A gust of wind blew past, rustling down a shower of yellow leaves from the treetops, heralding that deep autumn was about to pass and early winter was approaching.
Taking advantage of his rest day, Xue Ruogu left Lishui city early in the morning with two strong servants on horseback, not entering Jinling city until near dusk. For this physically weak scholar, galloping one hundred forty to fifty li on horseback in a single day truly felt like it would shake his very bones apart.
Shen Yang was considerate of Xue Ruogu’s hardship and specially instructed people to lay out a soft couch for Xue Ruogu to sit on in the poolside pavilion.
“As it now appears, Wei Zhen concealed far too much of the truth in the Shang Wensheng assassination case. These are the documentary evidence I obtained after many days of investigation in Lishui…” Xue Ruogu placed a thick stack of documents on the desk and passed them before Shen Yang.
Shen Yang used a stone monkey paperweight to press down on this stack of documents to prevent the wind from scattering them. He still wanted to hear what Xue Ruogu had to say.
With just these documents, Xue Ruogu could easily have sent them over through a trusted confidant—there was no need to suffer this hardship and personally rush back to Jinling city.
“…” Xue Ruogu swallowed, discovering that some matters were so tangled and complex that it was difficult to speak of them immediately.
Although initially Shen Yang’s recommendation for him to serve as prefect of Guangde Prefecture hadn’t succeeded, Xue Ruogu had long noticed the many suspicious points in the assassination case. After taking up his post in Lishui, he investigated in the countryside and was fortunate to find two refugee youths who had escaped into the mountains and hidden when Shang Zhongjie led troops to retake Shang Family Fort. From them he learned the truth of Shang Zhongjie’s massacre of refugees. Then based on rumors of Shang Zhongjie’s wife having an affair and Shang Zhongjie killing his wife, Xue Ruogu found Lady Wei’s personal maid who had escaped from the Shang mansion and married a commoner. Combined with testimony from the Lishui County coroner and veteran clerks responsible for collecting corpses, Xue Ruogu had pretty much figured out all the fine details of the assassination case.
Although there were still some details he hadn’t clarified, this didn’t prevent Xue Ruogu from judging what Wei Zhen’s malicious concealment of these many details, as well as the Capital Prefecture and Ministry of Justice’s wholesale acceptance without discrimination of the verdict given by Lishui County at that time, really intended.
Some matters, some ulterior motives, were self-evident.
These people, put plainly, wanted to provoke more aristocratic families to remember new and old grudges against Chishan Army and escaped slaves.
The consequence was that hundreds and thousands of former Left Guangde Army members serving as officials in Guangde Prefecture were wrongly imprisoned, with over a hundred dying or becoming disabled in prison.
If the court hadn’t promptly dispatched Chen Jingzhou to Guangde Prefecture to ease the situation, perhaps Guangde Prefecture would have already erupted in civil unrest.
“After confirming these matters, I also sent people to secretly investigate in Guangde Prefecture, wanting to generally understand the persecution situation of former Left Guangde Army members after last year’s assassination case. Originally I wanted more documentary evidence when submitting a memorial impeaching the Capital Prefecture and Ministry of Justice, but things seem even more complex than I had previously imagined,” Xue Ruogu said hesitantly.
Seeing that Xue Ruogu actually had intentions to impeach the Capital Prefecture and Ministry of Justice behind his back, Shen Yang couldn’t help but shake his head with a bitter smile and ask: “What other more complex aspects have you discovered?”
“When the assassination case furor was at its height, apart from hundreds and thousands of former Left Guangde Army members being wrongly imprisoned during the pursuit of assassination suspects, over three thousand households had their fields and homes seized by former masters. Their livelihoods were once extremely dire. At that time, if Guangde Prefecture had erupted in civil unrest, these people would necessarily have been the vanguard. But when I sent people to secretly investigate in Guangde Prefecture, I discovered that these dispossessed former Left Guangde Army members and their families didn’t seem to have as difficult livelihoods as imagined. There was even a hidden tendency for them to gather at Sitian Dun near Lake Tai,” Xue Ruogu said. “At this point I can’t help but ask Your Excellency—was my ability to take up a post in Lishui truly just because Your Excellency simply felt I should go to Lishui to avoid the limelight, without anyone else interceding in this matter?”
Shen Yang’s withered, wrinkled face tightened. His pupils stared at the pool water beneath the pavilion. For a long time he said not a word.
“If both my taking up a post in Lishui and someone providing relief to former Left Guangde Army members and their families were secretly done by Xuzhou, that would be nothing. But with Xuzhou merchant ships navigating to Huaidong, some matters cannot help but make one think deeply…” Xue Ruogu still couldn’t help but directly reveal the subtext.
If Han Qian had planned all this behind the scenes merely to redress injustices for former Left Guangde Army members, he didn’t mind being used as a blade by Han Qian. But the current situation seemed to indicate Han Qian’s schemes went beyond just this, so Xue Ruogu couldn’t help but view everything cautiously.
Shen Yang clasped his hands before him, hand supporting his chin. Only after a long while did he sigh, look toward Xue Ruogu, and ask: “The times are uniquely difficult, the people’s livelihood uniquely bitter. Can you act as if these matters never happened?”
Xue Ruogu could understand Shen Yang’s intent. Given His Majesty’s suspicion of Xuzhou, learning of the news of Xuzhou and Huaidong colluding together, he was probably already extraordinarily furious. If he laid all this out as well, adding fuel to the fire, who knew what decisions His Majesty would make.
And in reality, Great Chu at this time still couldn’t simultaneously reduce the feudal power of both Huaidong and Xuzhou.
If His Majesty didn’t know forbearance, it would only make the internal situation of Great Chu become perilous again.
Of course, at the same time he also couldn’t impeach Wei Zhen, the Capital Prefecture and Ministry of Justice, or uncover the many true details concealed in the assassination case, lest he be used by Han Qian.
“…” Xue Ruogu nodded with difficulty, then said: “The fact that Wei Zhen was transferred out of Lishui and I was able to take up the post—someone behind the scenes must have facilitated this. Your Excellency must investigate.”
“I’m clear about this matter in my heart…” Shen Yang nodded in acknowledgment.
—
“When did Xuzhou send people to contact Huaidong? You were all completely unaware beforehand—what use are you slaves to me?” Yang Yuanpu’s pupils stared coldly at An Jixiang, Chen Ruyi and two commanders from Jinyun Bureau specifically responsible for intelligence gathering on Huaidong and Xuzhou who knelt before the imperial desk. He forcefully suppressed the fury in his chest, lowering his voice, yet this made it even more chilling to hear.
In his plans, after recovering Chaozhou and Chuzhou, he would have the conditions to suppress Huaidong from many aspects, weakening Huaidong’s threat to the court and his second brother’s threat to himself. Yet he hadn’t expected that Xuzhou, which seemed more honest lately, would so abruptly come together with Huaidong.
They even appeared ready to jointly resist the court’s pressure.
How could this not make him furious?
An Jixiang and Chen Ruyi knelt in the hall pleading guilty, but deep in their hearts they were still shocked.
That Xuzhou was colluding with Huaidong and they had been completely unaware beforehand wasn’t because they hadn’t thought of this possibility. It was that around the time of the Sizhou civil unrest, Xuzhou had behaved far too properly, far too impeccably. How could they have imagined that Xuzhou would suddenly collude openly and unabashedly with Huaidong and Prince Xin’s side?
They were so shocked after learning the news—how could they possibly have detected any traces beforehand?
Of course, they could also guess why His Majesty was so furious. His Majesty was perhaps more worried that Xuzhou and Huaidong might further collude together with the Anning Palace rebels and Liang troops.
Before this, they hadn’t worried about that. But currently with Xuzhou and Huaidong already colluding together, who could know what choices Xuzhou and Huaidong would make under further court pressure?
Of course, their failure to detect this beforehand meant Jinyun Bureau could hardly escape responsibility for dereliction of duty.
After venting his anger for a while, Yang Yuanpu saw that An Jixiang, Chen Ruyi and the others were still kneeling in the hall. He waved his hand and said: “You useless fellows may all rise. Even if I had you kneel through this stone floor, what would it accomplish?”
“This subject is incompetent.” An Jixiang and Chen Ruyi still kowtowed again to beg forgiveness before rising and standing before the imperial desk to await instructions.
“Things are progressing smoothly at Chaozhou, correct?” Yang Yuanpu asked.
An Jixiang and Chen Ruyi exchanged glances, knowing that Xuzhou and Huaidong colluding together had made His Majesty worry that the campaign to recover Chaozhou might have reversals.
Although Li Zhigao who was presiding over the siege at Chaozhou and Li Pu who was responsible for logistics and supplies both enjoyed His Majesty’s trust, and sent people to present the latest battle developments to the palace roughly every other day, the Xuzhou merchant ships entering Huaidong for trade ultimately wasn’t a treasonous matter that the court could prevent. So His Majesty couldn’t directly express certain hidden worries in letters to Li Pu and Li Zhigao.
Sometimes, Jinyun Bureau needed to play a role regarding His Majesty’s unspoken concerns.
“Currently all intelligence gathered regarding Chaozhou’s situation remains normal. But that Xuzhou and Huaidong would collude is due to this subject’s incompetent failure to detect it. Perhaps there are also oversights at Chaozhou. This subject will personally make a trip to Chaozhou in coming days,” Chen Ruyi said.
“Making a trip is good. Also convey My consolation and encouragement to Duke Changguo and Marquis Jianning,” Yang Yuanpu said.
After recovering Jinling, Li Pu’s enfeoffment was elevated from Marquis Xinchang to Duke Changguo…