Chapter 119 Cascades: Shock
Qi Jianqiu looked bored as her eyes wandered around the room, while Xue Yiqi sat across from her with his face flushed red, as it always was when he was near her.
“Why is everybody busy with their own things! How boring!” Qi Jianqiu sighed as she collapsed onto the table. “Wait a minute, aren"t you supposed to be on duty in the Imperial Army today?” Qi Jianqiu sat up straight.
“It"s my rest day today.” Xue Yiqi answered, his cheeks still ruddy.
“Are you alright? You look really red.” Only then did Qi Jianqiu realised something wrong with Xue Yiqi.
“I"m….I"m not.” Xue Yiqi was even more nervous now. He took a deep breath and finally asked the question which had been bothering him. “Are there many people proposing to you at your family these days?”
“Yeah.” Qi Jianqiu"s att.i.tude towards her circ.u.mstances had changed from one of anger to mere nonchalance. “The business with the Heir and the 8th Prince is such a big deal now; I"m sure you"ve heard of it by now.”
“You…don"t like either of them, do you?”
“Of course not. I"m not that stupid.” Qi Jianqiu scoffed.
“What about 3rd Brother? Was it all fun and games between the two of you?” Xue Yiqi seemed very intent on asking questions that day.
Qi Jianqiu hesitated for a second but quickly replied. “Of course! Why else would I treat him like that? What"s up with you and all these weird questions today, huh?”
Xue Yiqi relaxed a little. He drew in another breath, his tone ginger. “What if…what if it was me who proposed to you?”
Qi Jianqiu froze in surprise, her gaze landing upon Xue Yiqi who looked at her earnestly. She blinked a few times, struggling to find the words. “Yiqi, you"re joking, right? That isn"t funny at all. I"m only eighteen when Autumn comes; I"m in no hurry to marry.” Her eyes quickly darted away, unable to look him in the eye.
“Of course I am joking. Think nothing of it, Jianqiu.” Hurt showed on his face for a second but he quickly hid it, leaving an abashedly apologetic expression on his face instead. “You know me; I often go too far with my words. My apologies about that.” His frantic apology ended in an awkward silence which permeated the room.
The silence was broken when a House Defender of the Qi household barged into the room. “Young miss, we need you back at the household now! The Minister of the Right has been a.s.sa.s.sinated.”
“What?!” Qi Jianqiu jumped to her feet. “How is Father? How bad are his injuries?”
“Don"t worry, young miss. His wounds are light and shallow.” The House Defender"s tone was brisk. “But the ladies in the household are panicking badly, and the head steward can barely contain the situation. We need you back at the household to take charge of things.”
“Pfft. All they know is to cause a ruckus at times like these.” Qi Jianqiu frowned and turned to Xue Yiqi. “I"ll be heading back first, then. It"s a rare off day you get from work, have a good rest.”
Xue Yiqi nodded. “Be careful on the way back. I"m sure the Minister will be fine.”
“Mmmm.” QI Jianqiu nodded and quickly left the room with the House Defender.
Now that Qi Jianqiu was gone, Xue Yiqi could no longer hide his disappointment. “I guess that counts as a rejection.” He spoke in a low murmur. “But it"s alright; at least we are still friends. I"m gonna keep trying as long as she has n.o.body in her heart!”
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Meanwhile in the Palace, the Emperor was in a fit of rage.
“The Minister of the Right is a.s.sa.s.sinated as soon as news of the a.s.sa.s.sination of Chamberlain Feng reached Chang"an!” The Emperor slammed a fist onto his desk. “This is a brazen challenge to my authority! First they steal from my coffers, now they a.s.sa.s.sinate my important officials. This governor of the Shanyin Province no longer has any respect for my authority, does he?”
In front of the Emperor stood Situ and the Minister of the Left.
“Your Majesty, the governor has already been taken into custody by the Chamberlain before the a.s.sa.s.sination happened. I doubt he"d have the ability to organise such an intricate a.s.sa.s.sination on two important government officials at that point.” It was rare for Situ to speak so many words in succession.
The Minister chimed in. “I agree with the words of the Duke. The governor, under custody or not, does not have the power to organise an a.s.sa.s.sination in the capital of the kingdom, your Majesty.”
The Emperor fumed. “That"s what I"d thought as well. The Minister of the Right must have obtained leads on the governor"s accomplice in the capital – that was what must"ve sparked the a.s.sa.s.sinations. I am very interested indeed to uncover the ident.i.ty of such a brazen man.”
The Minister of the Left stepped forward. “Your Majesty, such an unthinkable act must be punished immediately, but I fear that the injuries of the Minister of the Right might hinder his full abilities. I will like to offer my help in the investigation, providing aid to the Minister of the Right in the case.”
The Emperor smiled a little. “It is rare to see my two Ministers come to common ground on the same issue. But the Minister of the Right is enraged by the attempt on his life and he has already requested to catch the man behind the a.s.sa.s.sination himself.” He paused for a second, his gaze sweeping across his two trusted officials. “I will issue the Minister of the Right an official decree, one that allows him to request for manpower from the two of you, if he so requires. I a.s.sume that the both of you will have no objections to that?”
Situ bowed his head. “It is my honour to be of help to you, your Majesty.”
The Minister of the Left quickly followed. “It is my honour as well, your Majesty.”
The Emperor nodded, satisfied with their reply. “I"ll have to trouble you to check on the Minister of the Right, my Duke. We wouldn"t want him to be left with any irrevocable damages to his health at his age because of his injuries now.”
Situ bowed. “Yes, your Majesty. If there isn"t anything else for me, I shall take my leave now.”
“You may. I have other business to discuss with the Minister of the Left.”
“Yes, your Majesty.” Situ bowed and slowly backed out of the Imperial Study.
The Emperor turned to the Minister. “I have been plagued with many worries these days; they seemed to convene upon me at the same time – even the Commandery Princes of the regions have decided to come to Chang"an at the same time.” The Emperor looked tired. “You shall be in charge of receiving the Commandery Princes. I"d wanted to put the Heir in charge of the matter, but he has been rather disappointing as of late.”
“It is natural that you have high expectations for the Heir, your Majesty. I"m sure he understands your intentions.” The Minister chatted amicably with the Emperor.
When the Minister left the Imperial Study a while later, he was met by someone before he could leave the Palace Gates. He followed the man to a corner of the palace, where another man dressed in a yellow gown embroidered with the Qilin stood with his back facing him.
The Minister stepped forward and bowed to the man. “Your Highness.”
“Minister. Have you accomplished the task that I"ve entrusted to you?” The Heir slowly turned around, looking the Minister in the eye.
“Please forgive my failure, your Highness. I have failed to gain his Majesty"s approval to take over the investigation of case of embezzlement.” The Minister"s voice was steady.
“How is that possible?” Displeasure was apparent on the Heir"s face. “The Minister of the Right is injured. Why is Father not letting anyone else take over the investigation?”
“To answer your question, your Highness, it feels as if his Majesty is somewhat mistrustful of me.” The Minister explained a matter-of-factly. He was perplexed when he saw the mixture of anger and fear on the Heir"s face. “May I enquire the reason behind the task for me to take over the investigation? After all, the case has nothing to do with us.”
“I just want to show my worth to Father.” The Heir quickly came up with an excuse.
“Are you involved in the case by any means, your Highness?” The Minister asked gingerly.
“How is that possible!” The Heir quickly denied it. “I am the inheritor of the kingdom! Why will I violate the laws of the kingdom?”
“Yes, your Highness. I should not have spoken so rashly.” The Minister of the Left bowed in apology. “If you have nothing else for me, I shall take my leave then.”
“You may.” The Heir waved the Minister away, watching as the Minister slowly headed out of the Palace. He turned to his advisor. “What do you think of this, Yu Ming? Is the Minister"s failure out of his own intention?”
“Hmmm.” Yu Ming Hesitated for a second. “His Majesty has always seen the two Ministers as equals, and he knows very well the issues between the two of them. I believe that is why his Majesty did not let the Minister of the Left take over the case – to prevent disruptions, that is.”
“Is that so?” That did not quell the Heir"s suspicions. “Did the Imperial Treasurer fail again?”
“Yes.” Yu Ming did not dare to look at the Heir.
“Useless! What a bunch of useless fools!” The Heir raged and spun around, stomping back to his own palace. Yu Ming quickly followed behind.
Unbeknownst to them, a member of the Covert Guard watched on from the shadows.
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Meanwhile, outside the Palace.
“Stop the carriage. We"re going to the Grand Tutor"s Residence.” The Minister of the Left called out to his attendant.
“Yes, Master.”
The carriage quickly reached the Grand Tutor"s Residence. The Minister hopped off the carriage and was met by the head steward who hurried out from the residence.
“Why do you look so frantic?” The Minister followed the head steward into the residence. “Did something happen to the Grand Tutor?”
“The Grand Tutor"s illness has remitted, and it took all the efforts from multiple physicians to bring the Grand Tutor back from certain death, over the course of a few days no less.”
“The Grand Tutor was well enough to discuss matters at my residence a few days back. How did this happen at all!” The two of them rushed into Jiang Moyin"s room. Jiang Moyin lay unmoving on the bed in the middle of the room. “Has he been like that these few days?” The Minister could barely believe his eyes.
“Yes. The physicians have said that these few days are vital to the Grand Tutor.” The head steward looked apologetically at the Minister. “My apologies, but I"d have to disappoint if you had things to discuss with the Grand Tutor, Minister. The Grand Tutor has spent his days in a coma, or the occasional semi-conscious stupor. We can barely speak to him.”
“No worries, what I"d wanted to say is insignificant in the light of things. Please let the Grand Tutor rest well.” The Minister of the Left could only give up his discussion with Jiang Moyin, and placed his faith in the moral values of the Heir to not do the wrong thing.