Chapter 235: The Emperor and the Minister: A Game of Loyalty and Treachery

The Zhou imperial palace, Qianyang Palace.

The vast hall felt eerily empty; the gray-black capital bricks reflected a cold, faint sheen.

The last time Jia Cong entered Qianyang Palace was to present to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao his strategy for establishing a firearms regiment, and his proposal had been greatly praised by the emperor.

The Minister of War, Gu Yan, and Marquis Marquis Jingjing Shi Ding had enthusiastically recommended him for office; even Guo Lin, who constantly attended the emperor, had worn a warm smile—back then, the atmosphere in Qianyang Palace had been so gentle.

But today's Qianyang Palace was utterly different; the moment Jia Cong stepped through the palace door, he sensed an oppressive, unnatural tension.

He did not raise his head to meet Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's gaze, only glancing briefly at Guo Lin, who stood beside the emperor.

He saw Guo Lin standing there, eyes lowered, not even looking his way, radiating coldness and distance.

Jia Cong's heart tightened—he knew Guo Lin, the deputy director of the eunuch bureau, was the emperor's barometer; this behavior told him everything.

"Your servant, Assistant Clerk Jia Cong, bows before Your Majesty."

All of this was to prepare for the future!

He had sent Qu Qu Hongxiu to distribute porridge to refugees outside the city and taken in numerous orphans to raise, all to build the Xiu Niang Perfume Shop's reputation for virtue among the common folk, as a shield.

After purchasing the tea house, he opened a women's dormitory to create a channel for gossip and public opinion.

Fortunately, over these three years, Qu Qu Hongxiu had completely severed ties with the Hidden Gate and had spent considerable effort on her identity, and three years were enough to obscure all visible risks.

Since they had come together, he naturally had to protect her fully, even if the dangers were unpredictable.

And all of this was to prepare for the eventual exposure of the Xiu Niang Perfume Shop, to plug every gap and fix every flaw.

It was merely that the emperor had sensed some irregularities in the Zhang Shou'an case, but had not uncovered its true mechanism—otherwise, the scene before him would not be this one.

He had been with Qu Qu Hongxiu for three years; she had taught him skills and shared hardship with him—he could not emotionally sever their bond.

"Recently, Zhang Shou'an conspired with noble families to harm the Xiu Niang Perfume Shop, provoking furious public outcry and drawing the court's attention. There are many suspicious points. I have reviewed the official case documents from your ministry—this matter is deeply tied to you!"

He had also sent Qu Qu Hongxiu to Jin Ling to prepare a branch shop and transferred part of the assets as a precaution.

As the perfume shop's business grew larger, once the first wave of opportunists coveted and seized it, a second and third wave would follow—he would never entertain any Lady Jiao Xing.

In truth, this was no surprise to him; a shop or two selling perfumes, relying on refined extraction techniques and unusual sales methods, thriving so wildly—how could it avoid arousing greed?

A low, solemn voice came from the imperial throne, carrying a power that shook the soul.

Yet Jia Zhen and Jia Rong's sudden, brutal seizure of the perfume-making secret through Zhen'an Prefecture had indeed caught him off guard, and had greatly accelerated the exposure of the Xiu Niang Perfume Shop.

He had also carefully discussed with Qu Qu Hongxiu how to handle her past identity within the Hidden Gate—for both of them, this carried the greatest hidden danger.

From that moment on, he had begun a series of preparations.

Ever since before the provincial examination, when Qu Qu Hongxiu told him someone had approached the shop about investing, the signs of covetousness had already appeared.

I ask you: what is your connection to the Xiu Niang Perfume Shop? Is it secretly owned by you under another's name?"

"Do you know why I summoned you to the palace?"

Jia Cong replied respectfully: "Your servant does not know."

Jia Cong's heart jolted—he now understood why Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao had summoned him.

Because in this world, that is how it is: the powerful dominate, the weak are devoured, the cunning seize by force; those who hide gold and jade are doomed.

So he must find a permanent, one-time solution for the enterprise he had carefully built.

From the moment he rescued people from Zhen'an Prefecture, he had begun spreading information and stoking public opinion—not merely to eliminate risks like Zhang Shou'an, but precisely to achieve that ultimate goal.

Though this carried risk, he had carefully calculated it: even if sharp-eyed observers sensed something amiss, they would find it nearly impossible to uncover the true mechanism.

It was nothing more than an imbalance of information—using intent to exploit unawareness, the darkest place being right under the lamp, victory sought through peril!

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was always deep and suspicious; his reaction was no surprise to Jia Cong.

"Your Majesty, I am still an unestablished youth of the Lady Rongguo Mansion; according to clan rules, I may not accumulate private property. Three years ago, I Ouran met the owner of the Xiu Niang Perfume Shop, Lady Qu, who had come alone to the capital to make a living.

Though she was financially destitute, she possessed a kind and tender heart, raising several homeless orphans—this deeply impressed me. I gave her the perfume-making secret I had devised after studying ancient texts.

So that Lady Qu and the orphans she raised could earn a living through perfume-making—thus the Xiu Niang Perfume Shop came to be. This shop is truly her property, not my private asset."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao exclaimed: "Oh? So you created the perfume-making secret?"

Yet Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao did not dwell on this point.

Jia Cong had always been inventive—he had devised a meticulous firearms strategy and improved the Lu Mi musket; it was natural he could devise a perfume-making secret as well.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao continued: "Even if it is not your private asset, it is still deeply entangled with you. Zhang Shou'an abused power and harmed the people—he deserved his fate.

But you rescued the female manager of the Xiu Niang Perfume Shop; she did not immediately report to the Dalisi, but waited several days, until public outrage had swelled beyond control, before suddenly filing her complaint.

This move escalated the situation to its peak and cut off all escape routes for Zhang Shou'an. Such a skillful manipulation of momentum and timing—I cannot believe a simple market woman possesses such cunning!"

Hmph! You, the top scholar of the provincial examination, brilliant and talented—have you learned these scheming tactics only to use them here? That woman was instructed by you to delay her report to the Dalisi for several days!

Jia Cong, how bold you are! You dare exploit public dissent to control official actions, seek to manipulate state power, and use public office to settle personal grudges—this is political disruption! What punishment do you deserve?"

"You think you can deceive the officials of the Three Judicial Departments? You think you can deceive me? You vastly underestimate the world!"

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's voice grew ever harsher, each word echoing hollowly through the empty hall, thick with fury and murderous intent, as if it could devour the soul.

Cold sweat broke involuntarily across Jia Cong's back—the sensation of life and death hanging on another's whim was suffocating.

The air froze like ice. From the throne came a slow, chilling question: "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was naturally unfeeling and suspicious—this temperament was not innate.

In his youth, his mother was exiled, he was neglected, unremarkable among the princes, unloved by his father, with no allies or supporters.

Yet he ascended the throne through extraordinary cunning, and securing it demanded immense effort; over time, this unfeeling, suspicious nature took root.

He despised ministers who schemed for private gain and tried to deceive him—thus since his ascension, he had vigorously strengthened the Zhongche Office and the Tui Shi Yuan as his personal arms and hounds to control court and realm.

Jia Cong's actions, though not violating state law, violated his inner taboos—that was why he was so enraged.

Jia Cong knelt prostrate, mind focused, slightly lifting his head, his voice trembling slightly: "Your Majesty, your wisdom illuminates all. I am ashamed. On that day, I was utterly repulsed by Zhang Shou'an's cruelty against the innocent.

The owner of the Xiu Niang Perfume Shop, Qu Qu Hongxiu, is inherently kind; even in her poverty, she performed good deeds. After building her fortune through perfume-making, she further distributed wealth to aid others—not only supporting refugees outside the city.

She also rented a mansion in the western quarter to raise over a dozen orphans; the Xiu Niang Perfume Shop's reputation for virtue spread throughout the western district.

Such a virtuous and righteous merchant—Zhang Shou'an, a governor entrusted with the people's welfare, instead of protecting and promoting her, conspired with nobles to oppress and destroy her, corrupting the state's moral order.

Though I hold a lowly office, I am still a loyal subject of the Great Zhou—I could not stand idly by. I longed to personally eliminate him. That is why I resorted to these transgressive acts.

Now that Zhang Shou'an has been punished, I willingly accept my guilt. I humbly beg Your Majesty, in recognition of my fervent desire to eradicate evil, to grant me further grace—I offer to atone for my offense."

Upon hearing that Lady Qu of the Xiu Niang Perfume Shop had performed such virtuous deeds, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's expression softened slightly—emperors throughout history had always been relatively lenient toward merchants who distributed wealth for good.

Though Jia Cong's methods against Zhang Shou'an were dark, if done to protect such a righteous merchant, they merited some leniency.

He asked again: "Since you acknowledge your guilt, how do you propose to atone for it?"

Typing note: one more chapter tonight—please drop a vote if you have one, thank you.

(End of chapter)