Chapter 558
7 Days
In front of Renshou Palace, the cabinet ministers and officials all turned to look at Mengji, pondering the hidden meaning in his words.
Princess Baili, Han Tong?
The officials exchanged furtive glances, trying to see if anyone knew anything about it... but looking around, they were all puzzled. No one knew how these two had gotten involved, nor should they have.
The officials then secretly turned their gazes toward Renshou Palace, wanting to see the expression on the face behind the gauze curtain.
Does Your Majesty know about this matter? Or perhaps, does Your Majesty know that Mengji would ask this question?
Today's interrogation was clearly a rehearsed story, with the interrogators taking turns to stab the canal transport system in the back. Just now, when Wu Xiu conveyed His Majesty's imperial edict, he looked like a famous actor finishing his performance and taking his leave of the stage.
Why has another unexpected problem arisen?
The civil officials managed to interrupt Mengji's interrogation by enlisting the help of a high-ranking official. His Majesty's decree had been issued, and the matter of Han Tong should have ended there. However, Mengji's interrogation not only continued, but he also used his last strength to question Princess Baili about her.
The officials' gazes were drawn to the deep and dark Renshou Palace, but Emperor Ning was hidden behind a gauze curtain, so his expression could not be seen at all.
Then they saw Wu Xiu's surprised look and were immediately puzzled. Could it be that His Majesty really did not know about this incident, and that the Poison Minister of Jiefan Tower had made the decision on his own?
How dare I?
At this moment, Han Tong looked conflicted for a long time, seemingly unwilling to tell the truth. His eyes rolled downwards, as if they might roll back up at any moment.
Bai Long took out a yellow paper talisman from his sleeve. The talisman, folded into a triangle, was faintly tinged with blood, but it was unknown whose blood it was written with.
He held the yellow paper talisman to the dream chicken's beak: "Open your mouth."
Mengji pressed the yellow paper talisman under his tongue, his face contorted with anger, and roared at Han Tong, "Speak!"
Han Tong said hoarsely, "Zhu Baili is my daughter with Wen Yunmo."
The air in front of Renshou Palace froze into ice.
The eyes of the cabinet ministers and officials were all fixed on Han Tong, each gaze scrutinizing his words as if trying to extract every nuance from them.
Wen Yunmo.
Many people couldn't recall the name for a moment, until someone whispered a reminder: "Wen Yunmo, the concubine of Prince Jing."
Everyone was suddenly stunned. Prince Jing's concubine had given birth to a child with a lowly official? This was going to be a huge scandal.
"Absurd!" A sharp shout suddenly rang out. Qi Xianzhun, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, his hair and beard bristling, pointed a trembling finger at Han Tong: "Spreading heresies to mislead the public, falsely accusing members of the imperial family, and defiling the bloodline of the imperial family. Your Majesty, his heart is worthy of punishment, and his entire family should be exterminated!"
His words, once uttered, were like a ladle of water dropped into boiling oil, exploding instantly. A court official knelt facing the Renshou Palace: "Your Majesty, this madman is insane; everything he says is false!"
Another official knelt down, crying, "He should be executed by slow slicing! He should be executed by slow slicing, Your Majesty!"
"Execute him!"
"Behead him and display his head!"
Startled by the commotion, the Dream Chicken could not withstand the backlash from the official's gate and coughed up blood, fainting from exhaustion.
Bai Long waved to the spies: "Take them with you and keep a close watch on them."
At this moment, Han Tong suddenly burst into laughter: "Exterminate nine generations? What nine generations have I? I am just an orphan taken in by the Wen family. Didn't you kill the Wen family long ago?"
Blinded by the five signs of decay of the Little Celestial, he looked into the deep Renshou Palace with his hollow, lifeless eyes: "If it weren't for the strong support of my Canal Gang, how could Prince Jing have quelled the internal strife in the two lakes? Without my Canal Gang, how could the imperial grain supply operate smoothly? Without my Canal Gang, how could the imperial court have cut off the Liu family's communications? Without my Canal Gang, where would the money you accumulated for raising spies and the Jie Fan Guards have come from? Once you've secured the throne, you've crossed the river and burned the bridge. Your ruthless extermination is just to cover up the dirty deeds the Canal Gang did for you in the past!"
Renshou Palace fell silent.
Everyone knows that His Majesty was able to eliminate the Liu family, his powerful relatives, and the Grand Canal Gang also played a role in his rise to power. This is an old, unresolved matter, but now it's unclear how to begin settling accounts.
Wu Xiu shouted sternly, "Gag Han Tong!"
The next moment, the sound of the Three Mountain Bells rang out, and Wu Xiu hurriedly turned around and bowed: "Your Majesty?"
Emperor Ning, who was on the throne, finally stood up. He parted the layers of gauze curtains, picked up the Three Mountain Bells, and came to the palace gate.
The morning light fell on Emperor Ning's black Taoist robe, and his face, which was usually rumored to be sinister, now showed a desolate calm: "I sit firmly on this dragon throne not because of your canal gang. I rely on the legal system passed down by Emperor Taizu Gao, and the weight of the nation entrusted to me by the people of the world."
Han Tong scoffed, "Hypocritical!"
Emperor Ning did not argue with Han Tong, but calmly said: "Issue an edict to imprison Han Tong in the inner prison. After the Ministry of Personnel and the three judicial departments have investigated his crimes, he will be executed immediately."
Han Tong, oblivious to his impending death, shouted in a daze, "Chen Ji? Where is Chen Ji?"
Chen Ji replied from a short distance away, "I'm here."
Han Tong sneered, "Chen Ji, is this what you wanted? To exchange your conscience for fame and fortune? To be a lackey of the court and a lackey of the eunuch faction?"
Chen Ji remained silent. Bai Long waved his hand, and the golden pig and the celestial horse immediately dragged Han Tong away.
Han Tong was dragged along the ground, shouting loudly, "You entire court of hypocrites, sooner or later you will make the people of the world know that your blood is also red!"
The sound faded into the distance, and Wu Xiu looked at Emperor Ning: "Your Majesty, Zhu Baili..."
Emperor Ning threw the Three Mountains Bell in his hand to the ground: "Issue an imperial decree to strip Zhu Baili of his surname and send him to the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) to be sold into slavery. The money from the sale will be deposited into the imperial treasury."
Chen Ji stood outside the hall, looking down as the Three Mountain Bells rolled to the side of the Filial Piety Stele, still making a tinkling sound.
He had been puzzled as to how the Grand Chancellor would grant Bai Li her freedom. Princess Bai Li was implicated in a treason case, and according to the laws of Da Ning, to grant Bai Li her freedom, the first step would be to exonerate Prince Jing, which was virtually impossible.
He had thought about it for a long time but couldn't come up with a way to resolve the matter within seven days. Now, the Minister of the Interior has provided the answer.
White carp are no longer of royal blood, so they can no longer be used for marriage alliances.
By being sold into the Imperial Music Bureau, one could naturally escape the palace completely.
While pondering, Qi Xun, the Minister of Rites, suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, if this woman is sent to the Imperial Music Bureau, what will happen to the marriage alliance with Annam? Perhaps we should keep this matter a secret and accept Annam's proposal for a marriage alliance?"
Chen Ji immediately stepped forward: "This is not appropriate. Grand Secretary Qi, the truth will eventually come out. Annam will find out about this sooner or later. How will our dynasty face the questions from foreign powers then?"
Grand Secretary Qi seemed surprised that Chen Ji would refute him, and glanced at him sideways: "All Annam wants is a title. Send them more craftsmen and doctors, and they will learn to shut up on their own."
Chen Ji's voice rose further: "Grand Secretary Qi, as the Minister of Rites, should know that a nation cannot stand without integrity. If you can deceive foreign nations today for the sake of a provincial matter, will you be able to deceive the people of the world for the same reason in the future? If your decrees are not enforced and your laws are not upheld, what kind of nation will you be?"
Grand Secretary Qi's eyes twitched slightly. He didn't look at Chen Ji, but instead bowed slightly towards Emperor Ning: "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, Annam is a small and insignificant country. All it seeks is the dignity of the Celestial Empire and a few practical benefits. Craftsmen, doctors, and even an additional 30% in annual stipends this year are enough to appease them. In comparison, if the matter of the mixed bloodline of the imperial family were to spread, it would damage the national dignity of our Great Ning and shake the hearts of the people. I beseech Your Majesty to decide which is more important."
Several other officials chimed in quietly, "What Grand Secretary Qi said is quite right; we should prioritize the overall situation."
“Since the princess is no longer of royal blood, sending her to marry a foreign ruler is a way of showing His Majesty’s benevolence and giving her a way out.”
Chen Ji silenced all the voices that echoed his sentiments: "No!"
Emperor Ning calmly looked at him: "Viscount Wu Xiang, in your opinion, how can this matter be resolved in a way that satisfies both sides?"
Chen Ji took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I believe there is absolutely no way to have the best of both worlds in this matter. It has nothing to do with the bloodline of the white carp, but rather that our dynasty cannot make peace with Annam through marriage."
Grand Secretary Qi frowned slightly: "No marriage alliance? Annam has already sent its letter of request for marriage; how can we treat this lightly?"
Chen Ji quickened his pace: "Your Majesty, Siam is in turmoil, and Jiaozhi has been weak for many years. There is no one in the south who can restrain Annam. If Annam is allowed to establish itself in the south by taking advantage of the power of our Celestial Empire, drive out Jiaozhi, and annex Siam, Annam today will become a major threat to our dynasty tomorrow. Your Majesty, those who are not of our race will surely have different intentions. Annam can grow stronger, but it cannot become the sole superpower!"
Upon hearing this, Grand Secretary Qi fell silent.
The officials turned their gazes to Emperor Ning. After a long while, Emperor Ning slowly spoke: "Grand Secretary Qi, you have rejected Annam's letter of state and will be rewarded accordingly."
Grand Secretary Qi cupped his hands and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."
Emperor Ning then said: "I hereby decree that Yang Xun, the Provincial Governor of Jiaozhi, has rendered meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion, and shall be promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and appointed Governor-General of the military affairs of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi and Jiaozhi. He shall be enfeoffed as the Earl of Pingnan, a hereditary title. He shall be bestowed with a python robe and jade belt, and shall be granted the title of Senior Grand Master of the Palace."
The officials exchanged glances. Ning Chao's merits included six categories: founding the country, pacifying the rebellion, capturing rebels, suppressing barbarians, defending against enemies, and conquering barbarians.
However, this time, Yang Xun's conferment of honors is a nominal promotion but a de facto transfer. Although Yang Xun has been given a special honor, he must return to the capital and be stripped of his real power in commanding troops, so as to prevent him from becoming too powerful to control.
But Yang Xun couldn't refuse. This transfer back to the capital would give him a chance to enter the cabinet. Only by entering the cabinet could the Yang family have a chance to break free from the Xu family.
Among the crowd, Yang Xun, his expression filled with fervor, knelt on the ground and said, "Thank you for Your Majesty's grace."
Emperor Ning said again: "Issue an imperial decree that Qi Xianshu be transferred to the position of Provincial Governor of Jiaozhi and concurrently Provincial Governor of Annam."
Qi Xianshu looked at his father, Grand Secretary Qi, in astonishment. Grand Secretary Qi nodded slightly, and he immediately knelt down and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."
Emperor Ning waved wearily and turned to walk into the depths of the palace: "You may leave."
Wu Xiu stood in front of Renshou Palace and said loudly, "Today's business is finished. If there is anything else, you may submit a memorial. If not, please return to your respective offices."
As the officials left Renshou Palace, Grand Secretary Chen passed by Chen Ji without glancing at him again, and slowly walked away.
When the area in front of Renshou Palace was deserted, Bailong came to Chen Ji and looked him over in his bright red official robes: "I have done what I promised you, regardless of the process. This is the only way to get Baili out of trouble right now. I will give you seven days to raise the money. After seven days, you can take her away from the Danbi Grand Music Hall of the Jiaofangsi."
"understood."
Chen Ji turned and strode away. (End of Chapter)