Seeing Han Qian’s puzzlement, Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu said, “This lowly slave actually ignored the Imperial Consort’s orders and was slapped by order of the Imperial Consort. She should be grateful the Imperial Consort was merciful and spared her life.”
Although palace female officials didn’t need to be particularly beautiful, they were required to have proper features. Looking at Song Xin’s appearance, her face was mostly ruined.
Han Qian wasn’t saying they should show mercy to Anning Palace’s people. After all, the Prince’s Manor and Anning Palace were locked in a fight to the death—there was no room for the slightest mercy. But such overly hasty, even rash retaliation at this moment was truly not the best strategy.
The Marquis of Xinchang’s words carried a trace of cruelty. He seemed to think nothing of it. Han Qian secretly felt that the Imperial Consort had been suppressed terribly by Anning Palace these years and couldn’t wait to vent the anger that had been pent up in her chest for so many years. Given his previous disposition, he would probably have also found this act thoroughly satisfying.
Thinking of this, Han Qian merely sighed faintly without speaking.
At this moment, Zhang Ping had the blue-robed young eunuch following behind him stand farther away. Looking at Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu and Han Qian, he said:
“We all understand that His Majesty now has some expectations for the Third Prince, but whether the Third Prince truly fits the candidate in His Majesty’s mind—there is still quite a long road to travel. His Majesty should not wish to see His Highness engage in massive retaliation for past suffering after succeeding to the throne. His Highness is His Majesty’s flesh and blood, but the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, the Grand Prince, and all the prince’s sons are also His Majesty’s flesh and blood!”
Han Qian looked at Zhang Ping with surprise.
In Xiangzhou, after Han Qian confirmed that Zhang Ping was a person of Wanhong Tower and the Marquis of Xinchang’s manor, he urgently contacted Li Zhigao to remove Chai Jian and Li Chong’s command authority over the guard battalion, and even once placed Zhang Ping and Yao Xishui under house arrest.
Han Qian didn’t have a direct and deep understanding of Zhang Ping as a person.
Afterward, besieged in Xichuan, Zhang Ping had maintained a low profile. After using his body to shield the Third Prince from falling rocks on the city wall, he spent a long time recovering from his injuries—Han Qian hadn’t had much contact with Zhang Ping. He hadn’t expected him to have such insight.
However, Zhang Ping’s meaning in saying these words to them was also quite clear. His influence over the Imperial Consort and the Third Prince was limited. He hoped that Han Qian and Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu would remonstrate more with the Third Prince and Imperial Consort on these minor details.
Han Qian nodded slightly, accepting this matter, and continued walking toward the eastern courtyard’s public hall.
Shen Yang and Zheng Hui had already left the Prince’s Manor first. Guo Rong, Li Chong, Wang Lin, and others were still waiting in the eastern courtyard’s public hall. Seeing Han Qian, Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu, and Zhang Ping walk out, they gathered around asking, “Did the Imperial Consort have any teachings?”
“Han Qian received the Imperial Consort’s favor and was rewarded with an estate and over ten households of servants and slaves,” Han Qian couldn’t wait to speak first, showing somewhat of a boastful demeanor.
The corner of Li Chong’s mouth twitched slightly.
Wang Lin naturally understood what it meant for the Imperial Consort to give a separate reward, but Han Qian’s smug expression made him inwardly disdainful. He was a descendant of the Wang clan of Runzhou. An estate of four to five hundred acres of good farmland plus thirty to forty servants and slaves really didn’t amount to much in his eyes.
Regardless of what the Imperial Consort’s private reward represented, Han Qian’s formal position in the Prince’s Manor was Literary Attendant. His responsibilities were similar to what his father Han Daoxun had previously held as Junior Supervisor in the Secretariat Department—both involved inspecting classics and attending to literary compositions.
With the Third Prince’s investiture as Prince this time, Emperor Tianyou had also bestowed many classics and texts, all stored in the Jinyun Tower in the eastern courtyard.
Henceforth, Jinyun Tower would be Han Qian’s office at the Prince’s Manor, along with Feng Yi and Kong Xirong, who also served as Literary Attendants.
After the Third Prince stayed in the inner residence to dine with the Imperial Consort, in the afternoon he would still need to respectfully escort the Imperial Consort back to the palace. Han Qian ate a simple meal, then had a guard lead him along with Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, Zheng Tong, and Lin Haizheng to Jinyun Tower, thinking to first familiarize himself with his future workplace at the Prince’s Manor.
Jinyun Tower was right against the eastern courtyard wall of the Prince’s Manor. Across the wall and a small alley outside was Ningxiang Tower’s rouge shop.
Standing before the courtyard gate, Han Qian looked up and could see far away the upturned eaves of the rouge shop’s second floor, and could even catch a faint scent of rouge drifting over.
Jinyun Tower was a three-story wooden building constructed in a garden lush with trees. Before being appropriated into the Prince’s Manor, it had originally been the previous owner’s place for storing books.
Although the families previously living on this boulevard were all either wealthy or noble, when Emperor Tianyou wanted to expand the Third Prince’s manor, the previous owners of these residences from Ningxiang Tower’s rouge shop to the Marquis of Linjiang’s manor could only inconvenience themselves.
The second and third floors of Jinyun Tower were book storage rooms, also containing elegant rooms for the Third Prince to peruse the collection. The first floor was the place for inspecting classics. At this moment, two beardless old clerks with hair already showing some gray were waiting inside.
The two old clerks wore ordinary blue cloth robes. Their appearances were also ordinary—the type who, thrown into a crowd, might not be found even after half a day. Seeing Han Qian approach, before the escorting guard could introduce him, they walked to the steps under Jinyun Tower’s corridor and bowed, saying, “May we ask if the visitor is Literary Attendant Minister Han?”
Han Qian didn’t pay particular attention. Cupping his hands in return courtesy, he said politely, “That is indeed Han. May I ask the names of you two elder gentlemen?”
“We dare not presume. We two old fellows are named Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei. Henceforth we are clerks under Your Excellency. If Your Excellency has any matters, please feel free to give orders,” the two old clerks said respectfully.
Han Qian’s thoughts weren’t on these two old clerks. Thinking that in this Jinyun Tower there would be three excellencies—himself, Feng Yi, and Kong Xirong—but only two subordinates they could dispatch, he couldn’t help but laugh ruefully. He said to Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei, “I only returned to Jinling today and don’t understand anything about the Prince’s Manor or Jinyun Tower. In the future, I’ll have to rely on you two for many matters. By the way, do Ministers Feng and Kong appear here often?”
Han Qian was just inquiring about Feng Yi and Kong Xirong’s whereabouts when, as soon as he finished speaking, he heard Feng Yi’s voice calling from far away: “Han Qian, Han Qian! You returned to Jinling today without sending someone to notify your brother. Where have you been enjoying yourself this past month?”
Han Qian turned around to see Feng Yi and Kong Xirong rushing into the garden like a gust of wind.
“I figured you should be here with His Highness, so I didn’t specially send someone to notify you. I didn’t expect you two to really have gotten used to being lazy and not properly staying here,” Han Qian said with a smile.
“You wrong us! Xirong and I were sent out on errands by His Highness this morning,” Feng Yi protested, then wanted to drag Han Qian somewhere to drink tea and listen to music.
Han Qian said, “I just returned to Jinling and am unclear about many matters in this Jinyun Tower. I don’t know which classics need inspection.” He instructed Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei, saying, “How many books are stored in this tower? There should be a catalog, right? Bring it for me to look at, so I can see which section of classics on the first floor would be suitable to start inspecting…”
“Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei aren’t scholarly old clerks, but rather consecrated old eunuchs from the Inner Palace Bureau. For some reason, they were kicked over to His Highness’s side by His Majesty. How would they know about inspecting classics?” Feng Yi said with a smile. “If you really want to inspect the books in Jinyun Tower, you’ll have to invite someone more qualified.”
“Oh!” Though Feng Yi spoke carelessly, Han Qian’s heart suddenly jolted as if struck hard by a heavy hammer. Turning back to look at Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei, he saw their previously harmless, gentle eyes suddenly sharpen, revealing a flash of brilliance, before they cupped their hands toward him again in a slight bow.
In the late previous dynasty, Huainan Circuit was divided into two parts: the Huainan Commissioner and the Guangling Commissioner.
When Emperor Tianyou rose to power in Huainan in those years, his foundation was still shallow, but the Xu clan of Guangling Commissioner had much deeper roots. Their unauthorized use of palace eunuchs had long become customary.
After the Xu clan of Guangling Commissioner was incorporated into the Huainan Army along with Empress Xu, most of the eunuch officials used in the Inner Palace came from the back courtyard of the Guangling Commissioner’s manor. The Eunuch Service, which managed palace prohibitions after the founding of the nation, had long been controlled by Empress Xu.
When the Huainan Army established the Great Chu foundation in Jinling under Emperor Tianyou’s command, matters of palace treasures, imperial estates, mine revenues, and palace construction were initially all under the jurisdiction of the Junior Palace Department. Feng Yi’s father, Feng Wenlan, had once served as Junior Supervisor in the Junior Palace Department.
In the fourth year of Tianyou, Emperor Tianyou established the Inner Palace Bureau within the Eunuch Service, specifically managing the delivery and storage of prohibited treasures, equivalent to Emperor Tianyou’s personal financial manager.
However, the Inner Palace Bureau was one of the few places within the Eunuch Service where Anning Palace’s Empress Xu couldn’t insert her hand. What it did or could do was obviously far more than just managing prohibited treasure deliveries.
The consecrated members of the Inner Palace Bureau weren’t all eunuchs. Many were old soldiers who had followed Emperor Tianyou for years but, having no family and nowhere to go after leaving the military, were placed there.
To outsiders, it appeared that Emperor Tianyou, mindful of old sentiments, settled these lonely old soldiers in the Inner Palace Bureau. But this also ensured Emperor Tianyou’s absolute control over the Inner Palace Bureau.
Han Qian hadn’t had time to carefully observe Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei earlier. Looking carefully now, he saw their finger joints were thick and their palms heavily calloused—how could these be ordinary clerks? They were clearly two expert martial artists. That they could prevent him from detecting anything unusual earlier also showed they were experts at disguise and concealment.
The fine hairs on Han Qian’s back stood slightly on end. Looking up at the three-story Jinyun Tower, he finally understood. Emperor Tianyou intended to make this Jinyun Tower the headquarters of the Left Bureau within the Prince’s Manor. Even if the Left Bureau continued to be under his control in the future, it must accept supervision from Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei.
Han Qian frowned slightly, carefully recalling details from this morning with Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu and Zhang Ping. Li Pu, Zhang Ping, and others seemed not to know Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei’s true identities—at least this morning they hadn’t given him any overt or covert hints.
Perhaps it was Feng Wenlan’s connections in the Eunuch Service that allowed Feng Yi to learn of Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei’s origins and inadvertently reveal their identities.
Han Qian didn’t expose this at the time. After chatting nonsense with Feng Yi and Kong Xirong for a few moments and sending them off elsewhere, he entered Jinyun Tower to see Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei and said, “I’ll have to ask you two elder gentlemen to look after me in the future.”
“Minister Han is too polite. We two are still clerks under Minister Han’s command, subject to Minister Han’s orders,” Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei said.
Han Qian had Tian Cheng and Gao Shao wait outside. Smiling, he said to the two men:
“There’s no fourth person in this room. You two elder gentlemen needn’t play riddles with Han Qian. Going forward, which matters in this tower can Han Qian decide, which matters need to be clearly explained to you two elder gentlemen, and to whom you two elder gentlemen report—let’s clarify these matters first so we don’t delay important business later. What do you two elder gentlemen think? Am I right?”
After Guo Liang, Gao Chengyuan, and others led their troops back to Jinling, their forces were all released from active service and returned to the military prefecture. Li Zhigao and Zhou Shu’s troops, as the Dragon Sparrow Army’s active standing forces, were stationed in Junzhou—the Dragon Sparrow Army’s soldiers were all placed under the jurisdiction of the Left and Right Guard Army Prefectures.
This also meant that besides the thousand elite guards under the Personal Attendants Office and Household Office, the scouts and intelligence agents under the Left Bureau’s jurisdiction were among the few directly controlled military forces the Prince’s Manor could command in Jinling, and they were hidden forces beneath the surface. Obviously they could no longer be completely controlled by Han Qian alone.
Emperor Tianyou had eyes monitoring the Left Bureau. Having refused to summon him twice, Han Qian had foreseen today’s situation. But some matters he still needed to ask directly now to avoid endless entanglement and delaying proper business.