Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 564 Doubt

The King of Qin followed the eunuch to the outside of the Yanhe Hall to await the Emperor's summons.

The eunuch Huang whispered, "His Majesty is discussing matters with the two ministers. Your Highness, please wait a moment."

The King of Qin nodded in agreement with a amiable expression. Although he hadn't yet met the Emperor upon returning to the capital, he had already sensed the Emperor's coldness towards him.

In the past, when he returned to the capital, the emperor would either send eunuchs to greet him outside the city gate or give him a reward beforehand. But this time, nothing happened.

Even after he rushed into the palace, he was unable to see the Emperor immediately.

Fortunately, this was the Yanhe Hall. If it had been the Chuigong Hall earlier, many officials would have seen him like this and would have inevitably wondered if the Emperor was starting to dislike him again.

After all, he had been sent out of the palace before, and the Emperor had told all the civil and military officials that he would no longer raise him as an adopted son.

Because of these words, he lived a life worse than an ordinary person for the next few years, living in constant fear that he would be accused of treason and sentenced to death.

Is this happening again?
King Qin took a deep breath and waited for about half an hour before the doors of the main hall finally opened, and Wang Bingchen and Xie Yizhi came out.

"Your Majesty."

"Lord Wang, Privy Councilor Xie."

The three greeted each other, said nothing more, and immediately parted ways.

When the King of Qin heard the news, he learned that Xia Mengxian's case had caused both of his ministers to fall ill at home, and they only attended the court meeting together this morning.

Although the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review have not yet closed their cases, the fact that the two ministers were able to return to their posts and take charge of affairs proves that they were not implicated by Xia Mengxian.

This was good news for the King of Qin.

If the court could bring the Xia Mengxian case to a halt, it would prevent more people from being implicated.

"Your Highness, the Emperor has summoned you!"

The King of Qin nodded.

Prince Huai did not step forward. Since the eunuch only said he wanted to see his father, he could only continue to wait outside the door.

The King of Qin entered the palace and bowed to the Emperor.

"Rise," the Emperor said, his expression as gentle as ever. "How was the border patrol?"

"Everything is going smoothly," said the King of Qin. "Although Daliang and Xixia have made peace, the border guards are still training every day, and the passes are heavily guarded, for fear that spies might infiltrate Daliang. In just two months, we have captured more than a dozen spies."

"The troops of Northern Qi are still active at the passes, and the fortresses of Great Liang in the north should be carefully repaired. I believe that since Great Liang has made peace with Western Xia, it can move troops north to defend against Northern Qi."

The Emperor nodded: "I have read all the memorials you sent back. The court intends to reinforce the north, but we should wait until the northwest is stabilized before making any further moves."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "How are the preparations for the border markets in the Northwest going?"

The King of Qin said, "Wen Zhengchen has already taken office. He has been recruiting Tibetan and Qiang merchants, gathering information about the Western Xia, and winning over the border tribes and people. His efforts have already shown initial success."

"However... the situation on the frontier remains complex, and I'm afraid there will be no shortage of conflict even after the border markets open."

The official said, "The two countries have made peace, but the various tribes are still constantly fighting, so it will not be easy to open up that trade route."

The King of Qin responded, "Wen Zhengchen has mobilized troops to repair and pave the official roads. While it cannot be said that carriages and horses can travel freely within a few months, at least there will be no dangerous sections."

The Emperor said, "Wenqing has a difficult job, so I can only entrust this matter to him for peace of mind."

With the roads clear, whether the goods can be delivered smoothly depends on the merchants. After all, it's impossible to arrange border troops to escort such a long journey from Bianjing to the border market. The Emperor picked up his tea and took a sip: "There are cults gathering in Bianjing again, and merchants are colluding with high-ranking officials for personal gain. My Great Liang is not as peaceful as it seems on the surface."

The King of Qin immediately bowed: "Your Majesty, I am willing to share your burdens, investigate the whereabouts of the demon cult members, and lead troops to wipe them out." He dared not interfere in the military and political affairs of the border regions. All he could do now was deal with the demon cult. If the Emperor agreed, it meant that he still had some trust in him, and at least he was allowed to intervene in this case.

The Emperor looked at the Prince of Qin and said after a long while, "I was willing to send you, but... I have received another memorial from the Imperial Secretariat. Heavy rains have been falling in Hebei for many days, and I am even more worried about the flood control situation on the Yellow River."

The King of Qin's eyes twitched slightly: "Your subject shall immediately set off for Hebei Road."

"You don't need to go in person," the official said, "but you will need someone to recommend you to go and inspect. Go back and think about who is most suitable for this position."

The King of Qin responded.

The Emperor said, "You have traveled a long and arduous journey. I will summon you to the palace another day."

The King of Qin bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please take good care of yourself." After saying this, he bowed and left the hall.

When the Prince of Huai saw his father come out, he immediately went forward. Before the two could speak, the eunuch Huang came out and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor summons you in."

The father and son looked at each other, and the King of Qin nodded to the Prince of Huai.

Prince Huai hurriedly stepped inside.

The palace doors closed again. The King of Qin walked calmly out of the palace; the Emperor had indeed become suspicious of him. Xia Mengxian was already the Minister of Justice; why would he risk colluding with the Secretariat to collect evidence of officials' crimes and control them for their own use?
Even if Xia Mengxian wanted to become prime minister, he shouldn't have taken such a risk, unless his master needed the support of many officials in the court. Besides vying for power, there seems to be no other reason.

There are many people who could seize the throne, but he is the most suspicious one.

The Yellow River was subject to flood control every year, but the results were always poor. The entire court knew that this was a thankless and arduous task, yet the emperor entrusted it to him.

If something happens to the Yellow River, can we then take the opportunity to punish it?

The King of Qin stepped out of the palace gates, mounted his horse, and the steward stepped forward and asked, "Your Highness, should we wait for the Prince?"

“No need,” said the King of Qin. “Let’s go back to the palace.” He wanted to know what the Emperor and Jun’er had been talking about, but waiting at the palace gate would make him seem overly anxious.

Given the current situation, we still need to carefully plan and regain the trust of the officials.

……

Inside the Yanhe Hall.

The Emperor showed the memorial that Wen Zhengchen had submitted to the capital to the Prince of Huai.

The Emperor spoke seemingly casually: "How do you think this matter should be resolved?" He kept the Prince of Huai behind not because he had any political matters to discuss, but simply to appease the Prince of Qin's household.

In fact, the Privy Council had already submitted a memorial on this matter, which was nothing more than increasing the number of border troops protecting merchants.

However, the Ministry of War could not mobilize too many troops. Most of the local garrison troops were to guard the passes. Furthermore, if soldiers were to have close ties with merchants, it would be inevitable that there would be cases of embezzlement. Wasn't this the case with Liu Heng of Daming Prefecture?
Therefore, no good solution was reached through discussion.

"I believe that the court should employ righteous merchants and have them privately report any unusual activity at the border markets to the court."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor raised his eyes and looked at the Prince of Huai with some surprise.

The Prince of Huai said, "Merchants can bring benefits to the border people, and they are more likely to gain the trust of the border people than government offices and border troops."

“Original merchants should ascertain the true situation around the border market and transmit accurate information to the government. Then, the border troops can arrest those who attempt to disrupt the border market. This way, the results can be achieved with half the effort.”

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