Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 725 An unexpected gain
A donkey cart without any special markings stopped at the entrance of the courtyard house. The curtain was lifted, and Luo Sigong, dressed in plain clothes, jumped down.

The plainclothes Imperial Guard squatting by the door originally wanted to question him, but upon seeing Luo Sigong's very recognizable old face, he immediately swallowed back the words that were about to come out. "Greetings, Commander Wei."

"Are they all inside?" Luo Sigong pressed down on the black gauze hat on his head. The brim blocked the sunlight, and the shadow covered his eyes.

"Reporting to Commander Wei, there are only the envoy surnamed Wu and the scribe who submitted the memorial in this courtyard," said the plainclothes Jinyiwei guard.

"Where are the rest of the delegation?"

"They took them to the courtyard near Zuo'anmen."

Luo Sigong nodded. "Open the door."

"Yes." The plainclothes imperial guard turned around and knocked rhythmically on the door.

The door opened, and Zheng Shiyi came out from the gatehouse to greet him. "This humble servant greets Commander Wei!"

The courtyard wasn't large, and Luo Sigong immediately spotted the room guarded by two Imperial Guards. However, he didn't go over immediately. Instead, he stood still and turned to Zheng Shiyi: "Commander Zheng, you already know the contents of that document?"

“Reporting to Commander Wei, I believe that what is written in that document is probably an accusation against the deposed Crown Prince,” Zheng Shiyi replied immediately.

"Accusing the Crown Prince? Are you sure?" A look of doubt flashed across Luo Sigong's face. It was rather pitiful, really; he, the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, hadn't even seen the original petition yet.

"I'm not sure, but that's probably what it means," Zheng Shiyi said.

“What do you mean by ‘probably’ and ‘should’?” Luo Sigong frowned. “Do you even know?”

“Without orders, I dare not interrogate them on my own,” Zheng Shiyi said. “But they were shouting loudly in the room, and I dare not say that I didn’t hear them.”

"Alright." Luo Sigong sighed softly. "Besides you, who else knows?"

“The brothers guarding the courtyard all understand the Korean dialect,” Zheng Shiyi said tactfully. “But don’t worry, everyone knows what’s going on and won’t talk nonsense.”

“Of course I’m relieved.” Luo Sigong forced a smile and patted Zheng Shiyi on the shoulder. “Let’s go, come with me to see them. Let’s see what these Koreans are up to.” With that, Luo Sigong started walking.

"Yes." Zheng Shiyi followed closely behind.

Luo Sigong strode towards the room where Wu Yunqian and Li Qingquan were being held captive. Before he even reached it, the Imperial Guards guarding the door opened it for him.

Sunlight and gazes flooded into the narrow room, and Luo Sigong immediately recognized the people inside. Li Qingquan was still sitting in the armchair, a strange smile playing on his lips. Wu Yunqian was also sitting, looking utterly dejected, devoid of any anger, like a frostbitten eggplant.

Seeing someone approaching, Wu Yunqian forced himself to sit up and walked towards Luo Sigong. "May I ask, sir?"

"I am Luo Sigong, you should have heard of me." Luo Sigong took off his large hat and casually tossed it onto a coffee table.

“Luo Si, you’re the one from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.” Wu Yunqian’s dejected expression instantly turned into fear. Li Qingquan, who had been sitting, also suddenly stood up.

“It’s me.” Luo Sigong sat down against the coffee table where hats were kept.

"Your humble servant Wu Yunqian pays his respects to Commander Luo!" Wu Yunqian took a few steps to Luo Sigong's feet and knelt down heavily.

"Li Qingquan, a humble subject of this humble state, pays his respects to Commander Luo!" Li Qingquan, with an even wider smile, knelt down on the other side of Luo Sigong.

Luo Sigong leaned against the armrest, resting his chin on his hand, looking down at him with his eyes lowered. "You're Li Qingquan?"

“That’s right, I am the one who submitted the memorial to complain.” Li Qingquan lowered his body, his head almost touching Luo Sigong’s shoes.

"Hmph," Luo Sigong chuckled lightly, leaving the smile on his face. "Get up, sit down and talk."

"Thank you, Commander Luo!" Li Qingquan actually stood up before Wu Yunqian.

Li Qingquan and Wu Yunqian returned to their seats one after the other, and the Imperial Guards outside brought Luo Sigong a cup of hot tea at the opportune moment.

Just as the Imperial Guard was about to leave, he heard Luo Sigong say, "Bring them a cup as well."

"Them?" The Imperial Guard serving tea looked at Luo Sigong with some surprise.

"On such a hot day, we can't let people talk with their mouths dry, can we?" Luo Sigong picked up the teacup, lifted the lid, and gently tested the temperature of the cup with the tip of his lips.

"Yes. I'll go right away." The Imperial Guard who served the tea acknowledged the order and left. Zheng Shiyi, standing behind Luo Sigong, also had a thoughtful look in his eyes.

After the other two cups of tea were served, Luo Sigong put down his teacup and asked, "Why did you serve that thing?" Luo Sigong didn't look at Li Qingquan, but stared straight at Wu Yunqian.

Wu Yunqian seemed to be stung by Luo Sigong's gaze and quickly shrank back. But before he could explain, Li Qingquan took the initiative to take responsibility: "Reporting to Commander Luo, that memorial has nothing to do with Ambassador Wu. The whole thing was done by me alone."

"So, you're saying..." Luo Sigong still looked at Wu Yunqian. "He did this behind your back?"

“In response to Commander Luo’s question, he did indeed do it behind my back.” Wu Yunqian took a deep breath and leaned forward slightly. “But as the chief envoy of the mission, I cannot escape this responsibility. If the Celestial Empire wishes to hold me accountable for negligence, I am willing to accept the punishment.”

Luo Sigong nodded, but his face remained expressionless.

"Then what were you thinking, and whose instructions did you take to pull this stunt?" Luo Sigong turned his head and looked at Li Qingquan, who was staring at Wu Yunqian with a look of surprise.

Li Qingquan paused for a moment, then turned around blankly and said, "No one instructed me. That memorial has nothing to do with anyone other than me."

"Unrelated? Li Qingquan, I advise you not to take me for a fool." Despite being bathed in the blazing sunlight, Luo Sigong's face appeared sinister. "You went to such lengths to file this complaint, your aim being nothing more than to pull the appointed Regent Prince off that position. If he falls, someone else will take his place. Tell me! Who is that person?!" Luo Sigong's voice suddenly rose several octaves.

“Nobody, nobody!” Li Qingquan could understand why Luo Sigong would think that way, but he could only say, “This matter was something I decided to do on a whim. I also wrote that memorial on my way to the capital.”

"Hmph. You won't tell me, huh? Then I'll guess." Luo Sigong's voice suddenly softened, but it became even more chilling. "Lord Lingyang, isn't that right?" As he said the name, Luo Sigong didn't forget to quickly glance at Wu Yunqian.

Wu Yunqian's pupils were filled with surprise and bewilderment. Although he had already begun to suspect that "Li Qingquan was profiting for someone" long before Luo Sigong arrived, Wu Yunqian never expected that the first name Luo Sigong would mention would be Prince Lingyang. Prince Lingyang was merely the deposed king's nephew, and it was not his turn to become the crown prince. Compared to Prince Lingyang, his brothers, Prince Rencheng, Prince Yichang, and Prince Qingchang, were clearly more likely to succeed to the throne.

“What Lord Lingyang? I don’t know anything about Lord Lingyang!” Li Qingquan shook his head blankly.

"You don't even know Prince Lingyang, Li Zong?" Luo Sigong lightly tapped the armrest of his chair. "Are you even Korean?!"

“Of course I know who Lord Lingyang is,” Li Qingquan said, “but I have no relationship with him, and I did not submit this memorial on his behalf.”

"If it's not him, then who is it?" Luo Sigong followed up on the question.

"No, it's no one. I'm just doing this for myself." Li Qingquan originally wanted to say it was for himself, but he changed it to something more grandiose. "...This is the clear reason of Heaven, and the reason why the state and humanity want to follow the will of Heaven and expose the rebellious deeds of the deposed king to the public."

"Tch!" Luo Sigong had no chance of believing it; he practically rolled his eyes to the sky.

"May I ask, Commander Luo, why do you think he submitted this memorial for the sake of Lord Lingyang?" Wu Yunqian hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but ask.

"What else could it be?" Luo Sigong raised his teacup, lifted the lid, and looked through the gap between the cup and the lid to Li Qingquan's face. "Weren't Consort Xiang and Consort Ding both gifts given to the Emperor by this Li Zong last year?"

"What 'fragrant vase' and 'cauldron vase'?" Wu Yunqian had been placed under house arrest before even entering the capital, so he naturally had no opportunity to gather information and therefore did not know what Luo Sigong was talking about. "How could Lord Lingyang possibly send things to the Celestial Empire, let alone to the Emperor?"

Luo Sigong's eyes flickered slightly, and he followed up by asking, "Why do you think it's impossible for him to send anything to our Celestial Empire?"

"The tribute system is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites. The timing and content of the tribute are all predetermined by the Ministry of Rites. In all my years, I have never heard of any feudal lord offering tribute to the Emperor in his own name." Wu Yunqian paused, then added, "Moreover, the Ministry of Rites has always been Li Erzhan's territory, and Li Erzhan is Lai Junchen, a subordinate of the deposed king. How could Lord Lingyang possibly bypass him to deliver tribute to the Celestial Empire!"

Luo Sigong's heart skipped a beat. He took a big sip of tea, almost swallowing the tea leaves at the bottom of the cup. Instinctively, Luo Sigong wanted to probe deeper, but given the current situation, to continue asking questions, he could only reveal more information first.

After a long silence, Luo Sigong put down his teacup without saying a word.

Seeing that Luo Sigong's cup was empty, Zheng Shiyi immediately picked up the teapot to refill it. However, before he could, Luo Sigong raised his hand to stop Zheng Shiyi. "No need to refill, this is fine." With that, Luo Sigong stood up.

"Commander Wei," Wu Yunqian stood up and asked urgently, "Are you leaving already?"

"Didn't he insist that he had no one backing him?" Luo Sigong tossed his head in Li Qingquan's direction. Seeing that Li Qingquan didn't seem to have any particular reaction, he strode towards the door.

"Commander Wei! Please wait." Wu Yunqian immediately chased after him, but before he could even see Luo Sigong's back, he was stopped by Zheng Shiyi.

"Does Ambassador Wu have anything else to say?" Luo Sigong stopped, but did not let Zheng Shiyi let Wu Yunqian come over.

"Commander Wei, didn't you come here to deliver an imperial edict?" Wu Yunqian subtly inquired about the emperor's intentions.

"No."

Wu Yunqian was speechless at the mention of Luo Sigong's name. Just as Wu Yunqian hesitated whether to ask directly, Li Qingquan followed up: "Commander Wei, hasn't His Majesty seen that memorial yet?"

"So what if I've seen it, and so what if I haven't?" Luo Sigong said coldly. "If you have nothing else to say, I'm leaving."

"Yes, yes! I have something to say!" Li Qingquan suddenly became anxious. "I can tell you everything the deposed king did back then!"

“That’s not what I want to ask. If you want to tell him, you can do so.” Luo Sigong pointed at Zheng Shiyi, then left without looking back.

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A sedan chair stopped at the entrance of the Directorate of Ceremonial. Each of the sedan chair bearers was panting heavily.

The curtain was lifted, and a eunuch dressed in a bright red python robe jumped down. Immediately afterwards, a group of people knelt on the ground.

Cui Wensheng paid no attention to the people who were bowing to him. He stepped over the threshold and ran straight into the depths of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

In the main hall, Wang An's seat was empty, but Wei Chao, Yang Songquan, and the supervising eunuch Cao Huachun were all working in their respective positions.

"Second Ancestor!" The eunuch on duty at the door bowed to Cui Wensheng, and his voice carried into the hall, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

"Where is the ancestor?" Cui Wensheng strode up to Cao Huachun and silently gave a simple greeting to Wei Chao and Yang Songquan.

Wei Chao and Yang Songquan silently returned Cui Wensheng's greeting, then lowered their heads and continued their "busy" work.

Cao Huachun put down his pen and stood up. "This humble one pays his respects to Ancestor Cui."

"Where is the Ancestor?" Cui Wensheng took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Didn't you say the Ancestor was in a hurry to see me? Why isn't he here?"

"Godfather is talking to Commander Luo in the back tea room," Cao Huachun said, pointing towards the back room.

"Luo Weishuai? What's he doing here? Should I go directly there, or wait a while?" This question is essentially asking whether Luo Sigong's arrival has anything to do with him.

“I’m not entirely sure about that either. Why don’t you wait a moment while I go and inform them?” Cao Huachun suggested.

"Alright then." Cui Wensheng nodded with a smile. "Thank you for your trouble."

"You're too kind, Ancestor Cui." Cao Huachun turned around and left quickly with small steps.

Before Cao Huachun had gone far away, Cui Wensheng came to Wei Chao and Yang Songquan's desk. "The old master summoned me here urgently. Does His Majesty have any orders?"

Wei Chao and Yang Songquan glanced at each other simultaneously, and both saw the same emotion in each other's eyes.

"His Majesty usually doesn't tell us ordinary people what your duties are in the Eastern Depot." Seeing that Yang Songquan didn't seem inclined to speak, Wei Chao had no choice but to chime in to appease him. "Look at you, all sweaty, you must be thirsty, right? Would you like some water?"

"Someone, bring tea!" Yang Songquan called out from the side.

(End of this chapter)