Chapter 95 – Lesson

Li Meiya soon met the Emperor.

Kneeling there, he could hardly believe that merely meeting with the Prince’s late concubine had drawn the attention of the Imperial Guard, and now even the Emperor himself was interrogating him.

Xie Yi hurriedly walked in, wearing his dark dragon robe. With a sweep of his robes, he sat down, glanced at Li Meiya, and asked, “Speak. I have no patience.”

Li Meiya was bewildered. “Your Majesty has been sending people to follow Chu Wei?”

Xie Yi sneered. “I’m personally handling your case, and you dare to question me? You’ve become too bold! Li Meiya, considering your past merits, I am giving you a chance to confess before the throne; this is my magnanimity. As a minister, you should maintain integrity. What do you have to say now?”

“Tell the truth, how did you conspire with the remnants of the Regent Prince? Is the Duke of Jing involved, plotting treason and rebellion? And what about Prince Xie Fei of Shun’an? Was he involved?”

Li Meiya broke out in a cold sweat, kowtowing repeatedly until blood welled up on his forehead. “Your Majesty! Your Majesty’s wisdom is profound! I alone bear the responsibility for this matter; it has nothing to do with the Duke of Jing’s Mansion or the Prince of Shun’an’s Palace!”

Xie Yi looked at him coldly, saying nothing. The Emperor’s silence was the most frightening thing—one word could link a prince’s palace and a duke’s mansion to a rebellion, which was a crime punishable by extermination of the nine families!

Li Meiya didn’t know how he’d ended up here. Although he had never feared heaven nor earth, at this moment, a chill ran through him from the inside out. However, his spirit was not ordinary, and after calming himself, he replied,

“I was once under the Regent Prince, and I’ve always felt there was something suspicious about his death. In the past, the Regent Prince told me that if anything happened to the Prince’s Mansion, I should protect Lady Chu. But after the Regent Prince’s death, Lady Chu was sold and disappeared without a trace. I searched for years and only found her whereabouts this year. Every time I tried to visit, I was denied. This time, I met the heir of the Duke of Jing, knowing he was generous and young and handsome, so I asked him to help me meet Lady Chu, that’s all.”

“My heart is loyal to my former master, something Your Majesty has always known, yet you continued to trust me. This matter indeed has nothing to do with the heir of the Duke of Jing or Prince Xie Fei of Shun’an. If we separate and interrogate them, the truth will be revealed. Your Majesty’s wisdom can discern the finest details, and whether to punish or forgive, I alone will bear the consequences.”

Xie Yi laughed. “In the past, when I read your writings, I admired your bold and vigorous style. I pitied your talent and valued your integrity, which is why I tolerated your loyalty to your old master. Do you think I would continue to tolerate it indefinitely?”

“The heir of the Duke of Jing is wealthy, with overseas businesses. How can I believe that your association with him was without ulterior motives? And you reconnected with the Regent Prince’s former concubine. Could it be that you’re planning to hide one of the Regent Prince’s sons, hoping for a future opportunity?”

Li Meiya’s face fell, and he whispered, “Your Majesty’s wisdom is profound, I submit and accept this. I never had any intentions of treason. After the death of the Regent Prince’s Princess, the rest of the inner court became concubines and servants. Their children were not included in the family register and were all sold off, leaving no trace. I am alone, childless, and the only debt I have not repaid is to my former master. I only wanted to find Lady Chu, ask about the truth, and seek revenge against those who harmed him. I never thought of treason. Please, Your Majesty, investigate thoroughly.”

“The heir of the Duke of Jing is innocent and sincere, generous and righteous. He has just graduated from the Imperial Academy and is waiting for his appointment. I also knew that Your Majesty has always wanted to open sea routes, so I deliberately favored the Duke of Jing’s Mansion and sent Wu Yinghou over to balance the situation. How dare I put my personal interests above the public good.”

“What happened today was truly a chance encounter. I couldn’t enter the Suixi Building. I was lingering outside when I saw him, a young man of grace and elegance, and I took advantage of his youthfulness, using my age to coax him into helping me take the lead, not knowing that the person he was meeting was the Regent Prince’s former concubine. This young man is pure-hearted, well-raised, and will surely become a pillar of the court, a right-hand man to Your Majesty. Please, Your Majesty, investigate thoroughly and spare him.”

Xie Yi glanced at the figure behind the pearl curtain in the room next door, who seemed uneasy. “What about Xie Fei? Weren’t you friends with him?”

Li Meiya said, “I merely suspected that the former Prince of Shun might have been involved in the Regent Prince’s death. Coincidentally, Xie Fei came to befriend me, so I went along with it. Since the former Prince of Shun was punished for his crimes, I have not associated with Xie Fei again. His talents are considerable, but limited by his perspective, lacking the necessary courage and breadth of vision. To plot with him would not succeed. Even if I wanted to rebel, I would choose someone better. I dare not conceal this. Your Majesty is merciful; although the former Prince of Shun was punished, Xie Fei was not implicated. Surely, you know that Xie Fei was not involved in his father’s affairs.”

As a cabinet member, he naturally knew that the former Prince of Shun did not die of illness but was granted death for his crimes.

Xie Yi asked, “Do you know the origins of the assassins?”

Li Meiya said, “This sinner does not know. I can only guess that they were either the sinner’s enemies who had been following me or someone who had been following Chu Wei… But if Your Majesty had always sent people to be near Chu Wei, and Chu Wei said she had been safe before, it seems they were monitoring me. I beg Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the assassins.”

Xie Yi said, “Didn’t you suspect that I killed the Regent Prince? And yet you want me to investigate the true murderer of the Regent Prince.”

Li Meiya said, “In the past, I followed the Regent Prince and saw him teach Your Majesty archery, treating you like a son. Your Majesty treated the Regent Prince with filial piety. Over the years, Your Majesty’s governance has been strategic, mostly using overt tactics, showing concern for the people and valuing talent, with a broad and upright chest. I have never doubted Your Majesty.”

Xie Yi sneered. “Old dog, don’t think that a few words of praise will save you from punishment.”

But Li Meiya’s heart suddenly settled. He knew the Emperor well; if he had thundered with rage and scolded the minister to the point of shame and tears, he would likely spare the minister. On the contrary, the indifferent instructions indicated severe punishment.

He bowed deeply. “I submit to punishment and dare not defend myself.”

Xie Yi watched as Xu Chun slightly lifted the curtain and looked at him with a pleading gaze. He knew that Xu Chun’s heart was softening and said coldly, “Don’t you want to find the real culprit? All the captured assassins have already poisoned themselves. Whether what you’ve said today is true remains unknown, but if it is, I have a plan. If you’re willing to make amends, we can turn this situation to our advantage.”

Li Meiya said, “This sinner is terrified and awaits Your Majesty’s command.”

Xie Yi said, “You, as a cabinet minister, spent the night at a brothel, drinking excessively. Drunk, you coerced courtesans and, when they refused, you ordered your lackeys to cause a disturbance on the pleasure boat. The Five-City Military Commissioner arrested you on the spot for indecent behavior, arrogance, and disturbing the peace. Rumors spread, greatly damaging the dignity of the court. Tomorrow, the director of the Five-City Military Commissioner will certainly impeach you. I will be furious and order a public beating, strip you of your rank, and demote you to guard the city gates.”

Li Meiya sweated profusely. “I submit to punishment.”

Xie Yi said, “At that time, I will send some people to look after you and spread rumors. The other side will assume that you have fallen out of favor with me and that the court will never reinstate you. They will suspect that you still have the Regent Prince’s former power and believe you can be useful. They will surely contact you, and then we can capture them all. You can also repay the kindness of your old master.” His tone was cold and mocking.

Li Meiya bowed again. “I obey Your Majesty’s command. Your Majesty’s wisdom is profound.”

Xie Yi sneered. “Take care of yourself.” He rose and left.

Li Meiya knelt for a while, gradually hearing silence all around. He struggled to his feet and walked out. Seeing that the ship had docked, no one was outside, and the troops of the Military Commissioner had quickly withdrawn, he wondered what would happen to the heir of the Duke of Jing and Chu Wei.

He was somewhat worried as he returned home alone, and was not mentioned further.

==

In the carriage, Xu Chun had changed into dry clothes and shoes. Earlier, in the pleasure boat, his boots, socks, and clothes had gotten wet. Once he narrowly escaped onto the ship, he was taken into a room where Wu Fushun served him, helping him wash and change clothes. Then, led by Fang Zixing, he listened to the Emperor’s personal interrogation. He was full of doubts and questions.

Upon entering the carriage and seeing Xie Yi already seated inside, he couldn’t help but lean over. “Your Majesty, did you really send people to follow Chu Wei?”

Xie Yi was originally somewhat displeased and was thinking about how to properly discipline him. But upon seeing his bright eyes, full of curiosity, and his lack of distance when he leaned over, Xie Yi couldn’t help but wrap his arm around his waist to steady him. “Why would I follow a former concubine? Training my elite guards isn’t easy; I don’t have the leisure to engage in such meaningless tasks. The Regent Prince kept hundreds of concubines and servants in his inner court, often holding banquets where he would reward guests with beauties, casually gifting them to retainers and subordinates. He probably couldn’t even recognize all of them. Why would he bother keeping an eye on them?”

“Upon the Regent Prince’s death, his son, Xie Ling, had a narrow mind and couldn’t tolerate others. His former subordinates scattered like monkeys fleeing a fallen tree. Do you think many people would be as stubborn and upright as Li Meiya, remembering him? I have never believed that his former subordinates could cause any trouble.”

Xu Chun asked, “Then how did the troops arrive so quickly?”

Xie Yi’s tone was indifferent. “When you were dragged by that old dog to the pleasure house, Dinghai had already ordered someone to report back to Fang Zixing. Fang Zixing originally sent people to fetch you back, but they noticed suspicious figures around the pleasure boat and thus mobilized troops to surround the river. They arranged for official boats and dispatched water-skilled guards into the river, only to discover that there were quite a few assassins lurking there. Although they managed to capture a few, they didn’t expect that the pleasure boat’s cabin had been rigged with explosives, which caused the boat to explode. It frightened Fang Zixing greatly.”

He tightened his grip on Xu Chun’s waist. “I didn’t expect them to have explosives. It’s frightening to think about it. Clearly, they aren’t a small force. Taking advantage of Li Meiya to lure them out is a legitimate course of action.”

Xu Chun, recalling the loud explosion he heard earlier, realized it must have been the bomb. No wonder, during the chaos, he seemed to smell sulfur and gunpowder. He was also frightened and held Xie Yi’s hand. “It was actually a bomb. Brother Nine, you shouldn’t have come in person.”

Xie Yi was somewhat helpless. “Do you know how startled I was when I heard about the bomb? They probably intended to capture you alive. If not for Fang Zixing’s quick thinking and dispatching men underwater first, what if they had planted more explosives… Could I still see you?” Old hatred and new resentment surged up, and he gritted his teeth slightly. “The old dog deserves eighty strokes!”

Xu Chun held his hand. “Minister Li probably didn’t know either. He… Does he really have something with Lady Chu that the other side has been guarding against for years? The Regent Prince has been dead for over ten years… Is this aimed against Your Majesty?”

Xie Yi said, “Yes, so I was also surprised. This definitely isn’t the Regent Prince’s former faction. I imagine that when the border troops mutinied and chaos ensued, once the Regent Prince died, the court should have been thrown into turmoil. This person must have been watching closely, waiting to profit from the chaos after the Regent Prince’s death. They didn’t expect that, despite my youth, I stabilized the court situation. Having harbored ill intent for years, their ambitions must be significant. I will handle this matter; you don’t need to worry.”

Xu Chun was concerned. “Brother Nine, why don’t I stay in the capital and accompany you?”

Xie Yi said, “No need. You cannot be seen in public now. Go to the Maritime Customs Office.” Xie Yi was determined not to let anyone discover Xu Chun’s existence.

As the carriage approached the palace gate, the sky in the east was faintly turning white. Xu Chun and Xie Yi got out of the carriage. Xu Chun whispered, “It’s all my fault, Brother Nine. You’ll be going to court soon, right? Minister Li… Could you go a little easier on him?”

But Xie Yi showed no change in expression, taking Xu Chun’s wrist and leading him into the room. “We still have some time. I have some lessons to impart to you, my love. In the future, you should act with caution. A gentleman should not stand under a dangerous wall to be worthy of serving the state.”

Su Hua and the others waited outside, ordering preparations for the Emperor’s court attire and hot water.

Indeed, within the inner chamber, Little Master began with low explanations, later sounding like he was acting spoiled, calling out “Brother Nine,” and finally, there were moans and sobs. In the end, they heard the Emperor softly comforting him, followed by laughter.

Calculating that it was almost time for court, Xie Yi hurriedly came out, changed into his court attire, and went to the front of the palace.

Li Meiya, dressed in his magnificent red official robe, bowed thrice and kowtowed nine times among the ranks of civil officials. He lovingly stroked the imposing crane pattern on his robe, smacked his lips, and sighed, wondering if he would ever have the chance to wear it again.