The Grand Secretary

One day later.

Chengtianfu, the Imperial Palace of Kyoto.

As soon as the doors of the Golden Palace opened, a cold wind rushed in along the white jade steps.

The current emperor, Li Youchan, sat on the dragon throne, with an urgent border report pressed on the table in front of him.

The red lacquer seal has been removed, and the paper is laid out. The top line reads: "[The Northern Three Battalions of the Border Encounter a sudden tragedy; all officers and soldiers perished. The battlefield is shrouded in ghostly aura, three feet thick. Horses dare not enter, and people who approach become dizzy.]"

The civil and military officials stood in two rows in the hall, and no one spoke.

"I'm sure you've all seen this urgent report."

Li Youchan slammed his palm on the urgent report: "Three battalions wiped out. Not thirty men, not three hundred, but three entire battalions. Although there have been battles on the border of Yan Kingdom in recent years, the casualties have never been so severe."

He paused for a moment after saying this.

"My lords, we need to come up with a plan today."

As soon as the words were spoken, the officials in the hall reacted.

Instead of stepping forward or making a proposal, both civil and military officials first looked to the first person on the left.

There was an old man there with his head bowed and eyebrows lowered.

The old man was dressed in a casual robe, his full head of white hair was tied up with a hairpin, he held a scepter in his hand, and his eyelids were slightly drooping, as if he were asleep.

This person is Yang Qinghe, the chief minister of the Yan Kingdom.

Faced with the emperor's questioning, all the officials waited quietly for the old man's response.

Li Youchan watched this scene, withdrew his hand from the urgent report, his fingers clenched into a fist under the desk, his nails digging into his flesh.

He didn't press further, because he knew that if the old man with downcast eyebrows in the court didn't speak, none of the officials would say a word. At most, the second-in-command he had promoted might step forward and say a few words, but it wouldn't have any effect.

The hall fell silent, which seemed somewhat absurd.

After a long while, the old man at the front finally made a move.

Yang Qinghe seemed to have just woken up, and slowly stepped out of the line to stand in the middle and bow.

"I believe that three things need to be done quickly."

"Please speak, Master Yang."

"The battlefield is sealed off, and the rumors of ghostly energy are forbidden in the army, lest they disturb the peace on the border. The Ministry of War will issue this order today."

"Investigate the cause of death. The Bureau of Investigation and the Imperial Observatory will each send a team, independent of each other. Whoever finds the cause first will report the truth."

"The pension funds shall be disbursed by the Ministry of Revenue first, without waiting for review, without delay, without being converted into grain coupons, and without being deducted at each level."

Yang Qinghe paused briefly at this point.

"If any soldier deserts out of fear of battle, they will be executed after the matter has been investigated."

After a few words, many people in the court visibly relaxed their shoulders a little.

The crowd began to echo: "The Prime Minister handled it well; I agree."

"The Grand Secretary has thought things through thoroughly." Li Youchan smiled, but it didn't seem to have any real meaning.

Yang Qinghe bowed again: "Your subject is merely handling the matter at hand."

Li Youchan looked at him and suddenly said, "Lord Feng also submitted a report on border affairs yesterday. I found a few points that could be useful. Why don't we let him go with us to supervise this time?"

The air in the hall, which had just relaxed, tensed up again.

Feng Changzhong, standing in the second row on the right, looked displeased upon hearing this.

He was someone Li Youchan had forcefully promoted. Although he was called the Second Grand Secretary, he actually had to consider other people's opinions even about where to send his memorials.

Yang Qinghe did not look at the Second Assistant.

"Your Majesty's appreciation for talent is a blessing for the court."

He lowered his head and said, "It's just that border affairs involve the Six Ministries and Five Departments. The regulations are old and complicated. The Second Grand Secretary has not been in the cabinet for long. If he rashly goes to suppress several departments, I'm afraid that the people below will listen to him on the surface but cause chaos behind his back, which will ruin the border."

These words were hurtful, yet also very certain.

The proposal was rejected again, and Li Youchan tapped his fingers impatiently on the armrest of the dragon throne.

The "clattering" sound echoed throughout the Golden Palace, but Yang Qinghe seemed not to hear it. He continued, "Your Majesty may allow the Second Grand Secretary to remain in the capital, and the Vice Minister of War to go to the border. I will personally oversee the situation."

Having said all that, it sounded like an imperial decree, and no one needed to add anything further.

Looking at the sea of ​​black gauze hats below the throne, Li Youchan suddenly felt that the Golden Palace was wider and emptier than ever before.

"Then I will do as Lord Yang says."

The officials all agreed, proclaimed "Long live the Emperor!" and praised His Majesty's wisdom.

Li Youchan wanted to laugh, but in the end he only said, "Dismiss the court."

The officials bowed and slowly withdrew.

The wind outside grew stronger, and officials walked out in twos and threes. Those who walked slowly were mostly waiting for the chief minister to come out.

As soon as Yang Qinghe stepped down the steps, people surrounded him.

"Your Excellency, regarding the border matters, I'm afraid the Ministry of War will have to make the decision after they go to the front lines."

"The Ministry of Revenue is short of funds, so the relief funds will be allocated first, and the salt tax may need to be adjusted later."

"The Imperial Observatory has a good reputation, but if we let them investigate first, it might lead to more astronomical phenomena."

The ministers and vice ministers spoke one by one, as if they were holding a second court assembly.

Yang Qinghe listened as she walked, occasionally replying with a word. Her words weren't frequent, but every sentence touched on what people should do.

The Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, Chen An, was also in the crowd.

His official rank was only third grade, which wasn't very high, but the Office of Transmission was in charge of all official documents and memorials. He had the final say on what could reach the Emperor and what should be suppressed along the way.

To put it simply, what the emperor heard depended half on the Directorate of Ceremonial and half on the Office of Transmission.

Chen An was also in the escort team. He escorted Yang Qinghe to the outside of the steps before stepping forward and interjecting, "Your Excellency, please take care."

Yang Qinghe glanced at him: "Are there many civil cases these past few days?"

Chen An smiled and said, "It's not many. It's just a few grievances from the villagers. We'll submit them to the department for investigation."

Yang Qinghe nodded and didn't ask any more questions, only saying, "Don't underestimate even small matters."

"I will remember this." The Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review bowed his head.

Yang Qinghe got into the sedan chair, and after he had gone far away, the officials who had been surrounding him dispersed.

Chen An stood there with a slight smile on his face until the sedan curtain disappeared outside the palace gates, then he turned around and went back to his work location.

The Office of Transmission was not far from the palace gate. The courtyard was not large, and both inside and outside the gate were full of minor officials delivering memorials.

As soon as he entered the inner hall, his adjutant was already waiting in front of the desk, holding a wooden box in his hands, and his expression was not good.

"What's wrong?"

Chen An took off his official hat and placed it on the rack.

The adjutant closed the door tightly and whispered, "Sir, the petition drum has been struck; a madman has come."

Chen An paused.

"The Drum of Petition?"

"Yes."

Where are they?

"According to the old custom, they are being held outside the waiting hall, under the watch of the imperial guards, and have not yet entered the palace."

"Get to the point."

Chen An sat down, picked up his teacup, and blew on the floating leaves.

The adjutant placed the wooden box on the table and lowered his voice further: "This man calls himself Su He. He was originally a ninth-rank clerk in the Xun Jin Division, but was suspended from his post a few days ago due to the Changluo County case."

Chen An nodded: "Continue."

The adjutant swallowed hard. "He said he has proof that Yan Zu is not dead."

Chen An's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air.

A minor official walked by outside; his footsteps passed by the window and then faded into the distance.

After a long pause, he placed the teacup back on the table, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "Open the wooden box."

The adjutant took out the key and carefully opened it. Inside were papers, including old document copies, place names, and eyewitness testimonies.

The Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs took the top one first.

[The emperor was pleased with his grey robes, which were neither bound nor adorned with a hat.]

[Appearance: Over twenty years old.]

[The old question posed by the sage is: Is it possible to live for ten thousand years?]

[At Xunxian Mountain in Xindu County, 260 skeletons and 351 wounds were found, with clean cuts, suggesting the destruction of a city...]

[...]

Further down the line, there's a major case in Changluo County.

Chen An flipped through the pages one by one, his face expressionless. His adjutant stood beside him, not daring to urge him on.

"That's all?" Chen An asked.

The adjutant nodded.

Chen An smiled and said, "A lowly ninth-rank official has more audacity than the ministers of the Six Ministries."

The adjutant asked in a low voice, "Sir, this matter seems a bit complicated. Should we report it to the Emperor first?"

Chen An looked up at him.

The adjutant immediately bowed his head: "This subordinate is just afraid that, in case..."

"What if it's true?"

Chen An picked up where he left off.

The adjutant didn't dare to respond.

"Tell me, throughout history, has there ever been anyone who has lived forever?"

Chen An spread the papers on the table. "Emperor Yan was a sage emperor who founded the country. Later generations revered him and added many miraculous stories to his name. The historical records dared not write them too definitively, so the folk tales became more and more fantastical."

"But Suhe belongs to Xun Jinsi..."

"If you are determined to prove that a bowl is a relic from the Dragon Palace, you can piece together a dragon from the glaze, the clay body, the previous owner, and the family tree."

Chen An shook his head, speaking casually.

The adjutant agreed, so he didn't argue further, only asking, "Then what about this matter...?"

Chen An picked up a vermilion pen and wrote on a blank card.

"Su He is skilled at striking the Dengwen Drum, spreading heretical rumors, making unfounded accusations against the Yan Ancestor, storming the forbidden gates, and disrupting the court."

He paused, his vermilion pen poised.

He continued writing: "First, he will be detained in the Ministry of Justice prison. Tomorrow, he will be transferred to the Ministry of Justice for review, and a death sentence will be proposed."

The adjutant's face changed: "Execute him tomorrow?"

Chen An raised his eyes, his voice becoming calmer, "How can the Yan Ancestor be discussed by ordinary people? Don't let fallacies get in the way."

"Your humble servant understands."

"Go and do it."

"Yes."

The adjutant picked up the somewhat empty wooden box, then hesitated: "This evidence..."

"The case files will be sealed and stored in the office; the rest will not be put into storage for the time being."

"Yes."

The adjutant dared not ask any further questions and bowed as he withdrew.

The door was closed gently.

Chen An sat behind the desk, without moving.

He looked down at the few pages of paper on the table, his finger pressing on the two characters "immortality" for a long time.

After a while, he folded the paper, rolled it into a bundle, and stuffed it into his sleeve. Then he walked quickly from the side door to the back door of the residence.

"Prepare the sedan chair."

"Where are you going, sir?"

"Go to the Yang family mansion."

Upon hearing this, the minor official immediately understood the seriousness of the matter and hurriedly lowered his head to carry out the task.

As dusk fell over Chengtianfu, a small sedan chair made of green suede emerged from the back gate of the Office of Transmission. Instead of taking the main street, it bypassed two narrow alleys and stopped outside the corner gate of the Grand Secretary's residence.

Someone was already waiting inside the side gate.

The lantern was raised, illuminating a section of a blue sleeve.

Chen An touched the paper in his sleeve; the relaxation on his face was long gone.