Chapter 2137: Taizong Chronicles 5: Andong Is Not at Peace

In Wansui Hall, Emperor Liu Wenji reclined lazily on the dragon bed, his posture looking quite comfortable, his face focused and intent. What he held in his hands were not policy documents or state approvals, but the various secret archives that the Palace City Office and the Wude Office had collected over many years.

The archives gathered by the two offices through more than half a century of surveillance, investigation, collection, and organization could be said to encompass everything—covering virtually all affairs and public sentiment throughout the empire since the Qianyou era, recording the words and deeds of nobles and officials great and small, with many private words and secret matters that could not be shared with others all reflected therein.

In the propaganda of the Pacification Commission, many founding heroes and meritorious veterans were invariably portrayed as heroes and elites of their time who bore the world in their hearts, held lofty aspirations, were loyal and righteous, steadfast and fearless (of course, those who had already fallen from grace and been punished were excluded). Each of them carried a trace of the "greatness" and "loyalty" bestowed by their era.

However, if the things collected by the Palace City and Wude offices were to be exposed, the images of many meritorious officials and honored nobles would collapse. Beneath that splendid and gleaming garment called "founding hero," there was no shortage of filthy and sordid deeds, of scheming and scrambling. Even the late "most loyal" Grand Preceptor Yang Ye had no lack of instances of favoritism in his past words and deeds.

Of course, no man is perfect, and there cannot be perfect men in this world. For Emperor Liu Wenji, what he needed was merely to seek from these "truthful" messages those things that were useful to him.

Having read through them over the recent period, all sorts of emotions naturally welled up in Liu Wenji's heart, and the strongest among them—or rather, the most puzzling—was this: with such a "sharp weapon" at hand, how had the late Emperor Kangzong managed to place himself in such an awkward position during his reign?

The fact was that during his eight years on the throne, Kangzong had never once thought to look at these precious, secret archives. Nor did he have the patience to read such dry and boring things. If he had been so inclined, listening to reports from the two offices would have sufficed.

The archival system of the Great Han Empire had undergone several rounds of changes and improvements over the past few decades, but in terms of strictness and security, the Palace City and Wude offices were absolutely at the forefront of all the empire's ministries and bureaus.

One should know that the archive repositories of the Palace City and Wude offices were not only fortified with impenetrable walls of bronze and iron, with strict and even harsh entry-and-exit regulations, but were also dangerous territory where unauthorized intruders could be executed on the spot.

All the guards were managed independently within the two offices. Even the Commissioner of the Palace City and the Commissioner of the Wude Office could not enter and exit at will, nor did they have the qualifications to browse or access certain case files. This was also one of the so-called "taboos" of the two offices.

It had taken decades, and the cost of hundreds upon hundreds of heads and lives, to form such a strict archival management system. And the only person who could freely access the archives was the emperor.

The vast legacy left by Shizu and Taizong, though much of it had been squandered by Kangzong, remained substantial for Liu Wenji. It also constantly led Liu Wenji to reflect on "the failings of Kangzong," silently reminding himself to take it as a warning. And every time such reflection reached its end, he could not help but curse under his breath—how lost and deluded would he, Liu Wenji, have to become to end up like Kangzong?

"Your Majesty, Commissioner of the Palace City Cai Jing requests an audience!" Just as he was earnestly "savoring" the documents, the palace eunuch director Zheng Kang came to report.

Zheng Kang was the adopted son raised in the palace by the former eunuch director Zheng Yuan. Quick-witted and experienced, he had been recommended by Zheng Yuan to the emperor. Liu Wenji accepted him and had him succeed to the post of eunuch director, serving at the imperial side. Cai Jing, meanwhile, was a eunuch who had served Liu Wenji closely since his days in the princely residence, and had taken up the Palace City Office in accordance with precedent.

One additional note: the man who succeeded Lin Te in managing the Wude Office was named Zheng Xiu, son of Zheng Qi, a famed minister of the Kaibao era and former Administration Commissioner of Liaodong and Hedong. Zheng Xiu had previously succeeded Wang Qinruo as Director of the Jianghai Bureau, managing customs and taxation at Jianghai. And that position of Director of the Jianghai Bureau naturally connected him to Liu Wenji.

Before long, Commissioner of the Palace City Cai Jing entered for an audience and performed the great ritual upon seeing the emperor. Cai Jing had come to report to the emperor on the investigation into "the public opinion incident triggered by the death of the Prince of Wu." Judging by his demeanor, he had clearly already found something.

"The various threads of evidence ultimately point to a Jiaodong merchant named Zhu Wuxing. Your subordinate's men pursued him with great effort, but by the time they located him, he had already committed suicide by poison. I have already dispatched capable officers and men from the office to Jiaodong to continue the investigation from his hometown!" Facing the emperor's scrutinizing gaze, Cai Jing reported respectfully.

After hearing the report, Liu Wenji narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a flat tone: "A Jiaodong merchant, daring to spread rumors about an imperial clansman and prince, insulting the majesty of the Heavenly House—this is the conclusion you give me?"

Sensing the emperor's displeased tone, Cai Jing could not help but kneel and quickly explained: "Your subordinate would not dare deceive Your Majesty, and can only speak the truth. This investigation has indeed only reached its current step. Your subordinate also knows that there must be sinister and treacherous individuals with rebellious hearts manipulating things in the shadows, but the villains are cunning and swift in their actions, and we only managed to catch hold of Zhu Wuxing's tail. Your subordinate—"

"Keep investigating!" Liu Wenji did not wish to hear his explanation and directly commanded.

"Yes!" Cai Jing hurriedly acknowledged. Noticing the emperor's grave expression, he hesitated briefly, then gritted his teeth and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, while investigating Zhu Wuxing's past background, your subordinates learned from a Liaodong merchant that this man had previously been engaged in the timber business in the state of Andong. This matter has not yet been verified as true or false, and I do not know—"

One could clearly observe that upon hearing this detail, the expression on the emperor's face changed. Glancing at Cai Jing, who maintained a cautious posture, Liu Wenji pondered for a long while before speaking in a flat tone: "Since there is a lead, then continue pursuing it. Dig deep and investigate thoroughly, until you find the mastermind behind it all!"

"I shall obey the sacred edict!" Cai Jing's spirits immediately lifted. He had weighed things beforehand and known that such a report carried some risk, but judging by the emperor's attitude, he had clearly gambled successfully.

Liu Wenji thought for a moment, then instructed further: "You have only recently taken charge of the Palace City Office, and for this investigation to have made its current progress, you have indeed exerted yourself diligently. The affairs of the Palace City Office are very important—be attentive in all things, strive in all matters. Compared to this matter, your more important duty is to familiarize yourself with and straighten out the office's affairs, and make up for me the time that was neglected during the previous emperor's reign!"

"Yes!" Cai Jing acknowledged.

"I will write you a note shortly, to draw one hundred thousand strings of cash from the Court of the Imperial Treasury, as funding for you to reorganize the office's affairs and carry out surveillance!" Liu Wenji instructed: "Does the Palace City Office not operate some industries under it? Remember, at appropriate times, you may conduct business in the three vassal states of Andong, Anxi, and Annam."

"Your subordinate accepts the decree!" Without hesitation, Cai Jing acknowledged, and only then silently pondered the imperial intent. As he was taking his leave, Liu Wenji called Cai Jing back. After a moment of deliberation, in an unusually grave tone, he instructed: "One more matter—handle it immediately. Reorganize the secret archives stored in the Palace City Office's archive room. Those from the Yongxi era onward shall be preserved. As for all secret archives from before Yongxi, and all records involving deceased founding heroes—destroy them all!"

During this period of reading through the secret archives, while his eyes were opened wide and he was filled with admiration, Liu Wenji also felt a deep chill in his heart. These things were a sharp weapon for the emperor, but equally so for others.

Should they fall into the hands of those of a different sort, overturning the rule with them was hardly realistic, but inciting chaos was quite possible. Things that exposed the secrets of the empire's nobles—including top-tier nobles—were both important and dangerous.

Shizu could use them without any scruples, and Taizong could also wield them with ease. Then he, Liu Wenji, while making use of them, also had to guard against the major political risks contained in these secret archives that involved so many powerful nobles.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Liu Wenji decided that he should still take some measures on the existing foundation. Some things truly involved the face of the upper ruling class. Things that could not see the light should simply be allowed to perish.

Although Liu Wenji had been emperor for less than half a year, he already possessed the makings of a true sovereign, as reflected in his use of the Palace City Office and the two offices. What he guarded against were only the people and affairs that threatened imperial power and shook the empire's rule. Whether the core ruling class was corrupt in governance, overstepping regulations, breaking the law, or harming the people—these were merely pretexts and means for rectifying the state and reassuring the populace.

So it was with the Palace City Office, and so too with the Wude Office. As the emperor's will was conveyed downward, the two vast imperial intelligence agencies were also about to undergo a transformation. Though the Duan'gong Emperor sat upright and still in Wansui Hall, his ability to control the state was accumulating and settling in ways unknown to outsiders, through subtle and imperceptible means, until it became solid.

"Andong..." Standing before the map, Liu Wenji stared fixedly at the position of the state of Andong, murmuring to himself.

Among the Great Han's many vassal states, though Andong's location and climate were not particularly good, it was absolutely the one with the most expansive territory, occupying nearly the entire outer northeastern region of the empire.

If the Andong of the past had been merely a hollow shell, then by now, after more than forty years of development under two generations—father Liu Xu and son Liu Wenyuan—it had gained substance. It was like a tumor that had grown on the empire's map, growing larger and larger, heavier and heavier, and more and more burdensome.

During the Kangzong era, anyone who paid careful attention to matters of Andong would notice one thing: this vassal state "within arm's reach" was becoming increasingly hazy and indistinct to the empire.

This Liu-Han kingdom, which had regained the title of "Flourishing State of the Eastern Sea," had unknowingly become shrouded in a thick fog. Its population was unknown, its military unknown, its governance unknown, its production unknown.

And such a change was clearly not a good omen for the empire. At some point, communication between the central government and the state of Andong had been reduced to paper documents.

This time, had it not been for Kangzong's death, the King of Andong, Liu Wenyuan, would absolutely never have come to the capital in person. At most, when major events occurred, he would send some ministers and officials with gifts to conduct ceremonial state visits.

"Liu Wenyuan..." After pondering for a long while, Liu Wenji murmured again.

That the King of Andong was restless was no secret to the empire's upper echelons, especially during the eight years of Kangzong's reign. The Shuaibin incident back then was a concentrated manifestation of this.

Although that affair had ultimately ended with Andong offering apologies and backing down, along the Andong border, the officials, soldiers, merchants, and civilians belonging to the state of Andong had also become much more restrained. Under the stewardship of the Prince of Lu, Liu Ai, and the execution of Prefect of Shuaibin and Patrol Inspector of the Eastern Sea, Zeng Hui, the court had reconsolidated its control over Shuaibin Prefecture and its stranglehold on Andong's sea outlet.

But after Liu Ai, Zhang Qixian, and others were successively pushed out of the central government, the court gradually lost its attention to that northeastern corner, and the forces of Andong naturally made a comeback, continuing their encroachment.

Liu Wenji's attention had previously been focused on lying low and concealing his abilities. His understanding of the northeastern situation was only basic, and beyond that, it was a blank. But this incident had forced him to become vigilant. If the rumors in the capital had been secretly instigated from Andong, then—

As he thought in this direction, Liu Wenji's gaze unconsciously grew sharp.

"Summon someone—call the Minister of Personnel, Liu Jichang!"