Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 460 Leaking Secrets
Led by the chief eunuch of the Inner Palace Secretariat, the Imperial Secretary hurriedly entered the Chuigong Hall.

Upon entering the rear hall, the Imperial Secretary saw the Emperor sitting on the throne.

The emperor lowered his head slightly, his expression somewhat obscure. The secretary of the Imperial Secretariat glanced to the side and immediately recognized Wang Yan.

The Imperial Secretary bowed to the Emperor and was about to ask what his duties were.

"Draft an edict," the Emperor said, raising his eyes, "granting Wang Yan and Xu Huaiyi the authority to submit secret memorials."

The Imperial Secretary was immediately startled and began to sort through the recent events in the court. The only thing that could involve Xu Huaiyi was the recent case of the heretical sect.

Could it be that the Emperor is dissatisfied with the handling of the case by the Secretariat and wants to hand it over to Wang Yan and Xu Huaiyi? Otherwise, why would he need the power to submit a secret report?
The secretary of the Imperial Secretariat earnestly advised, "Your Majesty, please rescind your order. Issuing a secret decree bypassing the Imperial Secretariat might raise suspicions that you are not following the proper procedures of the court."

As he spoke, the Imperial Secretary glanced at Wang Yan.

The current prime minister is Prime Minister Wang. I don't know what Wang Yan's son is thinking. The secret edict was not issued through the Secretariat, which is suspected of weakening the Secretariat's power and makes people suspect that Prime Minister Wang is no longer trusted by the emperor.

I had heard that Wang Yan and his father disagreed on politics, and now it seems that it might be true. What son would betray his own father?

The emperor insisted on saying, "Draft an imperial edict."

The imperial scribe dared not delay any longer and hurriedly began drafting the secret edict. Once the edict was stamped with the imperial seal, it was all done.

The Emperor looked at Wang Yan and said, "Now can you present the memorial to me?"

Wang Yan then handed the note to the eunuch beside him.

The eunuch presented the memorial to the Emperor, who eagerly opened it. His gaze then fixed on the memorial, and after a moment, he looked at Wang Yan with surprise: "Is this the evidence you wanted to show me?"

Wang Yan bowed and said, "Your humble servant requests that the court severely punish the offending official."

……

The Imperial Secretary did not stay in the rear hall for long before being invited out by the eunuchs.

After finishing his shift, the Imperial Secretary returned home in a sedan chair, his mind heavy with worry. As soon as he stepped into his house, he saw a figure standing in front of him, with a servant standing beside him looking panicked.

The Imperial Secretary's face darkened, and he asked the man, "What are you doing here?"

Xu Wei of the Advisory Bureau smiled and said, "Lord Zhao, how have you been?"

Zhao Sheren quickly looked around: "Didn't we already agree that we shouldn't meet in private anymore?"

Xu Wei smiled and said, "Don't be alarmed, Zhao Sheren. I've changed into these clothes and I don't often go out. Even if someone sees me, no one will know who I am. I'm just here to say a few words to you. If you hurry, I can leave in a moment."

Zhao Sheren stared at Xu Wei with a stern face, clearly indicating that Xu Wei would stay there if he didn't agree.

Zhao Sheren clenched his fists at the thought of the people from the Jiyisi, then stopped talking and turned to walk into the house.

Xu Wei was used to this kind of scene, so he smiled slightly and followed.

The two sat down in the room. Xu Wei deliberately looked around and, noticing the simple furnishings, said, "I didn't expect that after all these years, Zhao Sheren has still not brought his family into the palace."

"Is it because you're afraid your family will suffer if they come to the capital and follow you, sir?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheren's face immediately turned angry: "Don't go too far. If you push me too far, we'll fight to the death."

Upon hearing this, Xu Wei repeatedly said, "Master Zhao, please don't be anxious. How could I dare to force you? You are a second-place scholar who entered officialdom, a noble and distinguished official, far superior to us lowly officials."

The mention of the words "refined and noble" caused Zhao Sheren's forehead veins to bulge. He knew, of course, that Xu Wei was giving him a warning. Years ago, when he was demoted to a county government post, his family members were lured into committing crimes, which had become leverage for the Bureau of State Affairs to control him ever since. Over the years, he had walked a tightrope in his official career, being valued by the emperor on one hand, and fearing that his past misdeeds would be brought up again once he held a high position.

The day has finally come.

Zhao Sheren took a deep breath. Years ago, he almost confessed his crimes to the court. Thinking of his ten years of hard study, he became timid again.

“In a few more years, Zhao Sheren will be able to enter the Hanlin Academy, and in the future, he might even be promoted to a high-ranking official,” Xu Wei said. “At that time, who will dare to speak ill of you?”

"Even we people will do things for you with utmost care."

Zhao Sheren snorted coldly. He particularly disliked Xu Wei, but now he couldn't afford to turn against him. He hadn't been willing to give up his official position when he was the county magistrate, so where did he get the backbone now?

As his official position rose higher and higher, he did consider dealing with the case from back then, but the evidence was hidden away, and no matter how much money he spent, he couldn't redeem it.

Come to think of it, these people are simply waiting for the most opportune moment.

"What do you want me to do?" Zhao Sheren closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Xu Wei had anticipated this outcome, and a faint smile graced his face: "I just wanted to ask you, has anything important happened around His Majesty recently?"

Zhao Sheren suddenly opened his eyes, remembering the secret edict the Emperor had just given to Wang Yan.

Upon seeing this, Xu Wei immediately said, "If you inform Zhao Sheren about this matter, the evidence left behind from that year will be returned as well."

Zhao Sheren said calmly, "Nothing happened."

Xu Wei wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he picked up the teacup in front of Zhao Sheren, poured himself some hot tea, and took a sip: "Have you thought it through, Sheren?"

“It’s alright if the servant doesn’t say anything; we’ll just ask others. Actually, I also think it’s really not right to use our favor towards the servant for such a small matter. It took us a lot of effort to cover up that case for him back then.”

After Xu Wei finished speaking, he put down the teacup in his hand and turned to leave.

Just as the person was about to leave the room, Zhao Sheren suddenly said, "Wait."

Xu Wei turned around, a smug smile on his face.

Zhao Sheren said, "There aren't many people in the main hall. If this gets out, the Emperor will surely suspect me."

Xu Wei hurriedly said, "The servant told us the inside story, and we will only act according to the situation. We will never tell anyone else. Besides, the servant isn't the only one in the Chuigong Hall. Otherwise, how would we know that something important has happened recently?"

However, they had only heard rumors and could not confirm the details, so they went to find Zhao Sheren.

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Sheren finally said, "The Emperor has bypassed the Secretariat and granted Wang Yan and Xu Huaiyi the right to submit secret memorials. If you only focus on the Secretariat and the Ministry of Justice, you will be caught off guard."

"Wang Yan has no evidence and will not act rashly. If there is anything you cannot present to the officials, you should now think about how to escape!"

Wang Yan was also a ruthless person, even more so than his father.

He didn't even believe his own father and insisted on taking the matter to the authorities, fearing that the news would leak out.

He succeeded in eliminating treacherous officials for the court, but he also earned a bad reputation. After all, civil officials value rules and regulations, and Wang Yan's actions were seen as flattering the monarch.

If everyone follows this example, wouldn't it disrupt the established order?
Xu Wei's expression turned extremely solemn: "So the person behind this case really is Wang Yan."

There will be more at night