Chapter 77#

Ye Xuanjiu was startled upon hearing the Sixth Prince’s inexplicable actions. “Your Highness intends to borrow from all six ministries?”#

The Ministry of Works was truly short-handed; currently, the Ministry of Rites was overwhelmed with its own affairs. Apart from the Ministries of Works and Rites, the other four ministries had ample manpower, but their factions’ stances were unclear. Even the Emperor dared not place people there. Was the Sixth Prince acting on the Emperor’s behalf like this?

Qi Hanzhou said, “Liu Yunshi is a talent, which is why he kept shouting all the way out.”

This move was meant to make it appear as though the Sixth Prince was acting rashly as a newcomer to officialdom. Then, as the Minister of Works, he would have to put on a proper show to satisfy the Emperor.

How could a prince, seemingly without a claim to the throne, be placed by the Emperor in the Ministry of Works to silence dissenting voices?

Behind him was only the Shen family; the Xiao family hadn’t even taken a clear stance. Under these circumstances, the Sixth Prince became a target for recruitment. As court factions vied for power, other princes would approach Ying Fusheng, attempting to win him over for their own convenience.

The Emperor hadn’t forgotten the tasks the Sixth Prince had handled before. Though his studies had lagged after years of illness, he still retained the skill of cornering the Xiao clan elders in the Dali Temple (Supreme Court) courtroom. In the eyes of the Emperor and even the court officials, the Sixth Prince was a man of pure integrity who handled matters impartially… Placing the Sixth Prince in the Ministry of Works was also a way to use him as bait to lure out covert officials.

Qi Hanzhou looked toward the palace. The Emperor would not only refrain from getting angry but would tacitly allow this behavior to proceed.

“If the Emperor transfers officials to the Ministry of Works under the guise of a temporary assignment,” Qi Hanzhou said, “then if some ministry affairs become entangled, this temporary assignment could easily turn into a permanent one. The old foxes in the court won’t miss such an opportunity… But if a prince does the borrowing, it’s different.”

Then the Emperor could simply cut it off—it was a temporary assignment without formal documentation, merely a favor owed by the prince’s personal action.

Ye Xuanjiu was alarmed: “How could those old foxes agree to lend out their people? And if Minister Hu helps the Sixth Prince with this, won’t it reveal their secret alliance?”

“That’s precisely why he originally recommended someone from the First Prince’s faction at court.”

Qi Hanzhou raised an eyebrow. “Those two are even shrewder than the old foxes.”

They calculated many steps ahead. From the moment Hu Buyu recommended someone from the First Prince’s faction to the Ministry of Works, Ying Fusheng’s goal was not merely to use Hu Buyu to enter the ministry but to put Hu Buyu in an awkward position. Only then, when he went to the Ministry of War to borrow people, could the Minister of War justifiably agree.

…

Ying Fusheng sat inside the Ministry of Revenue office. He had arrived in a hurry, his face pale from the rush. As he sat there, Song An handed him pills, which he swallowed with warm water. The sight of one handing pills and the other drinking them startled the attending ministry officials into a cold sweat, afraid he might have some kind of episode right there.

“Is the Minister out?” Ying Fusheng asked.

A Ministry of Revenue official replied, “The Minister has gone out on business! He’ll respond soon.”

When the news reached the First Prince, he frowned upon hearing it. “Hu Buyu lent them out?”

An advisor explained, “Minister Hu had no choice. After the previous incident, the Emperor grew suspicious of him. This time, the Sixth Prince pressured him by claiming to act for the people, which also aligned with the Emperor’s intentions. If Minister Hu refused, the Emperor might classify him as part of our faction.”

Hu Buyu was known at court as a staunch imperial loyalist, only secretly helping the First Prince’s faction on occasion.

The First Prince had gained many benefits from the Emperor’s trust in Hu Buyu, so he naturally understood the importance of that trust.

“When Minister Hu lent the people out, other officials were present—including Minister Shen and members of the Lu family,” a subordinate reported. “His Highness is already seated in the office now, looking quite pale. Several officials have come to inquire.”

The Ministry of Revenue indeed wanted to place people in the Ministry of Works, but not under these circumstances.

It wasn’t something anyone could easily do—to go to the Ministry of War and borrow thirty people at once. Only his reckless Sixth Brother would make such a request, especially with Shen Changcun present there. Hu Buyu prioritized loyalty to the Emperor first, then helped the Yun family. As for the Shen family, they currently took no side at court, following only the Sixth Prince. No wonder the Ministry of War—Shen Changcun, as Vice Minister of War, could easily lend a few people.

“The Sixth Prince said that if they didn’t lend, it was fine—he would go ask the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice next,” the subordinate added.

The subordinate then asked, “Then, First Prince, should we still lend?”

If anyone else had come to the Ministry of Works, they wouldn’t have succeeded in borrowing people. But it was Ying Fusheng.

Yet once he succeeded in borrowing, everyone else would have to follow suit.

The First Prince gritted his teeth. “Nonsense. Since the Ministry of War agreed to lend, can you refuse to send people in?”

He said coldly, “Lend. Arrange a few capable people to go. Don’t lend too many—the court is watching.”

Ying Fusheng waited in the Ministry of Revenue until he received the official borrowing document, which exactly authorized five people. Satisfied, he rose and left. The ministry officials saw him off, trying to curry favor: “Your Highness, the Minister means that the Ministry of Revenue is currently busy as well, so this is all we can spare. But if you need more later, Your Highness may return!”

Ying Fusheng acknowledged this, then boarded his carriage.

The Ministry of Revenue official breathed a sigh of relief, only to see the carriage turn and head straight for the distant Ministry of Justice. All his elaborate explanations had fallen on deaf ears.

Within the capital’s six ministries, the Sixth Prince visited them all on his first day in office. When news of the Ministry of Works borrowing from the others reached the Ministry of Personnel, before Ying Fusheng could even step into their office, an official emerged—the same one who had debated with him at the Ministry of Works earlier. This time, however, he said little, merely stating that the Minister of Personnel agreed to lend people, and they would report to the Ministry of Works the next day.

While the Sixth Prince was busy borrowing people, the Minister of Works went tearfully to the palace, only to be swept out by the Emperor. When he emerged, he was beaming, without any sign of distress. He sighed to his Vice Minister, “Didn’t I say it? The Sixth Prince is a lucky star!”

The temporarily transferred officials from the six ministries reported to the Ministry of Works. Even the overburdened Ministry of Rites sent three people as a gesture. The ministry officials, who had been working tirelessly for days, looked upon these arrivals as saviors. The biggest problem with the Lingxiao Terrace project was thus resolved. Moreover, since people from the Ministries of Personnel, Revenue, and War were present, even routine paperwork was simplified—they simply handed it over to their own people to handle.

The transferred officials had initially hoped to use this opportunity to build a relationship with the Sixth Prince, but the prince, citing illness, became elusive within three days of taking office. Ying Fusheng didn’t bother managing the situation—he was only responsible for borrowing people and incurring favors. Handling the intricacies was left to Liu Yunshi.

While Liu Yunshi steadily managed the Ministry of Works, Ying Fusheng stayed in his residence, surrounded by gifts sent by his brother.

He accepted them unceremoniously, rearranged them, and then sent them off to other mansions.

With this borrowing move, the old foxes at court fell silent. The Ministry of Works dragged all departments into the mud together, and with the Emperor’s tacit approval, those old foxes dared not stick their necks out, lest they become targets.

But the Ministry of Personnel behaved normally. Neither the Minister nor his Second Brother made any trouble during this borrowing… They were too composed.

His Second Brother, working in the Ministry of Personnel, could handle anything but excelled at nothing.

He would humbly learn from ministry officials, yet when it came to actual tasks, he would position himself in a mediocre role. Once, an official tried to claim credit for the Second Prince, but when it reached the Emperor, the Second Prince failed to give the desired answer, and the credit was lost.

“But he’s clever. After failing to secure credit, he would visit the official’s home,” Ying Fusheng said, looking at the documents Qi Hanzhou handed him. These were archives secretly retrieved by the Embroidered Uniform Guard through the Dali Temple (Supreme Court), detailing the Second Prince’s activities in the Ministry of Personnel over the years—from minor evaluations of officials to major cases involving demotions. “The best thing about the Ministry of Personnel is that it allows contact with all court officials.”

He didn’t need to excel—he only needed to be appropriate.

To give officials the right impression, to do the right things… just like using compromise to buy time for Minister Liu Yunshi, without breaking principles, yet earning gratitude.

Even someone as smooth as Liu Yunshi reacted this way, indicating this wasn’t his first such interaction.

“Is Father still investigating Jiangnan and Western Shu?” Ying Fusheng asked.

Qi Hanzhou replied, “Yes. Over the past year, all the imperial envoys secretly sent to Jiangnan and Western Shu were appointed by His Majesty.”

The military pay case hadn’t alleviated the Emperor’s suspicions. The frequent dispatches of people to Jiangnan and Bashu were part of his secret investigation into the whereabouts of the military funds. The mastermind behind it all had countered in the final moments, shifting all blame onto the deposed Crown Prince and abandoning some hidden agents among the remnants of the previous dynasty. The Emperor seemed to have uprooted the Xu family entirely, but in reality, the mastermind had already relocated some secret posts.

But the Emperor, paranoid by nature, continued his secret investigations.

“What do you think the problem is?” Ying Fusheng asked.

Qi Hanzhou said, “It’s too quiet. You brought people from the six ministries into the Ministry of Works, allowing the factions to check each other, yet no one has made a move within the ministry so far.”

The First Prince, now with the greatest prestige, would never cause trouble in the Lingxiao Terrace. The Third Prince’s faction was steady and never reckless. The Ministry of Personnel had wanted to place people in the Ministry of Works, but with an opportunity right before them, they did nothing. With such a perfect mess in the Ministry of Works, his Second Brother could also resist joining the fray.

“He isn’t in the capital. The Second Prince is his supporter—there must be a secret line of communication between them,” Ying Fusheng said, contemplating the chaotic situation. “To hide the secret line so well, it’s likely the work of power brokers from Jiangnan and Western Shu; feudal princes are the most probable candidates.”

The mastermind failed when he used the deposed Crown Prince as a scapegoat, and the Xu family’s network was dismantled.

In September this year, the feudal princes and marquises would enter the capital, as per the late Emperor’s tradition. Such a perfect opportunity—Ying Fusheng didn’t believe the mastermind would resist. He would not only seize the chance but would also come to the capital himself.

Qi Hanzhou sat beside him. The young man sat cross-legged; the chambers of the prince’s residence were arranged for his convenience. His favorite scattered chess set lay on the couch. Wrapped in bedding, he would occasionally extend a hand to flip a page or fiddle with the chess pieces.

Lost in thought, he seemed to grow weary.

Ever since his illness, he had remained this way—lacking energy, easily fatigued when thinking deeply. Chen Xuyou said this was normal during recovery and was searching for folk remedies to help restore his health.

As he spoke, he nodded forward, looking as if he were about to fall asleep.

Qi Hanzhou paused, his gaze involuntarily drawn to his half-awake, half-drowsy expression. It reminded him of a tree rat he’d seen stealing food in the north. Struggling with drowsiness, he still turned pages, flipping the same page twice without getting past it.

On an impulse, Qi Hanzhou reached out.

But just as he extended his hand, the page finally turned.

Qi Hanzhou touched an ice-cold hand.

He had gripped this person’s wrist more than once, but this was the first time he touched it like this.

The knuckles beneath his fingertips were cold yet elegantly sculpted, very smooth… entirely different from the hands of a martial artist.

But they were rather beautiful.