Chapter 933: Chapter 931: Who Can Remain Untouched?
Perhaps from watching too many dramas about palace intrigue and the struggle for the throne, Ye Xinyan fearfully believed that such matters have always been accompanied by corpses lying everywhere and bloodshed. Yesterday both sides stole the ledger, especially the break-in at the Crown Prince’s Mansion, which was a significant matter, and she was genuinely worried.
She made up her mind secretly, no matter what, she must return to Duke An’s Mansion tomorrow. She needed to inform Duke An about the Crown Prince’s heart ailment truth, so that Duke An could watch over Jiang Yifan. If someone in the court really targeted Jiang Yifan, having one more person to protect him would always be an extra layer of security.
As for other things, such as assassination attempts which involve knives and guns and directly threaten personal safety, she did not worry as much. Jiang Yifan was quite skilled himself, and there were people like Zheng Pengfei and Shi Yu at home. There were few who could attack them and succeed.
Jiang Yifan smiled and said, "It’s fine. His Majesty is in his prime; even if the Crown Prince has a faction, they are just officials who are good at argument, without any substantial threat. Don’t worry, the situation is under His Majesty’s control."
In Jiang Yifan’s view, the things Ye Xinyan worried about were things he, as a man, should handle properly. Letting his wife worry about such things would be a dereliction of his duty as her husband.
As for Ah Yan... there were more urgent and important matters requiring her attention now. "Ah Yan, have you seen the letter from mother? She has asked about your health again, you understand what she means, right? Mother is eager to have a grandchild."
Ye Xinyan glared at him angrily, wasn’t she already worried about his safety?
Jiang Yifan expressed his innocence: "Not only did mother ask, but your mother-in-law asked the day before yesterday as well. If you don’t believe me, ask Song Ping’s household. Your mother-in-law asked her directly, repeatedly reminding her to pay special attention to your diet."
Was there such a thing? No wonder the meals have been off lately. There were clearly some dishes she didn’t like, yet Song Ping’s household cooked them every day, always urging her to eat more, leaving her feeling so conflicted that she almost doubted herself.
She needed to have a good talk with Song Ping’s household. If she couldn’t eat well, how could she be in the mood to get pregnant!
No, she was almost misled by Jiang Yifan again. Could this guy be serious for once? Even now, he’s in the mood to think about this?
With the imperial throne struggle among several royal princes, he was the first to show himself. Doesn’t he know that the first to emerge is the one to get shot down? Yet he still has this kind of mindset!
If she had the skills of Guan He and Zheng Pengfei, she would first pin this guy down and give him a good beating, so he could finally understand what the most important thing was right now.
......
As night fell, in the study of the current Grand Tutor Xing Yuyue. Grand Tutor Xing sat in the center, with Yu Shiqing and several other court officials siding with the Crown Prince sitting on both sides.
Xing Yuyue’s face was as stern as water: "I’ve always known that the Crown Prince was extravagant, but I always thought it was just a small hobby and not something as outrageous as tyranny and licentiousness. But I didn’t expect, all of you, from top to bottom, followed the Crown Prince’s lead and extended your hands into the State Treasury. Not only have you harmed yourselves, but you have also harmed the Crown Prince, the empire’s heir. You are utterly inexcusable!"
Yu Shiqing and the others hung their heads, not daring to make a sound. If it weren’t a critical time, they wouldn’t dare gather at Xing Mansion.
The situation was already clear now, with the Ministry of Revenue and the Crown Prince’s Mansion’s ledgers having fallen into His Majesty’s hands, the heart disease the Crown Prince was forced to suffer was an indication of the emperor’s stance.
Although it couldn’t be said that the entire nation already knew, the news had spread both inside and outside the imperial court that the Crown Prince had suffered a heart ailment, which had almost endangered his life, and it was uncertain when he might recover.
This kind of heart disease, liable to recur at any moment, threatening life constantly, would inevitably obstruct his succession. An heir prone to sudden death was not what a stable royal power or imperial court needed.
From this morning’s incident to now, there hasn’t been any visible intent from the emperor on how to handle them, the followers of the Crown Prince. However, the fact that the Cabinet’s four elders had a nearly two-hour discussion today in the palace was undeniable.
After the elders emerged, the Imperial Guard Army, Imperial Guard Camp, and the Five Cities Military Command all immediately reinforced the defenses throughout the capital. These strong defensive forces in the capital, even if not specifically targeting the corrupted followers of the Crown Prince, were enough to scare them with their fully armed soldiers.
They all speculated uniformly that the current tense situation required the Ministry of Revenue to operate stably, so the emperor hadn’t acted yet.
Once the disaster in Yuanzhou was resolved and the coastal warfare concluded, they feared it would be time to act against them, these corrupted officials.
Yu Shiqing and others sneaked into the Grand Tutor’s mansion, hoping that Xing Yuyue could plead with His Majesty to protect the Crown Prince. This way, their lives might be spared, and they could resign like Minister of Works Wang Xian or be dismissed; at least their lives and families could be saved.
Tan Weixian, who was less entangled in this embezzlement case, dared to speak up: "Grand Tutor, you are the one with the most weight in front of His Majesty, so long as the emperor has not made things clear, you could think of a way to save the Crown Prince. If we let treacherous villains treat the Crown Prince like this, his position as heir might truly be in jeopardy."
Xing Yuyue looked at Tan Weixian, sighing secretly.
Tan Weixian was a loyal and prudent official, and it was only him who dared to frequently give hints and advice to the Crown Prince. Now, with the Crown Prince and his followers caught in corruption, Tan Weixian was probably the most wronged.
"Ah," Xing Yuyue sighed, "it is precisely because His Majesty has not clarified this matter that it’s harder for me to intervene. As long as the emperor does not explicitly say that the Crown Prince was sent back to the Crown Prince’s Mansion due to misdeeds, those pleading have no grounds."
Princes with chronic diseases are unqualified to inherit the throne, an ironclad rule of every dynasty. The emperor says the Crown Prince has a heart disease, who dares to question it?
Yu Shiqing finally raised his head, despondently asking, "Does Marquis’ comment mean that there’s no chance of reversing the situation?" At this point, Yu Shiqing simply left it to fate. If indeed there’s no turning back, he hoped that after confiscation and sentencing, his family could have a way out.
Xing Yuyue said, "Not immediately investigating and apprehending is a good sign. Lord Yu and the officials of the Ministry of Revenue should first focus on their duties for His Majesty, thoroughly managing the transport of military supplies for the coastal area and relief materials for Yuanzhou. You might offset some crime with your contributions in logistics."
Kan Yingquan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, seeing that Xing Yuyue’s tone was still somewhat good, hurriedly asked, "What about the Crown Prince then? The Crown Prince has been the heir since birth, nearly forty years, could he be deposed for just this one mistake?"
Xing Yuyue looked at him with a grim expression; how dare he claim the Crown Prince only made one mistake! Was this a mere mistake? The years-long embezzlement of vast sums from the national treasury, the unauthorized increase of local taxes, even scraping areas like Yuanzhou clean, nearly causing civil unrest.
If that is what he calls a single mistake, then this one mistake is enough to warrant execution hundreds of times over for any one person.
Moreover, Kan Yingquan was even more despicable. His influence in the Crown Prince’s corruption was definitely greater than Yu Shiqing’s. While Yu Shiqing at least had some notion of advising the Crown Prince, Kan Yingquan did everything he could to encourage and facilitate the Crown Prince’s extravagant dissipation.
"The Crown Prince is His Majesty’s legitimate eldest son, the most noble bloodline of the royal family, so naturally, he can have more understanding in His Majesty’s eyes. However, for the other involved parties, they will likely be pursued based on their individual crimes. The Crown Prince himself is in peril now; you should only hope that the dirty deeds in your hands are few enough to earn yourselves a chance for survival."
Kan Yingquan’s face turned even grayer, opening his mouth with difficulty, finally saying, "We admittedly have faults, but it was in following the heir of the Great Xia Dynasty. And Jiang Yifan, having served in the Ministry of Revenue for more than two years, was aware of our wrongdoings, yet did not stop it and did not advise, but instead stayed hidden, waiting to frame the Crown Prince. Isn’t this traitor, also an official in the Ministry of Revenue, equally inescapable?"