30 - Minister Di

Chapter 30 – Minister Di

Isn’t that Constable Shangguan? Why is she in the palace?

Qiu Dan thought of Lord Di and also thought of the Emperor’s instructions. So he found a eunuch and asked. “Where is that sedan chair going?”

When the eunuch saw it was Head Constable Qiu Dan, he hurriedly answered humbly. “In reply to Head Constable Qiu, the leader in front is Jin Gonggong , so the sedan chair should be heading to Lotus Palace.”

Lotus Palace? Consort An?

“Understood. Thanks to Gonggong for telling me.” Qiu Dan said.

“This slave is undeserving.”

Then Qiu Dan immediately turned around and left to report to Di Jing who had just come out from the imperial court session.

Upon hearing that Shangguan Yan was summoned into the palace by Consort An, Di Jing who was initially about to leave the palace immediately ordered the sedan carriers carrying the sedan he was sitting in, to proceed in the direction of the imperial study. When they reached the imperial study, he got off the sedan chair and strode quickly into the courtyard.

At this time, the Emperor had just sat down and was about to read the memorials when he heard the eunuch announced that Lord Di was seeking an audience.

The Emperor lifted the corners of his lips into a smile and turned his head around to glance at Qiu Dan at the side.

“Minister Di didn’t return home to rest after the imperial court session but came to Zhen ’s imperial study……..tell me, is it because he wants to discuss political affairs with Zhen or is it because of her?”

(Instead of using the word ‘I’, the Emperor refers to himself as ‘Zhen’.)

It turned out that after telling Di Jing about Shangguan Yan, Qiu Dan utilized his qinggong and went to the imperial study to report the matter to the Emperor.

Actually, Qiu Dan has always been acting under the orders of the Emperor and is one of the Four Great Constables who were bestowed with gold medals by the Emperor. These few years, they have been secretly searching for clues to the salt tax corruption case for the Emperor, and at the same time, gathering material evidence and witnesses. They were the only few who knew of the Emperor’s plan to fight corruption.

Lord Di was ordered by the Emperor to blend in with the commoners and was given heavy responsibilities while he, Qiu Dan, was given the responsibility of secretly protecting Lord Di before being sent off on the mission. In addition, he also acted as the eyes of the Emperor, reporting whatever Lord Di did during the time he mingled with the common people.

Therefore, the Emperor knew everything about the matters between Lord Di and Shangguan Yan including the fact that Consort An had summoned Shangguan Yan into the palace because the Ninth Prince had taken a liking for Shangguan Yan.

“In reply to the Emperor, Lord Di should be here to discuss political affairs with the Emperor.” Qiu Dan answered solemnly.

The Emperor smiled. “Look at you. For a person who is usually serious and cautious, you can also joke! As soon as he heard that Shangguan Yan had been summoned by Consort An, he immediately came to look for Zhen . If it’s not for that girl, can it be he is here to have a casual talk with Zhen ?”

Qiu Dan said respectfully. “Lord Di is an important minister in the imperial court. This officer respects Lord Di very much and doesn’t dare to joke.”

The Emperor smiled as he shook his head. Instead of arguing with Qiu Dan, he said to the little eunuch. “Invite Lord Di to enter.”

The little eunuch hurriedly went out to invite Di Jing while the Head Eunuch, Lu Gonggong ordered for tea to be served.

Di Jing walked into the imperial study and offered greetings to the Emperor.

After the Emperor permitted Di Jing to rise, he asked. “Does Minister Di has something important to speak to Zhen ?”

Di Jing bowed his head and replied. “In reply to Your Highness, this minister has an important secret to inform Your Highness.”

As soon as Di Jing spoke, he directly stated his intentions with a serious and cautious expression. The Emperor was taken aback and wondered if he had made a mistake in his presumptions.

Is Di Jing really here to discuss politics and not for the Fifth Miss of the Shangguan Family?

The Emperor’s gaze drifted over to Qiu Dan. Qiu Dan was standing there upright as still as a wooden statute without showing any surprise on his face as though it was perfectly normal.

The Emperor raised his eyebrows and then shot a meaningful glance at Lu Gonggong .

Since it was a secret matter, without the need for the Emperor to speak, Lu Gonggong was able to catch the meaning with just a glance from the Emperor. He immediately led all the eunuchs and palace maids out of the imperial study and closed the door. Then he instructed all the servants-in-attendance to retreat ten steps while he stood at the door to stand guard. While keeping an alert eye on the surrounding area, he was ready to receive the Emperor’s instruction at all times.

Everyone withdrew leaving only the Emperor, Di Jing, and Qiu Dan in the imperial study. Since Qiu Dan is the Emperor’s confidant, so there was no need for him to withdraw.

“Speak up, Minister Di, what is the important matter?” The Emperor said.

Di Jing straightened up and said in a deep voice. “It’s about the grave robbery. There are clues regarding Lord Tian.”

The Emperor’s eyes lit up and instantly stood up in front of the table. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“Good, good, good……..that’s excellent!” The Emperor said the word ‘good’ three times in a row and the news made him very happy which showed how much he valued the case.

Actually, the grave robbery was not important at all. What the Emperor really wanted to investigate was the case of water conservation and Tian Chongyang was precisely the key chess piece of that case.

The Hangzhou Canal is the imperial court’s north-south water transport artery and is an important passageway. This line is used for the transportation of goods and every year funds are allocated for works on repairing the embankment, strengthening the protection walls, and dredging the river to prevent flooding of farmlands during the rainy season.

Tian Chongyang was the person in charge of purchasing the materials for river maintenance and the Emperor suspected that there were discrepancies in the accounts. So the Emperor ordered a secret investigation to be carried out on the project funds but Tian Chongyang suddenly died at that particular time.

A coroner was then sent over to do an examination and it was reported that Tian Chongyang had died of heart disease. Once Tian Chongyang was gone, the clues were all severed but the Emperor was certain that someone must have falsified the reports on the use of materials and pocketed a large sum of money.

Those people had gotten bold and Tian Chongyang must have been killed. However, when Di Jing found out that Tian Chongyang’s body was missing, it ignited the Emperor’s hope again. After discussing with Di Jing in secret, the Emperor decided to pretend everything was alright during the daily imperial court sessions so that no one would know that they were investigating the matter in secret.

The Emperor had endured all this while.

He is not afraid of the other party being greedy…….he is only afraid the other party is not greedy…….and it will be better if the other party becomes greedier. It is best if the other party’s appetite is so great that he can get hold of the evidence and capture them in one swoop.

Now Di Jing says that he has clues regarding Tiang Chongyang, so how can the Emperor not feel happy?

“Minister Di, tell me about this matter quickly.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Initially, Chen planned to bring the case’s witness, Shangguan Yan, to meet the Emperor after the court session and report the details to the Emperor. However, this person was unexpectedly summoned to the Lotus Palace. Your Highness, please send someone to summon her here.”

(Chen is ‘subject’ and this word is only used by the ministers when they speak to the Emperor. ‘Chen’ is used when they addressed themselves instead of using ‘I’.)

The Emperor was stunned and looked straight at Di Jing who returned the Emperor’s stare without looking away. His gaze was upright and did not show any guilt at all as though the words he spoke were true and aboveboard.

The Emperor stared at him for a long time and when he saw Di Jing looking very serious and did not seem to be joking, the Emperor felt he had been overthinking.

“Lu Gonggong .”

When Lu Gonggong heard the Emperor’s call, he immediately pushed the door opened and entered.

“This slave is here.”

“Go immediately to Lotus Palace and bring me the woman named Shangguan Yan.”

“This slave will obey.”

At this moment, Shangguan Yan was in Lotus Palace kneeling on the ground offering greetings to Consort An.

“Raise your head.” Although the voice of the person sitting in the seat sounded sweet and mellow, the tone carried the majestic air of one who had long used to being superior.

Shangguan Yan slowly raised her head respectfully with her eyes still lowered and felt a pair of eyes studying her.

“She’s quite pretty, no wonder Yin’er likes her.” The woman’s clear and cold words shocked Shangguan Yan. Although she already knew for Consort An to suddenly summon her into the palace, it must be related to the Ninth Prince but when she heard the spoken words…….

This doesn’t sound good!

“How old are you?” Another question drifted over from above.

“In reply to Niangniang , this girl is twenty this year.”

“Twenty? This old?”

Yes, I am old, not suitable for your son, so don’t harbor any ideas on me!