Chapter 131: For My Use
Back in Zi Chen Hall, the imperial coffin had already been moved to the hall.
Xiao Yi stood under the corridor, while An Yuanzhen, like a puppet, led a group of palace servants in mourning.
Old Pan hurried over and reported in a low voice, “General, the craftsmen have been chosen. They are just outside the palace gate.”
Xiao Yi secretly thought that since things had come to this, this trouble could be avoided. However, on second thought, it might not be without opportunity.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, I chose the old stonemason who spoke with you that day, named Zhao Chu. He has a large family, and the craftsmen all think he is reliable.”
As they walked, Xiao Yi listened to Old Pan’s account, but his mind was preoccupied with another matter.
It was about the Li brothers.
Since he had sat on the Dragon Throne and tasted the Plum Blossom Paste, and found it quite comfortable, the risks taken were not in vain; it was time to put his plans into action.
Outside the palace gate, he first glanced at the old stonemason, Zhao Chu. Seeing the man waiting, wrapped in a short jacket, shivering in the cold wind without impatience, he seemed like an honest person.
Over there, as Zhao Chu’s gaze fell upon them, he immediately knelt in the snow.
“This humble one greets my benefactor, and thanks my benefactor for saving my life.”
Xiao Yi stepped forward to help him up and asked, “How have you been lately? Has anyone at the Ministry of Works troubled you?”
“All good, all good. It’s just busy, busy making things for the welcoming of the new Son of Heaven.”
“I have a personal matter I’d like to entrust to you.”
“Just give the order, my benefactor. This humble one owes my benefactor his life and will certainly obey without hesitation.”
Xiao Yi didn’t speak, his gaze deep, indicating that the matter he was entrusting was very secret.
Zhao Chu was slightly taken aback, then realized, and said, “My benefactor, rest assured, this humble one is reliable.”
“Good. The Empress Dowager has passed away. Three days from now, she will be sent to Rui Mausoleum to be buried with Gaozu. The matter of sealing the tomb will still be entrusted to you.”
“Then we…”
“Rest assured, I will ensure your safety. However, the Empress Dowager’s dying wish was to be buried back in Yuci. This conflicts with state rites. I plan to switch the imperial coffin at Rui Mausoleum and cremate it. Can you accomplish this?”
“This humble one…” Zhao Chu’s eyes showed horror, but he gritted his teeth and replied, “Yes, but I will need manpower to dig an underground passage and build a crematorium.”
“Good. You find people, and after the matter is done, each will receive ten strings of cash.”
“I dare not accept the general’s reward, but we will need clay, pine and cypress wood…”
“Money is not an issue.” Xiao Yi turned to Old Pan and instructed, “Old Pan, disburse whatever funds are needed to him.”
Old Pan reminded him, “General, we need to use the thousand strings of cash that were set aside. Have you reviewed the accounts from before? Mister Li’s attempt to build a telescope has already spent three hundred strings.”
Xiao Yi said, “There’s no need to use our money. I’ll find the money for you shortly.”
“You’ll find the money shortly?”
Returning to the palace gate, they heard Li Hongjian’s cries from afar.
Xiao Yi turned his head and saw Li Hongyi and Li Hongjian, dressed in sackcloth, helping another person alight from a carriage.
This person was about fifty years old, tall and burly. He was also in mourning clothes, but it couldn’t hide the aura of martial prowess about him. He must be Li Hongxin.
Xiao Yi stopped, waiting for the three brothers to approach. His gaze fell upon them. Li Hongxin hadn’t noticed the palace gate yet, his eyes distant in thought, his left hand idly stroking a silver ring on his right thumb.
“Ah, it’s General Xiao.”
“Greetings to all. You must be Commander Li from Shaan Prefecture. I have long admired your reputation.”
“It is Li who has long admired General Xiao’s name, ‘Young and Daring’.”
After Li Hongxin spoke, his eyes looked at Xiao Yi with depth, his fine wrinkles around his eyes seeming to probe.
Indeed, he must have just received the small coffin from Wu Shangshi.
Xiao Yi felt Li Hongxin’s gaze land on the Plum Blossom Jade Pendant at his waist and said, “Commander, when do you plan to return to Shaan Prefecture this time?”
While the two were discussing serious matters, Li Hongjian treated it as idle chatter. Wiping his tears, he interjected, “General, you say our third sister has caused much harm. How can she abandon us at such a time? What if we anger the new emperor, what then?!”
Xiao Yi then knew that Li Hongjian truly knew nothing.
He showed displeasure and rebuked, “Nonsense!”
“This…”
“The Empress Dowager was heartbroken by Li Ye’s deception of the late ruler. Now that the state is entrusted to a wise lord, she has passed away in peace. Do you dare to spread rumors and cause trouble, are you not afraid of being punished?!”
“No, no, I wouldn’t dare.”
“Furthermore, is the new emperor, with his vast magnanimity, so easily angered?”
“No, no, no.”
Li Hongjian’s face turned pale with fright from the scolding, then he let out a sigh of relief.
A hint of a smile flickered across Li Hongxin’s face, which quickly turned to sorrow. He said meaningfully,
“What spirit! General Xiao, you have not disappointed me.”
Xiao Yi’s demeanor changed quickly. He bowed and said, “I failed to protect the Empress Dowager. Please forgive me.”
After speaking, he seized the initiative before Li Hongxin could probe further.
“I have something to tell you all. Please.”
The four then moved to a secluded spot nearby.
Xiao Yi said, “The Empress Dowager’s dying wish was to be buried back in Yuci. I plan to switch the imperial coffin at Rui Mausoleum. I ask for your cooperation.”
“What?!”
Xiao Yi ignored the reactions of Li Hongyi and Li Hongjian, his gaze fixed solely on Li Hongxin.
Originally, it was a tacit understanding, but now, he had gained a measure of initiative.
His goal was simple: to use a small, secret matter to create a mutually beneficial relationship.
His greatest leverage was his kindness to the Guo family, but favor could fade. He needed to quickly convert it into strength. The Li family had deep roots and was like a centipede, still strong even when near death. What they lacked was Guo Wei’s trust. They were mutually complementary.
As expected, a flicker of surprise crossed Li Hongxin’s eyes. His pupils darted back and forth a couple of times. He seemed tempted, yet uncertain.
“Why go to such lengths? It is only right that the Empress Dowager be buried with Gaozu.”
“The dead should be honored. I wish to abide by her last wish.” Xiao Yi asked, “Commander Li, are you afraid the risk is too great?”
Li Hongxin smiled faintly and said, “Indeed, my little sister has always missed her hometown. What is needed to do this?”
“Big brother…”
“All of you, be quiet.”
Xiao Yi said, “For now, only the expenses to bribe the craftsmen are needed.”
Li Hongxin nodded and glanced at Li Hongjian.
Soon, a deed was handed to Xiao Yi.
“With this deed, you may withdraw a thousand strings of cash from any Jin Di Business Firm in the city.”
Xiao Yi accepted it without ceremony and casually asked, “Jin Di Business Firm? Do you deal in northern goods?”
Li Hongyi quickly waved his hand with a smile and said, “Just a small operation.”
They were unwilling to say more, so Xiao Yi didn’t press. He said, as if casually, “In the future, if Liu Chong occupies this territory, it might be difficult to procure northern goods without a channel.”
Li Hongjian laughed and said, “If we can establish ourselves in the new dynasty, these are minor matters.”
Before he finished speaking, Li Hongxin patted him, stopping the conversation from going any deeper.
Seeing this, Xiao Yi said no more and invited them into the palace.
Today was enough. Great business couldn’t be concluded in a single meeting.
They entered Zi Chen Hall and paid their respects.
Li Hongxin’s acting was good: sorrowful, fearful, but not excessively so.
Afterward, everyone silently kept vigil.
An Yuanzhen presented a dignified and sorrowful demeanor. Perhaps she hadn’t expected to act as empress again in such a setting, but she was unusually diligent.
Xiao Yi stood silently at the hall entrance. Seeing Zhang Wan arrive with musicians to play funeral music, she gave him a look. He followed her without a change in his expression.
After walking for quite some time, Zhang Wan kept looking around, avoiding others, and finally chose an empty side room in the eastern corridor of the grand Guangzheng Hall.
Upon entering, she closed the door and said, “This is where the late emperor killed Shi Hongzhao and others. No one will come here.”
“You didn’t leave with her?”
“I cannot leave. If a Palace Lady-in-Waiting were to abscond, it would be noticed, and you would be blamed for negligence.”
Xiao Yi scoffed, “You’re thinking quite a bit about me.”
Zhang Wan said, “I only ask that you keep our secret, General.”
“On what grounds?”
Zhang Wan lowered her head, adopting a submissive posture, and said softly, “If the General feels that concerning the Empress Dowager… is not enough, I am willing to serve you. Furthermore, you can rest assured, once the imperial coffin is entombed, I will take my own life. This matter will then pose no risk of leakage.”
Xiao Yi said, “I will ask one question, and you will answer.”
“Yes.”
“What does Li Hanmei intend to do? Is she not admitting defeat? Is she planning to defect to Liu Chong and contend for power with the new emperor?”
“No, absolutely not.” Zhang Wan stepped forward two paces and pleaded, “As people of a fallen state, we only seek to preserve our families and lie low to observe the situation.”
“How can I believe you?”
“Because my father, Li Hongxin, and the various feudatories of the Han Dynasty all think this way. I am a dying person, why would I lie to you, General?”
“How many people know?”
“General, the Empress Dowager, Li Hongxin, and my two trusted palace maids. No one else knows.”
“The Empress was not involved?”
“She was not. I originally intended to let her witness that the Empress Dowager had already died. Running into you talking was merely an accident.”
“How do we silence her?”
Xiao Yi was not afraid of An Yuanzhen. As the saying goes, proximity breeds understanding, and even if An Yuanzhen revealed the matter between him and Li Hanmei, he had ways to deal with it.
Asking this was more of a probe.
Zhang Wan answered without hesitation, “An Shenqi’s thoughts are no different from my father’s and Li Hongxin’s. Moreover, because his daughter is in the palace, he is even more anxious. Empress An knows these things, and in fact, she feels guilty.”
“Is there evidence?”
“There is no evidence that the new emperor can use to convict them, but there is evidence of An Shenqi’s earlier correspondence with Du Chongwei. The Empress Dowager kept it, and it was not taken out of the palace.”
“Give it to me.”
Zhang Wan curtsied deeply and asked, “Will the General help us?”
Xiao Yi did not answer. He looked at her deeply, considering.
Currently, he only had his military subordinates and lacked capable confidants. This woman before him was loyal to Li Hanmei and shared a common secret.
As long as there was no conflict of interest with Li Hanmei, perhaps he could take her for his own use.
As for the future, that would be discussed later.
They stared at each other for a while, until he made Zhang Wan uneasy, and her eyes began to dart away.
“General? Is there something wrong with me?”
“You know my secret. I cannot allow you to remain in the palace.”
“Yes, we will commit suicide…”
Zhang Wan stopped mid-sentence, looked up, seeming to understand. Her eyes lowered, her lashes fluttered a few times, and her voice grew softer.
“If the General does not find me unworthy, and can help me leave the palace, I am willing to be your concubine, to serve by your side, and to never leave, alive or dead.”
“Willingly?”
“This servant… this servant believes in the Empress Dowager’s judgment. Furthermore, the Empress Dowager’s last command to this servant was to protect the General. This servant is also carrying out orders.”
“Come here.”
Zhang Wan hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and moved gracefully, leaning softly into Xiao Yi’s embrace.
Although she was beautiful, she lacked presence. She was neither focused nor moved. Xiao Yi merely held her, patted her back, and did nothing more.
At first, her body was very stiff, clearly very tense.
After a long while, he could gradually feel her relax.
“From now on, there is no need to speak of death.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Why the change in address?”
“The Young Master’s ambitions go beyond being a General.”
“So sensible?”
“The Young Master will understand later. The Empress Dowager trained this servant very well.”
Xiao Yi knew that the Empress Dowager’s training certainly did not include romantic matters. The Empress Dowager herself had little experience, her strength lying in her emotions.
When he felt Zhang Wan had grown accustomed to his embrace, he gently pushed her away and said, “Go.”
“Yes.”
Zhang Wan took a few steps, tidied her clothes, and turned back. Her gaze met his, and she quickly lowered her eyes, quietly leaving the side room.
Xiao Yi did not rush to leave, and sat down in the side room.
He thought of Shi Hongzhao, Yang Bin, and Wang Zhang dying here, and felt the peril of serving the emperor.
