Chapter 26
Shen Nian suddenly felt a strong urge to see the Emperor. He wanted to know what was going on in Qi Junmu's head.
It was a rare moment of mutual understanding between sovereign and subject—both were eager to see each other.
Meanwhile, as Shen Nian rode toward the capital, the Emperor blocked all the court officials trying to pry for information. He saw no one, not even Lin Xiao, saying only that everything would wait until Shen Nian returned.
The officials all cursed Shen Nian in their hearts. Why couldn't he just mind his own business and be Marquis Zhenbei in peace? They didn't mind him temporarily taking over Yang Jinglei's post in the palace—that was just the Emperor showing favor to the Shen family, and they had no objections to that.
But what was Shen Nian doing? He went all the way to North Mountain, dug up a corpse, and brought down a North Mountain Commander in one fell swoop. What was he trying to do—stir up a storm in the court?
Lin Xiao stood among the court officials without a word, his expression somewhat grave. Su Ren looked at him, sighed, and said with a bitter smile: "As the prefect of the capital, I fear His Majesty will hold me accountable this time."
An official close to him heard this and quickly tried to console him: "Lord Su, what do you mean by that? You bear responsibility for lax oversight, yes, but this truly cannot be blamed on you. The capital is vast, and the victim was a brothel girl with no one to report the crime. How could you possibly have known?"
Su Ren shook his head and was about to say that his situation was different—he had offended the Emperor in court just days before.
Several officials saw his expression and instantly understood. Their faces turned sour as well, and they exchanged glances with one another, their eyes flickering with unease.
Lin Xiao shot him a look and said coolly: "Lord Su, Marquis Zhenbei will be here soon. He is not one to mince words. If he hears what you've said, he will likely ask you if, in your heart, you take His Majesty for such a petty man. And if those words reach His Majesty's ears, and he learns that Lord Su has such a loose tongue, then even if there were no punishment due, he would have to make an example of you."
Catching the warning in Lin Xiao's words, Su Ren's bitter expression deepened. "Left Chancellor, it is not that I am overly worried, but His Majesty's trust in Marquis Zhenbei is simply too great. One word from the Marquis is worth ten of ours. Take this affair—the Marquis sent only a secret letter, and His Majesty had Wang Yi detained on the spot."
"It is said that when the imperial guards took Wang Yi away, he kept shouting that he was wronged. If this matter is true, then the Marquis has rendered great service, and we old ministers can only offer our congratulations. But if it is false, then His Majesty has acted too rashly. Wang Yi would lose all face, and if he insists on making trouble for the Marquis, what would His Majesty do then?"
Lin Xiao said calmly: "Since His Majesty dared to act, he surely has evidence."
He knew the Emperor well—he was not one to throw people into prison without proof. That said, regarding Shen Nian, the Emperor had indeed been going a bit too far lately.
It was one thing to favor a man while stripping him of his military power, but one could not simply let him run rampant.
That would harm the Emperor's reputation as well. Lin Xiao felt he should also remind the Emperor to rein in Marquis Zhenbei.
A sovereign should treat his ministers with a mix of leniency and firmness. Pushing Shen Nian too hard would not be good for the Emperor either. But being overly indulgent toward Shen Nian would only make him respect the Emperor less and resist handing over his military command even more.
Lin Xiao's mind was full of thoughts on how to make the Emperor teach Shen Nian a lesson.
Of course, no one at this moment suspected that Marquis Zhenbei was merely a scapegoat, and that the entire affair had been orchestrated by the Emperor himself.
Even Lin Xiao, who knew Qi Junmu deeply, could not fathom this.
All their attention was fixed on Shen Nian, while the Emperor was seen as nothing more than a pitiable figure who wanted Shen Nian's military power and thus had no choice but to tolerate and favor his every move.
Shen Nian spurred his horse at full speed back to the imperial capital. The moment he arrived at the city gates, every official with eyes on him already had word of his return. After waiting so long, he had finally arrived—and naturally, a stir ran through their hearts.
So much so that before Shen Nian even entered the palace to see the Emperor, he found a crowd of ministers already waiting for him at the palace gates. They looked at him—not quite with gleaming eyes, but certainly with eager anticipation.
Shen Nian was sharp-minded. One glance at this scene told him something was amiss.
He had no real ties with these court officials—at best, they exchanged polite nods without actively disliking each other. For them to be this eager for his return was more than unusual.
This must have something to do with the man inside the palace. He had no idea what the Emperor had done to drive the entire civil and military officials into such a state.
Though his mind churned with speculation, Shen Nian's face remained stern and impassive.
After all, he had just scored a major victory, producing solid evidence to bring down a powerful minister. To act too arrogant now would only invite resentment.
But he soon learned what the Emperor had done. As he drew nearer, several ministers approached with pained expressions, lamenting that they had been waiting here for a long time. Apparently, the Emperor had decreed that until Marquis Zhenbei entered the palace, he would see no one.
If they wanted an audience with the Emperor, they had no choice but to wait.
Shen Nian could sense the grievance beneath their words. He was innocent—and he had grievances of his own.
But he couldn't exactly take out his frustration on the Emperor. So, catching the hidden barbs in their words, Shen Nian composed his expression and replied coolly, "I understand your lordships' intentions. Yet your wait out here in the cold has not been for nothing—I have already dug up the bones of Commander Wang's victims at Wanggu, and his officers have all confessed as well. As for this achievement—I invite all of you to join me before His Majesty and share in the credit."
At these words, a few of the thinner-skinned ministers turned pale and red by turns. Shen Nian's remark was vicious—it made it seem as if they had been waiting here just to steal his glory.
Su Ren let out a sigh—aimed at those beside him.
Lin Xiao naturally did not want things to escalate. He stepped forward and said, "His Majesty is well aware of the marquis's merits. We simply wish to know what exactly happened that His Majesty flew into such rage, imprisoning Commander Wang without even going through the Three Judicial Offices."
[Three Judicial Offices: the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Court of Judicial Review.]
Su Ren quickly added, "The favor His Majesty showers upon you, Marquis, is beyond our reach. But Commander Wang oversees the capital's security—and His Majesty ordered his arrest on your word alone. We harbor doubts and came here hoping you might enlighten us. As for the credit—if it is yours, no one can take it away. If it is not—"
"That's good to hear." Shen Nian cut off Su Ren's pointed remark and said loudly, "I take it, Lord Su, that you are questioning the validity of my evidence? Or perhaps you think I deliberately framed Commander Wang? The bones unearthed at North Mountain were witnessed by Eunuch Ruan with his own eyes. Surely you don't believe I buried them there myself? Setting aside the fact that North Mountain is a heavily restricted area that ordinary people cannot easily enter—if I truly could come and go as I pleased and plant bones to frame others, then Lord Su ought to advise His Majesty to behead every commander at North Mountain. A garrison that cannot even protect its own secrets—what talk is there of defending the capital and safeguarding the Emperor?"
Su Ren was left utterly choked by this barrage, his intended words lodged in his throat.
But Shen Nian was not about to let him off. After his impassioned tirade, he continued, "Or is it Lord Su's opinion that His Majesty is a man who cannot tell right from wrong, who disregards justice?"
"Nonsense! When did I ever say such a thing?" Su Ren frowned.
Shen Nian let out two cold snorts. "Whether I am talking nonsense, Lord Su knows very well in his heart. Otherwise, what did you mean by that remark? What was that about 'if it is not your credit'? What were you about to say, Lord Su?"
Su Ren stood rigid, trembling with rage.
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