Chapter 737 - 515: Going Big

Chapter 737: Chapter 515: Going Big

Han Jinyi nodded. "Yes, my mother didn’t know what my father has been busy with these past few months either. She only knew he was much busier than usual. Who would have known..."

Who would have known he’d stir up such a massive hornet’s nest!

’The last incident must have thoroughly enraged Feng Yi,’ Song Yunzhao guessed. ’But with a great war looming, he had neither the time nor the opportunity to conduct a full investigation. He could only placate everyone and bide his time.’

Once the war was over, people would only pay attention to the Emperor’s triumphant return. Very few would bother to look back into the military provisions affair.

Song Yunzhao looked at Han Jinyi. "Lord Han is working for His Majesty, for the people and soldiers at the border. The Emperor will surely protect him."

Hearing the Imperial Concubine’s words brought Han Jinyi a bit of comfort. The Imperial Concubine never made empty promises, so if she said this, she must be confident. Han Jinyi’s tense body finally relaxed a little, and she said through sobs, "I was scared to death. My father has really stirred up a tempest this time."

’She’s right about that,’ Song Yunzhao thought, agreeing completely. But when she remembered this was all at Feng Yi’s behest, her anxiety subsided.

After a few more words of comfort from Song Yunzhao, Han Jinyi’s mood improved significantly. She calmed down, then rose to take her leave.

In the imperial court, the Emperor was furious. The Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Revenue, and Ministry of War were all reprimanded, and Song Nanzhen was also caught in the crossfire.

He was, in a way, wronged. This issue had not occurred since he took over as the Minister of Revenue; it was likely the doing of the former minister. Perhaps because his daughter was the Imperial Concubine, the culprits feared exposure after he took office and never tried to collude with the Ministry of Revenue again.

However, the Ministry of Revenue was responsible for finances and provisions, so he could not escape blame entirely.

Imperial Censors and Assistant Ministers submitted one memorial after another. After reading them, Feng Yi grew even angrier, reprimanding several courtiers in succession. Even the Left and Right Ministers took some flak.

Since ascending the throne, Feng Yi had ruled with benevolence. He had continued to entrust the senior ministers left behind by the late Emperor with great responsibility. And what was the result?

Looking at the memorial submitted by Han Zhengchun, at the shocking articles one by one, at the crystal-clear evidence, Feng Yi could not suppress his thunderous rage.

For several days in a row, the number of memorials rejected during the morning court session set a new record. The entire assembly of civil and military officials was terrified, their scalps tingling with fear.

This was the first time the Emperor had been so furious since taking the throne.

Even last year, when the implementation of new policies faced numerous setbacks, the Emperor had not flown into such a rage.

After the morning court session ended, the officials walked out in twos and threes, all with grave expressions. Han Zhengchun was long gone. Song Nanzhen, however, was held up as a group of courtiers surrounded him, trying to glean some information.

Song Nanzhen could barely move an inch. He repeatedly claimed he knew nothing, but they refused to let him go. It wasn’t until Meng Jiuchang arrived that he was pulled out of the crowd.

Song Nanzhen thanked Meng Jiuchang, his heart still pounding with lingering fear. ’These courtiers seem truly panicked,’ he thought. ’Could it be that they are all involved in the military provisions case?’

Feng Yi’s rage was unbridled. One after another, officials from the court were "invited" by the Three Judicial Departments to assist in the investigation. The Foreign Relatives and Nobles dared not make any rash moves. Those with connections in the palace sent messages, hoping to inquire about the situation.

However, after Han Jinyi’s visit, Yun Zhao had immediately instructed Consort Shu to guard the harem’s gates closely. All requests for visits, regardless of who sent them, were to be rejected.

Song Yunzhao led by example; the Song Family was no exception.

The Song Family, however, sent no requests. Even the Right Minister’s Wife sent one, but after a moment of hesitation, Consort Shu gritted her teeth and refused it as well.

The Imperial Concubine was usually easygoing, but once she made a decision, Consort Shu had no desire to test whether an egg was harder than a stone.

But this storm had brewed suddenly. No one had expected the Emperor to have been keeping such a close eye on the military provisions case, let alone that he would order Han Zhengchun to investigate it secretly. It caught them completely off guard. Many who hadn’t covered their tracks were now scrambling, begging everyone they could for help, trying to escape the vortex.

With the court in turmoil, unrest began to stir in the harem as well.

Song Yunzhao rarely flexed her authority as the Imperial Concubine. But when she learned that someone was deliberately spreading gossip to stir up trouble, she immediately sent Zhang Maoquan to deal with it. He was to reprimand the ringleaders first, then place them in confinement.

For merely gossiping, Yun Zhao wouldn’t have issued a severe punishment. But inciting unrest was unacceptable. Since the seeds of trouble had been sown, they had to be nipped in the bud.

"Have you found out? Where did this gossip originate?" Song Yunzhao asked, looking at Zhang Maoquan.

Zhang Maoquan bowed and replied, "The matter first came from Zhao Liangren of Yu Jin Hall in Qingyan Palace. However, Zhao Liangren only overheard it from a palace attendant who had gone to the Laundry Bureau to fetch clothes. She then repeated a few things when she returned."

"Have you investigated the Laundry Bureau?" Song Yunzhao asked.

A place like the Laundry Bureau was a melting pot. The palace attendants who worked there were of low status, essentially menial laborers for the palace. And since all the laundry from the entire Imperial Palace was sent there to be washed, the workload was immense, meaning it also had the largest number of attendants.

Because there were so many people, and attendants from every hall and palace in the harem came and went constantly to retrieve clothing, it was an ideal place for spreading news.

Trying to trace the source in a place like this was incredibly difficult.

Zhang Maoquan shook his head. "This servant was useless and failed to find the original source. However, I did catch a few of the ones spreading it most fervently. Under interrogation, they only admitted to hearing it from others but couldn’t say from whom."

Song Yunzhao thought quietly for a moment, then looked at Zhang Maoquan and asked, "You said before that Zhao Liangren lives in Yu Jin Hall. Her surname is Zhao?"

Zhang Maoquan nodded quickly. "Yes. Zhao Liangren is the daughter of Mr. Zhao Mingzheng from the Hanlin Academy. She was one of the concubines who entered the palace at the same time as Lady Shufei and the others. However, not long after entering the palace, she offended Lady Shufei and has remained obscure ever since."

"Go and check if Zhao Liangren has had any contact with Beauty Zhao recently," Song Yunzhao instructed Zhang Maoquan. "Also, investigate if Mr. Zhao has any connection to the Jiangnan Zhao Family, whether they are from the same clan."

"Yes, I will investigate at once." Zhang Maoquan bowed hastily and retreated. Seeing the Imperial Concubine’s dark expression, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled. ’Even if Zhao Liangren and Beauty Zhao are from the same clan, what does it matter?’

But since Her Highness didn’t elaborate, he didn’t dare to ask. He could only focus on getting the facts as quickly as possible.

Song Yunzhao kept pondering the connection between Zhao Liangren and Zhao Ling’e. A great noble family has many branches. Zhao Ling’e belonged to the main branch of the Zhao family, while Zhao Liangren’s branch might or might not be related to the Jiangnan Zhao Family.

However, the fact that the rumor started with Zhao Liangren made Yun Zhao suspect that Zhao Ling’e had somehow persuaded her to act.

Otherwise, in all her years in the palace, she had never seen Zhao Liangren cause any trouble. Why would she suddenly appear on her radar now?

Someone who had lost a power struggle with Consort Shu so long ago should have resigned herself to her fate by now.

But now she was active again. Yun Zhao refused to believe there wasn’t a connection.

She then recalled Zhao Ling’e’s fondness for making connections. Thinking about it now, this seemed like a rather clever, alternative approach.

Knowing she couldn’t easily meet the Emperor and use her charm, she was starting elsewhere, building up her reputation first.

After all, Yun Zhao’s greatest weakness was her notorious reputation for monopolizing the Emperor’s favor.

The contrast between them would be stark.