gnovel Chapter 109: Speaking Out Directly
Chapter 109: Speaking Out Directly
Upon hearing Qin Keqing's words, Tang Situi froze on the spot.
For twelve years, he had always believed that only Zhijia had cleaned up his messes.
There is now another person using the alias "Tuizhi" who, twelve years ago, wiped away a mark that could have been fatal for a young editor he didn't know at the Privy Council, and may still be alive twelve years later.
"Miss Qin, where is Tuizhi now?"
"I don't know, but among the seven contact lines on this list, there are several that have not yet been cracked by the Imperial City Guard."
This means he's still operating in the shadows. I'll continue to follow the old trail." Qin Keqing shook her head and closed the booklet.
Tang Situi bowed deeply to Zhao Bozong, then turned and left the study.
When he returned to the back gate of the Ministry of Personnel, his pace was still the same as before, slow and with his shoulders slightly tucked in, as if he was ready to avoid everyone at any time.
This time, however, he had an extra copper coin in his sleeve. Twelve years ago, he had hidden this coin in the deepest pocket of his handbag, not daring to show it to anyone. Today, he took the copper coin out of his handbag and put it in the outermost layer of his sleeve.
......
March 21, Xiangyang.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and a fine layer of spring rain floated on the surface of the Han River.
After the bell tower of Baima Temple strikes twelve times at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), those with a discerning ear can hear a brief vibrato between the tenth and eleventh strikes.
There were no suspicious worshippers inside the temple.
After hearing the bell in the bamboo shed of the old camp in Xiangyang, Xiao Bieli stood up and said to Yue Yinping, "White Horse Temple is safe. I'll go pick up Zhu Fu and put him on the boat."
This was the day Zhu Fu set off for Xinyang.
Old Xu's fishing boat was moored at the old ferry behind the Dragon King Temple. The bottom of the boat had been cleaned. Li Baoqin's fast boat, which was traveling north along the Han River from Guazhou Ferry, was moored at the mouth of the Han River waiting to pick up people.
Zhu Fu wrapped the Xinyang army's mobilization order in three layers of oilcloth and stuffed it into the deepest part of his Taoist robe, along with the chipped copper coin, close to his chest.
"Mr. Zhu, Wang Zhongchen's wife runs a herbal medicine shop called 'Zhongxintang,' located north of Xinyang City. After you arrive in Xinyang, do not linger in the city."
If you hand this letter to her personally, she will have her own way of delivering it to Wang Zhongchen.
After receiving the order to set off, Wang Zhongchen would use the pretext of purchasing medicinal herbs to divide the 300 veterans into four groups and send them south along the western foothills of the Dabie Mountains, entering the territory of Suizhou within five days.
There's someone in Suizhou who can help. Give him the second batch of names; he'll know what to do.
Zhu Fu straightened his Taoist robe: "The three hundred veterans will go south in four batches. When they arrive in Suizhou, they will be received by Chen Da. I will remember that."
Yue Yinping nodded and took out a small medicine bottle from her sleeve.
"This is Panax notoginseng powder that Jinbao asked someone to bring from Zhenjiang. Sprinkle it on your wound when your leg hurts. It's more effective than the herbs from Wild Boar Ridge."
Zhu Fu took the medicine bottle, looked down at it, and without saying thank you, simply stuffed the medicine bottle and the chipped copper coin into his pocket.
He hid in the dilapidated Taoist temple on Wild Boar Ridge for two years, going down the mountain every few days to steal cabbages, and every month he would go to the roadside pretending to gather firewood and wait for someone to take a copper coin.
Now the man with the copper coin sent a vanguard to pick him up, and a girl sewed patches on his Taoist robe before he left.
He waited twelve years in his life, not for wealth and status, but for these stitches and patches.
"Miss Yue, if I go now, I may not be able to return in time for Qingming Festival."
"It's alright." Yue Yinping planted the plain wooden spear on the ground. "When you come back, perhaps the notices at the gates of Xiangyang will no longer feature anonymous portraits of the Imperial City Guard."
Xiao Bieli stood silently by the ferry, his hand on the hilt of his sword. At that moment, he looked up at the sky.
The thin mist on the Han River is dissipating, and several fishing boats in the middle of the river are beginning to haul in their nets.
He said to Zhu Fu, "Mr. Zhu, please get on the boat," and then reached out to help Zhu Fu.
Old Xu pushed the bamboo pole onto the stone steps, and the fishing boat slowly left the shore.
Zhu Fu stood at the stern of the boat and bowed deeply to Yue Yinping on the shore.
Then he said nothing more. Everything that needed to be said was on the list, everything that needed to be entrusted was in the ledger, and the rest that was left unsaid was in the departure order and the copper coin in his pocket.
Old Xu rowed the oars steadily and quickly, and the dilapidated fishing boat glided across the misty river surface, heading towards the mouth of the Han River.
......
At the end of March in the thirteenth year of Shaoxing, in the imperial court of Lin'an.
Since the beginning of the first month of the lunar calendar, Qin Hui's cronies have been relentlessly pressuring Zhao Bocong in the imperial court.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, when Zhao Bocong went to the Ministry of Personnel to pay New Year's respects, Qin Hui did not make a scene in person, but the next day he had the Censorate submit a memorial impeaching the Prince of Puan's residence for "using the copper box of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs beyond the prescribed limit." The wording was extremely cunning, not saying it was illegal, but only saying it was "beyond the prescribed limit."
Because the right to use the bronze box of the Grand Court of Imperial Clan Affairs was a rule set by Emperor Taizu, Qin Hui could not directly say "illegal," but could only use the vague term "overstepping the limit" to test Zhao Gou's attitude.
Zhao Gou kept the impeachment memorial hidden and did not issue it.
But Qin Hui's men did not give up. In mid-February, the Ministry of Rites reduced the sacrificial expenses of the Prince of Puan's mansion under the pretext of "preparations for the spring sacrifice".
At the end of February, the Ministry of Revenue again delayed the allocation of funds for the archives of the Zongzheng Temple in the old camp in the southern suburbs.
Each step wasn't fatal, but each step felt like tightening a rope.
Qin Hui's strategy was clear: if he couldn't break through the ancestral shield of the Grand Court of Imperial Clan Affairs head-on, he would gradually squeeze Zhao Bocong's living space from the side.
Faced with Qin Hui's relentless pressure, Zhao Bocong's response was also clear.
Now he is no longer a newcomer. With the accumulation of experience over the years, Zhao Bozong no longer tolerates and backs down as he did last year, but has begun to selectively fight back.
In early March, he instructed Zhao Shiyi to submit a strongly worded demand for payment to the Ministry of Revenue in the name of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, citing an old precedent from the reign of Emperor Taizu.
Anyone who delays the payment of funds for the Zongzheng Temple will be treated as "disrespectful to the sect".
This precedent was never actually used, but it was indeed written in the edict of the Taizu Emperor's reign, and Qin Hui's men searched through all the legal provisions but could not find any grounds for rebuttal.
The Ministry of Revenue obediently made up the difference in funding.
This was the first time Zhao Bocong had openly used the established laws of Emperor Taizu as a weapon in the imperial court.
It's no longer about using the Zongzheng Temple's credentials to shield oneself from harm; it's about using them to stab others.
Some neutral officials in the court began to notice that this young prince was not just hiding behind ancestral rules to avoid trouble; he was also learning Qin Hui's tricks and using every legal means to the fullest extent.
On the fifteenth of March, Zhao Bocong attended the court assembly for the preparation of the spring sacrifice at Chongzheng Hall.
According to custom, members of the imperial clan only attend court assemblies without speaking, but he suddenly stepped forward and made a remark during the discussion of the memorial on spring plowing and security in Xiangyang Prefecture.
"The memorial on the security of Xiangyang Prefecture mentions that 'unidentified persons' are loitering around Baima Temple. I believe that this matter should not be taken lightly."
Baima Temple is an important site of Han Chinese Buddhism, attracting tens of thousands of pilgrims every year during the spring planting season. A large-scale search and arrest under the guise of investigating displaced people could damage public support.
Zhao Bocong's words appeared to be speaking for the people of Xiangyang, but in reality, they were a public warning to Qin Hui in the imperial court.
I know what you did in Xiangyang, and I also know that you scattered people around the White Horse Temple.
More importantly, he spoke publicly about the military and political affairs of Xiangyang as a member of the imperial clan, which meant that he was no longer content to hide behind the scenes and manipulate the intelligence network, but had truly begun to speak out in the court.