Chapter 47 Finding Someone to Pose as Himself Once

Chapter 47: He Had Someone Impersonate Him

The Empress Dowager was hastily buried seven days after her passing, and Xie Xiao was released by the Jinyiwei the following day.

Yan Weichu went to the imperial prison in person to fetch him, and only when he saw Xie Xiao emerge unscathed did his expression soften.

He stepped forward and embraced Xie Xiao. "Cousin!"

Xie Xiao squinted in the glaring daylight and raised his hand to return the embrace.

Having spent seven days in the imperial prison for no reason, even without suffering any torture, he was still displeased. But all his frustration vanished the moment Yan Weichu threw himself into his arms.

Xie Xiao was not at all surprised. The Young Emperor was shrewd, using the special circumstances of the Empress Dowager's death to suppress those stirring trouble and swiftly turn the situation around.

As for those from the Duke of Ningguo's residence, and even the old lady, Xie Xiao felt nothing but cold indifference. It was none of his concern.

His troubles were over; now he could simply watch the show.

During the national mourning period, the entire city was under strict curfew, and rumors dissipated within a day. All scheming elements went into hiding.

The imperial prison was bustling with people coming and going. Prisoners were detained but not interrogated. When and how long they would be released depended entirely on the mood of the Jinyiwei on duty.

This only heightened the atmosphere of fear and suspicion. Those outside doubted that the prisoners had revealed nothing, while those inside secretly resented whoever had exposed them. A group of schemers grew distrustful and cautious, their loose alliance quickly falling apart.

Xie Xiao's uncles each took a turn in the imperial prison. Yan Weichu had specifically instructed that they be "well taken care of." After experiencing the Jinyiwei's specialty methods, they were all terrified. Upon release, they shut themselves indoors and refused to go out, finally behaving themselves.

Indeed, there was no need for Yan Weichu to take drastic measures. Frightening and dividing these people was enough.

The only surprise was that Xie Yi's name was not on the list of noble scions who attended the banquet, nor was Zhang Zai, the Heir to the Duke of Ningguo.

The host was a nephew of the Duke of Ningguo. Yan Weichu did not want to escalate the situation and did not even order the Jinyiwei to arrest him.

When Cui Shao reported these details, Yan Weichu showed little reaction and only asked, "You mentioned earlier that Xie Yi had been quite close to the Heir to the Duke of Ningguo recently?"

Cui Shao confirmed, "They have privately met for drinks several times and are on very good terms."

Yan Weichu immediately understood. During the incident at Yundu Mountain, Xie Yi was also present, claiming he had specifically gone to Yunshan Academy to visit Su Ping. The clues were subtle, but Yan Weichu always trusted his intuition.

Xie Yi, who thought himself clever but was actually narrow-minded and jealous, was likely just a pawn being used.

Investigating further seemed pointless. It was troublesome to dig into the scholars and candidates, and he was not particularly interested in uncovering the truth.

"Let it end here."

A brewing storm was thus dispelled. The new commercial tax law was forcefully implemented under the emperor's iron-fisted measures, and no one in the court dared openly oppose it anymore.

At the beginning of the new year, the emperor issued several decrees: closing imperial shops, widely reducing taxes, cutting palace expenditures, disbanding unnecessary offices and dismissing redundant officials, and strengthening the official evaluation system... For a time, the public sang his praises.

Of course, Yan Weichu also understood the principle of striking first and then offering a reward. He ordered the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel to jointly introduce policies to increase salaries based on official ranks and annual evaluation results. Although it was not as lucrative as underhanded methods, it was something at least and barely placated everyone's grievances.

*

After the Lantern Festival, the Jiangwuyuan was renovated, and the Qilin Guard recruited ten thousand imperial clan members to begin training there.

As Yan Weichu had anticipated, most of the volunteers were distant relatives from lower branches of the clan, coming merely to earn a living. The various feudal princes, to show face to the emperor, sent one or two collateral descendants as a gesture.

But it did not matter. As long as they met the criteria, he accepted them all.

However, these individuals were difficult to manage. As imperial clansmen, most were unruly and arrogant. Within days, they had already formed factions, with some even leading troublemaking and slacking off.

Yan Weichu made time to visit the Jiangwuyuan daily. Zheng Shize and others could not control these people, so he had to step in personally.

The ringleader was Yan Biao, the only biological son of a feudal prince among them. He had been sent here because he was too unruly and good-for-nothing, and his status had immediately earned him the flattery of many. Arrogant and accustomed to looking down on everyone, he respected no one.

Within days, he dared to openly slack during training, pulling a dozen others to join him in defying their superiors.

Zheng Shize, aware of their privileged temperaments, did not want to offend them and secluded himself indoors to avoid trouble. Another Assistant Commissioner, however, wanted to teach them a lesson. The moment he moved, someone jumped up and shouted, "We all share the Yan surname! We are the emperor's relatives! What dare you do to us? You're just serving the emperor! Stop acting all high and mighty!"

Laughter erupted.

The Assistant Commissioner hesitated, constrained by concerns.

"The emperor has no useless relatives like you. Stop claiming connections without cause."

The voice belonged to Yan Weichu, who appeared wearing the uniform of a third-rank military officer, standing out prominently.

The one who had shouted retorted loudly, "If we're not, then are you? We are all imperial clansmen! How are we not the emperor's relatives?!"

"You?" Yan Weichu said disdainfully. "You're beyond the five degrees of kinship. What kind of relative are you? Step aside."

"What did you say?!"

Yan Weichu ignored him and scanned the troublemakers. They lounged sloppily on the ground, disheveled and devoid of decorum.

They showed him no respect whatsoever. The ringleaders even made faces at him, clearly looking down on him.

Yan Weichu's gaze turned cold as he asked the Assistant Commissioner, "Is this how you train them?"

Not daring to reveal Yan Weichu's identity, the man replied, "This humble officer is incompetent. Please instruct us, Commander."

Yan Weichu ordered the Jinyiwei behind him, "Bring Zheng Tongzhi out. If he doesn't want to discipline these people, he can train alongside them."

"As for you," Yan Weichu's gaze returned to the troublemakers, "for gathering to cause trouble and defying military rules, twenty lashes. Carry out the punishment."

"You dare!" The group turned pale, scrambling to their feet and bunching their fists, ready to fight.

Yan Weichu had brought only two Jinyiwei. The troublemakers, confident in their numbers, showed no fear.

But they had clearly overestimated their abilities. One Jinyiwei could take on five of them, let alone the Assistant Commissioner handpicked by Yan Weichu, who was highly skilled. With the emperor's order, he showed no mercy, taking them down one punch at a time.

In less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, the troublemakers lay groaning on the ground, covering their heads.

Zheng Shize, who had been summoned back, hid in the back, feeling apprehensive.

Yan Weichu coldly ordered, "Force them to kneel. Bring the whip."

The ringleader, Yan Biao, cursed loudly, "My father is Prince Shun, the emperor's own uncle! How dare you! You're just a puppet who climbed the ranks by selling yourself to the Dingbei Marquis! How dare you act tough here? I spit on you!"

Zheng Shize reacted swiftly, stepping forward and slapping him across the face. If he didn't act now, he might be whipped too.

"Filthy language deserves a beating," he scolded.

The one whose mouth was slapped stared in disbelief for a moment before erupting in anger. "I'll fight you to the death! Ow—"

Yan Weichu took the whip from the Jinyiwei and lashed it across the wretch's back.

Consider yourself fortunate to be whipped by me personally.

Xie Xiao arrived just in time to witness this scene.

Over a dozen imperial clansmen were tied up and forced to kneel on the ground. Yan Weichu was lashing them with a whip, with a domineering and impressive manner.

Yan Weichu: "Still dare to spew foul language from your mouths?"

Those being whipped: "We don’t dare, we don’t dare anymore, spare us, hero!"

Yan Weichu: "Calling me 'hero' won't do you any good."

They: "Father, grandfather, ancestor, spare us! We won’t dare again!"

These people went from cursing and grumbling at first to later crying out in pain, begging for mercy, and crying for their parents. Now they were even calling Yan Weichu "grandfather" and "ancestor"—truly adaptable.

Yan Weichu only felt disgusted. They should piss and look at their own sorry reflections—he certainly couldn’t have produced such ugly descendants.

Zheng Shize, who had been hiding on the side afraid of being caught in the crossfire, suddenly spotted Xie Xiao watching the spectacle with arms crossed in the distance. He hurried over to Yan Weichu to warn him: "Young Master, the Marquis is here!"

The whip in Yan Weichu’s hand fell to the ground with a "snap." Turning around, he indeed saw the person ahead watching the show with amusement. His attention instantly shifted; he no longer bothered with these people and strode over.

"Cousin, why did you come to the Martial Training Garden today?" he asked with a smile as he approached.

Xie Xiao lifted his chin slightly: "Is this how you carry out your duties as Commander?"

Yan Weichu put on a wronged expression: "They bullied me because they’re imperial clansmen. I was scared."

Xie Xiao: "..." Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would have believed it.

But Yan Weichu spoke with such righteous confidence, not seeming to act at all, that Xie Xiao even began to question what he had just witnessed.

"...Is this what you meant the other day when you said you weren’t what I imagined?"

Yan Weichu denied it: "What do you mean?"

Xie Xiao had no way of knowing how many faces his little husband had, so he let it go and explained: "His Majesty ordered me to select two officers from the Capital Camp to temporarily take over the training of the Qilin Guard. I’ve brought them with me."

Only then did Yan Weichu notice the people following behind Xie Xiao. Both held lower ranks than him, and since he was also Xie Xiao’s husband, they treated him very respectfully, greeting him with cupped hands.

Yan Weichu remained calm. Although these two were fourth-rank captains, he had promoted them not long ago. They were qualified to attend court but had never actually been, so naturally they didn’t recognize his true identity.

He casually instructed them a few words, handed over the mess to them, and pulled Xie Xiao away.

After leaving the Martial Training Garden gate, Xie Xiao said he still needed to report to His Majesty. Yan Weichu said with a headache: "Can’t it wait until tomorrow?"

Xie Xiao insisted: "Since we’re already here, let’s stop by Yaotai Palace as well."

Yan Weichu was speechless. It might be convenient for you, but it’s not at all convenient for me.

But he couldn’t outright refuse, lest he arouse Xie Xiao’s suspicion.

They entered Yaotai Palace to request an audience, and someone came out to lead them to a side hall first, to wait for His Majesty’s summons.

After sitting down, while Xie Xiao wasn’t paying attention, Yan Weichu shot a look at the tea-serving eunuch. Soon, someone came to invite Xie Xiao over.

As soon as Xie Xiao left, Yan Weichu also immediately stood up and took another route back to his own bedchamber, climbing in through the rear window.

Seeing him support himself on the windowsill about to jump in, the eunuchs on both sides rushed to support him: "Your Majesty, be careful."

Being an emperor who had to sneak around like a thief—probably only him.

Xie Xiao had come today to report to the emperor on the recruitment progress for the Capital Camp. The emperor provided ample military pay, recruitment was going very smoothly, and military preparations had been completely refreshed. New soldier training would gradually begin.

Yan Weichu was very satisfied and didn’t ask much, only saying: "The Marquis of Zhongyi’s youngest son, Jiang Shu, has requested to remain in the capital. Let him join the Capital Camp as well. He’s your maternal cousin, so give him more guidance."

Xie Xiao accepted the order, actually surprised that Yan Weichu had such influence with the emperor.

Yan Weichu continued: "Regarding the previous matter, I never had a chance to explain it to you, cousin. Detaining you in the Imperial Prison wasn’t my intention—it’s just that there are too many people with ill intentions, and I had to put on a show."

"Your subject understands. Your subject was not mistreated; Your Majesty need not worry." Whatever the emperor’s intention, the fact that he entered the Imperial Prison and emerged unscathed was reason enough to be grateful.

Yan Weichu smiled: "I’m glad you don’t hold a grudge against me."

Xie Xiao said: "Your subject wouldn’t dare."

Yan Weichu didn’t believe it. His cousin said he didn’t dare, but he dared to do anything.

He didn’t keep him long, saying just a few more words before dismissing Xie Xiao.

Xie Xiao returned to the side hall. Yan Weichu arrived a step later, saying he had gone to relieve himself. Xie Xiao didn’t suspect anything: "Let’s go."

On the way back, Xie Xiao suddenly asked Yan Weichu: "Why does His Majesty always act mysteriously and not show himself when summoning external officials?"

Yan Weichu calmly replied: "Are you curious about that?"

"Just asking casually," Xie Xiao said rather offhandedly. "I’ve been back in the capital for so long, and His Majesty has summoned me several times, but I’ve truly never seen the holy face of the Son of Heaven. Unless..."

Yan Weichu asked: "Unless what?"

Xie Xiao said: "Unless His Majesty has a guilty conscience and doesn’t dare show his true face."

Yan Weichu: "..."

How could he guess that?

For a moment, he almost thought Xie Xiao had seen through him, but he quickly steadied himself and said: "How could that be? His Majesty just finds it annoying and doesn’t want to see external officials."

"Yet he’s willing to see you," Xie Xiao said lightly. "Or perhaps His Majesty is unattractive and doesn’t want to show his face."

Now Yan Weichu was unhappy. Earlier he’d said he didn’t dare, and now he dared to gossip behind his back.

"Cousin, you’ve grown bold, daring to talk about His Majesty like that? His Majesty is not unattractive; he’s better-looking than me."

Xie Xiao clearly didn’t believe it: "Where is he good-looking?"

Yan Weichu was too embarrassed to sing his own praises and changed tack: "Fine, cousin, you’re better-looking. You’re the best-looking."

But Xie Xiao wasn’t having it: "Don’t learn to be a smooth-talker from others."

Yan Weichu couldn’t be bothered to argue. He was thinking: wasn’t this act of his becoming harder to maintain? If he never showed his true face, wouldn’t his cousin eventually become suspicious?

Maybe... he should find someone to impersonate him once?