Ink Burns

Chapter 253 Emperor
Inside the Hall of Union in the Qianqing Palace, before the candles were lit at noon, the white marble base under the double-eaved hip roof with its yellow glazed tiles reflected the shadows cast by the sunlight through the eaves. The gray shadows of the beasts on the eaves were right on the marble base, as if they were trapped by a fence of light and shadow, with nowhere to escape.

The three-section, six-panel diamond-shaped lattice doors and windows are slightly ajar.

Battle reports from the border are of utmost urgency for the Celestial Empire. Yumen Pass is more than a thousand li from the capital, and it takes five days to deliver them to the capital via the 800-li express courier service. They are then sent to the Emperor by the Imperial Edict Office.

Upon receiving the sudden battle report, Grand Eunuch Wu immediately halted the consultations in the corridors and settled the officials who had not yet received their consultations in the East Warm Pavilion, where ice floes were placed in each of the four corners. He then rushed through the three gates and four halls to meet the Emperor, still panting heavily, but daring not to let his chest rise and fall too much. He could only hold his breath, controlling his breathing evenly, while also secretly observing Emperor Yongping. In the light and shadow filtering through the window, he saw a long, pale hand tightly gripping a report covered in the dust of the northern frontier; the knuckles protruded and turned bluish-white, the fingers clenched tightly.

He grew up with Emperor Yongping from a young age and knew the emperor's moods from an early age. Just like a drunkard's capacity for alcohol, his moods were not reflected on his face. The only place that revealed his moods was his fingernails.

Redness and congestion in the nails indicate emotional fluctuations.

The emotional fluctuation at this moment is extreme anger.

He cannot speak.

He silently lowered his head, waiting for Xue Xiao, the Imperial Censor of the Imperial Censorate who was standing beside Emperor Yongping, to speak.

"The Tatars have not invaded for ten years." Xue Xiao slowly rose and pressed his elbow against the wall to pour tea for Emperor Yongping, Xu Quyan. "In the past, the Tatars have always invaded between March and June, when the weather is hot, the snow melts in the Chaha Mountains and flows, nourishing the grasslands, so the grain and fodder are plentiful, and the cattle and sheep are fat—only in such a good season can the Tatar tribes spare the effort to fight a losing battle. Now it is almost August, and if the war becomes stalemate, the Tatars will be caught in a dilemma and unable to continue their attack. The timing of their invasion now is very opportune."

Emperor Yongping loosened his grip and handed the battle report to Xue Xiao.

Xue Xiao could read ten lines at a glance.

The Tatars attacked Ningwu Pass and Xinzhou. The Geger tribe launched a night raid on Qicheng, Xinzhou. The border city only had military households and no civilians. As a result, more than half of the 378 military households and nearly 3,000 family members in Qicheng were killed or wounded, and the rest were captured. The city's grain, horses, cattle, sheep, poultry, and the young girls and family members of the military households were all plundered. In just two days, the Geger tribe withdrew from the city—easily conquering, easily looting, and easily retreating from the city.
"Ningwu Pass is adjacent to Shanhaiguan Pass and belongs to the same jurisdiction. It is surrounded by mountains to the north, the vast sea to the south, high ridges to the east, and the Shihe River to the west. The Yanshan Mountains form a natural barrier, and the Shihe River to the west forms a natural moat."

Emperor Yongping's voice was hoarse as he indifferently raised his eyes: "How could the Tatars possibly succeed in a night raid in just one attempt without lifting a finger?"

Xue Xiao remained silent as the light brown tea swayed in the white-glazed porcelain cup.

"What about the city's garrison? What about the garrison inside Ningwu Pass?" Emperor Yongping asked.

"They put up a stubborn resistance, but to no avail. The deputy general of Qicheng committed suicide five days ago to atone for his sins, and the left and right adjutants are still in the city overseeing the aftermath," Xue Xiao replied.

"The deputy general takes the blame, the commander escapes, a classic escape act." Xu Quyan remained expressionless. His narrow, delicate eyes, visible through the slits of light on his thin, pale face, were unfathomable. He didn't need affirmation; he only needed an answer. He continued, "Recently, have any people entered or left the residences of Marquis Wuding and Grand Princess Jing'an? Or traveled to or from the capital?"

"No. In the past month, not only the Wuding Marquis's residence and the Grand Princess Jing'an's residence, but also Yuan Wenying's and the Chang family have not shown any unusual behavior." Xue Xiao shook his head.

As early as when Jing'an arranged for people to monitor Xue Nan's residence, Xue Xiao had already given orders to the Censorate to drive nails into both residences and the city walls outside the capital.

"Then how do they communicate with each other?" Xu Quyan asked in a low voice, several guesses flashing through his mind: "Did Ling Zheng mention whether 'Qingfeng' had any covert communication methods?"

Ling Zheng refers to Xue Xiao's wife.

Xue Xiao shook his head again: "Relying on the official road or by carrier pigeon is not an option. The official road is easily intercepted, and it is too far to reach Shanhaiguan by carrier pigeon."

Xue Xiao paused, then finally revealed the truth with a question: "Does the Sage suspect that Marquis Wuding is colluding with the Tatars?"

“Otherwise, wouldn’t it be too much of a coincidence?” Xu Quyan’s voice was as cold and withered as a piece of dead wood soaked in a deep well for years. His eyes fell on the beast trapped by the light and shadow fence, and his voice was elusive: “Just when I was about to find out about ‘Qingfeng’, the Tatars, who had not attacked for ten years, launched a night attack. To deal with the internal troubles, we must first secure the external ones. Dealing with the Tatars can only be entrusted to the Northern Frontier Army. How can I value the Cui family on the one hand, and investigate them on the other?”

Xu Quyan looked up.

Emperor Yongping was three years older than Xue Xiao. He was an extremely handsome and refined emperor. Because he suffered from a cough and was not very strong, he had a gentle and tolerant temperament, like a young lion who had already surveyed his territory and had deep thoughts in his heart, even though he had not yet grown a mane.

“Through their writings, they are forcing me to stop.” Xu Quyan’s voice was very soft, like a feather gently landing on a dusty windowsill: “They are forcing me in a treasonous way.”

Xue Xiao immediately knelt down, lowered his eyes and head, but brought up another old matter: "Back then, when the Duzhou dike breach case occurred, 32,000 taels of stolen silver were unearthed under the private residence of Su Yu, the then military commander of the Northern Frontier Army. Chang Lin had confessed and buried the stolen silver, but he refused to explain the origin of such a large sum of money. No matter how much we investigated, we could not find the whereabouts of such a large amount of silver in the accounts of the Jiangnan officialdom. After the Duzhou dike breach case was closed, this stolen silver went through several twists and turns through the Ministry of War and returned to the hands of the Northern Frontier Army."

"That is, in the hands of the Cui family."

"Then, Your Majesty, I beg you to enlighten me: who gave this silver to 'Qingfeng'?"

Xu Quyan turned his head: "...Tatars."

Xue Xiao kept his head down: "I suspect that the Cui family had already reached an alliance with the Tatars back then."

The young emperor leaned back, dressed casually in a dark silk robe with the cuffs and collar edged with soft gold silk thread. Emperor Yongping was always simple in his palace, and this was the only place where his clothing could be considered extravagant. Even so, to a casual glance, it would just look like a plain dark yellow trim.

"Okay."

"How wonderful." "The military generals that the late emperor relied on were actually traitors who colluded with the enemy, were unrighteous and disloyal, and had no virtue or conduct."

It was impossible to discern whether Emperor Yongping was pleased or angry in his words.

Xu Quyan paused slightly, the tea already overflowing from the teacup in his palm, flowing down the veins of his hand onto the sandalwood tea table covered with gold satin, creating a misty vapor that shrouded his tone in mystery.

"Is everyone still in the corridors of Qianyuan Hall?" Emperor Yongping asked.

Supervisor Wu bowed and agreed.

"The officials from the Five Military Commissions, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Cabinet are to be sent back to their offices to prepare for the war against the Tatars. The rest of you shall continue to take pulses and conduct medical examinations. Officials shall be examined in shifts with extended timeframes, and the examinations shall be completed within ten days." Emperor Yongping said in a deep voice, "The four city walls in the suburbs of the capital shall be strictly guarded for entry and exit. People coming and going in the capital and surrounding areas shall be strictly checked. It is imperative that everyone entering or leaving the capital be registered."

Emperor Yongping wanted to continue the investigation.

wrong.

If an investigation is necessary, why take so long?

Unless, Emperor Yongping was verifying something.
Xue Xiao looked up, and Xu Quyan leaned back slightly, facing Xue Xiao: "If Marquis Wuding is indeed colluding with the Tatars to force me to submit, then within five days, there will definitely be another night raid on the border."

"The border war is critical, and I have no choice but to back down. Only then can Cui Bainian, as the military commander of the Northern Frontier Army, return to his post in a legitimate way, thus extricating himself from my investigation."

That's a good method.

It might even reveal how the capital city communicated with the northern frontier army, or even the Tatars.

There is only one point.

Xue Xiao lowered his eyes again: "A Tatar night attack on the city could result in the deaths or injuries of hundreds of soldiers and their families."

To use hundreds of lives to confirm a hypothesis, to create an opportunity to seize the enemy's weakness.
Xue Xiao pursed his lips: He had reservations about this.

The handsome, young emperor, as majestic as a lion, slowly raised his head. Xu Quyan's usually calm eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a shrewd, calm, and indifferent light.

"His book."

The emperor whispered, "We are talking about the common people, the nine provinces and eight wastelands, ruling the world, and governing the territories."

"If I could, I would gladly sacrifice my life to restore the glory of the imperial power—"

Why would they care about a mere few hundred military households?
Xue Xiao and Wu Dajian walked out of Jiaotai Hall side by side.

Xue Xiao looked straight ahead and strode out.

Wu Dajian followed closely, panting and trying to catch his breath while stealing glances at Xue Xiao's expression. His breath hitched, sinking into the intestines on the right side of his lower abdomen, where even the slightest movement felt excruciating. But despite his disheveled state, he still had to try to appease the emperor's right-hand man: "Our Miss Shuiguang is truly amazing. She almost knocked Lord Shen Lingshan unconscious just now!"

Xue Xiao slowed his pace: "Lord Shen, the Grand Physician Ronglu? How did Shui Guang come to see him?"

"You know what! Our Aunt Shuiguang is really lucky! After entering the Six Departments, she didn't go to the Department of Medicine, but was instead assigned to the Imperial Hospital. She didn't go to the then-powerful Physician Liu, nor to the senior Physician Sun, but instead blindly chose the unknown Physician Lin!"

With a shout of "Hey!", Wu Dajian slapped his palm against the back of his hand: "Isn't this just a stroke of luck? During the palace investigation, Liu and Sun were forced to retire, and Doctor Lin suddenly became the oldest imperial physician in the Imperial Hospital. The Six Departments, seeking convenience, put him in charge! Our Aunt Shuiguang has suddenly turned her life around and become the apprentice of the chief physician!"

Xue Xiao noted it down, intending to repeat it back at his residence. He then took out a brown paper bag from his pocket and handed it to Eunuch Wu: "There is no communication between the inside and outside of the palace. However, I am really worried about my wife at home. I would like to trouble you, Lord Wu, to pass this on to Lady He."

Eunuch Wu hurriedly covered the things, smiling broadly and readily agreeing. Then, his eyes darted around and he began to talk about what had just happened in the hall: "If you are willing to listen, how about I say something about slapping you?"

"Please speak," Xue Xiao said, raising his hand to speak.

"You and the Sage have been close friends since childhood, plotting matters of great importance concerning the universe. Over the years, you have secretly provided invaluable assistance, bearing all the hardships and burdens. How could the Sage not know? Now that we have finally made it to the next crucial stage, and that unsavory spirit is about to reveal its true colors, I earnestly urge you not to harbor any resentment towards the Sage at this very moment."

Xue Xiao slightly raised his right palm.

Supervisor Wu immediately stopped talking.

The way rulers and ministers, superiors and inferiors, interact is inherently close to the uncanny.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Wu." Xue Xiao's eyes were deep-set, his features were extremely sharp, and his voice was low: "I understand everything."