Chapter 67
His Highness's Courtyard
Old Feng drove the car steadily, while Xu Xian sat opposite Mo Feichang. Suddenly, he remembered something.
"Master Si, would you please do your research before you come?"
Mo opened his eyes, his hands tucked into his sleeves.
"Hao Zai Lai has a history of hundreds of years and is very mysterious. Its people are spread all over the world and there are many masters. They have a stronghold in every city, which may be a pawn shop, a teahouse, or a roadside pancake stall."
"The Inspection Division has clashed with them many times and has arrested a few low-level assassins, but has never captured any alive."
"All we know is that they have six leaders, known as the 'Six Young Masters,' but we don't know their specific identities. Below the Six Young Masters are managers and assassins at various levels, with clear hierarchy and a tight organization."
"There's only one rule at Haozailai: once you accept an order, you have to complete it. They've been tricked by you this time, and they won't let it go easily. Be careful when you go out in the future."
Xu Xian was silent for a moment,
"I was able to come back alive this time entirely thanks to the help of the Confucian school. I must give them a proper thank you when I have the chance."
Mo glanced at him briefly, then closed his eyes to rest, without asking any further questions.
...
Before long, the carriage stopped in front of the palace gate.
Old Feng pulled back the carriage curtain, and Mo Feichang straightened his clothes before leading Xu Xian toward the Taiji Hall.
The eunuch went in to announce their arrival, and after a moment he ran out to invite the two men in.
When Xu Xian stepped into the palace, the first thing he saw was a huge landscape painting.
Emperor Jingyuan stood before the painting table, holding a wolf-hair brush in his hand. The brush tip moved slowly across the Xuan paper, the blank spaces for clouds and mist were just right, and the painting was more than half completed, with a profound artistic conception.
He was dressed in a blue Taoist robe with wide sleeves and a hemp rope tied around his waist. His hair was simply tied up with a bamboo hairpin. He looked more like a Taoist hermit living in the mountains than an emperor.
Mo Feichang stepped forward and bowed in greeting.
"Your Majesty, the Investigation Department has uncovered some matters that we must report to you."
Emperor Jingyuan added the last stroke of ink to the outline of the distant mountains, placed the wolf-hair brush on the brush rest, wiped the ink from his fingers with a handkerchief, and glanced up at the two men.
"explain."
Mo Feichang stepped aside to let Xu Xian move in front.
"Mr. Xu was the person in charge of the Qingzhou case, so it will be clearer for him to explain."
Emperor Jingyuan's gaze fell on Xu Xian.
This was Xu Xian's second time seeing the emperor; the first time was at the joint trial of the three judicial departments in the Shen Tai case.
"You are Xu Xian. You were also involved in the Fourth Prince's case last time... You wrote a poem at Taibai Tower, which spread widely in the capital... 'Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, frozen corpses lie'—I remember."
Xu Xian clasped his hands and bowed, "This humble servant is terrified. I had a few too many drinks that day and just scribbled something. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Emperor Jingyuan chuckled lightly.
"Don't worry, I'm not a tyrant. I won't punish you just because you wrote two lines of poetry... Tell me what you found out."
Xu Xian immediately began to recount the entire story from the mission case to the Qingzhou case.
"...Your Majesty, I have discovered that 20% of the cold iron is intercepted each year and transported to the Di Kingdom. The person in charge is Sun Buhai, the Sima of Qingzhou. Sun Buhai's warrant is stamped with..."
Xu Xian slightly raised his head to look at the emperor.
"The Crown Prince's Seal!"
Emperor Jingyuan frowned sharply and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Xu Xian... framing the Crown Prince is a capital offense. What you just said is absolutely true? Is Sun Buhai's warrant truly in the Crown Prince's handwriting? Is the seal of the Crown Prince truly his seal? Do you know that if you cannot produce evidence, I can imprison you based on these words alone?"
Xu Xian met the emperor's gaze.
"Your Majesty, I have simply stated what I have found out. Regardless of who this person is, he harbors rebellious intentions and has harmed countless lives for his own selfish gain. I beg Your Majesty to punish him severely."
Emperor Jingyuan remained silent for several breaths.
"Go, summon the Crown Prince."
The Ōtomo left, and the side hall became quiet.
Xu Xian and Mo Feichang stood side by side, neither of them speaking.
Before long, the eldest brother returned.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince went hunting in the Western Hills two days ago and has not yet returned."
Xu Xian raised an eyebrow slightly, muttering to himself,
Could they have run away?
Emperor Jingyuan remained silent for a few moments before speaking again.
"Go find the Crown Prince... You two go back first, and I'll speak with him after he returns."
Mo Feichang put his hands in his sleeves, bowed to Xu Xian, and then left.
The two walked out of the Taiji Hall and through the long palace corridor.
As they walked to the palace gate, Xu Xian suddenly spoke.
"Minister Si, if Ouyang's testimony proves that the prince is indeed the crown prince, how do you think His Majesty will handle the situation?"
Mo Feichang stood beneath the palace wall, sleeves tucked in, gazing at the clouds on the distant horizon. "This is none of your concern."
Xu Xian sneered, "I don't believe the emperor is so magnanimous as to tolerate something as rebellion."
"At most, His Majesty will depose the Crown Prince, imprison him in the Imperial Clan Court, and confine him for life. He will have no worries about food or clothing."
Mo Feichang turned to look at Xu Xian, "After all, he is the emperor's son and has been the crown prince for over a hundred years. It's impossible to kill him, even if he has countless lives on his hands."
Xu Xian gave a blank "oh".
In fact, he had been prepared for this outcome. Last time, when the three judicial departments jointly tried Shen Tai, the evidence was conclusive but it was all wiped clean. This time, the investigation has turned to the Crown Prince, and he knew from the beginning that the Crown Prince would not die.
The lives of the powerful and wealthy are lives, and so are the lives of the children in the dyehouse... No, in the emperor's eyes, the lives of those children are nothing.
Their parents knelt in the rain and dismembered the sorcerer, then knelt on the ground and kowtowed to him afterward.
But he failed to bring the real mastermind behind the scenes to justice; he only uncovered the truth, but he couldn't change the outcome.
He suddenly had a strong urge to drink, to go to Taibai Tower, and drink with Yang Xu, Lu Jing, Lao Feng, Zhang Hu, and Zhao Bao, until he was drunk and passed out on the table, to find a busty young lady for a deep conversation, and not to think about anything else.
Then he would get up the next day and continue patrolling the streets, continuing to do what he was supposed to do.
...
Back at the Inspection Division, Xu Xian didn't even have time to drink a sip of water.
He dragged Yang Xu out of the public room and then sent someone to call Ouyang Ruiming over from the side room.
When Ouyang entered, she hesitated a little. She had changed into a clean set of clothes and her hair had been restyled, but her eyes were still somewhat unfocused, as if her soul had not yet fully returned to its place.
"Take us to that house you mentioned now."
Ouyang nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
She led Xu Xianmo, Yang Xu, and the other two across half of the capital city to a secluded courtyard in the western suburbs.
The courtyard gate was wide open, revealing a screen wall and several clumps of bamboo inside.
Mo Feichang put his hands in his sleeves, looked up at the plaque above the courtyard gate. The plaque was empty, without any inscription.
He stepped over the threshold and swept his eyes around the yard.
"The environment is quite nice, much better than your little courtyard. There isn't even a decent tree in your yard, just a crooked locust tree, which was borrowed from Old Wang's house next door."
"My courtyard was allocated by the General Manager, not chosen by myself. With my salary, I could never afford a three-courtyard house in my lifetime."
Mo chuckled softly but didn't say anything.
The courtyard was quiet; there were no servants, no guards, not even a watchdog.
The ground was covered with fallen leaves, and it was clear that no one had cleaned it up for several days.
Ouyang led the way, passing through the corridor, around the artificial hill, and into the backyard.
A man sat by the pond in the backyard, dressed in a plain robe, holding a fishing rod, fishing on a stone bench.
The fish in the pond had stopped biting the hook long ago, but he didn't care. He just sat there, as if he were in a daze, or as if he were waiting for someone.
Hearing footsteps, he put down his fishing rod and turned around.
"Master Si, would you please do your research before you come?"
Mo opened his eyes, his hands tucked into his sleeves.
"Hao Zai Lai has a history of hundreds of years and is very mysterious. Its people are spread all over the world and there are many masters. They have a stronghold in every city, which may be a pawn shop, a teahouse, or a roadside pancake stall."
"The Inspection Division has clashed with them many times and has arrested a few low-level assassins, but has never captured any alive."
"All we know is that they have six leaders, known as the 'Six Young Masters,' but we don't know their specific identities. Below the Six Young Masters are managers and assassins at various levels, with clear hierarchy and a tight organization."
"There's only one rule at Haozailai: once you accept an order, you have to complete it. They've been tricked by you this time, and they won't let it go easily. Be careful when you go out in the future."
Xu Xian was silent for a moment,
"I was able to come back alive this time entirely thanks to the help of the Confucian school. I must give them a proper thank you when I have the chance."
Mo glanced at him briefly, then closed his eyes to rest, without asking any further questions.
...
Before long, the carriage stopped in front of the palace gate.
Old Feng pulled back the carriage curtain, and Mo Feichang straightened his clothes before leading Xu Xian toward the Taiji Hall.
The eunuch went in to announce their arrival, and after a moment he ran out to invite the two men in.
When Xu Xian stepped into the palace, the first thing he saw was a huge landscape painting.
Emperor Jingyuan stood before the painting table, holding a wolf-hair brush in his hand. The brush tip moved slowly across the Xuan paper, the blank spaces for clouds and mist were just right, and the painting was more than half completed, with a profound artistic conception.
He was dressed in a blue Taoist robe with wide sleeves and a hemp rope tied around his waist. His hair was simply tied up with a bamboo hairpin. He looked more like a Taoist hermit living in the mountains than an emperor.
Mo Feichang stepped forward and bowed in greeting.
"Your Majesty, the Investigation Department has uncovered some matters that we must report to you."
Emperor Jingyuan added the last stroke of ink to the outline of the distant mountains, placed the wolf-hair brush on the brush rest, wiped the ink from his fingers with a handkerchief, and glanced up at the two men.
"explain."
Mo Feichang stepped aside to let Xu Xian move in front.
"Mr. Xu was the person in charge of the Qingzhou case, so it will be clearer for him to explain."
Emperor Jingyuan's gaze fell on Xu Xian.
This was Xu Xian's second time seeing the emperor; the first time was at the joint trial of the three judicial departments in the Shen Tai case.
"You are Xu Xian. You were also involved in the Fourth Prince's case last time... You wrote a poem at Taibai Tower, which spread widely in the capital... 'Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, frozen corpses lie'—I remember."
Xu Xian clasped his hands and bowed, "This humble servant is terrified. I had a few too many drinks that day and just scribbled something. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Emperor Jingyuan chuckled lightly.
"Don't worry, I'm not a tyrant. I won't punish you just because you wrote two lines of poetry... Tell me what you found out."
Xu Xian immediately began to recount the entire story from the mission case to the Qingzhou case.
"...Your Majesty, I have discovered that 20% of the cold iron is intercepted each year and transported to the Di Kingdom. The person in charge is Sun Buhai, the Sima of Qingzhou. Sun Buhai's warrant is stamped with..."
Xu Xian slightly raised his head to look at the emperor.
"The Crown Prince's Seal!"
Emperor Jingyuan frowned sharply and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Xu Xian... framing the Crown Prince is a capital offense. What you just said is absolutely true? Is Sun Buhai's warrant truly in the Crown Prince's handwriting? Is the seal of the Crown Prince truly his seal? Do you know that if you cannot produce evidence, I can imprison you based on these words alone?"
Xu Xian met the emperor's gaze.
"Your Majesty, I have simply stated what I have found out. Regardless of who this person is, he harbors rebellious intentions and has harmed countless lives for his own selfish gain. I beg Your Majesty to punish him severely."
Emperor Jingyuan remained silent for several breaths.
"Go, summon the Crown Prince."
The Ōtomo left, and the side hall became quiet.
Xu Xian and Mo Feichang stood side by side, neither of them speaking.
Before long, the eldest brother returned.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince went hunting in the Western Hills two days ago and has not yet returned."
Xu Xian raised an eyebrow slightly, muttering to himself,
Could they have run away?
Emperor Jingyuan remained silent for a few moments before speaking again.
"Go find the Crown Prince... You two go back first, and I'll speak with him after he returns."
Mo Feichang put his hands in his sleeves, bowed to Xu Xian, and then left.
The two walked out of the Taiji Hall and through the long palace corridor.
As they walked to the palace gate, Xu Xian suddenly spoke.
"Minister Si, if Ouyang's testimony proves that the prince is indeed the crown prince, how do you think His Majesty will handle the situation?"
Mo Feichang stood beneath the palace wall, sleeves tucked in, gazing at the clouds on the distant horizon. "This is none of your concern."
Xu Xian sneered, "I don't believe the emperor is so magnanimous as to tolerate something as rebellion."
"At most, His Majesty will depose the Crown Prince, imprison him in the Imperial Clan Court, and confine him for life. He will have no worries about food or clothing."
Mo Feichang turned to look at Xu Xian, "After all, he is the emperor's son and has been the crown prince for over a hundred years. It's impossible to kill him, even if he has countless lives on his hands."
Xu Xian gave a blank "oh".
In fact, he had been prepared for this outcome. Last time, when the three judicial departments jointly tried Shen Tai, the evidence was conclusive but it was all wiped clean. This time, the investigation has turned to the Crown Prince, and he knew from the beginning that the Crown Prince would not die.
The lives of the powerful and wealthy are lives, and so are the lives of the children in the dyehouse... No, in the emperor's eyes, the lives of those children are nothing.
Their parents knelt in the rain and dismembered the sorcerer, then knelt on the ground and kowtowed to him afterward.
But he failed to bring the real mastermind behind the scenes to justice; he only uncovered the truth, but he couldn't change the outcome.
He suddenly had a strong urge to drink, to go to Taibai Tower, and drink with Yang Xu, Lu Jing, Lao Feng, Zhang Hu, and Zhao Bao, until he was drunk and passed out on the table, to find a busty young lady for a deep conversation, and not to think about anything else.
Then he would get up the next day and continue patrolling the streets, continuing to do what he was supposed to do.
...
Back at the Inspection Division, Xu Xian didn't even have time to drink a sip of water.
He dragged Yang Xu out of the public room and then sent someone to call Ouyang Ruiming over from the side room.
When Ouyang entered, she hesitated a little. She had changed into a clean set of clothes and her hair had been restyled, but her eyes were still somewhat unfocused, as if her soul had not yet fully returned to its place.
"Take us to that house you mentioned now."
Ouyang nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
She led Xu Xianmo, Yang Xu, and the other two across half of the capital city to a secluded courtyard in the western suburbs.
The courtyard gate was wide open, revealing a screen wall and several clumps of bamboo inside.
Mo Feichang put his hands in his sleeves, looked up at the plaque above the courtyard gate. The plaque was empty, without any inscription.
He stepped over the threshold and swept his eyes around the yard.
"The environment is quite nice, much better than your little courtyard. There isn't even a decent tree in your yard, just a crooked locust tree, which was borrowed from Old Wang's house next door."
"My courtyard was allocated by the General Manager, not chosen by myself. With my salary, I could never afford a three-courtyard house in my lifetime."
Mo chuckled softly but didn't say anything.
The courtyard was quiet; there were no servants, no guards, not even a watchdog.
The ground was covered with fallen leaves, and it was clear that no one had cleaned it up for several days.
Ouyang led the way, passing through the corridor, around the artificial hill, and into the backyard.
A man sat by the pond in the backyard, dressed in a plain robe, holding a fishing rod, fishing on a stone bench.
The fish in the pond had stopped biting the hook long ago, but he didn't care. He just sat there, as if he were in a daze, or as if he were waiting for someone.
Hearing footsteps, he put down his fishing rod and turned around.