Chapter 284: Blackmailing the Father and Sovereign
Half a month later, before the morning frost in Shangjing had fully melted, the city was thrown into an uproar by two sudden cases of sudden death.
The cases shook the court and the country, temporarily overshadowing the clamor caused by the downfall of the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion.
The first murder occurred in the second branch of the Xue Mansion.
The master of the second branch of the Xue Mansion, Xue Qinglian, was found dead in his study.
He was discovered by an old servant on night duty in the mansion.
According to the trembling description of the old servant, the Second Master had gone into the study alone after dinner, saying he needed to sort through the old files for the case of the grain and fodder transport official.
At midnight, the old servant was on his rounds and saw that the candlelight in the study was bright but silent. He felt suspicious—
He pushed open the door and saw Second Master Xue slumped over the large sandalwood desk, motionless.
A sweet, fishy smell wafted towards him.
The old servant bravely approached and was horrified to find that he was bleeding from his nose and mouth, already dead.
A wolf hair brush had fallen to the ground, and the purple military supplies allocation record on the desk was blurred by dark red bloodstains.
The old servant was instantly terrified, losing three souls and seven spirits, and scrambled out shouting.
“Second Master… Second Master has passed away!”
The Xue Mansion was thrown into chaos.
Old Madam Xue fainted on the spot upon hearing the news and was carried back to the main house by several old women. The eldest son of the Xue family, Xue Qingzhi, forced himself to take charge of the situation, his face ashen. Xue Yuechen, upon hearing the news at Prince Duan’s Mansion, wept heartbrokenly, clutching Li Huan’s sleeve and begging him to avenge her second uncle.
The Jingzhao Prefecture personally led his yamen runners to the scene.
The coroner’s examination revealed that he had been poisoned, with blood flowing from all seven orifices, a truly tragic sight.
As the news spread, rumors ran rampant in the marketplace, and all the civil and military officials were in a state of panic.
However—
Before this case could cause further ripples, the second case followed closely behind.
On the fourteenth of October, just as dawn was breaking, Zhang Minda, Director of the Ministry of Revenue, drowned in the boudoir of the top courtesan at the “Ruan Yu Tower” in the southern part of the city.
He was discovered by a pimp delivering hangover soup.
It was said that Director Zhang had entertained some “grain merchant friends” there last night and had stayed overnight after drinking heartily.
When the pimp pushed open the door, he saw that Zhang Minda was half-submerged in the sandalwood bathtub in the room, which was reserved for distinguished guests. Wine cups and a wine pot were scattered around the tub, and a few fresh mint leaves, used for sobering up, floated on the water.
His body had turned pale, and his nose and mouth were filled with water.
The coroner’s examination concluded that he had slipped and fallen into the bathtub while drunk, drowning to death—
A court official, dying so absurdly and indecently, and in a brothel at that…
The news spread like wings, instantly flying throughout the city.
This case immediately became the hottest topic of conversation in the marketplace and residential areas…
The Zhang Residence was filled with shame and indignation. Consort Zhang fainted from crying at Prince Duan’s Mansion, privately complaining about the Wang Shi relatives who had instigated her father to entertain the grain merchants…
In just a few days, two important officials from Prince Duan’s faction.
One was the second uncle of Prince Duan’s Princess Consort, and the other was the biological father of Prince Duan’s Consort. One died from poison, the other from debauchery, their deaths different but both carrying a strong sense of humiliation.
The accusations, implicitly and sharply, pointed towards the Eastern Palace, which was currently gaining momentum.
—
Inside Lin De Hall, it was warm and pleasant.
The Emperor, impatient with the autumn chill, had the underfloor heating turned on before Dongzhi. Unfortunately, it heated people’s faces until they were flushed but could not dispel the chilling aura that permeated from the Dragon Throne.
“Bang—”
A fine Ding ware white porcelain cup was fiercely thrown by the Emperor onto the gold brick floor, shattering into pieces.
The scalding tea soup splashed out, directly staining the hem of Prince Duan Li Huan’s dark patterned python robe as he knelt in the hall…
Emperor Chong Zhao’s chest heaved violently, his face ashen, his voice filled with an unprecedented rage and coldness.
“Good! Very good! My good son! You’ve truly become accomplished! Xue Qinglian! Zhang Minda! One was a recently promoted Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the other a dignified Director of the Ministry of Revenue… and they were dealt with so obscurely. Is this still my empire?”
Li Huan prostrated himself on the ground, his forehead touching the cold gold bricks, his voice steady: “Imperial Father, please calm your anger. Your son believes this matter may not necessarily be the Crown Prince’s doing.”
“Not necessarily?” Emperor Chong Zhao sneered, his rage erupting.
“Tell me, in this world, in this Imperial Court, besides the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, who else possesses such means and such courage? After taking down the Duke of Zheng, he couldn’t wait to clear out his opponents? It seems he thinks I’ve been sitting on this Dragon Throne for too long and can’t wait to ascend and show off his power…”
The hall was terrifyingly silent.
Li Huan’s body tensed, and cold sweat soaked his back.
The palace servants standing by the corners of the hall were all pale-faced, wishing they could bury their heads in the ground.
“Speak!” Emperor Chong Zhao slammed the imperial desk, making the pen holder jump. “Are you mute? I appointed you to oversee the Ministry of Justice to resolve issues, not to cause two more deaths and create such a shocking scandal…”
Li Huan lowered his eyelids, his posture slightly bowed, not looking at the shattered teacup. His Adam’s apple bobbed as if he were carefully choosing his words.
“Your son is terrified. Your son is also shocked and pained by the deaths of Vice Minister Xue and Director Zhang, but… I wish to implore Imperial Father to temporarily suppress your anger and allow your son to explain…”
Emperor Chong Zhao said coldly, “Speak!”
Li Huan slowly raised his face.
He looked directly at the enraged Emperor on the throne and said clearly and steadily, “Your son dares to ask, does Imperial Father still remember… the bloody case of the Old Mausoleum Swamp?”
The words “Old Mausoleum Swamp” entered Lin De Hall like a cold wind. Emperor Chong Zhao’s roar abruptly stopped, and the color drained from his face.
He stared intently at Li Huan, as if a long-buried taboo had been touched.
“Why ask about this?”
“Imperial Father, two hundred thousand living souls. Buried in frozen soil, their remains lost. Who sent them to a certain death?”
Li Huan’s voice was not loud, but each word struck the Emperor’s heart clearly.
“Imperial Father, it seems someone does not want this debt to be lightly dismissed by the court… Unless this old account is thoroughly dug out and cleaned up completely, they will not rest…”
Emperor Chong Zhao’s eyes sharpened. “Are you saying that these two cases were not aimed at Zhang Minda, or the Duke of Zheng? But rather at the bloody case of the Old Mausoleum Swamp?”
“Precisely!” Li Huan bent his knees slightly and kowtowed heavily. “Since your son took over the Ministry of Justice, he has felt increasingly strange. He always felt that a pair of mysterious hands were stirring up trouble behind the scenes, maliciously manipulating…”
He paused and continued, “Xue Qinglian was ordered to escort the key witness in the grain and fodder deficit case to the capital, and was exceptionally promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice by Imperial Father… The outside world says he offended people by investigating corruption. But your son believes that those minor officials cannot cause any major trouble. Rather than someone seeking revenge for personal grievances, it is more likely that someone is cutting off the clues to the investigation…”
Emperor Chong Zhao frowned. “Elaborate.”
Li Huan said, “That grain and fodder transport official was involved in an old case from many years ago…”
Seeing that Emperor Chong Zhao’s expression had softened, he continued, “Zhang Minda managed the finances and grain… Your son investigated that the military supplies allocated to the deceased General Xiao at the Old Mausoleum Swamp years ago were skimmed off layer by layer through his hands, with less than half reaching the soldiers. Is his death today divine retribution? Or is the mastermind cleaning house?”
Li Huan’s gaze was calm and profound.
He observed the hidden worries that the Emperor was desperately trying to conceal in his eyes.
“Imperial Father, this old case, stained with blood, is the key…”
Emperor Chong Zhao nodded with difficulty, his fingers trembling slightly.
“In your opinion, how should we proceed?”
Li Huan looked up, his eyes bright and sharp. “How your son proceeds is entirely up to Imperial Father’s wise judgment. Your son has come today to boldly ask, does Imperial Father wish to bury the case until the end of time, or investigate it thoroughly, so that those corrupt officials do not continue to drain the blood and marrow of our Daliang…”
“Audacious!”
Emperor Chong Zhao’s voice suddenly turned grim, veins bulging on his face.
“Are you trying to coerce your sovereign with the Crown Prince?”
