Chapter 107: Entrusting the Orphan

Xing's expression did not change, and he said flatly: "This matter no longer concerns you. Return to Fengyang as soon as possible."

Li Jinyan, however, would not agree. Standing outside the sedan chair, he said solemnly: "Lord Zhao, I am not exaggerating to frighten you. When my grandfather was alive, they would show some restraint. Now that my grandfather has passed, the grain transport is scattered like loose sand, and the affairs running north and south are of great consequence—they will not easily let this go..."

Xing's face twitched slightly. How could he not know all this? Although most of the Donglin Faction came from the gentry clans of Jiangnan, the Jiangnan gentry were not a single monolithic block. The Zhejiang faction, the Suzhou faction, and the Huizhou faction were intricately entangled, ceaselessly contending against one another for their own power for decades without pause.

Still, he would not explain too much to a junior. His tone carried authority as he said: "This is no business for you young folk. Return early."

Wu Shan understood the situation and, without further ado, moved to pull Li Jinyan away. "Young Master Li, our master will handle this. You had best return early."

Li Jinyan shouted as he was dragged away: "Lord Zhao, everything I said is true! If you do not strike first, they will come after you!"

After seeing Li Jinyan off, Xing let out a sigh. His temples throbbed painfully, and he closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down.

Before long, Wu Shan walked back and stood beside the sedan chair. After a moment's deliberation, he said: "Master, news has just arrived—the Embroidered Uniform Guard has also taken all the ledgers, correspondence, and approval documents concerning grain transport that the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works have kept over the years."

Xing's expression shifted slightly, turning grave: "They moved this fast... wait, all of them? Did the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue both hand everything over obediently?"

Wu Shan glanced around and said in a low voice: "It is still the residual authority of that young prince. The Ministry of Works reportedly handed over everything. At the Ministry of Revenue, Lord Fu Changzong happened to be in the office and deliberately delayed matters—the important documents may not have been handed over."

Only then did Xing nod slightly. The Ministry of Revenue managed money and grain and was, by protocol, the superior department of grain transport, and thus its relationship was the closest. If anyone wanted to make a move in the grain transport sphere, the first place to start was the Ministry of Revenue!

Wu Shan was also pondering. He knew that grain transport involved too much—at the slightest stir, it would alarm the great lords at court. He believed that countless people were already writing memorials, preparing impeachments.

As for who those memorials would impeach, one first had to see who bore grudges against whom, whose grievances were greater and whose lesser, then judge who could be swept in along the way and who could be viciously trampled.

The Luo residence.

Luo Sigong lay on his bed, his face pale, coughing from time to time.

A young man who was a Chiliarch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stood before the bed, his bearing respectful, his body slightly bowed.

Luo Sigong took a handkerchief, wiped his mouth, and let out a breath: "I underestimated this Prince Hui."

The young man remained bowed, his face expressionless throughout.

Luo Sigong gazed at the white gauze canopy, his eyes calm. Between coughs, he spoke slowly: "What will become of this Great Ming, I can no longer discern. In ancient times, the Sui dynasty did not last a hundred years before it fell, while the Tang enjoyed three hundred years of dynastic fortune. The former Yuan was the same. Our Great Ming's dynastic fortune has already exceeded two hundred years—whether it can hold out to three hundred remains an unknown."

Having said this, he glanced at the young man and asked: "Do you know why I gave you the name Zonghan?"

The young man raised his head slightly but remained bowed as he said: "You wish for the Great Ming to experience a restoration, like the Han dynasty."

Luo Sigong nodded slightly: "I am not the only one who thinks this way—there are few among the civil and military officials at court who do not. It is only that our Great Ming, by now, has rotted in every place that could rot; there is not a single clean spot. Every one of those senior ministers at court is weighed down by private motives. Even those who appear to act for the state and the people always take the opportunity to profit for themselves, for their clans, and for their partisans."

The young man still said nothing, merely listening quietly.

Luo Sigong continued: "The Emperor—he is not a wise sovereign, but neither can he be called a benighted one. He has some ideas of his own, only, he is constrained at every turn throughout the court, and it is hard not to feel disheartened."

"Cough, cough, cough—"

Luo Sigong suddenly coughed violently. It was a long while before he steadied himself. He wiped the corner of his mouth, his chest heaving, and said: "Ah, when a man nears death, he talks too much. Enough of this. You are an extremely intelligent man—you should not be following a half-dead man like me."

The young man looked up at Luo Sigong and, seeming to hesitate for a moment, said: "Rest assured, my lord. Once this matter is concluded, I will go south and never cross the river for the rest of my life."

Luo Sigong waved his hand: "That is not what I mean. I intend to introduce you to Prince Hui. Perhaps, with him, you may find a way to avenge yourself."

The young man was taken aback: "Your subordinate does not understand. I beg you to enlighten me."

Luo Sigong let out a laugh, and within that laugh seemed to hide boundless wisdom. Slowly he said: "You do not understand only because your experience is insufficient—not because you lack intelligence. Prince Hui's move this time conceals many things. Even I cannot see through it all at once, but in the end it cannot be done without the help of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. When Yangxing returns, have him tell Prince Hui that I wish to meet him."

The young man looked at Luo Sigong's aged features and the white at his temples, and his expressionless face shifted slightly.

From Luo Sigong's words, he understood—Luo Sigong was entrusting his legacy.

The next day, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Zhu Xu dressed himself neatly and sat at the doorway, holding a large bowl of shaved ice with watermelon. He ate while gazing smilingly toward the direction of the Hall of Golden Chimes.

He knew the temperaments of those great lords at court very well. Since he had given them an opening and they had caught the scent of blood, there was no reason they would not pounce to sniff it out, then bite down hard.

Logically, the center of this matter should have been grain transport. But Zhu Xu likewise understood that the great lords, who had cultivated the art of shifting blame to perfection, would soon turn this into factional strife. In the end, either one side would yield, both would compromise, and all would be pleased—or they would fight to the death, never ceasing until both sides were ruined.

Naturally, the final verdict still rested in the hands of his imperial brother. But such a verdict would, for the most part, depend on how the great lords framed the matter. For Zhu Youxiao's understanding of grain transport was scarcely better than that of any ordinary commoner pulled at random off the street.

The reason Zhu Xu smiled was that no matter how those great lords acted, the matter had already been opened up, and a conclusion was inevitable. That conclusion had to display the court's "openness and uprightness" and likewise demonstrate the great lords' "loyalty and integrity in serving the state."

And so, someone was bound to suffer misfortune, and interests would have to be yielded.

Zhu Xu did not care how the great lords at court maneuvered or how they fooled Zhu Youxiao—if they could not satisfy his appetite, then the matter naturally would not be finished.

"Your Highness, be careful not to catch cold."

Yao Qingqing walked out from inside and placed a blanket over Zhu Xu's legs, speaking softly.

Zhu Xu pressed down the blanket, turned to look at her, and said with a smile: "Sister Qingqing, if someone were going to send you silver, how much would you ask for?"

Yao Qingqing was startled for a moment. She had always regarded silver lightly, and she shook her head slightly: "Your servant has no need for silver."

Zhu Xu nodded with a beaming smile: "Well said. I don't want silver—I want ships!"