As dusk fell, Xu Qi An waited for Wei Yuan to return from the palace.
The spacious, luxurious carriage drove into the yamen. Wei Yuan stepped down using the small ladder. Xu Qi An eagerly approached him and said in a low voice, “Lord Wei…”
Wei Yuan, his temples streaked with gray, glanced at him and said as he walked, “Prince Yu wrote a blood letter accusing the Earl of Ping Yuan, the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Revenue, and the Minister of War of conspiring to harm the imperial clan.”
Xu Qi An had already learned about Prince Yu’s actions from Princess Huaiqing, so he nodded, “Has His Majesty handed it over to the Three Judicial Offices for joint investigation?”
“No!” Wei Yuan shook his head. “His Majesty’s anger is no less than Prince Yu’s. He couldn’t wait that long and immediately wrote an imperial edict requesting the Supervising Censor to enter the palace and confront those three face-to-face. The various dignitaries of the court were also present at the time.”
“And the result?” Xu Qi An already knew the outcome, but he still had to ask.
Wei Yuan sighed, “Conspiring to harm the imperial clan warrants the execution of three clans. The indictment will be issued by tomorrow morning at the latest. The Liang faction is finished.”
Execution of three clans… Xu Qi An was slightly moved.
The so-called execution of three clans meant the father’s clan, the mother’s clan, and the wife’s clan, which could be categorized as an extreme punishment. It was second only to the execution of nine clans for treason.
“Ah, I’m afraid there will be heads rolling tomorrow,” Xu Qi An sighed, unsure whether to applaud or sympathize with those innocently implicated.
Although the Earl of Ping Yuan’s family had been exterminated, compared to the execution of three clans, there would still be dozens or hundreds more deaths. Those relatives within three degrees of kinship to the Earl of Ping Yuan would not escape.
The same applied to the other two men.
“The Liang faction?” Xu Qi An asked, puzzled.
Wei Yuan nodded, “The Liang faction was the biggest beneficiary in the power struggle when Prince Yu withdrew from the political arena. It’s led by Zhang Feng, the Minister of War, and Sun Mingzhong, the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Revenue. The Earl of Ping Yuan joined the Liang faction last year.”
“Lord Wei, what about my matter…” Xu Qi An said softly. The court factions were too distant from him; Xu Qi An was not interested.
He only cared about his future and life.
“Don’t rush. His Majesty is still angry. Mentioning this matter now would be unwise,” Wei Yuan shook his head.
That makes sense… Xu Qi An nodded and bid farewell to Wei Yuan, heading home in the fading twilight.
…
At dusk, in a certain room.
A fair hand held a brush, writing on a letter paper:
“Respected Master:
“The Sangbo case has come to an end. The Minister of Rites once said that cooperating with us was like sleeping with a tiger. Heh, he saw it quite accurately.
“A year ago, I accidentally witnessed the fate of Princess Pingyang and Monk Henghui. Henghui died but didn’t stiffen; his primordial spirit condensed into resentful energy. I refined him into a puppet and kept him by my side.
“I informed you of this matter, and you said the opportunity had come. The year of the Imperial Examination would be the beginning of our five-hundred-year grand plan.
“Please forgive my great disrespect, but I wasn’t optimistic initially. The Supervising Censor of the Imperial Observatory and the Sect Leader of the Human Path are among the world’s strongest.
“But in this incident, the two chose to stand by out of some tacit understanding… Once again, I praise you, Master. Your wisdom is unparalleled in the world.
“Emperor Yunjing’s attitude towards this case wasn’t enthusiastic, otherwise he wouldn’t have appointed a mere Copper Gong as the lead investigator. All this was within your prediction.
“However, that Copper Gong is extremely formidable, with keen senses.
“During the investigation, he discovered your descent. He repeatedly came to the Courtesan House to detect demonic energy. May I ask, was that intentional?
“Moreover, other Night Watchers were also investigating in secret.
“Under these circumstances, I had no choice but to push out Hui Ji to take the blame. I know she’s your kin; please forgive my presumption.
“Rest assured, the item has been given to the person who should receive it.
“I deeply apologize, but all leads in the tax silver case have been lost… I’ve contacted Zhou Li multiple times, and he’s truly just a slightly clever prodigal son, unaware of all his father, Official Zhou, had planned.
“Here, I must report four matters to the Master:
“First: During the tax silver escort, Official Zhou had many opportunities to act, which would have been safer. Yet he chose to embezzle 150,000 taels of silver in the capital.
“This is truly puzzling. Official Zhou is a smart man, yet he made such a foolish move. I feel there must be a reason.
“Alas, Official Zhou ‘accidentally died’ on his way to exile, and no one can give me answers anymore.
“Second: According to reliable information, Official Zhou has embezzled over a million taels of silver in the past twenty years. However, when the Zhou mansion was confiscated, the court only found a few thousand taels of silver.
“Where did all that silver go?
“Third: Through covert investigation of the Imperial Observatory, I discovered that the Supervising Censor’s youngest disciple is called Chu Caiwei, a very pretty and interesting young lady. Of course, she’s far from comparable to the noble and beautiful Master.
“What I want to say is, the diviners of the Imperial Observatory call her Little Junior Sister, or… Sixth Senior Sister. But the Supervising Censor only has five personal disciples.
“Fourth: The people from the Witch God Cult killed County Magistrate Zhao of Taikang County, the official who discovered the saltpeter mine.
“Yes, the witches of the Witch God Cult have interfered in this matter. Moreover, they could have used more subtle and covert methods to silence him, yet they chose to kill him in a dream.
“It’s not hard to deduce that they’re trying to mislead the court, framing the Northern Garrison King and straining the relationship between Emperor Yunjing and the Northern Garrison King.
“Lastly, there’s a small matter I find difficult to mention. I’ve fallen in love with a man, a man I shouldn’t love. I wish to request the Master’s mercy to reshape my physical body for me.
“— Your eternally loyal servant”
In another secret room, a man wearing a cloak picked up a brush to write:
“Respected Sir:
“The tax silver case plot failed, and I bear the main responsibility. Official Zhou’s death was purely due to his stupidity. His self-proclaimed clever son led to the failure of a series of plans.
“…
“As you predicted, the Ten Thousand Demon Realm’s plot succeeded. They released the sealed object beneath Sangbo.
“I will describe in detail the intelligence gathered over the past year in this letter.
“About a year ago, the struggle between the nobility and civil officials entered a white-hot stage. Prince Yu, representing the entire nobility, with Emperor Yunjing’s tacit approval, became the Minister of War, just one step away from entering the inner cabinet.
“During this process, his legitimate daughter, Princess Pingyang, fell in love with a monk from Qinglong Temple. They decided to elope and sought help from the legitimate son of the Earl of Ping Yuan, their family friend…
“Coveting Princess Pingyang’s beauty, three prodigal sons planned to violate her and then silence them, but they encountered fierce resistance. Princess Pingyang committed suicide by swallowing a hairpin…
“A spy from the Ten Thousand Demon Realm, planted in the capital of Da Feng, accidentally discovered this scene. She used corpse worms to refine Henghui into a walking corpse puppet, possessing this secret and lying low.
“Da Feng launched a new round of Imperial Examinations. The factions openly and covertly fought, becoming increasingly intense. I must say, that Emperor Yunjing is a formidable emperor; his imperial mind games are exquisite.
“But he’s not a good emperor. In his eyes, there’s only power and longevity.
“The Ten Thousand Demon Realm spy, holding this secret, quietly sought cooperation in the capital. Finally, she set her sights on the Minister of Rites and the forces behind him.
“Because coincidentally during that period, a saltpeter mine was discovered in Mount Dahuang of Taikang County, which was exactly what the remnants of the Ten Thousand Demon Realm needed.
“No one in this world could silently destroy the Eternal Mountain and River Temple in Sangbo under the noses of the Supervising Censor and the Sect Leader of the Human Path, but gunpowder could help them accomplish this task.
“The forces behind the Minister of Rites had always desired to solely control the court, suppressing all other factions. The Liang faction, as one of the obstacles, was naturally on their list for elimination.
“Both parties hit it off immediately and reached an agreement. The Minister of Rites would help the Ten Thousand Demon Realm remnants blow up the Eternal Mountain and River Temple, releasing the sealed object beneath.
“The Ten Thousand Demon Realm remnants pushed Henghui to the forefront, guiding the Night Watchers to investigate Princess Pingyang’s disappearance case.
“To absolve himself of suspicion, the Minister of Rites used a hidden agent, Zhou Chixiong, a Hundred-Household of the Imperial Guard, to deliver the gunpowder into the imperial city and bury it under the Eternal Mountain and River Temple. He also killed nine people from the Court of Judicial Review, Ministry of Rites, and palace servants to confuse and mislead the lead investigators from the three offices.
“They even wanted to frame the Minister of Works from the Qi faction using gunpowder, but they underestimated the Copper Gong Xu Qi An. I assassinated County Magistrate Zhao, attempting to mislead him to investigate the Northern Garrison King, but unfortunately, he didn’t fall for it. This young man is exceptionally astute.
“Zhou Chixiong, the Hundred-Household of the Imperial Guard, deliberately killed the Small Banner Officer Liu Han to attract the attention of the Night Watchers and the yamen. During their questioning, he used a magical artifact to block aura-viewing techniques, guiding the Night Watchers to turn their attention to Qinglong Temple, discovering the case of Monk Henghui’s elopement, and following the thread to explore the factional struggle from a year ago.
“This move was extremely clever. I feel it’s beyond the capabilities of a mere hundred households. Undoubtedly, it was that demon emperor’s daughter personally making the move.
“This is roughly how things transpired. Your humble servant still has two points that remain unclear:
“First: Despite my painstaking efforts, I still haven’t uncovered what exactly the sealed object beneath Sangbo is. But one thing is certain: it has a great connection to Buddhism. The purpose of the Ten Thousand Demon Realm remnants in releasing it also remains unclear.
“Second: The Supervising Censor’s attitude is truly unfathomable. While I can guess Emperor Yunjing’s purpose in opening the city ban, the Supervising Censor’s thoughts are beyond my comprehension.
“Although he did nothing, I always feel that everything is within his expectations and control.
“— End of the report”
…
Xu Qi An returned home, finished dinner, and reported to Second Uncle about the progress of the Sangbo case and the truth behind Princess Pingyang’s case.
Second Uncle Liu listened in a daze, not eating a bite for a long time, muttering, “These scholars are getting worse and worse. Although I chopped quite a few people in my day, compared to them, I was downright upright and honorable.
“Ning Yan, remember in the future not to bandy words with scholars. If you can use a knife, don’t hesitate, otherwise, you won’t even know when you’ve fallen into their trap.”
Xu Qi An nodded along, thinking to himself that his uncle seemed to have forgotten he had a scholar for a son.
After dinner, he played with Liu Lingyin for a while and chatted with Sister Lingyue. Xu Qi An was about to return to his small courtyard.
“Ahem.” Aunt coughed fakely, looking to the side, and said, “I had someone make you a piece of clothing. Lingyue will bring it to you later. Whether it fits or not… I don’t care. You can wear it or not, it’s up to you.”
“Oh, did the sun rise from the west today?” Xu Qi An looked out in surprise.
Aunt gritted her teeth, her rosy little mouth spitting out one word: “Scram.”
Xu Qi An immediately scampered back to his small courtyard.
The moment he pushed open the door, he suddenly felt a pang in his heart. It wasn’t the kind of pang from the Earth Book fragment sending a message, but the kind where his hair stood on end and goosebumps rose all over his body.
Xu Qi An stiffly turned his head to look at the bed and saw a bright red severed hand lying quietly on it.
His scalp instantly went numb, his adrenaline surged, and cold sweat rolled down in beads.