Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

The good news of the tax reform in Jiangnan was like sweet rain, nourishing the long-parched national treasury.

But the alarm bells in Xiao Chen's heart did not stop.

He knew better than anyone that enemies in the open were easy to deal with, but the venomous snakes lurking in the shadows were the most deadly.

Especially after he launched a series of heavy blows against the old forces of the previous dynasty, the imperial family, and the gentry of Jiangnan, those embers lurking in the shadows were bound to seek new breakthroughs.

The inner palace, a seemingly isolated area that actually connects the imperial court with the inner court, has always been a breeding ground for intrigue.

On this day, in the Imperial Study, Mo Qi quietly presented a secret report.

"Your Majesty," Mo Qi's voice was low, "Cui'er, the palace maid in charge of the Yeting Division, has acted strangely."

Xiao Chen raised his head from the memorial, his gaze sharp: "Speak."

"Cui'er has been in the palace for twelve years. On the surface, she is a second-class palace maid in the Empress Dowager's palace, honest and dutiful. But the Embroidered Uniform Guard's secret investigation found that she goes to Baoguo Temple in western Beijing to offer incense every month, and the person who receives her is the abbot of Baoguo Temple - Monk Zhiyuan."

Mo Qi paused for a moment, "And the monk Zhiyuan was the cousin of the late Consort Hui, which means... a descendant of the lineage of the late emperor's concubines."

Xiao Chen's fingertips tapped lightly on the table.

Although Consort Hui has been executed, the power behind her, especially the palace maids and eunuchs who were placed in the harem and served the late emperor and the various imperial concubines, is like an invisible net scattered in every corner of the inner palace.

They usually keep a low profile, but at crucial moments, they can deliver messages and even create chaos.

"Is there anything else?" Xiao Chen asked.

"have."

A cold glint flashed in Mo Qi's eyes. "In the past few days, several minor incidents have occurred in the palace. The food delivered by the Imperial Kitchen was not at the right temperature twice; the incense in Your Majesty's study seems to have faded, as if it has been tampered with; and even... last night, a palace maid 'accidentally' slipped in the Imperial Garden and almost bumped into Your Majesty's entourage."

Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes.

These seemingly small things, taken individually, might actually be quite unexpected.

But linking them together is a test, a disturbance, or even a psychological tactic—to tell the emperor that we are still here and that we can reach you.

"It seems some people are getting restless."

Xiao Chen sneered, "Trying to use such underhanded tactics to disturb my peace of mind and hinder the previous dynasty's tax reform in Jiangnan?"

"Your Majesty, should I arrest them directly?" Mo Qi asked for instructions.

"No rush."

Xiao Chen waved his hand, "It's better to lure them into a trap than to alert them. Since they want to play those witchcraft tricks, then I'll prepare an even bigger scheme for them."

"Issue an imperial decree instructing Li Dequan, the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department, to prepare a 'prayer ceremony.' Tell him that I have been overworked lately, and have been having nightmares about the late Emperor. I am restless and need to hold a grand ceremony in the palace to pray for the late Emperor and the fallen soldiers, and to pray for peace and prosperity for the country."

Mo Qi was taken aback, then suddenly realized: "Your Majesty intends to..."

"Since they like to use witchcraft, then I'll set up a platform for them to jump onto themselves."

Xiao Chen's lips curled into a cold smile. "Tell Li Dequan that the ceremony should be grand, that high-ranking monks should be invited, that an altar should be set up and rituals performed, and that the commotion should be as big as possible. In particular... prepare a large number of paper figures, wooden puppets, and banners covered with scriptures."

"Furthermore, I have secretly ordered the Southern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to keep a close watch on Baoguo Temple. I want the monk Zhiyuan to personally deliver the message to the palace."

Three days later, in a side hall of Kunning Palace.

Preparations for the Dharma assembly are in full swing.

The eunuchs and palace maids of the Imperial Household Department moved about busily, carrying all sorts of items.

Among them were several boxes of "specially made" paper figures that had been specially transported from the south. These paper figures had been tampered with by Mo Qi's men, and once they were fumigated with a specific drug, the hidden writing would be revealed.

That night, it was dark and windy.

The palace maid named Cui'er indeed took action.

Under the cover of night, she quietly slipped into the storeroom where the items for the Buddhist ceremony were stored.

Her goal was clear—those paper figures.

She needed to use a special potion to write some "blessing" incantations on several of the paper figures to send a signal to her master outside the palace, and to try to create some kind of "supernatural" event at the ceremony to shake people's hearts.

She skillfully rummaged through the paper figures and found the marked ones. She took out a small porcelain bottle she always carried with her and was about to apply the ink.

Suddenly, the lanterns around the warehouse lit up at the same time!

Mo Qi, accompanied by a squad of Imperial Guards, appeared at the door like ghosts and surrounded her.

"Cui'er, it's late at night, why aren't you serving your master? What are you doing here?" Mo Qi's voice was devoid of any emotion.

Cui'er's face turned deathly pale instantly, and the porcelain bottle in her hand fell to the ground with a "crash" and shattered into pieces.

She forced herself to remain calm: "This servant...this servant is acting on the Empress Dowager's orders to check if the supplies for the ceremony are complete..."

"Empress Dowager?" Mo Qi sneered and waved his hand.

Two Imperial Guards stepped forward and pinned Cui'er down.

Mo Qi walked up to the paper figures, picked one up, and heated it over the candle flame that had been prepared.

On the paper figure, where the surface was originally blank, several lines of distorted small characters gradually appeared: "Tax reform is temporarily suspended, the imperial envoy is about to return, the palace is uneasy, we can take advantage of the situation."

The handwriting is small, but clearly visible.

"What a clever way to take advantage of a weakness."

Mo Qi's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "Take her away! Teach her a lesson, make her spill every last word about who's behind this!"

Meanwhile, at Baoguo Temple in western Beijing.

Abbot Zhiyuan was meditating in his meditation room when he suddenly heard a commotion outside.

Immediately afterwards, the temple gate was smashed open, and a squad of Imperial Guards dressed in flying fish robes rushed in like wolves.

"The Imperial Guards are investigating! Don't move!"

Zhiyuan's heart sank; he knew something terrible was about to happen.

But he was a man who had seen his share of storms, and he forced himself to remain calm, saying, "This humble monk is a man of the secular world; may I ask what brings you here, sir, of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

The commander of the Imperial Guard flashed his badge and said coldly, "Someone has reported that your temple is harboring a runaway palace maid and is colluding with remnants of the previous dynasty to plot against us! Search it!"

The search proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

In the hidden compartment of the monk Zhiyuan's meditation room, not only were the coded tokens agreed upon with Cui'er found, but also a draft of a secret letter that had not yet been sent.

The letter detailed the palace's defenses, the emperor's daily routine, and even hinted that it could "lend a hand if chaos arises during the Buddhist assembly."

Ironclad evidence.

Zhiyuan's face turned ashen, and he slumped down on the prayer mat.

The next day, there will be a court meeting.

Xiao Chen did not directly bring up the matter of the harem, but first listened to the progress report on the tax reform in Jiangnan. Shen Wanshan had moved to Hangzhou and his momentum was not diminished.

After the report on government affairs was finished, Xiao Chen slowly spoke: "Last night, I had a nightmare."

The entire court was taken aback.

"I dreamt of the late Emperor, covered in blood, who accused me of failing to cleanse the palace, allowing villains to use witchcraft behind my back to ruin my empire." Xiao Chen's voice was eerily calm.

He looked at Li Dequan, the newly appointed Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial: "Li Dequan, tell everyone what you found out last night."

Li Dequan's high-pitched voice rang out as he recounted in detail how Cui'er was captured in the storeroom, how incantations appeared on the paper figures, and how the monk Zhiyuan of Baoguo Temple colluded with the palace.

The imperial court was in an uproar.

Although the specific details were unknown, the words "harem witchcraft" and "collusion with the previous dynasty" were enough to send chills down one's spine.

Officials who had been involved with Han Yu and Consort Hui were sweating profusely, fearing they would be implicated.

"Your Majesty! Such a sordid affair has occurred in the inner palace!" Minister of Justice Pei Yan was the first to step forward, his voice booming like thunder. "This is an unforgivable crime! I request an imperial decree to thoroughly investigate the inner palace and bring all remaining perpetrators to justice!"

"Granted."

Xiao Chen said calmly, "Order the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review to conduct a joint trial. All palace maids and eunuchs involved, regardless of rank, must be thoroughly investigated. Whoever is behind them, take them all down!"

Once the decree was issued, the Embroidered Uniform Guard acted immediately. A massive purge targeting the Imperial Household Department quietly began.

This time, Xiao Chen did not go on a killing spree, but instead adopted a more sophisticated method.

Instead of executing all the palace maids and eunuchs, he secretly exiled most of them, those with solid evidence but less serious offenses, to the northern frontier to serve as military prostitutes or perform hard labor. This punished them and also solved some logistical problems for the troops stationed in the northern frontier.

As for a few core members, they were tortured to extract more clues, and then—secretly executed.

More importantly, through this purge, Xiao Chen transferred the jurisdiction of the Yeting Division directly from the original Imperial Household Department to the newly established "Shanggong Bureau." This Shanggong Bureau was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Empress, but in reality, it was directly responsible to the Emperor and was secretly monitored by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The spies left behind in the inner palace by the previous dynasty were uprooted.

Within the harem, there were no longer any blind spots where messages could be freely passed around or chaos could be created.

Standing on high ground, Xiao Chen watched as the figures, escorted by the Imperial Guards, silently disappeared into the depths of the palace alleys, and felt a chill in his heart.

He personally ignited the fire in the harem, and then personally extinguished it.

Beneath the ashes lay even tighter control and more absolute imperial power.

He turned and looked south.

The tax revenue from Jiangnan should be arriving in the capital soon.

And his next target should be revealed by now.