Huang Cheng arrived at the Qingzheng Hall just as Yuan Bao was serving tea to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, why should you let such matters anger you?" he whispered softly.
"Haven't I pretended to be submissive enough in the past? Now I still have to act like that?" the emperor said with a face full of irritation.
Their conversation was conducted in the Shandong dialect. Although the emperor was born in the capital, the Empress had sent him to his fief early on. The emperor and the prince had been reluctant to part with him, and none of the other princes had established their households and left for their lands at such a young age. But the Empress insisted, saying that the prince born to her must not be an exception.
The emperor, aware of the Empress's unyielding principles, could only sigh with mixed feelings and reluctantly send Prince Qi away.
Although his wet nurses and attendants were from the palace, the affairs of his household were complex. Many of the staff were local hires or gifts from local officials, resulting in an abundance of locals in the mansion. This led Prince Qi to pick up the local dialect. Moreover, after receiving a letter from the Empress, he deliberately practiced speaking the Shandong dialect, which eventually became second nature. When he returned to the capital to celebrate the emperor's birthday, he was ridiculed by other royal relatives for his speech, which angered the emperor greatly.
Yuan Bao recalled these past events with a tinge of emotion.
"Indeed, Your Majesty, there's no need for that anymore," he said. "If he's offended you and you dislike him, just cast him out. After all, you're the emperor, your word is law."
These words, blunt as they were, were soothing to hear. Of course, those court officials would never dare to speak such plain truths—it would make it seem as though praising the emperor reduced them to shameless flatterers in the eyes of the world.
Well, not all of them. That nephew of Ning Yan's, Ning Yunzhao, was different.
The emperor, lost in thought, chuckled slightly, his mood lightening a bit.
"It's not that simple," he said.
"Nor is it that difficult. Can there really be an official without any flaws? Forgive me, but I don't believe so," Yuan Bao said.
That was also an undeniable truth—no one is perfect, and anything searched for diligently enough would reveal faults. The emperor burst into laughter.
"That's right, we'll take our time," he said, his gaze carrying both anger and a hint of gloom. "I've been fair to him; he's the one who betrayed me."
News came from outside the hall that Huang Cheng had arrived to seek an audience.
Yuan Bao made to excuse himself.
"Stay," the emperor said, stroking the memorial in front of him. "This concerns De Sheng Chang; you'll want to hear this too."
Yuan Bao obediently responded and stepped aside.
Huang Cheng was summoned in. Trembling, he prepared to bow. At any other time, the emperor would have stopped him and offered him a seat, but this time, the emperor kept his head lowered, eyes fixed on the memorial, as if he hadn't noticed him.
Huang Cheng knelt and addressed him, "Your Majesty."
"As if borrowing from Lu Yunqi wasn't enough, now you want to borrow from Duke of Chengguo too?" the emperor said without lifting his head. "Are you deliberately rewarding his people with merit and rewards?"
Huang Cheng hurriedly prostrated himself.
"Your servant dares not," he stammered.
With a slap, the emperor flung the memorial onto the table.
"You don't dare? You dared to report falsely that Prince Huai was bewitched by an evil spirit, dared to let Lu Yunqi guard Prince Huai's mansion for you, but you don't dare to first fight and then win over Duke of Chengguo?" he demanded. "Fine, you're the honorable one inside and out, while I'm left to play the villain, is that it?"
At this remark, Huang Cheng felt a twinge of relief. Lu Yunqi's handling of the matter had indeed been impeccable.
Preventing Duke of Chengguo's heir from entering Prince Huai's mansion had been a masterstroke.
Lu Yunqi would undoubtedly inform the emperor of everything he had done, except perhaps his secret request to speak during the investigation of De Sheng Chang. That, he couldn't afford to disclose to the emperor.
What the emperor disliked most was sharing loyalty. Lu Yunqi had to remain solely in the emperor's service. Once associated with a minister, Lu Yunqi would no longer be trustworthy.
But keeping Duke of Chengguo's heir at bay? That was above board.
Balancing lies with truth—that was the way to avoid suspicion.
Had Lu Yunqi achieved his current position purely by luck? Certainly not.
"Your Majesty, your old servant dares not," Huang Cheng sobbed, repeatedly kowtowing. "It's out of my deep worry for Prince Huai's wellbeing. If anything were to happen to him, Your Majesty would suffer the consequences. I'd rather err a hundred times than overlook a single danger. As for the rewards for De Sheng Chang, it's not for Duke of Chengguo. No, it's not his merit—it's yours. The people of De Sheng Chang are loyal to you, the emperor. I cannot stand Duke of Chengguo acting as if all that credit belongs to him!"
Indeed, it was his. The emperor looked at the kowtowing Huang Cheng with a heavy expression, simmering anger mixed with frustration. What was his had somehow fallen into the hands of the Duke of Chengguo.
He slammed his hand on the desk.
"Enough!" he shouted.
Huang Cheng immediately ceased his weeping and kowtowing, prostrating himself in silence.
The emperor exhaled.
"Speak plainly. Crying and wailing—what kind of behavior is that?" he reprimanded.
Huang Cheng wiped away his tears and raised his head.
"Your servant is filled with dread, terrified of making mistakes that might put Your Majesty in an unjust position," he explained.
The emperor sighed and said nothing.
"Your Majesty, I will not lie. Requesting Your Majesty's reward for De Sheng Chang does come with selfish intent," Huang Cheng admitted, raising his head.
The emperor looked at him.
"The nation faces numerous calamities," Huang Cheng continued cautiously. "First, the wars drained resources and exhausted the people. Now, tens of thousands of refugees await resettlement. Rewarding Chengguo and his soldiers has already depleted the national treasury. Your Majesty, your servant is so troubled by this that I cannot sleep."
He paused, carefully gauging the emperor's reaction.
"Since De Sheng Chang has prospered with so much wealth and loyalty, why not let them contribute to resettle the refugees?"
The emperor's eyes suddenly sparkled.
Yes, that way, he could reclaim the funds.
Indeed, it was all his money to begin with.
The emperor straightened himself.
"But wouldn't that cost a lot? Would De Sheng Chang be willing?" he asked hesitantly.
A smile crept onto Huang Cheng's lips.
"No one under the heavens is beyond the sovereign," he said. "Besides, it's not a handout—it's a temporary loan. In return, grant the Fang Family noble titles and honors, so they can bring glory to their ancestors. Why would they refuse?"
He smiled again.
"To leave a name in history—what greater honor is there? Money is but worldly dust. A wealthy family like the Fang Family would surely understand what a great boon this is."
The emperor lowered his gaze to the memorial on the desk and picked up a vermillion brush to mark it.
"Have the Cabinet deliberate on this matter," he ordered.
Huang Cheng bowed low in gratitude.
"Your Majesty is wise," he said loudly, raising his hands in reverence.
Only then did Yuan Bao step forward to retrieve the memorial and hand it to Huang Cheng.
Huang Cheng lifted his head, seemingly noticing Yuan Bao for the first time. A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"Eunuch Yuan, it's been a while," he remarked.
Yuan Bao gave him a slight smile but said nothing, retreating once more.
...
...
"The original plan was to summon the minister, but after hearing that eunuch speak, His Majesty changed his mind," a Jinyiwei guard whispered.
Lu Yunqi sat motionless in a chair, twirling a small dagger, listening—or perhaps lost in thought.
"Why has Yuan Bao suddenly returned to the capital? He's been serving His Majesty on some mission for years," Jiang, the household commander, noted. "Should we investigate him…?"
Lu Yunqi raised a hand.
"If it's the emperor's business, we cannot investigate," he replied.
Commander Jiang immediately complied.
Lu Yunqi waved his hand, and the Jinyiwei guard withdrew.
"His Majesty has always trusted you, sir. But now that this Yuan has appeared, His Majesty sees him instead of you. I fear Yuan Bao may harbor ill intentions," Commander Jiang murmured.
"Trust is earned through action," Lu Yunqi said. "Everyone has their own tasks, their own trust to gain. Nothing worth worrying about."
Commander Jiang nodded in agreement.
"And still no word on that woman from Guan Temple?" Lu Yunqi suddenly asked.
Commander Jiang shook his head.
"It's been over a year of searching, yet it's as if she vanished into thin air," he replied softly.
Lu Yunqi drove the dagger into the table, leaving only the hilt exposed.
"There's no such thing as vanishing into thin air," he said.
He stood, retracting his hand.
"Keep searching," he ordered.
Commander Jiang acknowledged the command.