Within the box laid a lovely-looking satchel, cushioned by a layer of silk. It appeared no different from the scent satchels commonly exchanged among young lovers.
Before anyone could speak, Minister Xin opened his mouth. “Jing Wen, this is the first time you’ve attended court, so I will not berate you much. However, his Majesty’s attention shouldn’t be wasted on some meaningless affair in the capital.”
Minister Zhao narrowed his eyes. The factionalism in the Empire had not grown to the point of open hostility. Still, he was someone that would make a favourable reference to the Yanluo (King of Hell) in the Imperial Court if Minister Xin attacked it. Bowing to the Emperor, he said, “Your Majesty, the lives of commoners may appear insignificant, but they represent the overall prosperity of the Empire.”
The Emperor gave a soft ‘hmm’, implying his favour to Minister Zhao’s suggestion.
“Your Majesty, the satchel is not simply the result of some romance.” Zhou Aimin walked through the already parted sea of officials. Standing a few steps from Jing Wen, as though avoiding the satchel, he continued, “I have found this on Mo Xi’s residence. It’s an aphrodisiac.”
Jing Wen retrieved the satchel from its position in the box. Bowing to the Emperor, Jing Wen’s voice remained unchanged as he said, “The satchel contains a large variety of herbs with aphrodisiac properties, including the rare Ginkgo Biloba. The blending of the herbs makes it unique, as it can only affect women and not men.”
Turning to the officials surrounding him, Jing Wen stated, “If you are unsure of my assessment, the imperial physician may examine it.”
Like a flash of lightning, the expression of all the officials became twisted; they all knew what this implied. Since Mo Xi was not a woman, the purpose of the satchel was not for himself. His reputation among the Empire was notorious, and even the Seventh Prince frequently spoke harsh words of him. Though the court was divided into countless subjects, they all had the same idea as to the purpose of the aphrodisiac.
However, Mo Xi was a close supporter of the Seventh Prince, how could they admit it so readily? One of the officials, Minister Yin (殷), spoke with a harsh voice, “I did not expect that the heirs of the late Prime Minister and Prince of Qiao to be such defamers. The satchel could be the property of anyone in Lin’an, what are the chances that it would belong to Sir Mo?”
“Unless you two have infiltrated the Imperial Palace, and entered Hongtian Palace illegally?” Minister Yin spoke disapprovingly, “You juniors are too irresponsible.”
Another official seemed to gain courage from the words of Minister Yin. Chuckling, he said, “Perhaps after you ravaged through Sir Mo’s house, you two did not find anything, which led to your fabrication.”
“The attitudes displayed are very admirable, as deserving of youth. An elderly official spoke with a gentle expression, yet in the next moment, he berated ruthlessly, “However, attitude alone will accomplish nothing. You two have wasted precious time of the court; Your Majesty, I propose the two to be punished in order to preserve the integrity of the court.”
At the incoming insults and attacks, Jing Wen and Zhou Aimin’s expression remained calm. With a slight smile, Zhou Aimin said, “The satchel is of a pair.”
Immediately, the face of Minister Yin and the other officials turned dark. With a single sentence, their entire argument has collapsed. Was this not slapping them in the face? No, it was even worse. This humiliation of few words had occurred before the Emperor’s omnipresent eyes - how would they ever hold recognition in court from this point on; perhaps from this day onwards, they would become the talk of gossipers in the taverns?
For some, reputation was more important than their wealth, family, and even life. Minister Yin had spoken so that he may establish himself as a staunch supporter of Mo Xi, and by proxy, the Seventh Prince. The others had likewise done the same, hoping to exploit the young and inexperienced heirs of the Jing Ping and Prince of Qiao.
A moment later, the Emperor finally spoke. “Heir Zhou, can you prove that there is a pair.”
Zhou Aimin nodded.
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The Emperor smiled. Behind the black beads, he asked patiently, yet gave off a feeling of urgency, “So you admit that you have entered Hongtian Palace.”
Zhou Aimin prepared to nod once again, yet before he could, Jing Wen stepped forward, saying, “Your Majesty, it was this one that entered Hongtian Palace.”
“Jing Wen, when did you enter Hongtian Palace?”
Jing Wen answered within the slightest fluctuation in his voice, “The day I entered the capital.”
The Emperor was silent for a moment, asking, “Was that why Mo Xi applied poison onto the cane?”
Jing Wen gave a slight frown. “I presume that Mo Xi had rightfully suspected that I had entered his residency, leading him to hope to warn me with a harsh punishment.”
The black beads gently collided as the Emperor praised. “Very good. Jing Wen, to be able to remain upright against pressure, zhen truly admires.”
The words of the Emperor were worth its weight in gold. The ‘very good’ spoken by the Emperor made the implicit officials glad they had remained silent when the opinion had turned against Jing Wen and Zhou Aimin. In contrast, the outspoken officials could feel the invisible pressure bearing upon them.
Jing Wen quickly prostrated, mimicking the attitude of a perfect official. “This one dare not accept Your Majesty’s praise. It is only right to bring light upon injustice.”
Stroking his beard, the Emperor spoke nonchalantly, “Zhen shall send a company of Imperial Guards to investigate Hongtian Palace. When the time comes, zhen hopes that you would be present to aid the case.”
The court allowed for all forms of discourse among the officials, even permitting a degree of factionalism. However, once the Emperor spoke, the decision was final, and courtiers no longer had any power to influence the policy. The officials quickly turned face, praising Jing Wen for his bravery and denouncing Mo Xi, using a plethora of words to label him a pervert. Even Minister Yin had to forcibly squeeze out ‘the Emperor is wise’.
Minister Xin lifted his eyebrows. Raising his voice so that it is above the grovelling of the other officials, he said, “Your Majesty, now that the case regarding Mo Xi is solved, I believe it is time to focus on trade.”
The Emperor stretched his body. He took a look at Minister Xin, before smiling in reply, “Zhen has already lowered tariffs on goods immensely and allowed peasants to apply for loans at the expense of the Imperial treasury. What else could be done?”
Minister Xin straightened his body. “Your Majesty, recently, a trade convoy from the North Sea has arrived at the border of Zhili, no more than a month away from Lin’an. From the large quantity of caravan, I believe a transaction on such scale should be closely monitored by the Imperial Court.”
“From the North Sea?” Not only the Emperor, but all the other officials became intrigued by what Minister Xin said. On the surface, it appeared only Jing Wen and Zhou Aimin appeared uneasy.
“The convoy is headed by Hua Quanfu, who had spent eight years gathering wealth in the North Sea. Now that the situation in the North Sea is deteriorating, he has been forced to return to the Great Zhu.”
The emperor frowned, “Do not play with words.”
Minister Xin rubbed his fingers together; as if hoping to create a flame from the friction. Slowly, he said, “It is said that Hua Quanfu had met with a Great Shaman, and had a lengthy dialogue, ultimately enlightening the Great Shaman. Since your Majesty has urged, I shall not mention the contents, but the benefits Hua Quanfu from aiding the Great Shaman, though unknown, must be truly significant.”
The other officials gasped upon hearing this. The shamans of the North Sea are known to be experts at the nature of longevity, performing human sacrifices to extend the lives of themselves and others. To become a Great Shaman, one must first be over the age of eighty and perform countless rituals.
To discuss with the Great Shamans is an honour typically reserved for Great Khans, who still had to exchange vast quantities of goods. Before the officials could begin a lengthy and heated discussion, the Emperor cleared his throat, saying in a dignified, cold manner. “The Imperial Court is dismissed. Aside from Jing Wen, zhen does not wish to see anyone before zhen.”
Under the Emperor’s declaration, the fire was suppressed before it could even become a kindle.
---
After the other officials withdrew, the Emperor left his throne and exited the veil of beads. Following the sounds of the Emperor’s footsteps, Jing Wen advanced to the deepest parts of the Palace. The officials were not used to seeing this, but considering that Jing Wen and the Emperor were technically cousins due to the blood oath between their parents, the officials had no reasons to speak out. The closer than blood relationship between Emperor Gaozu and Jing Ping was something that had existed even before the foundation of the Zhu Dynasty. This tie was even closer when Emperor Gaozu wed his daughter, Princess Kang to Jing Ping.
Kunning Hall was less splendid than Chang’an Hall but no less dignified. Separated by a lowered carved lacquer table, the Emperor and Jing Wen sat without any servants surrounding them.
The Emperor raised his teacup to take a sip. As if unhappy with the temperature, he smashed the teacup to pieces before Jing Wen’s chair. The tea splashed onto Jing Wen’s white robes; after all, the man could not see. Unlike previously, the Emperor’s voice was exceptionally icy and crushing, able to freeze an entire river.
“Entering Hongtian Palace the day you arrived? Do you still think you are a part of the Imperial Guard?”
Jing Wen pretended to not know what just happened, remaining calm. He answered respectfully, “Your Majesty is wise.”
The Emperor suddenly gave a distant smile. “Do you not know the importance of Mo Xi’s position?”
Jing Wen passed his undrunk teacup to the Emperor, prompting him to take another sip. He opened his mouth once the Emperor brought the teacup to his lips. “It’s better to hit the nail now, then let the structure collapse.”
As if weary, the Emperor massaged his brows. “You are no different from your father.” Sighing, he then said, “Forget it. Uncle has done countless acts that brought controversy, yet all of them had improved the situation of the Empire. As long as the end is desirable, I don’t care about the result.”
Hearing these words, Jing Wen did not immediately reply.
Instead, Jing Wen silently thought to himself; even after death, it appears that my father is still shielding me.