Chарtеr 350: Тhе Bronze Sраrrow of Сhang'an Sings 4
Тоdау’s еvеnts truly taught Zhu Yаn a lesson: indeed, the imреrial fаmily wаs trеасherоus аnd nоt tо bе trusted dеeply, аnd еven sеeking justice hаd no clеar pаth.
Вut Shеn Du wаs dеtеrminеd to demаnd аn eхрlаnatiоn todау.
Seeing thе twо pеople bеhind Zhang Baоhuаn, Zhоu Zhaо’s phoeniх еуes nаrrоwеd slightlу, соncеаling the сold, murdеrous intent. Frоwning at thе twо knеeling оn thе grоund, shе drew out her tоne, asking why they hаd come.
Shеn Du directlу rejесted thе imperial edict of marriage, stating his unwillingness to take a second wife. Beyond that, he offered not a single unnecessary word, kneeling firmly there to endure the Empress’s imposing pressure.
Although she had considered that Shen Du might be displeased, she never expected him to refuse even the imperial edict, returning with Zhang Baohuan to defy the decree and reject the marriage.
Annoyed, she glared at Zhang Baohuan a few times. Zhang Baohuan gave an awkward laugh, quickly stepping behind Zhou Zhao to massage her shoulders while whispering something in her ear. Zhou Zhao’s expression shifted several times, but her gaze remained cold and sharp as she looked at the two of them, not uttering a word.
Shen Du and Zhu Yan remained kneeling without rising.
After the sundial’s pointer moved half a circle with the sunlight, Zhou Zhao swept the imperial marriage edict onto the Persian tribute brocade carpet on the floor and coldly rebuked:
“What exactly is the meaning of this? Defying the imperial decree?”
Zhu Yan trembled in fear, and Shen Du gently patted her back to comfort her before bowing sincerely:
“Your Majesty, this subject and his humble wife share a deep bond. Moreover, as the head of the Grand Cabinet overseeing all officials, I have drawn much resentment. It is not a position of wealth or ease, and I am unwilling to subject County Princess Jia’an to hardship by marrying her.”
He did not mention his years of meritorious service and thoughtfully considered County Princess Jia’an’s well-being.
“You,” the Empress threw down an inkstone, striking Shen Du’s knee, but he remained unmoved, “did Zhu Yan make you come to reject the marriage?”
The Empress looked at Zhu Yan with a hostile gaze. “As a wife, do not succumb to jealousy. Marrying the County Princess would benefit both of you. This was a decision I made after careful consideration.”
Such patience truly reflected her high regard for Shen Du.
Meeting the Empress’s gaze, Zhu Yan steeled her heart and did not retreat: “My husband and I are of one mind, and I naturally share his resolve to live and die together. If Your Majesty insists on bestowing this marriage, it would be better to first grant us a divorce.”
Shen Du declared resolutely: “This subject will never divorce.”
These words provoked the Empress. She stood up, angrily denouncing their audacity: “One refuses to divorce, the other refuses to marry. Fine, truly excellent. Very well, I shall grant your wish. I will immediately order the Imperial Guards to escort you both to the Meridian Gate for public execution.”
“Your Majesty, please reconsider,” Zhang Baohuan hurriedly soothed the Empress from the side. “The weather has been turning cooler lately, and autumn is dry. Your Majesty must not let anger take hold.”
“Must not let anger take hold, must not let anger take hold,” the Empress fumed uncontrollably. “Look at these two—they came specifically to infuriate me.”
Zhang Baohuan signaled to the two with his eyes, but Shen Du ignored him, shielding Zhu Yan completely: “Your Majesty, in my years of service, whether charging into battle on the frontier or handling cases for Your Majesty, I have never wavered in the slightest. Even in perilous situations, facing life and death multiple times, I have always kept the people of Great Zhou in mind. Yet, I have never sought anything for myself, all because of the mercy Your Majesty showed me back then.”
Raising his eyes, Shen Du’s deep gaze was not as sharp or profound as the Empress’s phoenix eyes, but his conviction was unwavering, showing no fear:
“Your Majesty, today I ask for something for myself just this once. I humbly beseech Your Majesty to retract the decree. I pledge to repay this kindness with unwavering loyalty, dedicating myself entirely until my last breath.”The atmosphere was tense. Zhang Baohuan leaned close to the Empress’s ear and whispered, “Your Majesty, do not let the case of Mo Qianzhi repeat itself.”
The Empress gently patted Zhang Baohuan’s hand resting on her shoulder, her thoughts restrained as she remained silent in a low voice.
Openly defying an imperial decree was a crime of deceiving the sovereign. Moreover, Shen Du could not possibly fail to see the intentions she harbored. Yet now, both of these individuals were meritorious officials, yet they were so stubbornly presenting her with a dilemma.
Shen Du spoke again, “Your subject understands that Your Majesty is paving the way for your subject, fearing that this journey to Yingzhou might trigger an earthquake or tsunami in the court, hence this arrangement. But your subject is not afraid. Your subject’s sincere heart stands clear in this world, dedicated to sharing Your Majesty’s burdens, unafraid of those demons and monsters.”
“Furthermore, if your subject must rely on County Princess Jia’an’s marriage to ensure safety, then it would mean Your Majesty does not trust your subject’s abilities, believing that your subject can only survive by leaning on Princess Chaoyang.”
Though Zhu Yan remained silent, she tightly held Shen Du’s hand, showing no intention of retreating.
The Empress cast a sharp glance their way, intending to say more, when Xu Zhaorong hurriedly arrived and knocked on the door, “Your Majesty.”
Zhang Baohuan responded, and Xu Zhaorong quickly entered, giving a strange glance at Shen Du and Zhu Yan kneeling on the floor before bowing to the Empress.
The Empress raised her hand, “Rise!”
Xu Zhaorong stood still, gazing gracefully at the Empress.
“What is the matter?” The Empress rubbed her temples, unable to ease the tension.
Xu Zhaorong gestured toward Shen Du and Zhu Yan’s presence, but the Empress waved her hand, “It’s fine, speak.”
Xu Zhaorong took a step forward, “Your Majesty, something has happened at the Mingtang.”
The sudden turn of events came too abruptly. Zhou Zhao’s tightly knitted brows swept lightly over Xu Zhaorong, suspicion flashing in her phoenix eyes, her expression dark and foreboding. Zhang Baohuan, ever perceptive, quickly whispered instructions for Shen Du and Zhu Yan to take their leave.
Shen Du and Zhu Yan exclaimed “Long live the Empress” before departing. Zhang Baohuan closed the door tightly from the outside and stood guard.
Zhu Yan looked at Zhang Baohuan for a long while, hesitating to speak. Zhang Baohuan shook her head slightly, and Zhu Yan followed Shen Du as they left.
Had today’s marriage proposal been withdrawn or not?
Inside the imperial study, Xu Zhaorong helped the Empress sit down, then retrieved a memorial from her sleeve and unfolded it for Zhou Zhao to see. Zhou Zhao did not even glance at it.
“Speak,” she said.
Xu Zhaorong composed herself, “The person your subject sent has reported that there are issues with the Mingtang reconstruction accounts.” Seeing Zhou Zhao’s eyelashes tremble slightly, she explained, “That person secretly investigated multiple times without finding any problems. This time, it was only because those involved revealed flaws themselves that the person noticed, and upon reviewing the records again, the issues were finally discovered.”
She paused briefly, “They handled the accounts with extreme cunning, actually creating separate yin and yang ledgers.”
Zhou Zhao’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, her voice colder than the deep autumn wind, “What is yin, and what is yang?”
Xu Zhaorong’s expression also turned cold, “The so-called yin and yang refer to one ledger on the surface, using the Longmen accounting method, and another ledger in secret, using the Sijiao accounting method.”
Zhou Zhao naturally had no interest in understanding the Longmen or Sijiao accounting methods. She slightly opened her phoenix eyes before closing them again.
“Continue,” she said.
“Since the surface ledger uses the Longmen accounting method, although tampered with, the person handling the accounts is truly skilled. Neither the people we secretly sent nor the officials from the Ministry of Revenue reviewing the accounts openly could detect any issues. Since no discrepancies could be found in the ledgers, for over two years from the initial construction of the Mingtang until now, our people also believed there were no problems.”
Zhou Zhao opened her eyes, gazing into the void."It was a fortunate coincidence that our people discovered a discrepancy, which led us to find they had created a separate ledger using a different accounting method. At first glance, it appeared completely unrelated to the main accounts."
"How much is the discrepancy?"
Xu Zhaorong flipped through the ledger on the imperial desk and gasped, hesitating to answer.
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