Chapter 136 Burnt Ends: If It So Pleases You
The Eighth Prince looked at Situ lying on the bed, turning to leave when he"d confirmed the extent of Situ"s injuries. He followed the head steward to the antechamber to meet with the a.s.sistant Generals who were waiting for him. Feng Luodi let out a breath in relief and stepped out from behind the screen. She took one last look at Situ before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.
Feng Luodi strolled around aimlessly, but her heart was too heavy to enjoy any of the sights. She was about to leave the residence but thought that it was best to bid farewell to the head steward, and waited for him by the antechamber. The head steward had just led the prince into the antechamber and turned to see Feng Luodi by the door.
He bowed gratefully. “Are you leaving so soon, Miss Feng?”
Feng Luodi forced a smile. “I can"t be of any help here.”
“That"s not true at all.” The head steward smiled. “I understand that you"re worried about the injuries of the Duke. You can feel free to come anytime you want to check on him; I"ll leave a note with the attendants.”
Feng Luodi did not reject his offer and bowed at the head steward before turning to leave.
Meanwhile, the Eighth Prince looked worriedly at the a.s.sistant Generals. “I am deeply saddened to hear of the plight that has befallen the General. I have duties that I have to tend to, but please believe me when I say that I bear the same anxious feelings as all of you. All I want to do right now is to catch the a.s.sa.s.sin.”
One of the a.s.sistant Generals bowed. “We understand, your Highness. We"ll like to do our best to provide any a.s.sistance we can.” He turned to an attendant. “Bring it here.”
The attendant soon returned with a tray in his hands and brought it to the Eighth Prince.
The prince looked at the broken arrow on the tray, confused. “Is this the arrow used by the a.s.sa.s.sin?”
The a.s.sistant General nodded. “This is just one of them. Please be careful when you inspect the arrow, your Highness; it is laced with poison.”
“I understand.” The Eighth Prince nodded, inspecting the arrow carefully. However, he could not discern anything out of the ordinary and decided to keep it for further investigation. “I shall keep this for now; it"ll definitely be of help in the investigation.”
He turned to a.s.sistant General. “May I enquire about the details of the a.s.sa.s.sination that had happened that day?”
The a.s.sistant Generals quickly answered his question.
When the Eighth Prince had finally left the antechamber, a particularly rough looking a.s.sistant General snorted. “The Eighth Prince is merely putting on a show for us. He should"ve come much earlier if he was indeed worried about the General, but he"d only managed to come now.”
Another man spoke up. “Be mindful of your words. I know that you"re worried about the General, but even the walls have ears in the capital.”
The first man snorted again and folded his arms across his chest. The group of a.s.sistant Generals huddled together, engaged in discussion.
A day later, in the Jiang residence.
“Master, the Heir has arrived.”
Jiang Moyin"s hand tightened around the bamboo slat unconsciously. It was a while before he spoke again, his voice hoa.r.s.e. “I understand. I"ll be at the antechamber shortly.”
Lu Bo gave a confused look to Jiang Moyin, but bowed and turned to leave.
It was summer, but Jiang Moyin put on a heavy cloak before he headed to the antechamber. He stood outside and looked at the man dressed in a yellow robe sitting at the table as a wave of nostalgia hit him. I"d been happy when the Heir was here in this seat in the past. But now…
The Heir put down the cup of tea irritably and looked up to see Jiang Moyin standing outside the antechamber. His old tutor was as gentle as ever, his face calm and expressionless.
“You"re here, Grand Tutor. How have you been?” The Heir stood up and smiled as Jiang Moyin slowly approached him.
Jiang Moyin bowed, a faint smile on his face. “Your Highness, have you forgotten that I"m no longer the Grand Tutor? I"m but a small Supervising Censor now.”
The Heir"s expression froze for a second. He sat back down in his seat and motioned for Jiang Moyin to take a seat. “Truth be told,” the Heir looked earnest, “that is exactly why I"m here today. I need you to be by my side; haven"t you promised me that we will realise our ambitions together? How can you back out of it now?” The Heir smiled as he said this, as if it wasn"t an accusation.
Jiang Moyin was unfazed. “I remember every word I"ve ever said to you, your Highness. But I"m sure you can see my current condition for yourself; I can no longer serve you anymore. You have many advisors and supporters in your wings, and I am sure that I will not be missed.”
“I can settle most problems on my own; I only need your advice for the important issues. Besides, you have many capable men working for you, and they"ve done many things for me in the past.”
Jiang Moyin"s smile widened. “If you"re here for those subordinates of mine, I"m afraid that I can"t help you with that. I"ve already dismissed all of them. If you would like to employ their services again, I"m sure you can approach them yourself. But I no longer have a say in any of that.”
“What?” The Heir"s voice was sharp, but he quickly softened it. “Moyin, why did you dismiss the men without any discussion with me? It"ll take me much time if I want to gather all of them again.”
“My apologies, your Highness. I"d not expected your visit and made the decision on my own. Surely, you wouldn"t hold it against me?”
“How could I?” The Heir forced a smile. “Please rest well, Moyin. I"ll visit you again when I have time.”
“Please, your Highness.” Jiang Moyin stood up, not making any effort to ask the Heir to stay. His att.i.tude was enough of a refusal to take on the mantle of the Grand Tutor again.
The Heir struggled to contain his anger. He took a few steps towards the door and asked nonchalantly, “Moyin, you"ve always been good friends with the Duke of Anping. Have you visited him since his injury?”
Jiang Moyin smiled lightly. “My sickly body can barely leave my residence, your Highness. How can I visit the Duke? Besides, I have no right to visit him now.”
“What are you saying? Do you need a right to visit him? All you need is your caring heart.” The Heir"s eyes darkened.
Jiang Moyin laughed. “I"d thought that you would"ve understood my words, your Highness. Seems like you didn"t.”
The Heir feigned confusion. “Your words are getting more cryptic by the day, Moyin.”
“Perhaps.”
When the Heir has left the residence, Jiang Moyin held onto the door, coughing heavily. The head steward quickly helped him indoors.
In the court, the Heir"s power weakens with each pa.s.sing day. His every bid to recommend one of his supporters for the position of the General of the North has been blocked by the Eighth Prince, his rival.
Suddenly, it was announced by the Emperor for Gan Qingjia, who"d held the position of the Inspector of Imperial Granaries, a Rank Two Official, to be promoted to the Imperial Treasurer of the court, a Rank One Official. The news caused an uproar in court. He was indeed capable, but his rise up the ranks was too quick and many deemed that he was still inexperienced. The Minister of the Left had mixed feelings about the issue. He was glad to see his son rising in the ranks of the court, but he knew that he was soon to be replaced. The Emperor had hinted about his desires to remove the position of one of the Ministers, and the Emperor"s apparent quick promotion of Gan Qingjia only serves to hint at his father"s future demotion.
The Heir panicked. The previous Imperial Treasurer was his staunch supporter, and he"d gained much power and luxuries from that position. There was no way he was going to let Gan Qingjia, a man who"d been openly going against him, take that position away from him.
The Heir stepped forward. “Father, I am of the opinion that this decision is too hasty. Inspector Gan has only served mere months in court, and his stellar performance cannot mask his lack of experience. The position of the Imperial Treasurer is one that holds great power and great responsibility, and I believe that the post should be held by someone with more experience. Please reconsider your decision, Father.”
The Emperor"s face darkened. If he was asking for a recommendation for the position of the Imperial Treasurer, the Heir"s words would have seemed overeager at worst. However, he had announced the appointment of Gan Qingjia to the court, and now the Heir appeared to be openly defying his will. Many officials saw the expression of the Emperor and quickly kept their heads down.
The Emperor was silent for a while. Panic slowly started building in the heart of the Heir.
The Eighth prince stepped forward. “I am of the opposite opinion, Father. Inspector Gan has demonstrated great ability since his appointment as the Inspector of the Imperial Granaries, doing much for the kingdom in the Bureau. The many problems he has solved further substantiates his prowess in this area. He may be young, but he is already much more experienced than many other officials who have served in court much longer than him. This is the kind of officials the Xuan kingdom needs, Father. I completely agree with your appointment.”
The Heir cursed at the Eighth Prince in his heart. Gan Qingjia smiled as he looked at the Emperor, knowing very clearly that it was all up to the Emperor. He knew that his promotion was such that the Emperor can have better control over the Villa of Mount Baicha; the higher ranking he was, the closer he would be to the core of the kingdom, and, to the Emperor.
The Emperor finally spoke. “The Eighth Prince"s words are my thoughts as well. From today onwards, Inspector Gan shall stand in as the role of the Imperial Treasurer. This appointment will be revised again in the Spring of next year.”
“Thank you, your Majesty.” Gan Qingjia stepped forward and bowed.
The Emperor waved him aside. His next words sent another tidal wave through the court. “I have decided that from today onwards, the Heir is to a.s.sist me in the ruling of the kingdom. All matters of the court will be decided by the Heir and me from now onwards.”
The Heir was elated. The Minister of the Left was surprised. The Eighth Prince was shocked.
However, the officials who had known the Heir for years were filled with worry. The Minister of the Right glanced at the First Prince, standing in a corner of the court. The First Prince"s chance has arrived.