Chapter 113 – Old Case

Xu Chun looked at the time and hurried back to the Marquis Manor, just in time to see his uncle and three cousins still eating. He quickly smiled and sat down, then awkwardly said, “I’m late, why didn’t Father come to accompany Uncle?”

Sheng Tongyu said, “We didn’t have them inform him. We just said you were still here. Why bother your father? We can eat more comfortably on our own.”

Xu Chun thought that his uncle and three cousins had been in business for many years and had seen a lot. They might recognize that stone. He hastily took out the box and handed it to Sheng Tongyu. “Uncle, please take a look. This is the stone I got today. Can you tell what it is?”

Sheng Tongyu picked it up and looked at it but didn’t say anything. He passed it to Sheng Changzhou beside him. “You three brothers should all take a look. See if you can identify it.”

Xu Chun happily asked, “Does Uncle recognize it?”

Sheng Tongyu replied, “It’s rare, but not so rare that no one can recognize it. This thing is indeed scarce on the market, which is why Youlin didn’t recognize it. But there is some smuggling overseas in the black market. Let’s test your cousins’ eyesight.”

Sheng Changzhou picked it up and obviously recognized it as well. He smiled slightly. “Father, this won’t stump me. Let’s see about Changyun and Changtian.”

Changyun picked it up, examined it, scraped some powder off with his dagger, and smelled it, doubtfully. “The luster looks like iron ore, but this pattern…”

Changtian tasted a bit of the powder he had scraped off from his hand. Xu Chun’s expression changed slightly, too late to stop him. “Brother Changtian! Why do you taste everything?”

The other three men’s expressions didn’t change. Changtian reassured him and chuckled. “No problem. The taste is right. It’s iron ore.”

Sheng Changzhou added, “It’s specular hematite, uncommon in the Central Plains but produced in small quantities in Shu Province.”

Seeing that it wasn’t poisonous, Xu Chun was slightly relieved, but then exclaimed, “Iron ore?”

Sheng Tongyu confirmed, “Yes, it’s iron ore. Look at the neat edges and luster. The layers crystallize into petal-like shapes. It’s high-purity specular hematite. If it’s reddish and flaky, it’s called limonite. Some people polish it to make jewelry, use it as pigment, or even treat illnesses with it.”

“Not only does Shu Province produce it; I remember it’s also found in Youzhou, Gan Prefecture, and Ji Prefecture. There’s even a mountain called Mirror Iron Mountain in Gan Prefecture. The court prohibits the sale and excavation of iron ore, so this type of iron ore is rarely seen on the market, which is why Youlin hasn’t seen it before. However, the iron mine business is highly profitable, and there are always people secretly shipping it overseas.”

Xu Chun muttered, “The court prohibits trading…”

Sheng Tongyu explained, “Naturally, salt and iron are state monopolies. This can be used to forge weapons.”

Xu Chun put the iron ore back in the box, feeling uneasy. Sheng Tongyu was considerate. “If you have something urgent to attend to, go ahead. Is there anything you need help with?”

Sheng Changzhou suggested, “Even if the sky falls, fill your stomach first. Eat dinner first.” As he spoke, he served him a bowl of fish soup.

Xu Chun smiled apologetically. “Thank you for your consideration, Uncle. My cousins, please continue eating. I do have something urgent. I’ll be back soon after I take care of it outside.” Sheng Tongyu frowned. “Bring someone along. Don’t be rash. Talk more with the family about whatever’s going on. Don’t act foolishly alone.”

Xu Chun laughed. “Don’t overthink it, Uncle. It’s not dangerous. I just need to hand over this iron ore to the authorities. The rest is up to the officials to investigate. But I need to hand it over quickly to avoid alerting anyone.”

He drank two sips of soup and hurried out again. The Sheng family members were left looking at each other, somewhat worried, but remembering that they had someone above them covering their backs and that someone would be following him, they felt slightly reassured.

Xu Chun indeed headed for the palace as soon as he came out.

Xie Yi was still having dinner when he saw Xu Chun suddenly enter at this hour. He was a little surprised. “Have you eaten? Why did you suddenly come to the palace?” At the same time, he ordered someone to prepare a meal for Xu Chun.

Xu Chun showed Xie Yi the mineral and recounted the events of the day, smiling. “My uncle and cousins have seen a lot. I’m sure this must be iron ore. Iron ore is under state control. How could this iron ore appear intact under the imperial mausoleum? There must be something suspicious. The servants may not recognize it, but Regent Wang probably wouldn’t be easy to deceive.”

Xie Yi’s face took on a slightly stern expression. He repeatedly examined the stone in his hand, glanced at Xu Chun, and then handed it to Su Huan behind him. “Remember everything clearly. Take this to He Zhiquiu and have him verify it with Chu Ji and Li Meiyao.”

“Also…”

Xie Yi fell silent for a moment, looked at Xu Chun again, and suddenly sighed. He instructed Su Huan, “Find Fang Zixing and have him send two reliable people with a secret decree to summon Helan Jingjiang back to the capital. Just tell him it’s about his family’s case, which has a chance of retrial.”

Xu Chun was somewhat surprised. Xie Yi looked at Xu Chun and smiled faintly. “Indeed, every sip we take is predestined.”

Xu Chun asked, “Young Master Helan… is he related to this case?”

Xie Yi replied, “Helan Jingjiang comes from a military family. When the case happened, Helan Jingjiang’s grandfather, Helan Mo, and father, Helan Yan, had been guarding the borders for many years. On that day, the Helan family was implicated in a treason case. The charge was precisely… secretly selling iron ore to the northern Tartar tribes. There were witnesses and evidence at the time, including Helan Jingjiang’s father’s handwriting, and even silver from the Northern Tatars was seized from the Helan family’s study. They had guarded the border for many years and had no shortage of foreign items from beyond the borders, which all became evidence. The entire family was executed and charged with treason… I was young at the time and only knew that many ministers in the court generally believed it was an injustice. They suspected it was a double agent scheme.”

“But the cart of iron ore intercepted at the border during the investigation was real. The captured Tartar merchants admitted they had been doing business with the Central Plains for years, involving transactions worth millions. The Helan family couldn’t defend themselves against the accusations, but at the time, nothing like that much money was seized. However, the Helan family offended the Empress Dowager, who was determined to have them killed. In the end, General Helan refused to admit guilt, but his subordinates couldn’t withstand the torture and confessed that the money was used to supplement military supplies. The Helan family did spend their own money to provide food for the troops, but after the case broke out, the border generals were indignant and insisted that the Empress Dowager forced a confession through torture.”

Xu Chun recalled, “I heard at the time that it was because they offended the Empress Dowager’s family… The Fan family, right?”

Xie Yi looked at Xu Chun. “You don’t know how powerful the Fan family was at the time. More than ten members of the clan held high-ranking positions of Third Rank or above in the court, and they were all in departments with real power. The Minister of War at the time bore the surname Fan, and the commander of the palace guards also bore the surname Fan.”

Xu Chun shuddered slightly, suddenly remembering what Fang Zixing had said about the night of the palace coup. What kind of formidable enemy did his Ninth Brother face that night, and it was his own mother? No wonder the Empress Dowager was so unwilling. The Fan family… Fan Mukun was still gloomy and couldn’t let go of the decline of his family. If Ninth Brother had lost back then, he would have faced dethronement and imprisonment or even sudden death. That was truly a life-or-death political struggle. Ninth Brother was only fourteen years old at the time…

Xie Yi continued, “There’s iron ore in the imperial mausoleum, whether dug out or hidden. There must be something suspicious. But if a member of the royal family was involved, framing the Helan family would have been easy. Furthermore… only crimes such as treason, selling iron ore to foreign countries, and collaborating with the enemy could move the Regent Wang and cause him to refuse cooperation. And the consequence of refusing cooperation was the other side taking action ruthlessly…”

“Only this way does everything make sense. If the Regent Wang had died, the young emperor would have had to rely on the royal family. Therefore, he didn’t need to rush. He didn’t expect the Empress Dowager to blame me and plan to depose me. He also didn’t expect the Empress Dowager and the Regent Wang to have a child together, but the Empress Dowager’s dethronement still depended on the royal family. Only by removing the Regent Wang, who knew the secret, could they be safe.”

Xu Chun widened his eyes. “The royal prince didn’t have any children, did he? Could he be hiding iron ore to rebel?”

Xie Yi sneered. “He himself is mediocre and old without any sons. He doesn’t dare to rebel, but selling domestic iron ore abroad for huge profits is something many noble families have done. Actually, not just him, the vassal princes in various regions have done similar things privately. It’s just that no one knows who they sold it to; it all circulates on the black market.”

“The reason I can tolerate the Fang family is that among the vassal princes, they are the only ones who remember the country and the family. They truly regard the country as their own, although they monopolize the iron ore trade, they haven’t sold a single piece of ore abroad.”

Xu Chun asked, “Prince Yu is already a vassal prince. What does he need so much money for?”

Xie Yi coldly replied, “His daughter married the son of the governor of Ji Prefecture. When the entire Helan family was executed, and the border army mutinied, there were rebellions everywhere. The Regent Wang couldn’t suppress them. With a young emperor on the throne, the country was unstable. The vassal princes in various regions were restless, and the governors and commanders in charge of real power were also plotting to accumulate weapons, troops, and wealth, dreaming of holding the emperor hostage and commanding the feudal lords when the world was in chaos?”

“He was still the head of the imperial lineage, the highest in rank simply because he lived the longest, but he had a daughter and grandson, and naturally harbored delusions. But he lacked the ability, so he could only hide in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity, but eventually, he waited too long and missed his chance.”

Xu Chun watched as Xie Yi’s eyes turned cold, as if he had sunk into his memories. His expression became gloomy and subtly carried a hint of violence. Xu Chun was quite astonished. He hurriedly reached out and hugged Xie Yi, whispering, “Ninth Brother… everything is in the past now.”

Xie Yi’s heart pounded, as if he could hear his blood flowing in his veins. A piece of iron ore that could have caused the Regent Wang to suddenly fall off his horse and die linked together those dark memories of the past.

The crime of selling iron ore to enemies and rebelling led to the wrongful execution of the Helan family, causing a mutiny in the border army. The instability of the court and the changes in the heavens compelled the Regent Wang to personally visit the imperial mausoleum for a sacrifice, but he accidentally discovered the secret of the iron ore there.

Prince Yu, the head of the imperial lineage, sought mercy and cooperation. Given the Regent Wang’s temperament, it was unlikely he would agree, but he didn’t refuse outright. Most likely, he wanted to stabilize Prince Yu and Ji Prefecture. Therefore, he probably agreed on the surface. But after returning to the capital, he likely planned to deal with Prince Yu, only to be preempted.

Xie Yi vividly remembered that night. He received a secret report from Su Huan through a trusted eunuch, stating that the Empress Dowager intended to depose him. Heartbroken and disheartened, he wanted to commit suicide by drinking poison, fulfilling his mother’s wish.

But a long-suppressed rebellious spirit suddenly rose up, urging him to take his closest companions and charge into the darkness of the city gate, gripping his long sword tightly. With an unyielding determination, he decapitated the clansmen of the Empress Dowager’s family one by one. It was the first time he had personally killed someone. That night, he was a cornered beast fighting for survival. The shell of the virtuous monarch, which had been imposed on him for too long, was shattered by the instincts of a wild beast.

Someone was gently kissing his lips, soft and sweet. Xie Yi came to his senses and realized he was being embraced by Xu Chun. All the eunuchs around them had left. He slowly returned the embrace, placing his other hand on the back of Xu Chun’s head. He kissed him with more force, completing this kiss filled with the meaning of comfort.

Their lips parted, and Xu Chun looked at Xie Yi’s face worriedly. “Ninth Brother.” His complexion was terrible.

Xie Yi reached out and touched Xu Chun’s head. “I’m fine. I just remembered some things from the past.”

Xu Chun whispered, “Ninth Brother had a tough past… surrounded by tigers and wolves…”

Xie Yi softly replied, “Fortunately, now I have Qingqing by my side. Qingqing is my lucky star.”