Coroner's Diary

The Eastern Palace was shrouded in gloom and despair.

He Yin stared at Yan Che, whose features were obscured in the shadows behind the desk, and gritted his teeth as he said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, at this point there's no other way. Minister Zhang... we can't possibly clear his name. All we can do is try to salvage the others!"

After a pause, He Yin continued with difficulty, "I've already sent people to investigate. Minister Zhang's hands are indeed unclean. The Northwest Frontier Army's military provisions have had to pass through Dingzhou and Liangzhou borders every year. Minister Zhang oversees the garrison troops in the northwest route, and seeing how well-supplied the Northwest Frontier Army's provisions are year after year, he couldn't resist..."

Yan Che suddenly turned to look at He Yin, and in that instant, He Yin found himself unable to utter another word.

Yan Che's eyes were filled with stormy fury. When his gaze swept over He Yin, it felt like a cold blade had flashed before his eyes. How dare He Yin say more? He knew his master's temperament well—Yan Che must be furious now.

Yan Che understood the principle that water too pure breeds no fish; he was no stranger to the ways of officialdom. Last year's salt transportation corruption case in the south had been the same. But he never expected that Zhang Qide's hands would also be unclean. Zhang had come from the Northern Garrison Army, yet now he was embezzling supplies meant for the Northwest Frontier Army!

The Northwest Frontier Army did indeed receive the best military provisions in the entire Great Zhou—but that was because they faced the most battles and suffered the highest casualties each year. Zhang Qide, as a northwest military governor, hadn't even come close to charging into battle himself. How could he have the face to embezzle from the Northwest Frontier Army?

When the military provisions case came to light, Yan Che had written to question Zhang Qide. But at that time, Zhang had covered everything up thoroughly, and Yan Che had been partial to this former subordinate of his maternal grandfather. After Zhang Qide returned to the capital, Yan Che had recommended him multiple times. Although he hadn't yet gained the emperor's approval, in Yan Che's heart, Zhang Qide was the first choice to command the Northwest Frontier Army. He had been waiting to make Zhang Qide the marshal of a hundred thousand troops, but Zhang had fallen from grace first!

Corruption! Corruption again! First it was salt transportation, now it was the military. These people, relying on their noble families and official seniority, were increasingly forgetting why they had entered government service in the first place.

And Yan Che understood all too well that with Zhang Qide imprisoned, he and the Ministry of Revenue he oversaw would soon be implicated.

Thinking of the Empress who was still under house arrest, Yan Che felt utterly disturbed. He hadn't panicked when the Empress was confined, but it seemed as if heaven was playing a joke on him, forcing this crisis upon him. If it were his mother, what would she do at a time like this?!

"Get me a detailed list immediately. Find out exactly who embezzled and how much each took. Try to protect all officials of fifth rank and above in the Ministry of Revenue. As for the others, we can't afford to worry about them—let them go. Summon Yang Han to the palace at once—"

At the thought of Yang Han, Yan Che's brow furrowed again.

He oversaw the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, but the Minister of Revenue was a thoroughly mediocre man. While no faults could be found within his scope of supervision, he was certainly not a decisive person either. Yan Che narrowed his eyes. "Never mind, don't call Yang Han. I recall there's a deputy director in the Ministry of Revenue named Cheng Yu, right? Summon him instead!"With Yu Wenxian absent and Yang Han being as he is, although the emperor had granted him control over two of the six ministries, in reality, only the Ministry of Personnel was firmly in his grasp. However, appointments and dismissals of officials were not solely decided by the Ministry of Personnel alone. Though he held some real authority, he was still constrained in many ways. On the surface, as the Heir Apparent, he appeared to command two ministries, but only Yan Che himself knew that at least half of his power in the Ministry of Revenue was hollowed out.

When he wanted to get things done, he couldn’t mobilize resources effectively, yet now that trouble had arisen, the responsibility fell squarely on him.

Yan Che narrowed his eyes slightly. "Yan Qi will surely try to cause trouble once he learns of this. Make sure our people act cleanly and decisively."

He Yin acknowledged the order and turned to leave, only to see Qin Shu arriving outside. He Yin nodded to Qin Shu and hurried off.

Tang Fu entered to announce, "Your Highness, the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage has arrived."

Yan Che immediately straightened his expression. "Let him in—"

Qin Shu entered the side hall, first paying his respects before looking up. "Your Highness, I’ve only just received the news. Is it true that Minister Zhang…"

As it was not a court day, Qin Shu had indeed learned of this rather late.

Yan Che rubbed his temples and nodded. "Yes, he has already been imprisoned."

Qin Shu drew a sharp breath. "What do we do now... The ones currently investigating the case in the west are... Lin Xugui and Yu Wenxian, correct? They should know that Minister Zhang is aligned with the Northern Garrison Army and with Your Highness. How could they..."

At this point, Qin Shu’s words trailed off. Although Lin Xugui and Yu Wenxian held only the positions of vice ministers, they were highly trusted by the emperor and had been sent to the northwest as imperial envoys. Qin Shu had never imagined that these two would dare to openly bring down someone from the Crown Prince’s faction.

Serving in the court required foresight beyond the present. Yan Che was the Heir Apparent, yet Yu Wenxian and Lin Xugui seemed unafraid of how they would fare if Yan Che were to ascend the throne in the future.

Qin Shu dared not dwell on it further; the mere thought sent a chill down his spine.

"Now is not the time to discuss this. They are in the northwest, far beyond our reach, and they won’t stop. Just like last year, go immediately and see how many of our people might be implicated." After a pause, Yan Che added, "I want you to keep an eye on Yang Han for me."

"Yang Han?" Qin Shu was surprised. Yang Han was the Minister of Revenue, after all...

Yan Che nodded. "Yang Han’s loyalty does not lie with me. I need to know whether his allegiance is to my father or to Yan Qi."

Qin Shu instantly understood Yan Che’s meaning and promptly agreed, but then asked, "What about the Empress..."

At the mention of the Empress, Yan Che’s heart sank. It had been so long—Yan Qi had not produced any new evidence, yet the emperor showed no intention of releasing his mother. This was nothing short of indulging Yan Qi. And now, with the incident involving Zhang Qide, Yan Che couldn’t help but suspect the worst.

Yu Wenxian and Lin Xugui’s memorials had been sent privately to the capital and delivered directly into the emperor’s hands. When had the emperor gotten wind of this? Could it be that he had known days ago about Zhang Qide’s involvement in the military provisions corruption case and only then...

A thin layer of sweat formed on Yan Che’s palms. If that were the case, what exactly was the emperor planning?

"Leave my mother’s situation aside for now. We must suppress this case. Last year’s incident with the southern salt transportation already angered my father greatly. This time, I must not be implicated in any way. And you—you must not have the slightest connection to this corruption scandal."Qin Shu's expression turned solemn. After acknowledging the order, he quickly turned and withdrew.

As the room quieted down, Yan Che's stiffened spine immediately relaxed. He slumped slowly, leaning completely against the chair back behind him.

Things were growing increasingly abnormal. Ever since that corpse was discovered in Prince Jin Manor's rear courtyard, it seemed an invisible hand was pushing Kunning Palace and the Eastern Palace toward the precipice. Now with his mother under house arrest, he found himself standing right at the cliff's edge.

"Your Highness, Empress Dowager has sent word requesting Your Highness and the Crown Princess to join her for evening meal at Longevity and Health Palace."

Tang Fu entered and announced in a soft voice. Upon hearing this, Yan Che immediately straightened up, "Good, remember to remind me when the time comes."

The Empress Dowager must have learned about Zhang Qide's matter. Why was she summoning them?

Yan Che's heart felt heavy. After sitting for a moment, he suddenly rose and left the Eastern Palace, heading directly toward Jingning Palace. He hadn't visited Yan Zhen these past few days. With today's incident, though knowing he couldn't see the Empress, he instinctively thought of Yan Zhen. Indeed, blood ties remained most important.

Jingning Palace had become somewhat crowded. With October approaching, Yan Zhen's wedding date drew nearer each day, making the palace noticeably livelier. Palace embroiderers were preparing the dowry Yan Zhen would bring for her marriage. Since she was to marry into another kingdom, her belongings far exceeded those of other noble ladies marrying out. Moreover, to compensate Yan Zhen and ensure her future smooth sailing, the Empress had prepared the longest dowry list among all princesses who had married far away throughout history. Yet all this bustle had nothing to do with Yan Zhen.

"The Crown Prince has arrived! Princess, the Crown Prince has come—"

Yan Che hurried in from outside and found Yan Zhen in Jingning Palace's Warm Chamber.

Hearing of his arrival brought no joy to Yan Zhen's face. She merely uttered a faint "Mm" before saying, "Brother—"

Yan Che approached Yan Zhen and saw her reading a travel journal, the open pages describing Northern Wei's folk customs.

Sitting beside Yan Zhen, Yan Che asked, "Zhen'er, how are the preparations coming along?"

Yan Zhen curled her lips slightly, "As you can see, everyone's busy anyway."

Yan Che sighed, "Zhen'er, perhaps... Mother is doing this for your own good..."

Yan Zhen remained silent, her gaze still fixed on the book pages. Yan Che shook his head at her demeanor, "Do you know about Mother's situation?"

"I know, Father has placed her under house arrest..."

Suddenly, as if recalling something, Yan Zhen smiled, "I heard he's the one guarding her."

Yan Che naturally knew who this "he" referred to, and Yan Zhen's smile carried clear mockery toward the Empress.

Yan Che reached out and covered the travel journal, "Zhen'er, Zhang Qide is in trouble."

Seeing Yan Zhen's blank expression, Yan Che remembered she didn't know who Zhang Qide was. He sighed, "Zhang Qide is the military governor of Dingxi Route, a disciple of our maternal grandfather, and someone I rely on heavily. But now it's suddenly been discovered that he's involved in the Northwest Frontier Army provisions corruption case—"

Yan Zhen looked at Yan Che, "So? Does this mean Mother's house arrest won't be lifted?"

Frowning, Yan Che's gaze toward Yan Zhen now held some displeasure, "Zhen'er, do you truly resent Mother?"

Yan Zhen lowered her eyes. Yan Che glanced outside and whispered, "With Zhang Qide imprisoned, this is no longer about whether Mother's house arrest can be lifted. If this matter implicates the Eastern Palace, both Mother and I might not survive—"Yan Zhen suddenly lifted her head, a ripple of emotion finally appearing on her face. "But... elder brother is the Crown Prince..."

Yan Che gave a bitter smile. "What does being Crown Prince matter?" His gaze fell upon several chests arranged in the room, their contents seemingly filled with jewels whose gleam could faintly be seen beneath half-open lids. "Do you know?" he said, "I suddenly think your marriage to Northern Wei might actually be a favorable arrangement."

Even Yan Zhen, foolish as she was, understood Yan Che's implication. Panic surged in her heart, yet she had no idea what she could possibly do at this moment.

...

...

Emerging from the Ministry of Justice, Yan Chi went straight to the carriage returning to his residence.

A different shadow guard was driving, while Bai Feng followed Yan Chi into the carriage compartment.

As the carriage rumbled along the Imperial Road, Bai Feng's low voice remained tightly confined within the compartment. "Most memorials from Shuoxi enter the capital via the northern route through Jianzhou, south of Liangzhou. Those from Liangzhou and Dingzhou come through the southern route of Dingzhou via Yuzhou. Our people have already reached Jianzhou and intercepted all Shuoxi memorials. For caution's sake, Yu Qi selected two insignificant ones to send to the capital—they should arrive in about four or five days."

After a pause, Bai Feng continued, "General Chu has occupied all military camps around Baishigou and Bailang Mountain. The news hasn't reached the main camp yet. Lin Xugui is struggling to reorganize a hundred thousand troops in the shortest time possible."

Yan Chi listened expressionlessly before asking after a moment, "How goes the preparation of the latest supplies for Shuoxi?"

Bai Feng responded immediately, "The shipment from Dingzhou has already departed. Those from Yuzhou and Jianzhou are still being gathered and likely won't be complete until early October. The Garrison Granaries in those areas have limited grain reserves to begin with. After the Shuoxi case came to light, subordinates no longer dare to pass off inferior goods, so progress is slower than usual."

A cold smile played on Yan Chi's lips. Those in high positions grow dull in perception—it takes a crisis to jolt them awake.

"Leave the Dingzhou memorials alone. Now that Zhang Qide has been implicated, the investigation will inevitably expand. Yan Qi won't miss this opportunity—let them fight."

Bai Feng nodded. "Understood. Yu Qi and Master Qi will surely anticipate this. Who would have thought Zhang Qide would be brought down at this critical juncture? Further investigations will uncover more accomplices—the Crown Prince's faction is bound to suffer major losses."

A dark glint flickered in Yan Che's eyes. "Perhaps even more than that."

Bai Feng looked at Yan Che in confusion, but he didn't elaborate. Leaning against the carriage wall, his posture straight as a concealed blade in the dim light, Yan Chi remained silent for a moment before asking, "Have we uncovered anything about that child from the Fu Clan?"

Bai Feng frowned. "We've found some leads. The child was initially sent deep into the mountains of Luozhou, later reportedly taken away by someone. By the time our people arrived, most elderly villagers had already passed away. Few remember events from twenty years ago, so the trail went cold again. The next update should arrive by tomorrow at the earliest.""You've come to the capital." Yan Chi suddenly spoke with unwavering calm. "The most dangerous place is the safest. Investigate thoroughly all families connected to the Fu Clan in previous years, particularly those with access to the imperial palace. As long as they're of appropriate age, whether young masters or servants, investigate them all. Don't neglect the Household Affairs Department either."

Bai Feng nodded in understanding. "By the way, regarding the residence visited by Minister Li of the Court of Judicial Review, we've been watching it for several days. The property is currently vacant. However, I investigated the owner - his name is Wei Qin, a merchant originally from the south who came to the capital to open some shops but eventually returned south. He hasn't been back for seven or eight years. But I discovered something quite interesting—"

Yan Chi looked at Bai Feng, who continued, "He was the former owner of the Ink-Stained Painting House."