Following his return from the palace, Prince Yan had been exceedingly agitated for the past two days.
This was entirely because his objective had not been achieved, and the Emperor had furthermore placed Chao Yao under house arrest within a certain side hall in the West Garden.
No word had leaked from the palace as to why Chao Yao had been detained. Prince Yan had his suspicions, but he could not be certain. His most pressing priority was to soothe Chao Yao, lest the man lose control of his emotions and drag him down into the mire as well.
Yet, achieving this was proving textually difficult.
At present, the Emperor was residing in the West Garden, and the surrounding security was exceptionally tight; especially around the side hall. Attempting to bribe palace servants to pass messages to Chao Yao was utterly out of the question, and his own requests to visit had been rebuffed by Grand Eunuch Huang on account of the imperial ban imposed during the house arrest. He had not even managed to catch a glimpse of the Emperor.
“Your Highness,” an attendant rushed in, bringing word, “His Majesty is in a towering rage and has summoned the Crown Prince and Chancellor Meng.”
Prince Yan stood up from his desk and asked, “Has the reason been uncovered?”
The attendant bowed his head and replied, “As yet, no one knows why His Majesty is so furious, though it is rumoured that he became so only after seeing something delivered by Commander Liu. I have inquired further; it was a sheet of paper that Commander Liu presented to the Emperor.”
Prince Yan frowned, pacing a circle around the room. “Could it be that Commander Liu discovered some extraordinary secret within the Eastern Palace?”
Muttering to himself, Prince Yan felt remarkably uneasy. Having already suffered one bout of anxiety, this second shock left his very heart trembling.
He slowly sank back into his chair, ordering his men to continue gathering intelligence from the West Garden on one hand, whilst preparing themselves for both eventualities on the other.
Grand Eunuch Huang dispatched his apprentice, Deng Er, to request the presence of the Crown Prince, whilst he himself hurried off to find Chancellor Meng.
Several chancellors were currently handling memorials within the official secretariat. At this hour, they were at their busiest, and those inside the office hurried to and fro in great haste.
Grand Eunuch Huang softened his steps as he entered the room.
In the midst of the frantic activity, someone happened to glance up and noticed his arrival, calling out, “Grand Eunuch Huang.”
Grand Eunuch Huang nodded gently in acknowledgement. Following this, the others noticed him too, including the three chancellors.
Grand Eunuch Huang clasped his hands in greeting to the three chancellors, then lowering his voice, spoke politely to Chancellor Meng, “Chancellor Meng, His Majesty wishes to see you. Pray come with me at once.”
Chancellor Meng’s brow furrowed slightly. He set down his pen, adjusted his official robes, and said, “I am sorry to trouble you to fetch me in person.”
Grand Eunuch Huang smiled and replied, “Not at all, it is merely my duty.” Speaking as they went, the two departed the secretariat.
“Whatever has His Majesty summoned Meng Huaipu for this time?” Grand Chancellor Song muttered under his breath.
Grand Chancellor Hu turned to look at him with a faint smile. Keenly aware of the gaze, Grand Chancellor Song felt his heart give a jolt, and he involuntarily shrank back into his armchair.
Forcing a smile, he said, “Grand Chancellor Hu, you… is there something on your mind?”
Grand Chancellor Hu penned an annotation on the memorial before him and replied in a measured tone, “Once we have finished our shift, you and I shall pay a visit to Chancellor Meng’s residence together. It will not do for our relations to grow distant.”
The corner of Grand Chancellor Song’s mouth twitched, and he cursed inwardly: We serve in the same court and see each other from morning till night; what nonsense is this about relations growing distant? If you want to worm out why His Majesty summoned Meng Huaipu, go and do it yourself. Why drag me into it? In any case, I am merely a monk tolling the bell for the day, just getting by.
“Grand Chancellor Song,” Grand Chancellor Hu prompted.
Extremely reluctant though he was, Grand Chancellor Song dared not offend Grand Chancellor Hu; between them, it was a case of an egg against a pebble. He ground his back teeth and said with a smile, “Very well then!”
Once we arrive at the Meng estate, I shall simply play the mute and let the two of you battle it out!
Having thought this, Grand Chancellor Song reconsidered. Given Grand Chancellor Hu’s formidable nature, what if he ended up provoking Chancellor Meng to illness again? There was already a mountain of work to do; if they lost one man, would he not be worked to death? No, this would not do; he would have to act as a peacemaker between them.
Whilst Grand Chancellor Song was making up his mind, Chancellor Meng had already reached the West Garden. Seeing that Chancellor Meng was panting after walking only a short distance, Grand Eunuch Huang grew concerned for his health and ordered a sedan chair to be brought to carry him through the grounds.
Chancellor Meng alighted from the sedan, and as his feet touched the earth, he found comfort in the feeling of solid ground beneath him. He began to stride further into the West Garden when a familiar voice suddenly echoed behind him. Turning around, he saw that it was Chao Yan.
“Your Highness,” Chancellor Meng said, clasping his hands.
Chao Yan returned the courtesy, asking, “Is Chancellor Meng here for the same reason as I?”
He left the sentence unfinished, but Chancellor Meng understood implicitly and replied, “Summoned by His Majesty, though I know not what urgent matter it concerns.”
Chao Yan smiled faintly and said, “I care only to look for good portents, not ill ones; let us hope it is the former.” That said, his brow furrowed, and looking thoroughly worried, he stared at Chancellor Meng as though hesitating to speak.
Seeing him like this, Chancellor Meng wondered if his pre-departure suspicion had been correct: had the Emperor discovered the grim matters the Crown Prince had uncovered in his investigation?
Last night, the Crown Prince had come to see him, stating that his review of the Ministry of Justice’s old cases had unearthed some terrible things, and that he was torn over whether to inform His Majesty. He had spoken at length with the Crown Prince, yet the young man had remained undecided.
Anxious for him, Chancellor Meng had insisted that he must reach a firm resolution within two days and delay no longer.
Judging by the Crown Prince’s current demeanour, it did not appear as though he had made a decision; the Emperor had likely learned of these grim matters through some other channel.
Chancellor Meng cared little for what would become of the perpetrators once the Emperor found out. From any perspective, they were nothing but harmful parasites; whether the Emperor suppressed them or broke them, it would bring nothing but benefit to the state.
However, he was deeply concerned that this business might implicate the Crown Prince.
Such anxieties, however, could not be voiced at this juncture.
He looked at Chao Yan and said in a low voice, “Be it a good matter or an ill one, if it benefits the people and the nation, then it is what you and I must do. Every right-thinking man in the world will support it.”
The underlying meaning was clear: the upright officials led by the Meng family stood firmly behind him and would not allow him to come to grief, just as they would protect themselves.
A great deal of Chao Yan’s sorrow dissipated, and he said, “Chancellor Meng speaks with absolute correctness.”
Grand Eunuch Huang, quite oblivious to the unspoken understanding between the two, grew anxious upon seeing them lingering to talk. He hurriedly urged them on, “Your Highness, Chancellor Meng, His Majesty is waiting for you.”
Chao Yan and Chancellor Meng fell silent and followed Grand Eunuch Huang into the Emperor’s presence.
The Emperor’s countenance was considerably better than it had been earlier, but a veteran courtier like Grand Eunuch Huang, who had served the sovereign for many years, knew that this was merely the suppression of a fury that required only a single spark to erupt completely.
Dared not invite misfortune upon himself, Grand Eunuch Huang served the tea and promptly withdrew. Everyone else had long since been dismissed from the hall; there remained only the Emperor, Chancellor Meng, and the Crown Prince.
Chao Yan spoke, “Father, what ails you today? Who has caused you such displeasure?”
The Emperor tapped his finger against the paper lying face down upon the desk. The sheet was folded to a moderate thickness, preventing the ink from bleeding through to the reverse. Chao Yan stepped forward, picked up the paper, and upon looking at it, froze instantly. “How did this find its way into Father’s hands?” he asked.
The Emperor let out a cold, sharp laugh.
Chao Yan continued, “I gave this to Li Lan, bidding him keep it safe for a short while. I never imagined that a thief would break into his quarters last night, stealing his money along with this very paper. I have already ordered a strict investigation to apprehend this audacious scoundrel…” He broke off.
The Emperor demanded, “Why do you not go on?”
Chao Yan replied, “…Your son does not dare.”
“What is it you do not dare?” the Emperor countered.
Chao Yan dropped to his knees. “Your son did not know that Father desired this. Had I known, I would certainly have presented it with both hands, rather than causing Father such toil and trouble.”
The Emperor stared at him for a long moment, his eyelids drooping, before saying indifferently, “Since you knew that Prince Yan and your eighth brother had committed these offences, why did you not inform me at the very first instance? Why instead leave it with Li Lan for safekeeping?”
Chao Yan lowered his head and said, “I knew not whether I ought to present it to Father. Though they have sinned, they remain, after all, my kinsmen.”
The Emperor let out a sharp scoff and laughed. “Kinsmen? What utter folly have you committed? Can you not see it? Prince Yan and Chao Yao have amassed a vast sum of silver and are communicating in secret. What is their intent? They mean to overturn the realm!
You fool, and yet you hide it for them. You take thought for them, but what of me? What of yourself? Are we to be left entirely out of your reckonings?
I had thought you intended to use this matter to strike some bargain with Prince Yan and Chao Yao to increase your own leverage. Tell me that was the reason! Absurd!”
He reached out, snatched the teacup from the table, and hurled it at Chao Yan.
The cup struck Chao Yan squarely on the forehead; blood mingled with tea ran down, staining his face.
Seeing this, Chancellor Meng immediately threw himself to his knees, pleading earnestly, “Your Majesty…”
The words had scarcely left his mouth when the Emperor cut him off. “Last night, what did he go to see you for? Eh? Do you also know of this business regarding Prince Yan and Chao Yao?”
Chao Yan answered, “Your son did not speak of this matter to the Chancellor. My visit to him last night was to ask whether I ought to tell Father about Prince Yan and Chao Yao. Yet, fearing that if the Chancellor knew it would implicate him, I hesitated repeatedly and said nothing of it. I merely sought his counsel on the path of integrity for an official. Having overseen the clearance of old cases at the Ministry of Justice, I have found myself perplexed as to why an official cannot remain a good servant forever.”
The Emperor snapped, “Did I grant you leave to speak?”
Chancellor Meng said, “Your Majesty, what His Highness says is true.” He offered a bitter smile. “I, too, have only just learned of the matter concerning Prince Yan and the Eighth Prince.”
The Emperor narrowed his eyes, remaining silent.
Prior to learning that Chao Yan had concealed the matter out of family loyalty, he had suspected that Chancellor Meng and the Crown Prince were in league. He had assumed Chao Yan’s visit to the Chancellor last night was to plan how best to use their leverage over Prince Yan and Chao Yao to extract the greatest advantage for themselves.
Chao Yan raised his head and said, “Father, I have not neglected you; in my heart, you are the most important person. I simply could not bring myself to abandon Prince Yan and Chao Yao. I saw that they intended to rebel, which is a capital crime, and I did not wish to end their lives with my own hands. Leaving the paper with Li Lan for a time was so that I might steel myself before presenting it to Father… or indeed, commanding Li Lan to deliver it to you.”
The Emperor remained unmoved.
Chao Yan wiped away the blood and tea that covered his face, raised himself up, poured a fresh cup of tea, and proffered it with the utmost reverence to the Emperor. “Father, pray appease your anger.”
The Emperor stared at him for some time before finally accepting the cup. He took a sip and said coldly, “The compassion of a weak woman.”
Chao Yan murmured, “Father…”
The Emperor said, “Do not call me that. Had I discerned this soft-hearted streak in you earlier, I should never have named you Crown Prince. With a nature as pliable as yours, will you be fit to defend the Great Xuan Dynasty in the days to come?”
Chao Yan fell silent, his head hanging exceedingly low.
The Emperor set down his teacup and commanded, “Scale back the investigations into those old cases at the Ministry of Justice. The end of the year is fast approaching; do not throw the populace into a state of constant panic. Your primary focus must be the resettlement of those displaced refugees.”
Chao Yan clasped his hands in obedience.
The Emperor dismissed him, then personally helped Chancellor Meng to his feet, his manner now entirely transformed into one of smiles. “How has your health been of late?”
Chancellor Meng sighed inwardly, forcing a smile to his lips as he replied, “Much the same as ever, though I remain reasonably robust.” He paused momentarily. “How does Your Majesty intend to deal with Prince Yan and the Eighth Prince?”
The Emperor patted his hand and said, “I have my own measures in mind; you need not trouble yourself over it.”
Chancellor Meng gave his assent.
The Emperor remarked, “I am far more concerned with the Crown Prince at present. Seeing him so thoroughly weak, whatever are we to do with him?”
…
