Chapter 128 Cascades: Turn of Events

“Your Majesty, I shall take my leave since you have things to discuss with the Heir.” Situ suggested.

“No need for that; I'm sure the Heir has nothing much for me anyway. You can stay.” The Emperor waved dismissively. Situ bowed and moved to a corner of the room.

The Heir strode into the hall and hesitated when he saw Situ in a corner of the room. He bowed to the Emperor. “My greetings, Father.”

“You may rise.” The Emperor showed no trace of what he thought. “Why are you here at this hour instead of spending time with your mother?”

“Father,” the Heir replied with joy apparent on his face, “I have uncovered the ident.i.ty of the Head of the Villa of Mount Baicha and am here to report to you, Father.” The Heir watched Situ closely for a reaction, but Situ did not so much as look at him, seemingly unconcerned about the issue. The Heir was glad to see that and quickly turned to look at the Emperor.

Unfortunately, the Emperor did not look as elated as he hoped, but was calm and collected. “It seems that you have obtained even more capable advisors and followers, seeing as how you were able to solve this case as soon as you were able to leave your residence, while even the Minister of the Right is struggling to obtain even a clue.”

The Heir's heart skipped a beat, afraid that he'd infuriated the Emperor and he quickly tried to explain himself. “I just wanted to share your burden as much as I could, Father. I'm sure the Minister harbours the same intentions as me, but I'd started my investigation before he had started. You did not ban me from my investigations, and this is just because I'd wanted to help you as much as I could. I didn't mean anything else!”

The Emperor's face softened somewhat upon hearing the Heir's proclamation of loyalty. “It seems that you have indeed put much thought into this, and I'm grateful for that. Now tell me: who is the Head of the Villa? Will he obey the orders of the court?”

The Heir looked a little smug. “Father, please read the transcript of the interrogation I have with me before I answer your question.” He smiled at the Imperial Attendant and handed a few bamboo slats over.

As the Emperor read through the transcript, the Heir turned to Situ. “You have been very busy these days, Duke of Anping. Thank you for doing so many things for Father, so that he can get some rest.”

Situ bowed in return. “You flatter me, your Highness; that is merely my duty. You have also been hard at work these days.”

The Heir relaxed upon seeing Situ's att.i.tude. He turned back to the Emperor.

The Emperor showed no trace of emotion on his face, but his voice had deepened. “I'd wanted to recruit the Villa of Mount Baicha when I saw their ability and kindness towards the people, but to think that they'd not only refused your recruitment but even said such treasonous things! What do they mean by that ‘the Jianghu and the kingdom are not the same'? If they are indeed so foolish, I shall not put in any more effort. Tell me, my heir: who is the Head of the Villa?”

Situ's hands moved, hidden in his sleeves. I never thought that the Heir would do something so foolish.

The Heir had expected the Emperor to fly into a rage, but the Emperor remained calm instead. However, he a.s.sumed that the Emperor was merely fatigued from his imperial duties and quickly jumped at the chance, speaking indignantly. “The Head of the Villa is the Inspector of the Imperial Granaries, Inspector Gan Qingjia.  I'd tried to convince him to confess his ident.i.ty, but all he did was to mock me, his confidence boosted by the immense wealth he held in his hands. I did not want you to be kept in the dark, Father, and did my own investigation. It was only then did I find out that his men have been spreading many bad things about the court in public, misleading the people of the kingdom.”

The Emperor was surprised. “Inspector Gan?”

The Heir nodded vigorously and continued with an untrue list of treasonous activities that Gan Qingjia had been part of. Upon seeing the Emperor's face darken, he knew his chance had arrived. “Father, this man had disregarded the kindness of the court and defamed the court. He even attempted to lie about his ident.i.ty despite being an official of the court! Please punish him heavily, Father!”

The Emperor was visibly angry, but his good impression of Gan Qingjia left its mark; Gan Qingjia's charisma and handsome looks reminded him of the Minister of the Left of the past. Situ saw the look of conflict on the face of the Emperor and spoke up.

“Your Majesty, the Inspector of the Imperial Granaries is the Rank Three official and an important official of the Imperial Treasury. We should summon him to the hall and ask him in person. That way, we can not only dispel the worries we have but also find out the truth for ourselves. If he dares to lie to you, then it is as easy to dispose of him. If there is something else to the story, we can avoid the possibility of a misunderstanding.”

The Emperor nodded, pleased with his suggestion. He was about to speak but the Heir cut in front of him, made anxious by the suggestion. “Father is the Son of the Heavens, and his honour is not to be tainted by meeting with such treasonous officials! We should go with the usual procedure and let the governor of the capital investigate Inspector Gan.”

Anger flashed through the Emperor's eyes but Heir did not see it. Situ quickly spoke for the Emperor. “You might have forgotten, your Highness, that the Inspector of the Imperial Granaries and an investigation will not only involve the governor, but also the Bureau of Judicial Affairs and the Office of Imperial Clan Affairs. The Emperor is merciful enough to give Inspector Gan a chance to explain himself; please understand.”

The Heir was infuriated; he'd not expected Situ to be such a good speaker. He turned to the Emperor who looked at Situ, satisfied.

“You have spoken well, my Duke. Come, summon Inspector Gan to this hall right away! If he dares to resist, escort him here by force.”

An attendant immediately left with his decree.

Only then did the Heir understood what Jiang Moyin meant when he said that the Heir had lost the favouritism of the Emperor. If things were back to the way they were in the past, the Emperor would never have rejected or even doubted his proposal. But things were different now; the Emperor not only gave his brothers free rein, but punished him as well. But I am the Heir! I am the inheritor of the Kingdom! Why am I treated like this? It's all because of Father's so-called ‘fairness'! I don't have any special rights even if I'm the Heir Apparent!

Situ stood opposite the Heir and saw clearly the displeasure on the Heir's face. He did not speak a word.

Before long, Gan Qingjia was brought to the hall and immediately knew what was happening the moment he saw the Heir. He shot a look at Situ and quickly bowed to the Emperor.

“Greetings, your Majesty. Have you summoned me?”

The Emperor did not hide his fondness for Gan Qingjia even at such a time. “Tell me the truth, Inspector Gan: are you the Head of the Villa of Mount Baicha?”

The Heir watched Gan Qingjia closely.

Gan Qingjia knelt on the floor. “I dare not lie to you, your Majesty. I am indeed the Head of the Villa.”

The Emperor spoke calmly. “Is this not lying to me yet? The Head of the Villa quietly became an official of my court while I was searching for him!”

Gan Qingjia spoke loudly. “I have no intention of deceiving you, your Majesty. It does not matter if I am Inspector Gan or the Head of the Villa of Mount Baicha; I will always be a member of the court. When I'd sent aid in the aftermath of the disaster, it was in the name of the court.”

“Oh?” The Emperor shot a look at the Heir and tossed the transcripts in front of Gan Qingjia. “Then why is the Villa of Mount Baicha reported for disrespect towards the court?”

Gan Qingjia quickly scanned through the bamboo slats and looked at the Emperor, unfazed. “I do not know who it is that is trying to frame me, but I have always believed that the Jianghu cannot exist without the Kingdom. My Villa has always been doing things to protect and aid the kingdom, helping the court whenever we could.”

The Emperor nodded, raising a hand to stop the Heir who was about to speak up. He looked at Gan Qingjia. “Inspector Gan, are you pledging the service of the Villa to the court?”

“Naturally.” Gan Qingjia finally got to the point. “It is only natural for me to obey the wishes of the previous Head of the Villa and swear fealty to the court.”

“The previous Head of the Villa?” The Emperor was perplexed. “Did you not build the Villa on your own?”

Gan Qingjia shook his head. “The Villa had risen to fame these few years but had already been established a decade ago. Sadly, the real Head of the Villa has already pa.s.sed away.”

The Emperor was despondent as well. If he had a capable person like the founder of the Villa of Mount Baicha under his command, it would be very beneficial to the development of the kingdom. “Then who is the previous Head of the Villa?”

Gan Qingjia was waiting for the question. “You know this person as well, your Majesty. It is the deceased Empress Zhaoren.

“Zhaoren?” It has been a long time since the name was spoken in front of the Emperor, and it was a while before he recovered. “Tell me everything in detail.”

“Yes, your Majesty.” Gan Qingjia spoke slowly. “Everyone knows that Empress Zhaoren was of low birth, and was bestowed the t.i.tle of Empress after going through much together with you, your Majesty. You must be aware of the bond between my mother and Empress Zhaoren. Empress Zhaoren had, on many occasions, lamented the fact that she had no Imperial-in-laws1 which could aid you in the matters of the court. As a solution, she enlisted the help of my mother, adopting orphans throughout the kingdom and training them, the finances and resources provided by the Empress. These orphans became the pillars of the Villa.”

Gan Qingjia paused for a moment, noticing the look of nostalgia on the face of the Emperor. He continued. “Empress Zhaoren had wanted to make the Villa as big as she could, such that she'll have enough finances to relieve some of your worries, your Majesty. But she pa.s.sed away from illness before she could see the Villa reach its peak. Unfortunately, the First Prince had been exiled from Chang'an at that time, and Empress Zhaoren could only pa.s.s the Villa on to my mother. My mother did not know anything about running such a place and pa.s.sed the position of the Head of the Villa onto me. The achievement of the Villa today is a product of Empress Zhaoren's desire to help you, your Majesty. It is exactly because of that I say that the Villa of Mount Baicha is yours, your Majesty. It exists to serve you, the court, and the people.”

Only now that the Heir realise that he had fallen into a trap. Both Empress Zhaoren and the First Prince are subjects that have been forbidden in court, issues very sensitive to the Emperor which may very well spark his anger. But he had provided the best opportunity for Gan Qingjia to speak about them without any repercussions, or suspicions, from the Emperor. At that moment, the Heir lost all trust in the Minister of the Left. Both his wife and his son are going against me! How could I have believed his proclaimed loyalty!

The Emperor murmured. “Of course I remember. Zhaoren and your mother have been very close in the past; Zhaoren had even shown you to me when you were young, wis.h.i.+ng that the First Prince was as handsome as you. I remember everything.”