Chapter 25: Night of Guarding the Spirit

After Nine Thousand Years was escorted away by the Dragon Yang Army, the ministers of the Mei faction saw that the situation was beyond recovery.

Before Prime Minister Mei could react, they all automatically knelt and bowed their heads, shouting in unison: "Long live His Majesty, long live, ten thousand times long live!" to declare their loyalty to the Crown Prince.

The ministers of the Mei faction understood that Prime Minister Mei's conspiracy had been exposed; if they did not quickly surrender and correct their stance, they would surely be ruined and lose their reputation.

Knowing that his succession was now a certainty, the Crown Prince immediately issued four orders for governing the state:

Decree: The Minister of Rites, "Yu Tu," shall have full authority to organize the state funeral for the late Emperor.

The Crown Prince understood that the primary task was to arrange the late Emperor's funeral to stabilize the people's hearts.

Decree: The Minister of Justice, "Yu Yu Dian," shall investigate the cause of the late Emperor's death; the autopsy must be completed before the body is placed in the coffin.

The Crown Prince still felt suspicious about the sudden passing of the late Emperor and needed to ascertain the truth.

Order the Ministry of War to transfer the Left Guard Commandant into the palace for joint defense, and reassign the original Eastern Palace Crown Prince Guard to the Left Guard Commandant.

The Crown Prince knew deeply that until the very moment of his succession, palace security was of paramount importance.

Order "Xiao Chengzi" to take over as the Seal-Bearing Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonials, managing the twelve internal eunuch bureaus.

Xiao Chengzi is one of his trusted confidants and can be entrusted with weighty responsibilities.

After receiving the order, Yu Yu Dian immediately launched the investigation.

In less than half a day, it was discovered that before the late Emperor passed away, he had taken the "Seven Times a Night Pill," and from the testimonies of Consort Li and Consort Xiang, it was learned that the Emperor had taken two pills in succession!

Following the trail, it was uncovered that the "Seven Times a Night Pill" was presented by Prime Minister Mei, monitored for poison by Eunuch Ming, tested by Tuks Luo, and personally presented by Nine Thousand Years.

Once the autopsy of the late Emperor was completed, the body was immediately placed in the coffin.

After the body was placed in the coffin, the coffin was moved to the Hall of Supreme Harmony; according to custom, the Crown Prince must guard the spirit day and night until the funeral procession.

After completing the preliminary investigation, Yu Yu Dian, accompanied by officials of the Ministry of Justice and carrying case files and documents, came before the coffin in the Hall of Supreme Harmony to report the investigation progress to the Crown Prince who was guarding the spirit.

The causes and consequences of the case were presented logically and in exhaustive detail; the people, time, place, and objects all matched up, yet the autopsy results were quite intriguing.

The coroner's autopsy report from the Ministry of Justice stated: No signs of poison were found. In other words, the late Emperor did not die from poisoning!

"This is strange..." The Crown Prince rubbed his goatee, muttering with a face full of confusion: "If it was not poison, why did seven orifices bleed when the Father Emperor passed away?"

Yu Yu Dian: "Your humble servant believes... perhaps it was due to an overdose of medicine, causing the blood vessels to burst, and the Dragon Body could not bear the burden."

The Crown Prince looked at Yu Yu Dian, then looked at the documents in his hand, and did not respond further.

At this moment, a name came to his mind: Jiang Jiang Mingyu. He still remembered that earlier this year, in less than half a month, Jiang Jiang Mingyu had uncovered the actual quoted price of the newly carved imperial seal; his efficiency was so high it was astonishing!

"This Prince understands. You may withdraw for now." After dismissing Yu Yu Dian and the officials of the Ministry of Justice, the Crown Prince immediately summoned Jiang Jiang Mingyu into the hall again.

The Crown Prince trusted Jiang Jiang Mingyu's talent and believed he would surely uncover the truth.

Late at night, Jiang Jiang Mingyu, dressed in a white plain mourning robe, came before the coffin in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

He first knelt and bowed to the spirit tablet of the late Emperor, and then paid his respects to the Crown Prince who was guarding the spirit nearby.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart was filled with mixed emotions; he felt deep sorrow for the passing of the late Emperor, but also felt immense relief at the Crown Prince's ascension. When he bowed to the spirit tablet, his eyes were moist, and tears were on the verge of falling. When he paid his respects to the Crown Prince, he looked at him gratefully, and the Crown Prince returned a soothing gaze.

After Jiang Jiang Mingyu finished his rites, the Crown Prince dismissed the eunuchs and palace maids who were attending nearby.

At this very moment, in the vast Hall of Supreme Harmony, only the Crown Prince and Jiang Jiang Mingyu remained.

The Crown Prince took Jiang Jiang Mingyu's hand, pulled him into his own seat, and asked: "Have you eaten? Are you hungry?" Before Jiang Jiang Mingyu could reply, he took out two thin wheat cakes (a type of military ration) and a bag of wine from his sleeve.

"Your Highness... the late Emperor has only recently passed away; how can one be in the mood to eat?"

Although Jiang Jiang Mingyu was starving, he asked in confusion.

"Of course I can; this Prince's stomach is indeed empty!"

The Crown Prince continued: "You have arrived at just the right time. Just now, with the eunuchs and palace maids present, I could not be unrestrained; now it is perfect, with only the two of us, ruler and subject, left in the entire hall, let us not be bound by minor formalities."

"The Crown Prince's easygoing nature made Jiang Jiang Mingyu relax. 'Your Highness... are you truly not sad?'" he asked cautiously.

The Crown Prince swallowed the thin wheat cake, took another sip of the wine, hesitated for a long while, and then said: "You were not born into an imperial family, so you do not know the affairs of an imperial household. This Prince was established as Crown Prince because Prime Minister He insisted on establishing the eldest legitimate son; otherwise... it would truly not have been this Prince's turn to be Crown Prince!"

The Crown Prince's words indicated that his feelings for the late Emperor were not as deep as they appeared on the surface.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu had a sudden realization...

After speaking, the Crown Prince took a piece of evidence from the stack of Ministry of Justice documents behind him and handed it to Jiang Jiang Mingyu; it was a copy of the fake secret edict privately drafted by Nine Thousand Years three days ago.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu opened the copy of the secret edict, read it, and exclaimed: "Liang Wang!"

"Hmph... don't you find that interesting!"

The Crown Prince smiled dismissively and continued: "Liang Wang is only seven years old; did Father Emperor want to depose the Crown Prince and change to establish him as successor? Even Zhao Gao did not dare to be so treasonous!"

"Indeed, it is too incredible." Jiang Jiang Mingyu agreed with the Crown Prince's view.

"In any case, Eunuch Nine is doomed this time; even gods and Buddhas cannot save him!" The Crown Prince's tone was cold and stern.

"But this Prince will not kill him for now; we must first clearly ascertain the cause of Father Emperor's death... exactly why it happened."

While the Crown Prince was speaking, he smoothly put his arm around Jiang Jiang Mingyu's shoulder.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt a bit confused and a bit frightened, but did not resist; finally, the Crown Prince leaned close to his left ear and whispered softly: "After the state mourning, this Prince will be able to call himself 'Zhen' (Emperor); at that time... you will be the most important, most important minister by this Prince's side!"

"Ah..." After an unexpected cry, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's shoulders trembled slightly.

The Crown Prince's actions made him feel both honored and nervous.

He advised: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness... let us exercise self-restraint."

The Crown Prince smiled with amusement and suddenly said: "This Prince knows you are Prime Minister He's man!"

Upon hearing these words, Jiang Jiang Mingyu instantly turned to stone! His heart rose to his throat, fearing the Crown Prince would see through his background.

"Rest assured, this Prince also knows you are not Prime Minister He's subject!" The Crown Prince continued.

Only then did Jiang Jiang Mingyu let out a long sigh of relief.

"Prime Minister He once arranged many spies to accompany this Prince as reading companions! But a reading companion as blunt and straightforward as you is truly unprecedented; quite cute."

Upon hearing the word "cute," Jiang Jiang Mingyu finally felt relieved. He silently let out a breath, thinking to himself that he had not been seen through by the Crown Prince after all.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu: "Although your humble servant has received much care from Prime Minister He, in fact... we do not interact often, nor are we very familiar."

"It does not matter!" The Crown Prince nodded, pouting his lips and saying: "This Prince still needs to rely on you to borrow Prime Minister He's power to investigate the cause of Father Emperor's death!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes widened as he stared at the Crown Prince, speechless for a long time.

The Crown Prince's request surprised him greatly; he truly did not know how to respond.

The Crown Prince said, "You may withdraw first. After the national mourning ends and the coronation ceremony concludes, this Prince will have my own arrangements."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu hesitated for a moment, then finally bowed and exited the Taihe Hall. His heart was a mix of emotions; he felt joy at the Crown Prince's trust in him, yet burdened by the task entrusted to him. He knew that after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, his responsibilities would become heavier.