Chapter 39

 

Just like Pei Xiaoyuan’s first audience, it was still late at night in the same palace. However, this time, the emperor did not hide behind the curtain.

He entered the back hall and saw the emperor in the room where he had waited for a long time last time. He was wearing a yellow silk cloak with cloud and crane patterns, half lying and half leaning on a large lacquered and gilded bed. In front of the bed was a table with layers of messy memorials on it. On the side of the bed, there were two large candles burning. The emperor was holding an open memorial in his hand, his eyes fixed on it, and it seemed that he was handling political affairs. It was unknown what the memorial said, but the emperor was frowning and looking angry.

Pei Xiaoyuan performed the greetings and soon heard permission to stand up from above his head, so he stood up.

The emperor still sat by the table, his eyes never leaving the memorial, and Pei Xiaoyuan waited quietly on the side. After a moment, the emperor’s face became increasingly livid. Suddenly with a sharp “snap”, he closed the memorial, threw it on the table, and turned to Pei Xiaoyuan, raising his eyelids coldly: “Why are you staring at Zhen?” The words sounded unpleasant.

While waiting quietly, Pei Xiaoyuan thought of what happened in the first half of the night and couldn’t help but stare at the emperor’s face.

The last time he met the emperor, the light in the hall was dim, so his complexion could not be seen. Tonight, in the outer hall, the candlelight was bright, and the emperor looked like a burnt wax, older than the last time. But even so, on this face that still had some of his youthful charm, he could still catch some similarities with her.

At this point, Pei Xiaoyuan finally understood where that subtle sense of déjà vu came from when he saw the emperor’s face during his last audience.

Thinking like this, he couldn’t help but get distracted. Upon hearing this, he immediately put away his gaze and said, “This minister dare not, just now waiting for your instructions.”

The emperor stood up from the couch, dropped his legs and sat on the edge of the bed. The mute eunuch who served him closely in the corner of the palace came up to help him put on his boots. The emperor waved his hand. The eunuch then retreated quickly and silently. The emperor put his hands on his thighs, stared at Pei Xiaoyuan and said, “Zhen summoned you in the middle of the night, do you have any complaints?”

Pei Xiaoyuan had long heard that the emperor seemed to have a reversed day and night schedule in recent years because he could not sleep at night. He took the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician, but it had little effect.

“This minister dare not. If Your Majesty needs this minister, this minister will be at your disposal at any time.”

He responded appropriately, without any flattery, and without showing any sign of confusion or fear at the emperor’s unreasonable criticism.

This was probably the so-called newborn calf. On the contrary, those experienced grand chancellors and important officials in the court were always in fear when they come before the emperor. They dare not say a word, for fear of accidentally angering the emperor.

The emperor stared at him for a moment, and his gloomy expression gradually cleared up.

“What have you been busy with recently? You have been in office for almost two months. If Zhen doesn’t call you, you then have nothing to report?”

Pei Xiaoyuan recounted yesterday’s operations.

“This matter has been reported to the general. This minister believe that the general has made a report, so this minister dare not rashly enter the palace to disturb Your Majesty.”

The emperor snorted coldly: “Han Kerang certainly report it. But Zhen want to ask you again in person! With such a big commotion, thousands of troops were mobilized, and in the end, people escaped! You just caught a few shrimp soldiers and crab generals for Zhen to deal with?”

Although the emperor’s tone was not harsh, his words clearly revealed his dissatisfaction.

Pei Xiaoyuan could only kneel down again and kowtow to admit his guilt: “It is this minister’s incompetence! Please punish, Your Majesty!”

“Do you know the identity of that suspicious person who’s recovering from the injuries?”

“The three arrested people are extremely stubborn. Although this minister has used extreme torture, no one has confessed so far.”

“Do you have your own inference?” asked the person sitting at the table.

“This minister stupid and have no idea at the moment.”

After he finished speaking, the hall fell into a terrible silence.

He lowered his eyes and could not see the emperor’s expression at the moment, but he could clearly feel that his answer had angered him.

“Look up!” Pei Xiaoyuan heard a voice that turned cold again coming from the front.

“Didn’t it say that one of them destroy his face after being arrested?” the emperor said, looking at him.

“Tell Zhen, why did he do that?”

“Maybe he didn’t want his face to be recognized.”

“Why not?”

“He’s probably afraid someone recognized his identity.”

“Recognized by who?”

“Forgive this minister for being so stupid, this minister has no idea about this yet.”

“You really don’t know?”

Pei Xiaoyuan suddenly met the emperor’s eyes that were like sharp arrows shooting straight at him.

“Yes. This minister really doesn’t know. When this minister returns, this minister will order people to intensify the interrogation. Once there’s results, this minister will immediately report it.”

The emperor continued to stare at him for a while, then he slowly leaned back on the table, looking a little tired. He closed his eyes slightly and rested his mind. Suddenly he spoke again: “Have you found the son of the old friend you were looking for when you first came?”

At this time, the emperor’s tone had turned light, as if he had just mentioned it casually, and it was not as strong as the pressure he had exerted a moment ago. But Pei Xiaoyuan’s heart skipped a beat.

He had never expected the emperor to suddenly ask this. After a moment of hesitation, he saw the emperor on the bed turn his head and open his eyes, looking over again.

He was secretly startled, knowing that it must be Han Kerang who reported the matter and it could not be concealed, so he answered immediately.

“Your Majesty, the person has been found.”

The emperor seemed to be asking casually. He only looked at him and nodded, “It’s good that you’ve found him. If one can cultivate oneself, there is no need to worry about not achieving honor. Now that an old acquaintance has come, it’s only right to offer assistance. All non-critical positions below the sixth rank in the capital can be given. Go to the Ministry of Personnel tomorrow and pick a suitable vacancy.”

Pei Xiaoyuan then understood the emperor’s intention in asking the question just now. It was not to challenge him, but to show his favor.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. But my old friend’s child did not come to the capital to seek an official position, but for family matters. Besides, no official position is trivial. Even if it’s a leisure position, if the person is not capable, they would not dare not take it. When she becomes a useful person in the future, it will not be too late to seek to serve the court.”

The emperor must have been quite satisfied with his answer. He nodded and continued, “Zhen heard that Ashina and Yuwen family’s boy had a fight in the Shenshu Palace a few days ago? Were you there at the time?”

Pei Xiaoyuan said yes.

“Do you know why they were fighting? Do they think Zhen’s place is their own crossbow training ground?”

Pei Xiaoyuan’s heart skipped a beat again, and he began to explain: “Your Majesty must be aware of the grudge between this minister and Shizi Yuwen, and the prince is also on good terms with this minister. On that day, the two of them got into a fight on impulse. This minister heard the news and rushed to stop them. It’s all the fault of this minister.”

The emperor frowned. “Not only that, Zhen heard that before in Chunfeng Tower, they almost led the young men of the Sixteen Guards to fight in public. One by one, relying on the little merits of their fathers, what have they become!”

“This minister regard the prince as a younger brother, and he also calls me brother, therefore afterwards, this minister has taken advantage of Your Majesty’s power to severely reprimand him. If it weren’t for the fact that Your Majesty has always lenient to others, this minister would have whipped his back long ago. He knows his mistake and regrets it deeply. Next time, if Your Majesty allows, this minister will bring him back to Your Majesty to apologize for his crime.”

The emperor glanced at him and said, “Pei Er, if that’s the case, Zhen want to ask you, why don’t you live in the house Zhen gave you?”

Pei Xiaoyuan saw the emperor’s dark eyes staring at him, and knew that the emperor must be worried that he was holding a grudge against the past. He lowered his head and said, “Your Majesty, the move was delayed because of the heavy workload. But this minister is going to live there in the next two days.”

At this time, the palace clock sounded faintly, announcing the second part of third watch. After listening to the palace clock, the emperor nodded and said, “Zhen also received your uncle’s greetings from the Eastern Capital today. He has arrived at his post. He also said that you are young and inexperienced, and hoped that Zhen would bear more responsibility for you. It seems he’s getting more confused as he gets older, and he is worrying too much. Zhen has nothing else here.”

Pei Xiaoyuan finished listening, bowed, and was about to leave when suddenly the emperor’s voice came over again: “What is the Jinwu Guard Inscription?”

This question came out of the blue.

Pei Xiaoyuan paused, then recited respectfully: “Loyalty and upright, honor in noble duty. Supporting governance with wisdom, achievements celebrated in ascension. Virtue and modesty displayed, righteousness and loyalty shining forth. Integrity in service, humble gratitude, and courageous loyalty.”

The emperor stared at him for a long time, repeating the seven words “Loyalty and upright, honor in noble duty”, and nodded.

“Young people have good memories. Very good, Zhen will wait for you to make new contributions for Zhen.”

“Withdraw. Go back and rest early, don’t run around.”

Pei Xiaoyuan calmed down his heart, which was inevitably began beating faster because of this, and retreated.

On the way out of the palace, he carefully recalled what happened yesterday, and finally confirmed that there should be no mistakes in letting Li Yan go for the time being.

As for Liu Bo, he would not deliberately give instructions. Even if he was questioned, Liu Bo’s true account of the situation at that time would not prove anything.

However, the emperor’s suspicion, cunning and fickleness made Pei Xiaoyuan feel more frightened this time than last time. At this moment, he thought of the girl who was unwilling to return to the palace rashly, and he felt a little more understanding and sympathy.

After that Pei’s son left, the emperor burst into a violent coughing fit, and finally leaned over on the bed, raised his arm to press the old wound on his chest, with a look of pain on his face.

The mute eunuch hurriedly presented the pill that the old Taoists priest had made for the emperor. As the mute eunuch ran, the pill kept colliding and rolling in a golden flat plate.

The emperor had an old injury from suppressing the rebellion, which had been flaring up from time to time in the past two years, causing pain in his muscles and joints. The imperial doctors prescribed mild medicines, always talking about balancing internal and external energies and treating the depletion of the body’s vital forces. However, the pills made by the Taoist priests were very effective and could relieve pain after taking them. Gradually, the emperor became dependent on them, and after several months, he simply stopped taking the imperial doctors’ medicines, relying solely on the pills to manage the pain.

The emperor picked up one and swallowed it with a few sips of warm water. After a while, the pain in his chest seemed to ease a little. He was helped up by the mute eunuch and leaned for a while with his eyes closed. At this time, another eunuch came to report that Yuan Zhi had arrived.

The emperor slowly opened his eyes, sat up, and ordered his boots to be put on.

Yuan Zhi bowed and walked in lightly, and saw the emperor sitting in front of a desk covered with memorials. Although he was awake in the middle of the night to handle government affairs, he still looked calm and energetic. He immediately bowed down to pay respect, and then reported that he had secretly interrogated Liu Bo and others under the Luwu Division.

This search was actually led by Pei Xiaoyuan alone, including the discovery of the drug residue and tracing it to Pingkang Lane, as well as last night’s search, which did not seem suspicious at the moment.

“Do you know where those people came from?”

“This servant doesn’t know.”

“What do you guess?”

“This servant dare to speculate that it may be related to Jingsheng’s rebels.”

“Do you think Li Yan is trying to win over this Pei family’s son? Or have they even met in private?”

Yuan Zhi was silent for a moment, then responded, “If this servant is Li Yan, this servant would definitely take advantage of what happened back then to sow discord. However…” He glanced at the emperor carefully, “Your Majesty has shown great favor to the Pei family’s son, moreover what happened back then was all the fault of the Pei family. If he really understood the truth, then no matter how eloquent Li Yan is, it will be in vain.”

After listening to this, the emperor closed his eyes for a moment, his expression showing no joy or anger. After a moment, he opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the memorial from an imperial censor criticizing the crown prince for not doing his job and only good at showing favor to his subordinates.

“What is Crown Prince doing recently?” He changed the subject.

“It is said that this morning he sent someone to pick up a courtesan from Pingkang Lane and took her to his villa in Nanshan.”

Yuan Zhi looked at the emperor and spoke slowly.

The emperor’s face instantly darkened, and he said coldly: “So that’s all he’s capable of. From the looks of it, he’s quietly left the palace as well and is now outside the city?”

Yuan Zhi lowered his eyes and said, “This servant dare not make a conclusion about this.”

“In a few days, find a reason to execute this girl.” The emperor said with disgust.

Yuan Zhi’s eyes moved slightly.

“Your Majesty, this woman’s identity is not simple. Her real name is Wei Yinniang. She is the daughter of a criminal who was transferred from the Music Bureau to Pingkang Lane. Your Majesty may still have some impression of her.”

“Wei Yinniang…”

The emperor muttered the name, looking slightly confused, “Which family is she from?”

“She is the daughter of the former General Wei Minghui.” Yuan Zhi said softly.

The emperor was stunned, as if he finally remembered something, and murmured: “It’s her. Zhen remember–”

He stopped.

“This servant was ordered by Your Majesty to monitor the crown prince. Not long ago, this servant noticed this girl.”

The emperor was lost in thought, and no one knew what he was thinking about. Gradually, a soft look mixed with melancholy and sadness appeared on his face.

“Forget it! Let them be!”

After a long while, the emperor spoke softly, looking tired. He then waved his hands.

“Your Majesty is merciful, but has Your Majesty forgotten that this woman had a close relationship with Li Yan in the past?”

The emperor suddenly realized at this moment and looked at Yuan Zhi with a frown.

Yuan Zhi knelt down.

“More than a year ago, since the moment this servant learned that Li Yan was still alive and had taken action, this servant asked the brothel madam to monitor this girl.”

“Why didn’t you say it?”

The brief warmth that the emperor had shown on his face a moment ago had disappeared without a trace. He stared at the eunuch lying on the ground in front of him and asked coldly.

“Because it’s just this servant’s own guess, and there has been no evidence of any connection. There’s also His Highness Crown Prince in the middle, how dare this servant rashly bring it up in front of Your Majesty?”

“Why are you talking about it now?”

“Because this servant discovered something strange. According to the confession of the brothel madam, Wei Yinniang went out to worship Buddha a few days ago, and she met a court painter and asked him to paint for her. The time was the night when Pei Er surrounded and searched Pingkang Lane. Liu Bo of Luwu Division also confirmed this. On the surface, it seems nothing, but this servant checked this court painter and found it very strange. He is very young, has just entered Jixian Hall not long ago, and has a low status. The person who County Prince Xiping’s Shizi had previously ordered through me to go to Ci’en Temple to paint for the late princess consort was actually him!”

“Maybe he knew the son of the Yuwen family before?” The emperor didn’t care at this time and said casually.

“Your Majesty’s words are indeed reasonable, but according to Liu Bo, this painter is also the son of an old friend that Pei Er had been looking for a while ago.”

The emperor suddenly focused his attention, a hint of doubt flashing across his eyes.

“It’s fine that this painter has a close relationship with Pei Er and Shizi, but how could it be such a coincidence that he appeared at Wei Yinniang’s home in Pingkang Lane at such a special time last night? The more this servant think about it, the more this servant feel that this person’s background is strange. This servant dares to guess that it’s not impossible that he is related to Li Yan.”

What he meant was very clear, that is, this court painter might be a spy sent by Li Yan to infiltrate the palace and make friends with Pei Xiaoyuan, Yuwen Zhi and others.

“What is this person’s name?”

“Your Majesty, his surname is Ye and the name is Xuyu.”

“If what you said is true, to have such a close relationship with Pei’s son, he’s not ordinary spy.”

“Your Majesty is right. This servant just wondered if Pei Er knows this man’s origins. Also, if he is kept here, he may become a nuisance in the future.”

With a snap, the emperor broke the imperial brush in his hand.

“Won’t Prince Ning hold a banquet at Qujiang Lake tomorrow? Invite this painter along as well. Send someone to check for Zhen and see how many heads he has to dare to act like this under Zhen’s nose.”

The emperor said coldly.

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