Bearing Heaven in the Rain

Chapter 94 Bearing Heaven in the Rain

With a thunderous roar, the newly lit dawn was obscured by dark clouds.

A few breaths later, the sky and earth were indistinguishable in color, and the rain, as large as beans, pounded on the ground, turning the entire capital into a watery world.

When the gate of Chengtian Prefecture appears at the end of the official road.

Suhe loosened the reins, letting the rain lash his face and body.

I'm finally back.

Suhe spurred his horse to the city gates and slowly moved forward with the flow of people entering the city.

As he approached the city gate, he hadn't taken more than a few steps when he saw a black-covered carriage parked inside the side gate.

Previously, the rain obscured the view, but upon closer inspection, Suhe noticed something amiss. Guards stood watch beside the carriage, and the person at the front wore a scarlet round-necked robe, had a silver fish-shaped pouch at his waist, and a fair complexion with no beard.

This attire... belongs to the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

In terms of rank, he was second only to the Grand Chancellor. Normally, even officials from the Six Ministries would have to send a formal invitation to see him. Yet now, he was standing at the city gate waiting for Su He, who hadn't made any move yet. The eunuch in scarlet robes had already come forward to greet him: "Is this the case of Inspector Su?"

Suhe dismounted and bowed: "Your humble servant is Suhe."

The eunuch smiled and personally lifted the carriage curtain for him.

"Lord Su, you must be tired from your journey. His Majesty has asked twice already and specifically instructed me to wait here, saying that he will bring you to the palace once you return."

These words were too polite, so polite that Su He felt they shouldn't have been spoken to him, a mere seventh-rank patrol officer.

As the imperial guard took the reins, the eunuch in scarlet robes glanced at Suhe's already soaked clothes.

"Would Lord Su like to change his clothes first?"

"Your Majesty, please wait. We dare not delay." Su He shook his head.

The eunuch's smile deepened, and he didn't try to persuade him any further, only telling the coachman to hurry up.

There was no questioning, no waiting, and even the palace gate plaque was prepared in advance.

As Suhe stepped onto the carriage shaft, he already had a plan in mind.

It seems that the things I returned were not taken lightly.

After the carriage entered the city and turned onto the long street, the rain was pattering outside. Suhe leaned against the carriage wall and went over the things that had been weighing on her mind all along the way.

That night, after obtaining information about the Oni Clan, Suhe didn't sleep a wink and wrote six urgent reports on Mount Zhaoye.

The six men entered Beijing from different directions and at different times, all with the same goal: to reduce the risk of being intercepted en route.

At the time, Lu Guang asked, "Why split the case into six separate approaches for the same matter?"

Suhe was pressing the sealant onto the wax when he replied.

"I used to put the evidence in a box, hoping to send it to the right people who should see it."

"And then?"

"The box was taken away, and I ended up in death row."

After listening, Lu Guang didn't ask any more questions. He simply ordered the mountain gate to bring out the fastest black horse and sent six core disciples with the letter to Chengtian Prefecture.

After the urgent report was sent out, Suhe stayed in Beiyang Prefecture for two more days.

Only after the prefectural governor apprehended the people from the horse trading company did he escort the other evidence back home.

As for that glance at Teruno Muneyama, he didn't write about it.

Separated by half a mountain, without dialogue, without tokens, and without the other party's personal admission, such a matter, once written into official documents, is meaningless.

Of course, it's not entirely due to insufficient evidence.

Suhe has already died once.

This time, he wanted to leave himself some options.

That one glance was too heavy, and the court was too murky. Before Su He could figure out who truly wanted to find Yan Zu and who only wanted to use Yan Zu to do their bidding, he was not prepared to hand everything over.

"Clatter!"

The rain outside suddenly intensified, no longer pattering on the bluestone road, but instead hitting the white jade bricks.

The carriage then turned.

Suhe lifted the curtain, her eyes narrowing sharply.

Ahead lay not the garden of the Imperial Study, but the main hall with its golden tiles and double eaves.

In the misty dream, the Golden Palace sits atop jade steps, representing the majesty of the Yan Kingdom and its supreme power.

"Father-in-law, this is—" Suhe asked.

The eunuch in scarlet robes smiled and said, "It's the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), and His Majesty is holding court."

Suhe's fingers clenched instantly, and her heart beat faster.

The carriage stopped at the side gate, and the eunuch led them through two palace gates. The closer they got to the Golden Palace, the clearer the voices inside became.

When Suhe heard the words "border merchants," "Lin'an," and "secret materials," he realized that the people in the court were discussing the case he had sent back.

The palace doors opened, and an attendant announced loudly, "Inspector Su He, enter the palace."

The two rows of civil and military officials turned their heads almost simultaneously.

Some people stared at him, some frowned, and some recognized the young man who had struck the petition drum and crawled out of death row.

Su He kept her head down and her steps were steady, but when she stepped over the red-lacquered threshold, a thin layer of sweat had already seeped out from her back.

The person standing here can decide the finances of a prefecture with just a few words, and can mobilize a battalion of fierce soldiers. Suhe once fantasized about how he would amaze everyone if he entered the imperial council.

But once he stepped inside, every gaze was filled with official authority, and every movement reflected profound decision-making. Even though Su He had experienced death, he still felt the pressure.

Suhe glanced at the palace out of the corner of her eye.

In the entire hall, there was only one person who wasn't looking at him.

On the far left, a grand chair was placed half a step ahead of the court officials. An old man sat there with his hands on his knees and his eyes half-closed.

Su He glanced at it once and then looked away, walking onto the red carpet and kneeling to pay her respects.

"Your subject Suhe pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Rise."

Li Youchan sat on the dragon throne and spoke with a wave of his sleeve.

Suhe stood up.

"Clatter".

An official document was thrown down the steps, followed by the voice of the Minister of the Interior.

"Two messengers from the Ghost Clan were captured at the horse camp outside Beiyang City, along with a cipher book."

The second one followed immediately.

"Thirteen cartloads of ghost ingredients made from human flesh were unearthed from the cellars of Lin'an Prefecture, and three ghost cultivators were captured alive."

The third one came down.

"The border caravan left ahead of schedule. Although the people were not captured, the account books were not completely burned."

After Feng Ruanxuan took a small step back, Li Youchan did not speak directly to Suhe, but instead looked at the assembled officials and questioned, "Is this the Northern Tribe Ghost Clan that you've been talking about for years without making any significant moves?!"

No one answered in the hall, so Li Youchan called out names directly.

He first addressed the Ministry of War: "Border caravans traverse our territory, and your investigation concludes that it's legitimate trade?"

"I failed in my supervisory duties," the Vice Minister of War stepped forward to admit his mistake.

Li Youchan then looked at the Ministry of Rites: "Qiwu, Shuochuanchuan, and the people of Beiche have been exchanging information for three years, yet you didn't notice anything amiss when you submitted your memorials?"

The Minister of Rites bowed his head and said, "There is no mention of military or political matters in the documents of the vassal states. We have filed them according to commercial records and there is indeed an oversight."

Li Youchan sneered and then asked Xun Jinsi how many ghost cases he had investigated.

After everyone stepped forward, the supreme ruler spoke, word by word, "The Ghost Clan has even extended their reach into the heart of the Yan Kingdom!"

"So many officials in the court are not as powerful as someone you almost executed! How laughable! How absurd!"

The officials glanced at the chief minister at the front, and seeing that Yang Qinghe had no reaction, they could only lower their heads.

Suhe did not look up.

He knew that these officials were not all incompetent. The Ministry of War was in charge of military routes, the Ministry of Rites collected documents from vassal states, and the local authorities were only in charge of their own prefectures. The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics could not mobilize border troops and commercial tax records. Each place held a small piece of the data, but no one could put them all on the same table.

The reason I was able to uncover this was twofold: firstly, the list provided by Lu Guang was accurate enough; and secondly, the simultaneous delivery of six urgent reports to the palace prevented any official from interfering.

After Li Youchan finished cursing, the tightness in his chest eased a bit.

He looked at Su He: "Minister Su, you brought back the Ghost Clan's spy from Beiyang Prefecture, saving more than just the people of that prefecture. Shouldn't you be rewarded for this achievement?"

The second minister, understanding the implication, stepped forward first: "Your Majesty, Su Xun has rendered meritorious service in investigating the case and deserves a generous reward."

A few more officials echoed this sentiment, but most remained unmoved.

The silence in the hall indicated that everyone was waiting for the old man at the front to give his opinion.

The smile on Li Youchan's lips slowly faded.

"Chief Minister Yang."

Yang Qinghe then opened her eyes.

"Your subject is here."

"Is it also the chief minister's way of governing a country to not reward those who have rendered meritorious service?"

These words were barbed and made no attempt to conceal them.

Yang Qinghe did not argue, only saying, "He deserves a reward."

Li Youchan narrowed his eyes: "How shall I reward you?"

The old man finally raised his eyes: "As Your Majesty wishes, a generous reward will be given."

The attitude was clear, without any strings attached, and without advocating for anyone's rights.

It seems that Yang Qinghe also realized that this was due to his own negligence, which led to the fact that the ghost clan had been in the territory for so long without being detected.

Li Youchan was silent for a moment, then the corners of his mouth began to turn upwards, unable to suppress his smile.

"good!"

He pointed at Su He, "The original case is dropped, and the death penalty is waived."

Suhe quickly clasped his hands in thanks.

The guillotine that had been hanging over his head was finally removed at this moment.

Li Youchan's rewards did not stop.

"Minister Su, you have found important information and reported it in a timely manner, which benefits the people, the country, and the nation."

"Breaking the rules, Su He is appointed as a fifth-rank official and temporarily appointed as the Northern Border Patrol Commissioner. A separate Northern Border Patrol Division will be established to investigate the infiltration of the Ghost Clan, cross-prefecture spies, and collusion between trade routes and sects."

"Relevant supplementary documents shall be submitted by each prefecture within a specified period. Major cases may be reported directly to the Emperor. A six-month evaluation shall be conducted, and those with merit shall be promoted accordingly; those without merit shall be dismissed."

Li Youchan added, "What I have given you is the power to investigate cases, not the power to confiscate property and kill people with just a list. The deployment of troops is still under the Ministry of War, and the arrest of people requires the cooperation of the local authorities and the Ministry of Justice. The original files are not to be touched without authorization."

"Your subject understands."

Suhe knelt down again.

A slight commotion finally arose inside the hall.

The leap from the seventh rank to the fifth rank is quite significant, and it has only happened a few times in the history of the Yan Kingdom.

If the official position was publicly known, what truly stirred up the officials were the words "transfer within a specified period" and "report directly to the emperor."

The local authorities can still refuse to let him take people, but they cannot anger Suhe. If this person skips the process and presents the case file directly to the emperor, His Majesty will definitely use it as an excuse to make trouble.

Even though Li Youchan is now in a weak position, that is only in comparison to Yang Qinghe. Other officials dare not ignore him in the slightest.

All the officials looked at Suhe with changed expressions, their gazes now filled with a mix of emotions.

When Suhe's forehead touched the ground, he felt not the ecstatic joy he had imagined, but rather a sense of clarity.

He finally got what he had always lacked.

right.

Real power.

But holding this thing in your hand can also drag you deeper into the abyss.

As the court bell rang to signal the end of the session, the officials walked out in turn.

Su He, carrying the new official robes, followed at the back of the procession. As they passed the old man surrounded by a crowd, Yang Qinghe suddenly looked up.

His gaze was devoid of emotion, lingering on Su He's face for only a moment.

Suhe didn't stop walking, but her back suddenly tensed up.

He suddenly felt that all his secrets had been seen through at a glance, a feeling that was unpleasant.

Su He thought the Grand Secretary would ask something, so she quickened her pace, but Yang Qinghe didn't ask anything and soon lowered her eyes again.

Su He walked out of the Golden Palace. It was still pouring rain outside. He walked directly into the rain, his palms sweating or wet.

The voice of a palace attendant came from behind.

"Lord Su, His Majesty has one more imperial edict."

Suhe turned around.

The eunuch in scarlet robes stood in the shadows of the palace gate, lowering his voice.

"The Northern Border Patrol Division, thoroughly investigate the ghost case."

He paused for a moment.

"Secretly investigate Yan Zu, do not forget."

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