The mention of a hot pot finally, brought some warmth to the officials’ hearts.
This winter’s first snow came earlier than usual before they adjusted to the biting cold of the frost, and now another bone-chilling cold front was upon them. Prince Xin was right never before had they agreed so much with the words of a mere child. Since the Crown Prince had already taken the fall for this matter, there was no need to get any deeper. To put it, when your arm is broken, you keep it hidden within your sleeve; after all, the people involved are close to you. The deep palace isn’t like the common folk, who often add a “our” before mentioning their family. it’s not much different. Besides, Su Xinghe was trying to alleviate the court’s burdens by capturing a major corrupt official. The purpose of making an example out of one to warn others had been achieved. If they were to go back and criticize the methods used to solve the case as too unorthodox they might as well stop investigating cases altogether to avoid being accused of abusing power due to a momentary oversight.
Yes, yes, let’s go home and eat hot pot. The Dayin Dynasty enjoyed peace and prosperity, with no urgent crises to overcome. What initially seemed like a big issue had now been reduced to a minor one, thanks to the Crown Prince’s intervention. Would the Emperor go against meritorious officials, who were preparing to give him a grandson? Look at him, taking on multiple roles and nearly exhausting himself, how could the Emperor reward him with blame instead of praise? That’s not the Emperor’s style.
Prince Jianping’s gaze swept around the room. The several key ministers of the cabinet were like hibernating bears, ready to retreat into slumber at the slightest cold. He didn’t mind either way; the matter had started with Su Xinghe, and whether she was punished or retained didn’t affect him. But that girl was indeed cunning, this incident made it impossible for Commander Nan Yushu to maintain his position as the chief commander. Even if he wasn’t immediately dismissed or investigated, being placed under observation while remaining in his post was inevitable.
The rivalry between the Jinwu Shi and the Zhiwei Shi began here. He touched his nose, sat down with the others, turned his head, smiled at Prince Minxing, and said no more.
The Emperor let out a long sigh closed the document in his hand, and slapped it on the table beside him. He glanced at the Crown Prince, his tone still displeased, “The regulations of the Eastern Palace need to be revised. Since your female secretary has been reassigned to the outer court, she must adhere to the rules of the outer court. Non-military officials are not allowed to handle memorials or petitions. Considering that her transfer order was only recently issued and she was eager to assist her superior with a case, we won’t pursue this matter further. As for Commander Nan Yushu…” He pointed a finger that nearly drilled into the back of Commander Nan Yushu’s head. “Reckless in action, ineffective in work! If this continues, you should step down early and let someone more capable take over as commander-in-chief.”
Of course, no punishment would be meted out. If action were taken, it would have to include both Su Xinghe and the Crown Prince, and it wouldn’t be worth sacrificing these people for a corrupt official. However, it was indeed frustrating. Those incompetent officials at the Ministry of Military Control, who usually strut around outside, don’t even understand the concept of a covert investigation clearly, each generation is worse than the last!
The matter was dropped and no one was held accountable. The small court session was adjourned, and the Emperor took Prince Xin back to the Lizheng Hall. The cabinet officials stepped out of the warm pavilion, shivering as they breathed in the chilly air under the gray dome, and exclaimed, “How cold!” They clasped their hands inside their sleeves and bid farewell, heading home. the warm pavilion only the three brothers and Commander Nan Yushu remained. Prince Jianping smiled and invited the Crown Prince and Prince Minxing, “There’s nothing important today, and with this beautiful snowfall, I suggest we go to ZhiMei Tower for a meal, how about a fish cooked four ways? My treat and we’ll invite the fourth brother too.”
Prince Minxing naturally agreed. The four brothers were divided into two factions: the Crown Prince and Prince Xin were born to the same mother and naturally sided together. Prince Minxing’s mother held a slightly lower rank, among the wives. Madam Xue, who was close to Zuo Zhaoyi, and Prince Jianping grew up together, so it was natural for him to align with Prince Jianping.
The two of them waited for the Crown Prince to respond. The Crown Prince with his hands clasped in his sleeves and a troubled expression on his face said, “All the people under me are useless; they’ve turned a simple task into this mess. Do I have the mood for a meal of fish cooked four ways? No, you two go ahead. I need to go back and think about how to handle this matter.” With that, he waved his hand and left with Commander Nan Yushu back to the Eastern Palace.
The journey was silent, and it was precisely because of this silence that made the atmosphere even more terrifying. Commander Nan Yushu followed behind with his head bowed. When they reached the Dongxi Gate, the Crown Prince stopped and glanced back at him, shaking his head, in disappointment. Commander Nan Yushu didn’t dare to defend himself, lowering his head even further. When they arrived at the Dongxi Right Gate, the Crown Prince looked back at him again and sighed, which sent a chill down Commander Nan Yushu’s spine. Finally, he gritted his teeth and confessed, “All the blame lies with me. Your Highness, feel free to strip me of my rank and punish me severely.”
The Crown Prince frowned at him, wanting to scold him as a fool for being so easily manipulated despite his many years of service. But on second thought, he let it go. At least Su Xinghe hadn’t sought to take his life. If she had secretly handed over the transcript from the office, that would have left him with no defense and certain death.
“You should still be grateful to Master Su,” he said, meaning she hadn’t destroyed him.
Commander Nan Yushu slowly raised his hands in a gesture of thanks and agreed.
“From now on, work together with her. She’s the deputy commander, matters of interrogation should also be shared with her.” He looked up at the sky, hands behind his back, and asked, “Did last night’s commotion disturb the Jinyi Right Guard? Who took the lead in bringing them back?”
Commander Nan Yushu bowed and replied, “It was Lou Yueting of the Right Guard.”
“Him?” The Crown Prince paused and asked, “When Su Xinghe arrived, was Lou Yueting still there?”
Commander Nan Yushu thought, for a moment before replying, “When Lou Yueting led his men away from the Ministry of Military Control, Master Su had just arrived at the yamen. They met and exchanged a few words.”
The Crown Prince lowered his gaze, the sable fur collar around his neck accentuating his jade-like face, making his skin appear even more bloodlessly pale.
Commander Nan Yushu’s heart was pounding, unsure of what his master was contemplating. After a long silence, he finally said, “Your Highness, please punish me. It would ease my mind a little.”
The Crown Prince glanced at him without any expression. “You’re the commander what am I supposed to do, punish you by making you stand in the courtyard holding bricks? Enough, go back and stop making a fool of yourself.”
Commander Nan Yushu’s face instantly flushed red, but as the cold northern wind hit him, it quickly turned a purplish hue. Without daring to say more, he cupped his hands in a deep bow and retreated to the Xuande Gate.
As the Crown Prince walked, he pondered about Lou Yueting, the general of the Jinyi Right Guard, who served under Su Xinghe. It was quite a coincidence that it was his subordinate who happened to patrol the area. The Front Gate Tower marked the boundary between the eastern and western parts of the city, and it wasn’t solely under the jurisdiction of the Jinyi Right Guard, half of it belonged to the Jinyi Left Guard’s territory as well. all of that could be overlooked; the most intriguing part was that Lou Yueting was Su Xinghe’s childhood friend. That added an interesting twist to the situation.
Snow was falling from the sky, as the Crown Prince walked with his head down. Dequan struggled to hold an umbrella over him, followed by a line of eunuchs. After entering the Chongjiao Gate, they proceeded along the central path straight to the Lizheng Hall. Midway, the Crown Prince looked up and saw a noblewoman, dressed in formal attire, standing on the vermilion steps, instructing a young eunuch to clear the snow from the path.
A voice called out “Your Highness,” cutting through the wind and snow to reach his ears. He paused slightly in his steps. She descended the steps, lifting her robe as she ran to him, asking if he was cold while pushing a hand warmer into his arms.
Dequan, ever adept at reading the situation, noticed that Master Su was braving the snow and couldn’t let her get soaked. He shifted the umbrella toward her, but without noticing, a clump of snow from above slid down, landing on her neck.
“Oh no…” Dequan exclaimed in alarm, “This servant deserves to die.”
It was this comment that triggered the Crown Prince’s ire. He sneered and asked, “Whose servant are you?”
This left Dequan stunned. Normally, it didn’t matter whose servant one was they were all part of the same household, after all.
While Dequan was still in a daze, the Crown Prince had already stepped onto the vermilion steps. Su Xinghe met his gaze briefly before hurrying after him.
She had already received word of what happened in the warm pavilion as soon as the Emperor left. Commander Nan Yushu had narrowly escaped, temporarily retaining his position, though his reputation was tarnished. One more mistake, and he could easily be brought down. As for herself, she had managed to make an impression in front of the Emperor and the cabinet. Originally, she had planned to confront the Emperor directly, but the Crown Prince had handled the matter, saving her the trouble. In any case, the goal had been achieved, so the minor details didn’t matter. The most pressing issue now was dealing with the Crown Prince. She had made up her mind, if he questioned her, she would firmly claim that she was only trying to help Commander Nan Yushu in his time of need. After all, there was no better way to forgive him in such a short time.
Carefully observing the Crown Prince’s demeanor, she followed him into the study, where he sat down on the throne on the Southern Kang. A bronze Boshan incense burner sat at the head of the Southern Kang emitting a faint trail of smoke. Occasionally, the smoke drifted past his face, reflecting, in the light from outside making his expression appear blurred and profound.
He removed the amber bracelet from his wrist and placed it on the bronze incense burner. Leaning back against the cushion, he raised his hand to rub his neck. Su Xinghe immediately understood, stepping forward to massage his muscles. She spoke softly as she worked, “It’s the first snow of the year today. I had the kitchen prepare a hot pot with lamb. Once you’ve enjoyed it, Your Highness, you won’t fear the cold for the rest of the winter.”
The Crown Prince with his eyes closed, made a small sound of acknowledgment. After a long pause, he finally said, “Aren’t you curious about how Commander Nan Yushu was dealt with?”
Her fingers moved slowly over his temples as she replied softly, “With Your Highness handling it, how could he not be absolved? Although Commander Nan Yushu acted recklessly, the Emperor can’t just punish him. Internally, we know he disregarded the Emperor’s orders, but, he was apprehending a corrupt official and purging the court. What crime is there in that?”
“Is that what you think?” The Crown Prince pulled her hand down and turned to look at her.
She smiled slightly, “Yes, that’s exactly what I think.”
From such a close distance, every flicker of her eyes and every pore in her skin exuded honesty. But he knew that when it came to scheming few could match her. The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze growing deeper, and he tightened his grip on her wrist. “But he implicated you. Prince Jianping and Prince Minxing are demanding a thorough investigation into you. Do you know what crimes that might uncover?”
For a brief moment, her expression faltered, but it quickly cleared as if nothing had happened. “If they can’t bring Commander Nan Yushu to justice, they’ll use me as a scapegoat? In the middle of the night, when something like this happens, what other way could I have dealt with it?”
But this urgency wasn’t truly urgent. On the surface, it was just a case of the Ministry of Military Control abusing its power. Even if it escalated, Commander Nan Yushu might face some disciplinary action, but there was no real risk of him losing his position. It was the later actions the unnecessary embellishments, that were truly fatal. He even started to suspect that the document issued by the Ministry of Justice needed to be reconsidered for its authenticity. After all, changing the character was not much harder.
Feeling weary, the Crown Prince sighed deeply. “Once you’ve caught someone’s attention, they’re destined for endless good fortune.”
Su Xinghe knew he was being sarcastic and dutifully bowed her head. “Thank you for the praise, Your Highness.”
She knew how to play along! He scoffed, shifting his gaze away coolly.
It would be best if Commander Nan Yushu could be protected, but if not, so be it. After all, it was his lack of judgment, that got him into trouble; he had no one else to blame. Su Xinghe, however, was different. The Crown Prince deliberately mentioned Prince Jianping in front of her, hoping she would understand the situation, know her limits, and avoid continuing down a path that would only lead to being used as a pawn.
The Crown Prince had his intentions, and Su Xinghe had her calculations. In this world, being caught between two masters, like being married to two husbands, would lead to no good end. She had no intention of pledging allegiance to anyone; she only acted for herself. If she succeeded, it would be her fortune; if she failed miserably, she would accept it as fate and would face death without regret.
Unfortunately, the serious intrigue was disrupted by a few of the Crown Prince’s later remarks. With a stern expression, he asked Su Xinghe, “That Lou Yueting, was it just coincidence that he happened to be at the Ministry of Military Control? I heard you were beaming with joy, unable to contain yourself. What exactly is your relationship with him, daring to flirt at the gate of the yamen?”
