Emperor Jingming hesitated for a moment and asked Pan Hai, “Did I summon him?”
“Your Majesty did not summon Commander Han,” Pan Hai replied, keeping his eyes lowered.
Emperor Jingming rubbed his temples and sighed, “Let him in.”
He had become so jumpy that even Han Ran’s request for an audience made him overthink.
As the Commander of the Brocade Guard, Han Ran naturally had many opportunities to report matters to him. This was just routine government business.
Before long, Han Ran strode in, “Your subject greets Your Majesty.”
Emperor Jingming glanced at him and asked, “Do you have something to report?”
Han Ran bowed and said, “Today, my subordinates discovered some unusual circumstances at Fude Temple. I’ve come to report this to Your Majesty.”
Upon hearing “Fude Temple,” Emperor Jingming immediately thought of Cining Palace.
Today, Nursemaid Chang from Cining Palace had gone to Fude Temple, and it was because of the news she brought back that Empress Dowager had fainted.
“Speak!” Emperor Jingming gripped the white jade paperweight and pointed at Han Ran.
Han Ran shuddered, glancing reproachfully at Pan Hai.
It was almost early summer; couldn’t they put a folding fan on the dragon desk for His Majesty? Why did His Majesty keep reaching for the paperweight?
Taking a breath, Han Ran continued, “Two women were overheard discussing the private affairs of noble personages by another woman, who then offered them gold ingots for information about Princess Rongyang’s death. My subordinates witnessed this and, finding it suspicious, followed the three women. They discovered that the woman who offered the gold ingots had come from the palace—”
Seeing Emperor Jingming’s displeased expression, Han Ran paused.
“Continue,” Emperor Jingming said, his face growing darker as he sensed something amiss.
The Emperor wasn’t surprised by the Brocade Guard’s presence at Fude Temple.
Royal temples like Fude Temple were under the Brocade Guard’s surveillance. This monitoring wasn’t airtight; it was similar to having one or two informants in places where many officials and nobles gathered. It was a general observation, allowing important news to reach the Emperor’s ears if anything significant occurred.
Of course, the news would first reach Han Ran, the Brocade Guard Commander. Whether to report it to the Emperor was up to his discretion.
This was why officials and nobles dared not offend Han Ran lightly. If they did, even trivial matters might be reported to the Emperor. After three or four such reports, even the most favored officials would become detestable in the Emperor’s eyes.
“Upon questioning, it was revealed that the two women’s husbands had instructed them to deliberately speak about Princess Rongyang for the palace maid to overhear—”
With a loud bang, Emperor Jingming slammed the white jade paperweight on the desk.
The atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
“Who are these two women?” Emperor Jingming asked, his face ashen.
“One is the wife of Zhao, a supervisor from the Ministry of Personnel, and the other is the wife of Zhang, a secretary from the Court of State Ceremonial—”
Before Han Ran could finish, Emperor Jingming angrily interrupted, “Where are they?”
“My subordinates have taken Supervisor Zhao and Secretary Zhang to the yamen for questioning…”
“Any results?”
Han Ran’s eyes flickered slightly, and he didn’t answer immediately.
Emperor Jingming laughed coldly in his anger, “What are you afraid to say? Someone dares to scheme against the Empress Dowager; I want to know who it is!”
“Supervisor Zhao confessed that he was ordered to do this by Li Duolai, the Right Vice Minister of Personnel. Secretary Zhang stated that he was instructed by his superior, Chen Shaoqing,” Han Ran quickly glanced at Emperor Jingming and cautiously continued, “Considering this involves the Empress Dowager, and Vice Minister Li and Shaoqing Chen are not minor officials like Zhao and Zhang, even if we brought them in for questioning, it wouldn’t yield immediate results. So I hurried to report to Your Majesty.”
Vice Minister Li, Shaoqing Chen—
Emperor Jingming silently repeated these two names, searching through their connections.
The relationships among officials and nobles were complex, with many familial ties. It wasn’t something that could be untangled quickly, but Emperor Jingming had his approach.
Those who dared to scheme against the Empress Dowager must have a motive.
Who would suffer if the Empress Dowager heard about Rongyang’s death?
Almost without thinking, two words flashed in Emperor Jingming’s mind: Prince Yan.
He couldn’t help but think of him. Not long ago, he had scolded the Seventh Prince and decided to keep him away from the palace to avoid upsetting the Empress Dowager.
What did it mean to those officials when a prince was treated coldly?
Looking at it this way, there was an eighty to ninety percent chance that this was a plot against the Seventh Prince, using the Empress Dowager as a pawn.
The Seventh Prince was an imperial son; ordinary officials wouldn’t risk offending a prince. Their purpose wasn’t hard to guess: it was likely related to the position of Crown Prince.
Only a few were involved in the Crown Prince position… Was it the Fourth Prince, the Fifth Prince, or the Sixth Prince?
With a direction in mind, Emperor Jingming’s search through Vice Minister Li and Shaoqing Chen’s connections was no longer aimless.
Vice Minister Li was the clan brother of the Princess Consort of Qi.
The Princess Consort of Qi came from the Li clan. Although her scandal was hidden from the public, the Li family would naturally have been informed of the truth.
Otherwise, if a perfectly fine princess consort needed seclusion after just one trip to burn incense, the Li family would surely come to visit. While the royal family didn’t fear the Li family’s actions, and the Li family wouldn’t dare to do anything, it was better to avoid unnecessary resentment.
As it stood, the Li family knew about the Princess Consort of Qi’s scandal and was too ashamed to say a word.
Although the Princess Consort of Qi had been deposed, the Li family would continue to support the Fourth Prince.
As for Shaoqing Chen—
Emperor Jingming couldn’t immediately recall, so he asked Han Ran, “Which prince does Shaoqing Chen associate with most?”
Han Ran was startled, his eyes flickering.
“Just say what you’re thinking!”
“The Prince of Qi,” Han Ran quickly uttered, keeping his head down.
Emperor Jingming was taken aback, veins popping on his forehead as he glared at Han Ran, “The Prince of Qi?”
Han Ran silently lit an incense for the Prince of Qi in his heart, while outwardly responding dutifully, “There’s an advisor in the Prince of Qi’s household who passed the imperial examination in the same year as Shaoqing Chen. Apparently, because of this connection, this advisor often drinks and socializes with Shaoqing Chen…”
As Han Ran explained, he inwardly sighed: Prince Yan didn’t leave any way out for others. The Prince of Qi was now doomed.
Emperor Jingming narrowed his eyes, a storm brewing in their depths.
Was it the Fourth Prince?
Vice Minister Li had connections to the Fourth Prince, and so did Shaoqing Chen. If not the Fourth Prince, who else could it be?
Summoning Vice Minister Li and Shaoqing Chen for questioning would be too embarrassing for Emperor Jingming, but calling in his son was acceptable.
“Pan Hai, summon the Prince of Qi to the palace.”
In the Prince of Qi’s residence, the prince had been waiting in his study for news. When he heard that Yu Jin had been summoned to the palace and received a reprimand, he couldn’t help but smile.
The Seventh Prince had been proud for so long; now his arrogance had finally been checked.
Next, he would make things even worse for him.
He had cultivated so many officials; it was time for them to speak up for him.
The Prince of Qi maintained his joyful mood as he ordered the kitchen to prepare some good wine and dishes. Just then, he received the news of Emperor Jingming’s summons and hurried to the palace.
As soon as the Prince of Qi entered the Imperial Study, a white object flew towards his face.