bullyxtreme Chapter 23 Affairs in the Capital
Chapter 23 Affairs in the Capital
A once-in-a-century spectacle unfolded within the Forbidden City.
An elderly lady dressed in the formal attire of a duke, holding a wooden box with three chicken feathers stuck to it, led a minor official in a green robe toward the Qianqing Palace.
In front of the Qianqing Palace gate, four imperial guards stood straight and motionless, carrying swords at their sides.
Dai Quan was already standing at the bottom of the stone steps with a smile, clearly waiting for Grandmother Jia.
Upon seeing this, Grandmother Jia immediately quickened her pace.
Dai Quan hurriedly stepped forward, his face beaming with smiles: "Grand Madam."
"The Inner Minister." Grandmother Jia handed over the box she was holding.
Dai Quan took the box and looked at it. Although he was somewhat prepared, he was still surprised when he saw the words on the seal.
"Help the Dowager Lady to rest in the side hall."
Dai Quan gave an instruction to the red-clad eunuch behind Jia Zheng, then, carrying the box, strode into the Qianqing Palace.
In the Imperial Study, Emperor Yankang was reviewing memorials.
At this moment, Dai Quan walked in and presented the box with both hands.
Emperor Yankang placed the approved memorial on top of the tall pile of approved memorials on his desk before taking the box.
Instead of opening it immediately, I made sure the box was intact before carefully examining the seal on the enamel coating under the sunlight from the south window.
It's not very clear.
Emperor Yankang stretched out his hand, and Dai Quan quickly presented him with a magnifying glass. Through the magnifying glass, the seal on the lacquer was finally clearly visible—"Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner" and "Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Prison".
Emperor Yankang frowned slightly, put down the magnifying glass, took the ivory knife held by Dai Quan, opened the seal, opened the wooden box, took out a thick stack of documents, and slowly unfolded them.
Dai Quan had been observing Emperor Yankang's reaction, and when he sensed something was wrong, he quickly took a step back.
As expected, Emperor Yankang slammed the files onto the ground.
The brick floor was littered with scattered files. Dai Quan bent down and silently picked them up one by one. As he glanced at them, his expression changed instantly.
Emperor Yankang uttered a single word: "Investigate!"
Dai Quan hurriedly bowed: "This old servant will go to the Imperial Household Department immediately..."
Before he could finish speaking, an alarm bell suddenly rang out in the distance, and someone shouted at the top of their lungs, "Fire! Fire!"
Yan Kangdu suddenly stood up and strode out.
Dai Quan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly followed. Could it be that the Imperial Household Department had caught fire?
Hearing the noise, Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng, who were waiting in the side hall, also hurried out. Thick smoke billowed into the sky from the northeast corner, which was the Imperial Household Department!
Upon seeing Emperor Yankang stride out, Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng hurriedly bowed.
Emperor Yankang's face turned ashen: "Excellent methods! Excellent methods!"
He abruptly flicked his sleeves, turned around, and went back to the study.
Dai Quan quickly followed him back.
Grandmother Jia's heart tightened: Could this matter be related to the wooden box that was just sent in?
Jia Zheng, standing behind him, looked completely bewildered.
Back in the Imperial Study, Emperor Yankang reviewed the case files again, turning to Dai Quan and asking, "Where did the problem lie?"
Dai Quan thought for a moment, then bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, it seems the news leaked out from Jinling ahead of time."
Emperor Yankang nodded and then asked, "How should we investigate?"
"This old servant will immediately send someone to Jinling..."
"It's too late!"
"Then let's start the investigation from within the palace; we're sure to find the traitor!"
"Too much trouble!" A cold glint flashed in Emperor Yankang's eyes. "Kill them all."
Dai Quanyi was awe-inspiring.
Emperor Yankang emphasized the dossier with his finger, "Go back two years, no, five years, and kill every single eunuch who voluntarily castrated himself to enter the palace!"
"...Yes." Dai Quan swallowed.
"In the capital... we must investigate thoroughly."
Just as Dai Quan was about to respond, Emperor Yankang added, "In broad daylight, the Imperial Household Department was burned down. How did you manage that?"
Dai Quan hurriedly knelt down: "This old servant deserves death!"
"Alright, stop with the useless talk."
Emperor Yankang snorted coldly, "Your Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is not clean, and the Southern Garrison Command is even less trustworthy."
Dai Quan smiled bitterly to himself, thinking, "Wasn't it all because you used me and then discarded me?"
Emperor Yankang's gaze returned to the case file, and he pondered for a moment: "This Liu Feng is a disciple of Lin Ruhai, and he was the one who discovered this case... I'm transferring him to the capital to investigate the case."
"Yes." Dai Quan got up and asked again, "What's your identity?"
Emperor Yankang: "The Northern Garrison Commander, with a hundred households, will be responsible for investigating the case... Thirty elite scouts will be drawn from Datong and Xuanfu."
"Can he keep them in check?"
"Six months. If they can't find anything, they'll all be exiled to the army!"
"As you command!" Just as Dai Quan was about to leave, Emperor Yankang added, "Select a fine jade ruyi from the jade ruyi presented by the Zhen family of Jiangnan and bestow it upon the Jia family. Also, select a few top-quality items from the tribute presented by Siam and send them to the Rongguo Mansion."
Emperor Yankang suddenly remembered: "Why is Jia Zheng still wearing a green robe? I remember he was already a sixth-rank official ten years ago."
Dai Quan was at a loss for words, and after a long pause, he managed to stammer, "He... is an honest man."
Emperor Yankang understood immediately and smiled, "Promote him by one rank, and tell him to do his job well and not let me down."
"As you command." Dai Quan bowed and withdrew.
Emperor Yankang got up and walked to the window, gazing into the distance, his thoughts drifting back to the bloody purge ten years ago.
He hadn't expected the retired emperor to be so ruthless. He had thought that the retired emperor would at most dismiss or demote the noble sons of the deposed crown prince's faction, and then issue a decree of amnesty after he ascended the throne. In this way, he could appease the people and win back the nobles' hearts, and the court would not have fallen into such a state.
Spring has arrived, and the flames of war in Liaodong are about to reignite.
The Jia family? Perhaps we can break the deadlock in the imperial court through the Jia family.
Thinking of this, Emperor Yankang looked in the direction of Daming Palace, hoping that the retired emperor would not interfere.
......................
Daming Palace
Ten years have passed, and Xia Shouzhong's hair has turned completely white. Dressed in coarse cloth, he sits quietly outside the Buddhist hall, listening to the continuous chanting of sutras inside.
The chanting stopped, and Xia Shouzhong got up and walked to the door.
Before long, the retired emperor pushed open the door and came out. A gust of wind blew through the room, making his disheveled white hair flutter wildly.
"What's going on? Why all the noise?" The Emperor Emeritus casually closed the door to the Buddhist hall.
Xia Shouzhong bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Department is on fire."
The retired emperor didn't say anything and walked straight ahead.
Xia Shouzhong quickly followed, adding, "I heard someone has planted spies in the palace..."
The retired emperor stopped in his tracks: "Is it him?"
Xia Shouzhong lowered his head: "It should be the grandson of the emperor."
The retired emperor remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "He is the eldest son's only bloodline."
He took a few steps forward, then stopped. "Tell the emperor that all those exiled beyond the Great Wall should be put to death."
He paused, then said, "I am old and do not wish to see my own flesh and blood kill each other. Spare the child's life and imprison him."
"Yes."
Xia Shouzhong smiled bitterly to himself. After the Crown Prince's death, he was posthumously granted the title of Prince Yizhong and buried in the imperial mausoleum. Even the daughter born from the Crown Prince's illicit affair in the palace was married off to a good family. But once the foundation of imperial power was touched, all the past warmth vanished.
Imprisonment? The emperor was not one to show mercy...