Chapter 79
At the end of the tenth year of Xuanhe, the Ministry of Justice uncovered a case of buying and selling barbarian slaves at Xiyuan, and the landlord behind Xiyuan was revealed to be Xie Jining, who was granted the title of Zheng'an Marquis at the beginning of the founding of the nation.
Xie Jining had been engaging in the trade of buying and selling barbarian slaves for many years, reaping huge profits. After being imprisoned, the vast amount of property confiscated from him left everyone speechless.
Many people in the capital were also uneasy, as this old case implicated not only ordinary aristocrats but also officials.
This year, there were many incidents in the court. The Crown Prince first carried out a bold reform of one of the three major defense institutions in the capital, the Shenji Camp, then dispatched troops to Yanchi due to the incident involving a Wei family girl being kidnapped, and at the end of the year, the Xie family was searched.
This year, it seemed that peace would not come easily.
*
In the prison.
A man was hanging upside down on the rack, covered in blood and dust, as a steel whip rolled across his flesh, causing a large amount of blood to splatter. Trembling all over, he couldn't hold on any longer, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth as he twitched, "I confess..."
Jian Ning threw down the bloody steel whip and stared at him with fiery eyes, saying, "Speak."
"Over these years, all the barbarian slaves I bought in the capital were sent to Yanzi Lin, in the valley west of Yanzi Lin, there's a Hui Xian Manor." The man's voice was unclear, bubbling with blood foam.
Jian Ning flicked the blood on his fingertip from his robe. "Who is in charge of Hui Xian Manor?"
"I don't know..." The man's swollen eyes had cracked corners with blood oozing out, murmuring, "That year I almost starved to death, and it was Uncle Zhou who saved me. He had me do things for him. Initially, I managed a residence, but three or four years ago, he had me buy barbarian slaves from Xiyuan and send them to Hui Xian Manor. I never went inside, nor do I know who the owner of the manor is."
"Who is Uncle Zhou?"
The dim light in the prison only illuminated the man with bean-sized lights. With the faint light, Jian Ning stared at the man, asking sharply.
The man shook his head, "I don't know, he never told me his name. Only once, I heard someone call him Zhou Dao'an."
*
In the dead of night, the Imperial guards sneaked out with the Prince's token, heading towards the Yanzi Lin in the east. However, they were a step too late. It seemed that the residents of Hui Xian Manor had sensed something amiss and had already fled, leaving many things behind. They had set a big fire, attempting to burn everything to ashes.
The Imperial guards extinguished the fire and thoroughly searched through the ruins of the manor.
After Jian Niu leading the Imperial guards away from the palace, Li Wenjian couldn't sleep.
He tossed and turned in bed, unable to rest, continuously thinking about Hui Xian Manor. If things went smoothly, perhaps tonight he would finally know who the owner of Hui Xian Manor was.
"Your Highness, can't you sleep?" Zhao Heng suddenly embraced him from behind, resting her chin on his vest, her voice soft and gentle.
Li Wenjian's eyes were filled with confusion under the light, and he patted her hand lightly, asking, "Am I disturbing you?"
Zhao Heng shook her head and said no, sitting up, draping her clothes around her, and suggesting, "If you can't sleep, let's go look at the moon."
With the lunar festival approaching in half a month, it was the time of the full moon, and the moon's light peacefully bathed the ground through the window lattice.
Li Wenjian nodded and agreed, getting up to put on a cloak and leading Zhao Heng out of the sleeping chamber.
There was lingering snow on the tall palace eaves as Li Wenjian embraced Zhao Heng's slender waist, lifting her onto the rooftop.
Fei Yu, who had been lurking behind the palace eaves, suddenly saw a black figure flashing not far away. Instinctively, he tightened the sword at his waist and looked in the direction to see the Crown Prince and Lady Liangyuan ascending to the rooftop.
He was very puzzled, staring at them intently, wondering what they were up to, only to see Li Wenjian spread his cloak on the ridge and pull Zhao Heng into his arms, sitting down.
The grand moonshine was right in front of them.
Fei Yu watched them in confusion, wondering why they were not sleeping on such a cold night and instead running to the rooftop?
But he had learned his lesson and knew not to disturb them when they were alone, so he tightened his cloak and turned away to a place where he couldn't see them.
In the early evening, Li Wenjian was reviewing official documents in his study when a palace maid informed him, "Your Highness, General Jian Ning requests an audience."
Jian Ning had returned.
Looking at the faint orange clouds spreading in the west, Li Wenjian knew that everything would eventually have a conclusion. He closed his eyes slightly and said, "Let him in."
Setting down the red-sealed official document, he picked up the book he had been flipping through on his desk.
Jian Ning, without even having time to freshen up, with his hands hidden in his cloak, stepped onto the white jade steps, facing the wind and snow. He saw the bright lights in the study, appearing warm in the dusk.
Fei Yu approached and reminded, "Your Highness hasn't slept all night."
Jian Ning pursed his lips in silence, his heart trembling. But after being by Li Wenjian's side for so long, he knew how cruel the truth he was about to report would be for him.
Jian Ning quickly entered the room and saw Li Wenjian sitting meticulously at the desk, his face stern, with long slender fingers resting on the pages.
Although his eyes lacked focus, his gaze seemed scattered.
"Your Highness, I have returned."
"Mm." Li Wenjian's voice was somewhat hoarse. "How did it go?"
"The people had already left upon hearing the rumors, but perhaps dealing with the Marquis of Xie had alerted them. The incident happened hastily, and many things were left behind," Rehn explained. "We thoroughly searched the manor and found many privately forged weapons, as well as a training ground. A lot of evidence indicates that the assassins who targeted Your Highness on several occasions in the past were dispatched from Hui Xian Manor."
Li Wenjian's voice was somber. "Do you know who is behind all this?"
As he spoke, Rehn's eyelids trembled slightly. He looked at Li Wenjian's expression and spoke in a low tone, "The affairs of the manor are managed by a man named Zhou Dao'an. And this Zhou Dao'an is none other than the one who escorted the heir orphan of the Prince Wuyou South to Jiangnan, Wang Zhao. Wang Zhao's mother's maiden name is Zhou, and she is a distant relative of the deposed Princess Consort. He was fiercely loyal to the Prince Wuyou. After escorting the Prince Wuyou's heir to Jiangnan, someone pretended he had ventured to Nanyang, while he himself used the alias Zhou Dao'an, daringly went north into the capital, founding Hui Xian Manor with various legitimate businesses on the surface, but covertly cultivating assassins for the remnants of the former dynasty and using all means to influence court officials."
"They initially roped in Zhou Kuo by exploiting his gambling habits, setting him up to incur a substantial debt that forced him to work for them."
Afterward, he cautiously mentioned the crucial point, "Many useful pieces of evidence at the manor were destroyed by the fire, but there is a large amount of copper and iron in the weapons workshop that couldn't be taken and was left behind in the manor."
Indeed, Jian Ning words caused Li Wenjian to tighten his lips even more, and a frosty look appeared in his eyes as he took out some archived documents from the Ministry of Revenue. "Forging weapons requires a large amount of iron ore. Most of the iron ore used by Hui Xian Manor comes from the Tongyang Iron Mines. I checked the account books of the Tongyang Iron Mines at the Ministry of Revenue. Almost every sales invoice to the blacksmith shops under Zhou Dao'an's name was stamped with Lord Liang's seal."
The iron mines in Dongli were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue's Bureau of Metallurgy. To prevent residents from privately forging weapons, every significant sale of iron ore required the signature of a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Revenue.
And Liang Xingyan was previously such an official at the Ministry of Revenue.
While Zhou Kuo and other officials were manipulated and forced to work for the remnants of the former dynasty, what about Xingyan?
Was he compelled to serve others as well?
Some long-buried memories seemed to be unveiled by the wind and snow, suddenly becoming clearer.
Xingyan's father had been raising provisions for the Great Ancestor's troops in the capital during the years of turmoil. To ensure the safety of his wife and children, he did not bring them to the capital, sending Xingyan back to their hometown in Longxi at a very young age.
It wasn't until Xingyan was eight years old that his mother fell seriously ill, and Lord Liang had to bring them back to the capital.
However, his mother passed away on the way back, and Xingyan returned with only an urn containing her ashes.
Upon returning to the capital, he remained silent for more than a year. People thought it was due to the sudden loss of his mother, but it was likely also to hide his accent. If a child raised in the countryside of Longxi spoke fluent Beijing dialect, his origins would be revealed immediately.
*
After finishing her lessons at the Duke's residence today, Zhao Heng quietly went to fish by the lake. She was distracted while fishing and several times struggled to properly bait her hook.
Her mind was preoccupied with the matters at Hui Xian Manor, fearing that Jian Ning might have returned with bad news. She only caught a few small fish after fishing for half the day. As dusk approached, An Jingliu reluctantly reeled in her rod, threaded the fish with a rope, and handed it to Zhao Heng: "Lang'er loves to eat fish, take it back and have the palace kitchen prepare it for him."
Zhao Heng eagerly accepted the fish, bid her farewell with a blessing, and hastily left the Duke's residence.
Unexpectedly, just as she stepped out of the Duke's residence gate, she was stopped by Li Junning's attendant palace maid, Yaoqin.
Yaoqin was on the verge of tears, her eyes red with urgency as she implored Zhao Heng, "Third Princess is in trouble. She won't allow any maidservants to enter the palace to avoid alarming the Empress. Please come to the Princess's residence to check on her."
After a moment of hesitation, Zhao Heng eventually followed Yaoqin onto the carriage bound for the princess's residence.
During the ride, Yaoqin recounted the situation to her.
The weather was fine today, and Princess San decided to bring out the musty books from her study to air them out. The household members were busy tidying up the books, and when she saw a book blown to the ground by the wind, she got up to pick it up. Unfortunately, she accidentally stepped on a pebble, slipped, and now had a persistent stomach ache with signs of spotting.
However, Xiao Zheng, the court official, was out on official business today and wouldn't return until tomorrow. The Emperor had been unwell lately, and the Zheng family elders had been bedridden for several days already. The third princess didn't want to worry them further, so she endured the pain, but as night approached, she became fearful of being alone without anyone to consult.
Li Junning's close friends in the inner court who were unmarried were not suitable to invite over. Somehow, she thought of Zhao Heng.
Zhao Heng remained calm and composed, a reassuring presence in times of crisis.
She knew that Zhao Heng had been at the Duke's residence recently, so she asked Yaoqin to bring her over.
Upon arriving at the third princess's residence, Yaoqin escorted her to Li Junning's bedchamber. The room had a faint medicinal scent, and Li Junning lay on the bed, looking pale with a thick quilt covering her body, and sweat trickling down her forehead.
"You...you've come?" Li Junning tried hard to calm herself despite the unbearable abdominal pain. However, being a young and inexperienced girl, her words trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm really sorry, I didn't know who to turn to, so I've troubled you."
Reaching into the covers, Zhao Heng held her sweaty hand and said, "Don't speak. Close your eyes and rest well."
Li Junning obediently closed her lips, looking pitifully at Zhao Heng.
"Has the Imperial Physician been summoned?" Zhao Heng asked Yaoqin.
Seeing the thirc princess's frail condition, Yaoqin's eyes turned red as tears welled up. She nodded and whispered, "Yes, we have."
Lowering her voice, she added with sorrow, "We summoned Physician Liu, and she mentioned that the child in the princess's womb might be difficult to save."
Upon hearing this, Li Junning closed her eyes.
Zhao Heng felt a momentary stiffness in the hand she held, and as she lifted her gaze, she looked steadily at Li Junning's face. After a moment of thought, she turned her head and asked, "Has the folk healer been called as well?"
Yaoqin widened her eyes in disbelief at Zhao Heng's words.
The folk healer specialized in treating women's ailments.
In the field of medicine, practitioners followed a strict master-apprentice tradition, only those trained under a reputable physician were considered doctors. On the other hand, folk healers often lacked formal training and relied on inherited knowledge passed down through generations, making them part of the less orthodox faction.
How could Yaoqin let such a person treat the princess?
"Even Physician Liu, who is skilled in internal medicine, couldn't help, and the folk healer..." Yaoqin bit her lip, trailed off.
Not wanting to hear more, Zhao Heng turned to Li Junning and softly said, "The folk healer specializes in women's ailments, and her experience surpasses that of Physician Liu. Saving lives doesn't depend on one's social status."
Li Junning opened her eyes, her misty gaze meeting Zhao Heng's, showing a hint of hesitation.
Zhao Heng gently held her hand and said softly, "The situation is already dire. The more you hesitate, the more danger the child in your womb faces. Those who save lives should not be judged by status."
Struggling with the unbearable pain, Li Junning bit her lip lightly and instructed Yaoqin, "Listen to Liangyuan and bring the folk healer here."
Yaoqin wiped away her tears, composed herself, and arranged for the best folk healer to be summoned to the residence.
The healer arrived within about a quarter of an hour, being led into the third princess's residence, she was overwhelmed by the fairyland-like house.
Discriminated against her whole life, she never expected to have such an opportunity to go to such a place to treat a noble.
On the way, she had been taught the proper etiquette. Upon entering the bedchamber, she immediately trembled and knelt down, "This humble one..."
"Saving lives is urgent." Her words were cut off by a gentle voice coming from the bedside, "Get up and treat the Third Princess quickly."
The noblewomen in the capital looked down on them, these lower-class healers. Even when wealthy women from prestigious families called for their services, they were treated with disdain. It was the first time a noble treated them with such respect.
She quickly had her maids prepare boiling water, cotton cloths, and after washing her hands, she approached the bed, lifted the covering over Li Junning, and examined her.
Li Junning couldn't stop trembling as she bit her lip.
Zhao Heng held her trembling hand gently, applying a comforting touch.
After a while, the folk healer looked up, and Zhao Heng hurriedly asked, "How is she?"
The healer said, "It's a bit risky. I'll prescribe a remedy to see if we can stop the spotting before daybreak. If we can, with proper care, there should be no harm."
Zhao Heng urged, "Hurry."
The healer wrote the prescription, and Yaoqin immediately sent someone to fetch the herbs, brewed them, and had Li Junning take the concoction.
As dawn approached, the bleeding finally stopped.
The room collectively breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, Xiao Zheng, who had received the news and braved the storm, arrived, looking weary, taking Li Junning's hand in his red eyes.
Not wanting to disturb their moment of intimacy, Zhao Heng quietly left the room.
She remained by Li Junning's side throughout the night, her eyes refusing to close. Seeing her exhaustion, Yaoqin promptly offered to prepare a guest room.
Gazing at the faint glimmer of dawn breaking over the eastern horizon, she gently declined Yaoqin's offer. "No need, I must return to the palace now."
"But... the palace gates aren't open yet," Yaoqin protested.
"I'll wait for them to open," she replied, her voice laced with an urgency that mirrored her longing to return to his side.
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The author's note:
For those who find the pace of the story slow, I suggest stockpiling chapters or waiting until the completion of the novel to binge-read.
Only a dozen or so chapters remain before the conclusion of the main storyline.