Chapter 13
Shen Nian followed behind the Emperor as they walked toward Qianhua Hall.
After walking some distance, he noticed that Qi Junmu had no intention of taking the imperial palanquin. Shen Nian's heart stirred slightly, knowing the Emperor was doing this deliberately. He quickened his pace to walk half a step behind Qi Junmu.
Ruan Jiqing stole a quick look at Shen Nian. When he saw that the Emperor didn't react or object, he promptly dropped his gaze back down.
Qi Junmu didn't so much as slant his eyes. "What do you think of Guan Han's death?"
Ruan Jiqing knew at once that the Emperor wished to speak with Shen Nian. He slowed his steps to fall several paces behind, then led the group of palace maids and eunuchs to follow at a respectful distance.
Shen Nian stepped closer to Qi Junmu and spoke directly: "Your Majesty, this humble subject hasn't even seen the man yet, so I have no opinion on Lord Guan."
When the Emperor shot him a sidelong glance, Shen Nian silently noted to himself that the Emperor was quite tall—two years younger than him yet about the same height, perhaps even a hair taller—while saying aloud: "But I imagine that since the man has been dead for so many days, even if the cold weather has slowed decomposition and the prefect of the capital thoroughly examined the scene, I doubt I'll find anything particularly valuable even if I go."
"How can you speak so defeatist before you've even begun the investigation?" Qi Junmu was taken aback. Surely this was the moment to express determination to get to the bottom of things.
Shen Nian didn't hide his little scheme. "If I can't even complete the first task Your Majesty has assigned, wouldn't that be betraying Your Majesty's trust? I'm merely afraid that Your Majesty will be deeply disappointed afterward." And come after me for it later.
"I trust Marquis Shen." Qi Junmu wasn't taking the bait. "Marquis Shen fought his way out of a desperate situation in the northern borderlands—surely this trifling matter is well within your capabilities."
Shen Nian fell silent.
Both he and Qi Junmu knew full well that the waters of the capital were far murkier than those of the northern frontier. The north was a battlefield—life was life, death was death, and the will to survive could carry a person through. The capital was a place where every faction intertwined; one might start investigating some minor figure and end up finding the shadow of imperial relatives behind them all.
Sometimes even staying alive was difficult.
The Emperor had placed a red-hot potato in Shen Nian's hands and refused to let him refuse this favor.
After that, neither spoke. They walked slowly through Willow Lane—the road from the previous dynasty that led to the rear palace. Beyond Willow Lane lay the rear palace, and there stood Qianhua Hall, the closest residence to Qilin Hall where morning court was held.
Just as they arrived at the entrance of Qianhua Hall, a bird chirped from the rooftop above.
Qi Junmu stopped and watched the small bird standing on the eaves, tilting its head to sing, occasionally pecking at the snow on the tiles.
Ruan Jiqing, watching from not far away, was nearly frantic with anxiety. If he could, he would have shoved Shen Nian aside and rattled off a string of auspicious words to please the Emperor.
Shen Nian also gazed at the bird. After looking it over, he could see nothing special about it—just a black-tailed little thing with a scruffy tail. He truly couldn't figure out what was so fascinating about it.
Qi Junmu withdrew his gaze and caught sight of Shen Nian's disgruntled expression. He raised an eyebrow and spoke slowly: "I find it rather interesting. The weather is still cold, yet the bird has already come."
Life is remarkably tenacious.
Qi Junmu didn't say this aloud. He was simply thinking that he, too, was like this little bird—having endured the bitter winter, having passed through life and death, he had finally made it to the day when spring would warm the flowers into bloom.
Shen Nian gazed at the Emperor, whose brows and eyes had softened for a moment. In that instant, it seemed to him that on that exquisitely handsome face, he caught a fleeting, twisted look on the Emperor's face—a strange mix of gloom and yearning—that vanished in an instant.
But the emotion vanished from the Emperor's face as quickly as it had appeared, so fast that Shen Nian thought his eyes had deceived him.
Qi Junmu invited Shen Nian into Qianhua Hall. He dismissed all the attending eunuchs from the hall, leaving only the two of them inside.
After Ruan Jiqing closed the hall doors from outside, Qi Junmu gestured to a chair, indicating that Shen Nian needn't stand on ceremony and could sit to speak.
Shen Nian didn't stand on formality either. After thanking the Emperor, he lifted the hem of his robes and sat down.
Qi Junmu said, "The matter of Guan Han must be thoroughly investigated. I'll have Yang Jinglei assist you. Among my imperial bodyguards, there are two sharp ones—one named Hu Ze, another named Wang Jun—both quick-witted. Train them well."
Shen Nian knew how to pick out the key point: "Your Majesty means that Commander Yang will follow this humble subject's orders."
Qi Junmu paused a moment. "You could put it that way."
Shen Nian's face lit up with surprise. "I thank Your Majesty." Yang Jinglei was the Left Commander of the Imperial Guard—he represented the Emperor himself. That would make many aspects of the investigation far more convenient.
For this alone, Shen Nian owed the Emperor a great deal of gratitude.
Qi Junmu was unaccustomed to such blunt speech. Every other court official spoke in twists and turns, circling around their meaning. But Shen Nian spoke plainly—he seemed to say whatever came to mind, with no regard for whether it might annoy anyone.
Qi Junmu paused again before letting out an "Mm." Shen Nian seized the opportunity to say: "Your Majesty, I also wish to ask in advance—if this investigation leads to a high-ranking minister in the court, do I have the authority to continue?"
Qi Junmu's expression cooled slightly. He fixed his eyes on Shen Nian and said, word by word: "I grant you full authority to investigate anyone—whether they be high-ranking ministers or imperial relatives. Since this person wants to plot against me and show me no mercy, why should I bother saving face for him?"
"Excellent." Shen Nian understood the Emperor's meaning. His refined, handsome face broke into a warm smile, his brows curving gently. "Your humble subject grew wild in the northern borderlands—I was afraid Your Majesty might find my methods too crude. With Your Majesty's words, I can now act with full confidence."
"Crude methods?" Qi Junmu looked curious. "How crude are we talking?"
Shen Nian gave an embarrassed laugh. "Your Majesty, it's hard to say. Let's just say... not very refined."
The Emperor curled his lip in a cold chuckle. "Oh? So mysterious?"
Shen Nian only smiled and said nothing. Qi Junmu couldn't very well press him to reveal his true thoughts, so he looked away and said with a hint of pique: "Very well then. I'll wait and see."
He then called out to Ruan Jiqing, instructing him to deliver an oral decree to Yang Jinglei, and selected several imperial bodyguards to assist Shen Nian in the investigation.
Shen Nian rose and thanked the Emperor.
As he left Qianhua Hall with Ruan Jiqing, Shen Nian glanced back briefly at the Emperor seated within.
The hall was somewhat dim, and the Emperor's face was half-hidden in the shadows, making his expression unreadable. For a fleeting moment, Shen Nian felt that Qianhua Hall was terribly empty, and the Emperor within it terribly lonely.
So young—two years younger than himself—yet carrying himself with such profound gravity. It was said that the Emperor relied on the Left Chancellor's backing at court and the Empress Dowager's maneuvering in the inner palace, while the woman he truly loved, the Empress, lived right there beside him within the palace walls.
This was clearly the profile of a winner in life, yet Shen Nian felt that the Emperor, who held the power of life and death over everyone in the realm, was not truly happy.
The expression on his face could be faked, but the desolation in his eyes could not be hidden. Perhaps, even as the Emperor, there were many things beyond his control.
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