Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 610 The Determination of Imprisonment
Mangku followed the Imperial Guards, his figure disappearing at the end of the alley.

"Come with me." Lu Wenzhao beckoned to Huang Yicheng, then turned and went into the small courtyard they had just entered.

Huang Yicheng followed with his head down, his ominous premonition growing stronger.

Lu Wenzhao pushed open the door and entered the east wing room. He found a stool near the large table in the main room and sat down.

"You sit down too." Lu Wenzhao stepped on the round stool legs and pushed a stool next to him in front of him.

"Huh? Okay." Huang Yicheng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly walked to the stool that Lu Wenzhao had indicated and sat down.

"Young Master Lu, what exactly are Councilor Yuan's instructions?" Huang Yicheng asked, bowing slightly and standing with his hands on his lap, appearing very reserved.

"Take a look at this first." Lu Wenzhao reached into his robes and pulled out the Imperial Guard envoy's badge, which had been taken down earlier to make room for the silver pouch, and presented it to Huang Yicheng.

Huang Yicheng thought Lu Wenzhao was going to hand him the plaque, so he stretched out his hands to take it and look at it. But as soon as his eyes fell on the words "Jinyiwei" (Imperial Guard), he went limp.

Boom!
Huang Yicheng slid off the stool like a rag doll, his knees hitting Lu Wenzhao's feet like pile drivers.

"I...I was blind and ignorant, no...no, I didn't know it was...it was the Grand Envoy from the Land." Huang Yicheng's head hit the ground, his voice hoarse as if a rag had been stuffed into his throat. "I hope the Grand Envoy from the Land will forgive me."

"Get up and sit down to talk." Lu Wenzhao tied the ivory token back to his waist.

"I dare not!" Huang Yicheng kowtowed and cried out.

“I told you to sit, so sit.” Lu Wenzhao gently nudged the round stool leg with the side of his foot.

"I... this..." Huang Yicheng's mind went blank.

Lu Wenzhao was quite patient. He silently looked down at Huang Yicheng until Huang Yicheng's buttocks slowly lifted up and lightly touched the edge of the stool before he spoke again: "What did those Koreans ask you about just now?"

"This! How could you..." Huang Yicheng's face turned pale instantly, and cold sweat broke out.

He truly couldn't understand how the Imperial Guard in front of him could know such things so quickly. This man had clearly walked with Yuan, the Councilor, when they were talking. Huang Yicheng recalled carefully, but couldn't recall any unfamiliar faces following him along the way. After much thought, he could only guess that the Imperial Guard might have been hiding in the shadows of some empty house along the route, eavesdropping and watching.

In reality, Huang Yicheng was overthinking things; the matter was far less complicated than it seemed. Lu Wenzhao was just guessing. He only had so many people under his command; where would he find the extra resources to monitor a lowly official like Huang Yicheng?

"Why are you in such a panic?" Lu Wenzhao chuckled softly. "Did they bribe you?"

"I, I..." Huang Yicheng was almost crying. The ten-tael silver ingot was still in his arms, trembling up and down with his rapid breathing.

Huang Yicheng was so frightened that he couldn't speak, and his body went limp as he was about to kneel on the ground again.

"Enough. I'm not here to interrogate you." Lu Wenzhao kicked Huang Yicheng in the chest. "Sit down!"

"Yes," Huang Yicheng stammered, shuffling as he sat down on the edge of the stool. A bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead, washing the recently soiled dirt back onto the ground.

"Tell me everything those Koreans asked you, one by one. Don't miss anything." Lu Wenzhao pulled back his shoe sole and looked down at Huang Yicheng, who was almost curled up in a ball.

"Yes." Huang Yicheng raised his hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. A dark gray streak immediately appeared on the already dirty fabric. "Envoy Wu first asked which courtyard Councilor Yuan was staying in..." Huang Yicheng paused abruptly as he began. "Oh! No, no, no! Envoy Wu should have asked about the location of the Zhenjiang Military Command at first." As he corrected himself, Huang Yicheng carefully observed Lu Wenzhao's expression, and only breathed a small sigh of relief when he saw Lu Wenzhao nod slightly, seemingly approving.

“I told Envoy Wu that there was no military garrison in Zhenjiang, and then they asked which courtyard Yuan and Gao lived in. I didn’t think too much about it at the time, just thought it was normal conversation, so I told them which courtyard Yuan and Gao lived in.”

"Hmm," Lu Wenzhao's lips curled into a perfectly timed, enigmatic smile. "And then?"

"Then the Wu envoy asked who else was staying at the post station. I told the Wu envoy that besides Councilor Yuan and Councilor Gao, and their personal guards and servants, there was no one else at the post station. Hiss!" The postmaster, Huang, flinched as if he'd been stung. "At the time, I didn't know Your Excellency was an imperial envoy, so, so..."

“Continue!” Lu Wenzhao glared at him.

"I am foolish and have forgotten that the Tartars were staying with you officials. That's why the Wu envoy took the initiative to correct me, saying that Tartars were staying at the post station."

Huang Yicheng's memory had never been very good, but at this moment, his brain was working at its peak. Not only did he not miss a single detail, but he also vaguely recalled the faces of every member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Huang Yicheng was once again certain that those faces were not around when he was talking to Wu Yunqian. Huang Yicheng's mind began to wander, and his fear of the Embroidered Uniform Guard deepened.

"Then, Envoy Wu followed up with questions, and I told him when those Tartars had arrived. Then, I asked Envoy Wu what news the Tartar messengers had brought," Huang, the postmaster, lowered his head, swallowed a mouthful of thick saliva, and didn't notice that Lu Wenzhao's expression had darkened slightly. "They told me that the Tartars had amassed tens of thousands of troops in Kuandian, and were likely planning to attack Shuozhou. Seeing the worried look on Envoy Wu's face, I reassured him that Councilor Yuan had already sent a letter to Liaoyang requesting reinforcements."

"That's all?" Lu Wenzhao asked after a while.

"It should be gone."

"You're quite the talker. You answered whatever the Koreans asked." Hearing that the Koreans weren't foolish enough to reveal that their king was suspected of treason, Lu Wenzhao's expression softened considerably.

"This is no secret, it's all public knowledge." Huang Yicheng raised his head and argued with a forced smile, "Even if I don't say it, Wu Fan and his men can hear and see it themselves."

“It’s one thing for them to see it, it’s another for you to say so,” Lu Wenzhao said, looking down at Huang Yicheng’s upturned eyes. “Why don’t you just tell me how many mouthfuls of milk you suckled when you were born?”

"Your Excellency's words of advice are correct; I will heed your teachings!" Huang Yicheng dared not argue. "From now on, no matter what they ask, I will not say another word!"

"I have heard you." Lu Wenzhao ordered, "I hereby order you to place those Koreans under house arrest from this moment forward. Before the house arrest is lifted, if even one Korean leaves..." Lu Wenzhao paused there, only letting out a snort.

"Why is that?" Huang Yicheng couldn't help but ask.

"Do I need to tell you the reason?" Lu Wenzhao asked in a low voice.

“But,” Huang Yicheng shrank back in fright at Lu Wenzhao, but still forced himself to say, “But it’s a land mission. These foreign envoys are going to the capital to congratulate the Emperor on his birthday. If the Emperor doesn’t see them and incurs divine wrath, how can I bear the consequences?”

“There’s nothing for you to worry about,” Lu Wenzhao said. “The confinement period only lasts until the first day of next month. After that, they can go wherever they want.”

"What exactly is going on?" Huang Yicheng instinctively wanted to ask more, but Lu Wenzhao's glare silenced him. "I understand. I'll go arrange it right away!" ————————

In the study of the guesthouse where the Korean delegation was staying, the scribe Li Qingquan put down his pen.

"It's copied." He rubbed his aching wrists and walked over to Wu Yunqian and Liu Yingyuan with the copied letter in his hand. "Ambassador Wu, Vice Ambassador Liu, please take another look."

Wu Yunqian ended his meditation, opened his eyes, and took the small stack of letters from Li Qingquan's hand. "Thank you for your help."

"No," Li Qingquan said with a smile, shaking his head.

“If I remember correctly, there should be quite a few empty envelopes in the left drawer of the second shelf of that cabinet. Could you please bring one over?” Liu Yingyuan pointed to the wooden cabinet behind the desk, then turned to look at the letters with Wu Yunqian.

“Okay.” Li Qingquan turned around and walked towards the wooden cabinet. Sure enough, he found a lot of empty envelopes in the drawer that Liu Yingyuan had mentioned. He took out the envelopes and heard Wu Yunqian’s voice again. “The letters are fine. Li Xiuzhuan, please bring the pen as well.”

"Yes." Li Qingquan picked up the calligraphy brush he had previously put down from the table. He glanced at it and judged that although the ink on the nib wasn't plentiful, it should be enough to write three names, so he didn't dip it in ink again.

Wu Yunqian took the pen and wrote his name in the blank space on the last page. After blowing on the ink to dry, he handed the pen to Liu Yingyuan.

Liu Yingyuan took the pen, signed his name, and asked, "Ambassador Wu, who do you plan to send this letter to?"

Without a second thought, Wu Yunqian said, "Let Ji Yu go."

Liu Yingyuan knew that Wu Jiyu was Wu Yunqian's old page, but he still said, "I'm afraid this is inappropriate."

“Ji Yu has been with me since he was a child, almost forty years. I trust him.” Wu Yunqian stood up, walked to the study door, opened it, and called out, “Ji Yu!”

"You're here, sir!" A voice immediately responded from outside Wu Yunqian's field of vision.

"Go and fetch my official seal first," Wu Yunqian called out again.

"Yes!" The voice changed direction, turning towards the room Wu Yunqian used alone.

When Wu Yunqian turned his head, Liu Yingyuan had already signed the document. "I know he is trustworthy, but this is a serious matter, and sending just a lowly commoner back is probably not enough."

"So, what does Vice Envoy Liu mean?" Although it was a rhetorical question, the tone was calm. Wu Yunqian was not angered at all by Liu Yingyuan referring to his old servant as a lowly person.

"I want to go back in person," Liu Yingyuan said.

"You want to leave the group?" Wu Yunqian's eyes were filled with surprise.

“It doesn’t have to be me,” Liu Yingyuan said.

"What do you mean? Explain in detail."

“Although I’m reluctant to admit it, His Majesty is clearly biased towards Generals Jiang and Jin.” Liu Yingyuan handed the pen to Li Qingquan, then pointed to the letter on the tea table: “I’m afraid that even if reality is like this, His Majesty will inevitably hesitate. If we only send one letter back, His Majesty might even send an envoy to Liaodong to investigate. This round trip would take at least half a month and at most a month. We can’t gamble that His Majesty will have the same patience. A month later, the imperial edict of punishment will probably have arrived. Therefore, I think that at least one of us should go back and persuade His Majesty in person, explaining the pros and cons.”

"Persuade him face to face." Wu Yunqian began to have doubts, and his gaze towards Liu Yingyuan became more complicated.

“Yes,” Liu Yingyuan said, trying to maintain a calm tone. “In my opinion, General Wu is the best choice.”

"Me?" Wu Yunqian leaned back slightly.

“That’s right.” Liu Yingyuan nodded solemnly and said, “You are not only an important minister of two dynasties and deeply trusted by the king, but also a classmate of Judge Li. You have been mediating between the court and the public for many years, and everyone is willing to listen to you.”

"Those are nice words, but I feel like you're mocking me," Wu Yunqian chuckled and waved his hand.

"Ambassador Wu, you flatter me. I have always respected you." Liu Yingyuan stood up and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect. "If you are still bothered by what happened earlier, then I apologize again."

"Alright," Wu Yunqian immediately returned the greeting. "I'm not as formidable as you think, but I'm not that petty either."

“In any case, you are much better than this junior.” Liu Yingyuan continued, “But you are, after all, the chief envoy for the Emperor’s birthday celebration, and you will be leading a delegation to the capital to congratulate the Emperor. Therefore, it would be best if I or Li Xiuzhuan took the letter back to Hanyang to mediate and offer direct advice.” Liu Yingyuan looked at Li Qingquan, who had just signed the letter. “If Li Xiuzhuan is willing to return to the capital, I will take over the duties of the scribe.”

Wu Yunqian also looked over.

“I can’t do it!” Li Qingquan was shocked and shook his head repeatedly. “You two should still remember that twelve years ago, when my ancestors were still alive, my family parted ways with Judge Li and his family. If I go back, let alone mediate, I’ll be lucky if I’m not kicked out by their servants.”

“Then I’ll go back,” Liu Yingyuan said. “Although I don’t share the same birth year as you, I don’t have the same deep conflicts with those people as Li Xiuzhuan. If I go back, I won’t miss my mission to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday, nor will I be kicked out.”

“Vice Envoy Liu, you’re oversimplifying things.” Wu Yunqian stared intently at Liu Yingyuan. “For any of the three of us, turning back like this would be extremely risky!”

“I understand,” Liu Yingyuan said resolutely. “The three envoys to the capital were ordered by the king to visit the capital. If they return to the capital before completing their mission, it would be disobeying orders. But I am not afraid. I am prepared to be impeached and imprisoned.”

"You don't understand!" Wu Yunqian narrowed his eyes slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his contracted pupils. "You think that by disobeying orders to return to the capital and maneuvering everywhere, the King might think you're plotting to force the Emperor to abdicate? Even if the King doesn't think that, do you think those around him, especially that woman, might spread such slanderous rumors!"

Liu Yingyuan flinched slightly at Wu Yunqian's bright gaze, but he quickly regained his composure and said righteously, "Death is inevitable for everyone; it is only a matter of degree."

Having said all that, Wu Yunqian had no more to say. "Sigh," Wu Yunqian sighed, turning to beckon the old pageboy holding the official seal. "Give it to me."

"Master? This is..." Wu Jiyu only heard the last few words, but he was still frightened.

"Don't ask anything, don't say anything." Wu Yunqian took the seal: "Go and invite Huang Yicheng here. Immediately!"

"Yes." Wu Jiyu nodded emphatically, then turned and left.

(End of this chapter)