Chapter 107

The wind seemed to stand still around Ying Fusheng when he raised this question. Qi Hanzhou looked down at him, and each time the truth was revealed thread by thread. When they thought the Former Dynasty Remnants were already like beaten dogs after the Deposed Crown Prince fell, Ying Fusheng had proposed the possibility of the Second Prince being outside the game, and then deduced from the Second Prince that the supporter behind him might be one of the princes and marquises in the south.

And now, he boldly dismissed Prince Jin and Prince of Qin from suspicion and proposed another conjecture: the mastermind might be someone else.

Before Prince of Qin entered the south, who could have been behind the Fei family?

“This might just be my doubt. We haven’t had much contact with Prince of Qin, and it’s possible he had other plans before.” Ying Fusheng let out a soft sigh after speaking. The mastermind was too mysterious, because too many times, whenever they investigated closely, they only found the mastermind had slipped away. So when Prince Jin so obviously exposed Prince of Qin, his instinct was not to believe it.

It wasn’t just a feeling that something was off, but also an indescribable feeling.

“Earlier, they wanted to quietly overthrow the dynasty. Or perhaps after the Deposed Crown Prince’s plan was exposed, they had to resort to other means to change the regime. That’s why Prince of Qin decided to enter the south to accelerate the worsening of the situation.”

Ying Fusheng continued his deduction, but he always remembered that a few years ago, the mastermind had keenly detected the changes from his rebirth and preemptively executed the palace maids. If it were someone so calculating, they should have already prepared for the Crown Prince to become a discarded piece at that time. Under such circumstances, Prince of Qin’s actions didn’t seem logical.

“As far as we can trace it, the mastermind’s plan has been in preparation for at least twenty years,” Qi Hanzhou suddenly said.

Hearing this, Ying Fusheng turned to look at him. “What did you find?”

“Back in the capital, I investigated the Xu family.”

When Qi Hanzhou realized the truth about the child swap, he had ordered Ye Xuanjiu to thoroughly investigate the royal secrets. Many years had passed since the Emperor ascended the throne. At that time, Shuang Yue, the Former Dynasty Remnant beside Empress Xu, had instigated Consort Ning to take labor-inducing medicine and swap the children. This was likely done as the opportunity presented itself, because the mastermind couldn’t be certain that two children would be born at the same time. Consort Ning seemed more like an accidental intruder into this scheme.

For the mastermind, instead of replacing Empress Xu’s legitimate son with another baby—which might later show physical differences—it was better to choose Consort Ning’s son, who was also the Emperor’s biological child.

This was Qi Hanzhou’s inference, so he followed this line to investigate the Xu family.

“The expansion of the Xu family’s power network in the court happened after the Emperor ascended the throne,” Qi Hanzhou said. “This is enough to show that they only began to expand wildly after the previous emperor. Using the Emperor’s desire for civil governance, they used the Xu family as a network to embed their own agents and began to infiltrate the court.”

“And their most common method was the imperial examinations.”

The Emperor needed civil governance, and civil officials were indispensable.

The problems left by the previous emperor had to be solved by this one. Civil governance could not do without civil officials.

“At that time, many of the Xu family’s hidden agents were recruited from local areas, many from the southern regions, and quite a few had connections with the Fei family.”

Hearing this, Ying Fusheng realized that Qi Hanzhou’s recent early departures and late returns had probably uncovered far more than he had anticipated.

“The Fei family was a network that predated the Xu family. With Grand Secretary Xu’s shrewdness, the mastermind couldn’t easily plant hidden agents,” Qi Hanzhou continued. “There were many literati in the south, far from the capital and unrelated to the court’s aristocratic families. If I were Grand Secretary Xu, I would choose these people with spotless backgrounds as my protégés and would be more willing to promote them.”

So this was why the capital was thoroughly infiltrated. On the surface, these scholars seemed clean, but in reality, they were hidden agents prepared by the mastermind long ago. When the southern network and the capital network joined forces, they covered the sky and blocked out the sun.

The problem of the southern scholar-official class had been left over from the previous dynasty. Two generations of Dayuan emperors favored military governance, so the southern issues were somewhat allowed to grow unchecked. First, the emperor was far away; second, emperors with military backgrounds tended to solve such problems by force. Under these circumstances, the south easily became a gathering place for Former Dynasty Remnants.

“So the Brocade Guard had been investigating the southern scholars connected to the Fei family during this time?” Ying Fusheng said.

No wonder the Brocade Guard had been acting furtively lately—this was what they were investigating. Ji Wuming truly deserved to be the Emperor’s personal guard commander; anyone else might have been searching for Fei Xun’s whereabouts, but he was investigating literati, literati connected to the court.

Qi Hanzhou nodded, and seeing the slight movement in Ying Fusheng’s brows—clearly intrigued—he said, “Through him, I found a useful piece of information. The Second Prince’s birth mother, Concubine Xian, had ancestors who were from the south.”

Ying Fusheng looked at him with surprise—what an unexpected find. “How did you uncover it?”

“Several generations back. Even the ancestral hall was deliberately concealed,” Qi Hanzhou said. “I investigated scholars unrelated to the Fei family. Among southern scholars, the Fei family academy dominated. By investigating unrelated people, I had an accidental discovery.”

This passage from Qi Hanzhou gave Ying Fusheng a clear direction. If it were true, the mastermind first established his base in the south, then infiltrated the capital. To achieve such a layout without alerting the court, it could only have been a power in the south… Twenty years ago, only those associated with the previous emperor held power in the southern territories.

If not Prince Jin or Prince of Qin, there was only one person left.

“What about Prince of Pingnan?” Ying Fusheng said.

Qi Hanzhou pondered for a moment and said, “I suspected him, but I can’t think of a reason. If Prince of Pingnan had the intention to restore the former dynasty, why did he hold the line in the south back then? He was the most fierce general under the previous emperor, even more famous than my father. He was the one who led the army to conquer the south.”

Among the three great princes of the south, Prince of Pingnan was the least suspicious.

That was also the person Ying Fusheng was most reluctant to suspect, but precautions must be taken.

“When I return to the capital this time, I will keep an eye out for any news related to Prince of Pingnan.”

After Qi Hanzhou finished speaking, he saw Ying Fusheng becoming lost in thought. When the young man thought, his eyes would go vacant—it looked like daydreaming, yet not quite. Only at times like this did he seem to show the expression befitting his age. His hand rested on the wheelchair arm, and when Qi Hanzhou stopped, he forgot to turn back.

Qi Hanzhou unconsciously fell silent.

Ying Fusheng pondered for a long time, then suddenly noticed the quiet around him. He abruptly looked up, his eyes asking why the conversation had stopped. Qi Hanzhou no longer wanted to continue. A spring breeze came from afar; he pushed the wheelchair forward. When they bumped over a small stone, Ying Fusheng instinctively grabbed the handrail, cutting off what he was about to say.

“Your Highness, have you seen the scenery of the south?” Qi Hanzhou asked.

Prince Jin knew how to enjoy life; the Prince Jin Manor alone contained endless wonders.

After the jolt, Ying Fusheng turned around. The fragrance of newly blooming flowers reached him, then was replaced by the murmur of flowing water at his ears. He couldn’t help but look up. A bird flew down from above, perched on a rock in the garden, seeming to curiously watch the two.

Everything was full of life.

He watched, captivated, momentarily forgetting what he had been about to say to Qi Hanzhou.

Qi Hanzhou stayed quiet, pushing the wheelchair through the garden until they returned to the courtyard. When they arrived, Song An had already prepared Ying Fusheng’s medicine and brought it over. Ying Fusheng just wanted to say “Set it down,” but when he looked up and saw Qi Hanzhou watching, he had no choice but to drink the entire bowl of medicine right in front of him.

After drinking, he deliberately placed the medicine bowl in front of Qi Hanzhou, making sure he saw it was empty.

A bowl of medicine down, Ying Fusheng felt sleepier than usual.

Qi Hanzhou handed the medicine bowl to Song An. When he turned back, the person in the wheelchair was already dozing off.

He didn’t stay long. Only after the man fell asleep did he and Song An send him back to rest.

Before leaving, he made a trip to Chen Xuqiu and Wu Lao’s courtyard, learned the situation, and then left the Prince Jin Manor.

After this fever, Ying Fusheng rested more during the day than usual. Sometimes he would sleep through day and night, which looked a bit like when he was unwell in the palace. But according to Chen Xuqiu and Wu Lao, it was the result of proper recuperation—only sleep could replenish a depleted body, and being able to sleep was better than sleeplessness.

Because of this, even Censor Xiao and others, who used to visit the courtyard frequently, rarely came, apparently not wanting to tire him. News about the southern officialdom was reported with good news and without the bad.

But Ying Fusheng couldn’t stay idle. He had Song An inquire about the situation daily and also sent letters to Weng Yanqing in Jiangling.

It wasn’t until the two physicians caught him red-handed that he obediently lay down to rest.

With longer sleep, the nighttime nightmares seemed to ease a bit.

“Did you change the incense?” Ying Fusheng looked at the medicinal incense burning nearby.

Song An nodded. “Wu Lao and Miss Chen specially prepared it. They said it’s suitable for Your Highness’s health.”

Once his health improved, Ying Fusheng picked up the case file transcriptions sent by Zhang Wuyong and examined them carefully.

“What about Magistrate Qian? Have the aftermath been handled?” Ying Fusheng asked.

Song An replied, “Lord Zhang personally handled it. His reputation has been cleared. As for the merit stele Your Highness mentioned for Magistrate Qian, Lord Zhang wrote the inscription, and it has been erected on the banks of the Ning River.”

Ying Fusheng recalled seeing scholars being driven to death on the road to the south. Without having his name cleared, Magistrate Qian would have spent his life under infamy, unable to return to his hometown. The Ning River was where he had poured his heart and soul; Huaizhou was his homeland. On the Ning River, he deserved a place of honor.

Without him, the purge of Jiangnan could not have proceeded.

"Has there been any trouble on Zhang Wuyong's end?" Ying Fusheng asked again.

Song An looked at his prince. Now that the matter had been resolved, he felt somewhat uneasy. "Your Highness, no."

In the Huaizhou City incident, Ying Fusheng staked his reputation, opening the path for the purge of the Jiangnan officialdom.

The court's rewards for some officials with merit, in particular, had caused many to defect to Prince Jin's faction. If he were Marquis Cen'an, he would be extremely uneasy now. Jiangnan was the domain of many marquises, and domains allowed partial autonomy.

Indeed, the Yingtian government could take the opportunity to clean up the Jiangnan officialdom, but once it involved the domains of these marquises, it would face numerous obstacles. On the surface, officials connected to Fei Xun's family were easy to investigate. But to truly dig deeper would mean going against the interests of the marquises aligned with Prince Qin, which ran counter to Prince Jin's interests.

These marquises could not sit still.

After a month had passed, could Marquis Cen'an really be this quiet?

Ying Fusheng suppressed his speculations. Until matters were settled, he could not relax at all. It seemed he would have to summon Censor Xiao in the next few days. The calmer things were, the more uneasy he felt. As he thought, he seemed distracted.

"Your Highness?" Song An suddenly said, "Today, Commander Qi is returning to the capital."

Ying Fusheng paused at this. "He's leaving?"

"Not yet. Adjutant Ye mentioned it when he passed by this morning."

Song An said, "Your Highness was resting at the time."

Qi Hanzhou was leaving without even telling him. Ying Fusheng told Song An to prepare the carriage and was about to head out. Just then, someone rushed into the courtyard. Seeing it was Wang Guanzhi, he said, "Your Highness, at the gate—"

Seeing Wang Guanzhi's hurried manner, Ying Fusheng's first thought was that something had happened.

He ignored Song An, who was pushing the wheelchair, and strode out directly.

Wang Guanzhi was about to speak, but Ying Fusheng had already walked out.

"Your Highness!"

From afar, Ying Fusheng heard the voices of the crowd outside the mansion—the people's voices.

Had Marquis Cen'an stirred up the people? Where would he strike? Was it a lingering scheme from Fei Xun, or some unresolved situation among the Jiangnan scholars? Unconsciously, Ying Fusheng's pace quickened, his face growing pale from exertion.

Ye Xuanqi appeared at this moment, blocking Ying Fusheng. "Your Highness."

Ying Fusheng saw it was him. "You came just in time. Go find Qi Hanzhou; he shouldn't have gone far—"

Censor Xiao entered. Before he could speak, Ying Fusheng calmly said, "Get to the point. Fei Xun's family or Zhang Wuyong."

"It's a living shrine!!" Censor Xiao finally blurted out after running all the way there. "The people of Jiangling and Huaizhou, along with wealthy merchants, have established a living shrine for Your Highness."

Ying Fusheng was stunned. He stopped in his tracks.

He came to his senses and looked at Censor Xiao, saying firmly, "My order was to erect a stele for Magistrate Qian and the others."

"Your Highness, by clearing the names of those officials and erecting a stele on the Ning River, that is already a monument to their merit." Seeing the prince's serious expression, Censor Xiao explained, "Go out and see for yourself."

A living shrine was a spontaneous act of gratitude. Since Dayuan's founding, aside from a few early ministers with foundational merits, there had been no precedent. Jiangnan had suffered years of disasters and strife, and the people could barely survive—a living shrine had never been established.

At that time, many of the refugees in Jiangling had gathered from nearby disaster-stricken counties—all people of Jiangnan. The measures Ying Fusheng took in Jiangling pacified not only the people of Jiangling but also the displaced people of Jiangnan. The people remembered that after the Jiangling incident, Prince Yan had been ill for several days. Rumors of his short life had long circulated among the people. Ordinary princes and imperial heirs, when seriously ill, were accompanied by famous doctors and forbidden to overexert themselves.

But Prince Yan did not have that. On this trip to Jiangnan, he first cleared the names of upright officials, then purged corrupt officials. The fall of Fei Xun's family and the events at the Huaizhou city gate—the people witnessed it all.

When Ying Fusheng walked out of Prince Jin's mansion, he saw the gathered people of Huaizhou City.

Among them were also some from Jiangling.

Suddenly, he stopped.

"Your Highness!!!"

"Prince Yan!!!"

The voices of the people came, their eyes reddened.

Even when Prince Yan was still an imperial prince, he had repeatedly arranged for the wealthy merchant Liu Dafu to provide disaster relief for the Jiangnan snowstorms. Later, he came to Jiangling while ill, stabilizing the flood crisis as quickly as possible. At that time, how many people in Jiangling were displaced? It was Prince Yan who implemented work-relief programs, built levees, set up refugee camps, and purged corrupt officials, ensuring that no one lacked food or medicine.

After the Huaizhou incident, he fell ill with a fever. The people of Huaizhou saw it all. Perhaps past actions were backed by imperial authority, but the Sixth Prince had gone to this extent without regard for his own health. The people could think of nothing else to do for him, only to establish a living shrine, praying for Prince Yan's safety.

After the Huaizhou incident, the Fei Xun case stirred up Jiangnan. Prince Yan's actions on the city wall that day—keeping the nobles in check and calming the people—had already spread throughout Jiangnan through word of mouth. The dark dealings behind the Fei Xun case, the collusion between officials, merchants, and bandits, along with the word "massacre," were gradually exposed to the people. The vast net covering officials and commoners was lifted, and countless old cases were brought to light. For the countless victims, it was a vindication and a glimpse of hope for Jiangnan's future.

Outside Jiangling Prefecture, Ji Wuming watched the city full of people encircling the area. He paused, gripping the reins, unable to help but look at the crowd.

He turned to glance at Qi Hanzhou. "The Emperor chose the right person to send to Jiangnan."

Qi Hanzhou did not respond. Sitting on his horse, he saw the stunned young man in the midst of the crowd.

All the scenic beauty of Jiangnan could not compare to that one person in the crowd.

A person devoted to the people—the common people could see him.

"Let's go."

Qi Hanzhou entered the sea of people, disappearing into the crowd.