Chapter 8
Ignoring the hidden meaning in You Liang’s words, Yan Yunhe pushed through his exhaustion to endure the court session.
In court, representatives of all factions engaged in verbal sparring. Ever since Emperor Chengjing had opened special examinations1 to promote talent from humble backgrounds, the political landscape was no longer dominated by Grand Secretary Yuan.
Yan Yunhe forced himself to listen for a while. The matter under debate was Yunzhou, located at the foot of the Heiyu Luan Mountains, not far from the capital. It was currently overrun with bandits. Logically speaking, the most severe banditry occurred in areas far away from the capital. How could bandits suddenly appear right under the Son of Heaven’s feet?
Every region had its own garrison, as well as military forces stationed for defense. The banditry must have reached a critical level for the magistrate to petition the court for aid.
Though it remained unclear which military officer Emperor Chengjing would appoint to lead the suppression efforts, it was the perfect opportunity to earn merit nonetheless. For a moment, all factions were vying for it, fighting tooth and nail.
After court was dismissed, Yan Yunhe declined You Liang’s invitation and hurried straight for his residence. His presence wasn’t required in the palace today—or, more accurately, since the drinking incident came to light, he had temporarily lost his privilege of serving the emperor.
He collapsed into a deep sleep as soon as he got home. Song Wen woke him up before dark, just as people from the Imperial Surveillance Bureau arrived at the manor.
As he expected, Zhao Xiang was dead. He had hanged himself in his private villa.
As the vice minister of works, Zhao Xiang had abused his position for personal gain by smuggling military weapons. The loss of three hundred firearms from the Directorate for Armaments was his doing. He should have promptly rectified this oversight, but when his scheme was discovered, he fled in panic. Realizing the gravity of his crimes, he took his own life out of fear of punishment. This was the statement in his suicide note.
Yan Yunhe rested his hands on his knees, tapping his fingertips lightly. “When you found Zhao Xiang, were there any other people at the villa?”
“Only four servants,” the agent replied.
“No women?”
“None were found.”
Yan Yunhe pondered for a moment. “Investigate a woman named Liang Yin’er from Wanhua Pavilion. Find out when she entered the establishment, her identity before joining, and who she associated with afterward. Leave no stone unturned.”
Having said that, he also asked, “Any leads on the docks I had you investigate earlier?”
Smuggling military firearms required transportation. Before his promotion to vice minister of works, Zhao Xiang had served as Director of the Bureau of Waterways and Irrigation,2 overseeing river defense and the management of vessels. It was highly likely he would choose waterways for his illicit operations.
Hearing this, the agent immediately replied, “Your Excellency’s suspicions were correct. Zhao Xiang indeed had private ships built at the docks. The transports weren’t officially recorded, so it took our brothers considerable effort to uncover that the last shipment sailed to Yunzhou.”
Yan Yunhe’s expression darkened. He’d heard that name just this morning.
If firearms were transported to Yunzhou and fell into the hands of mountain bandits, how could the garrison’s meager forces possibly defeat them?
Even if the capital sent troops to suppress them, facing bandits equipped with firearms would likely result in heavy casualties.
How could ordinary bandits acquire such extraordinary means—purchasing military weapons from the vice minister of works in the capital? Someone was certainly assisting them.
Everything about this situation seemed off. There must be a deeper truth behind the unrest in Yunzhou!
“Report this to His Majesty immediately,” Yan Yunhe instructed.
After the agent departed to carry out his orders, Yan Yunhe summoned his attendants and changed into his official robes.
It was already mealtime. Song Weng had just called for dinner to be brought in when he saw Yan Yunhe fully dressed. He glanced at the sky. “It’s getting late. His Majesty probably won’t summon you to the palace now.”
No sooner had he spoken than an eunuch arrived with Emperor Chengjing’s summons.
In the imperial study, Emperor Chengjing stood with his hands clasped behind his back, admiring famous paintings. Before his true talent was revealed, the emperor had cultivated a wide range of interests. It could be said that there was no pastime in the capital that Emperor Chengjing hadn’t mastered.
Polo, pitch-pot,3 cricket fighting, cockfighting—these were among the reasons Yan Yunhe had once been so close to the emperor.
Yan Yunhe knelt in obeisance. Emperor Chengjing didn’t even turn his head. “We intend to send you to Yunzhou.”
Just like that, the coveted assignment that had been the subject of heated debate in court that morning had now fallen on his shoulders. If he hadn’t uncovered the whereabouts of the firearms today, Yan Yunhe might have genuinely believed this was a “good” assignment.
Hearing no reply, Emperor Chengjing turned around with curiosity. “What? Are you unwilling, dear minister?”
“This subject is honored to obey Your Majesty’s command,” Yan Yunhe replied, cupping his hands in a respectful bow.
Emperor Chengjing smiled and said, “Zhao Xiang’s case is already closed. Only after you earn merit by suppressing the bandits in Yunzhou will we be able to override all objections and reinstate you to the Divine Machine Battalion.”
“Some points in Zhao Xiang’s case remain unsolved. Your Majesty, please grant this subject some time to investigate. This subject will not rest until the truth is uncovered,” Yan Yunhe said.
There was simply too little time. Finding the connection to Wanhua Pavilion through the tampered case files had been difficult enough. Besides, Yan Yunhe’s intuition told him that this matter was far more complex than it appeared on the surface.
Emperor Chengjing waved his hand. “As you wish. But let us remind you one thing: this mission in Yunzhou cannot fail. Furthermore, you will not be suppressing the bandits alone.”
In many matters, Emperor Chengjing showed no deference to Empress Dowager Jiang, his nominal mother. Yet he evidently did this time—and considerably so. Perhaps it was due to the consecutive incidents involving Zhang Zheng and Yan Yunhe that Emperor Chengjing finally realized he had to yield.
Yan Yunhe wasn’t the only one dispatched to Yunzhou; Yu Qin would join him.
When he emerged from the imperial study, the sky was completely overcast; a storm was brewing. A junior eunuch was holding an umbrella above Yan Yunhe’s head, his short stature making him struggle all the way. Not wanting to trouble the palace staff, Yan Yunhe took the umbrella himself and even tilted it slightly toward the eunuch.
The rain gradually grew so heavy that Yan Yunhe didn’t immediately notice the arguing voices. It was that familiar flash of scarlet robes out of the corner of his eye that caught his attention. Two figures stood in the palace corridor. One was Yu Qin, whom Emperor Chengjing had mentioned in the imperial study earlier. The other was Zhao Yi, whom he hadn’t seen in ages—and who remained as detestable as ever.
Zhao Yi came from a distinguished family of officials. Rumors said that his younger sister had been selected to enter the palace and become one of Emperor Chengjing’s consorts. Now that he was somewhat related to the imperial family, why was he still clinging to Yu Qin like before?
But Yan Yunhe soon realized that Zhao Yi no longer held the same reverence and admiration for Yu Qin as he had in the past. The rain was too loud for him to hear Zhao Yi, but from his expression and the loathing in his eyes, he could tell that whatever he was saying was far from kind.
Yan Yunhe told the eunuch not to escort him any further. The eunuch was about to protest that it was against protocol when he noticed that Yan Yunhe was clearly about to sneak closer and eavesdrop. Resigned, he left the umbrella behind and withdrew.
As Yan Yunhe drew closer, words mingled with the wind and rain and drifted to his ears.
“Stop calling me by my name and pretending we’re close. Just thinking about our days as classmates makes me… makes me sick!” Zhao Yi’s voice trembled slightly, filled with utter disgust.
The moment Yan Yunhe saw Yu Qin’s expression from behind a pillar, his keen interest and eager anticipation vanished like smoke. Yu Qin was supposed to be cold and indifferent, the kind of person that wouldn’t listen to Yan Yunhe’s nonsense or take his words to heart.
But Zhao Yi was not Yan Yunhe, and Yan Yunhe could never be Zhao Yi.
“That’s enough, Zhao Yi.” Yan Yunhe stepped out from behind the pillar.
Zhao Yi initially stiffened at the sound of another voice, but when he turned and saw it was Yan Yunhe, he unexpectedly let out a sigh of relief. Clearly, he assumed Yan Yunhe would be on his side.
Unfortunately, Yan Yunhe’s next words mercilessly shattered Zhao Yi’s illusions. “Don’t you see where you are? Such insolence. Do you find that the Zhao family has lived for too long, or that your sister’s days in the palace are too peaceful?”
Zhao Yi’s face turned ashen. He gritted his teeth and stormed off with a flick of his sleeves. Yu Qin stood beneath the eaves in silence, half his robe soaked by the rain. His complexion was so pale even his lips had lost their color, as if he were a solitary ghost on the verge of vanishing into thin air.
Yan Yunhe disliked seeing Yu Qin like this. “You’re so bold in front of me. Why did you go mute before that fool?”
Yu Qin finally focused his wandering attention onto Yan Yunhe.
Yan Yunhe reached out, intending to pull him where the rain didn’t reach, but his movement faltered. In the end, he merely opened the umbrella in his hand, shielding them both from the wind and rain. They stood so close that Yan Yunhe could see raindrops clinging to the tips of Yu Qin’s hair, trickling down his neck and sliding into his inner garment.
As if in a trance, Yan Yunhe stared at that overlapping collar. Even the embroidered python beast no longer intimidated him.
Until he heard Yu Qin’s words.
“What makes you different?”
Yan Yunhe frowned and looked up. “What?”
“You wish to be like the empress dowager.” Yu Qin’s voice was soft, yet it struck Yan Yunhe’s ears like a thunderclap. His lips slowly curved, revealing a smile that shook him to the core. “Do you think yourself worthy?”
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