Chapter 61

Chapter 61

As soon as he heard it was Qi Hanzhou, the Crown Prince shouted hurriedly, "What are you standing there for? Go quickly!"

Before the Eastern Palace servants could rush to the treasury to retrieve the account books, the Embroidered Uniform Guards had already arrived, surrounding the Eastern Palace inside and out, blocking any servants who tried to leave. This sudden show of force caught the Eastern Palace completely off guard.

Qi Hanzhou's gaze swept over the Eastern Palace guards. Noticing two of them subtly stepping back, he ordered coldly, "No one, including the guards, is allowed to leave the Eastern Palace. If the number decreases by even one, everyone will be punished according to the rules."

At these words, the servants who had intended to send word immediately stopped in their tracks.

By then, Qi Hanzhou had already stepped into the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince's face tightened at the sight of him. With other officials, he wouldn't have been so nervous, but Qi Hanzhou was different. He was first a member of the Qi family, then an Embroidered Uniform Guard. Behind him stood the Qi family army that controlled the northern borders, and beside him were the Embroidered Uniform Guards who took orders only from him. As long as the imperial decree permitted, no one could stop him.

"I greet His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Empress," Qi Hanzhou said, his face frosty, bowing respectfully. "Acting on imperial orders, the Court of Judicial Review has submitted an old case involving a craftsman that implicates the Eastern Palace. The censors of the Censorate have jointly impeached the Crown Prince. By His Majesty's command, I am here to inspect the Eastern Palace accounts. I hope both of you will cooperate to clear His Highness's name."

Accounts...?

At these words, Empress Xu immediately realized it was about that jade beast statue. She caught a flicker of panic on the Crown Prince's face. Recently, due to the River Slope incident, the First Prince of the Ministry of Revenue had repeatedly tied old craftsman cases to the Ministry of Public Works to implicate it. In the end, the Ministry of Public Works had produced clear accounts and turned the tables. For such craftsman cases, the Ministry of Public Works was well-prepared and had countermeasures. Even if there were issues with a craftsman, it shouldn't involve the Eastern Palace—that was the Ministry's business!

But since it did involve the Eastern Palace, it meant the accounts for that jade beast statue were likely problematic. Under normal circumstances, this would have been a minor matter. But now, with the Ministry of Public Works' accounts repeatedly scrutinized due to the River Slope case, it was utterly impossible to conceal such a large deficit as the one for the jade beast statue.

"Since you are here by imperial order to inspect the accounts, the Eastern Palace will naturally cooperate. However, there are many administrative details in the Eastern Palace—procurement by the Imperial Household Department, transactions handled by Kunning Palace, and supervision by the Ministry of Public Works. The accounts here, Commander Qi, may not be so easy for you to sort out," Empress Xu said calmly.

Hearing Empress Xu take charge of the matter, the Crown Prince felt a surge of gratitude. Masking his expression, he hurriedly tried to secretly instruct his servants to handle it. He still had his assassins nearby; if he could just stall Qi Hanzhou here, he might still have a chance to cover up the deficit.

"Your Highness, our people can't get out," a servant whispered. "Commander Qi has blocked all the palace gates and is keeping a headcount. If even one person goes missing, they'll all be punished according to the law."

The Crown Prince's expression shifted. A headcount... That meant no one outside could get in, and no one inside dared to leave.

The assassins within the Eastern Palace could evade the Embroidered Uniform Guards without trouble, but if they revealed themselves in the process, the Eastern Palace would face more than just an accounting problem.

At that moment, the servant in charge of the Eastern Palace accounts was brought forward.

The Crown Prince's face stiffened as Qi Hanzhou took the account books, carefully flipping through them to verify something. The more the Crown Prince watched his expression, the more panicked he became. Now, his only hope was that the accounts from Kunning Palace could balance things out. If he could shift the blame to Kunning Palace, the Eastern Palace accounts would be clear.

"Since Your Highness says so, I will request permission to inspect Kunning Palace's accounts," Qi Hanzhou said, looking at Empress Xu. "Currently, the Court of Judicial Review is hearing the case, and all the ministers of the Ministry of Public Works are present. These details must be addressed in court."

He bowed and said, "His Majesty has already arrived in person at the Court of Judicial Review. I ask the Crown Prince to accompany me, so as to prove the Eastern Palace's innocence."

Empress Xu's expression flickered slightly at these words, while beside her, the Crown Prince's face turned completely ashen.

...

Outside the palace, at the Court of Judicial Review, the courtroom had never been so lively. Since the corruption investigation last year, this was the first case involving officials from three ministries. Seated in the main hall were the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and Lord Xiao from the Censorate, while the Sixth Prince sat in a lower seat.

The Sixth Prince was the supervisor of the Court of Judicial Review, so it was only natural for him to observe any case.

When this case of the jade sculptor was submitted to the Court, the Chief Minister had quickly gone to invite the Sixth Prince to preside. Ever since the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review returned from his mission as an imperial envoy to the south, the officials had unanimously agreed that when faced with a major case, there was no need to panic—just summon the Sixth Prince. As long as he sat there, he was the Court's greatest shield.

But none of them had expected the emperor himself to arrive.

The emperor was uncharacteristically dressed in plain clothes, accompanied only by Eunuch Rong and the Imperial Guard Commander. As soon as he entered the courtroom, the Chief Minister's legs nearly gave out. Even during the massive corruption case, the emperor had not come to the Court in person, yet now he had.

The emperor waved his hand to excuse the officials from formalities, swept his gaze over them, and took his seat on the high bench.

Ying Fusheng also stood up with the others. The emperor glanced at his frail frame and ordered a seat to be provided for him.

"What about the Eastern Palace? How are things over there?" a Ministry of Public Works official asked quietly.

Another replied, "The Xu family sent someone to the Eastern Palace to inquire. We can only buy time here."

When the emperor appeared at the Dali Temple, news swiftly spread through the officials' private networks to the ears of the other princes. In less time than it takes to burn two incense sticks, shouts rang out one after another in the Dali Temple.

"His Highness the First Prince has arrived—"

"His Highness the Third Prince has arrived—"

"Grand Secretary Xu has arrived—"

A group of princes arrived upon hearing the news. Ying Fusheng sat upright, with Shen Yunfei and Song An standing behind him, while Weng Yanqing stood with the Ministry of Works officials, having arrived with Shen Changcun.

He looked up and saw Grand Secretary Xu walking in slowly.

Grand Secretary Xu no longer had the calm expression he'd worn during the River Slope case. After bowing to the emperor, his gaze fell on Ying Fusheng. Ying Fusheng met his gaze calmly. Nearby, the officials from the Ministry of Works looked pale, but their expressions improved slightly upon seeing Grand Secretary Xu—though not by much.

Because the Dali Temple Chief had already begun hearing the case. The whole affair revolved around a jade craftsman who had worked for the Ministry of Works years ago.

This situation was entirely unexpected. With so many craftsman cases cropping up recently, the Ministry of Works had gotten hold of all files related to craftsmen in the River Slope case, as a precaution against the Ministry of Revenue and the Dali Temple. Little did they expect that a seemingly unrelated case had slipped through the cracks, leaving them no time to prepare countermeasures when it was brought before the emperor.

The Ministry of Works oversaw many types of craftsmen. In recent days, most of the craftsmen implicated had been under the Road Construction Bureau. This case involving a jade carver was jarringly out of place. The jade carver claimed to be a Ministry of Works artisan who had been targeted by the ministry for failing to pay work dues, and he accused the Vice Minister of Works of lining his pockets with the jade carvers' wages.

Originally, this was a minor matter—just one craftsman's account, something the Ministry of Works could easily cover up.

But this particular craftsman had worked on the jade beast statue that had been unveiled before all civil and military officials. When the Ministry tried to reconcile the accounts, they found that no official ledger had ever been entered. The expense had been secretly paid for by several Ministry officials to curry favor with the Eastern Palace.

Worse still, the Dali Temple and the Censorate had produced not just one, but multiple jade carvers who had worked on the Jade Beast Statue, each intimately familiar with the materials and man-hours involved. This meant that the Dali Temple and the Censorate could deduce the approximate financial figures from the craftsmen's testimonies. After so many years, it would be nearly impossible for the Ministry to cook up a fake ledger on the spot.

"Does the Ministry of Works have any objections?" asked the Dali Temple Chief.

The emperor listened to the testimonies below, his expression dark.

The Ministry of Works officials were panic-stricken. The Minister of Works was still on his way; they dared not even glance at Grand Secretary Xu. With so little time, a forged ledger was impossible. They did not know how to defend themselves. "This matter is suspicious and came upon us suddenly. Your Servant must return and carefully examine the accounts before giving a reply."

"This jade carver came from the Ministry of Works, but the Censorate's investigation shows he is not recorded in your ministry's ledgers—that in itself is abnormal," the Dali Temple Chief pressed sternly. "For such a large jade piece, does your ministry really need to consult the ledgers to give an account?"

The princes listened. The First Prince almost laughed out loud. Who would have thought that an old case could surface like this?

Grand Secretary Xu glanced subtly at one of the Ministry of Works officials.

"The jade carver's testimony may be erroneous," the official said. "So much time has passed; relying on a few oral accounts of material usage to serve as evidence is difficult. Moreover, the work was rushed at the time, and the ledgers themselves had discrepancies. Indeed, we need to conduct a thorough review before giving an answer."

"Where is this account recorded?" asked the Dali Temple Chief.

The Ministry official gritted his teeth. "It concerns the Empress Dowager's birthday gift. The jade carving project took a long time, and records exist in both the Ministry of Works and the Eastern Palace. We humbly report to His Majesty that a careful review is needed before any conclusion can be drawn. Lord Liu's line of questioning is pushing the Ministry to a hasty conclusion—Your Servants dare not answer recklessly."

The Ministry of Works clung to the argument that the accounts were dispersed and the jade carver's testimony flawed, buying time for the Ministry and the Xu family to cover the gap.

Ying Fusheng remained calm, listening to the Ministry's clever attempts to stall for time. Grand Secretary Xu gradually steadied himself. Many Ministry officials had arrived, but Minister Zhou Bingjun was not among them. Ying Fusheng knew that from the moment Grand Secretary Xu stepped in, the other Ministry officials were already scrambling to plug the hole in the Eastern Palace's accounts.

So, by his calculations, the Eastern Palace should be just about finished—

"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived—"

When that announcement came, Ying Fusheng arched an eyebrow. Grand Secretary Xu's expression finally changed.

Because walking in right behind the Crown Prince was Qi Hanzhou of the Imperial Guard. Early on, the Xu family had sent someone to alert the Crown Prince at the Eastern Palace, hoping to fill the ledger gap and defuse the crisis. But now the two entered together, meaning the Imperial Guard had gotten there first.

Before the court had even reached a verdict, the Imperial Guard had already made off with the Eastern Palace's ledgers.

The Crown Prince, upon seeing the emperor, bowed, his face pale. Qi Hanzhou stepped forward and submitted the Eastern Palace's account books to the Dali Temple bench. The Dali Temple Chief did not dare to examine them first; instead, he presented them directly to the emperor.

"What were you saying just now?" the Emperor looked at the Ministry of Works official.

Grand Secretary Xu wanted to speak up to stop him, but a Censor from the Censorate next to him said, "Grand Secretary, this is a court of law. Please abide by the law."

The Ministry of Works official did not know what exactly was written in those accounts. The only thing he could do was stick to his testimony. "Your servant maintains his previous testimony. Records are kept in multiple places. We need to consolidate accounts from multiple departments before we can reach a conclusion..."

Before he could finish, the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review said, "Yet there are almost no records in the Eastern Palace's accounts."

The records concerning the Jade Beast in the Eastern Palace's accounts were merely a few sparse entries, which appeared to have been added later, merely noting that the Eastern Palace had prepared one Jade Beast Statue. Such records were almost equivalent to nothing. In other words, even the Eastern Palace had not recorded the accounts for this Jade Beast Statue. The Ministry of Works' claim that records existed in various places was utterly groundless!

With such a large sum of money flowing in and out, neither the Ministry of Works nor the Eastern Palace had clear bookkeeping.

Then, should this account be attributed to the Eastern Palace or to the Ministry of Works!?

Ying Fusheng watched coldly. This was an account that could never be balanced.

If the Ministry of Works had not previously submitted the accounts proving the case of the Riverside Slope, it would have been acceptable. But at that time, those official accounts had been presented very cleanly, which meant the figures written in them had left traces before the Censorate and his Imperial Father. To fill the gap for the Jade Beast Statue now, they would have to alter the past accounts.

If the Eastern Palace had paid for the Jade Beast Statue, it might have been fine, because the Eastern Palace belonged to the imperial household. The treasury of the Crown Prince could afford the statue, as long as the Eastern Palace had detailed procurement records and the Ministry of Works' official seal. That would have made it an open and aboveboard transaction.

But once the Eastern Palace's accounts showed no substantial expenditure on jade materials, the Ministry of Works' accounts could not be balanced.

If it were said that this sum of money came privately from Ministry of Works officials, pray, which official possessed such wealth? It must be known that the Ministry of Works' image in the court was renowned for incorruptibility. The common people all praised how the Ministry of Works officials thought of the people. Minor officials did not have the authority to handle the Eastern Palace's affairs, and the senior officials were all "incorruptible." There was hardly any official in the Ministry of Works who could afford such a sum to create a luxurious Jade Beast Statue.

No matter how this case was argued, both the Eastern Palace and the Ministry of Works could not escape involvement.

The Emperor's expression gradually darkened.

Ying Fusheng noticed the Emperor's expression at that moment.

He lowered his eyes slightly. This matter could never be brushed aside lightly. Corruption had existed in every dynasty. The First Prince had made mistakes repeatedly, and the Emperor could turn a blind eye.

But the case of the artisans was not merely about simple corruption and bookkeeping. It involved the Ministry of Works and a host of issues behind it. If the Ministry of Works could falsify accounts, then in the future they could cut corners, pad the payroll... The problems this would bring would endanger the livelihood of the people.

The Ministry of Works people were still arguing, but when Grand Secretary Xu saw the Emperor's eyes, his expression suddenly tightened.

In the distance, the First Prince watched with schadenfreude, while the Third Prince frowned slightly.

The hall was filled with many people. The Ministry of Works officials desperately tried to sort out the relationships. They could see that someone was behind this, but at this moment they could not let this matter escalate further. The Eastern Palace had done so many things through the Ministry of Works that they were already impossible to disentangle. This Jade Beast Statue gift, when it had been presented at the palace banquet, was already an accident. If the person behind this case had more than just one Jade Beast case, once this exploded, it would not simply involve the Ministry of Works.

It would involve the entire Crown Prince faction within the court.

At this moment, Ying Fusheng glanced at Shen Changcun. With just a brief exchange of looks, Shen Changcun suddenly stepped forward.

Shen Changcun stepped out amidst the Ministry of Works' arguments. "Your Majesty, Your servant has something to report."

Everyone saw Shen Changcun appear. What was the Ministry of War doing meddling here!?

No, why was Shen Changcun here!?

Even the First Prince looked over in surprise. This was not part of his arrangement. Besides, Shen Changcun was not his man.

The Emperor's gaze turned slightly cold. Amid the successive shirking of responsibility, his patience was nearly exhausted. "Speak."

Shen Changcun, Vice Minister of the Imperial Stud, said, "The testimony of the jade carvers is indeed true. At the request of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the Imperial Stud has investigated the records of jade materials passing through official relay stations."

The other officials suddenly realized. Shen Changcun was here because of the Court of Judicial Review.

Thus, it was sufficient to prove that the testimonies of those jade carvers were true. The Ministry of Works had indeed transported these jade materials to the capital at that time.

Ying Fusheng kept his eyelids half-lowered. Qi Hanzhou looked at him. He knew that Shen Changcun and Weng Yanqing were investigating things, but Ying Fusheng had not told him the details.

His expression shifted slightly. What other plans had Ying Fusheng prepared?

Shen Changcun continued, "Such jade materials entering the capital would necessarily travel on official roads, and passing through official relay stations would leave traces. The testimonies of the jade carvers are indeed recorded in the Ministry of War's relay station records."

The Emperor glanced over the records submitted by Shen Changcun and noticed an abnormality. "That's all?"

The Ministry of Works official saw a glimmer of hope, thinking that the Ministry of War's records had a problem. If the Ministry of War had a problem, then they could still argue! Just as that Ministry of Works official was about to speak, Shen Changcun spoke again: "The records only go as far as the vicinity of the capital. After that, there are no records. According to Lord Hu Buyu's re-examination of the traces, the case files near the capital and its environs have been destroyed."

The Ministry of Works official was instantly struck dumb. Grand Secretary Xu's face changed dramatically.

"The recorder at that time had been the Vice Minister of the Imperial Stud. That Vice Minister had died," Shen Changcun said.

Hearing this, several people present changed color dramatically. What Shen Changcun was referring to was the Vice Minister of the Imperial Stud who had committed suicide to avoid punishment in the military pay case that had shocked the court and country a few years ago! At that time, that Vice Minister of the Imperial Stud had taken his own life on the street to avoid punishment, which had implicated Shen Changcun and resulted in his demotion from Vice Minister of War to the Imperial Stud. This was well known to all officials in the court.

A mere batch of jade materials had actually led the former criminally guilty Vice Minister of the Imperial Stud to destroy the traces.

Why? If it was a gift for the Empress Dowager, why was there such a need to cover it up everywhere!?

Ye Xuanjiu was startled and immediately looked at Qi Hanzhou.

Qi Hanzhou's hand was already resting on his waist, his expression stern.

That was the military pay case that the Qi family had investigated. At that time, due to Grand Secretary Xu's intervention, the culprit had died and part of the military pay had been recovered, leading to the case's closure. But now that the Eastern Palace was in trouble, this old case was brought back before everyone through the Imperial Stud!

Ying Fusheng sat in his supervisory position, his peripheral vision sweeping over the officials below. When the Ministry of Works officials heard Shen Changcun's words, their faces grew increasingly ugly.

No one wanted to be associated with it. A few years ago, it was Grand Secretary Xu who had stepped in to settle the matter, severing the connection between the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War, so that the military pay case did not implicate too many officials.

Now, because of a jade carver case, all these things had been dragged out by coincidence.

The Ministry of Works officials could no longer argue. They could not refute this. If they insisted that the testimonies from the Imperial Stud and the jade carvers were problematic, then it would involve more than just an old case.

In the high hall, as the Ministry of Works officials' arguments grew increasingly weak and feeble.

The Emperor's gaze was gloomy. Upon hearing mention of the deceased Vice Minister of the Imperial Stud, his gaze toward the Crown Prince and the Ministry of Works was already icy.

Ever since the Crown Prince learned of the trouble with the Jade Beast Statue, his mind had been in turmoil. In the past, he had had Shuang Yue by his side to handle such matters, but since Shuang Yue's death, that person had not stepped in to help him again, and the shadow guards had made excuses to avoid the Emperor's wrath. He had finally managed to turn things around with the Riverside Slope, but at this very moment this matter had exploded.

Now he could only distance himself from all connections. This account had to be borne by the Ministry of Works!

"Imperial Father, at that time, this matter was handled by the Eastern Palace. Her Majesty the Empress also had a hand in it," the Crown Prince said, eager to defend himself. When he saw the Emperor's eyes, he was already at a loss. He knew this matter could not be pinned on the Eastern Palace, or it would never be cleared up. "Perhaps the Kunning Palace also has some records... At that time, there was indeed an expenditure from the treasury, but the rest of the matters were all delegated to the Ministry of Works. Your son truly does not know the details."

Grand Secretary Xu spoke out to stop him: "Your Highness!"

The Crown Prince panicked and looked at his maternal grandfather in confusion.

From beginning to end, this matter was not about accounts; it was about overstepping authority and corruption. If the Jade Beast Statue had been commissioned by the Eastern Palace from the Ministry of Works, and the Eastern Palace had clear accounts stating that they had commissioned the Ministry of Works and the money was clear, everything could have been resolved. But if the matter was ordered by the Eastern Palace or Kunning Palace and executed by the Ministry of Works with unclear accounts and vague explanations, then the Ministry of Works was not clean.

This lack of cleanliness would then implicate the previous Riverside Slope case.

The Riverside Slope was a project proposed by the Crown Prince. The Jade Beast Statue was also casually handed over to the Ministry of Works by the Crown Prince. So, was the Ministry of Works the Crown Prince's Ministry of Works, or the Emperor's Ministry of Works?

From the moment the Eastern Palace's accounts were unclear, the problem was no longer just a single Jade Beast Statue. The Ministry of Works could shift the blame and find scapegoats, even the Xu family could come forward, but the Crown Prince alone could not be touched.

The Crown Prince seemed to have just realized this. He was so frightened that a chill ran down his spine, realizing what he had blurted out.

He looked up at the Emperor. His Imperial Father's gaze was like a cold blade, cutting into him inch by inch.

"You say the Jade Beast Statue has nothing to do with you." The emperor's eyes were sharp as he looked at the crown prince, who was facing such fury for the first time—his panic plain to see. "Then let me ask you: about the Ministry of Works' River Slope project, you said you were the one driving it. Do you have a clear picture of the accounts?"

Grand Secretary Xu's expression shifted slightly. Normally, this question could be answered in an ambiguous way, but not when so many matters were piling up.

The River Slope affair could be seen as the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue passing the buck, but it absolutely could not implicate the crown prince or the Xu family.

The crown prince was completely at a loss for words. "Your son... Your son..."

He could not say it. If he said he knew clearly, then when the River Slope accounting fraud came to light, he'd be guilty of conspiring with the Ministry of Works to deceive the emperor.

If he said he didn't know, then what about the Ministry of Works giving him credit in court earlier? What would that mean?

In his panic, the crown prince desperately looked for help. Suddenly, he saw the young man sitting quietly, unmoved, as if none of the courtroom proceedings had anything to do with him. Then, the young man turned his head and looked at the crown prince—not with humility or respect... but with a look of indifference, even disgust.

Why is he looking at me like that? Why?

What does he know? No, how could he possibly know?

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

In the courtroom, the officials watched the speechless crown prince. He stood frozen, his expression strange—a mix of panic and terror, with none of his usual calm composure.

The crown prince came to his senses at someone's call and found everyone looking at him with strange expressions.

He raised his head and realized that his father, the emperor, had seen everything he had just done.

The emperor sat high on his throne, his eyes full of utter disgust: "Is it so hard to answer?"

"I think you don't deserve to be crown prince anymore!"