Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 364 Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence?

As Lu Jie stepped out the door, he saw Gao Hong standing below.

He nodded in greeting: "What's wrong, Eunuch Gao?"

Gao Hong said awkwardly, "His Majesty has been in a bad mood these past two days, so my job is not easy either. Please forgive my rudeness, sir."

Lu Jie hurriedly cupped his hands in thanks: "You've troubled me, Father-in-law!"

Gao Hong nodded and turned away, then quickly stepped inside: "Your Majesty, He Ping has arrived."

Lu Jie turned his gaze away from his back and just then ran into He Ping, who was walking over after him.

He Ping remained calm as always. After nodding to him, he entered the palace with the emperor's permission.

Lu Jie withdrew his gaze and quickly descended the steps.

Yang Bonong waited for him in the carriage outside the palace gate: "How is it?"

"The matter was accomplished, but something seems a bit off."

"How to say?"

Lu Jie sighed: "Gao Hong got scolded. The Emperor summoned He Ping again. I guess he suspects something?"

Yang Bonong paused: "Could it be the one that you warned about before, sir?"

Lu Jie glanced at him and nodded silently.

……

When He Ping entered the hall, the emperor had already moved to the inner room and lay down on the folding chair.

He Ping stepped forward and tucked the blanket around him, saying, "Your Majesty has suffered."

The emperor let out a long breath: "In the blink of an eye, you and I have been together for decades."

He Ping bowed slightly and said gently, "If Your Majesty has any orders, please just give them to me. I will go through fire and water without hesitation."

"Of course I know what kind of person you are," the emperor said, his gaze deep. "If you hadn't risked your life to save me from the fire back then, would I be where I am today?"

He Ping lowered his head: "Let's not talk about the past, that was all my duty. The favor Your Majesty has shown me over the years far surpasses what I have done."

The emperor straightened up a bit and said slowly, "With Yan Shu's execution, I have a feeling that the wind has shifted."

He Ping looked at him: "What does Your Majesty mean?"

"I remember that Imperial Physician Sheng has been treating the Crown Prince. Go and interrogate him."

He Ping paused slightly: "Please give me a hint as to which direction it is, Your Majesty."

"The Crown Prince's appearance in the main hall yesterday was too coincidental." The Emperor leaned slightly to one side, his voice low. "The night before last, I had already tacitly allowed the Yan family to pay money to atone for their sins, but the Crown Prince appeared at the crucial moment yesterday, thus exposing their crime of embezzling the annual allowances of the imperial family, which directly led to Yan Shu's execution."

"Although Yan Shu deserved to die, it was a real disaster that the Crown Prince privately visited a high-ranking official, especially one as powerful as the Grand Commandant's office."

"The Crown Prince's Palace has not established a Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Shen family has never associated with civil officials. However, Shen Yu has been ill for many years, and I have granted them the privilege of inviting imperial physicians."

"After much thought, I believe that if the Crown Prince is involved with the Shen family, Sheng Rong is the most likely person to pass on messages to them."

"Go and interrogate him. You'll know whether it's true or false then."

He Pingding looked at the emperor for a moment before bowing his head and saying, "As you command." Then he asked, "Aside from this case, are there any other people involved?"

The emperor gazed silently at the memorials Lu Jie had handed him on the table before him, and after a moment said, "We don't need to talk about others for now. You should handle this matter first."

"Yes."

The emperor leaned back on his pillow: "Go, let Gao Hong in."

He Ping relayed the message to Gao Hong, then went out the door.

After walking through the two palaces, his pace slowed, until he stopped under the covered walkway, staring at the glazed tiles for a long time before taking another step. Gao Hong almost slunk back to the emperor, and before he could speak, the emperor handed him several sheets of paper.

"Go and draft an imperial edict, and instruct Yan Song to carry it out accordingly. If he fails to do so, he will face confiscation of his property and execution."

The last four words made Gao Hong's heart pound. The list felt like a hot potato, bouncing twice in his hand before he could hold it steady.

……

After the Yan family finished making arrangements, they closed the door and focused entirely on handling the funeral.

Yan Shu's death was so dishonorable that the main gate was closed, and only the west corner gate was opened for close relatives to enter and conduct the funeral.

Yan Song submitted a memorial requesting to be discharged from the hospital. He has been staying at home for the past few days, but no news from outside has escaped his ears.

After the petition for forgiveness was submitted, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver were raised overnight. They were just waiting for Gao Hong to send word so they could be immediately transported to the palace.

Having experienced the previous failure, the Yan family members were somewhat absent-minded throughout the day. After drinking several cups of tea in the mourning hall, Yan Qu couldn't help but go to the main room again.

"From yesterday until now, His Majesty has not uttered a single word. Can you, Grandfather, be certain of this?"

Yan Song stood by the window, stroking his beard: "At this point, it's hard to say we're guaranteed victory. Half of it depends on luck, and the other half on Gao Hong's methods."

Yan Qu became even more panicked: "What should we do if we fail?"

Yan Song slowly turned around: "If we fail, we'll just have to wait to go to jail."

Yan Qu gritted his teeth: "So you're saying we should just wait to die?"

“Of course not.” Yan Song paced around the room. “Since we were not questioned in court yesterday, we will not immediately face death after we are imprisoned.”

"The letter has been sent to Hu Yucheng. As long as the people Hu Yucheng sends arrive in the capital, you and I will naturally be safe and sound."

Yan Qu's expression softened slightly: "Grandfather is very confident in General Hu."

"Because not only does the Yan family need him, but he also needs the Yan family."

Yan Song glanced at him: "Instead of being so impetuous, we should send more people out to gather information from all directions. There's plenty of money in the palace, and right now our lives are all in the Emperor's hands."

Yan Qu bit his lip and agreed.

A servant walked in from outside: "Reporting to the master! Someone from the palace has come with an imperial decree!"

After he finished speaking, both the grandfather and grandson's expressions changed.

"grandfather!"

Yan Qu's heart was in his throat.

Yan Song reached out and pressed him down, asking the servant, "Who is the messenger?"

"It's Eunuch Gao from the Directorate of Ceremonial! He's still outside the gate!"

Yan Song's expression immediately relaxed: "Go change your clothes and receive the imperial decree!"

A quarter of an hour later, all the officials and nobles in the entire household came out dressed in their finest attire.

"Yan Song receives the imperial decree!"

Gao Hong glanced at him, then unfolded the imperial edict and began to read it aloud.

Yan Song was initially relieved to hear that it was the emperor who was delivering the decree, but seeing how serious the emperor was, his heart started to race again. However, after hearing that the emperor had only ordered him to investigate a group of officials, his heart finally settled down.
After bowing to receive the imperial decree, he stood up and gestured for Gao Hong to go inside: "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Gao. Please come in and have a cup of tea."

"Grand Secretary Yan, please wait a moment," Gao Hong said, supporting his arm and pointing with a complicated expression to the imperial edict that he had rolled up. "It's not too late for you to take a look at this list before you feel at ease."

Upon hearing this, Yan Song opened the imperial edict. His expression changed drastically upon reading it, and he looked at Gao Hong in shock: "May I ask, Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this edict?..."

Gao Hong hesitated, then bowed several times before finally saying, "Your Excellency, please take care of yourself!"