Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 693 Seeking Asylum and Seeking Justice

Yuan Keli's words were very dignified. They expressed his support for the Crown Prince's regency without exceeding the scope of the emperor's edict.

"Heh." Luo Yangxing nodded in response, unable to suppress a smile.

Princess Liu was overjoyed.

Although Lady Liu already knew that the emperor's chosen new king was her son, and had even received an explicit edict of encouragement yesterday, she remained on edge. She feared that her mother, Lady Jin, who was eight years younger than her, might take revenge during her audience with the imperial envoy and say things detrimental to her son.

Lady Liu couldn't control Lady Jin, much less prevent her from meeting the imperial envoy. Therefore, recently, Lady Liu had been adopting an extremely humble posture, completely embracing the role of "daughter" and serving Lady Jin as "mother." Morning greetings and evening inquiries were basic necessities; if Lady Jin hadn't resolutely refused, Lady Liu would have even been willing to kneel on the ground to bring her water to wash her feet.

It now seems that her service these past few days has indeed had a very good effect. Contrary to her fears, Lady Kim did not blatantly belittle Yi Chu in front of the three imperial envoys. On the contrary, she took the initiative to praise him during polite greetings and even won the envoys' high praise!

Princess Liu, with a smile as warm as a spring breeze, bowed to Yuan Keli and said, "The border is turbulent, and the people are suffering greatly. The three imperial envoys have been guarding my son from afar and assisting him. I really don't know how to repay them."

"Having received His Majesty's order, I will certainly do my best. There is no need for Your Highness to thank me." The nod Luo Yangxing had just made Yuan Keli feel much more at ease, and even when she spoke politely, her voice unconsciously rose a little.

However, while Luo Yangxing was willing to temporarily cease his activities, Jin Shi had her own insistence.

"I heard that the three imperial envoys are staying at the Zhenlingdong Palace?" Jin Shi slowly opened her lips, her dark eyes seeming to gleam with gold in the sunlight.

"Zhenling Cave Palace?" Yuan Keli clearly hadn't heard of this former name before.

"Oh! Sorry." Kim covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Jeongneung-dong Palace is Gyeongun Palace. I used to live there, so I'm used to calling it that."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Keli's heart, which had just settled, immediately tightened again—Jin's sudden mention of Qingyun Palace was clearly for ulterior motives. But just now, Jin had clearly taken the initiative to probe, and he had given a clear answer.
Yuan Keli stared intently at Lady Jin, and under her gaze, he clearly glanced at Li Chu, then shook his head slightly. But Lady Jin seemed not to see it, or not to understand the implication, and continued, "I wonder why the three imperial envoys chose that place as their headquarters?"

Upon hearing this question, Admiral Shen Yourong's heart tightened immediately. However, before he could speak, Yuan Keli interrupted, saying, "If the Grand Consort feels it's inappropriate, we can move out today. To be honest, we also feel that staying at the imperial palace is indeed impolite."

"No, no, no," Lady Kim quickly waved her hand. "I was just asking casually, I didn't mean anything by it. If you envoys wish to stay, please do. The Crown Prince has already agreed to it." As she spoke, Lady Kim even smiled and gave Yi Cho a meaningful look.

Lee Cheok, being rather naive, simply assumed the atmosphere was harmonious and failed to perceive the undercurrents beneath. When Kim offered him a word, he readily agreed: "Joseon is poor, and its capital is dilapidated. There are few places in Hanyang worthy of your presence. If the three gentlemen do not mind, please feel free to settle in Gyeongun Palace!"

Before Li Zhu could finish speaking, Jin Shi interrupted him as if afraid that Yuan Keli would insist on leaving. "I wonder which courtyard Your Excellency is currently in, and whether you have visited Xi Yutang?"

Yuan Keli stared at Jin Shi, his smiling old face growing increasingly cold. "We live in a side hall of Zhangxin Hall and have never been to Xiyu Hall. I know that it was the former residence of King Zhaojing and Your Highness. Therefore, we dare not disturb or damage it." Yuan Keli paused, then said rather abruptly, "nor do we wish to inquire further."

Jin Shi flinched at Yuan Keli's gaze. She knew Yuan Keli was lying; if he hadn't been to Xiyutang and hadn't heard about those things, he wouldn't have uttered the words "in-depth investigation." Considering what Yuan Keli had said at the beginning, Jin Shi even felt there was a warning in his eyes.

Of course, Madam Jin didn't want to offend Yuan Keli. But there were some things she had to ask, and some things she had to say!
"What about the 'maids' in the former palace? Are they still in the imperial palace?" Jin met Yuan Keli's gaze and emphasized the word "maids".

“Your maids are all still living safely in the Seokyodō Palace.” Yuan Keli’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he continued, “If the Queen Dowager wishes to see them, we can send them back to Changdeok Palace today!”

“No need.” Lady Kim smiled and shook her head, a pleading look suddenly flashing in her eyes. “I am very comfortable in Changdeok Palace and do not need any more people to serve me. Those maids can stay in the palace to serve the three imperial envoys. They are all capable and can handle all kinds of trivial matters in a dignified and thoughtful manner.”

Yuan Keli was somewhat surprised, but also seemed to understand. "Leave them all?"

“Yes, I don’t need them anymore. This child is very filial and treats me very well.” Lady Kim smiled and glanced at Yi Cho, then repeated what she had just said: “I am very comfortable living in Changdeok Palace.”

These words and this glance were clearly a gesture of goodwill. Yuan Keli's brows gradually relaxed, and he returned the favor by saying, "Since that's the case, then we'll respectfully comply and temporarily keep those maids in Qingyun Palace to do some daily chores, and give them their monthly allowance according to our rules. This will at least ensure their livelihood."

"Then I will trouble the three imperial envoys." Lady Jin smiled and bowed.

"Not at all. We should be thanking Cidian more," Yuan Keli said in return, bowing meaningfully.

Just when Yuan Keli thought the meeting would end in this seemingly perfect harmony, Queen Dowager Jin suddenly stopped smiling, looked coldly at her daughter-in-law Liu, who was eight years her senior, and said something that almost made Yuan Keli's breath catch in her throat: "Your Highness, didn't you ask me where the princess was the other day? I'll tell you now, in front of the three imperial envoys. She's in the Xiyu Hall, right under the wall, already turned into a skeleton."

Liu was still smiling the moment Jin finished speaking. But when she truly understood the meaning behind Jin's words, her face turned deathly pale.

"You mean, Princess Zhenming is already...?" A deathly pale face supported Liu Shi's frozen smile; her entire expression was utterly bizarre. "...already dead!?"

Beside Lady Liu, the Regent Prince, Crown Prince Yi Cho, was not only deathly pale and had an irregular heartbeat, but he was also so shocked that he couldn't utter a single word!
“Yes, my daughter is dead. She’s been dead for a year, buried in the corner of the Xiyu Hall.” Jin looked at Yuan Keli, her voice choked with sobs, tears welling in her eyes. Yuan Keli’s mind went blank. He instinctively looked at Luo Yangxing and said in a tone that was both a murmur and a question, “Is Princess Zhenming really dead? Why!”

Luo Yangxing felt his mind was failing him. He shook his head slightly at Yuan Keli as if making a confession, then relayed Yuan Keli's words verbatim to Jin Shi: "Is Princess Zhenming really dead? Why!"

"If the Imperial Envoy doesn't believe me, you can go and dig around the corner behind the former Imperial Hall." In the blink of an eye, a tear, which seemed to have been brewing for some unknown reason, actually slid down the lines on Kim's face.

“But these past few years,” Liu Shi subconsciously wanted to say, referring to the “demotion of Zhenming” that had been making headlines in Hanyang for the past few years and even just the last month. But as soon as she opened her mouth, she quickly swallowed her words and awkwardly changed her tune, saying, “We’ve never heard of it!”

“Of course you haven’t heard of it.” Madam Jin leaned forward, gently stroking Madam Liu’s pale face like a loving mother. “You and this child are both pitiful. You and I are both imprisoned deep within the palace. How could you know what those treacherous ministers who mislead the emperor are doing outside?”

"Li Erzhan! It's Li Erzhan!" Jin Shi withdrew her hand, her expression suddenly turning fierce, her bared teeth resembling a raging lioness. "It must be that old thief Li Erzhan who ordered Li Tingbiao and Zheng Hang, those lackeys, to infiltrate the palace and assassinate my daughter!"

Jin's expression quickly changed again. She suddenly stood up and knelt before Yuan Keli and the other two, her movements so swift that no one could react in time. "Imperial Envoys, three Imperial Envoys, I beg you, you must do justice for me, for my poor children!"

--------

After the three horses rode side by side into the alley where Qingyun Palace was located, Yuan Keli, the usually mild-mannered Korean guardian, couldn't hold back his anger any longer. "What on earth happened? How did things turn out like this today!"

Yuan Keli's question wasn't specific, but Luo Yangxing knew very well that Yuan Keli was talking to him. He licked his slightly dry lips and chuckled softly, "Guardian Yuan, please don't misunderstand. Today's events really have nothing to do with us! Like you, I'm meeting this Grand Consort Jin for the first time today!"

Yuan Keli looked at Luo Yangxing, his tone both harsh and urgent: "Then why did you tell me those things yesterday, Luo Qianshi, and today this Consort Jin revealed them? And—" At this point, Yuan Keli lowered his voice again. "...and lied in public, insisting on identifying that skeleton as the princess?"

“What’s there to say? She just doesn’t trust Changde Palace and wants us to protect her daughter. Didn’t you see that too?” Luo Yangxing paused, then quoted Yuan Keli’s words: “She said she would ‘protect their livelihood’.”

"And then what happened?" Yuan Keli asked. "I clearly agreed to her request, so why did she still cause trouble!"

"If the princess doesn't die, how can we guarantee her livelihood?" Luo Yangxing had already thought it through very clearly.

"But was it necessary to say it this way at this time? And by name no less. What exactly is she trying to do!"

"That Queen Dowager Jin lost her father in the 41st year of the Wanli reign and her son in the 42nd year. She and her only remaining daughter were also living in constant fear. All of these things were done by Li Hui at the instigation of Li Erzhan's faction," Luo Yangxing said.

"It seems that Vice Commissioner Luo knows quite a lot," Yuan Keli said quietly, tilting his head.

Luo Yangxing was taken aback, then quickly said, “These things aren’t secrets. You can just ask anyone on the street. Judging from that woman’s behavior today, she’s clearly using this opportunity to get revenge. Even if she doesn’t make a move today, she definitely will someday. As I said before, not long after we entered the capital, this woman invited Admiral Shen and me to the palace, but we refused. You entered the capital yesterday, so it’s not surprising that she’s inviting me again today. Admiral Shen, don’t you think?”

Shen Yourong's eye twitched, and she said as impartially as possible, "This Queen Dowager Kim did indeed send an invitation shortly after we entered Hanyang."

"Then why did you choose such a place as your base?" Yuan Keli pointed to Qingyun Palace not far away, but his gaze remained fixed on Luo Yangxing. "And by sheer coincidence, we found him and dug up the remains in the courtyard!"

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Luo Yangxing turned his head towards Shen Yourong. "The location was chosen by Admiral Shen."

Shen Yourong was filled with remorse and hurriedly protested, "Guardian Yuan, I'm innocent! I really just saw that there were military forts around here and the place was decent enough, so I casually asked the Regent for permission. If he had said even half a word of dissent, we would have gone somewhere else. Besides, I'm just a military man, I have no reason to help these Koreans stir up this mess!"

“It’s just a coincidence,” Luo Yangxing said. “If someone has been wronged, they will have to seek justice sooner or later. Even if we hadn’t moved into Qingyun Palace, that Queen Dowager Kim would have found an opportunity to plead her case and ask us to take charge. Besides, the outcome isn’t that bad. She didn’t expose the Crown Prince Regent you wanted to protect, did she? It’s just Li Erzhan. Let’s just do as she wishes.”

Yuan Keli reined in his horse and stopped, staring intently at Luo Yangxing. "Tell me the truth. The Emperor sent your Embroidered Uniform Guard to Korea to establish a branch office. What exactly are you here for?"

Luo Yangxing slowly put away his smile, frowned and said, "His Majesty has ordered us to investigate everything that can be investigated."

"What do you mean by 'things that can be investigated'?" Yuan Keli pressed.

"This..." Luo Yangxing laughed again. "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? The palace only gave us this one sentence."

"Impossible!" Yuan Keli seemed determined to get to the bottom of things. "How can anyone be expected to do their job just because of a single sentence?"

"Oh dear." Luo Yangxing patted his official hat. "That's all that's involved in the investigation. I've already told you about the other matters. The Emperor wants us to fully cooperate with you and Admiral Shen to supervise Korea and protect Liaodong. Besides, this assassination case is a good opening. After you start surveying the land, anyone who dares to disobey will be dragged into it and their entire family will be exterminated with a legitimate reason!"

(End of this chapter)