After leaving Changxin Palace, Yun Puzi walked through the passage between the courtyard wall and the towering palace city wall. The starry night was squeezed by the high walls on both sides into a long, narrow dark river, as if reflecting the lights of the heavenly court.
Today was the grand ceremony for establishing the Empress—a special circumstance. The palace city gates still hadn’t closed at this hour. Exiting through Chongyang Gate led to a stone-paved long street. Chongfu Temple was located at the street’s west end. Beyond that was the Chongli Gate out of the Imperial Palace.
This area belonged within the Imperial Palace boundaries.
The Imperial Palace was also divided into northern and southern sections. The southern section mainly consisted of government offices representing the court—the Three Departments, Six Ministries, and Nine Courts.
Besides most eunuchs and palace maids whose living quarters were mainly concentrated in the streets and alleys of the northern section between the palace compound and the Imperial Palace, the Martial Virtue Bureau commanding the Imperial Bodyguard responsible for Imperial Palace defense, the Palace Attendant Bureau responsible for the consorts’ daily lives within the palace compound, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the newly established Jinyun Bureau were also mainly in the northern section.
Therefore, this was the source of Great Chu’s “Southern Bureau” and “Northern Bureau” designations.
At this moment, no more stringed and bamboo music came from within the Imperial Palace, indicating the establishment ceremony had entered its final stages.
Yun Puzi passed a patrol of garrison soldiers on the street. Still over a hundred paces from Chongfu Temple, someone suddenly emerged from the dark shadows under trees by the roadside, startling him.
By the distant wind lanterns’ light, seeing the person’s face clearly, Yun Puzi clutched his wildly pounding heart and said: “Miss Yao appears and disappears without trace. If this continues, sooner or later this old Daoist will be scared to death by you.”
“Did that one at Changxin Palace agree to pass the supplementary volume of the *Book of Heavenly Craftsmanship* to His Majesty?” Yao Xishui revealed herself briefly before shrinking back into the shadows to speak.
“The common saying goes that haste makes waste,” Yun Puzi said mysteriously. “The marriage contract matter already made the Princess suspicious of this old Daoist. How could I directly suggest the Princess pass the book to His Majesty this time? I only handed the book to the Princess. Whether to pass it to His Majesty, I did mention it, but could only touch upon it lightly. However, His Majesty now is not what he used to be and isn’t so easily deceived. Miss Yao must not think one book can have much effect. To truly have His Majesty appoint General Li as commander to lead troops crossing the river northward with Du Chongtao in a pincer attack on Shouzhou—this cannot be rushed, nor can hopes be entirely placed on the Princess. Painstaking effort must be made in all aspects.”
“This we naturally understand and are sparing no effort doing. Please rest assured, Daoist Master Yun.” Yao Xishui slightly bowed, essentially saluting Yun Puzi, then walked toward the alley’s other end as if she had never met Yun Puzi at all.
Exiting the alley and turning west through two more alleys led to Yao Xishui’s residence within the Imperial Palace. The route passed the newly established Jinyun Bureau’s office.
Yao Xishui liked hiding in shadows. Even passing before Jinyun Bureau, she walked as much as possible in shadows cast by tree shade, secretly observing Jinyun Bureau’s main gate guarded by over ten crimson-robed armored soldiers.
Besides using Chen Ruyi and An Jixiang as Left and Right Commanders and the personnel Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei had trained these years, Jinyun Bureau also transferred a group of young military officers from the Imperial Bodyguard who had been selected in Xiangzhou to serve as Yang Yuanpu’s personal guards, appointing them as case managers and clerks.
Yang Yuanpu using Wang Lin’s “suicide with posthumous letter” to transfer Shen Yang back to the central administration, plus newly establishing Jinyun Bureau to control authority for investigating treason cases—these two matters truly left Yao Xishui somewhat caught off guard. After careful consideration, she felt even more troubled, finding it hard to imagine that the pale-faced, physically weak youth of those years actually had such a “ferocious” side.
Or perhaps in recent two years they had focused too much attention on other people, forgetting that the youth who from childhood struggled under Anning Palace’s shadow was also silently growing.
Yao Xishui recalled that year in Xiangzhou, after Han Qian won over her elder brother to help Yang Yuanpu replace the personal guards, he had explained the essay “Tang Sui’s Mission Without Dishonor” to Yang Yuanpu, saying something about the Son of Heaven’s position being beyond five paces but within a thousand li.
She didn’t know whether Yang Yuanpu had already truly comprehended Han Qian’s words at that time, or whether Emperor Tianyou’s death at Anning Palace’s hands made his understanding cut even deeper to the bone. But from his many recent actions, he should now truly understand these principles, which was why he thought of using a secret intelligence organization like Jinyun Bureau to grasp matters within five paces.
Of course, Yao Xishui could also guess that Jinyun Bureau’s organizational method was most likely transmitted by Han Qian.
After all, Jinyun Bureau differed from Jinyun Tower.
Jinyun Tower mainly handled military intelligence collection. Jinyun Bureau, however, within the framework of national law and systems, had to conduct such strict and precise division of authority with the Court of Judicial Review, Censorate, and Ministry of Justice. It had to harmonize with the court system without causing conflict.
Only this way, besides leaving princes and ministers with nothing to say, more importantly it enabled Great Chu to form a complete operational system rather than becoming an obstruction.
But Yang Yuanpu simultaneously had to ensure Jinyun Bureau could become eyes and claws he directly controlled and reliably employed.
The twists and complexities here weren’t something just anyone could consider thoroughly.
So this was why Han Qian, even before Jinling was captured, couldn’t wait to hide in Xuzhou a thousand li away?
“Within five paces, beyond a thousand li?”
Yao Xishui silently pondered these two terms she had heard Han Qian mention, couldn’t help thinking—when Han Qian transmitted these things to Yang Yuanpu, could he have been planning to use Yang Yuanpu’s hands to restrict and counter them?
After all, matters within five paces were what they were most skilled at.
Viewed this way, this time they absolutely must have her elder brother fight for the opportunity to lead troops across the river to suppress Shouzhou.
But how could this be easy?
Her elder brother currently enjoyed Yang Yuanpu’s trust—no falsehood there. But precisely because he was trusted, Yang Yuanpu was more likely to have her elder brother lead the Left Dragon Sparrow Army coordinating with the Imperial Bodyguard to garrison Jinling, while separately deploying other troops from Jinling to be placed under Du Chongtao’s command, with Du Chongtao as supreme commander responsible for the final suppression of Anning Palace’s remnants.
This way, Yang Yuanpu wouldn’t need to worry about Du Chongtao monopolizing military authority without releasing it, while also demonstrating his trust in Du Chongtao.
After annihilating Anning Palace’s remnants, he could then transfer Du Chongtao to the central administration, entrusting him with the important position of Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs or Minister of War. Du Chongtao would probably not refuse.
If this happened, the path before them would become dark and lightless.
After all, with her elder brother garrisoning Jinling, he had no way to comprehensively control and infiltrate the Left Dragon Sparrow Army.
Most of the Left Dragon Sparrow Army’s generals, military officers, and the vast majority of soldiers still remained loyal to Great Chu. Moreover, Yang Yuanpu establishing Jinyun Bureau was to further strengthen direct control over the Imperial Guards, Imperial Bodyguard, and court officials.
When the day came that Yang Yuanpu felt her elder brother had sat too long in the Left Dragon Sparrow Army Commander position, one transfer order could arrange her elder brother into another position, and they wouldn’t even have room to refuse.
But the Princess Qingyang connection couldn’t be relied upon too much. Besides this, what other methods could quietly influence Yang Yuanpu to have him decide to appoint her elder brother to lead troops across the river suppressing Anning Palace’s remnants?
Walking into the residential courtyard, she saw the Lady accompanied by Thirteenth Lady Chun, sitting in the courtyard having two palace maids gently pound her back and waist. Having apparently accompanied the Empress Dowager to the ceremony today and persisted until now before resting, she was truly exhausted.
Yao Xishui had the palace maids withdraw and personally helped the Lady pound her back, explaining the causes and consequences she had considered along the way: “Even if through Princess Qingyang we make Yang Yuanpu believe elder brother has the determination to completely separate from the Marquis Xinchang’s residence, it still may not result in elder brother leading troops across the river to suppress Shouzhou…”
“If in Yang Yuanpu’s heart Du Chongtao isn’t suitable as supreme commander for suppressing Anning Palace, Zhigao’s opportunity would be much greater,” Lu Qingxia said lightly.
“…” Yao Xishui’s tangled thoughts suddenly cleared.
Du Chongtao was currently leading troops relocating to Shuzhou, which was across the river from Chizhou—only three to four hundred li from Jinling.
In many court ministers’ eyes, if truly worried about Du Chongtao, they should directly transfer Du Chongtao to Jinling as Minister of War, rather than advocating for using someone to counterbalance Du Chongtao at such close distance, within a range where Jinling could directly interfere with and coordinate military operations.
Many people didn’t even recommend deploying troops on two routes, but advocated directly dispatching reinforcements to Shuzhou to attack Chaozhou from the west. As long as Chaozhou was occupied, Chuzhou east of Chaozhou facing Jinling across the river would fall without battle.
To have her elder brother gain the opportunity to command troops, they indeed should change their thinking and work on Du Chongtao.
Or they could first review the list of captured rebel generals and surrendered officials from conquered Jinling, seeing if any had deep connections with Du Chongtao. Or they could work on Du Chongtao’s son Du Tao, who was dispatched to Jinling for audience with Yang Yuanpu. Or investigate whether Du Chongtao had any involvement with Chuzhou or Xuzhou.
Yao Xishui’s thinking suddenly opened up. She felt there were too many articles and tricks that could be done regarding Du Chongtao. Moreover, Yang Yuanpu originally didn’t have much trust in Du Chongtao. They could even release some information to frighten Du Chongtao…