Chapter 161 – Cherishing One’s Life

One of the major events in the capital after the New Year was Fan Tanhua’s proposal to the Helan family, which ended with Helan Jingjiang returning his lavish gifts and giving him a sound beating. Afterward, the emperor merely docked Helan Jingjiang’s salary and sent people to reprimand him. Then there were signs that the Jins in the north seemed somewhat unstable, so the emperor reassigned Helan Jingjiang back to the northern border. Amidst all the commotion, no one noticed that Miss Helan, who had been silent all along, led a convoy to the port of Jinhai on a winter night and boarded a large ship bound for foreign lands with a merchant fleet.

Another shocking event that shook the nobility of the capital was the raid on the Mansion of Wu’an Marquis. This household had been smuggling for years and was immensely wealthy. Their warehouses were filled with expensive spices such as pepper and bird’s nests. The silver stored in their cellar amounted to a staggering three hundred thousand taels.

What was even more surprising was the discovery of large quantities of steel armor in the cellar. Private possession of armor had always been considered high treason. While swords could still be privately forged and carried, private casting and storage of armor was akin to rebellion.

The smuggling case immediately escalated to a case of treason, and for a time, the capital was filled with rumors and high-ranking officials hurriedly distanced themselves from the Marquis of Wu’an. Even Prince Jing, Guo Xu Anlin wiped his sweat and sighed in relief with Lady Sheng, saying, “Fortunately, we didn’t end up marrying into the family. It’s all thanks to His Majesty’s reprimand. What a lucky thing.”

Lady Sheng scoffed. “This is clearly the higher-ups seeing your son as useful, fearing you would go astray, hence the imperial edict of rebuke. Do you still dare to arrange a marriage for your son haphazardly?”

Xu Anlin said with a mournful face, “Isn’t it like this all over the capital?”

Even Xie Yi had not anticipated this, but he did not hesitate to accept the armor, ordering it to be sent immediately to the front lines, along with the millions of silver to replenish military funds. With this raid, even the Ministry of War was laughing, secretly hoping the emperor would exercise his keen insight and confiscate a few more households.

Several ministers, Zhang Qinyu, Shi Wentai, and Liu Tinghe, had been petitioning the emperor to establish an empress. They had written pages upon pages of requests in their congratulatory letters during the imperial birthday festival. These ministers were also arrested one after another after the New Year for crimes such as corruption and dereliction of duty. They were interrogated and their homes raided, with substantial gains. Many of these ministers were sent to serve at the borders or seafronts, with the adult males of their families either conscripted into the military or put to work on river management projects.

The emperor’s private remarks also spread among those with ulterior motives: “When I was young, my elders restrained me too much, and now that I am in my thirties, do I still have to endure these empty talkers lecturing me about my family affairs? What business is it of theirs regarding my harem? They can’t achieve military glory, they can’t enrich the country and make the people prosperous, they are helpless in governing the country nor pacifying the world, they only have their mouths left. Unable to gain favor by serving close to Me, they think of betting on My heirs in the harem, believing they can earn credit for supporting the throne, their intentions deserve punishment!”

The courtiers began to understand the emperor’s irritation. In fact, when the current emperor was young, he had been suppressed by the regent and the empress dowager. From establishing an empress to his studies, everything was under their control. He had been overly restrained.

After the emperor gained full power, the regent had died under mysterious circumstances. When the Fan family was at its zenith, all the purple-clad officials came from under the Fan family’s banner. Then the powerful ministers of the Fan family died off one after another, the Empress Dowager Fan quietly went to the imperial temple to nurse her illness and never left, and the Empress Fan was simply deposed. The emperor ruled with an iron fist, with a temperament that seemed to suggest that those who went along with him would flourish, while those who opposed him would perish. In politics, he valued practical matters and never focused on literary elegance. He disliked those who wrote books to lecture about morality and character, indulging in empty talk, and arrogant and frivolous ministers. These censors usually didn’t do anything concrete, but they nagged the emperor daily about taking an empress and having a crown prince. The emperor did not enjoy being lectured, and naturally, he would get annoyed?

Looking at the frequent visits of the emperor to the Imperial Academy recently, personally questioning the princes about their studies, it became clear that the emperor did not want to take an empress or concubines, and was not worried about the imperial succession. How could the wise and mighty emperor alone be muddled in matters of state? There must be some hidden reason. And this hidden reason probably concerned his health. Those ministers who persisted in submitting memorials were likely repeatedly poking at the emperor’s sore spot, exposing his private affairs! After all, the deposed empress had no children!

Suddenly, the number of petitions to establish an empress dropped dramatically. Even the ministers who had submitted such petitions before secretly rejoiced. Firstly, they were upright officials who had stood upright and the emperor had not found fault with them. Secondly, they at least did something, and the emperor still needed them. In short, the emperor had not settled accounts yet, perhaps temporarily, but once they made a mistake, they would likely be the ones repairing dikes and serving in the military!

Who could guarantee that their official careers were completely clean and spotless? Who dared not protect themselves wisely?

Now that war was raging, the court was short of money, and the Ministry of Justice was eyeing everyone, ready to confiscate assets to replenish military funds, whose money was not hard-earned?

For a time, thriftiness became a popular trend in the capital. Officials wore patched robes to court, banquets and feasts were virtually eliminated, and no one dared to build new mansions or pavilions. Business in brothels and taverns declined significantly, and the sounds of music on the Golden Powder River decreased. Even business talks were held discreetly in private gardens, and the noble families strictly controlled their female relatives and offspring. They replaced gold and silver jewelry with wood and stone, silk clothes with cotton, and magnificent carriages with simpler ones. They could not flaunt their wealth outside and were all obedient.

After receiving Dinghai’s report on Xu Chun’s injury, Xie Yi finally vented most of his anger.

On this day, he received a letter from Xu Chun, but he was not in a hurry to read it. Instead, he first looked through the reports from Dinghai and Fengxiang Guard, reading each one carefully. He also pulled out Xu Chun’s medical records and examined them closely. Since Xu Chun left the capital, the initial safety pulse records on the first and fifteenth days of each month, as well as the treatment, medication, diet, and sleep after his injury, were all reported in detail by Donghai. To obtain the authority to submit these reports, Donghai had been released from servitude following the procedures, had taken the exams at the Imperial Medical Institute, and obtained an official position as a physician in the Imperial Medical Institute, grade eight, without participating in the rotation schedule. His position at the Imperial Medical Institute was specifically for attending to palace guards.

He carefully reviewed every pulse record and prescription, asking Su Huai to consult the Imperial Medical Institute. Only then did he open Xu Chun’s letter:

“To my dear Elder Brother: Wishing you peace and happiness in the New Year. We have been apart for several months, the snow falls heavily, and not a day goes by without thoughts of you. Although Yu Lin has aspirations as vast as the Kunpeng, he remains attached to our friendship. Although I am at the ends of the earth, my brother is like a gentle breeze, flying with me across the land, and I dare not neglect my own health. Although there have been occasional injuries, they have all healed and returned to normal, please do not worry about me. Words cannot express the depth of our affection, I only hope that the storm will soon pass, the imperial rule will remain stable, and His Majesty will live long and prosper.”

Xie Yi glanced at it a few times, finding it too brief. The few lines of text even hinted at guilt, glossing over the phrase “occasional injuries,” avoiding the main issue, and putting up a brave front. He gave a cold laugh.

He saw that the messenger was still Qi Luan, the deputy commander of Fengxiang Guard, and called him over to ask in detail about his daily routine. He learned that Wu Ying Hou demanded complete victory within half a year. He frowned. “Go back and tell Wu Ying Hou, the court’s military funds are not something he should worry about. We just confiscated three hundred thousand taels for him, so he doesn’t need to rush things. The Jins in the north are currently being handled by Helan Jingjiang, and they are still relatively peaceful. Therefore, the commander-in-chief should prioritize safety and stability, preserving the strength of the army above all else, and not be overly worried about the country’s resources running out. The ministers are now well-behaved, and none of them are submitting memorials to obstruct.”

Qi Luan acknowledged.

Xie Yi gave a few more instructions, telling them to protect Xu Chun, before dismissing him.

Then he picked up a pen and wrote a letter himself: “Every inch of your body belongs to Me. If you are injured, it is tantamount to deceiving the emperor. No matter how sweet your words are or how distinguished your merits, the crime of deceiving the emperor cannot be avoided. When you return to the capital, I will strip you of your clothes and shoes, and inspect you personally, settling all accounts according to the severity of your injuries.”

“If you wish to be pardoned, you must cherish and care for yourself as if you were caring for My body.”

After finishing, he sealed it secretly, but also ordered the workshop to forge a light and portable purple copper kettle, flat and square, double-layered with goose down in between to preserve water temperature. Inside, there were holes left for a leather strap to be threaded through, making it convenient for combat and marching. On the outside, the words ‘Avoid Haste’ were engraved, and on the inside, ‘Cherish Your Life’ . He ordered someone to send it along with the letter.