Bai Li’s Dream – Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Spreading the News

As he had to enter the palace to meet the Emperor today, Zhou Jingyun left home after a quick breakfast.

It was still early, and there weren’t many people on the Imperial Street.

The entrance to the Censorate was even more deserted.

Unlike others who would avoid the place, Zhou Jingyun strode straight in and asked the gatekeeper to announce his visit to Zhang Ze.

Zhang Ze was having breakfast. Seeing him, he said with a smile, “I was just about to send someone to look for you, Marquis Zhou’s Heir. You came first. Could this be considered a meeting of minds?”

Zhou Jingyun smiled but didn’t respond to this remark. He only bowed in gratitude. “Thank you, Inspector General. The matter in my family has been resolved.”

Zhang Ze chuckled. “No wonder Duke Ding’an sent three carts of goods to my house last night.”

Zhou Jingyun sighed. “Everything that can be bought with money is good fortune.”

Zhang Ze laughed heartily. “You are right, Marquis Zhou’s Heir.”

Zhou Jingyun didn’t linger any longer. “I’m going to enter the palace to see His Majesty.”

“To see His Majesty?” Zhang Ze said with a smile. “Then I won’t delay you any longer. Congratulations on your future promotion, Marquis Zhou’s Heir.” Watching Zhou Jingyun about to leave, he seemed to remember something and called him back. He flipped through a scroll on the desk and handed it to him. “This is a new wanted poster issued by our Censorate. You travel outside the capital frequently, take a look. If you happen to recognize her, it will be a great contribution.”

A wanted poster? Zhou Jingyun took the scroll and unfurled it, revealing the face of a woman.

The lines of the portrait were simple, and the features were not very clear, as if sketched casually.

However, one could still sense that this was a beautiful woman.

It was called a wanted poster, but it didn’t write any details about the criminal, not even her name, age, or surname.

“This criminal must be hiding under an assumed name, so writing her name is not important.” Zhang Ze’s voice drifted over, “Moreover, it might alert her.”

That makes sense.

Zhou Jingyun nodded. “Indeed, it should be so.” He looked up at Zhang Ze. “Currently, I don’t recognize her. I’ll keep it in mind and hope to be of assistance to you, Inspector General.”

Zhang Ze’s gaze remained on him, smiling and nodding in agreement. He watched as Zhou Jingyun left.

At the moment he saw the wanted poster, Zhou Jingyun didn’t react abnormally.

It wasn’t realistic to expect to find clues from this, but he was cautious by nature and wouldn’t let anyone slip through the cracks.

An official entered from outside, holding a box. “Inspector General, this month’s secret denunciations from the Bronze Jar have been sorted.”

Zhang Ze glanced at the box the official opened and frowned. “Why are there so few? Back in the days of Empress Jiang, there were this many secret denunciations from the Bronze Jar in a single day. Could it be that in the eyes of the people, I am not as formidable as those cruel officials under Empress Jiang?”

Zhang Ze’s voice was not loud, and he spoke with a smile, but that smile sent chills down one’s spine.

The official who brought the denunciations trembled in fear.

“Inspector General has been away from the capital for a while.” He said wittily, “Everyone was waiting for your return.”

“Is that so?” Zhang Ze’s expression was a mix of a smile and a sneer. His eyes were gloomy, and he remained silent. The atmosphere in the hall became oppressive.

“Inspector General.” Another official thought of something and hurriedly took out a secret letter from his sleeve. “This secret denunciation came from Yuqing Hall. It must be a major case.”

Yuqing Hall was a pawnshop in the capital. Its original owner was from the Fan Yang Lu Clan. As dynasties changed and fortunes rose and fell, the ownership changed hands several times. By the time of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it had become a very ordinary shop, and the owner was no longer a member of a prestigious clan but a merchant named Cai Songnian.

Originally, it was unremarkable, but with the new Emperor’s ascension to the throne and the Censorate’s revival of the Bronze Jar denunciations, Yuqing Hall gained notoriety with Zhang Ze.

It often submitted secret denunciations, and those denunciations were all about powerful and prestigious families. Moreover, they weren’t just rumors or hearsay; they were detailed records of who said what, when, and where, who was present, even what they ate and drank. More rigorously, there were even records of the person’s financial transactions and hidden properties.

They were even more detailed than the reports from the Censorate’s secret agents.

Based on these denunciations, every arrest was accurate, leading to a chain of arrests, saving time and effort.

This was not something a pawnshop could do, but Zhang Ze investigated thoroughly and didn’t find anyone behind it. Cai Songnian repeatedly stated that he wanted to be Zhang Ze’s eyes and ears, striving for a lasting and irreplaceable foundation.

Yes, that’s right. New Emperor, new court, new opportunities. Zhang Ze could understand why Yuqing Hall would do this.

Since they wanted to be his lapdog, Zhang Ze would use them.

When Yuqing Hall had no one left to denounce, he would dispose of them.

Zhang Ze reached out, took the secret letter, and opened it. He raised an eyebrow and exclaimed, “This is a big fish!”

The attendant leaned in to take a look, also surprised.

“Junior Supervisor Jiang Datong!” he said.

Although Jiang Datong was only a Junior Supervisor of the fourth rank, his position in front of the Emperor was extraordinary. Back when the Emperor was still Prince Changyang, Jiang Datong had befriended him and provided much support.

Prince Changyang often sought refuge at the Jiang family’s residence. After ascending the throne, there was once a banquet where Jiang Datong got drunk, and the Emperor even let him sleep on his own bed. When a censor accused Jiang Datong of impropriety and offense, the Emperor defended him, saying that no one had accused him of anything when he slept on Jiang Datong’s bed back then, so no one could accuse Jiang Datong now.

Even Prime Minister Zhu Xingjian, who supported Prince Changyang’s ascension to the throne, had to be polite to Jiang Datong, lest he whisper ill of him in the Emperor’s ear.

The secret letter stated that the wife of this Jiang Datong, who could whisper in the Emperor’s ear, was from the Jing Zhao Du Clan and possessed a family tradition of flower cultivation. Empress Jiang had once held a winter banquet where hundreds of flowers bloomed in unison, a breathtaking sight. People believed it to be a sign of Empress Jiang’s divine favor, which further consolidated her power.

In reality, these flowers were a secret gift from Madam Du, utilizing her family’s skills.

The secret letter said that Empress Jiang asked Madam Du what reward she desired, and Madam Du requested a good marriage for her daughter, hoping she could marry Prince Guangping, the third prince, second only to the Crown Prince.

But unexpectedly, Prince Guangping soon fell from grace due to a plot to force the Emperor to abdicate. He fled in haste and died on the road, even his title of Prince was stripped away.

Zhang Ze read with great interest and raised an eyebrow again. “Yuqing Hall can even find out such private matters of the imperial court.”

Their connections might be old palace servants or perhaps they were harboring palace servants who fled in fear of the new Emperor’s purge after Empress Jiang’s execution.

✿✿✿

The attendant pondered, “So, although Madam Du failed to climb the social ladder through Empress Jiang, she achieved it through her son-in-law, Jiang Datong. It can be considered a wish fulfilled.”

He said this with excitement in his eyes.

Although it seemed unrelated to Junior Supervisor Jiang, according to the practice of exterminating three clans, he would also be implicated.

“Will Junior Supervisor Jiang kill his wife to show that he has nothing to do with his wife’s family?”

Zhang Ze looked as if he also wanted to see that happen, but the next moment, he seemed slightly regretful.

“When His Majesty was a prince, he was often mistreated and rarely trusted others. Junior Supervisor Jiang is a rare exception. Dealing with Junior Supervisor Jiang is easy, but it’s also easy to hurt His Majesty.”

His Majesty would feel embarrassed. In addition to hating Junior Supervisor Jiang, he would also resent him, the one investigating the case.

His goal was to gain the Emperor’s trust and reliance by eliminating Empress Jiang’s faction, not to kill indiscriminately.

“Let’s keep him for later.”

Zhang Ze put away the secret letter, no longer interested in reading the other denunciations.

“You guys pick a few wealthy ones. His Majesty lives too frugally. We need to relieve His Majesty’s worries.”

The officials hurriedly responded in agreement.

Zhang Ze pointed to the wanted poster on the desk.

“Also, send a copy of this wanted poster to Yuqing Hall. Give them a chance to serve me.”

The autumn sun was bright. A young man walked briskly, as if annoyed by the autumn light. He covered his face with his sleeve and barged into a pawnshop.

The pawnshop had a small door and a high counter, blocking the autumn light and filled with a gloomy and decaying atmosphere.

The young man, upon entering, let out a long sigh of relief, feeling comfortable and at ease. He loosened his sleeve and stretched his body.

His presence instantly brightened the gloomy shop.

Even an official standing inside with a gloomy face was momentarily dazzled. But before he could take a closer look, the young man noticed him first.

“Oh, why is this official in a pawnshop?” he called out. “Are you in any trouble? What is your rank? Where are you from? Tell me, maybe I can help?”

Asking about someone’s troubles sounded enthusiastic, but then asking about their background and rank seemed like his help depended on their status. It was a truly uncomfortable conversation.

As expected of the unruly prodigal son who didn’t even take General Li seriously.

The official looked at him coldly. “Young Master Shangguan, my rank is low, and my background is humble. I’m not qualified to board your pleasure boat, so I don’t need your help.”

Shangguan Yue was not surprised that the other person recognized him, and he seemed rather proud.

“That’s a shame.” He said with a smile. “I wish you a successful career, Official.”

Waiting for him to have a successful career before boarding his pleasure boat?

Was this a compliment or an insult?

The official’s gloomy face grew even gloomier.

The shop assistant hurriedly said, “Young Master Shangguan, this is Clerk Song from the Censorate.”

That was someone under Zhang Ze.

Although he was only a green-robed clerk, being targeted by him was troublesome.

Even princes and princesses were not beyond their reach.

The shop assistant anxiously pushed Shangguan Yue towards the inside.

“The owner is waiting. Didn’t you complain that doing business during the day is inconvenient and affects your sleep? Finish your business early and go back to sleep.”

Shangguan Yue, while saying things like “What’s the rush?” “Hey, what is someone from the Censorate doing here? Are you going to be shut down?” “Then I need to take my money back immediately,” all the while being annoying, went inside.

Clerk Song’s gaze followed him coldly, causing the shop assistant, who had turned back, to shiver involuntarily.

“Clerk Song.” He said with a forced smile.

Clerk Song’s eyes were probing. “The Imperial Consort’s Husband only has this one precious son. Would he be short of money and need to visit a pawnshop?”

The shop assistant hurriedly explained, “He pawns the goods that gamblers mortgage on the pleasure boat here.” He added, “Temporary pledges quickly become forfeited, and he comes to settle the accounts.” He then offered, “We have records of his transactions here. Would you like to take a look?”

So that’s how it is. Clerk Song was relieved. He had no interest in the accounts of an illegitimate son and shook his head. “I have delivered the item. Inspector General is waiting for your good news.”

The shop assistant nodded repeatedly. “We will do our best to serve Inspector General.”

Shangguan Yue walked into the innermost storage room of the pawnshop. This place was even dimmer than the front hall and lacked the dazzling array of pawned items.

Cai Songnian, the owner of Yuqing Hall, was in his forties. He wore a half-new, half-old round-collared robe, had a fair complexion, a round face, and a smile on his lips. He stood inside, waiting.

Seeing Shangguan Yue, he didn’t take out any account books to check but bowed respectfully.

“Young Master, I have informed Zhang Ze about Jiang Datong, but this villain is weak and incompetent, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. He doesn’t want to touch him.”