Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 727 The Unpredictable Prophet
When Wang An found the emperor, the emperor was sitting in the only seat in the center of the main hall of Qixiang Palace.

Two women knelt before him: Consort Ke, Li Chunrong, the principal concubine of Qixiang Palace, and Consort Guo Jinyu. On either side of the main hall stood several women of similar age to Li Chunrong and Guo Jinyu. They were all former retainers of the emperor from his time as a prince.

Wang An stepped forward with his head down, his gaze sweeping over the concubines. He quickly understood the situation—if the eunuch who had searched him earlier was correct, then the current situation was that Consort Guo had struck one of her maids for some reason, and Consort Li, the head of the palace, had not intervened, and might even have encouraged it, thus displeasing the emperor. The emperor not only wanted to punish the two of them, but also wanted to use this as a warning to others, setting rules for the women of Qixiang Palace.

Wang An understood, yet remained somewhat confused. It was nothing more than beating a palace maid; how could it have displeased the emperor and escalated into such a grand spectacle? Could it be that the emperor had originally intended to favor that palace maid?
Lost in thought, Wang An had already walked up to the emperor. "This servant greets Your Majesty with long live the Emperor!"

"You've come at the right time." The Emperor beckoned Wang An to rise. "Issue my decree. Consort Guo Jinyu is tyrannical and cruel, and beats palace servants without cause. She is hereby demoted to the rank of Beauty. Consort Li Chunrong is incompetent in managing the palace. Not only did she not dissuade her, but she also tacitly encouraged her. She is hereby stripped of her salary for three months."

The punishment of demoting one's rank is undoubtedly severe. For a concubine like Guo Jinyu, who is over thirty and whose rank is neither high nor low, this demotion could very well be permanent. Unless she conceives a royal heir, she can forget about ever regaining her status. But Guo Jinyu was already not favored and was not young. Now that this matter has put her in a difficult position, it's uncertain whether the emperor will even touch her again.

Wang An couldn't help but sigh, but he didn't say anything more. He stood up shakily and simply replied softly, "Yes."

Guo Jinyu froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning. She crawled to the emperor's feet, tears welling in her eyes, and hugged his leg. "Your Majesty! That girl is just an ordinary servant girl. It's only natural for a master to discipline a servant."

"You were also a palace maid! What gives you the right to look down on others?" The emperor roughly pulled his leg away, stepping aside, but at least he didn't kick her. "Even if it's a master disciplining a servant, you need a legitimate reason!"

"She...she was indeed in the wrong first, you lowly concubine." Guo Jinyu tried to chase after him to continue begging for mercy, but the emperor's icy gaze pierced her back. "It was only then that I taught her a lesson."

"Where was the other party wrong first?" the emperor sneered. "Where did they go wrong?"

Guo Jinyu trembled and sobbed. "She carelessly spilled water on the Emperor's boots, displeasing him. Isn't that...isn't that a mistake?"

So, you're disciplining her because of me?

"This lowly concubine...this lowly concubine didn't mean that?" Guo Jinyu bit her lower lip, tears streaming down her face.

"Then what do you mean?"

Guo Jinyu couldn't get a reply and could only shake her head repeatedly.

“Yesterday, the water splashed on my feet, not my boots, and I wasn’t bothered by it. But you, and you!” The Emperor abruptly turned, his sharp gaze piercing Li Chunrong. “You’re so clever, ignoring my words. I made it very clear yesterday that I wouldn’t do anything to her. The change of route to Chuxiu Palace was because of business in Korea. What?” The Emperor then looked at Guo Jinyu, “Do you really not take my words to heart?”

"I..." Guo Jinyu couldn't explain, because she really hadn't taken the emperor's words to heart.

In Guo Jinyu's view, the so-called important matter was nothing more than a pretext for the emperor to move palaces and change his bedchamber. She didn't even believe the emperor's promise to come again today. Moreover, the beating of the palace maid afterwards was less of a punishment and lesson and more of a way of displacing his anger.

The palace maid who splashed water was under her name, and the emperor did indeed leave Qixiang Palace shortly after this incident. Therefore, to the other concubines unaware of the true situation, it was Guo Jinyu's maid who had displeased the emperor, causing him to temporarily change his destination to another palace. If she didn't feign a beating to the maid but instead acted protectively, she would inevitably be isolated by the entire Qixiang Palace. Knowing that the emperor would actually come, and even fly into a rage, she would absolutely not allow the maid to be flogged.

But these words, these considerations, were unspoken. The Emperor would certainly not understand her plight, and the other concubines would never stand up for her at this time. Guo Jinyu could only lie alone on the ground, filled with resentment, weeping bitterly. "This lowly concubine knows her mistake! I beg Your Majesty to calm your anger."

Zhu Changluo felt that it was enough, so he put away his tyrannical manner and looked at Wang An: "Speak, what is it?"

“My lord, this is a matter of great importance,” Wang An said, bowing slightly. “I’m afraid it’s not convenient to discuss it here.”

"Then let's talk somewhere else." Zhu Changluo stood up and walked towards the door.

Wang An, Liu Ruoyu, and Shi Fuming followed one after another, their expressions unchanged and indifferent, as if nothing had happened.

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Zhu Changluo originally planned to go to Yuehua Gate to hear Wang An's report. But as soon as he walked with the three eunuchs through the crossroads formed by the walls of the Qianqing, Yangxin, and Yongshou Palaces, he saw a sedan chair coming towards them.

The emperor saw the sedan chair, and the sedan chair bearers and the accompanying eunuchs also saw the emperor.

"Alight from the sedan chair!" the lead eunuch shouted, kneeling and calling out, "This servant greets Your Majesty with long life!"

Mi Mengshang, who was sitting in the sedan chair and was about to fall asleep, suddenly brightened up when she heard the call. As soon as the sedan chair landed, Mi Mengshang lifted the curtain, jumped over the carrying poles, and ran to the emperor, kneeling gracefully. "This concubine greets Your Majesty, long live the Emperor."

"You're back?" Zhu Changluo waved upwards, gesturing for Mi Mengshang to get up.

“Yes. Although there are still a lot of trivial matters left at the yamen, if I don’t come back soon, I’ll miss the palace curfew.” Mi Mengshang stood up and subconsciously brushed her hair, which was stuck together with sweat, away.

"You've really worked hard." Zhu Changluo unfolded his sleeve and stepped forward to wipe the sweat from Mi Mengshang's forehead.

"I'm not tired at all." Mi Mengshang blushed instantly. "I'm more than happy to be able to share Your Majesty's burdens." She leaned closer. "Which palace does Your Majesty plan to spend the night in?"

“Originally, we planned to hold it at Qixiang Palace,” Zhu Changluo said. “Originally…” Mi Mengshang hesitated for a moment. “Has His Majesty changed his mind again?”

"I guess so, but I don't want to go back anyway." Just thinking about the women's bewildered or resentful eyes annoyed Zhu Changluo. He came to the harem to relax and relieve stress, not to cater to any woman's feelings.

Suppressing her curiosity, Mi Mengshang tiptoed, clung to the emperor's arm, rested her head on his shoulder, and then, with a seductive air, offered herself to him, her breath sweet as orchids: "Since Your Majesty doesn't want to go back, then come and spend the night at Yongshou Palace."

"Aren't you afraid that Qixiang Palace will resent you because of this?" Zhu Changluo asked.

Mi Mengshang snorted softly. "They made mistakes and displeased His Majesty, so they can't even allow others to serve him? Besides, I leave early and return late, I see them all the time, so what do their resentment or hatred have to do with me?" After saying this, Mi Mengshang suddenly felt that she might have been too sharp, so she put on a charming and innocent attitude and said softly, "If I can gain His Majesty's favor, what do these grudges matter?"

"You should go back first," Zhu Changluo said with a smile, nudging Mi Mengshang to let go of him. "Otherwise, Wang An won't be able to leave the palace in time."

"Your Majesty will definitely come." Mi Mengshang gently pecked the emperor on the cheek before letting go of his hands and stepping onto the ground.

Zhu Changluo didn't reply, but patted Mi Mengshang's head before brushing past her and heading towards Yuehua Gate.

The three eunuchs followed behind the emperor, each smiling as they bowed to Mi Mengshang.

--------

"Speak. What is it that made you rush over here in such a hurry?" Zhu Changluo sat casually on the low couch by the window in the left side room of Yuehua Gate. He rolled up his sleeves, grabbed his collar, and blew air into his chest.

“Reporting to Your Majesty,” Wang An walked to the window and gently pushed it open. Immediately, a cool breeze, neither too hot nor too cold, rushed in from the empty west square of the Qianqing Palace. “This afternoon, Luo Sigong personally went to see those two Korean envoys. Luo Sigong originally wanted to inquire whether the memorial to the throne was at the behest of someone in Korea, but he unexpectedly learned that the two in the Chuxiu Palace were secretly sent over by that man named Li Zong behind the back of the Korean court.”

"So what?" Zhu Changluo's brows furrowed slightly to an inexplicable degree.

The emperor's reaction did not surprise Wang An, but he still couldn't help but sigh. "Your Majesty, perhaps Li Zong has long harbored rebellious intentions, and those two in the Chuxiu Palace can be said to have unknown origins. Therefore, this servant believes that before thoroughly investigating their identities and figuring out Li Zong's true intentions, Your Majesty should avoid going to the Chuxiu Palace."

In Wang An's view, the safest solution would be to simply get rid of the sisters, or at the very least, have the Imperial Guards arrest and interrogate them. However, they were young and lively, very good at pleasing the emperor, and had never committed any improper acts since entering the palace. Therefore, Wang An could only retreat to the very end and offer this suggestion, which could hardly be called a suggestion at all.

Even so, the emperor remained unconvinced. "Alas. Even if Yi Jong harbors rebellious intentions, they are directed against Yi Hun. His true aim is nothing more than to seize the throne of Joseon. As for Park Chan and Park Gu, they are merely gifts to curry favor with me. He wouldn't possibly seek the recognition of my Great Ming while simultaneously sending assassins to kill me. He's practically lost his mind."

“Your Majesty is wise. If these sisters were indeed sent by King Injo to seize the throne of Joseon, then there probably wouldn’t be any problem. But I think that these sisters might not have been sent by King Injo at all!” Wang An guessed with a worried expression.

"Huh? Ha!" Zhu Changluo sneered, "What nonsense are you talking about? Wasn't it clearly written on last year's gift list? Besides, he originally intended to rebel against Li Hui."

Wang An didn't know why the emperor could draw such a conclusion, so he only stated his own thoughts: "Your Majesty, please allow me to explain. Those two Koreans with ulterior motives told Luo Sigong that they had never heard of any prince personally paying tribute to the emperor. Moreover, they said that the Ministry of Rites, which was in charge of tribute matters, had always been managed by a man named Li Erzhan. This Li Erzhan was a confidant among the deposed prince's confidants. If I remember correctly, the memorial accusing him mentioned him several times, saying that he was Lai Junchen, whom the deposed prince had raised."

Wang An licked his slightly dry lips and continued, "And that Li Zong is merely a nephew-level feudal lord. Even if he had such intentions, it's impossible for him to send such a pair of beautiful women out of thin air. I dare to guess that the two in Chuxiu Palace were sent by someone of high rank and influence in the Ministry of Rites. And Li Zong's signature on the gift list is just a forgery, a smokescreen to cover up his true purpose! I even suspect that the Li Zong whose name was borrowed has no idea about this at all."

"You're really going too far. Let me ask you, what is the true purpose of that high-ranking person?" Zhu Changluo shook his head with a smile. "If it's to pass on intelligence, have these two sisters sent or received a single letter since they entered the palace? If it's to curry favor with me, why didn't they use their own names?"

“But the Korean envoy said…” Wang An was interrupted by the emperor before he could finish speaking.

“Even if what they say is true,” Zhu Changluo said with an almost prophetic certainty. “The Ministry of Rites is managed by a confidant of the deposed king named Li Erzhan. Could Li Zong bribe him with a large sum of money? Or perhaps Li Zong didn’t even follow the Ministry of Rites’ procedures; he might have simply bribed the envoy to add a couple of lines to the gift list at the last minute. Like this time, when the tribute envoy suddenly pulled out a memorial like this, who would have thought?”

Wang An was at a loss for words, and after a long pause, he finally managed to say, "How can a living person be sent over with just two lines of text?"

“If two lines of text can’t be sent, a ship can,” Zhu Changluo said. “The missions that come to pay homage to the emperor usually pass through Liaodong, while the ships that bring people over take the sea route to Tianjin. Once the people and goods are all there, the envoys only need to add a couple of lines to the gift list to deceive everyone. If done properly, they only need to bribe the person who presents the gift list to deceive everyone. Just like the case in Tianjin, a few clerks and petty officials were able to keep the dignified Vice Minister of the Ministry of Finance in the dark.”

“Your Majesty is right.” Wang An smiled wearily, his tone almost pleading. “However, I still think it is necessary to investigate carefully. Even if things are as Your Majesty says, there will be no loss in investigating. It will only make Luo Yangxing and the others put in a little more effort.”

"Go ahead and investigate. If it can stop you from overthinking, it's not a bad thing." Zhu Changluo shrugged indifferently. "Besides, if I'm not mistaken, Luo Sigong is probably already writing to his son right now, isn't he?"

"Oh dear." Wang An's face showed a timely expression of flattery and fear. "Nothing can be hidden from the master."

"Look at how anxious you are, all sweaty and flustered, it would be hard for me not to guess." Zhu Changluo leaned over and wiped the sweat from Wang An's forehead.

Wang An was taken aback at first, then a warm current surged from his heart to his limbs. Just as he was about to speak, an unreasonable tolling of bells swept in from the north, drowning out his thoughts.

clang!
"Hmph." Zhu Changluo smiled faintly. "Looks like you can't go back."

(End of this chapter)