Chapter 1748: A Reason That Needs to Be Plausible

When the explosion occurred, Emperor Liu was in Wansui Hall, holding Pure Consort Zhou in his arms. The blankets had just warmed, drowsiness was just setting in, and then he was jolted awake.

The consort, already past thirty, had long shed the greenness of her youth, but she remained beautiful, like a ripe, dripping peach. Especially after giving birth, her peerless charm was filled with a fatal allure. Even Emperor Liu's none-too-healthy body found it hard to keep up, somewhat overwhelming, and more often than not he could only settle for the chaste sort of intimacy.

However, no matter how graceful the figure, it could not compare to the earth-shaking events outside the palace in drawing Emperor Liu's attention. The hour grew late, the night deepened, and the clamor outside gradually subsided under the government's suppression. But even deep within the palace, one could almost feel the restlessness beyond the palace walls.

The atmosphere in Wansui Hall was somewhat oppressive. Emperor Liu, in a single layer of clothing, paid no heed to appearances, sitting cold-faced behind the imperial desk. Present, besides the chief palace eunuch Yan Tuo, was the Crown Prince Liu Yang.

Ministers came one after another to pay their respects and inquire after the imperial health. Along with the duty chancellor Zhao Kuangyi, every single one of them was sent by Emperor Liu to the scene to aid in the rescue efforts.

With such a major incident, the entire court, high and low, would surely find no peace. Of course, it was not for ordinary people to worry and fret over. Aside from concern, most could only stay home, wait for news and results, eat their melons, and, in a last-minute scramble, make fire-prevention preparations.

"Your Majesty, the night is deep. Please put on another garment!" At this moment, Emperor Liu looked rather grim, radiating a dangerous aura. Even so, Yan Tuo had to bring over an outer robe and approach, carefully expressing concern.

"Mm!" Perhaps feeling the chill of the summer night, Emperor Liu did not refuse, merely responding softly.

Seeing this, Yan Tuo let out a great sigh of relief and promptly and skillfully helped Emperor Liu drape on the outer robe. Liu Yang, seated below, had also gradually steadied his emotions. He cupped his hands and advised, "Father, the disaster has already occurred and cannot be undone. The officials and soldiers are working hard to relieve the calamity. Please take care of your imperial person and do not worry overmuch."

Whether it was Liu Yang's words of comfort that took effect, Emperor Liu's expression looked much better. After a moment of silence, he said somberly, "Extinguishing the fire and relieving the disaster is the urgent priority. However, the source of this matter must be investigated thoroughly. If any petty villains are at work, or any dereliction of duty or negligence, all shall be dealt with severely!"

Emperor Liu spoke these words with undisguised murderous intent, even using words like "severely." Clearly, he already harbored suspicions about this incident.

Time trickled by. Midnight passed, the rooster crowed, and it was not until the dawn hour that preliminary results finally came in. Yan Tuo reported that the civil and military ministers were all waiting outside the hall for the imperial decree.

Emperor Liu did not continue staying in the hall. He rose and walked straight out. Outside, the sky was heavy with the fading darkness. Having not slept all night, Emperor Liu was mentally exhausted, his mind utterly muddled. It was only after feeling the wind that he sobered up somewhat.

There were quite a few people before Wansui Hall — civil and military, nobles and bureaucrats alike. Upon hearing the news, led by some among them, they had voluntarily gone to Yanqing Ward to fight the fire. Even Zhao Kuangyin was among them, his old face covered in black soot. Of course, no one was clean; they all seemed to have worked very hard.

However, Emperor Liu felt no gratitude for their proactive display of responsibility. Instead, he said coldly, "Yanqing Ward caught fire — what business did you all have rushing over to join the excitement? Were you going to fight the fire, or were you afraid it wasn't chaotic enough?"...

At these words, the assembled nobles and ministers exchanged glances. Emperor Liu's remark was rather heartless, and that hint of accusing intent was truly chilling.

Even the few ministers who had first come to pay their respects and, with Emperor Liu's permission, then gone to the scene at Yanqing Ward, could not help but feel uneasy. Without regard for their thoughts, Emperor Liu swept his gaze around and, his tone seeming to soften somewhat, raised a finger and said, "You have all worked hard tonight. Go back and rest. Rest well. We'll discuss matters after dawn!"

"Yes! Your ministers take their leave!" The assembled civil and military officials breathed a great sigh of relief at this and dared not continue trying to make their presence known before Emperor Liu.

Emperor Liu turned and walked back into the hall, but for a moment he was unsteady on his feet. Liu Yang, sharp-eyed, hurried forward to support him. Yan Tuo, having received Emperor Liu's instruction, stepped to the front of the hall platform and announced in a clear voice, "All lords and ministers, please return. His Majesty has decreed: Governor Liu, Patrol Inspector Zhang, and Minister Han are to remain!"

"Yes!"

The three named men exchanged glances, showing no surprise. One was the Governor, one was the Patrol Inspector, and the gunpowder workshop and storehouses were also directly under the Ministry of War — all were inevitably implicated. Still, their expressions were hardly pleasant. Of course, if one were to speak of who bore the lightest burden, it would have to be Zhang Yongde. At least after the incident he had done his duty diligently. As for before the incident, even if blame were to be apportioned, it wouldn't fall on him to take the lead.

However, he too harbored hidden worries. Tonight's rescue operations had somewhat violated proper procedure.

"Is the fire under control?" In Wansui Hall, Emperor Liu sat down wearily, but his mind remained sharp and his gaze keen as he fixed his eyes on the three men and asked.

Zhang Yongde, as the overall commander of the firefighting front line, hurriedly cupped his hands and reported, "To answer Your Majesty, when the disaster occurred, I immediately reported it upon learning of it and urgently mobilized three thousand patrol guards to Yanqing Ward. Coordinating with the Kaifeng administration and the gentry and commoners inside and outside the ward, after a night of fighting the fire, the blaze in Yanqing Ward has been basically brought under control. At present, all soldiers under the Patrol Inspector's office have been deployed, the entire city is under martial law, and the situation is in hand."

As he said this, the fear in Zhang Yongde's heart intensified. This time he had acted on special circumstances — without receiving a mobilization order from the Bureau of Military Affairs, he had drawn troops from the patrol camp to go relieve the disaster.

Although there was cause, exceeding regulations was indeed a fact. The Patrol Inspector's office had strict rules regarding its usual authority and personnel arrangements, and it was required to report to the Bureau of Military Affairs for filing. Whether those three thousand patrol troops went to fight the fire or had some other design — who could say for certain?

Never mind three thousand men — even fifty men mobilized without orders was a capital crime. Back then, the grand-nephew of Duke Sun Li of Pingyuan was beheaded precisely because he had led a squad of imperial army soldiers out of camp without permission to gather.

Beforehand, Zhang Yongde had hesitated, but in the end he chose to act first and report later. Now, recalling Emperor Liu's words earlier before the hall, Zhang Yongde's heart couldn't help but clench. Fortunately, his decisiveness had achieved no small effect — at least he had promptly contained the fire and prevented it from spreading outward and causing greater losses. With this point,

Carefully observing the expressionless Emperor Liu, he still took the initiative to confess his fault: "Your minister mobilized troops without military orders. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu was briefly taken aback. Seeing the anxious Zhang Yongde, his mind turned, and he couldn't help but feel admiration. This man's performance tonight showed both responsibility and wit. More importantly, his political instincts were remarkably sharp...

"You've reminded me," Emperor Liu said flatly. "Meritorious in disaster relief, guilty of overstepping authority. Considering the urgency of the situation, let merit and fault cancel each other out!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhang Yongde was overjoyed at these words. Though Emperor Liu said merit and fault canceled out, once this matter passed, he, Zhang Yongde, would only benefit from it — this he understood in his heart.

"Notify Liu Tinghan. Have the Bureau of Military Affairs' mobilization order completed retroactively!" Emperor Liu then said to the Crown Prince Liu Yang.

"Yes!"

"What are the losses? What are the casualties?" Emperor Liu then looked at Liu Jichang.

Liu Jichang's back had been wet then dry, dry then wet. Now questioned, he was somewhat nervous, but he strove to suppress the fear in his heart and reported clearly: "To answer Your Majesty, within Yanqing Ward, the majority of residences and buildings were burned down — over five hundred rooms in total. The rest were also damaged. The gunpowder workshop has been reduced to ashes, and all the gunpowder exploded and was destroyed. As for casualties, they are still being tallied. My subordinate officers and soldiers are still searching and rescuing in the fire scene."

"How is the public sentiment?" Emperor Liu asked again.

"The survivors who escaped have been temporarily settled in the surrounding area. I have also urgently assembled a batch of food, drinking water, and medical supplies for relief. The prefectural office has also posted notices to reassure the people. At present, the martial law is properly enforced, and there is no trouble for the moment."

Listening to his account, Emperor Liu pondered for a moment, then wearily waved his hand: "Go and handle the aftermath properly!"

"Yes!" Seeing that Emperor Liu had not harshly rebuked him, Liu Jichang was even somewhat surprised. Even a scolding would have been better — this kind of attitude left him feeling unsettled instead.

Emperor Liu then turned his gaze to the grim-faced Han Tong and said directly without preamble: "The workshops and storehouses in Yanqing Ward are under the management of your Ministry of War. With such a mess occurring, whether it was an accident or deliberate sabotage by thieves, you bear primary responsibility! This matter must be investigated to the bottom!"

"I beg Your Majesty to allow your minister to investigate thoroughly before coming to plead guilty!" Han Tong bowed and said.

"This matter, I will send someone to investigate. Your Ministry of War need only cooperate. Keep a close watch on all the officials and clerks involved. If any more mistakes occur, I will hold you accountable first!" Emperor Liu said coldly.

"Yes!" Han Tong responded with a grave expression. In his heart he lamented — at his advanced age, he still had to suffer such fright. Once this matter passed, he should retire to his hometown as soon as possible, and incidentally make room for his son to rise.

"For the aftermath and comforting the people, the Crown Prince shall go along as well!" Emperor Liu then said to Liu Yang.

Liu Yang was quite calm, cupping his hands and saying, "Your minister was just thinking the same!"

The several men left one after another. Dawn was approaching, and the darkness outside the hall had faded considerably. Before long, Wang Ji'en, Commissioner of the Palace City, came to see His Majesty. Emperor Liu looked at him and, without any delay, got straight to the point: "I give you full authority. Go investigate for me. Find a result, give me an accounting, give the court an accounting, and give the people of the Eastern Capital an accounting!"

Emperor Liu's attitude was decisive, and Wang Ji'en was equally swift and resolute. Without wasting words, he accepted the order and left. In fact, he had already prepared for the investigation — his personnel were fully assembled. Now that the fire was under control, it was time for his Palace City Office to step in. Li Chongju was still within the passes, and this was precisely a good opportunity for their Palace City Office.

In fact, the explosion case was not complicated. It was simply that during the final phase of the workshop relocation, safety management of the gunpowder storehouse had gone wrong. The Palace City Office made a great show of solemnity, conducting interrogations and investigations with much fanfare — from surviving officials and clerks, to workshop management, to surrounding households, and even some key personnel directly under the Ministry of War were summoned for questioning...

After on-site inspection and the interrogation of several hundred people, this simple conclusion was reached. Within the office, the adopted son Wang Shouzhong was reporting the results, and the report was quite detailed.

However, Wang Ji'en's mind was wandering. He was still pondering the words Emperor Liu had spoken when giving the order. Only after Wang Shouzhong finished reporting did Wang Ji'en ask, "According to what you say, this incident was caused solely by the negligence of the remaining officials and poor management?"

Wang Shouzhong nodded: "Based on multiple investigations, the conclusion reached should be so!"

Wang Ji'en's brows immediately knitted together, and he said, "You want me to take this kind of result to report to His Majesty?"

Catching the implication, Wang Shouzhong cautiously requested, "Does Father mean we should implicate further up the chain? If so, how should we proceed? Please instruct me, Father."

This kind of matter was something the Palace City Office was skilled at and familiar with. They had done plenty of it in the past, and now they would have no psychological burden about it either.

However, Wang Ji'en shook his head: "Further up — are we to drag Duke Shangdang into it? He is one of His Majesty's old ministers, long trusted, and has never had any friction with me."

"Then what does Father intend?"

"Fabricate something — say it was Tangut remnants causing trouble?" Wang Ji'en said flatly.

Wang Shouzhong was startled at this and said hurriedly, "This... this would be deceiving the emperor!"

If it were seizing an opportunity to stir up trouble or riding the waves, the Palace City Office was accustomed to that. But this kind of fabricating something from nothing — the nature of it was entirely different.

Seeing this, Wang Ji'en chuckled lightly and said, "As for His Majesty, I will naturally report the truth as it is. This report of yours is meant for the court and for all under heaven to see. I now understand—what His Majesty meant by an explanation is roughly this."