Sun Yinde’s subordinates refused to reveal where they had discarded Yuanzhe’s grandmother’s body.
Su Jin, Zhou Ping, and Liu Yichu searched along the Huai River for an entire night but could only return empty-handed.
That night, an imperial decree arrived from the palace, ordering Su Jin to enter the palace after the court conference the following day to testify in the case of the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Banquets orchestrating an assassination attempt on the Thirteenth Prince.
Before sleeping, Su Jin reviewed the clues she had gathered once more. Apart from the mud she and Shen Xi had thrown at the Ministry of Personnel during their coordinated performance that day, Chao Qing’s disappearance was indeed connected to people under the Seventh Prince’s command. Tomorrow at Fengtian Hall, it would depend on how much Sister Yuan’er’s testimony could reveal about the inner workings of the case.
The next day before dawn, Shen Xi headed toward the Eastern Palace with dark circles under his peach blossom eyes.
Like Liu Chaoming, he had been ordered to stop attending morning court and was now half a wealthy idle gentleman. Unfortunately, he hadn’t slept well for several consecutive days.
After passing through the Chuihua Gate but before entering the main hall, his elbow was suddenly grabbed from the side.
Shen Xi stumbled before steadying himself, only to see Zhu Shiqi blinking his eyes with a worried expression: “Brother Qingyue, my imperial brother has been sulking in Donghua Hall for nearly two days. Could you go check on him?”
Shen Xi felt displeased.
Shiqi had grown up hanging around with him and Zhu Nanxian, so he himself counted as half an elder brother to the boy. How was it that this little brat could see Zhu Shisan’s melancholy but not see his, Shen Qingyue’s, melancholy?
Shen Xi brushed off Zhu Shiqi’s hand from his elbow and said matter-of-factly: “As it should be. Your imperial brother’s brain has been unused for so many years that it’s badly tangled. Now that it can turn a little, that’s also a meritorious deed of bringing someone back from death’s door.”
With that, he prepared to sweep his sleeves and leave.
Zhu Shiqi chased after him a few steps and said aggrievedly: “But the day before yesterday, my imperial brother had already returned to his princely residence. When he heard that Brother Ziyan’s sentence had been set and knew you were running about for Brother Ziyan’s sake, he came back to the palace saying he wanted to plead with Father Emperor. That’s when he was stopped by Elder Imperial Brother and confined to Donghua Hall.”
Shen Xi halted his steps, glanced at Zhu Shiqi, and said breezily: “Donghua Hall, you say?”
Dawn was just breaking when Zhu Nanxian, dressed in black martial attire, held a long blade reversed in his hand. The blade edge turned slightly, carving a water-like gleam through the morning light. His toes lightly touched the ground as his entire person rose like a bird in flight, then thrust the blade down in a reverse strike.
A row of swords inserted upside down on the nearby weapons rack all rang out with metallic hums from the blade wind stirred up by this strike.
Shen Xi, hands clasped, leaned against the gallery watching and said mockingly: “Hey, what’s this move called? Wild Geese Landing on Flat Sand?”
Zhu Nanxian turned his head to glance at him but said nothing. The blade handle spun a full circle in his palm, then he raised the blade and brought it down in broad, sweeping slashes.
Shen Xi clicked his tongue.
Shiqi explained from the side: “Brother Qingyue, it’s not like you don’t know—my imperial brother never talks to anyone during his morning martial practice.”
Shen Xi was extremely vexed.
He had come with Shiqi out of good intentions to check on Zhu Shisan, never imagining the man was fine, just practicing martial arts to vent his frustration.
Simple-minded people really had it good.
Whenever Shen Qingyue was unhappy, he had to needle someone, had to needle them until they were even more unhappy than him before he could feel better.
He paced back and forth in the gallery with hands clasped, then plucked up a copy of “The Doctrine of the Mean” from the weapons rack with two fingers and said: “Hey, have you repented now? Started studying? Do you know I could recite this book backward and forward when I was six years old?”
Zhu Shiqi said bashfully: “Brother Qingyue, that book is what I’m reading.”
Shen Xi tossed the book back to him, sat down, crossed his legs, and said to Zhu Nanxian again: “I thought after sulking in your residence for two days, you might have made some progress. Never expected you’d still be cultivating the way of a brute?”
Zhu Nanxian’s blade moved like a shooting star as he glanced at Shen Xi from beyond the blade edge.
Shen Xi felt that Zhu Shisan was truly impervious to reason. He snorted and said: “If you keep going like this, next time you won’t even know who’s assassinated you.”
The corner of Zhu Nanxian’s mouth curved slightly. He suddenly extended his blade to hook beneath the nearby weapons rack, then flicked upward.
Several long swords suddenly flew toward Shen Xi like a rain of blades, falling in irregular patterns into the muddy ground around him. One even landed right beside his foot.
Within the sword rain, a snow-white blade flew toward Shen Xi’s cheek, barely deflected at the last instant by a blade scabbard that brushed against the blade’s edge. The scabbard spun through the air and slid down at an angle.
It sheared off a lock of hair from Shen Xi’s right shoulder.
A bead of sweat slowly rolled down Shen Qingyue’s forehead.
Zhu Nanxian sheathed his blade and turned around with raised eyebrows, his bright eyes containing a smile: “How about that? After this prince scared you like this, do you feel better?”
Shen Xi fanned himself expressionlessly with his folding fan and spat out two words: “Boring.”
Zhu Nanxian paused, then handed his blade to Shiqi who waited at the side, and suddenly said: “Shen Qingyue, do you still remember several years ago when someone tried to kill you and your third sister, and I arrived in time to save you both?”
Shen Xi raised an eyebrow: “What, here to collect a debt?”
Zhu Nanxian nodded: “I know you have a way. Teach me—how can I go to my fief without taking a consort?”
Shen Xi clicked his tongue twice and stared at him for a moment: “What’s your aim? For Su Shiyu?”
Zhu Nanxian neither confirmed nor denied.
Shen Xi clasped his hands and said: “Fine, who told me I owe you a favor? Then listen well—today is the best opportunity—”
By the hour of chen, Su Jin was already waiting on the platform for the hearing.
Today’s trial was different from usual. Since it concerned an imperial prince and national dignity, Censor-in-Chief Liu Chaoming from the Censorate, Minister Shen Tuo from the Ministry of Justice, Minister Zeng Youliang from the Ministry of Personnel, Vice Minister Ma from the Court of Imperial Banquets, and others had already been before the Emperor in Fengtian Hall for most of an hour.
Shen Xi from the Ministry of Revenue arrived late, having gone in only half an hour ago.
Shortly after, four more people arrived at the other end of the platform—none other than Crown Prince Zhu Minda, the Seventh Prince Zhu Zhaowei, the Thirteenth Prince Zhu Nanxian, and the Fourteenth Prince Zhu Mixiao.
They wore robes in four colors respectively: bright yellow, light vermillion, deep purple, and bamboo green.
Above stretched the vast heavens; below, the palace halls stood in long winds. The four men carried themselves with majestic bearing. Looking closely, each was different from the others.
Zhu Minda was supremely arrogant with solemn features. Zhu Zhaowei had delicate features with a vermillion mark between his brows. Zhu Nanxian had sword-like brows and starry eyes, his bearing heroic and vigorous. Zhu Mixiao had fair skin and handsome eyes, but with a trace of disdain in his gaze.
Yet they were after all imperial princes and dragon grandsons. When the four walked together, their bearing was brilliant, as if heaven and earth could only contain them.
The palace attendant before Fengtian Hall and the Commander of the Tiger Guard simultaneously called out in high voices: “Kneel—”
In an instant, from Fengtian Hall extending to the platform, hundreds of people knelt in unison.
The four arrived before the hall. A palace attendant withdrew from inside and said: “Reporting to the four Princes—His Majesty is still questioning the Left Censor-in-Chief and Minister Shen. Please wait a moment, Your Highnesses.”
Zhu Minda said indifferently: “Understood. You may go.”
The attendant kowtowed, then withdrew back into Fengtian Hall while bowing.
Zhu Mixiao sighed and said: “Thirteenth Imperial Brother, this younger brother is truly jealous of you. Think about it—from childhood to now, with so many of us brothers, friction is common. Fighting or quarreling would be the end of it. But how is it that whenever it concerns you, Father Emperor takes it so seriously?”
Zhu Minda glanced at him sidelong with contempt: “Since you’ve been jealous of Thirteen since childhood, how is it you’ve never learned even half his good qualities?”
Zhu Mixiao clicked his tongue twice: “Learn what? To have no guile, or to be straightforward? No choice—your younger brother doesn’t have a Crown Prince elder brother keeping the peace. I must rely on myself in all things.” He then looked at Zhu Zhaowei with undisguised pity: “Seventh Imperial Brother, of all people you could provoke, why provoke Thirteenth Brother? Have you forgotten that all these years, Father Emperor has always favored him most? Truly makes one hate from jealousy.”
Both Zhu Zhaowei and Zhu Minda regarded Zhu Mixiao as a fool.
He said indifferently: “Hating from jealousy is your business.” He glanced at Zhu Nanxian and said warmly: “Thirteen, since you returned from the Northwest, this elder brother hasn’t properly welcomed you back. When we were young, didn’t all us brothers get along very well? Now that we’ve grown and each will go to our fiefs, it wouldn’t do if misunderstandings arose from estrangement.”
Zhu Nanxian only said: “Seventh Brother jests.”
Seeing his impervious demeanor, Zhu Zhaowei smiled slightly and walked to the other side of Fengtian Hall, saying to the person kneeling before the hall doors: “Your name is Su Jin?”
Su Jin confirmed it was so.
Zhu Zhaowei continued: “Lift your face so this prince may see you.”
Su Jin paused, then slowly raised her head.
“Refined and dignified.” Zhu Zhaowei seemed quite surprised as he nodded, then turned back to look at Zhu Nanxian: “Thirteen, was it for him that you took that bloody flogging back then?” He smiled warmly: “If that’s the case, why don’t this prince take the initiative and have a word with Zeng Youliang afterward to assign him to you as an attendant scholar?”
Zhu Nanxian froze and couldn’t help looking toward Su Jin. He saw her staring blankly at him, but the moment their eyes met, she lowered her gaze.
Just as Zhu Nanxian was about to say something, the palace attendant emerged from Fengtian Hall to announce: “Your Highnesses, His Majesty requests your presence.”
Zhu Minda took the lead in stepping into Fengtian Hall. Zhu Nanxian followed behind Zhu Zhaowei. As he passed in front of Su Jin, his steps paused slightly, then he walked straight ahead without looking sideways into the hall.
Only then did the attendant say: “The magistrate Su Jin from the Capital Bureau? His Majesty also commands you to enter.”
Su Jin had entered Fengtian Hall five years ago as well.
That was during her palace examination and the imperial roll-calling ceremony.
After so many years, entering Fengtian Hall again—with the emperor’s sons and grandsons standing to her left, high officials and powerful ministers to her right, and above them all the sovereign who, though aged, had phoenix eyes that commanded respect without anger, the magnificent bearing of the Son of Heaven that made one dare not look directly at him.
She bowed deeply from the depths of the hall and heard the voice from above say: “You are Su Jin?”
Su Jin replied: “In response to Your Majesty, this humble minister is.”
Emperor Jingyuan said: “According to young Minister Shen, it was you who overheard people from the Ministry of Personnel plotting to harm Our thirteenth son?”
Su Jin said: “In response to Your Majesty, that is correct. That day, this humble minister was hiding in a haystack and personally heard the guards say they were following orders from a lord in the Ministry of Personnel to assassinate the Thirteenth Prince.”
Emperor Jingyuan asked: “What were you doing at Minister Ma’s residence?”
Su Jin replied: “To investigate a case of a missing acquaintance. This humble minister had an old friend who was a tribute scholar this year. He disappeared mysteriously recently. This humble minister traced it to the proprietress of Xinyue Pavilion, and this person had been taken as a concubine by Minister Ma’s household. So during the moon-viewing banquet, I went to inquire about his whereabouts.”
Emperor Jingyuan said: “Minister Shen, do you have this person’s testimony?”
Shen Tuo immediately presented a memorial, replying: “Reporting to Your Majesty, the testimony is all in this memorial. It confirms what Magistrate Su said. This person named Chao Qing, together with the deceased courtesan Ning Yan’er from Xinyue Pavilion, heard Vice Minister Ma, Steward Lu, and a high official from the Ministry of Personnel negotiating matters related to the case of scholars causing disturbances. Afterward, Vice Minister Ma claimed that Chao Qing had heard what he shouldn’t have and wanted to move against him.”
Emperor Jingyuan asked: “So this Chao Qing is the key witness then. Where is he?”
Shen Tuo hesitated: “In response to Your Majesty, he’s disappeared. We can neither find him alive nor dead.”
Emperor Jingyuan threw the memorial to the ground and rebuked: “This is how you serve Us?”
The ministers on the right immediately fell to their knees in a mass.
Only then did Emperor Jingyuan say leisurely: “Fine, if he’s not found, he’s not found. Minister Shen, Minister Liu, you two continue investigating to see if anyone else heard how these people plotted the scholars’ disturbance, and also who exactly that person from the Ministry of Personnel was.” He paused, then asked: “Minister Zeng, what do you think?”
Zeng Youliang crawled forward through the crowd and bowed deeply: “Reporting to Your Majesty, though this minister doesn’t know which person in the Ministry of Personnel was so audacious as to plot the disturbance case, surely this person must also be connected to those who plotted against the Thirteenth Prince. It is this minister’s failure in supervision. Allow this minister to return and investigate thoroughly to give Your Majesty an explanation.” He paused, then continued: “However, Your Majesty, the scholars’ disturbance case is a minor matter, but the Thirteenth Prince was lured into a trap at Minister Ma’s residence and nearly lost his life. Harming an imperial prince is tantamount to treason and must be thoroughly investigated.”
Zeng Youliang knew full well that the key to this case lay with Chao Qing, yet he redirected the Emperor’s attention to the cause of the lure to Minister Ma’s residence.
What an excellent move—retreating to advance, feinting east to strike west.
Indeed, Emperor Jingyuan’s gaze fell on Zhu Nanxian as he asked: “Thirteen, why did you fall into the trap at Minister Ma’s residence?” He paused, then said coldly: “We’ve heard it said that you went there for this magistrate surnamed Su?”
Zhu Nanxian grew slightly solemn and replied: “In response to Father Emperor, yes.”
As his words fell, the entire hall erupted in uproar.
Emperor Jingyuan slapped the dragon throne with his right hand and rebuked: “Reckless fool! Guards—”
Before he could finish, Zhu Nanxian suddenly knelt straight down and said solemnly: “Father Emperor, but your son did this all the more for the sake of Eldest Imperial Brother and Seventh Imperial Brother.”
Zhu Nanxian had never had any guile.
So when these words came out, Zhu Minda froze, Zhu Zhaowei stiffened, Zhu Mixiao was shocked, Liu Chaoming paused and looked knowingly at Shen Xi, while Shen Xi blinked innocently.