Imperial Guards surrounded a Taoist temple in Changle Ward. In the front courtyard, fierce soldiers subdued several chanting Taoist priests and worshippers. One priest attempted to resist but was knocked unconscious by the soldier restraining him with the flat of a blade, while the worshippers trembled with their heads in their hands. Brief sounds of struggle came from the rear courtyard.
The same scenes unfolded in several residences across Fengle Ward, Jude Ward, and Fuxing Ward.
Nearby citizens fled in panic, yet couldn’t resist peeking and asking—what was happening? Was someone plotting rebellion?
Simultaneously, the city gates were sealed, and large contingents of Imperial Guards surrounded Zhao Wang’s mansions in the capital, along with his villas and business establishments—including the Cloud Arriving Tavern in Chongxian Ward.
With such a massive commotion, those who needed to know were already informed. Several high-ranking ministers, the Minister of Justice, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and other officials related to law enforcement were both sending out scouts for updates and hurriedly donning their official robes to prepare for an audience at the palace. Other officials reacted variously—some inquired, some cowered in fear, some speculated...
The evening drum had already sounded. Tonight, Chang’an would know no peace.
In the Daming Palace, the Emperor questioned the Prince of Heyang about certain details. Upon hearing the account of the "ambush at the palace gates," the Emperor’s face darkened like still water. "To think I’ve been sleeping beside vipers every night."
The Prince of Heyang grinned. "No wonder you kept complaining about feeling chilly in bed these past few days..."
Half the Emperor’s fury dissipated at his brother’s nonsensical remark about the "chill."
The Emperor pressed his lips together. "Why are you still wearing those clothes? Go change into one of my casual robes!"
"Your robes wouldn’t suit me—"
Assuming his brother was referring to the impropriety of wearing imperial attire, the Emperor was about to retort when the Prince of Heyang added, "Your waist is so thick—I’d look terrible in them."
The Emperor: "..."
The Emperor found his brother utterly exasperating. Just as he was about to dismiss him, concern won out. "The city is unsettled. You’ve just taken a blow meant for me—don’t give those desperate rats a chance to harm you in their panic. Go rest in the Mingde Hall. You may leave in a couple of days."
"Thank you, A Xiong. But what about my beauties—?" Noting the Emperor’s expression, the Prince of Heyang dared not push further. He pouted, bowed, and exited.
At the palace gates, he happened upon Qin Xiang, Commander of the Imperial Guards, and Lin Yan, Deputy Governor of the Capital.
The three had once "shared a trench" as comrades. Seeing Qin Xiang’s expression, the Prince of Heyang raised an eyebrow. "What’s wrong? Trouble?"
Just as Qin Xiang was about to speak, the Prince waved him off. "No need to tell me. His Majesty awaits you." With that, he strolled away, hands clasped behind his back.
Qin Xiang was indeed seething. Earlier reports had revealed that Zhao Wang’s fourth son, Li Yu, had escaped capture! What should have been a flawless operation was now incomplete—glaringly so. Though not a man of great foresight, Qin Xiang understood how crucial apprehending Li Yu would be in future confrontations with Zhao Wang. Those useless fools!
Facing Lin Yan now, Qin Xiang felt somewhat awkward. The entire ambush operation had been proposed to the Emperor by this Deputy Governor Lin, with the Imperial Guards collaborating with the Capital Office. The Capital Office’s manpower was limited, and tracking covert activities was the Guards’ forte, so Deputy Governor Lin had handed over the two initial locations and leads they’d uncovered. The Guards had then traced another hidden den. At one of these dens, scouts had spotted a young nobleman in fine robes and assumed it was Li Yu—only to discover upon capture that he was a decoy! That Qiao Hai truly lived up to his reputation as Zhao Wang’s capable strategist.Having missed this best opportunity, finding someone in such a large capital city would be...
"Escaped?" The emperor frowned upon hearing Qin Xiang's report. After a brief pause, he said, "Since he came, he wouldn't hide far away. He must still be in the capital when the incident occurred. With the city gates closed, he can't escape. Just conduct a city-wide search."
Both Qin Xiang and Lin Yan bowed in acknowledgment.
As the Imperial Guards were still raiding Prince Zhao's residence and properties, and Qin Xiang harbored a sliver of hope to capture Li Yu, he reported the progress of the raids and the matter concerning Li Yu before returning to oversee the operations, leaving Lin Yan alone to respond to the emperor.
The emperor was quite satisfied with this young Deputy Chief of the Capital. Whether it was the ambush and capture during the rescue operation, handling the summer rumors in the capital, or the daily governance of the Capital Office, all demonstrated decisiveness and discipline, coupled with strategic thinking rather than mere brute force. The capital was a place teeming with nobility and disputes. If the Capital Office was weak or foolish, chaos would ensue.
In recent years, the Chief and Deputy Chief of the Capital had frequently changed. The emperor felt he had finally found someone suitable for the long term—perhaps it was time to make adjustments. Let Old Bai retire to Luoyang; hadn't he always sought an external posting? Promote Lin Yan to Chief of the Capital and assign him an assistant.
Looking at Lin Yan, the emperor smiled. Everything was perfect, except he was still too young...
While the emperor pondered the appointments and transfers of capital officials, Lin Yan was thinking about reopening the investigation into the Prince Wu case from years ago.
Reviewing the Shen family's records inevitably involved the Prince Wu case. From the records, conversations with informed individuals like Chu Di, and scattered documents found in the Capital Office and the Ministry of Justice, Lin Yan had formed some conjectures about the case—Prince Wu's case implicated many, the most notable of whom was not Shen Gong but Hedong Military Governor Huo Chen.
But could it be that Prince Wu was actually implicated because of Huo Chen? Prince Wu was merely an idle royal, while the Hedong Military Governor, stationed in Taiyuan, commanded multiple prefectures and troops to guard against the northern tribes—his position was far too crucial.
Who benefited from Huo Chen's downfall? Prince Zhao, the Governor of Taiyuan, was ordered to take over Huo Chen's military authority and had held it for many years...
Last summer, when rumors spread wildly in the capital, the situation bore a striking resemblance to the final years of the late emperor! A Qi's deductions pointed directly to the northern capital, Taiyuan. The captured bandits carried the scent of cured meat, and within the district, the only place connected to Taiyuan and likely to store large quantities of cured meat was the Cloud Arriving Tavern—a property owned by Prince Zhao.
At the time, Lin Yan had secretly sent someone to inspect the tavern's storeroom. It was spotless, with no traces left, but sometimes such excessive cleanliness was itself a trace.
However, these conjectures and the scant confessions extracted from the captured assassins were insufficient to convict a prince governing a strategic region.
Yet they grew too impatient. This winter and spring, they struck again, and this time on a larger scale. Crucially, they chose Shen's Shop as the scene of their crime—where A Qi, who could have served in the Ministry of Justice or the Supreme Court, was present...
Involving the Imperial Guards and the northern tribes, their actions were rushed and desperate, making it all too easy to set a trap for them.
Thinking of Shen Shaoguang, Lin Yan smiled briefly before solemnly retrieving the preliminary interrogation report of the suspects captured at the tavern from his sleeve. The time was short, and they were all hardened assassins, so the information obtained was limited. It would still require the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court to slowly extract more.Along with his report, Lin Yan also presented the findings from his covert investigations in the Northern Capital, as well as the hometown of the so-called "Great Virtue Pure and Subtle Supporting Origin Perfected Person" in Weizhou and his sect.
Lin Yan first sought the emperor's pardon: "Your Majesty, I conducted an unauthorized investigation into the case of Prince Wu from years past. I beg for your punishment."
The emperor waved his hand dismissively. In the past, such actions would have displeased him, but now he simply admired Lin Yan's competence and diligence.
"Your Majesty, please examine what I uncovered in the Northern Capital."
"After the late emperor's passing, the Great Virtue Pure and Subtle Supporting Origin Perfected Person vanished without a trace. Some acquaintances claimed he ascended to immortality in broad daylight, while others said he wandered off as a cloud traveler. In truth, he went—or rather, returned—to the Northern Capital. Here is testimony from a Taoist priest at the Qingjing Temple in Taiyuan. A 'noble guest' from Prince Zhao's residence would visit the temple annually and stay for several days, purportedly drawn by the stone steles behind the temple. This 'noble guest' passed away the year before last and was buried on the mountain behind the temple. The name inscribed on his tombstone reads 'Wang Qingmiao.'"
"Your Majesty, please turn to the section on Weizhou. This Perfected Person's secular surname was indeed 'Wang,' though he had no given name. Villagers simply referred to him by his birth order as 'Eldest Brother.' Perfected Person Qingmiao and Qiao Hai, whom we apprehended today, were not only fellow villagers but also sect brothers. Qiao Hai's original name was Hei Shi. As a child, he was bitten by a fish while catching them in the river, causing his flesh to fester. The wound was excised with a knife, leaving a large scar—according to their childhood companion, an elderly man surnamed Liu, it was the Perfected Person himself who performed the procedure. I have personally seen this scar."
"Your Majesty, please examine the following section..."
Prince Wu's downfall initially stemmed from the Taoist's "prophecy." As the case expanded, more "evidence" emerged. Lin Yan tackled the root of the matter: the Taoist was nothing but a schemer with ulterior motives, let alone any credible "prophecy."
Faced with such evidence, the emperor could hardly insist on "focusing only on the present and letting bygones be bygones."
The emperor smiled at Lin Yan. "Such a thorough investigation couldn't have been done overnight. An Ran, what prompted you to look into Prince Wu's case?"
"Not for Prince Wu's sake, but for my father-in-law, Lord Shen," Lin Yan replied calmly.
The emperor paused for a moment. "Shen Qian, the Vice Minister of Rites?"
"Yes."
The emperor frowned slightly. Shen Qian had vehemently denounced the Taoist for harming the state and expressed indignation over Prince Wu's treatment, provoking the late emperor's fury. The punishment was severe: Shen Qian himself was beheaded, his son was strangled, and his wife and daughters... were consigned to the palace servitude?
"My fiancée, the Shen family's daughter, was among the palace women released in the spring of the year before last. I don’t know if Your Majesty has met her—she is the proprietress of Shen's Shop in the Eastern Market."
The emperor suddenly understood. He had previously assumed the Shen's Shop owner had merely noticed something amiss and suspected they were friends. So, this was the one who wrote the preface for the poetry collection...
The emperor asked with a smile, "Did you write the preface for that poetry collection?"
Lin Yan smiled. "Yes, I did."
The emperor laughed. "I thought it was some hidden talent in the wilderness, but it turns out you were already in my court."
Lin Yan smiled as well.
Recalling Shen's Shop's cautious refusal to serve food to the Imperial Guards, along with the hot pot, recipes, poetry collection, and amusement, the young lady Shen was truly a—the emperor hesitated. Calling her "talented" didn’t quite fit; the capital's accomplished ladies weren’t like this. "Interesting" didn’t fully capture it either...
With a meaningful jest, the emperor remarked, "An Ran, you have excellent taste."
Lin Yan nodded with a smile. "She is indeed remarkable."
The emperor had never seen someone so unabashedly praise their own wife and was momentarily at a loss for how to respond."Last summer, during the rumor case, the criminals attempted to take her hostage to coerce me. She remained fearless in the face of danger and handed me her fish-cleaning knife. Later, she deduced from the criminal's scent and food preferences..."
Hearing him circle back to Zhao Wang and the Prince Wu case—or rather, the Shen Qian case—the emperor smiled faintly. Very well. Justice—such a thing ought to be granted where it is due.
Upon hearing the emperor's approval, Lin Yan bowed solemnly.
Seeing how he already carried himself as Shen Qian's quasi-son-in-law, the emperor suddenly felt a pang of envy. His own harem was filled with countless beauties, and he had always been content—yet witnessing Lin Yan like this made him feel as though he was lacking something.
"How far along are An Ran and Miss Shen's Six Rites?"
Lin Yan pressed his lips together. "We are still waiting for the elders of the Shen family to arrive in the capital to preside over it."
The emperor's envy vanished. Hah, so it was all just talk after all...
Author's Note:
Changed the name of Zhao Wang's son—just realized it was homophonic with Li Xiang's name.
————
Today was the day Lord Lin showed off his love life.
Emperor: ...I've never seen anything like this before!
Prince Heyang: Taking notes—my beauty makes delicious Sesame Flatbread!
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