Chapter 1970: Playing the Villain for Nothing

"You're saying it was the Crown Prince who suppressed Wang Yucheng's memorial?" Perhaps it was the lingering chill of early spring, Emperor Liu's voice always carried a sinister undertone that made one's scalp crawl.

Inside Chuigong Hall, the space felt emptier than usual; the palace eunuchs and maids had been deliberately sent away to serve from a distance, including the chief eunuch Yan Tuo, who could only stand several zhang away, straining his ears to listen intently.

The only one remaining before the imperial presence was Wang Ji'en, Commissioner of the Palace City, who had claimed to have a secret report—but no one expected that the moment he opened his mouth, Emperor Liu would be startled. And Wang Ji'en, who was constantly watching Emperor Liu's reaction, felt his heart drop; he sensed that the emperor's response was somewhat strange, carrying a terror beyond what he had anticipated.

But an arrow loosed from the bow cannot be recalled, and having opened this topic, there was no room to retract it. Setting aside further deliberation, he immediately replied: "To answer Your Majesty, it is absolutely true. This servant investigated the time when Wang Yucheng's first memorial was submitted to the Hall of State Affairs, and the records show that at the time of its submission, both the Crown Prince and Chancellor Zhao were present."

"The Crown Prince and Zhao Pu were both present—what does that prove?" Emperor Liu said in a flat tone.

"At that time, the Crown Prince and Chancellor Zhao even discussed this memorial; someone heard it with their own ears," Wang Ji'en said.

However, no sooner had these words left his mouth than he met Emperor Liu's stern interrogation: "Who? How did you manage to investigate the internal affairs of the Hall of State Affairs? And who was it that revealed these details to you?"

Facing the old emperor's questioning, Wang Ji'en stammered somewhat: "This servant merely gathered it through indirect inquiries and probing—"

"Are you taking me for a senile old fool?" Emperor Liu no longer suppressed his anger, berating him: "Indirect inquiries, yet you managed to ascertain even the exact time the memorial was submitted? Before my very face, you still dare to fob me off with lies?"

"Your Majesty, calm your wrath! This servant would never dare!" Seeing Emperor Liu's outburst, Wang Ji'en no longer dared to hedge and decisively sold out his source: "To answer Your Majesty, it was Secretariat Drafter Chen Xiangyu who revealed this matter to this servant."

Upon receiving the answer, Emperor Liu suddenly reined in all his imposing aura, merely staring coldly at Wang Ji'en. Yet after a brief silence, Emperor Liu erupted, casually picking up a paperweight from the desk and hurling it toward the hall, striking Wang Ji'en precisely on the head.

Though Emperor Liu was advanced in years, this sudden strike came with fierce force, immediately splitting Wang Ji'en's head open and drawing blood. Under the pain, he instinctively wanted to let out a miserable cry, but Wang Ji'en forcibly suppressed it, swallowing it down as a muffled grunt.

His head still reeling, his left eye's vision obscured by a curtain of red, he wanted to explain himself further, but Emperor Liu had already risen to his feet, raging at Wang Ji'en: "You have quite the audacity—consorting with court officials, planting your eyes and ears all the way into the Hall of State Affairs!

With a single secret report, you've dragged the Crown Prince and the Chief Chancellor into it—what are you trying to imply, what are your intentions?

I warned you long ago to restrain yourself, restrain yourself! To this very day, you still throw your weight around outside, still not knowing your bounds. I have already been extraordinarily lenient out of consideration for your decades of service, yet you still lack self-awareness and dare to come before me sowing discord!"

This torrent of reprimand from Emperor Liu threw Wang Ji'en into utter terror. He had never imagined such a reaction would come. Ignoring everything else, even the bleeding wound, he immediately kowtowed without cease, pounding the floor with dull thuds.

"This servant is guilty!

"This servant knows his error!

"I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!

"I will never dare to do it again!"

""

Watching Wang Ji'en kowtow until he was dizzy and barely conscious, Emperor Liu finally interrupted him, his tone still cold: "Enough! Do you intend to dirty my great hall as well?"

By force of habit, Wang Ji'en kowtowed three more times before stopping, but by then he was thoroughly disoriented, yet he instinctively continued to thank Emperor Liu: "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Zhang Dejun! Let me remind you once more—my tolerance has its limits, and the bond between master and servant also has its depths. Do not bring ruin upon yourself!" Gazing down at Wang Ji'en at his feet with an expressionless face, Emperor Liu continued in a cold tone.

"Yes! Yes! This servant will surely keep Your Majesty's lesson in mind and never repeat the offense!" At this point, whatever Emperor Liu said, Wang Ji'en could only respond in this manner.

In the past, when Emperor Liu continued to address him as "Zhang Dejun," Wang Ji'en had found it somewhat awkward, but now he felt fortunate, for it could vaguely be seen as a sign that Emperor Liu cherished old ties.

It had to be said, Wang Ji'en was truly frightened. He had served Emperor Liu for decades and had been scolded before, but the reprimand he received today was the harshest in all his memory, even making Wang Ji'en feel a chill at the back of his neck.

"Get out!" Emperor Liu's demeanor clearly said he had no desire to speak further with him.

"This servant takes his leave! This servant takes his leave!" Wang Ji'en felt as if he had received a pardon, showing not a trace of reluctance as he clutched his head and hurried backward, as if fleeing the gates of hell.

Standing several zhang away, Yan Tuo watched his old rival in such a sorry state, feeling secretly delighted, as if warm spring sunlight had shone into his heart. A secret report? He thought he could curry favor and win praise—things didn't go as he wished, did they?

Still, what exactly had that old dog Wang Ji'en done to incur His Majesty's great wrath? Yan Tuo pondered silently. He had been too far away to hear clearly, but it seemed to involve the Crown Prince and Chancellor Zhao?

While speculating, Yan Tuo did not forget to arrange for the filthy bloodstains Wang Ji'en had left behind to be cleaned up, while he himself cautiously edged forward, speaking with fawning care: "Your Majesty, calm your wrath—do not let that old slave anger you into harming your imperial health!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu abruptly turned his head, staring fixedly at Yan Tuo. Yan Tuo was also startled; in his eyes, the old emperor's gaze seemed to flicker with a few threads of scarlet light.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Emperor Liu said in a low voice.

Yan Tuo's legs went weak, and he fell to his knees with a thud, nearly swearing an oath: "This servant would never dare! It's only that I saw Your Majesty enraged and worried for your imperial health!"

"When was I ever angry?" Emperor Liu asked in return.

This was somewhat unreasonable, but he was the emperor—could Yan Tuo argue? Cold sweat streamed down his forehead as he knelt there, stammering without words.

Of course Emperor Liu was angry, but even he could hardly articulate why. Was it Wang Ji'en's "audacious recklessness"? Perhaps not. The more fundamental reason likely lay in the matter Wang Ji'en had reported, and such a secret report was difficult to fabricate. This chief eunuch wielded great power and had considerable nerve, but he had not yet reached the point of daring to deceive Emperor Liu on such matters.

Even if Wang Ji'en wished to play Su Wen, the old emperor was not necessarily Emperor Wu. And the more violently Emperor Liu reacted, the more it meant he believed the accusation in his heart. It was simply that Emperor Liu did not wish to pursue the matter further.

Otherwise, if he traced it to its roots, then first and foremost Zhao Pu would be suspected of deceiving the sovereign—he was the man Emperor Liu relied upon to control the overall tax reform. The nationwide tax reform was currently advancing and had reached the stage of producing real results; the upper echelons of the court absolutely could not afford turmoil.

If the Crown Prince were dragged into it as well, the matter would become even more enormous—the very foundation of the state would be shaken!

But with Emperor Liu's current suspicious nature, how could he not wonder why Zhao Pu would take responsibility for this matter on behalf of the Crown Prince, and how could he not be wary of the threat posed by the entanglement between the Chief Chancellor and the Crown Prince?

Given Zhao Pu's current open and upright demeanor, Emperor Liu did not believe he would pose any threat to himself, or even commit acts that would tarnish his late years. But once the Crown Prince was involved, Emperor Liu had to take it seriously.

With doubts weighing heavily on his mind yet unwilling to make a great fuss, as multiple thoughts interwove, the negative emotions that erupted naturally had to be borne by none other than the informer Wang Ji'en...