Chapter 118: Covert Schemes

At the Southern Development Project, the construction site of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal's excavation, voices buzzed, a scene of busy activity.

Sang Hongyang wore plain official robes, surrounded by his entourage, attentively inspecting the project's progress.

He would pause to check the quality of building materials, then ask the responsible artisans for construction details, his brow slightly furrowed as he pondered how to ensure the project proceeded smoothly.

As he walked, Sang Hongyang suddenly noticed that Xu Wei, who should have been in charge of on-site construction, was nowhere to be seen.

Furthermore, thinking of how Sang Qian had been acting mysteriously these past few days, also avoiding him and not knowing what he was busy with.

A sense of unease rose in Sang Hongyang's heart; he hurriedly summoned a nearby servant and asked in a low voice, 'Where is Xu Wei? Why is he nowhere to be seen?'

The servant's face showed difficulty; after hesitating a moment, he replied tremblingly, 'Sir, Xu Wei was discovered cutting corners… he was bribed by the young master to have officials send him off to the frontier.'

What?

Sang Hongyang's eyes widened, his expression frozen instantly, and then a surge of anger flared up from his heart.

This unfilial son!

His hands clenched into fists, his body trembling slightly, he shouted loudly, 'This unfilial son! How dare he do something so reckless! Did he treat my previous words as wind in his ears?'

Sang Hongyang's face flushed red with anger, veins bulging on his forehead, he wished to immediately go back and settle accounts with Sang Qian.

Just as he was burning with anger, a messenger came running up, knelt on one knee, and reported loudly, 'Sir, it's terrible! Xu Wei's father is beating the drum to appeal grievance at the Ministry of Punishments.'

Sang Hongyang's heart tightened; his steps staggered, and he nearly fell.

He knew full well that if this blew up, not only would Sang Qian face severe punishment, but he himself could not escape responsibility, and the entire Sang family might plunge into irredeemable ruin.

'How is the situation now?' Sang Hongyang asked urgently, suppressing his inner panic.

The messenger continued, 'Fortunately, the old man did not go to Weiyang Palace but was at the Ministry of Punishments. Now, Minister of Punishments Zhang Tang, who is away on duty, had his old subordinate Wang Ban, a retainer of Lord Jin Riri, intercept Xu Wei's father and sent someone to inform you, sir.'

Sang Hongyang let out a long breath, but his worry did not lessen in the slightest.

He paced back and forth on the spot, considering how to respond to this sudden turn of events.

He knew that Xu Wei's father's act of beating the drum to appeal grievance was like a bomb that could explode at any moment; a little carelessness would trigger a huge crisis.

Moreover, the current situation left him unable to disengage.

'Quick, prepare the horse! I must rush to Lord Jin Riri's manor at once.' Sang Hongyang made a swift decision, turned, and told his attendants.

He mounted the horse and galloped all the way toward the direction of Jin Manor.

On the bustling streets of Everlasting Peace, the horse's hooves sounded urgent and panicked, kicking up dust.

Sang Hongyang rode on horseback, anxious as fire, his face full of worry and unease.

He clearly felt in his heart that this major mistake by Sang Qian was like a huge whirlpool, capable of dragging the entire Sang family into the abyss of irredeemable ruin at any moment.

Now, the only person who might be able to help him defuse this crisis is likely Lord Jin Riri.

Sang Hongyang whipped his horse to go faster, encountering no obstruction, and soon arrived at Lord Jin Riri's manor.

Before even stepping through the gate, he felt a tense, oppressive atmosphere pervading the manor, like the calm before a storm.

The guards at the gate had solemn expressions, their watchful gazes scanning the surroundings; they had clearly received the news and were standing ready.

Sang Hongyang took a deep breath, tried to calm himself, tidied his somewhat disheveled robes, and hurried into the manor.

Without needing to announce himself, a servant who had been waiting a long time led him into the manor's interior.

Upon seeing Lord Jin Riri, Sang Hongyang exchanged no pleasantries; his eyes revealed endless fatigue and worry as he bluntly laid out the full story of how Sang Qian had framed Xu Wei.

From Sang Qian's selfish scheming, using connections and means to sideline other participants, to framing Xu Wei for beating his wife, and then falsely accusing him of cutting corners to exile him to the frontier—every detail made him irritable beyond endurance.

He never imagined things would develop to this extent.

His voice trembled slightly, holding both anger at his son's inadequacy and fear of losing control of the situation.

Lord Jin Riri listened silently, his face growing graver, his brows locked together, his eyes revealing deep concern.

After hearing Sang Hongyang's account, he pondered for a moment and then said slowly, 'Brother Sang, in my view, this matter can no longer be concealed; truth will eventually leak out. You had better directly memorialize the emperor, confess honestly, and tell His Majesty the full story.'

'Perhaps the emperor, mindful of your years of service and great merits, will show leniency and give a light punishment. But if you continue to conceal it, once His Majesty discovers it, the consequences will be unthinkable.'

Sang Hongyang gave a bitter smile, shook his head, his face full of helplessness, his eyes revealing deep despair.

His hands clenched tightly, knuckles whitening from the force, his voice low and hoarse as he said, 'Lord Jin, you do not know: tomorrow is the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the official start of the Southern Development Project; His Majesty will personally be present at the site. This is a most important moment, and the entire court is watching it.'

'If we report this now, my previous cover-up for Sang Qian will surely be exposed. His Majesty has always been wise and martial, most despising officials who act out of self-interest and abuse their power.'

'I have committed such a grave error this time; I will surely not escape severe punishment. Not only will I be unable to protect myself, but I will also implicate the entire Sang family, destroying the glory of its generations in an instant.'

Having said that, Sang Hongyang fixed his gaze on Lord Jin Riri, his eyes revealing a hint of probing and suspicion.

He secretly thought to himself, 'Lord Jin Riri could clearly have taken Xu Wei's father before the emperor to uphold justice and clear Xu Wei's name, yet he did not do so; he must be harboring some ulterior motive. Surely he also wants to gain some benefits from the Southern Development Project, but has simply lacked the opportunity.'

At the same time, Sang Hongyang also keenly realized the severity of the current court situation.

Now, most of the officials in the court are Liu Ju's close associates and relatives, who rapidly rose to prominence after his accession and occupied important posts.

Many are veteran officials who served Liu Ju when he was crown prince; they are closely tied to him and loyal to the core.

Whereas the old officials from Emperor Wu of Han's era, after several turnovers and Liu Ju's suppression, have dwindled to almost none; now, only the two of them remain able to hold key positions in the court.

Furthermore, among the court's senior officials, their two ranks are the lowest, their positions precarious, and they could be pushed out at any time by the new upstarts.

Sang Hongyang pondered for a moment, then poured out all these worries, his voice filled with helplessness and emotion.