Chapter 125
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After sending off Han Jiao, Liu Tong remained immersed in excitement.
He finally understood why Prince Yan and several Imperial Princes liked Han Jiao.
Perhaps this young man was not a sycophant. He just knew how to mutually benefit from relationships, making others naturally close to him.
After calming down a bit, Liu Tong began to ponder the truth of this matter.
If it was fake, what could be Han Jiao’s purpose?
Was he trying to ruin Liu Tong’s career?
Han Jiao, a prominent favorite of the Crown Prince, why would he target a low-ranking official of Prince Yan’s estate?
Liu Tong used to treat Han Jiao like a junior, not exactly with respect, but there were no public disputes or arguments.
Han Jiao seemed not to notice his lack of respect, always smiling when he saw him, behaving like a junior. There shouldn’t be any grudges between them.
Even if there was some hidden resentment, now that Han Jiao was in favor with the Crown Prince, why would he need to personally deceive him to jeopardize his official position?
Besides, even if Han Jiao had the guts of a bear, he wouldn’t dare to forge the Crown Prince’s words. If he got caught, he’d be in deep trouble. How could Han Jiao risk his future career to trip him up?
When his wife entered the bedroom and asked why he was so joyful, he explained it was from a recent discussion with his colleagues about academics, where he gained some knowledge.
His wife was somewhat suspicious, but ever since Prince Ling took the position of the Crown Prince, her husband hadn’t shown a single smile, constantly sighing and lamenting his ill fortune. Now that he had finally perked up, she was afraid to spoil his mood. Thus, she didn’t dare to ask more.
Despite confirming the truth of the matter, Liu Tong still hesitated. What if, a year or two later, the Crown Prince had strong allies and forgot about him?
Then, he thought about Han Jiao’s solemn assurance that when the time came, he would speak for him in front of the Crown Prince.
If not, Liu Tong only needed to send a letter to Han Jiao with a subtle hint. He reckoned Han Jiao wouldn’t dare to deny what he said today.
As long as he could return to court smoothly, even if it meant becoming a county magistrate, it would be better than his dim prospects as the Deputy Supervisor of Prince Yan’s estate.
Officials in Great Chu had modest salaries. In the past, Liu Tong, as a teacher to Prince Yan, could rely on the respect from various officials. Now that Prince Yan’s position was unstable, his residence had become deserted overnight.
Going on like this, he couldn’t support his wife and children, so he had to seize this way out.
With his decision firm, the next day, Liu Tong explained his intention to resign from his official position to Prince Yan.
Confronting Prince Yan’s stunned and angry expression, Liu Tong felt deep sorrow.
He had accompanied Prince Yan for over a decade, and his feelings for Prince Yan were genuine. But if he couldn’t bear to part with Prince Yan, who would show mercy to him?
Prince Yan losing the Crown Prince’s position wouldn’t affect his peaceful life, but Liu Tong was left with a monthly salary of just four taels of silver. Even for the sake of his wife and children, he couldn’t miss this opportunity.
He presented two reasons for his resignation to Prince Yan. Firstly, he expressed regret for being unable to assist Prince Yan in his pursuit of becoming the Crown Prince. This failure made it difficult for him to face Prince Yan. Secondly, he expressed his discontent with certain individuals within Prince Yan’s party who were engaging in opportunistic activities and even betraying Senior Minister Xu. In order to avoid getting involved in these matters, he preferred to ignore them altogether.
Prince Yan tried to persuade him to stay, but in the end, he sighed and let him go as he wished.
In the past, given the circumstances, Prince Yan would never have allowed him to leave. But now, he couldn’t offer Liu Tong any prospects. Letting him go might be an act of kindness.
After bidding farewell, Liu Tong left, and Prince Yan sat alone for a long time, feeling an unprecedented sense of desolation.
After being named the Crown Prince, his younger brother hadn’t come to visit him for a long time.
It must be because he was occupied with state affairs.
Prince Yan comforted himself, thinking, “This shows that Old Ninth has truly grown up.”
Exceptionally talented and diligent, Father Emperor didn’t make a mistake in his judgment.
There was also Han Jiao’s assistance.
Prince Yan lowered his head and murmured to himself, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Master Xiaobai.”
A eunuch hurried in to announce, “Prince Duan is here again.”
Hearing this, Prince Yan’s dim eyes suddenly brightened. “Let him come in quickly!”
Life was unpredictable. Prince Yan never expected that after eight years, Old Seventh would once again become the only clingy little brother he couldn’t shake off.
Xie Xiu entered with his attendants, who were carrying a wooden contraption about half a person’s height.
“What’s this now?” Prince Yan stood up examining his younger brother’s new invention with interest, then suddenly remembered, “I’ve seen you make a smaller version of this before.”
Holding back a smirk, Xie Xiu looked at his sixth brother with bright eyes. “Sixth Brother, try the wind power on this one. It’s much more powerful than the previous version.”
Prince Yan nodded and walked around to the contraption, finding the lever.
Xie Xiu had been making these devices since he was a child.
This was a contraption with three fan-shaped wooden blades. Just turn the lever at the back about ten times, and upon releasing it, the three wooden fans in the front would spin rapidly, providing a breeze that lasts for a while.
Xie Xiu called this contraption a “breeze sender.” He first created it when he was not yet eight years old.
That year, the little Ninth Brother was very energetic. During the summer, he would be all over the Imperial Garden, and at naptime, he’d find excuses not to rest, saying that the servants’ fans provided too little breeze for him to sleep. It was for this reason that Old Seventh came up with this device.
The first breeze sender he made was only about the size of a pumpkin.
At that time, Prince Yan had more strength than his younger brothers. He willingly ran to the breeze sender, vigorously turned the lever at the back, and as soon as he let go, he sprinted to the front of the fan to feel if it could really send a breeze.
“This wind is much stronger than regular fans. It’s like the northwest wind!” Prince Yan, sweating from turning the lever, approached the breeze sender and enjoyed the cool breeze.
Old Seventh was quite proud, swaying like a roly-poly toy. “The wind could be even stronger, but we only have this size of wooden board. Ninth Brother should find it sufficient. With this, he’ll surely fall asleep quickly.”
The five-year-old Ninth Brother was delighted to hear this and eagerly stuck his little head near the breeze sender. In a careless move, his head went too far, and with a dull thud, he was knocked out by the rapidly spinning wooden board.
Prince Yan picked up his little brother in horror, shaking him vigorously for a while. Luckily, the Ninth Brother’s head was quite sturdy. He soon woke up, looking bewildered and asking what had happened.
Old Seventh, looking concerned, said, “A’Duo, you fell asleep from the breeze you were enjoying!”
Ninth Brother was utterly surprised by this and raised his chubby little face, asking in disbelief, “It works that quickly?”
At that moment, Prince Yan burst into uncontrollable laughter.
However, Old Seventh didn’t understand what was so funny, and Ninth Brother was still quite young. The two little brothers stood beside the breeze sender, looking up at him, utterly puzzled, while he laughed alone.
Prince Yan was quite amazed that he could still recall that incident. Thinking of Ninth Brother’s bewildered chubby face at the time, he couldn’t help but laugh even more.
As he laughed, his eyes suddenly grew a bit misty.
During these eight years when Old Seventh was absent, he always felt like something was missing when he played with Old Ninth.
Now that Old Seventh had returned, it seemed like Old Ninth had become more distant.
He would rather his little brothers never grow up.
After Liu Tong submitted his resignation, he was intercepted halfway by Senior Minister Xu, who privately arranged to meet and discuss the matter that same evening.
Liu Tong was very worried about facing criticism. After all, he was Senior Minister Xu’s only trusted person who could frequently get close to Prince Yan. Backing out was quite challenging.
If he had known, he wouldn’t have gone through the court to submit his resignation. Instead, he should have asked Han Jiao to help him bypass Senior Minister Xu.
Now that Senior Minister Xu had noticed, there was no avoiding it. Liu Tong returned home feeling disheartened after obediently enduring a meal of mixed threat.
After being delayed for a few days, Liu Tong felt resentful and secretly visited Han Jiao’s home, hoping he could offer some guidance.
“Senior Minister Xu dared to intercept the resignation?” Han Jiao was equally astonished. “Did the other court members just let him have his way? Does Senior Minister Li know about this?”
Liu Tong shook his head. “After I submitted the resignation to the Ministry of Personnel, someone must have informed Senior Minister Xu, and that’s when it got blocked.”
Han Jiao thought for a while and asked Liu Tong to leave the resignation with him. He planned to find a way to submit it.
However, before Han Jiao could take action, Liu Tong unexpectedly found himself facing interrogation by the Ministry of Justice.
The reason was Liu Tong’s distant cousin, a minor military officer in the Northern Garrison, had been involved in the accidental death of a prisoner in a case six months ago. There were suspicions that Liu Tong’s cousin sought personal revenge, used severe methods, and caused the prisoner’s death.
Liu Tong broke into a cold sweat. After careful consideration, he realized that even if his cousin were guilty of a capital offense, it shouldn’t implicate him. Why would the Ministry of Justice interrogate him?
While in custody, he learned that the Ministry of Justice suspected that Liu Tong’s distant cousin, based on his achievements and qualifications, couldn’t have legitimately attained the position of a minor official. They suspected that he had climbed the ranks through Liu Tong’s connections.
This suspicion was based on the belief that Liu Tong had misused his official position and used the influence of Prince Yan and Senior Minister Xu to promote his own relatives.
Such matters were not considered severe offenses in the past because many influential figures in the court often found “shortcuts” for their relatives or fellow villagers. As long as it didn’t involve cheating in the imperial examinations and similar activities, higher authorities rarely pursued such cases.
The Ministry of Justice unexpectedly used this matter to trouble him, clearly indicating that someone behind the scenes wanted his life.
Ever since the invasion of the Tatars, when it was revealed that some of the abandoned city’s commanders had risen through the ranks thanks to their connections to Prince Yan’s faction, such actions had become unforgivable in the public’s view.
Caught off guard, Liu Tong was so frightened during the interrogation that he couldn’t speak. When he regained his senses, he shouted to see Prince Yan, but the interrogators wore stern expressions and completely ignored his outbursts.
The first day yielded no confessions.
After spending a night in the interrogation cell, Liu Tong hadn’t received assistance from Prince Yan, but he encountered several familiar faces.
This included Han Jiao.
“Brother Xiaobai? How did you end up here?” Liu Tong was utterly terrified!
Were the people from the Ministry of Justice out of their minds? Didn’t they realize he was a prominent figure in the Crown Prince’s circle?
As soon as Han Jiao entered the cell, he pulled Liu Tong into a corner and whispered, “Did you have any involvement with that minor official? Tell me the truth.”
Liu Tong, in a panic, replied, “No! No! I’m innocent! My distant cousin is a soldier, and is rough by nature. You know I’ve always looked down on people like him!”
Han Jiao let out a slight sigh of relief and furrowed his brows, contemplating a course of action.
Early that morning, a bailiff from the Ministry of Justice requested Han Jiao’s testimony.
Recently, there had been undercover agents shadowing Liu Tong. Anyone who had any dealings with Liu Tong was to be interrogated.
Fearing that Liu Tong’s life was at risk before his plan could unfold, Han Jiao decided to implicate himself in a vague way in his testimony, dragging himself into the situation.
If this tactic was devised by Xie Duo, no matter how Han Jiao tried to find a way outside, he wouldn’t be able to save Liu Tong in the end.
Han Jiao had to take a gamble, coming in and sharing Liu Tong’s fate, hoping it might buy them some time and enable Liu Tong to submit his resignation, thereby avoiding a tragic outcome.
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