Fan Peng’s poetry was simple and unadorned, abandoning all flowery embellishments and classical allusions, so that even ordinary people could understand its meaning. “Grave-Digging Song” described how people, in order to seize good feng shui locations, would dig up old graves. The old soul tells the new soul: “Don’t be smug – I’m being pitifully dug up today, but everyone wants feng shui treasure sites. When will someone dig up your grave? With so many descendants of yours, someday your own descendants will dig up your ancestral grave to bury someone in this treasure site.”

This poem of Fan Peng’s questioned the mainstream beliefs centered on bloodline inheritance and filial piety, suggesting that human nature is selfish – regarding ancestral feng shui treasure sites, “great-grandsons won’t dig but great-great-grandsons will.”

Of course, the literal meaning refers to digging up ancestral graves, but it can also be extended to mean ancestral foundations being destroyed by unfilial descendants.

This was the “Grave-Digging Song” that Supervisor Fan mentioned in her letter. Hu Shanwei closed the “Poetry Collection of Fan Deji,” thinking: Who exactly was this referring to? Among Fan Peng’s many poems, why did Supervisor Fan specifically pick out this one? Descendants? Inheritance? What was Supervisor Fan afraid of?

Hu Shanwei had also served as palace supervisor – any disturbance in the imperial palace could hardly escape a supervisor’s eyes. They knew the most imperial secrets. Could some incredible imperial scandal have become Supervisor Fan’s death warrant?

But when Supervisor Fan was previously Palace Supervisor, she knew even more various secrets, almost any one of which could be deadly. Which particular matter was it?

For a moment, there were countless threads, not knowing where to begin.

Hu Shanwei asked Supervisor Cao and Supervisor Cui, “Have you two found any clues these past days?”

Supervisor Cao remained the same as before. Being able to cleanly withdraw from court with her whole body intact, her optimistic and cheerful nature, and leisurely days meant she aged slowly.

Supervisor Cao sighed: “There are no useful clues, though plenty of swindlers have come to take advantage of the situation. Even court officials face the coldness of human nature when they lose power – how much more so for us retired female officials who neither marry nor rely on relatives, establishing our own households. In many people’s eyes, we’re already heretics. Yangzhou’s customs are relatively enlightened. Usually Supervisor Cui and I live quietly behind closed doors. Relying on our female official status, no one dares bully us, and we live peacefully and freely, which is already quite good. But when it comes to actually accomplishing anything, we’re immediately at a loss. Besides waiting at Guazhou for news, we’re truly helpless.”

Supervisor Cao was straightforward, speaking honestly. Once retired, she was retired – what she could do for Supervisor Fan was very limited.

Supervisor Cui had visibly aged these three years, but even in her declining beauty, there was a different kind of beauty in her aging, like a gradually withering rose. She had a faint lightning-shaped scar on her left cheek that she usually concealed with cosmetics, but now, mourning for Supervisor Fan and having washed off all makeup, it was clearly visible.

As one of only two survivors from Emperor Hongwu’s reign in the rear palace (the other being Imperial Consort Zhang), Supervisor Cui’s survival to this day was definitely not due to luck. Her gaze melancholy, she said: “If the Embroidered Uniform Guard still existed, I would have ways to investigate the truth. But Great Ancestor Emperor disbanded the Embroidered Uniform Guard to appease public resentment, and had Commander Mao Qiang executed by slow slicing. The former Embroidered Uniform Guard, who once supervised the eyes and ears of the entire realm, scattered like dandelion seeds in the wind. Each struggling for their own survival, who has the energy to help me?”

Supervisor Cui smiled self-mockingly: “Previously serving Great Ancestor Emperor, nothing in the world escaped my eyes. But now I’ve become deaf and blind. Even though I feel Supervisor Fan’s death is suspicious, like Supervisor Cao, I can only wait with no other options.”

Supervisor Cao refilled their tea, saying: “Now that you’re here, besides waiting, we have a glimmer of hope. These three years you’ve wandered various places. Apart from correspondence, you’ve made no other disturbances. Now you’ve made no sound until this earth-shaking move – piling up a silver mountain at Guazhou. Under heavy rewards there will surely be brave men. Even if we have no clues, this will force the mastermind to panic.”

At nightfall, Hu Shanwei invited monks and Taoist priests to perform rituals by the river to help departed souls find peace – not only for Supervisor Fan, but also for other passengers who perished.

The sounds of chanting scriptures and beating drums continued throughout the night.

Water ghosts and river gods with excellent swimming skills from throughout the Ming Dynasty began searching section by section starting from the Yangtze River incident site, and set large nets downstream to prevent bodies from floating from the Yangtze to the sea.

Shocking! A silver mountain appears at Yangzhou Guazhou Wharf!

The power of money is limitless.

The merchant ship capsizing incident had passed for over half a month, with over ten deaths, yet this hadn’t spread beyond Jiangnan and was about to fade into obscurity. But the Guazhou silver mountain immediately made this midnight water-leaking, capsizing ship known to everyone.

Almost overnight, the silver mountain incident spread throughout Jiangnan. Three days later, virtually all of the Ming Dynasty knew about it. In Kunming, Yunnan, Mu Chun was alone playing with his daughter when he heard this news and felt deeply moved: Sister Shanwei hasn’t changed at all – she’s naturally made for great deeds. Either she doesn’t act, or she turns the world upside down.

In the mausoleum where his bones had grown cold, Great Ancestor Emperor angrily lifted his coffin lid: I knew it! I knew letting her leave the palace to marry was right! She’s the greatest variable – with her around, things always develop in uncontrollable directions. I arranged everything perfectly, so why did you force her to return!

This matter naturally reached the rear palace as well, shocking the entire palace.

Supervisor Fan was skilled in thunderous methods. When serving as Palace Supervisor in the Palace Administration Office, she was ruthless and merciless toward those who violated palace rules, earning the nickname “Yama King Fan.” Later, when she became Palace Supervisor needing to coordinate the Six Bureaus and One Office, her temperament became somewhat gentler, though she remained primarily formidable.

Therefore, when news reached the court that Supervisor Fan had encountered a capsizing passenger ship during her journey and had been missing for nearly a month, and that Hu Shanwei, formerly the youngest Palace Supervisor in court history, had piled up a silver mountain at Guazhou searching for the missing Supervisor Fan, the entire rear palace was shocked.

Most palace staff wept sadly, but palace rules were strict – they weren’t allowed to privately set up altars for worship or burn incense. They could only silently pray in their hearts for a miracle, hoping Supervisor Fan could survive.

Some secretly clapped their hands in celebration – Yama King Fan finally got her comeuppance, truly deserved.

Most extreme was Supervisor Fan’s former confidant, a female official surnamed Wang. Supervisor Wang had originally been a lowly official slave who was selected to study when Shen Qionglian was Female Instructor, passed the female official examination, and started as an eighth-rank female secretary. Supervisor Fan saw her hard work and ambition, noting she somewhat resembled the young Hu Shanwei, so she deliberately cultivated her, promoting her all the way to sixth-rank Palace Supervisor.

When this Supervisor Wang heard the tragic news about Supervisor Fan and Hu Shanwei’s silver mountain reward announcement, she immediately broke down crying, then locked herself in her room, thinking: Before Great Ancestor Emperor died, he ordered the Crown Prince’s consort executed, and Supervisor Fan told me to deliver the poisoned wine, but I was intercepted halfway by the Imperial Grandson.

The Imperial Grandson was heir apparent – if I resisted, it would be certain death. I had no choice but to cooperate with him in deceiving Supervisor Fan, falsely claiming the Crown Prince’s consort had already drunk the poison and died. Later, Supervisor Fan was also bought off by the Imperial Grandson and covered up this matter.

Supervisor Fan was clever – as soon as Great Ancestor Emperor died, she “happened” to fall ill, timing it perfectly. Using illness as an excuse to leave the palace, but halfway through her journey, the passenger ship leaked and capsized, and she was gone just like that… Even such a cunning old fox as Supervisor Fan couldn’t escape – what hope do I have?

The next day, when a palace maid brought hot water to attend Supervisor Wang’s washing, the door wouldn’t open despite repeated knocking. The maid quickly called several strong eunuchs to break down the door, only to find Supervisor Wang had hanged herself.

Supervisor Wang left a suicide note saying that upon hearing the tragic news of Supervisor Fan’s death, she was heartbroken and had no desire to live on in this world, only wanting a quick death to follow Supervisor Fan.

Suicide in the palace was a grave crime that implicated one’s entire family, but Supervisor Wang was an official slave with no family. Plus, she died for Supervisor Fan, so Empress Ma made an exception not to punish her crime and ordered her carried out of the palace for proper burial.

However, when Empress Dowager Lu in Cining Palace heard this, she summoned Empress Ma for a scolding: “…As the dignified Empress of the Ming Dynasty, you should be a model for the world and act cautiously. Are the palace rules just decorations? Suicide requires exterminating the entire family. Even though this Supervisor Wang has no family, the proper punishment cannot be reduced. Since her family can’t be punished, her bones should be ground to dust and scattered. Yet you lightly let this pass and even ordered her buried? How will anyone in the palace respect the rules in the future?”

Since becoming empress, there truly hadn’t been a single peaceful day. Empress Ma was also saddened to hear the tragic news about Palace Supervisor Fan. After all, she had served her for two months without fault, establishing sovereign-minister friendship. During the previous three years as Imperial Grandson’s consort, she had also received guidance from Supervisor Fan. Supervisor Wang was Supervisor Fan’s confidant and was deeply affected by this. Although her momentary despair and suicide violated palace rules, her willingness to die following her former master Supervisor Fan showed admirable character.

Therefore, despite knowing Supervisor Wang had committed a grave error, Empress Ma didn’t punish her.

Empress Ma felt troubled and patiently waited for Empress Dowager Lu to finish scolding before saying: “This world has rules, but also human sentiment. When rules and sentiment cannot coexist, those in authority must make judgments and handle matters with discretion. I am the Empress, governing the Six Palaces. Now everyone in the palace grieves for Supervisor Fan’s death. If I merely followed rules to punish the already-dead Supervisor Wang, it would surely chill people’s hearts. So I ordered her burial and pardoned her suicide crime – let’s not pursue this further.”

Empress Ma didn’t know about Empress Dowager Lu’s inner panic at this moment: Although Emperor Jianwen had told her why the Empress Dowager had been “recuperating” in the Eastern Palace for three years, regarding such a life-threatening matter as Great Ancestor Emperor ordering the Empress Dowager’s execution before his death, Emperor Jianwen absolutely didn’t dare explain the details to his wife. The fewer people who knew about such things, the better.

Seeing her daughter-in-law once again rebuff her words, Empress Dowager Lu angrily pointed at Empress Ma: “Fine, fine, fine! I’m just giving you a few words of advice, but you get to be the good person while I’m the villain. What’s the point of me being Empress Dowager? The Emperor doesn’t listen to me, and even you don’t listen to me – I’m just a puppet Empress Dowager. I’ll go to the Ancestral Temple to cry for the late Emperor!”

This “late Emperor” was naturally Emperor Xiaokang, Zhu Biao.

While Empress Ma tried to stop her and signaled for someone to summon Emperor Jianwen, Cining Palace immediately descended into chaos.

In the front court, Emperor Jianwen was discussing with his cousin, Duke Cao Li Jinglong, how to find legitimate reasons to strip his fifth imperial uncle, Prince Zhou Zhu Su, of his feudal powers.

Li Jinglong’s father Li Wenzhong was Great Ancestor Emperor’s own nephew and also a founding general of the Ming Dynasty. The only pity was that he died too early – in the nineteenth year of Hongwu. Li Jinglong was his only son. Having read military texts since childhood, he often went to places like Huguang and Shaanxi to train troops, excelling in formation and troop deployment. His performances in military exercises were always excellent. Great Ancestor Emperor was very fond of this great-nephew, and given his pure bloodline and loyal heart, he left Li Jinglong for his grandson Zhu Yunwen. The two cousins were very close. After Emperor Jianwen’s accession, he assigned the first prince to be stripped of power to Li Jinglong, showing his trust in this cousin.

Li Jinglong presented his strategy: “Prince Zhou has always been devoted to studying medicine, staying out of worldly affairs, with numerous medical works published, thus enjoying prestige among the people. Finding fault with him would be difficult, and any misstep might provoke civil unrest in his territory.”

“However, Prince Zhou’s second son, Prince Runan Zhu Youxun, is jealous of his brother, Crown Prince Zhou Zhu Youdun, and wants to seize the crown prince position. Your Majesty could simply agree to his terms – as long as he submits a memorial accusing Prince Zhou and Crown Prince Zhou of plotting rebellion, you’ll let him inherit the Prince Zhou title in the future. With Prince Zhou accused of rebellion by his own son, we’ll have grounds to send troops and escort Prince Zhou to the capital for questioning.”

Prince Zhou Zhu Su was Prince Yan Zhu Di’s younger brother. Unlike his valiant and skilled elder brother, Prince Zhou was mediocre in both literature and martial arts, only enjoying tinkering with medicine. Prince Zhou’s residence housed a group of renowned medical experts compiling medical texts. Imperial Physician Ru and Imperial Physician Qian were among them. Prince Zhou’s residence produced medical books like “Pocket Remedies,” “Universal Relief Formulary,” “Life-Preserving Remaining Prescriptions,” and “Famine Relief Materia Medica,” which were highly regarded among the people as charitable works. For this medicine-obsessed Prince Zhou to suddenly rebel – who would believe it?

But if the court lacked legitimate reasons, it couldn’t act without cause.

Emperor Jianwen hesitated: “Father-son fratricide seems somewhat inappropriate.”

Li Jinglong said: “Precisely because they’re father and son, the son’s accusation carries credibility, making others believe it. Others’ accusations would be dismissed as false testimony. Your Majesty, this is the best and fastest method I can find today – stripping feudal power should be done early rather than late.”

Indeed, there was no better method than this. Emperor Jianwen nodded in agreement: “Have Prince Runan submit his memorial immediately. I agree to his conditions.”

After all, once feudal territories were reclaimed and military power withdrawn, supporting a puppet Prince Zhou wouldn’t be a problem.

“Your Majesty is wise.” Li Jinglong accepted the order and departed.

With Prince Zhou’s situation arranged, Emperor Jianwen was urgently discussing with ministers how to strip Prince Dai of power when a Female Secretary from Empress Ma’s side came to request his presence, saying Empress Dowager Lu was insisting on going to the Ancestral Temple to weep for Emperor Xiaokang.

Forcing his mother to weep for the late emperor would make him unfilial.

The hat of unfilial conduct was something even an emperor dared not wear.

With constant troubles in the front court and frequent fires in the rear palace, Emperor Jianwen was nearly driven mad by his mother. He quickly suspended state affairs and ran to Cining Palace to appease her.

Empress Ma was, after all, the master of the rear palace. She had given strict orders forbidding Empress Dowager Lu from stepping outside Cining Palace, so palace staff guarded all doors and windows, grappling with Cining Palace’s people.

As soon as Emperor Jianwen arrived, everyone stopped fighting and knelt to receive the imperial presence. Seeing a group of palace staff with disheveled hair and disordered clothing, Emperor Jianwen flew into a rage: “Look at yourselves – what kind of appearance is this!”

With Supervisor Fan dead outside the palace, those sent to Jinan unable to find any news of Hu Rong, the Palace Supervisor position vacant indefinitely, people’s hearts scattered, palace rules abandoned, and the Empress Dowager stirring up trouble, leading to collective brawling – Emperor Jianwen, born and raised in the rear palace, had never witnessed such chaos.

Emperor Jianwen entered Cining Palace just as the frightened and furious Empress Dowager Lu pushed Empress Ma aside: “Get away! I’ve been ‘recuperating’ in the Eastern Palace for three years and have been sufficiently stifled! I don’t believe that after burning the midnight oil to raise the emperor, I don’t even have the freedom to step outside Cining Palace!”

Empress Ma spotted the bright yellow figure at the doorway and immediately went limp, falling to the ground from Empress Dowager Lu’s push.

Emperor Jianwen quickly ran to help his wife up. Seeing this, Empress Dowager Lu, a veteran of palace struggles from the Eastern Palace, sneered: “These are all tricks I’ve grown tired of playing. Your Majesty, don’t be fooled by this vixen. When blocking me earlier, she was as mighty as an overlord, but as soon as Your Majesty arrives, she becomes a delicate lamp that goes out with one breath!”

Empress Ma leaned against her husband, struggling to stand: “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager didn’t mean it. She doesn’t really want to weep for Emperor Xiaokang – she’s just speaking nonsense in her anger.”

Empress Dowager Lu trembled with rage: “Acting! You’re still acting virtuous here!”

“Enough!” Emperor Jianwen helped his wife to a chair. “Empress Dowager, the Empress has consistently spoken up for you. Whether serving tea, bringing water, massaging your back, or fanning you, she has never complained, saying it’s her duty. She yields at every step – why do you repeatedly humiliate her? She is my wife, the Empress of the Ming Dynasty! Husband and wife are one body – when you humiliate her, you humiliate me!”

Seeing her usually obedient son lose his temper, Empress Dowager Lu knew she had gone too far this time. She immediately changed tactics, using softness to overcome hardness, shedding tears as she cried: “If you two are one body, then what am I – superfluous? You don’t even ask why I’m angry with the Empress. She… she actually had the criminal Supervisor Wang, who committed the grave crime of suicide, sent out of the palace for proper burial. When I instructed her that as Empress, she cannot knowingly break laws and must maintain clear rewards and punishments, she became impatient and used her Empress status to pressure me, saying the Empress has the right to pardon crimes.”

Emperor Jianwen said: “The Empress naturally has this prerogative – otherwise how could she be called Empress?”

Empress Dowager Lu became anxious: “Why did that Supervisor Wang die? Surely Your Majesty you—”

“Empress Dowager!” Emperor Jianwen quickly interrupted his mother, giving her a meaningful look. “Why must the Empress Dowager quarrel with the Empress to such an irreconcilable extent over a criminal? Empress, you’re tired – go back and rest. Leave the Empress Dowager to me.”

Empress Ma had developed an understanding with her husband over these three years and knew the mother and son needed to speak privately. She quickly took her leave, but a new question arose in her heart: the Empress Dowager’s final words seemed to suggest there were other hidden circumstances behind Supervisor Wang’s death, and these circumstances were related to the Emperor?

Once his wife left, Emperor Jianwen reproached Empress Dowager Lu: “I already told you not to act rashly against Supervisor Fan, but the Empress Dowager wouldn’t listen and sent people to assassinate her. Yet the job was done sloppily. Now there’s a silver mountain at Guazhou, enticing people to practically sift through the Yangtze River with sieves. This will be exposed sooner or later. I still have to help the Empress Dowager clean up the mess and stop Hu Shanwei. I beg the Empress Dowager – please stop causing trouble, alright?”

But Empress Dowager Lu showed a shocked expression: “Your Majesty, what are you saying? Wasn’t Supervisor Fan killed on Your Majesty’s orders?”

Emperor Jianwen’s gaze turned cold: “Empress Dowager, stop pretending. I’ve had enough of your lies.”

Empress Dowager Lu’s gaze grew even colder: “Your Majesty, I’ve done enough for you. I don’t want to bear the infamy of murdering a Palace Supervisor for you as well.”

In Cining Palace, neither mother nor son admitted responsibility, each trying to shift blame to the other.