudicated them, and the Censorate supervised. The Chen Yuanli case had been escalated for trial by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and shouldn’t have passed through the Three Offices. However, the Censorate raised doubts during its supervision.
After Chen Yuanli was transferred, the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate, citing unresolved doubts, received permission from the Embroidered Uniform Guard to enter the prison for questioning… and then Chen Yuanli died.
Ying Fusheng surveyed the room, taking everything in. He leaned slightly and whispered a few instructions to Shen Yunfei. At this, Shen Yunfei paused, quietly acknowledged, and disappeared behind Ying Fusheng. The other officials in the hall didn’t notice this subtle change; their attention was all focused on the Vice Minister.
“According to the Court of Judicial Review’s investigation, Chen Yuanli was poisoned. The poison was brought into the Imperial Prison by an official of the Ministry of Justice,” the Vice Minister said.
At these words, everyone looked toward the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate.
“The Censorate has already investigated this. Chen Yuanli was on good terms with people before his imprisonment. The official who entered the prison for questioning was entrusted by Chen Yuanli to bring a letter from home. Who would have known that Minister Chen, fearing punishment, would commit suicide, and that the letter contained poison!” A Censorate official stepped forward and declared in front of all the officials: “The clerk of the Ministry of Justice was merely being considerate of Minister Chen. He never imagined the letter would contain poison. Realizing his mistake, that clerk hanged himself out of guilt afterward.”
A Court official said: “So, according to the Censorate, that’s the end of it?”
The Censorate official replied: “What else would it be?”
While he spoke, Old Xiao sat to the side, drinking tea and lost in thought, clearly indicating that this official’s words were his own. Ying Fusheng flipped through a few pages of the case files, his gaze briefly landing on the officials of the Ministry of Justice in the distance. Unbeknownst to others, deep meaning had crept into his half-lowered eyes. Just then, Shen Yunfei silently returned to his side and whispered a few words.
In the hall, amidst the debate between the Court of Judicial Review and the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice spoke up—
“The Ministry of Justice and the Censorate conducted a joint investigation, and the results are essentially the same,” Minister Xu of the Ministry of Justice said.
Seeing this, the Vice Minister’s expression darkened.
In recent years, the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate had been closely connected. Xu You, who had accompanied Old Xiao, was married to a woman of the Xiao family. To say they were discussing matters of the Three Offices was really just following the Xiao family’s lead.
Many present were waiting for the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice to provide an explanation. But after being given several days to investigate, this was the result they produced. The Court officials could no longer sit still. They had followed the Emperor’s decree, investigating from the Shuntian Prefecture corruption case to the examination fraud. Chen Yuanli was already a suspect, carrying many secrets that had yet to be uncovered. Some case files were pending the conclusions of the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice before proceeding, and they came back with this kind of answer?
The Vice Minister looked at Old Xiao and said in a deep voice: “Lord Xiao, don’t you think this conclusion is too hasty?”
Upon hearing this, Old Xiao paused in his tea-drinking, seeming to ponder for a moment: “What the Vice Minister says is not without reason.”
“But what can be done? Sometimes, the results of an investigation are just like this. You have been judging cases for many years, Vice Minister. You have seen no fewer bizarre cases than this old man.”
Bizarre cases? Could it be considered bizarre that someone died inexplicably in the Imperial Prison? And of all people, the mastermind of the fraud case?
The atmosphere in the hall fell silent. Old Xiao seemed to notice. He set down his teacup and looked toward Ying Fusheng beside him: “Your Highness the Sixth Prince.”
The people saw the Sixth Prince, who had been absorbed in the case files, look up, seemingly confirming who had spoken. The young Master Shen beside the Sixth Prince whispered a few words, and only then did the Sixth Prince seem to snap back to reality: “Is there something?”
“Ever since Your Highness came to the Cining Palace, this is the first time this old minister has seen you. Seeing you today, I must say you are truly extraordinary.” Old Xiao said slowly: “I wonder how Your Highness views this matter?”
The Vice Minister’s gaze darkened. The Censorate had its own informants. Old Xiao likely knew how the Sixth Prince had entered the Court of Judicial Review before he even arrived. He knew the Sixth Prince was undertaking a mission from the Emperor, yet he brought up the Xiao family at this moment.
Everyone knew the Sixth Prince now relied on the Empress Dowager. By mentioning the Cining Palace, Old Xiao was undoubtedly reminding the Sixth Prince of that connection.
“Old Xiao, today is an internal matter of the Three Offices,” the Vice Minister interrupted.
Old Xiao was meticulous in his speech: “His Highness is here on the Emperor’s orders. It is only right to ask His Highness’s opinion.”
He asked again: “I wonder how Your Highness views this?”
“I also think this cause of death is indeed too hasty. But what Old Xiao says makes sense—there are many hasty and bizarre cases.” Ying Fusheng agreed.
As his words fell, seeing the Sixth Prince essentially acquiesce, the expressions of the Court officials turned very ugly. The Embroidered Uniform Guard had specifically instructed them, and the Sixth Prince had come on an official assignment. But everyone had forgotten one thing: the Sixth Prince now was practically half a member of the Xiao family. The Ning family was gone; the Empress Dowager and even the Xiao family were his future backing.
Seeing the silence of the Court officials, Old Xiao said: “If the Court of Judicial Review does not trust the results of the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice, they may also send their own investigators and reconsider. Since the Sixth Prince has said as much, the Court is not questioning the Sixth Prince, is it?”
The Vice Minister said nothing. The Censorate was forcing them to accept this investigation result.
Seeing the officials of the Three Offices all fall silent, Old Xiao stroked his beard and said: “If there are no objections…”
“Objections to what about me?” Ying Fusheng suddenly spoke.
Old Xiao paused. The Vice Minister frowned.
“This is indeed too hasty.” Ying Fusheng said, as he flung the case files in his hand before the assembled officials. “Your handling of this case was too sloppy. It’s written so clearly in the files. According to the laws of Great Yuan, shouldn’t these people have been arrested and their properties confiscated by now?”
Spread before the officials were the case files that the Court of Judicial Review had specially brought out for the Sixth Prince. These files were related to the corruption and fraud cases. Now laid out in front of them, a closer look revealed several pages had been opened, pointing to other subsidiary cases from the earlier investigation of the Shuntian Prefect’s corruption.
But these few files had reached the Censorate and then gone no further, said to contain doubts and be temporarily unresolved.
That was the Censorate’s meaning: investigate corruption, but know when to stop. Digging deeper would benefit no one.
The Vice Minister’s expression toward Ying Fusheng shifted slightly. The Court officials had retrieved the files for the Sixth Prince. These files belonged to the corruption case, and moreover, these were untried cases that shouldn’t have appeared among Chen Yuanli’s files. Who had retrieved them?
“Your Highness, these files are not relevant to today’s discussion…” a Court official began.
Old Xiao frowned, interrupting: “Your Highness, today the Three Offices are not discussing these matters.”
“Aren’t you discussing Chen Yuanli? Then shouldn’t we discuss all cases related to him?” Ying Fusheng looked at Old Xiao, pushing the files toward him. “You can’t do things like this. Chen Yuanli’s case led to the corruption scandal, and now he’s the mastermind of the fraud case… yet there are still so many related cases left unresolved. You do things this sloppily!?”
Court officials: “……”
They were debating the case of Chen Yuanli’s suicide. At most, Chen Yuanli had incited the students’ emotions. Besides, the one who had actually been guiding public opinion back then was clearly the Sixth Prince himself. These files had nothing to do with Chen Yuanli!
The Court official was about to explain when a colleague suddenly grabbed his hand. He turned around and found that all his colleagues had simultaneously chosen to remain silent!
Seeing Old Xiao’s expression darken, Minister Xu of the Ministry of Justice took the initiative: “Your Highness, at most, Chen Yuanli incited emotions to push for an anti-corruption investigation.”
“Why are they unrelated? What the students care about is the court’s progress on the anti-corruption investigation. Chen Yuanli incited the students’ emotions. To appease the students now, shouldn’t we address the root cause?” Ying Fusheng flipped through the case files, pointing one by one: “The root is the corruption case. To calm the students’ emotions, we naturally must start from the corruption case.”
Old Xiao listened to the Sixth Prince’s string of nonsense, forcibly twisting the logic back to the corruption case!
“Your Highness, even so, this is not what we are discussing today,” other officials said.
“Aren’t you investigating the cause of Chen Yuanli’s death? Since you say it was a letter from home, how do you prove that letter was really from his family, and not sent by some corrupt official who wanted him dead and simply poisoned him?” Ying Fusheng continued: “Since that’s the case, you’ve handled the corruption investigation so sloppily, without even thoroughly eliminating suspects, and you call this case closed?”
Hearing the Sixth Prince’s words, the Court officials’ eyes suddenly lit up.
Both the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate wanted to wrap this up conclusively. They never expected the Sixth Prince to argue so cleverly, forcibly linking Chen Yuanli’s death to the corruption case. Leaving aside other matters, how many cases had the Court of Judicial Review submitted that had been suppressed by their Censorate and Ministry of Justice? Now, with the Sixth Prince forcing a review, he was openly challenging the Censorate.
The officials of the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate immediately looked toward the Court of Judicial Review. How could such questionable case files have been shown to His Highness!? The Court officials’ eyes darted around. Faced with the glares of the other officials, they pretended not to see.
They had no idea how the Sixth Prince had managed to find these specific files among all the others. The suppressed cases only had a few pages of records. The corruption case was huge; the Censorate had rejected many. The Sixth Prince had picked them all out.
The Censorate oversaw all officials. The Xiao family was the founder of Great Yuan’s laws. In the court, if the Censorate said an official’s conduct was questionable, the message would be conveyed to the Court of Judicial Review. Sometimes, without even needing a review, cases submitted from the prefectural offices could be decided upon by the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate.
Behind the Censorate stood the Xiao family, nearly a noble house wielding power behind the imperial throne.
Many in the court were accustomed to this: if the Censorate concluded there was no problem, then the case was closed. The cases the Court of Judicial Review had submitted were ones the Censorate had suppressed. To re-list them as involving suspects was undoubtedly to push the Censorate into the eye of the storm.
Old Xiao said in a deep voice: “Your Highness is young. You must be careful with your words.”
The Vice Minister suddenly interjected: “Old Xiao, are you questioning His Highness the Sixth Prince?”
“His Highness is acting on the Emperor’s orders. If he says it’s related, then it is related.”
Ying Fusheng shifted his gaze slightly, seeing the Vice Minister step forward, and followed his lead: “Father ordered me to calm the students’ emotions. If you handle your duties like this and the Imperial Academy students start making trouble later, are you going to take responsibility?”
Who would dare to take such responsibility? The officials of the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate all looked toward Ying Fusheng. Before coming, they had inquired about the Sixth Prince’s character. This prince was close to the Empress Dowager. Anyone with half a brain knew this was the time to align with the Xiao family. The Ning family had fallen; the Xiao family was his pillar of support going forward!
Nobody expected that after the Court of Judicial Review had stewed in silence for so long without producing anything, it would be the Sixth Prince who openly came out to oppose the Xiao family.
Old Xiao’s face completely darkened. They had come today to put this case to rest. Chen Yuanli’s death was indeed their doing. There were many factions and cliques in the court, and even more who didn’t want Chen Yuanli alive.
The Xiao family had little to do with Chen Yuanli personally. However, the Censorate had previously had close dealings with the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, and there were unsavory cases involving their subordinates. So when the factions sent signals, the Censorate was willing to lend a hand, allowing them to get a man into the Imperial Prison. Afterwards, with the man dead, it became a cold case that could be handled.
A scapegoat should stay in its place, not be pried open by the Embroidered Uniform Guard to spout nonsense.
This matter should have been handled as a cold case. But then Ying Fusheng appeared. The Chen Yuanli case could be big or small, depending entirely on the Emperor’s wishes. If the Three Offices reached a conclusion, the Embroidered Uniform Guard couldn’t investigate further, and the matter could blow over.
But Ying Fusheng had forcibly shifted the suspicion onto the Censorate. Chen Yuanli’s suicide could be ruled a cold case, but only after all suspects with a motive had been cleared. If this line of investigation were pursued, the Embroidered Uniform Guard could turn around and accuse the Censorate of dereliction of duty.
If word got back to the Xiao family…
The two sides were deadlocked. This young prince was supposed to be a mere observer. Yet now, for the Chen Yuanli case to be closed, they first had to get past the Sixth Prince. Otherwise, if the Sixth Prince went before the Emperor, things would sound different when they reached His Majesty’s ears.
Old Xiao coughed lightly, and the others looked over.
“Your Highness jests.”
Old Xiao pushed aside the case files before him, brushing off the dust, a hint of menace flickering in his eyes: “Regarding today’s matter…”
Just as the hall was thick with tension, a hurried report came from outside—
The officials of the Three Judicial Offices in the hall paused, hearing the messenger say: “Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Xiao Yan of the Censorate has arrived—”
As soon as the name was announced, Old Xiao’s already ashen expression turned even uglier.
Ying Fusheng looked up. Walking into the hall was a man in official robes. His complexion was like jade, his every gesture dignified and restrained. His features bore a striking resemblance to the Empress Dowager.
As he approached, the voices in the hall fell silent.
Ignoring the other officials, the man walked past Old Xiao and the others, heading straight for Ying Fusheng. He bowed in salute: “This minister, Xiao Yan, pays respects to Your Highness the Sixth Prince.”