Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Qi Hanzhou's gaze darkened. The chessboard was in chaos—how could he find a countermove in this chaos?

At present, the emperor had temporarily relieved the Crown Prince of his duties, yet the Xu family's foundation remained intact. The fact that the Craftsman Case could protect Minister of Works Zhou Bingjun showed how vital the Xu family was as a pawn in the emperor's eyes.

"The man behind the scenes is hiding behind the Eastern Palace. As long as the Eastern Palace stands, some things will never come to light."

Qi Hanzhou looked at Ying Fusheng, a deeper meaning in his eyes. "You want to make the first move—where do you start?"

Ying Fusheng caught Qi Hanzhou's meaning. The Qi family was loyal to Imperial Power, but not blindly.

Given the Eastern Palace Crown Prince's behavior, such a man could never be seen as a worthy crown prince in the Qi family's eyes. He tolerated corruption, treated the people's welfare as a game, and privately trained assassins. If they couldn't bring down the Crown Prince all at once, the man behind the scenes would keep using him as cover for everything.

"If you want to investigate, isn't there a perfect opportunity staring us in the face?"

Ying Fusheng said meaningfully, "The Military Pay Case."

When the Military Pay Case came up, Qi Hanzhou's gaze sharpened. He remembered that the key to locating the military pay had been the fire in the Capital Stables, which exposed the hidden funds, ultimately pinning the case on the Vice Minister of Imperial Stud.

Later, under pressure from the court and with no further leads, the case was closed.

The difficulty in investigating the Military Pay Case lay in the fact that the culprit—the Vice Minister of Imperial Stud—was dead, and all traces related to the case had been destroyed. Even the Ministry of War's internal accounts showed no evidence at all. The Qi family, and even the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had already thoroughly investigated the Ministry of War when the case first broke, to no avail.

Now, the Ministry of Works' involvement undoubtedly provided a new line of thought.

At first, Ying Fusheng had used the Military Pay Case merely to help the Shen family. In his previous life, Shen Yunfei had uncovered the truth and cleared the Shen family's name, but at that time, the Qi family had found no related clues—otherwise, there would have been leads back then.

Whether it was the Vice Minister of Imperial Stud covering up the Crown Prince's horse accident at the training grounds, or his subsequent suicide, the matter was closely tied to the Eastern Palace. Moreover, it was tied to the case Qi Hanzhou really wanted to investigate.

"If that batch of military pay hadn't been found back then, the final outcome would have been to smuggle it out of the capital," Ying Fusheng said. "Because the Emperor was returning to the capital, they didn't dare to move it, so they couldn't move the funds in a short time."

Mixed in with the carriages and horses that the Court of Imperial Stud dispatched to various regions, that batch of military pay could easily leave the capital. The Qi family had looked into this thoroughly, and Qi Hanzhou himself had looked into it privately. He understood what Ying Fusheng was implying.

How had the Vice Minister of Imperial Stud been so sure that the task of transporting such a large amount of military pay would fall to him? The Court of Imperial Stud could dispatch carriages and horses, but transporting military pay was no small task. To move the funds quietly required official relay stations, travel permits, and a plausible reason—none of which were easy to come by.

The fact that they had so expertly destroyed the Ministry of War's account documents indicated that the man behind the scenes had used the Eastern Palace's network to accomplish many things.

"Almost all the insiders were dead," Qi Hanzhou said.

Ying Fusheng replied, "Isn't there still one?"

The Minister of War.

This Minister of War had long claimed to be seriously ill, delegating his duties first to Shen Changcun and then to Hu Buyu. Yet, despite dragging on for so long, he had never retired.

"I know who you're talking about," Qi Hanzhou warned. "The Minister of War is mentally confused. Questioning him now is a dead end."

When Ying Fusheng heard that the Minister was ill and disoriented, his expression shifted slightly. "When did this happen?"

"Last year. The emperor learned of it and ordered it kept quiet," Qi Hanzhou said. "He was an early companion of His Majesty, a trusted confidant promoted by the emperor himself."

They moved fast... Ying Fusheng remembered meeting the Minister of War once. At that time, the man could still enter the palace with the Minister of Works to see the emperor. Hu Buyu wasn't dead yet, but the hand behind the scenes had already reached the Minister of War.

"So that's why they wanted Hu Buyu dead," Qi Hanzhou said.

The Military Pay Case wasn't just about the northern border soldiers; there was something deeper. Now that the case could be reopened, it was good news—except it was a cold case with all leads cut off.

"The Minister of War is indeed out of the picture..." Ying Fusheng looked at Qi Hanzhou. "But who says that piece, already taken off the board, can't still be used?"

...

That winter, due to the River Slope and Ministry of Works cases, even the New Year's Eve palace banquet was simplified.

Even so, the First Prince never missed a chance to crush the Xu family. Minor conflicts kept erupting at court. Even though the Crown Prince had not appeared, the emperor's attitude toward the Xu family kept shifting, causing some covert friction within the Crown Prince's faction.

After the Ministry of Works case, the Xu family lay low. Grand Secretary Xu stayed idle at home, and the Ministry of Works was infused with many new officials. At year's end, a snow disaster struck Jiangnan. The Xu family used the tactic of retreating to advance, by first submitting a disaster relief plan that eased the crisis.

The Crown Prince remained quiet for half a year. The Xu family didn't take credit after finishing their tasks. Even the Crown Prince's thirteenth birthday was not celebrated lavishly.

The emperor kept the Xu family for their literary governance. With this strategy of advancing by retreating, the Xu family cooperated fully with the emperor, and civil officials successively offered good policies, barely maintaining the Xu family's influence at court.

The big news at court recently was the Military Pay Case.

Once the Ministry of Works case was settled, Vice Minister of War Hu Buyu did not hesitate to bring up the Military Pay Case. It was riddled with suspicions and involved all six ministries—it demanded a retrial!

As an old case, it involved many military officials at court. The Xu family, being unusually cooperative, and the Ministry of Works both submitted all evidence to help get to the bottom of the case.

In the Eastern Palace, the broken vase in the bedchamber had been cleaned up. After the account discrepancies were discovered, some Eastern Palace personnel were dealt with for offenses, and the emperor had removed some guards, making the palace much quieter than before.

The Crown Prince sat with a dark expression.

What kind of Crown Prince was he now? Unable to attend court, wielding no power.

His Eastern Palace authority had been stripped away, the Ministry of Works could not protect itself, and even his maternal grandfather's side had sent no word.

"Her Highness says you must take care of yourself now," a maid approached cautiously.

The Crown Prince glared at her and knocked the tonic bowl flying. "I'm not sick!"

"Did Mother Empress say nothing? What about the Xu family? Did Grandfather send no message to Mother Empress?"

Such as what he should do now. Was he just supposed to watch from the Eastern Palace? Wait until he was fifteen to re-enter the court? A full two-year gap—by then, his elder brother would have all the influence.

The maid was at a loss. The Crown Prince looked at her in disappointment and then shouted, "Get out!"

Half a year had passed since the incident. His mother, the Empress, spent her days in Kunning Palace sorting through old accounts. Didn't she realize that the account issue had already been settled with Father Emperor? Now the problem was how to restore his authority.

The more he thought, the more panicked he became.

Just then, a figure entered the bedchamber.

The person wore ordinary palace attire, but the sharp look in their eyes made the Crown Prince freeze. He seized upon it as a lifeline, stepping closer.

"It's you!! Shuang Yue is dead. What does the man say? What should I do now?"

After so long, the man had finally contacted him again.

"The master bids you wait for the right moment."

The assassin disguised as a palace maid said.

"The Third Prince has no interest in factional struggles. No prince in the court can rival the First Prince. Your reckless actions during the River Slope incident created many troubles for the master. Now the Military Pay Case has been reopened by the Ministry of War, and the Xu family is investigating."

Using the Ministry of Works and the Xu family as channels, they had quietly accomplished many things. If the Military Pay Case were truly uncovered by the court, it would be very troublesome for them. Shuang Yue had previously been able to control matters, but the River Slope incident was too sudden. Hu Buyu, indeed talent worthy of Anlong, had produced evidence at a critical moment that kept reigniting events that could have been settled.

"Are you telling me to just stay in the Eastern Palace!?" The Crown Prince wanted to say more.

At this, the assassin's tone hardened. "Your Highness must not forget the Sixth Prince." The Xu family did not have only one prince to support. There was also the Second Prince in court... and the Sixth Prince.

The crown prince's face went completely pale. He didn't dare take that gamble.

He was well aware of the Ning family's fate—Consort Ning was still locked away, out of her mind. The Xu family had not yet completely fallen; with his maternal grandfather's ability, it would not be difficult to support another prince. For now, he had to secure his position in the Xu family's eyes.

"What do I need to do?" the prince asked.

Seeing that the threat had taken effect, the shadow guard said, "Your Highness needs to maintain the status quo and stabilize the Xu family. The top priority is to cover up the military pay case."

...

On South Street in the capital, the Minister of War's mansion.

Night had just fallen, and the capital was quiet.

Recently, the military pay case had been reopened, and the Ministry of War's accounts were being dug up one after another. Even former Vice Minister Shen Changcun's mansion was getting frequent visitors, let alone the Minister of War's residence. Many officials had sent in their visiting cards, but the Minister had turned them all down, citing health issues, leaving the mansion feeling pretty empty.

In the Minister's bedchamber, the elderly Minister of War was dozing off. A figure in black silently slipped in, then headed to the Minister's study. Inside, he found a secret compartment and stashed a prepared document there.

After placing it, he glanced at the distant mansion and casually tossed a fire starter.

Suddenly, the whole Minister's mansion erupted in chaos. Shouts of "Fire!" rang out. As the black-clad figure looked outward, he saw flames shooting up from the side halls. The previously silent residence was now ablaze with lights, as servants were scrambling with buckets of water to put out the fire.

"Someone! There's someone up high!"

This ruckus tipped off the rest of the mansion to the black-clad figure's escape.

"Assassin!!!"

"Someone has broken into the Minister's residence! Check on the Minister!"

Voices rang out all over. Meanwhile, officials from surrounding mansions heard the commotion and stepped out into the streets, only to see men in python robes moving fast. The Embroidered Uniform Guard moved quickly, fully surrounding the Minister's residence.

It was not yet fully night, and this disturbance made the officials uneasy.

They sent servants to investigate. The uproar at the Minister's residence was massive, and a large crowd had gathered at its gates.

Inside the Xu mansion, the shadow guard, now posing as a servant in the Xu household, had just returned from the Eastern Palace and was about to report the details to his master.

But before he could hand over the secret letter to the messenger, he heard noises from outside the Xu mansion—it seemed something had happened.

A covert operative rushed in with a report: "Bad news, sir! Something has happened at the Minister of War's residence."

"They say the Minister of War is severely injured and unconscious, out of his mind."

The shadow guard frowned. Wasn't the Minister's incident last year's affair?

"The one leading the Embroidered Uniform Guard is Commander Qi. They say someone broke into the Minister's residence at night and set a fire to destroy some evidence."

The operative added, "Word has it that Commander Qi looked grim when he came out and has already entered the palace to see His Majesty! It seems the evidence uncovered is related to the military pay case..."

The shadow guard's expression changed abruptly.

A man they'd long since abandoned, ready to toss aside and let die—why was evidence suddenly popping up from his place now?