Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 773 The dust has settled
On a clear morning after the rain, the air was filled with the scent of damp earth and grass.

Last night's downpour washed away the dust from the palace, and the morning light, filtering through the slightly ajar window of the Directorate of Ceremonial, cast a faint but refreshing glow onto the spotless ground.

The room was so quiet that the only sound was the gentle lapping of water in the bronze basin. Cao Huachun, the powerful and influential Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who was in charge of all affairs of the inner court, was bowing and steadily holding a brass basin like an ordinary servant.

Wang An buried his face deeply in the warm water, and fine bubbles rose to the surface. He slowly shook his head, then lifted it again after a moment. Water droplets rolled down the lines of his cheeks, slightly washing away the weariness that had kept him tossing and turning in bed.

Upon seeing this, the young eunuch standing by with his head bowed immediately stepped forward and handed over the steam-warm yet soft cotton cloth from the tray. Wang An took the cloth, gently unfolded it, and carefully wiped his face and neck.

After wiping, Wang An looked up and gave the handsome young eunuch a faint smile. The young eunuch was flattered and returned the smile gently, then lowered his head shyly.

Wang An put the cotton cloth back on the tray and slowly walked to the dressing table and sat down.

Cao Huachun then put down the copper basin, followed silently, picked up the ivory comb, and stood behind his godfather, preparing to comb his hair, which was mixed with many silver strands.

Just as the comb teeth were about to touch the hair, the door to the duty room was gently pushed open.

The person who entered was Wang Jinzhong, the Junior Supervisor of the Secretariat and the Office of Ceremonies of the Directorate of Ceremonial. He walked briskly, with a slightly worn blue booklet tucked under his arm.

Wang Jinzhong walked to the dressing table, bowed silently, then opened the booklet and said in a low voice, "Godfather, I have found out what you asked me to investigate. You Xier's place of origin, address, father's name, and mother's surname are all recorded here."

Wang An closed his eyes, feeling the comb brushing against his scalp, and said softly, "Read." He paused, then added, "And don't stop either."

Cao Huachun responded with a "Yes," his movements still gentle and steady. Looking at his godfather's increasingly thinning and graying hair in the mirror, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness: "It's only been less than a year, and godfather already has so many gray hairs."

Wang An kept his eyes closed, but the corner of his eye twitched almost imperceptibly: "The more gray hair I have, the less gray hair my master has. This is my blessing." After saying that, Wang An turned his head, slightly lifted his eyelids, and glanced at Wang Jinzhong, who was holding the book in a daze: "What are you standing there for? Turn to the book and read it."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Wang Jinzhong's face. He quickly looked down and flipped through a few pages, saying awkwardly, "My son's eyes were playing tricks on him, he turned to the wrong page. We'll find it now, we'll find it now..."

"Silly boy," Wang An chuckled, shaking his head. "You must have misjudged me, right?"

“No, this is it.” Wang Jinzhong frantically slid between the pages, flipped through a few more pages, and finally stopped: “Found it! You Xi’er, a native of Xianghe County, Shuntian Prefecture, Zhili Province, lived in Qukou Village. Her father was You Zongchang, a military household, and her mother was Jiang. Both her parents were alive. She entered the palace in November of the 48th year of Wanli and was placed under the jurisdiction of the Shangshi Bureau.”

After reading it aloud, Wang Jinzhong closed the booklet and added, "Godfather, this information is from when she first entered the palace. The records of her later service in the palace are in another revised booklet. It's hard to find right now."

“That’s enough.” Wang An nodded slightly and said slowly, “If she was indeed favored by the master last night, then follow the old custom and send some gold, silver and cloth to her family. If there are any eligible men in her family, send them to study at the Imperial Academy. If the master did not touch her, then forget it.”

"Yes, son understands." Wang Jinzhong bowed and replied, "I'll take care of it right away."

After saying this, Wang Jinzhong closed the booklet, took two steps back, and prepared to turn and leave.

"Come back." Wang An's voice wasn't loud, but it made Wang Jinzhong stop in his tracks immediately.

Wang Jinzhong turned around, bowed his head, and asked, "Does Godfather have any other instructions?"

"Don't forget to change her name and add it to the register." Wang An opened his eyes, but only looked at himself in the mirror. "Her name is no longer You Xi'er, it's now You Weixi."

Cao Huachun, who was combing his hair, paused slightly, the comb hanging in mid-air. He subconsciously repeated, "Wei Xi? Godfather, is there any significance to those two characters?"

"The reeds are lush and green, the white dew has not yet dried. The one I long for is on the water's edge." Wang An seemed quite pleased with his reaction, his smile deepening: "And with her surname 'You', isn't she beautiful?"

Cao Huachun nodded and sincerely praised, "It is indeed elegant, much better than that vulgar 'Xi'er'. Was it her godfather who gave her this name?"

"Otherwise what?" Wang An snorted with a hint of smugness.

Wang Jinzhong, who was standing to the side, interjected, "The name is nice, but how could she, the daughter of a military household, understand it?"

Wang An looked in the mirror, examined the hairstyle Cao Huachun had just styled for him, and said calmly, "It doesn't matter whether she understands or not, as long as Master understands."

“Yes, son understands,” Wang Jinzhong said. “Son will go and change the names on the register right away.”

"What's your hurry?" Wang An called out to him again.

Wang Jinzhong immediately stopped in his tracks: "Does Godfather have any other instructions?"

“No instructions,” Wang An said. “Just wait.”

"Yes." Although Wang Jinzhong was puzzled, he still instinctively obeyed his godfather's orders.

Wang Jinzhong placed the roster in his hand on the nearby tea table, and together with Cao Huachun, helped Wang An put on his inner garment and middle garment, and finally brought out the scarlet python robe that symbolized his extremely high position.

Just as Cao Huachun unfolded his python robe and Wang An slowly slipped his hands into the wide sleeves, a series of light but slightly hurried footsteps came from outside the duty room and stopped at the door. Then, the door, which was not closed, was gently knocked on.

Cao Huachun and Wang Jinzhong exchanged a glance.

Wang An continued moving, only saying, "Come in."

The door opened. Cui Wensheng, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and concurrently the Director of the Eastern Depot, strode in with his head bowed. Though his steps were steady, a deep and unyielding gravity lingered between his brows. He walked directly to Wang An, about five steps away, knelt down, and kowtowed deeply: "This servant, Cui Wensheng, pays respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well."

Wang An had just straightened his cuffs, and the imposing presence of his python robe made his posture appear even more upright. He glanced down at Cui Wensheng, who was prostrate on the ground, but did not immediately tell him to get up: "You've arrived?"

“Yes,” Cui Wensheng replied, still bowing, “this servant has come to report.”

Wang An then said, "Please stand up and speak."

Cui Wensheng thanked the emperor, stood up, his lips moving as if he couldn't wait to report. However, Wang An raised his hand, stopping him from speaking. He then turned to Cao Huachun: "Chun'er, let the children all go out."

Cao Huachun's expression hardened, and he immediately straightened his back, shouting shrilly at the eunuchs standing in the room: "Get out! Get out! No one is allowed to come near without the Ancestor's permission!"

The servants filed out, like startled shadows. The last one, before leaving, gently closed the carved wooden door of the guardhouse from the outside, separating the inside from the outside.

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Wang An leisurely fastened the drawstring inside his python robe, then buckled his belt. He then strolled to the rosewood armchair in the center of the main room, lifted his robe, and sat down. He raised his hand, pointed to the seat below him, and said to Cui Wensheng, "You sit too." After saying that, he turned his gaze to Cao Huachun, gesturing for him to bring Cui Wensheng a stool.

Cao Huachun immediately understood and nodded.

However, before Cao Huachun could bring over the stool, Cui Wensheng preemptively moved a nearby jujube wood stool covered with a soft cushion and carefully placed it slightly below Wang An's legs. "I wouldn't dare trouble Admiral Cao, I can do it myself, I can do it myself," Cui Wensheng said as he turned sideways and sat down, half-leaning against the edge of the stool. He hunched over, put his legs together, and adopted a standard posture of looking up and listening attentively.

Upon seeing this, Cao Huachun exchanged a glance with Wang Jinzhong. Then, the two walked together to the other side of Wang An and stood side by side with their heads bowed.

"Did you finish the task I gave you yesterday?" Wang An's voice broke the brief silence in the duty room as soon as the two stood still.

Cui Wensheng nodded immediately, subconsciously lowering his voice: "Reporting to the Ancestor, it's done. Li Guorui," he paused slightly, then uttered two words, "is dead."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Jinzhong, who was standing to the side, was suddenly startled. He abruptly raised his head and looked at Cao Huachun beside him in disbelief, his eyes filled with surprise and questioning.

Cao Huachun did not look back at him, his gaze remaining indifferent as he stared straight ahead. He merely nodded very slightly, indicating that he already knew.

Wang An glanced at Wang Jinzhong, his expression involuntarily becoming more serious. He then asked Cui Wensheng, "Who did it?"

“It’s my godson, Cui Yuan,” Cui Wensheng hurriedly replied. “There are also two other absolutely trustworthy servants, Chen Renxi and Chen Yixi. They were the ones who actually carried out the killings.”

"Renxi and Yixi?" Wang An pondered for a moment. "Are they brothers?"

“One family is better than two,” Cui Wensheng said with a smile. “These two brothers have an elderly mother to support and young children to raise, and they have a stable family fortune. At the beginning of the year, I even paid for a wife for their younger brother, Chen Lixi, who had just come of age. They are very obedient. They wouldn’t even flinch if I asked them to die, let alone leak secrets.

Wang An's face showed a hint of approval, and he nodded: "Hmm, you did a good job." He then turned to his two godson beside him, "Did you hear that? To do this kind of work, you need people with clear backgrounds and connections. Learn more from your Uncle Cui."

Cao Huachun and Wang Jinzhong immediately bowed and replied in unison, "Yes, godfather. Your sons will remember."

Wang An's address of "Uncle-Master" made Cui Wensheng feel both flattered and somewhat apprehensive. He quickly bowed slightly on the stool, waved his hand, and put on a humble smile: "Oh dear, Grandfather, you are too kind to me. My humble skills are not worth learning for you two young masters. They would only offend your ears."

Wang An didn't dwell on the topic, but simply smiled faintly and asked instead, "How did Li Guorui die?"

“Strangled. He’s still hanging from the wooden bars of the cell.” Cui Wensheng’s smile faded as he reported in a low voice, “I originally wanted to give him a cup of poison to make his death easier. But that scoundrel wouldn’t listen to reason, so I had no choice but to use force.” He paused, a strange undertone in his voice, “That little bastard Li Guorui is really cunning; even on his deathbed, he still had a thousand taels of gold hidden away.”

"A thousand taels of gold?" Wang An's eyebrows twitched slightly. "Where is it?"

Cui Wensheng shook his head: "We don't know exactly where it's hidden yet. Cui Yuan originally wanted to trick him into revealing the location, but that scoundrel insisted that Cui Yuan find him a suitable scapegoat before he would tell us. Of course, Cui Yuan refused, so we didn't get any information. Afterwards, I plan to single out his close confidants and servants and interrogate them thoroughly. If we can find them, that would be best; if not, then we'll have to give up." Cui Wensheng then changed the subject with a chuckle, "Grandmother, guess who that bastard wanted to use as a scapegoat before he died?"

"His elder half-brother, Li Guochen?"

"Hey!" Cui Wensheng flattered, "As expected of you, you thought of it right away."

“The Eastern Depot could easily break the contract if they found someone else to die in their place. But now that Li Guochen is dead, you can’t break the contract even if you want to.” Wang An sneered sarcastically. “This Li Guorui is a bit clever, but he’s devoted all his energy to corruption, bribery, and fratricide.”

Cui Wensheng chuckled awkwardly and followed up, "Who says otherwise? This disloyal, unjust, unfilial, and ungrateful bastard died so easily; it's too good for him." He paused, slightly pursed his expression, leaned forward, and lowered his voice even further, "But in any case, this person is now gone. What should this servant do next? Please instruct me, Ancestor."

"The prisoner couldn't bear the pressure in your Eastern Depot's cell and committed suicide out of fear of punishment. You should naturally report it," Wang An said calmly. "In a little while, Chun'er will go with you to take a look. It's just a formality to verify his identity. After that, you should go through the Office of Transmission and submit a proper memorial, saying that Li Guorui was frightened to death by the endless impeachments from the outer court."

"Yes!" Cui Wensheng relaxed slightly and immediately replied, "This servant understands and will certainly handle it properly."

Wang An added, "Furthermore, if you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way. You have to find a 'negligent' jailer from the Eastern Depot to take the blame."

"May I ask, Ancestor," Cui Wensheng's lips curled upwards, "to what extent does this crime warrant?"

“Neglecting his duties, being loose-lipped, and inadvertently leaking information to prisoners. These charges are grounds for dismissal, caning, and salary reduction. However, it's not a reason to kill him.” Wang An thought for a moment, “Demote him, secretly spend some money to support his family, and after a year or two, when things have calmed down, you can find a pretext to quietly promote him back.”

(End of this chapter)