Chapter 124: The Imperial Seal Casually Placed On The Desk
The Anmen Gate side is not as bustling as the Great Palace Gate side, and the terrain is relatively open. Across the street are several yamens of the court.
Precisely because those who come here are either entering Yongfu Palace or handling affairs at the yamen, anyone with a discerning eye passing by this road can always identify the carriages stopping here.
At this time, just past noon, the autumn wind swept up the fallen leaves on the street. Yue Tang led Ye Chuang and several guards, splitting into two horse carriages with the curtains tightly drawn, arriving at the Anmen Gate street.
“In those several carriages diagonally across from the palace gate, the one in the middle with the black top is where Mu Shuyun is.” Ye Chuang pointed to the opposite side and said.
He had been summoned by Yue Tang to ride in the same carriage, and he had been very uneasy all the way. At this moment, his voice was somewhat tense when speaking.
Yue Tang only looked into the distance through a narrow gap in the lifted curtain: “They’ve been stopped here for quite some time. Send someone to check if she’s still inside?”
The guard in the front carriage received the order and immediately circled around to the front.
Yue Tang fiddled with the tassels of the brocade cloth laid on the kang table for a moment, then that guard returned: “Reporting to the Princess, there are still people in the carriage. No figure can be seen, but when this subordinate passed under the carriage, he smelled palace-made rouge scent and heard a woman’s speaking voice.”
Since they had planned to tail and stake out, the person sent out was naturally dressed as a yamen runner, allowing him to pass by the carriage as much as possible.
Since there was still rouge scent and speaking voice in the carriage compartment, Mu Shuyun was most likely still inside.
Staying for such a long time without leaving, how could there be no ulterior motive?
Yue Tang thought for a moment and said to Ye Chuang: “We’ll enter the palace through Anmen Gate and go to the Imperial Household Department.”
They had tokens issued by the Imperial Household Department for conducting business, so even if this route was unusual, it did not violate any taboos.
Using the carriage for cover, they quickly presented their tokens and entered the palace. A little eunuch coming out from the palace brushed past them. Yue Tang turned her head to glance at his direction, then immediately pulled Ye Chuang to a stop inside the palace gate.
The little eunuch directly entered the Mu Family’s carriage.
“I can go to the Imperial Household Department side by myself. When he returns, keep an eye on him and see what he’s really up to.”
Ye Chuang nodded.
Taking another guard with her, she proceeded along the covered walkway toward the direction of the inner palace supervision. At the turn, using the trees for cover, Ye Chuang veered toward Yongfu Palace.
Yue Tang arrived at the Imperial Household Department with another guard. The on-duty eunuchs saw her and were very surprised, coming out from behind their desks one after another: “Why has Your Highness the Princess come in person? Whatever instructions you have, just say them.”
Yue Tang smiled: “I heard people from the Prince’s Mansion say they need to collect the monthly stipend. Since I’m idle anyway, I took the chance to enter the palace for a stroll.”
The head eunuch breathed a sigh of relief and also smiled: “Your Highness the Princess gracing us with your presence brings honor to our small yamen. Please sit quickly!”
He ushered Yue Tang into the hall, and on the other side, a little eunuch brewed tea and brought it over.
He personally presented it: “Collecting the monthly stipend requires going through some simple procedures. Please wait a moment, Princess.”
Yue Tang scanned the surroundings and chatted idly: “I’ve been out of the palace for a long time, and I’m rusty on some matters.
“If there are any unimportant, old household registration files from past years, bring them for me to look at?”
The eunuch thought for a moment: “There are.”
Saying this, he walked to the shelf beside where the household registration documents were placed and pulled out several booklets of varying sizes.
“These are the routine procedures for the imperial clan from past years. One is the annual festival agenda, one is the quotas for subordinate officials of the princes’ mansions and the forbidden defense allocations, as well as the criteria for selection and replacement. Another is the reporting on the imperial clan’s own industries.
“These are all sent up from the imperial clans in various places. They are five or six years old and have already been cataloged and stored. It’s fine for the Princess to look at them.”
The old eunuch was in his forties or fifties, with a fair face, faint eyebrows and fine eyes, speaking in a gentle, soft voice.
Yue Tang flipped through them and suddenly looked at him: “Have I seen you before?”
The old eunuch paused, then smiled and nodded: “This slave previously served before the Former Emperor. When Your Highness the Princess was first learning statecraft, you memorized the Former Emperor’s teachings perfectly. The Former Emperor was delighted and rewarded the Princess with a short dagger, which this slave delivered into your hands at the time.”
Yue Tang remembered: “You’re Yu—”
“This old slave is Yu Shan.” The old eunuch smiled and gave a bow. “The Princess escaped danger and returned safely; you must have great fortune!”
Yue Tang smiled: “When did you come to the Imperial Household Department?”
Yu Shan put away his smile: “This old slave has been here for three years. After the Former Emperor passed away, the Emperor took pity on this slave for meritorious service in attendance and arranged positions for the batch of old people who were originally in Zichen Hall.”
Yue Tang’s gaze sharpened slightly: “So you were present when the Former Emperor passed away?”
“No,” Yu Shan shook his head, “this old slave didn’t have that qualification.
“The day before the Former Emperor passed away, he happened to hear the bad news that two princes had met with danger, and his condition suddenly worsened.
“Prince Duan heard the news and urgently entered the palace to attend. The imperial physician said the Former Emperor needed quiet rest, so the Prince instructed that only two palace servants who had accompanied the Former Emperor since youth be left to attend inside the hall.
“So for those few days, this old slave and the others only did tasks like delivering water and food in the outer hall.”
Yue Tang instinctively glanced toward Zichen Hall, then withdrew her gaze: “The outer hall is not far from the inner hall. That night, any sounds from inside should have been audible outside.”
“Exactly,” Yu Shan bowed his head, “that night we all heard the Former Emperor arguing with the Prince.”
“How did they argue?” Yue Tang paused, “My father king has always respected his imperial uncle. How could he argue with his imperial uncle?”
Yu Shan glanced at the palace servants shuttling around and hesitated to speak.
Yue Tang then took the booklets and stood up, paced a few steps with hands behind her back, then turned back to glance at him before slowly stepping out over the threshold and strolling toward an unmanned corner.
Yu Shan followed and said: “That night was midnight. The Former Emperor woke after a short rest and was reviewing memorials at the desk. Prince Duan accompanied him, speaking at the side.
“As they spoke, for some reason, the Former Emperor angrily rebuked the Prince, blaming him for why he let the First Prince go to Jiangling to receive his younger brother? He even asked if he truly intended to harm them to death!
“Such a charge, even Prince Duan could not bear. The Prince naturally tried his utmost to explain, but the Former Emperor at the time believed he had painfully lost his two sons, heartbroken and unbearable, and the argument grew more intense.”
“Then why was it concluded that my father king died by suicide?”
“Because Empress Dowager Shen came later. When Empress Dowager Shen opened the door, we all saw Prince Duan collapsed in a pool of blood.
“And at that time, the Former Emperor was already critically ill, impossible to have the strength to kill the Prince.”
Yue Tang turned her body around. “Who else was in the hall at the time?”
“No one.” Yu Shan shook his head, “When the argument voices arose, the two palace servants attending inside were also ordered to withdraw.”
“What else did you see?”
Yu Shan recalled: “When we followed the Empress Dowager into the hall, the Emperor was lying collapsed on the dragon bed, eyes fixed on the Empress Dowager, finger pointing at the Prince on the ground, already unable to speak.”
Yu Shan swallowed, seeming still fearful.
A sharp light appeared in Yue Tang’s eyes.
She tightened her hand behind her back: “The argument in the hall reached such a dangerous point that my father king even drew his sword to self-harm. Why did none of you enter?”
“We didn’t dare. We had tried knocking earlier, but the Former Emperor ordered us to withdraw. And…”
At this point he paused, clasped his hands, then continued: “Before and after we approached, the Former Emperor deliberately stopped talking, as if he didn’t want us to hear the content of their argument.
“But we understood that the Former Emperor and the Prince had deep brotherly bonds for decades, never arguing before. This time arguing so fiercely, he probably didn’t want it exposed to others.”
Yue Tang stared straight at the carved flowers on the corridor window, silent for a long time.
What Yu Shan said should be the widely circulated cause of Prince Duan’s death nowadays.
Because they all personally saw Prince Duan die under blade and sword, while the only one present, the Emperor, was too ill to act.
But even if no one present could kill Prince Duan with blade and sword on the spot, could it be determined he committed suicide?
She turned her body back: “The specific time of the Former Emperor’s passing, how long after you entered the hall and discovered my father king’s corpse?”
“Not long after.” Yu Shan thought, “Absolutely no more than half a shichen.”
“Did he leave any words?”
“No. At the time, the Former Emperor could no longer speak at all. Before the imperial physician arrived, he had fallen unconscious.”
Yue Tang’s brows furrowed tightly. Although the Former Emperor was seriously ill, he could still argue with the robust Prince Duan for so long before his end, showing he hadn’t reached his last breath yet.
So passing away that night was purely because of the argument with Prince Duan, which aggravated his condition?
“How long did they argue?”
“At least half a shichen.”
Yue Tang coldly lifted the corner of her mouth: “Empress Dowager Shen’s Jiaofang Hall was not far behind Zichen Hall at the time. They argued for over half a shichen before she went?”
Yu Shan clearly couldn’t answer.
Yue Tang’s gaze turned toward the towering eaves of distant Zichen Hall. Even under the overcast sky, that magnificent palace still gleamed golden.
Not only did Empress Dowager Shen wait until they had argued for over half a shichen to go, but when she arrived, Prince Duan had just died.
How did she time it so precisely?
“Where are the two palace servants who attended in the hall those two days?” She put down her hands behind her back, her expression returning to normal. “Where are they serving now?”
Yu Shan let out a long breath. “They died.”
Yue Tang looked up.
“Not long after the Former Emperor passed away, around the time the current Emperor finished his mourning period, the two were sent to the Imperial Mausoleum to guard the tomb.
“A month later, the earthwork at the still-under-construction Imperial Mausoleum collapsed, burying the two who were on inspection.”
Yue Tang listened and laughed.
Two sharp rays shot from her eyes toward the boundless distance.
She rolled up the several booklets in her hand and strode forward: “Back to the hall.”
Yu Shan gazed at her receding back and suddenly blurted out: “Princess!”
Yue Tang stopped.
Yu Shan stepped forward, his two eyes full of doubt: “This slave has one more thing, not sure if it’s useful to the Princess.”
“Speak.”
“That night after this slave entered the hall, he saw the Four Treasures of the Study laid out on the desk. The imperial seal that the Former Emperor usually used for issuing important imperial edicts was placed sideways nearby, with fresh seal paste on it.
“The brush beside it was also full of ink.”
Yue Tang stood still without moving.
Yu Shan bit his lip and continued: “This old slave means that the situation at the time looked like the Former Emperor had just issued an important imperial decree, but in the entire hall then, no such imperial edict was seen.”
“How important?”
“This old slave only remembers that the imperial decree enfeoffing the current Empress Dowager as Empress, and later specially allowing the Empress Dowager to hold the seal and receive edicts, were all stamped with this imperial seal.”
Yue Tang’s right hand holding the booklets tightened again.
Enfeoffing the Empress and allowing her to take charge of the imperial seal were both matters of state.
An imperial decree issued with the same imperial seal would naturally be an equally important state matter.
If there really was one, did the Former Emperor leave another secret edict?
“Eunuch Yu!”
At this time, an eunuch in the distance raised his hand and called out: “Prince Duan’s Mansion monthly stipend procedures are ready.”
Yu Shan immediately straightened up and lowered his voice: “What this old slave just said, please do not mention it to others, Princess.”
Yue Tang cast her gaze on his face, and after a moment, took out a bronze token from her waist: “If you encounter any danger, come to Prince Duan’s Mansion for help with this.
“These few booklets, I’ll borrow them back to the Prince’s Mansion to look through. I’ll return them in a few days.”
With that, she stepped forward to receive the document handed over by the eunuch with both hands and walked out of the courtyard gate.
The covered walkway was long.
The sky framed a long stretch of smoky gray.
All the words heard were still rolling in her ears, making them hot.
“Princess!”
At the tree where they had split earlier, Ye Chuang emerged from behind it. “Mu Shuyun is probably about to strike at Miss Shen!
“The eunuch who went to the Mu Family carriage earlier is from Zichen Hall. After he returned, he immediately got someone to carry a few pastries from the imperial kitchen straight to Yongfu Palace, finding Miss Shen who was planting flowers in the Imperial Garden. He said they were bestowed by the Emperor.”
Yue Tang stopped and looked at him: “Did she eat them?”
“No.” Ye Chuang’s voice weakened here, “This subordinate took the liberty to guess that the Princess might not want Mu Shuyun to succeed, so he secretly sprinkled some dirt into the pastries.”
Yue Tang smiled mockingly: “Since it’s under the guise of the Emperor, it definitely won’t kill anyone.
“If it really killed her, the trouble would be big.”
At this point, her expression paused: “What about that eunuch earlier?”
Ye Chuang said: “He’s lingering outside Miss Shen’s residence.”
“Lingering there?” Yue Tang turned around, “Then it’s not necessarily the pastries that have a problem!”
Her gaze flickered: “Do you know that eunuch’s name?”
“I heard it earlier, Ruan Fu!”
Yue Tang nodded: “I’ll wait here for you. Go to Shen Yizhu’s room and search to see if there’s anything that shouldn’t be there?
“If not, keep watch again to see when that Ruan Fu goes in!”
Ye Chuang was stunned for a moment, then immediately left.
Yue Tang sat down by the flower bed and beckoned the guard following her to come up:
“You go find a little eunuch doing odd jobs, say that Eunuch Ruan Fu wants him to go to the Mu Family carriage and tell the Eldest Young Lady Mu that Miss Shen is eating pastries in the Imperial Garden, and to hurry into the palace!”
The guard also immediately left.
Yue Tang looked around and headed toward the nearest and quietest palace hall, walking inside.
Just as she pressed her face to the flower window on the wall, she saw Mu Shuyun already far ahead on the covered walkway, leading her two maidservants, heading toward the Imperial Garden.
