Chapter 46#
Numerous events had occurred over the past few months, and with three cases in succession, the common people were in an uproar.#
The storytellers in teahouses compiled the incidents of these months into scripts and narrated everything with vivid detail.
“If you ask me, none of this would’ve happened without the Sixth Highness!”
“That’s right! At the Imperial Academy, the Sixth Highness spoke up for the students; at the Censorate, no other princes were present. I heard that the Xiao clan originally intended to hastily close the case, but it was the Sixth Highness who stepped forward to stop them, and only then did the Brocade Guard arrive.”
“Who said the Sixth Highness was just a wastrel?”
……
The grand anti-corruption investigation continued unabated. The dossiers handled by the guilty minister Xiao Yao and the other censors were collated by the Censorate and resubmitted to the Court of Judicial Review, which took charge of the cases, with the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice providing assistance. The Censorate’s move surprised both court and public opinion—it essentially delegated full authority to the Court of Judicial Review.
The First Prince was publicly rebuked in court when the Censorate presented evidence of his faction’s ministers bribing Xiao Yao. Although not explicitly stated, all court officials could see that the suicide case of Chen Yuanli was likely inseparable from the First Prince.
The First Prince was punished by being confined to his residence for a month of reflection and temporarily relieved of his duties.
The Qingliu faction did not fare well either. Several civil officials were exposed for embezzling public funds. The Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review threw damning evidence into the court, and those officials lost all face before being dragged out by the Imperial Guard. Meanwhile, Xu You, the Vice Minister of Justice, was dismissed from his post for ineffective investigations and secretly shielding Xiao Yao, and was exiled to Lingnan.
Everyone in the court felt endangered, fearing they might be implicated.
After this, an imperial decree was directly issued: The Sixth Prince, for his meritorious supervision, was specially awarded a residence and appointed as Supervisor of the Court of Judicial Review.
As the decree echoed through the court, murmurs arose.
The Sixth Prince was so young this year. The residence bestowed by His Majesty was very close to the imperial city. To receive a residence before leaving the palace to establish his own household was extremely rare. And beyond that, the special appointment as Supervisor of the Court of Judicial Review—even the Crown Prince had not yet been given an official post. The Sixth Prince was granted such an exceptional privilege.
The Crown Prince’s faction was about to protest that this violated protocol when an old minister stepped forward to argue. The senior court officials had seen the tasks the Sixth Prince had accomplished. This time, the Censorate and even public sentiment were very favorable. The Great Yuan Dynasty had so many corrupt elements, all thanks to the thorough investigations that had not slackened over these past months.
The one who spoke was a great scholar from the Imperial Academy and a veteran minister: “Reward according to merit; merit comes first.”
If not for the Sixth Prince’s straightforward actions this time, what followed would never have happened.
This task was executed brilliantly. The other princes’ previous assignments had also received generous rewards. Not rewarding the Sixth Prince would be unjustifiable. Moreover, it was only the post of Supervisor of the Court of Judicial Review; the Sixth Prince had already been assigned the task of visiting scholars earlier.
The Emperor looked at Grand Secretary Xu: “Grand Secretary, do you have any objections?”
“The Sixth Prince is intelligent; he deserves the reward,” said Grand Secretary Xu.
Since even the senior ministers spoke thus, the other factions could not stop it, and the Crown Prince’s faction had to keep silent.
After court, undercurrents surged through the capital.
“He, Xiao Yan, simply handed over power to the Court of Judicial Review like that?!”
“Our side hasn’t suffered too severe a loss. The corruption case is being tried publicly. The Yun family has a mess on their hands.”
“What about the Sixth Prince?”
Xiao Yan was young, and most civil officials in court were connected with the elders of the Xiao clan. But after the Censorate incident, the Xiao clan had closed their doors to visitors. It was said that the elders who had tried to defy Xiao Yan now dared not speak a single word. The Censorate’s plaque being burned was undoubtedly a warning to the Xiao clan. When anything involved the Mandate of Heaven, with public opinion and the Emperor’s will clear, who dared to question it?
Grand Secretary Xu sat among the courtiers, all filled with worry.
Ever since His Majesty returned from the campaign, his actions had been too bold, especially regarding civil governance.
“You were impulsive,” Grand Secretary Xu said.
The Crown Prince knew his maternal grandfather had noticed his sending people to stir trouble at the Censorate’s gate that day. “At the time, I just wanted to send someone to see what was happening.”
“If I hadn’t sent people to stop it, today’s court session would have been about more than just impeaching the First Prince,” Grand Secretary Xu said, his voice slightly stern in warning. “Your Highness is the Crown Prince. When you turn twelve, the Eastern Palace will participate in court affairs. Until then, if you interfere too much, His Majesty will take note.”
What was most feared was arousing suspicion, especially the Emperor’s suspicion.
The Crown Prince felt a lingering fear after hearing this. “I understand.”
But what could he do? Now, when he went out of the palace and walked the streets, the commoners and scholars all talked about Ying Fusheng. This person had seemingly done nothing, yet he had become the prince who held popular favor. In contrast, the Crown Prince’s prior reputation for virtue was insignificant compared to Ying Fusheng.
Moreover, Father’s rewards had already far exceeded the usual allowances for princes.
He had been given a residence before leaving the palace and appointed as Supervisor—while all his elder brothers had only received official posts after establishing their households outside the palace.
As the Crown Prince walked away, Grand Secretary Xu withdrew his gaze and said, “Has anything been found out about the Empress?”
“The Empress Dowager is concerned for the Empress Dowager’s health and has been investigating this period,” said the palace secret envoy. “Her Majesty is uneasy about the matter of the crushed red seeds. The Empress Dowager is unwell, so most court affairs have been handed over to the Kunming Palace.”
In fact, the Empress Dowager had initially wanted to share power with Consort Yun, but the First Prince had made such a grave mistake that Consort Yun was also punished, and the matter was dropped.
“She has not handled court affairs for a long time, but as the Empress, she should not be like this,” Grand Secretary Xu instructed. “You may appropriately inform her about recent matters concerning the Sixth Prince.”
The secret envoy was startled. “Understood.”
Grand Secretary Xu waved his hand to dismiss him.
He could clearly see the worry in the Crown Prince’s eyes. First the Imperial Academy incident, then the Censorate incident. The Sixth Prince appeared reckless, offending everyone, but in truth, every step he took was just right.
He didn’t cross the Emperor’s bottom line, yet everything pleased the Emperor.
Especially this time—his popular reputation soared, and even the neutral factions in court had greatly increased their favorable impression of him.
He had a feeling the Sixth Prince would become very troublesome in the future.
……
In the palace, many new items had appeared in the side hall of Cining Palace.
Some were sent by the Emperor, others added by the Empress Dowager. Every day when Ying Fusheng returned from Wenhua Hall, he would see new things in the palace. The Empress Dowager didn’t say much, but Auntie Yu visited more frequently, and even the medicinal meals Ying Fusheng ate were varied.
The Emperor’s rewards, along with the appointment edict, were delivered by Eunuch Rong. When he arrived, Ying Fusheng had just finished his medicine. “His Majesty is considerate of the Sixth Highness’s health. Although you have been appointed as Supervisor of the Court of Judicial Review, the priority is still your well-being.”
Ying Fusheng thanked His Majesty for his kindness, and Eunuch Rong left with his men.
“Is the Xiao clan still sending letters to Grandmother?” Ying Fusheng asked after the man had gone.
Song An replied, “Yes, but the Empress Dowager has refused them all. Only Minister Xiao’s letters were left behind.”
Now, many in the court were watching this matter closely. The Empress Dowager had familial ties with the Xiao clan, so it was inconvenient for her to interact with them. His Majesty had punished the Xiao clan heavily, yet not too heavily. Many could not grasp His Majesty’s attitude. In the past few days, the concubines of the harem had visited Cining Palace, hinting in their conversations to probe this, even testing the relationship between Ying Fusheng and the Empress Dowager.
“Prepare the carriage. I’m going out of the palace,” Ying Fusheng said.
Song An was startled. “Your Highness?”
At this stage, many in the court were watching Cining Palace’s stance. The best policy was for Cining Palace to keep its distance from the Xiao clan.
“I’ve just received an official post. What’s wrong with going to take a look?”
Ying Fusheng smiled. “Besides, I’ve already offended the Xiao clan. I’m not afraid of more.”
The carriage was prepared quickly. The moment Ying Fusheng left the palace, news spread everywhere.
When Qi Hanzhou received the news, he was a little surprised. “He went voluntarily?”
Ye Xuanjiu replied, “Yes! As soon as the carriage left the palace gate, those old foxes probably already got the news.”
He couldn’t quite understand the Sixth Prince. After the Censorate incident, the Sixth Prince had been pushed to the forefront. Now several party factions in court were watching him. When one was in the spotlight, one should exercise restraint to avoid giving the factions an excuse to stir up trouble. Yet this Sixth Prince swaggered right over.
Qi Hanzhou was thoughtful, his gaze lingering on the bustling streets.
The Court of Judicial Review was handling the corruption case, involving officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War. The First Prince and the Xiao clan both had people there.
“He went there deliberately.”
Now everyone in the capital knew about his conflict with the Xiao clan.
The streets of the capital were lively. The carriage from the palace passed through the bustling market and rattled toward the Court of Judicial Review. When the officials of the Court of Judicial Review saw the Sixth Prince’s carriage approaching, messengers immediately entered the court. Soon, several officials came out to greet him.
“Little Highness?” The official from the Court of Judicial Review said, “The Junior Minister specially ordered us to welcome you.”
Ying Fusheng raised an eyebrow slightly. “Am I that close to your Junior Minister?”
“Ah, Your Highness, why speak like that? Now that you hold the post of Supervisor, you’ll be coming to the office often. The Junior Minister has ordered that we attend to everything meticulously.”
If an ordinary Supervisor had been parachuted in, their Junior Minister would have shown a stern face on the spot.
But this was the Sixth Prince. The Court of Judicial Review could now stand tall and speak up, all thanks to this auspicious star.
Their Junior Minister, who normally paid no attention to trivial matters, had even taken some of his own salary to prepare pastries from the Drunken Moon Tower—
For no other reason than that the Sixth Prince liked them.
When Ying Fusheng entered, the court was still hearing a case.
Officials from the court were sitting on the side, listening. As he walked over, several officials who saw him rose to pay their respects.
“Carry on, everyone. Don’t mind me; I’m just here to observe.” Ying Fusheng walked straight to an empty seat and sat down next to Xiao Yan.
The officials in the hall stared wide-eyed. The Sixth Prince had on his left Xiao Yan, the Censorate chief, on his right Hu Buyu, the Vice Minister of War, and next to Hu Buyu, the Vice Minister of Revenue.
“Your Highness.” Hu Buyu rose to bow, and the Vice Minister of Revenue beside him did the same.
Ying Fusheng smiled at him. “Long time no see, Hu Buyu.”
Then his gaze fell on Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan also bowed. “Sixth Highness.”
“No! Who put the seat there?” an official from the Court of Judicial Review groaned.
“That’s not our arrangement! That’s the seat for Minister Li of the Ministry of Justice!”
That seat was originally reserved for the Minister of Justice, but he hadn’t arrived due to official business, so the Sixth Prince had simply sat there.
Who would dare tell the Sixth Prince to move?
After taking his seat, Ying Fusheng looked at Xiao Yan. “Minister Xiao, have you read the dossiers I sent to the Court of Judicial Review?”
Xiao Yan paused briefly, then said after a moment’s thought, “The relevant dossiers have been reviewed by the Censorate, are consistent with the findings of the Court of Judicial Review, and have been submitted to the Ministry of Justice pending trial. For the remaining suspicious dossiers, the censors will supervise for a few days until sufficient evidence is gathered for trial.”
“Good.” Ying Fusheng nodded with satisfaction. He looked at Hu Buyu and the Vice Minister of Revenue. “What do you two think? Is there anything that needs to be reorganized?”
The Vice Minister of Revenue smiled on the surface but was gritting his teeth inside. Did this prince really not know, or was he pretending not to? He glanced at Hu Buyu, expecting this “close confidant of the Emperor” to speak up.
Hu Buyu’s expression remained unchanged as he said gently, “The Three Judicial Offices are thorough. We will follow their arrangements.”
“Indeed, such matters should be left to the Court of Judicial Review. They understand the law better.” Ying Fusheng said.
Hu Buyu smiled. “Your Highness speaks wisely.”
Xiao Yan glanced between the two.
Ying Fusheng nodded. “Makes sense. As expected of Minister Hu, who understands things so well.”
Vice Minister of Revenue: “…”
Who could tell him why this little ancestor, who should be staying put in the palace, had come out to cause trouble?
Since the royal decree had given him supervisory authority, the Court of Judicial Review officials could only finish one round of hearings and then send someone to ask Ying Fusheng for his opinion.
Ying Fusheng sat there, listened to the hearing, and didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he asked the person next to him, “Minister Xiao, how should this case be judged?”
Xiao Yan thought for a moment. “Under these circumstances, the lightest penalty is dismissal from office; the heaviest is exile.”
“I see. Then let’s do as Minister Xiao says.” Ying Fusheng told the Court of Judicial Review official beside him.
The court officials seated around all fixed their eyes on the four people at the front. Everyone knew that the First Prince had been punished, and most of the officials being tried below were influential figures with deep ties to the First Prince. Otherwise, why would the Vice Minister of War have come just because some minor officials in the Ministry of War had committed crimes? Their purpose was to persuade the Court of Judicial Review to be lenient in sentencing. But now, with the Sixth Prince sitting there, everyone could see his intention. Every question he asked was directed at Xiao Yan—wasn’t that to put pressure on the Xiao clan!
The officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War were getting headaches. Minister Hu’s smile had turned fake—couldn’t the Sixth Prince see that it was sarcasm!
And it wasn’t over. When the Court of Judicial Review asked for Ying Fusheng’s opinion, he asked others instead: “I think it’s fine. What about you all?”
Xiao Yan sat upright, with officials beside him recording the testimony.
Hu Buyu put down his teacup and said with a smile that following the Court of Judicial Review’s results would suffice.
Behind them, the Vice Minister of Revenue, even though he had received secret orders from the First Prince, dared not speak up at this moment. After the Censorate incident, everyone in the Three Judicial Offices knew about this Sixth Prince’s tongue. Any ambiguous remark might be twisted beyond recognition by this young Highness.
The examples of Chen Yuanli and Xiao Yao were right there in front of them!
Everyone finally understood why the Sixth Prince had come.
He asked about everything, truly acting like a supervisor, but he never acted independently—he always consulted the opinions of the other officials around him, even though he had offended all of them before. He simply didn’t care. He could do as he pleased, but the Court of Judicial Review officials were watching closely.
If anyone raised objections again, the slightest disagreement in attitude from the others would spell big trouble.
The hearing left the officials trembling with fear, while the Sixth Prince remained calm and composed. It was only when the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review struck the gavel to adjourn that it ended.
When it was over, Ying Fusheng turned and left. Only Minister Xiao and Minister Hu remained silent, watching the fait accompli.
Ying Fusheng reached the door and lifted the carriage curtain. Inside sat Ye Xuanjiu. Ying Fusheng looked at him. “What are you doing here?”
Ye Xuanjiu dared not say outright that he had come specifically to protect the Sixth Highness’s safety. “Your subordinate is here on orders from the Young General to escort Your Highness back to the palace. And this is something the Young General asked me to give you.”
Ying Fusheng took it, glanced at it, and said nothing more. “Why didn’t he come himself?”
Ye Xuanjiu was taken aback, but before he could explain, Ying Fusheng lifted the curtain and saw Xiao Yan standing outside the Court of Judicial Review.
“Let’s go,” he said.
At the gate of the Court of Judicial Review, Xiao Yan saw off the other court officials. A trusted confidant approached and said in a low voice, “Minister Xiao, with the Sixth Highness present today, should we discuss some of the dossiers again with the Court of Judicial Review? Could the Sixth Highness’s visit this time be on orders from that…”
Xiao Yan looked away. “That is not something you should speculate about.”
“Do as the Sixth Highness means it to be.”
The confidant was startled. “Minister Xiao, the clan elders say the Sixth Highness is not truly a member of the Xiao family…”
“What do the clan elders say?”
Xiao Yan’s gaze was like a warning. “If I hear such words again, I will deal with it according to the Xiao family rules.”
The confidant acknowledged. Xiao Yan’s gaze swept the surroundings.
As the carriage drove away, the hidden agents among them also left. In the entire court, only the Qi family had the capability to plant agents around the Court of Judicial Review. From the moment Ying Fusheng stepped in here, the Qi family’s eyes had been everywhere, constantly watching the Court of Judicial Review and the movements of the officials.
Ying Fusheng had mentioned dossiers, but the ones that had reached Xiao Yan’s desk were far more than just those from the Court of Judicial Review. There were also some dossiers that had never been made public, with the names of several key officials prominently circled. It wasn’t to ask for his opinion—it was to use the Court of Judicial Review as a conduit to send him a message.
What was passed to him was essentially a list.
A list of suspects among the civil and military officials of the court. Handing this to the Censorate—this young Highness was testing his stance.
Xiao Yan looked at his palm, a hint of appreciation in his eyes. “He wants the Xiao clan to make a choice.”
And indeed, the Xiao clan should make that choice.