The Emperor looked up. “You suspect it is the Chaoli Tribe operating behind the scenes?”
“This subject has found no evidence as yet and cannot confirm it.” After a pause, Gu Yanxi cautioned: “The officials in that region cannot be moved for now. This subject fears it would alert the quarry.”
“This matter is now in your hands. You must restore Jinyang to the prosperity it once knew.”
“This subject will spare no effort.”
Hearing that stiff, unyielding reply, the Emperor caught the undertone — the man was still sulking about being dressed down back in Rulan Hall!
Ah, this was his prized thoroughbred — said what he meant, hid nothing, and even dared to vent his displeasure at the Emperor himself.
Thinking this, the Emperor stood, walked over, clapped him on the shoulder, and smiled. “You’ve been rushing about outside for so long — it’s been hard on you. Manage your own schedule, and give yourself a proper two days of rest.”
Gu Yanxi lowered his head in acknowledgment.
“Still sulking with Us?” The Emperor chuckled. “You never made things clear to Us beforehand — a matter this large, could you not have sent Us some advance word?”
“At the time, the situation was urgent, and this subject was concerned about news leaking.” Gu Yanxi raised his head. “This subject also could not be certain that all those from the Chaoli Tribe who had infiltrated the palace had truly been rooted out. Until the matter in Jinyang is resolved, the fewer people who know of this, the better.”
The Emperor’s brow creased. “You suspect Hao Yue?”
“Her timing of appearance was too convenient.”
The Emperor paced a few steps. “Very well. We are aware. Not a word of this is to get out.”
“Yes.”
“By the way — where is Little Six? Why did he not return with you? After a journey like this, he doesn’t even know to come and pay Us his respects?”
The corner of Gu Yanxi’s mouth lifted. He made no effort to soften his words. “The Fourth Prince has been poisoning Your Majesty’s ear against Little Six, hasn’t he? With that narrow heart of his, what can he see beyond that one seat? Little Six is several years his junior, and already he has traveled in and out of danger multiple times. And the Fourth Prince — how many times has he ever passed through the city gates of the capital?”
The Emperor pointed a finger at him — truly not a shred of mercy — “No one was talking about the Fourth Prince. Just tell Us — what is Little Six doing?”
“The Jinyang matter requires arrangements on this subject’s part, and a portion of it has been assigned to Little Six to handle. He was already working on it aboard the vessel on the way back, so I told him he might as well finish this stretch before returning to the palace.”
“You certainly dare to use him.”
Though the Emperor said these words, his manner had visibly softened. Knowing his imperial uncle’s nature as well as he did, Gu Yanxi added: “Traveling ten thousand li beats reading ten thousand books. When you see more of the world, your horizons broaden and your understanding deepens, and the world inside your heart grows larger.”
“Hua Zhi’s words?”
Gu Yanxi said nothing.
The Emperor gave a quiet snort. For once he did not say anything unkind. No matter how much he found Hua Zhi disagreeable, he had to admit that those words made sense. A child raised this way would have breadth of mind and depth of experience that no one confined to a single place could match — small wonder Little Six had changed so markedly upon his last return, the shadow that used to hang over his brow entirely gone. For Little Six’s sake, Hua Zhi had invested genuine effort, whatever her other motives might be.
And true enough — to have cornered the Wei Family the way she did at the literary gathering, one needed actual substance to say what she had said.
The more the Emperor tried to find fault and could not, the more unsettled he became. It was as if she had done nothing wrong at all, and he had been picking quarrels out of nothing — laughable, that he, the Son of Heaven, should be the one in the wrong!
Not wanting to make himself miserable, the Emperor waved his hand to dismiss him. “Enough, go and rest. All that rushing about outside — not a decent meal, not a proper night’s sleep. When you have the time, go and see your grandmother.”
“Yes.”
As Gu Yanxi withdrew from the imperial study, he saw Zhu Bowen hurrying toward him. They exchanged a look, each gave a plain, measured bow, and passed each other without a word. Laifu, unwilling to do anything improper under the Emperor’s very nose, quickened his steps and followed inside.
Zhu Bowen had not been long in his role as Minister of Revenue, and the accounts that had already been balanced were not ones he would comb through carefully. Receiving the imperial decree to examine Jinyang’s ledgers, and not knowing what had gone wrong, he first went through them himself — and at once broke into a cold sweat. Fang Hongzhi had had the audacity of a leopard!
While it was true that this area had never been under his oversight before, and not knowing of the problems on these accounts was understandable, he could not possibly shirk the matter now. Entering the imperial study, he prostrated himself immediately. “That such a grave error should have occurred in the Ministry of Revenue — this subject deserves death!”
The Emperor gave a soft, cold laugh. “You have been in the Ministry of Revenue for several years. Have you truly noticed not a single irregularity?”
Zhu Bowen pressed his forehead to the floor, confessing his guilt while quietly and unobtrusively making his case for himself. “This matter has always been held in Lord Fang’s hands alone. During my four years in the Ministry, I never handled the taxation side of things. But this subject was present in the Ministry and failed to uncover the problem sooner — for that, this subject is guilty.”
The Emperor glanced at that stack of account books, then abruptly turned his head. “Where has he gone?”
Laifu knew perfectly well who the Emperor meant by “he,” and stepped out immediately to inquire before returning with a report. “He has gone to the Empress Dowager’s.”
The Emperor gave a satisfied nod. The child knew how to behave.
“Rise. Come and walk Us through where the problems lie.”
Hearing the Emperor’s tone soften, Zhu Bowen understood that this particular trial was behind him. He rose quickly and came forward, opening the account books one by one to compare them for the Emperor. The figures declining year after year were plain at a glance; looking at tax revenues that had already fallen by more than half compared to ten years prior, the Emperor’s expression darkened to something terrible. “Fang Hongzhi! We should have left his wretched life intact to suffer! Have the Ministry of Revenue give Us a thorough purge once more — what We want are capable ministers who relieve Our burdens, not fat, sleek parasites eating away at the state!”
Zhu Bowen froze briefly. He was certainly willing to clear out another round — but, “Your Majesty, another round of changes now may strike at the ministry’s bones and sinew.”
After Fang Hongzhi’s downfall, Ministry of Revenue officials had died or been sentenced, then another round of purges had followed, and nearly half the positions were now vacant. The ministry was still in the midst of settling into place; if it were disrupted again —
The Emperor recalled that fact himself. Seeing Zhu Bowen’s composure in the face of such a convenient opportunity to install his own people, the Emperor’s irritation eased somewhat. Capable of restraining private interest for the sake of public duty — that was what officials of the Great Qing ought to look like.
“Keep the Jinyang matter quiet for now. Not a single word to anyone.”
“This old subject obeys the decree.”
While these matters of state were being settled, Gu Yanxi had already arrived at Fushou Palace.
The Empress Dowager looked at his gaunt cheeks and sighed, patting his hand. Everything that needed saying was said without words.
“A few days ago, your father the Prince brought that Qiu Shi here to pay Us their respects, and asked Us to issue a decree ordering Shao Yao to tend to Gu Yanyi’s illness. We simply told him — never mind Our decree, even if the Emperor himself issued an imperial edict, it would be useless. Knowing Shao Yao’s nature, if she were truly forced to go, forget about treating the illness — poisoning him would be the more likely outcome.”
Gu Yanxi smiled. “That is exactly what she would do. You know her well.”
“We would rather not know her so well — the better one knows her, the more one’s heart aches for her.” The Empress Dowager sighed and shifted topics. “We heard a bit from the Emperor’s side — Little Six went out with that Hua girl?”
“Yes, to Jinyang. There is no need to worry, Your Highness. He had already gone to Xiangyang together with the young men of the Hua Family before this, and prior to that he had gone even farther — all the way to Zhenyang — in Hua Zhi’s company. She made it her purpose even then to put him through his paces and taught him a great deal. He won’t step through the gates and find himself at a loss.”
“That child is thoughtful. We have long wished to meet her, but unfortunately —”