Chapter 290: Malicious Intent
Li Zhao reined in the Wuzhui Horse, stopping outside the west gate of the Ministry of Justice.
A moment later, a figure in grey emerged from the grim prison gate, their sleeve brushing past as if still carrying the chill of the jail.
“Are you satisfied?” he asked.
Xue Sui slowly raised her eyes.
The sound of hooves approached.
Li Zhao reined in his horse and stopped before her, his tall figure blocking the faint warmth of early winter.
His gaze was heavy, like a bottomless cold pool, fixed directly on her face, as if to pierce through the calm she forced despite her exhaustion.
After he saw through all her schemes.
There was no mockery, only understanding and pity.
Her heart gave a slight jolt.
A complex flutter, one she didn’t even want to delve into, quietly passed through her…
She raised her hand, slowly removed the veiled hat that obscured her face, revealing a thin, pale, yet exceptionally calm countenance, and clasped her hands together deeply towards him.
“Thank you, Your Highness, for fulfilling my wish.”
Li Zhao’s lips pressed together, his jawline taut as if carved from stone.
Their eyes met, their gazes briefly locked, and finally settled.
Within that flickering light, something cold seemed to ignite in an instant…
Not the passionate fervor of a raging fire, but a sense of settled dust, a tacit understanding and release tinged with the scent of blood.
Xue Sui met his gaze, neither flinching nor showing any disturbance.
But she felt a profound sense of peace.
It was as if the shackles forged by ten years of bloody vengeance found a moment of solace in his presence…
“I trouble Your Highness to handle the aftermath.”
“Go back,” he said, his voice low, betraying no emotion.
Xue Sui adjusted the cuff of her grey robe and walked to the green-curtained carriage by the alley entrance, nodding to him in farewell.
The sound of hooves echoed again.
Everything was as usual, cold and calm.
Yet, something seemed to have quietly changed between them.
“Your Highness—”
Guan Ya, standing behind Li Zhao, watched the green-curtained carriage slowly depart into the dark alley of the silent night. As someone who had witnessed this earth-shattering turn of events and this silent confrontation, his heart couldn’t help but tighten.
“Sixth Miss Xue is skilled, ambitious, and ruthless…”
The corners of Li Zhao’s lips curved slightly, his sharp line softening for a moment.
“It’s good that she is ambitious and ruthless.”
He said indifferently, his gaze calm, fixed on the direction the carriage had disappeared.
“Were there any disturbances in the capital today?”
Yuan Cang rode his horse a step forward and lowered his voice, “Guo Pi is desperately trying to dig up old messes from the past… I wonder how many corrupt officials this will implicate…”
Guan Ya chimed in, “Speaking of which, Sixth Miss Xue’s idea for the ‘Corruption Exposing Box’ is excellent. Many secret denunciations have already been received in the box. Although there are no direct pieces of evidence or clues related to the military supplies case, it’s a joy to see those with ulterior motives throw themselves into disarray…”
Li Zhao’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
“There’s no need to follow the established procedure. If there’s no hard evidence, then create it… That was the original intention of the plan I set with her…”
Guan Ya and Yuan Cang exchanged glances.
They inexplicably felt a sense of indescribable pride when their master said that.
It was hard to say.
Li Zhao, completely unaware of his subordinates’ thoughts, had a sharp glint in his eyes.
“Guan Ya, have someone make several copies of the secret reports. Under the guise of informants’ denunciations received by the Corruption Exposing Box, distribute them to several officials involved in the military supplies case… Tell them that I, the Crown Prince, sympathize with their plight and understand that corruption is not a matter of one or two days. They were also caught in the vortex and coerced by others. I am willing to give them an opportunity to repent and have their sentences reduced…”
Guan Ya’s heart tightened.
He instantly understood the killing intent behind it.
This seemingly just “channel for feedback” was, in reality, a venomous water snake thrown into the murky waters by the Crown Prince.
Officials in the imperial court, soldiers in the military, and commoners in the marketplace, regardless of their status, could anonymously submit letters to expose illegal activities. Those who reported first and were meritorious… would have their sentences reduced or even waived.
It provided all the small fry caught in the corruption chain, who were not at its core, an opportunity to struggle for survival, even to bite back and climb ashore by stepping on others.
Especially those officials who were dependent on the pillars of Prince Duan, such as the Guo, Xiao, Wang, and Ma families, how could they not be thrown into chaos in the face of this life-or-death panic?
No one knew what was in the Corruption Exposing Box; it all depended on how the Crown Prince chose to wield it.
And whether those old foxes could still sit securely…
Yuan Cang said, “Your Highness is wise! Once this strategy is implemented, Xiao Song, Xie Yanzhan, Wang Qinian, Ma Yuankui, and the like will surely become like birds startled by a bow…”
Guan Ya hesitated no longer, cupped his fists, and said in a deep voice.
“Your subordinate will attend to it immediately!”
–
Ministry of Revenue Office.
The charcoal fire in the back hall burned brightly.
Ma Yuan Kui, the Director of the Granary Department, paced anxiously in the living room with his hands behind his back, as agitated as an ant on a hot pan.
Several copied “Corruption Exposing Box” denunciation letters lay on the desk before him.
Black ink on white paper, each word like a knife, clearly pointing to several old accounts he had handled…
“They’re going too far! This is simply too much…”
The lean middle-aged man with a dough-like face and small eyes muttered, suddenly stopped, grabbed a piece of paper, and slammed it onto the table, making the teacups clatter.
“This is clearly a deliberate frame-up… They want to drag me down.”
“Sir.” His trusted aide stepped closer, lowering his voice, “Could it be… from the Zhang family? Zhang Minda died under mysterious circumstances, and the entire Zhang family harbors immense resentment towards us. And Wang Qinian… that old scoundrel might be hiding somewhere, causing trouble…”
Ma Yuan Kui turned, his bloodshot eyes fixed on his aide.
“This matter is definitely related to the Zhang and Wang families. Zhang Minda was a good-for-nothing, and his death has implicated me… Wang Qinian, hmph, he’s no good either…”
He recalled the connections and suspicions of many years, and a chill ran down his spine.
“Wang Qinian has always been opportunistic. He might use the Corruption Exposing Box to smear me and strike first! These denunciation letters might be his pledge of allegiance to the Eastern Palace…”
The aide nodded, his expression grave, “Sir, do you know that last night, Guo Zhaohuai in the Ministry of Justice Prison… is gone. It’s said he ‘committed suicide out of guilt,’ and before he died, he left a confession, implicating quite a few people…”
He paused, carefully observing Ma Yuan Kui’s expression.
“The Crown Prince is now spreading rumors, offering opportunities to those who confess voluntarily… Is this a test? Or… is he truly willing to show leniency?”
Ma Yuan Kui’s eyes flickered intensely.
The instinct for survival and immense fear warred fiercely in his mind. He slammed the table.
“At this point, I cannot just sit and wait for death!”
–
Wang Family Study Room.
Wang Qinian, Director of the Ministry of Works, was also restless.
He was in charge of construction projects, water conservancy, and irrigation, and should have been enjoying prestige. However, he was on pins and needles due to his involvement in the military supplies case.
“Everyone in the imperial court knows that the military supplies transfer back then was a mess. With layers of exploitation and embezzlement, how many people are clean? Now, the Crown Prince is clearly using the Guo family’s case to dig into old matters and establish his authority. This Corruption Exposing Box is a guillotine hanging over our heads. Yet, these fools don’t know any better… they insist on seeking their own demise and walking into the trap…”
“Sir.” His trusted strategist’s voice was filled with panic, “The night before last, I saw with my own eyes. The second steward of the Ma residence was sneakily going to the Left Wing Gate, stuffing something into that Corruption Exposing Box… This isn’t about self-preservation; it’s about them rushing to pin the blame on us! They stuff black material in, and then the Crown Prince’s people arrive…”
Wang Qinian’s face turned pale.
His heart trembled.
The copied denunciation letters on the table felt like a death knell, burning hot to the touch.
The strategist lowered his voice and continued, “Besides Ma Yuan Kui, no one else knows the inside story of the thirty thousand taels of silver for the canal dredging back then…”
Wang Qinian nodded and sighed faintly.
“It must be this scoundrel. He’s not clean himself and wants to drag me down with him… Now that the Crown Prince has handed me a copy of the denunciation letter, he’s warning me.”
Years of suspicion, each with their own leverage.
The alliance of friendship had devolved into a fight to the death.
Wang Qinian hardened his heart.
“Hmph! Since he is not benevolent, I cannot be righteous. Let’s see who can clear themselves…”
–
Shui Yue Nunnery.
Master Miaozhen, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, had returned.
Publicly, she was said to have returned from a pilgrimage and was recuperating from an illness.
Upon her return, she confined herself to the courtyard of the east wing, refusing visitors.
It was early winter, and the mountain was desolate and cold, with few pilgrims, so no one paid much attention.
In the vegetable patch behind the mountain, only a sparse scattering of hardy radishes and kale were still stubbornly stretching their dark green leaves…
Xue Sui, wrapped in a slightly worn indigo cotton robe, squatted by the vegetable patch, holding a small hoe, carefully tending to the soil around the row of vegetables.
Her movements were focused and gentle, as if the bloody revenge in the Ministry of Justice prison was merely a vague illusion, unrelated to her tranquility…
“Miss, you’ve only just recovered, don’t tire yourself out.”
Jinshu walked over with a pail of water, looking at her slightly hunched back, and couldn’t help but advise.
Xue Sui straightened up, patted the dirt from the hem of her cotton robe and her fingers, and turned to smile gently at her, “It’s fine. Moving my limbs makes me feel warmer and more at ease.”
She took the water ladle and carefully poured water onto the roots of the vegetables, watching with a smile as the water seeped into the dark brown soil…
“These radish seedlings were transplanted from an old farmer down the mountain. If we tend to them well, we’ll have something to eat in winter…”
“Auntie, Auntie!”
A clear voice like silver bells rang out.
Like the cheerful chirping of mountain sparrows, it suddenly broke the silence of the mountain.
Xue Sui turned her head to look in the direction of the sound.
She saw Niu Niu, like a joyful fawn, skipping along the bluestone path towards her, her little cheeks red from the cold, her eyes brimming with joy…
Not far behind her was Princess Wen Jia, smiling.
And two children, led by their wet nurse, looking a bit reserved—Tong Tong and Guan Chen.
The children of Ping Le and Lu You’an.
