My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!-Chapter 398 - 269: In Series
Honglu Si was the most easily overlooked government office among the Nine Si.
The entire Honglu Si was lifeless, with no presence at court, and its officials, even if they were often late or left early, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Censors seemed to turn a blind eye.
It wasn't until recently that a new Prime Minister arrived that Honglu Si regained some vitality.
However, this Prime Minister Li was unconventional, often practicing martial arts in Honglu Si during office hours, and today, he even brought a woman with him into the storage room secretly, unknown what they were up to.
These young people, truly like dry tinder catching fire, don't care about the impact even in broad daylight.
However, being a prime minister, he could do whatever he wanted, and no one else dared to say much.
At this moment, inside the storage room of Honglu Si.
Li Nuo and Anning were busy as ever.
They were sifting through the mountainous stacks of files, searching for the documents they needed.
The storage room of Honglu Si was messier compared to the Ministry of Personnel, especially with some outdated documents haphazardly piled in the corner, emitting a musty smell of books that had been stored for too long.
Fortunately, hard work pays off. Although it took a bit longer, Li Nuo still found what he wanted.
"Zhisheng twenty-second year, a list of officials from the Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince's Inner Palace."
The Crown Prince was the future monarch, and the Crown Prince Mansion also had a structure similar to the harem called the Crown Prince's Inner Palace, established for serving the concubines of the Crown Prince.
The information in Honglu Si was more comprehensive than Li Nuo had imagined, even including the list of female officials from the Inner Palace.
He couldn't help but feel once again that fate had purposefully brought him to Honglu Si.
Perhaps it was destined that he came to Honglu Si to investigate the case of the Eastern Palace years ago.
Li Nuo took this booklet and left with Anning.
After they left, heads from various offices in Honglu Si peeped out.
It had been almost a two-hour period; the young prime minister really had stamina...
No wonder he practiced martial arts every day – it indeed seemed to enhance one's constitution.
...
Upon returning to Li Mansion, Li Nuo and Anning went into a room.
The two sat at a table and opened the list they had found in Honglu Si.
The highest-ranking official in the Eastern Palace was the Crown Prince's Three Masters, generally held by veteran officials from the court, mainly responsible for educating the Crown Prince, holding high official positions, Secondary First Rank, even above the Prime Minister.
However, these positions were generally more nominal than practical, not holding significant power, more like positions for retirement.
The subsequent Junior Chief Steward, and guests of the Crown Prince followed the same principle.
The real power within the Eastern Palace lay with the Crown Prince's Chief Steward Mansion, which managed all internal and external affairs, correcting abnormalities and overall adjudicating mansion matters.
The Crown Prince's Chief Steward, one could say, was the housekeeper of the Eastern Palace.
The Crown Prince's Chief Steward was named Xu Wei.
Looking at the name of the Crown Prince's Chief Steward, Li Anning said, "Elder Xu is a veteran of three dynasties, already old and ill at that time. Father Emperor assigned him as Chief Steward just to grant him a nominal noble position, the real power in the Chief Steward Mansion was held by the Junior Chief Steward..."
Li Nuo's gaze moved downward to another name.
The then Junior Chief Steward of the Crown Prince Mansion was not unfamiliar to him; it was Lin Fuzhi, who was currently the Capital Governor.
If the Eastern Palace had been likened to court, his position in the Crown Prince Mansion would have been similar to that of a Prime Minister, managing all matters of the Eastern Palace.
While the court had two Prime Ministers, the Eastern Palace had only one Junior Chief Steward.
Li Nuo's eyes flickered.
Again, the Capital Governor.
These past few days, he had frequently seen the name of the Capital Governor Lin Fuzhi.
Being the Junior Chief Steward of the Crown Prince Mansion, he would have been the Crown Prince's absolute confidant. Had the Crown Prince ascended to the throne, he might have indeed risen to a position second only to one, above ten thousand others.
Although the Crown Prince died young, his career development was not too bad.
Though the Capital Governor's position was not as powerful as that of a Prime Minister, it was nonetheless a high and mighty role, especially since, after the Crown Prince, he allied with King Han, who was the Eldest Imperial Prince. If King Han claimed the throne, he would still be second only to one, above ten thousand others.
No matter how the situation changed, he always stood by the Eldest Imperial Prince's side.
Li Nuo continued scanning downward, after which the officials were unfamiliar to him, and soon, on this booklet, he saw the names of Gu Wenhan, Wu Zongguang, Zheng Tianxing, He Dong, and Xu Zhi.
The records of the Ministry of Personnel would not be mistaken; they indeed all had served in the Eastern Palace.
Besides having served in the Eastern Palace, and having died under various accidents, looking at the broader timeline, these individuals had also remarkable developments post-leaving the Eastern Palace.
Within about five years, they had risen at least från Ninth Grade to Secondary seventh-rank; Gu Wenhan had become a Standard seventh-rank County Magistrate, and Wu Zongguang even reached Secondary Fifth Rank as Prime Minister of Guanglu.
For these officials, who were ranked last in the Imperial Examination and lacked connections, this was quite unbelievable.
Although Zheng Tianxing had not held an official position, he had also accumulated a vast wealth in a short time, conducting stable and lucrative business in Chang'an, making him one of the wealthiest in the area.
Phoenix also conducted business in Chang'an, but her small endeavors paled in comparison to the Zheng Family's.
Even so, Jade Sound Pavilion was initially coveted by countless people and almost forcibly sold at a low price. If the Zheng Family had no backing, it would have probably been swallowed whole.
Li Anning continued flipping through the book. When she saw the list of female officials in the Inner Palace, her gaze paused momentarily at a name, surprised, she said, "Zeng Yan... Why does this name sound so familiar?"
Li Nuo was silent for a moment before speaking, "Do you remember the Huang Family case?"
Li Anning glanced at him and said, "Of course, I remember!"
That case was the turning point in their relationship.
It was because they investigated that case that they pretended to be a couple for a few days, staying together day and night, inseparable, which made her develop special feelings for him.
Initially, the Huang couple were murdered. They first suspected the people of the Thief Sect were responsible. After a huge effort when they eliminated the sect, they found out that the murderer was someone else.
She thought for a moment, her face showing a sudden realization, and said, "I remember now, wasn't Zeng Yan the name of the Huang Family's mistress? I remember, at that time the Ministry of Justice had found many of the Eastern Palace's treasures in their house..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly looked at Li Nuo and said in astonishment, "Are you saying that this case, too..."
Back then, they had already found the case strange.
Everything was too coincidental. The thief they caught just happened to be the murderer of the Huang couple. But at that time, they didn't think too much of it. Now, linking this case with other cases involving Eastern Palace officials, something seemed off...
Just like the case of the Prime Minister of Guanglu, Wu Zongguang.
When they discovered there might be issues with the death of the Prime Minister of Guanglu, the murderer took the initiative to reveal himself.
It was almost as if... someone feared they would continue digging deeper.
Li Anning, having practiced Legalism for years and solved numerous cases, knew instinctively that this was not normal even though this case had yet to be clarified...
Moreover, if the person who caused the death of the Crown Prince was truly King You, her elder brother...
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Fratricide, although common in the Royal family, was something she found hard to accept when it hit so close to home.
Li Nuo knew that this case held different significance for him and Anning. Seeing her silent, he did not disturb her and left the room, finding Housekeeper Wu at the gatekeeper's lodge.
Housekeeper Wu, who was smoking and chatting with Elder Huang, stood up and asked, "Young master, what do you need?"
Li Nuo handed him the book and said, "Have the Spiegel Bureau help me look into the current situation of these officials. I need details, even those who have passed away, investigate how they died. There's no rush for this matter, try not to draw attention, it's best to investigate secretly, more covertly…"
Housekeeper Wu took the book, nodding, "Alright."
Li Nuo then handed him a piece of paper and said, "Also, check on these few people, review their promotion process over the years, and find out who was supporting them from behind..."
The death of the Crown Prince surely had hidden circumstances.
Gu Wenhan, Zheng Tianxing, Wu Zongguang, and others were silenced because they must have known something, but with their deaths, Li Nuo had no way to inquire.
However, if he could find out who supported their promotions over the years, he could follow the trail and find bigger fish.
This big fish behind them must also be related to the incident from those years.
Housekeeper Wu left quickly, and Li Nuo needed to go comfort Anning.
Not much later,
Ministry of Justice,
A young man slowly walked into the Si Minister's Office, slightly bowed, and said, "Sir, the young master would like the Spiegel Bureau to help check the recent status of some former Eastern Palace officials and the promotion process of a few officials..."
Li Xuanjing put down the book in his hands, opened a drawer under the table, and took out a dossier to give to him.
The young man took the dossier and left.
Li Mansion,
Li Nuo had just comforted Anning and was walking into the courtyard when he saw Housekeeper Wu holding a dossier coming in.
He was surprised and asked, "You found out so quickly?"
He knew the Spiegel Bureau was efficient, but this seemed too fast.
From start to finish, not even a two-hour period had passed…
Housekeeper Wu said, "Investigating those Eastern Palace officials one by one indeed takes quite some time, but the few people the young master asked about later were not so troublesome…"
Li Nuo took the dossier handed over by him and went back to his room to open it.
Inside the dossier was an investigative report.
About Gu Wenhan, Wu Zongguang, Zheng Tianxing, He Dong, and Xu Zhi.
Li Nuo guessed correctly; these four officials, the reason for their rapid promotions, indeed had someone pushing from behind.
Zheng Tianxing's business grew so large because he also had powerful patrons behind him.
Although to deceive the public, they took several detours, the Spiegel Bureau followed the trail, eliminating all confusion and misleading actions, and eventually, they discovered the real masterminds.
The Capital Governor and King Han.
Li Nuo, looking at the conclusion on the paper, was somewhat disoriented.
He thought it was King You, but how on their investigation did it turn to King Han...
King Han and King You were the oldest and most powerful among all the princes, backed by famous families, and supported by officials in the court. If both were involved in the plot against the Crown Prince...
Wouldn't King Chun simply soar?
