Chapter 22: What Are They Trying to Do?

Jiang Yun bowed low and returned inside.

"Master, that feather from earlier was from a pigeon," Wu Di whispered suddenly once they were outside the main gate.

"Oh?" Xiao Zhi looked at Wu Di with a smile. "Then why didn't you say so earlier?"

Wu Di lowered his head, silent.

Clearly, this child was calculating, intelligent, and understood the boundaries of propriety. From his perspective, Jiang Zhu and Jiang Yun were Xiao Zhi’s concubines, which made them half-mistresses. Yet, he also knew that Xiao Zhi was easy to deal with; as long as he performed well, this master would not treat him unfairly.

Outside the gate, someone had already prepared horses. Xiao Zhi mounted his, glanced at Wu Di, and then, escorted by two thousand-man commanders, spurred his horse away.

In the shadows all around, others from the Imperial City Guard were secretly protecting Xiao Zhi. At first, Xiao Zhi found it troublesome and was unaccustomed to being followed, but Mu Weihu insisted on arranging security for him every day. This was not for show, but out of genuine necessity. Moreover, Xiao Zhi had committed many acts of killing and arson in recent days, offending the entire imperial court. Mu Weihu had remarked that most officials kept "dead soldiers"—hired assassins—who were used when dirty work needed to be done out of the public eye. Furthermore, everyone in the Imperial City Guard was eager to serve as Xiao Zhi's guards; beyond their standard imperial pay, Xiao Zhi provided an additional stipend.

By the time Xiao Zhi arrived outside the palace gates, most officials had already gathered. Usually, familiar officials would huddle together to discuss current events or strange tales. Today, however, the atmosphere was oppressive. Only a few officials stood with their heads together, whispering in low voices, creating an air of wary silence.

The flooding in Shandong and Jiangsu was a major issue for this morning’s court session, but it was strange that it had rendered so many officials mute.

"Lord Lu." Xiao Zhi saw Lu Weichen, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, approaching from a distance. Recalling the farewell letter Lu had sent him, Xiao Zhi could not help but want to laugh.

However, Lu Weichen looked haggard, his eye sockets sunken. It had only been a day, yet he looked as if he had suffered a grave illness. Lu Weichen, who usually offended no one, greeted everyone with a bow. "Lord Xiao, oh my, I only learned last night that the Northern Barbarian envoys had left."

Xiao Zhi understood immediately. This Lord Lu must have written his final testament and perhaps even prepared his own coffin, spending the entire day in terror, only to realize last night that he was not going to die after all. Such emotional turbulence—the swing from extreme grief to relief—could drive a lesser man to madness. The Northern Barbarian envoys had been whipped, yet they hadn't lodged any protest with the Emperor of Great Chu; Lu Weichen found it utterly baffling.

Could it be that Xiao Zhi’s whipping had actually made those people feel comfortable?

As the two were talking, Geng Wenshi, the Minister of Works, approached and exchanged a few polite words with Lu Weichen before leaning in to whisper to Xiao Zhi, "Someone intends to impeach you today. Be prepared."

"Who?" Xiao Zhi looked around, feeling as though everyone looked like they wanted to impeach him.

"Aside from me," Geng Wenshi glanced at the ever-amiable Lu Weichen, "and aside from Lord Lu here."

Xiao Zhi was stunned. Did Geng Wenshi mean that everyone else was colluding to impeach him? Was it really that intense? Was he truly without a single friend in the imperial court? Xiao Zhi thought about it—it was true, he had no real friends. Was Geng Wenshi a friend? No; Xiao Zhi had given him the blueprints for the four-wheeled carriage, but it wasn't Geng who benefited personally; he was the Minister of Works, and that was just his duty. Lu Weichen was even less of a friend; the man never had a cross word with anyone. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices was a place for receiving foreign guests, so one had to be pleasant—it truly suited Lu’s personality.

"Then why aren't you impeaching me?" Xiao Zhi asked, looking at Geng Wenshi.

Geng Wenshi stammered for a long time, his eyes widening as he stared at Xiao Zhi, speechless. *How is this brat’s mind wired? I, an old man, am kindly warning him, yet he suspects me of having ill intentions.*

"Hmph, you insolent boy!" Geng Wenshi flicked his wide sleeves and stormed off.

The peace-loving Lu Weichen let out a few dry laughs, turned his head away, and slowly drifted off toward others, using the act of greeting them to put more distance between himself and Xiao Zhi. With so many people set on impeaching Xiao Zhi, chatting with him was surely a path to ruin.

Xiao Zhi was taken aback. "Damn, is it really that realistic?"

The time arrived, and the ministers entered in formation.

"Speak if you have matters to report; withdraw if you do not."

The eunuch shouted the traditional eight-character phrase. The ministers stood like puppets, but Qin Yong, the Emperor, could not sit still.

"The Yellow River has breached its banks, leaving the people displaced for over a month. If the refugees had not reached the capital, I fear I would still be in the dark. Jiang Xinghai, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Jiang Xinghai was the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, the head of the supervisory body, holding a second-rank title. The Censorate was responsible for overseeing the entire realm. Since such a disaster had occurred in Shandong and Jiangsu without the court’s knowledge, the Emperor naturally held the Censorate accountable.

Jiang Xinghai stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I deserve to die. Last month, the Sixth Prince returned to the capital after inspecting the administration of Shandong and Jiangsu. Both provinces' official reports showed no discrepancies, leading me to slacken my oversight. I am guilty of negligence and beg Your Majesty to punish me."

The Sixth Prince mentioned by Jiang was the younger brother of the late Emperor and held the title of Assistant Censor-in-Chief. Was his inspection of Shandong and Jiangsu official business? That old man was definitely just there to enjoy the scenery. Jiang Xinghai knew he couldn't deny it, so he laid it all out. He admitted the fault, held a proper attitude, and was ready to take his punishment. However, if the Emperor wanted to punish someone, he would have to start with the Sixth Prince—his own imperial uncle.

Qin Yong, sitting on the dragon throne, took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his rage. At this critical juncture, he couldn't afford more trouble. The most pressing issue wasn't who to punish, but how to handle the flooding and the countless refugees. Every day the court delayed, more people would starve. The breach had been ongoing for over a month; one could only imagine how many had already perished. Furthermore, the situation was likely even more dire than the reports suggested. Before the morning session, Qin Yong had received a secret memorial stating that bandits were rampant in Shandong and that the unrest in Jiangsu was spreading like wildfire.

The Sixth Prince did attend the morning court today. He waved his hand dismissively. "The Governor of Shandong, Sun Shengchun, deceived his superiors and concealed the truth, and the Governor of Jiangsu, Wan Yao, neglected the river works, leading to this catastrophe. I suggest we raid their homes, convict them, and handle the rest of the officials according to the law. Let the Attendant of the Imperial Guard, Xiao Zhi, handle the task."

Xiao Zhi had been dozing off, but hearing his name mentioned by the Sixth Prince, he was instantly alert. *You bastard, you’re dumping work on me? You failed to do your jobs and left a mess, and now you want me to clean it up?* The Emperor could use Xiao Zhi as a blade, but who was the Sixth Prince to decide who Xiao Zhi should stab?

Xiao Zhi acted as if he hadn't heard and continued to squint his eyes, feigning sleep.

A censor stepped out. "Your Majesty, I second the motion."

"I also second it."

These censors were all of one mind; once one led the way, a whole crowd rushed out to echo the sentiment.

"The matter of punishment can be discussed another day. Who shall be sent to deal with the mess in these two provinces?" Qin Yong scanned the crowd of sycophants, ignoring their calls.

The Minister of War, Song Qi, slowly stepped forward, pulling a memorial from his sleeve. "I nominate one person who will surely stabilize the hearts of the people and resolve the flooding crisis within days."