Hot flashes

For the past three nights, people have been coming and going from Shen Yu's residence. It wasn't a grand banquet, but rather people coming and going quietly through the back door.

Chen Shen lost track of two of his men. The remaining men were all of high status: Zhao Gong, the Vice Minister of Rites; Xu Jing, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy; and Cui, a staff member under the Transport Commissioner of Jiangnan Circuit, who was in charge of the grain transport accounts.

Zhou Heng went through these names in his mind, but couldn't figure out the key to their meaning.

The Ministry of Rites was in charge of ceremonies, sacrifices, and relations with vassal states, which had nothing to do with the new policies. The Chancellor of the Imperial Academy was in charge of all the students in the country and could influence public opinion, but Xu Jing was a well-known good man who never got involved in factional struggles.

As for the staff of the canal transport—the canal transport is the lifeline of Jiangnan, but Cui is just an accountant, what can he do?

Xiao Jue was meeting someone in the Qianqing Palace, and Zhou Heng waited outside for a quarter of an hour. When the person came out, he had his head down, and Zhou Heng couldn't see who it was, but he felt that the back view looked somewhat familiar.

Once the person had gone far away, he remembered—it was someone from the Ministry of Justice, surnamed He, a physician in charge of major cases.

Xiao Jue put down his pen when he saw him come in.

"You saw it?"

Zhou Heng nodded: "Doctor He. What brings him here?"

Xiao Jue didn't answer, only saying, "Come here."

Zhou Heng walked over and was pulled into Xiao Jue's arms. Xiao Jue's hand rested on his waist, slowly massaging it, as if he were pondering something. Zhou Heng didn't urge him, just leaned against him, waiting for him to speak.

After a long while, Xiao Jue finally said, "The investigation into the death of that peddler in Jiangling has been completed."

Zhou Heng was taken aback.

"The killer wasn't sent by Zheng Mingyi," Xiao Jue said calmly. "Someone used Zheng Mingyi's name to commit the murder."

Zhou Heng paused for a moment.

"Borrowing Zheng Mingyi's name?" he repeated. "Zheng Mingyi is Xie Xun's nephew, and he's been entrenched in Jiangling for many years. Who would dare borrow his name—"

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Xiao Jue looked at him without saying a word.

Zhou Heng's heart started racing.

"That peddler," his voice tightened, "had a note on him with Zhou Bing's name on it. Zhou Bing was a fugitive from the previous dynasty. Who did he have a grudge against?"

Xiao Jue did not answer.

Zhou Heng continued, "Zhou Bing embezzled military pay, intercepted requests for reinforcements, and caused the death of General Huo Yi. General Huo Yi was an old friend of Your Majesty's father and a person Your Majesty respected. No one would utter a single word against killing Zhou Bing."

He paused.

"But Zhou Bing has been missing for so many years, and suddenly he appears in Jiangling, in the body of a peddler—this is no coincidence."

Xiao Jue nodded.

Zhou Heng continued, "Some people want His Majesty to believe that Zhou Bing was hidden by Zheng Mingyi. Behind Zheng Mingyi is the Xie family, and behind the Xie family are the powerful clans of Jiangnan. If His Majesty believes this, he will take action against the powerful clans."

Xiao Jue remained silent.

Zhou Heng looked at him and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

"But that man miscalculated," he said. "Zheng Mingyi died too quickly. He was killed by me before he could reveal Zhou Bing's whereabouts. So that man—that man could only kill the peddler to silence him and cut off the trail."

Xiao Jue finally spoke.

"It's not about cutting it off," he said. "It's about handing the thread back to you."

Zhou Heng was stunned.

Xiao Jue looked at him with a deep gaze.

"Who hid that note on the peddler?"

Zhou Heng opened his mouth.

"It was the peddler himself," Xiao Jue said. "Before he died, he hid that note in the most secret place on his body. He knew he wouldn't survive, and he wanted that secret to be discovered."

Zhou Heng's heart skipped a beat.

"Who does that peddler work for?"

Xiao Jue did not answer.

He simply reached out and pulled Zhou Heng a little closer.

"Aheng," he said, "this game of chess isn't just Shen Yu playing alone."

That night, Zhou Heng couldn't sleep.

He lay down next to Xiao Jue, listening to the faint chirping of insects outside the window, and thought through the whole thing from beginning to end.

But if someone finds Zhou Bing, they will know who was behind the Ningwu Pass incident back then.

Withholding military pay, intercepting requests for aid, and causing the death of Huo Yi—these were matters that Zheng Mingyi, a mere investigating officer, could not decide. Xie Xun could not decide either.

Zhou Heng closed his eyes.

Shen Yu is just the one that's out in the open.

There are others behind the scenes.

On the tenth day of the seventh lunar month, the disaster situation in Jiangnan finally stabilized.

The rain has stopped, the water has receded, and the dikes in various places are being repaired.

The Ministry of Revenue re-examined the accounts, and Qian Duan's tampering was exposed one by one—he manipulated the figures in disaster reports from various places, embezzled a portion of the disaster relief funds allocated by the imperial court, and diverted another portion to fill other gaps.

Qian Duan was imprisoned. On the day his home was searched, 80,000 taels of silver and a stack of IOUs were found in his residence, with names on the IOUs appearing throughout the court and the country.

Zhou Heng was stunned when he saw the list.

Some people on the list were Shen Yu's men. Some were neutral. And a few were newly promoted officials from humble backgrounds after Xiao Jue ascended the throne.

What did Qian Duan lend them money for?

He thought about it for a long time, but couldn't figure it out.

The 15th day of the seventh lunar month is the Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan Festival).

As usual, a ritual was to be performed in the palace to pray for the souls of the fallen soldiers. Xiao Jue presided over the ceremony, with Zhou Heng attending to him. The ritual lasted from afternoon until dusk, with incense smoke swirling and bells and chimes ringing. Zhou Heng's legs were numb from standing.

After it was over, Xiao Jue went to change his clothes, while Zhou Heng waited outside the hall.

Suddenly someone approached.

Zhou Heng turned his head and saw Shen Yu.

He was dressed in court robes, his expression unchanged, as if nothing had happened. He walked up to Zhou Heng, stopped, and nodded slightly.

"Master Zhou."

Zhou Heng returned the greeting: "Prime Minister Shen."

The two of them just stood there, neither of them saying a word.