Chapter 66

Chapter 66

A secret order from the Imperial Guard arrived, and the crackdown on the Minister of Works in the court continued. A falcon flew in from outside the tavern, landing on Qi Hanzhou's arm. Ying Fusheng's gaze followed it, observing the falcon's appearance, then looked away.

The mastermind, the Crown Prince, the Xu family...

The threads of past and present intertwined in Ying Fusheng's mind, the woven net becoming clearer. He lowered his eyes to the scattered game pieces on the table. Stripping away the Xu family's facade—what lay beneath?

As he pondered, a sharp sound rang out.

A chess piece fell, pulling both minds back.

Ying Fusheng picked up the nearby piece. When he looked up, he met Qi Hanzhou's gaze. He composed himself and offered a faint smile in response.

"More than once, you've shown familiarity with falcons," Qi Hanzhou said.

How could this wolf have such keen eyes?

Ying Fusheng replied, "My grandmother kept one—fatter than yours, General."

The falcon flew higher, and Qi Hanzhou stared straight at Ying Fusheng. Just as Ying Fusheng wondered what this man was thinking, Qi Hanzhou suddenly reached out and seized his wrist. His long fingers wrapped tightly, pinning the back of Ying Fusheng's hand. Before he could react, Qi Hanzhou easily turned his wrist over, inspecting it closely.

"What are you doing, General?" Ying Fusheng asked.

Qi Hanzhou saw no obvious bruising on the inside of his wrist, no trace of needle stimulation. "Your hand is unsteady."

That move just now wasn't a slip—it had fallen from his grasp.

Ying Fusheng had failed to hold it.

Qi Hanzhou's gaze was unblinking. Ying Fusheng's expression remained indifferent, unchanged even by Zhou Bingjun or Xu Yong.

But just now, upon seeing the falcon, his expression had shifted for an instant. Even as Qi Hanzhou twisted his wrist, he showed no sign of resistance.

This was not the first time. When he had cleaned Ying Fusheng's wrist wound before, there had been a strange familiarity between them.

Just as Ying Fusheng was pondering what this man was thinking, Qi Hanzhou suddenly asked, "What do you intend to do?"

"Find the mastermind—what else?"

Ying Fusheng looked at Qi Hanzhou. "My goal is the same as yours, General."

"Have we met before, Your Highness?" Qi Hanzhou asked.

The question seemed to still the room for a moment.

We have met – just not yet.

Ying Fusheng collected his thoughts and withdrew his hand. "How could we have met? When the Junior General was at Youzhou, I was in Weiyang Palace. No chance, no acquaintance."

Qi Hanzhou pressed further, "Is that all?"

His piercing stare was like the falcon's, seemingly able to see through to the soul. That familiar gaze jolted Ying Fusheng back to the present. For an instant, he felt as though he was looking at the Qi Hanzhou of old, who had asked just as bluntly—

What do you intend to do? What did he want to do?

Silence stretched until a knock came at the door.

Ying Fusheng snapped back to attention as Ye Xuanjiu entered. He adjusted his sleeves, his expression light and smiling, as if Qi Hanzhou's question had nothing to do with him. He rose and took his leave to return to the palace.

Qi Hanzhou watched him leave, his gaze lingering on his features.

The youth was thirteen or fourteen now, his face more defined than before. Perhaps due to illness, his frame was slighter than others his age, always clad in thick robes that accentuated an almost delicate refinement. As he grew, the coldness in his bone structure grew more evident, especially when the corners of his eyes lifted slightly, carrying a detachment from worldly affairs.

He didn’t resemble the Ning family in looks. His bone structure was like the Emperor in his youth, but his eyes and brows...

In the past, Qi Hanzhou would have only thought this face resembled the Emperor's. But ever since Doctor Chen's words before leaving for Jiangnan, the seed of doubt had been planted.

"How goes the investigation into Kunning Palace?" Qi Hanzhou asked.

"At the time, the Empress was in difficult labor. The Imperial Medical Institute physicians and the midwives brought by the Xu family were all present. The Xu family was very cautious—the Empress's attendants were all trusted people," Ye Xuanjiu said.

Qi Hanzhou shot him a sharp look. "Including Shuang Yue?"

Ye Xuanjiu started. "Yes!"

Qi Hanzhou waved his hand, dismissing him.

Qi Hanzhou suppressed his thoughts. Chen Xuqiu's words seemed to echo in his ears, pointing toward an absurd truth. He looked at Ying Fusheng's figure, trying to discern something from him.

In a blink, Ying Fusheng disappeared from Qi Hanzhou's sight.

As the tavern's carriage set out, a servant appeared before Ying Fusheng's carriage. Dressed simply, he handed a secret letter to Song An.

Ying Fusheng came to himself. The letter was passed in, and he scanned its contents. At the bottom, he saw the seal's imprint.

The same imprint as the Xiao family's jade piece in his hands—it was from Xiao Yan.

"Tell your master to act as his heart guides him," Ying Fusheng said.

As guided by whose heart? Only the Emperor's.

Once the Xiao family servant was gone, Ying Fusheng glanced slightly toward the distant government offices. His goal in cooperating with the Imperial Guard had been achieved. Now, the next move was to follow up on the victory. He suppressed his thoughts. Up on the tavern, the falcon soared away, the sound of its wings reaching his ears.

He watched the departing falcon, and the gaze from the private room seemed to reappear before him: "Knowing full well I'm being used..."

Qi Hanzhou had asked what he intended to do—naturally, to bring complete ruin upon this false crown prince.

Then it was time to follow up on the victory.

"Tell Shen Changcun to act according to circumstances," Ying Fusheng said softly. "The Imperial Guard has created such a good opportunity—we can't waste it."

...

Night fell on the capital, and the storm had already risen.

The Imperial Guard moved swiftly. The military funds case was not a simple embezzlement. Daring to touch army provisions – even a slight misstep could be treason.

At court, the military funds case implicated the Minister of Works. The Xu family had no choice but to abandon Zhou Bingjun and sever their ties.

Officials who had dealings with Zhou Bingjun were anxious, fearing the Emperor's axe would fall on their own heads. But within two days, the body of the missing official Xu Yong appeared in the moat, setting off a thousand waves. Just as the Xu family tried to abandon the Ministry of Works to save themselves, the Censorate suddenly submitted a memorial—impeaching the Eastern Palace!

This move shocked everyone. The Censorate, ever since its reorganization, had been the Emperor's blade.

Such an impeachment of the Eastern Palace could only mean the Emperor had sanctioned it! The Xu family, following the Crown Prince's assassination attempt, had faced one blow after another. The two major cases at the Ministry of Works had nearly destroyed all of Xu's arrangements there. After the Ministry case, the Emperor had already placed many officials into the Ministry. This time, after the Minister of Works, the Emperor's methods were swift and decisive, clearly intending to move against the Xu family entirely.

The timing was too perfect. The Xu family had prestige, but the Ministry of Works case had shattered its reputation for incorruptibility.

The Riverbank Slope case had already damaged the Crown Prince's standing among the people. Now, with the military funds case out, the Ministry of Works was in ruins. The Xu family had been severely crippled. Under the Emperor's wrath, the rest of the Crown Prince Faction could only fall silent.

News from the court reached the Eastern Palace intermittently.

The Crown Prince turned pale with fright.

When Xu Yong disappeared, he knew something had gone wrong. He only half-understood, as many matters had slipped through his hands since Shuang Yue's demise. He knew what Shuang Yue was doing behind his back—it was tied to military funds, inseparable—but he never imagined that person would be so bold as to exploit the Ministry of Works to smuggle those funds, now leading to this exposure.

Zhou Bingjun was the one backing him, and Xu Yong was that person's hidden agent.

Now, with the military funds case falling on the Ministry of Works, Zhou Bingjun was directly dismissed, and Xu Yong’s faction of officials was shattered. Wouldn’t that mean the Ministry of Works was completely ruined?

"What about the Xu family? That person? How is the military funds case being handled?" The Crown Prince panicked, frantically seeking help from his shadow guard, but the guard, who always had solutions, unusually remained silent. This feeling deepened the Crown Prince’s terror.

Not long after, a palace servant from outside arrived to report that the Court of Judicial Review was following the military funds trail and was close to uncovering the Eastern Palace’s accounts!

The Ministry of Works had used construction projects to collude with the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud in secretly diverting military funds. Following that lead, Censor Xiao Yan of the Censorate proposed a reexamination of the accounts from the artisan case. Censor Xiao, tasked with overseeing all officials, had sharp eyes and discovered signs of possible secondary falsification in the Ministry of Works’ records. He demanded a full audit of all projects handled by the Ministry of Works since His Majesty’s campaigns.

This was no longer just a matter of embezzlement. The Xu family, having lost Zhou Bingjun, had already had one arm severed, effectively wiping out their entire arrangement in the Ministry of Works. If the investigation went beyond the Ministry of Works and pressed further, it would only reach the Xu family and the Eastern Palace they supported.

Censor Xiao’s approach from this angle meant he was determined to destroy the Xu family!

"The accounts... have the accounts been dealt with?" The Crown Prince hurriedly asked.

The palace servant replied, "Your Highness, the Grand Secretary is doing his best to wrap things up, but some Ministry of Works records have already fallen entirely into the hands of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

With Zhou Bingjun’s downfall, quietly handling the Ministry of Works’ accounts was no longer an option.

Would his maternal grandfather still protect him?!

"Mother!" Seeing Empress Xu arrive, the Crown Prince rushed to her side, almost frantic. "I heard the Ministry of Works is in trouble. How is Grandfather?"

Empress Xu looked at her panicked child, placed several account books before him, and said sternly, "Did you know about these?"

The Crown Prince insisted he knew nothing. "Mother, I didn’t know. I never thought Xu Yong would be such a person..."

After the artisan case, Empress Xu had reorganized the Eastern Palace’s bookkeeping and discovered hidden records linking the Eastern Palace, the Xu family, and the Ministry of Works. These were things she had not known about for years. The Crown Prince had not sought her advice but had long been dealing with the Ministry of Works.

Cut corners on construction, falsify records of vehicles and horses—these projects, vital to people’s livelihoods, all showed signs of tampered accounts. This indicated the Ministry of Works had been doing this for a long time. Among them, the latest project was the southern dam the Crown Prince had personally overseen.

Other accounts might be blamed on the Ministry of Works, but this project was impossible to shift blame for, as it was directly supervised by the Eastern Palace.

Yet the Crown Prince offered no explanation, shirking all responsibility by insisting he knew nothing.

When had this child become like this?

"Mother, save me," the Crown Prince cried.

Empress Xu saw his flustered, panicked state, and her heart softened. He was her child, and she had to protect him no matter what.

"Transfer the Eastern Palace accounts to the Embroidered Uniform Guard," Empress Xu said.

Hearing this, the Crown Prince’s face went pale. "Mother! No! You can’t do that!"

Empress Xu replied, "This is your only possible chance for a future return."

...

At the end of the nineteenth year of the Taiyuan Dynasty, the Emperor ordered the Crown Prince to be deposed. The Deposed Crown Prince was relocated to another palace, stripped of all honors.

The entire court was shocked.

The news reached the court, and the Crown Prince’s loss of virtue was announced alongside the Emperor’s decree. Officials were completely unprepared for this outcome. Since the Crown Prince’s establishment, to maintain a balance among civil officials, the Emperor had both established the Crown Prince and supported civil ministers. This move was a major blow to the Crown Prince’s faction.

The disappearance of military funds from the Ministry of Works and the Eastern Palace’s secret collusion with its clique were laid out as charges.

The Eldest Prince’s faction was ecstatic, and other factions saw an opportunity. Officials voiced their positions one after another, encircling the remaining Xu faction. The court was in turmoil.

When the news reached the Ten Thousand Springs Hall, Ying Fusheng was drinking medicine. The Crown Prince’s deposition and the court’s condemnation of the Xu family reached his ears in fragments. Even Chen Xuqiu, who had just finished applying acupuncture, couldn’t help but glance at Ying Fusheng.

The bowl of medicine had cooled to half its warmth. Ying Fusheng’s nails dug slightly into his palms as he listened to Song An recount the court’s affairs.

The dissenting voices in the court and the dire state of the Eastern Palace. The Xu family had cut off an arm to save itself. Since the military funds case emerged, Ying Fusheng had never intended to let the Crown Prince off. The Xu family had speculated on the Emperor’s will for so long, and the Crown Prince, as the appointed heir, had hidden military funds. With just a slight nudge, that became treason.

The same way that, in his past life, he had been confined to a cold palace for a long time, eventually becoming something neither human nor ghost.

He slowly relaxed. The bowl reflected his face. Relocated to another palace, charged with treason.

How familiar these charges were. He wondered if this pampered, once-new emperor could truly grasp their weight.

"A pity," Ying Fusheng said with a sudden smile. "I'd love to see it for myself."

Ying Fusheng drank his medicine slowly. "Share the good news. Let the Wutong Hall know as well."

Chen Xuqiu was startled. Song An, receiving the order, immediately sent someone to deliver the message.

Ying Fusheng raised his eyes slightly to look at Chen Xuqiu, his gaze calm but chilling. He finished the medicine carefully, handed the bowl to Chen Xuqiu, and picked up the pastries Song An had bought outside the palace, and prepared to head to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.

When he arrived, the palace was unusually quiet. The Empress had visited after the Crown Prince’s deposition, as had the concubines. Now that the Crown Prince had lost power, the harem was dominated by Consort Yun. Everyone sought to curry favor with the Empress Dowager.

When the Empress Dowager felt better, she occasionally took charge. Consort Yun still remembered the Empress Dowager’s glory days and didn’t dare act arrogantly in front of her. At that moment, the Empress Dowager had just finished playing with Xiaoqing, and several sparrows had been added to the palace—her latest interest.

Ying Fusheng quietly approached her, not disturbing her amusement.

After the sub-gu poison was drawn from the Empress Dowager, Ying Fusheng often had Chen Xuqiu check her pulse to ensure her health. Chen Xuqiu complied. For someone her age, the Empress Dowager’s health was quite good. Ying Fusheng had Song An arrange for people to watch over the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard also kept an eye on matters. Even after the sub-gu was resolved, Ying Fusheng remained highly vigilant about the Empress Dowager’s health.

He had changed some things from his past life, so some events wouldn’t follow their predetermined course.

"Xiao Liu," the Empress Dowager said.

Ying Fusheng snapped back to attention, realizing the Empress Dowager was looking at him. Her gaze held no trace of scrutiny, just a simple observation. Her hair was streaked with a little more white, and her eyes crinkled warmly as she spoke, carrying an indescribable kindness. "You’ve grown a bit."

"Have I?" Ying Fusheng asked, not noticing much.

"Your Highness hasn’t come by these past few days, so Her Grace has been thinking of you," Lady Yu said.

"I’ll come earlier another day," Ying Fusheng replied.

The Empress Dowager shook her head, gesturing for Ying Fusheng to come closer. Up close, it was hard to tell, but young men of thirteen or fourteen grew quickly. Compared to when he first arrived at the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, pale and sickly, always wearing heavy clothes, Ying Fusheng was now taller and looked a bit more spirited than he had at ten.

She noticed this child was always like this, not lingering before her like other children.

He simply followed quietly. If she asked, he spoke; if not, he stayed silent, walking for over half an hour.

When Ying Fusheng drew near, the Empress Dowager took his hand, her thumb brushing over a few bruises on his hand—marks left by acupuncture. Her hand was aged and wrinkled, with fine lines and calluses, but her touch was warm as she stroked his hand, her movements light, as if trying to smooth away those bruises.

"Xiaoqing has gotten fat," the Empress Dowager sighed. "But you don’t put on any weight."

Seeing her sigh, Ying Fusheng could only say, "The imperial physician says it’s nothing, just growing pains."

It has been several months since the poison was removed, and his aversion to cold has eased slightly, making the winter months less unbearable than before.

The imperial physician was delighted, sending a steady stream of restorative tonics to the Wanchun Hall, which Chen Xuqiu carefully selected from.

But his complexion did not improve so quickly.

Especially after Chen Xuqiu dismissed his pulse diagnosis method, his face looked extremely bad for a time that the Empress Dowager nearly took Chu Taiyi to task.

As evening fell, Ying Fusheng accompanied the Empress Dowager for dinner as usual.

The palace attendants served the dishes beside them, and Song An handed over a bowl of soup.

Ying Fusheng took it but his grip slipped, the soup making a crisp sound as it landed in the bowl.

The surrounding attendants quickly looked over, afraid the soup might scald him.

He froze for a moment, then when the Empress Dowager turned to look at him, he came to his senses: "My hand slipped."

The Empress Dowager watched him. "Is the Imperial Academy's coursework too tiring? Your grandmother can send someone to speak about it."

Ying Fusheng said, "It's been better lately."

The Empress Dowager said little, but on matters of his health, she could not help but nag.

Not until the dinner was over did Ying Fusheng rise to take his leave. The weather was cold, and snow was expected in the evening, so the Empress Dowager ordered him to take an extra coat. He frequented the Cining Palace, so his belongings were always kept there.

"In a while, go to the Huguo Temple and light a prayer lamp for him," the Empress Dowager said softly as she watched Ying Fusheng walk away. "And keep an eye on the imperial physicians. This child has no one by his side."

Ying Fusheng appeared frail, but the Empress Dowager could see the constant fatigue on his face.

When others spoke, he appeared to listen, but his mind would sometimes wander. She still remembered the imperial physician's initial diagnosis: Suihongzi had damaged his lungs and internal organs, and even poisoned his brain. He seemed more straightforward and duller than others, but when he held a brush for too long, his hands would tremble, and each time he would hide them in his sleeves, unnoticed by others.

She had asked the imperial physician, and he said this might be the effect of the brain being poisoned.

The Crown Prince had been deposed, and the court's landscape had drastically changed. She hoped it would not affect him.

Good health and good fortune—he must be safe and sound.