Transmigration: Of Mysteries and Songs

Chapter 134 Burnt Ends: Troubling

The news of the attempted assassination on the General reached Chang'an and shook the court with force. The Emperor had appeared for three consecutive Morning Assemblies with an overcast expression, deeply troubled by the events that had plagued the year. First with the case of embezzlement that involved many high ranking officials of the court, then with the assassination of the Chief of the Army of the North, the most important general of the kingdom. Situ has yet to reach Chang'an, but the Emperor had already given orders for the investigation to begin.

"The attempted assassination of the Duke of Anping is as good as an attempted assassination on me!" The Emperor raged. At the end of the day, even if the Emperor had felt threatened by Situ's power and achievements, the Duke had represented the stability and safety of the kingdom and, to a certain extent, that of the Emperor.

The officials bowed their heads in court, not daring to speak a word. They knew that their liege was enraged.

Suddenly, the Minister of the Right stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I do not know if I should."

"Speak your mind, Minister." The Emperor waved his hand in the air.

"The Duke commands of the Army of the North, and his assassination might mean an attempt to change the situation in the North. I am of the opinion that the pressing issue at hand is to send someone right away to Yunzhong Pass to warn the army of any attempted invasions." The Minister of the Right looked worried.

The Emperor realised the truth in his words with a start. "I'd assumed that the Duke of Anping had settled the matters of the North once and for all in the Spring of this year, but your opinion seems plausible indeed. Send word to the Passes of the North at once! I want all the information about the situation in the North relayed to Chang'an as soon as possible!"

An attendant quickly left with the decree.

The Heir stepped forward. "The Minister of the Right speaks wisely. The assassination of the Duke of Anping indicates a change in the situation in the North, and his injuries might have swayed the morale of the soldiers. That is why we should send a representative to the North as the Chief-in-lieu of the Army, to steady the hearts of the soldiers stationed in the Army of the North."

His words sparked an uproar amongst the officials, but the Emperor merely watched on quietly, observing the reactions of his subjects.

The Minister of the Right was the first to voice his disagreement. "I disagree, your Highness. The Duke will return to the capital by today, and it is not too late to discuss this after the Imperial Physician has given a diagnosis. The Duke has commanded the Army of the North for the past ten years; a sudden change in command might be the very cause of weakened morale in the soldiers." A few officials voiced their agreement to the Minister's statement.

The Heir shot a glance at the Minister of the Left demanding his support, but the Minister of the Left was deeply conflicted. He could see from the corner of his eye the vehement head-shaking of his son, Gan Qingjia. However, it was a surprising moment, for the Eighth Prince stepped forward and agreed with his brother.

"Father, I agree with the words of the Heir. The army cannot go one day without a commander, and the news of the assassination will shake the very kingdom as it spreads. I have a candidate that is suitable for the position of the commander: General Hu, who has roamed the battlefields alongside Chief Xue[1.The Defender-in-Chief of the kingdom, the Father of Xue Yiqi.] for years. He is experienced and the most suitable for the role of the Chief of Army."

The Heir had expected the recommendation of the Eight Prince. He quickly chimed in. "I am of the opinion that General Hu is only well versed about warfare in the West, and is not suitable for the battles of the North. Assistant Chief Han of the Imperial Army is more suitable for the position of the commander."

As the two of them argued, the Emperor merely watch on expressionlessly. Besides the two princes, many officials shook their heads and sighed.

"I disagree, Brother..." Naturally, the Eighth Prince would not let the Heir get his way and was in the midst of arguing when a roar from the Emperor stopped his words in his mouth.

"Enough! Did I ever ask for a candidate to take over the position of my Duke?"

That shut the princes up quickly enough, and they quickly retreated to the side. The Emperor eyed them coldly, turning to the First Prince who had been standing quietly at the side.

"Ran'er, what's your take on this?"

The First Prince did not expect the Emperor's attention and hesitated for a second. His eyes met the mocking gazes of his brothers and he quickly calmed down, bowing to the Emperor.

"In my humblest opinion, I believe that the issue of the Duke's replacement can be put aside for the time being. Moreover, I'd heard the news that the old General Situ is hastily making his way towards Chang'an, worried about the condition of his son. Old General Situ has fought many battles for the Xuan Kingdom for decades, and I'm sure Father will take his feelings into consideration. It would be unwise to hastily find a replacement for General Situ right now."

The Emperor's expression softened a little. At least he did not throw me another recommendation.

The First Prince paused for a moment. "I believe that the key to steadying the morale of the soldiers is simple. Apart from General Situ, there are four other generals in the Army of the North, all of them famed and acclaimed commanders. I am certain that the General of the Left stationed in Yunzhong Pass will steady his troops by himself. The pressing matter at hand is to uncover the assassination of General Situ, so that we can be accountable to his family, to the Army of the North, and to the loyal officials of the kingdom. The General is an official of the court, and if we let the assassin go just like that, it will only serve to disappoint the hearts of many."

Many officials were moved by the wise words of the First Prince. It was the first time they took a good look at the First Prince, a man who looked normal and was powerless compared to his brothers. Obviously, the Emperor was much more pleased with this answer than the recommendations given by the Heir and the Eighth Prince.

The Emperor smiled at the First Prince. "Ran'er, who do you think should be in charge of the investigation?"

The First Prince was as humble as ever. "The General of the North is of a position higher than a Rank One official, and a very loyal official of the court. It will be best for a member of the royal family to helm the investigation." He did not give any names to the Emperor.

The Eighth Prince perked up immediately. "Father, I offer to take charge of the investigation. Please give me the chance, Father."

The Heir missed his chance and could only pray for the rejection of the Emperor. Surprisingly, the Emperor gave the appointment to the Eighth Prince without any hesitation. "It is rare for you to volunteer yourself, and so it shall be your assignment. Follow everything by protocol; you may request for manpower support from the relevant bureaus."

The Eighth Prince acknowledged enthusiastically while the Heir sulked from a side. The First Prince retreated quietly to the side of the court, seemingly unaffected by the Emperor's sudden change of attention. The problem was solved, and the Emperor scanned the congregation carefully.

"Why is the Grand Tutor not here today, but the Grand Censor is here instead?" The job of the Grand Censor is to supervise the Ministers, Chiefs and Officials of the court, monitoring their exchange of letters and to inspect their workstations. It was an extremely busy job, to say the least, and the Grand Censor only appeared in court once in a while, usually a signal of some official's demise. The Grand Censor was handsome in his prime, with many concubines and wives and, naturally, many children. Out of all his children, however, Jiang Moyin was the most brilliant, and the most physically frail. There were rumours of a rift between the father and son, seeing as how Jiang Moyin had moved into the Grand Tutor's residence early in his career, but the rumours were never verified.

The Grand Censor stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I am here today on behalf of my son." He handed over a report to the Imperial Attendant, who delivered it to the Emperor.

"My son, Moyin, has been honoured to be appointed the Grand Tutor of the Heir for the past seven years. He'd wished to continue providing my services to your Majesty, but his sickly health has kept him bedridden for many months this year. He's attended the Morning Assemblies only sporadically, and his strength continues to fail him. He implored me to hand this letter of apology and resignation from his appointment to you, your Majesty. I seek your forgiveness and understanding."

That was another blow to the Heir, who looked in shock at the Grand Censor. He'd almost confronted the Grand Censor on the spot but quickly remembered his position. Why did he not discuss such an important issue with me?

Jiang Moyin had been a role model of many young masters of Chang'an since young, and his staunch support of the Heir has also won the Heir the hearts of many. Although the Grand Censor did not involve himself in the struggles between the princes, he'd lent the occasional helping hand to the Heir on behalf of his son, Jiang Moyin. Now that Jiang Moyin was no longer the Grand Tutor of the Heir, the Heir's influence was greatly diminished.

The Minister of the Left sighed inwardly. Jiang Moyin had told him that he'd be giving the Heir a last chance; if the Heir did not change his ways and continued to violate the laws of the kingdom, he'd forced to forsake the Heir. It seems as if Jiang Moyin has had enough of disappointments from the Heir.

The Emperor was as surprised as the rest. He glanced at the look of shock on the Heir's face and sighed.

"Father." The Heir called out to the Emperor but was at a loss for words.

"The wisdom of the Grand Tutor has always aligned with my morals, and it is a pity that his health bars him from worrying about the kingdom. I shall approve of his resignation, such that he may rest at home. On account of his efforts in helping to govern my lands, I shall bestow upon him the appointment of a 'Supervising Censor'[2.A job that had not much power nor responsibility, such that Jiang Moyin may still retain some of his status but without the burden of the accompanying duty.], that he may rest well at home."

"I thank you on behalf of my son, your Majesty." The Grand Censor bowed deeply.

The assembly was soon dismissed, and the Heir had hoped to catch the Grand Censor to get to the bottom of Jiang Moyin's resignation, but to no avail. The Grand Censor had left immediately, obviously wanting to avoid the Heir. Confused and annoyed, the Heir had turned to the Minister of the Left for advice, but only found the Minister getting dragged away by his son, Gan Qingjia. That only served to fuel his anger, and the Heir quickly departed from the court.

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Situ returned to Chang'an later in the day and Imperial Physicians were immediately sent to the Duke's residence to diagnose and treat his injuries. Such was the report given to the Emperor: the Duke is gravely injured having lost too much blood, with poison on the arrows that he had caught. The wounds were dressed and the poison removed, but however long the General took to wake up from his coma depended on his will.

Naturally, Feng Luodi heard of the diagnosis from Qi Jianqiu and panicked, but did not dare to visit the Duke's residence herself. Unable to contain her worry and unwilling to visit Situ, Feng Luodi could only take a walk herself on the streets of Chang'an, in a bid to clear the cloud in her heart.

The citizens of Chang'an were unaffected by the happenings of the court and went about their business as usual. Watching the hustle and bustle of the capital around her, Feng Luodi had never felt more lost in her life. She wandered the streets aimlessly, suddenly finding herself in front of the Grand Tutor's residence. She looked up and was surprised to find that the residence was no longer in the name of the Grand Tutor, but had been changed to the "Jiang Residence" instead. Feng Luodi was confused, but remembered that she had not been visiting Jiang Moyin in some time. She stepped forward and gave her name to the guards at the gate.

Quickly, Lu Bo arrived to welcome her inside.

"Lu Bo, why has the sign been changed?" Feng Luodi questioned. If the plaque bestowed by the Emperor has been removed without imperial consent, it would be a heinous crime indeed.