The night spent lodging in Changping Village passed without incident. As the carriage slowly made its way along the official road, the several groups of people who had been secretly tailing them kept a steady distance behind.
"Miss, the morning breeze is cool," He Nuan said, looking at her young lady who had her head poked out of the carriage window.
Watching the trees on either side of the road recede, Zhan Feiyu pursed her lips and chuckled, "It's nothing. I'm just seeing if these people intend to follow me on my travels indefinitely."
He Nuan put the "Mingfu Ji" that Zhan Feiyu had casually placed on the small table into a hidden compartment nearby.
In reality, this was like "covering one's ears while stealing a bell." The carriage was small, and anyone trained would quickly discover these hidden compartments. However, it was still better than leaving it out in plain sight on the table.
Pulling her head back in, Zhan Feiyu picked up a soft pillow to rest her waist against. "After passing Jinshui County, we'll be leaving the jurisdiction of Suzhou Prefecture, won't we?"
He Sheng, who was driving the carriage outside, raised his voice to answer, "Yes, Jinshui County is the border between Suzhou Prefecture and Minhe Prefecture. Minhe Prefecture has eight scenic spots. If Miss likes them, you can stay for a few more days."
Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Traveling was meant to broaden one's horizons and see more of the local customs and traditions.
"I've heard that Minshan Diedui and Taoluo Liuzhu are the most spectacular," Zhan Feiyu said, pulling out a travelogue from the books stacked on the small table. It was written by a literati from the previous dynasty, describing the scenery of Longyou Road.
The trees, their colors divided by the lingering morning mist, the birdsong faintly heard amidst the setting sun... Rolling up the curtain, I sighed with longing, the wind and rain intensifying as the evening deepened.
Reciting the poem from the travelogue describing Minshan Diedui, Zhan Feiyu couldn't help but sigh, "Minhe Prefecture has eight scenic spots. If I go, I'll have to write at least eight poems for the teacher to review."
The thought of racking her brains to compose eight poems, only to have them criticized as worthless and then revised endlessly, instantly dampened Zhan Feiyu's enthusiasm. "Even if this were the immortal realm of Yaochi, I wouldn't go!"
Seeing the distressed Zhan Feiyu, He Nuan recalled her appearance of frustration when writing poems daily and couldn't help but laugh, "It's better than composing poems about people on the street. Perhaps seeing the eight scenic spots of Minhe will inspire Miss's poetic muse."
"Forget it, I won't expect that in this lifetime. I'll have to be reborn in the next life," Zhan Feiyu shook her head resolutely, throwing the travelogue back onto the table with a snap. "A Nuan, for me, composing poetry is like forcing sorrow into new words. It's difficult, so difficult!"
Outside the carriage, He Sheng also chuckled. But no matter how much she disliked it, Miss would compose a poem every day. Three days later, she would send the three poems along with her other assignments to the capital for Scholar Gu to review.
...
By the time Zhan Feiyu was admiring the beautiful scenery of Taoluo Liuzhu in Minhe Prefecture, the news that the roster was in her possession had already spread back to the capital through various channels.
In the Golden Luang Hall, as Eunuch Liu finished his announcement of "Reporting matters, and retiring when there are none," Minister Zhao from the Censorate stepped forward. "Reporting to Your Majesty, this minister has a memorial to present..."
After hearing Minister Zhao's words, the officials fell into silence. Throughout history, Zhan Feiyu was undoubtedly the first ten-year-old to be "impeached" by a censor, accused of forming factions for selfish ends and plotting rebellion, crimes punishable by extermination of the clan.
The Emperor on the dragon throne chuckled, and the solemn atmosphere in the hall relaxed. "My minister's words are excessive."
Gu Qingzhou stood calmly in the first position, neither pleased nor displeased, refined and dignified. It was a skill in itself for his young disciple to be "impeached" by a censor.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, this minister believes that Minister Zhao's words are mere baseless talk and a great absurdity," Minister Feng, a fellow censor, spoke with conviction.
"The saying of forming cliques has existed since ancient times; it is only fortunate that the ruler can distinguish between gentlemen and petty men. Your Majesty has wisely granted us the right to report what we hear, but Minister Zhao is biased, believes falsehoods, and fabricates out of thin air... Minister Zhao's actions place Your Majesty in a position of unkindness and injustice, and foolishness. His crime deserves death!"
Well, the officials in the court couldn't help but roll their eyes. The censors were all ruthless, and when they spoke, it was to strike at the heart!
Censor Zhao impeached Zhan Feiyu, accusing the young girl of plotting rebellion, while Minister Feng impeached Censor Zhao for deceiving His Majesty into being a foolish emperor, a crime deserving death!
"Minister Feng, speak with caution!" Censor Zhao glared menacingly at the righteous Minister Feng, squeezing the words out from between his teeth, "The roster in the hands of the Pang family concerns the stability of Suzhou Prefecture and even Longyou Road. Yet, after obtaining the roster, Zhan Feiyu did not submit it to the government but kept it for herself!"
The officials in the court all knew that Minister Yao, the Commissioner of Administration of Longyou Road, was a trusted confidant of His Majesty. If Zhan Feiyu had no ulterior motives, this important roster should have been handed over to Minister Yao. Even for the sake of merit, it could have been submitted to His Majesty through the Imperial Guards.
However, to say that Zhan Feiyu intended to rebel was indeed an overstatement. But it was likely that the young girl had her own plans. After all, she was on good terms with the General's Mansion and had previously gone to Aozi Pass to rescue the grandson of Old General Yang. With the help of the General's Mansion, it was not impossible for her to gain power in this territory of Longyou Road.
Of course, Zhan Feiyu was young, a girl, and born into a peasant family. This led many officials to look meaningfully at Scholar Gu at the front. Was Zhan Feiyu's action driven by personal gain, or was Scholar Gu subtly hinting at something behind the scenes?
An hour later, the Emperor, with his absolute trust in Scholar Gu, made a definitive judgment on Zhao's impeachment. The claim that Zhan Feiyu possessed the roster for the purpose of rebellion was pure fabrication and could not be discussed further.
Imperial Study.
As the Emperor's chief eunuch, Eunuch Liu quietly retreated to a corner after serving tea. The day before the Censorate received the news, the Emperor had already learned about the roster from the Imperial Guards.
Eunuch Liu remembered that when the Emperor saw the secret memorial, he had smiled, his expression showing no displeasure or suspicion.
"My minister, you seem not to worry at all. I have heard that there are rumors circulating even in the capital," the Emperor said with a smile, picking up his teacup.
After listening to the verbal sparring between Censor Zhao and Censor Feng that morning, and then the subsequent debates and arguments among other ministers taking sides, the Emperor finally felt a sense of peace.
Gu Qingzhou put down the memorial he had just opened. No longer in the court, he shed the formalities of ruler and minister, adopting the relaxed and casual demeanor of old friends. "I dare not speak for others, but that girl, even if she were born into a wealthy gentry family, would likely be eating, drinking, and waiting for death right now."
Some scholars studied for the imperial examinations to achieve fame and fortune, to benefit their descendants. Others studied purely for the sake of scholarship; such people were most common in the Hanlin Academy.
As for Zhan Feiyu's statement, "To establish the heart for heaven and earth, to establish life for the people, to continue the lost teachings of the ancient sages, and to bring peace to all generations," Gu Qingzhou considered it pure nonsense.
The young girl, having been born in the countryside, had to strive and struggle. If she had any other choice, she would never have studied so diligently, staying up all night with her head tied to the beam and her thigh pricked with an awl. She was forced to do so.
The Emperor thought of the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver Zhan Feiyu had donated to the border and couldn't help but laugh, "Such an intelligent and shrewd young girl, I truly wish to meet her."
"Then Your Majesty will have to wait two years after Xiao Yu passes the provincial examination. This journey was forced upon her by me. After she left, she probably became so engrossed that she forgot all about returning home." Regardless of how disciplined Zhan Feiyu usually was or how diligently she studied, her inherent laziness could not be hidden from an old fox like Scholar Gu.
After their lighthearted conversation, the Emperor also picked up the memorial on the dragon desk. "Qingzhou, who do you think is manipulating this matter from behind the scenes?"
Eunuch Liu, standing in the corner, felt a jolt. It seemed the matter of the roster was indeed not simple.
If Minister Zhao could receive the news, then Scholar Gu, like the Emperor, would have known about the roster in advance. "Since the roster records the secrets of officials in Suzhou Prefecture and several neighboring prefectures, it must have been compiled over several years, not just one or two. Given the location of Longyou Road, I am more inclined to suspect the Muman barbarians."
Currently, various forces were lurking in Suzhou Prefecture, including several princes in the palace. Chushi's rampant behavior in Suzhou Prefecture, even daring to attempt to kill Zhan Feiyu, was based on the backing of the Second Prince and the Min family.
However, Gu Qingzhou's words excluded the princes.
The Emperor's mood brightened by another three points. Even as the supreme ruler, he was also the father of the princes. The Emperor did not wish to see his sons plotting and scheming for the position of crown prince, as this struggle was not just for the position of crown prince but also for the dragon throne he occupied.
"If it has been a long time, it is indeed possible that it is related to the barbarians. It is a pity..." The Emperor agreed with this point, but it was a pity that Tongzhi Pang could not withstand the torture of the Imperial Guards and had gone mad, otherwise, more clues could have been extracted.
Gu Qingzhou remembered Zhan Feiyu, who had now arrived in Minhe Prefecture. The young girl was indeed intelligent and perceptive. "If this roster were handed over to Minister Yao, and Minister Yao investigated the officials of Suzhou Prefecture and neighboring prefectures according to the roster, it would not only cause chaos in Longyou Road but also protect the real spies, leading to great disaster in the future."
If the corrupt officials recorded in the roster were punished, then the imperial court would have to select new officials to replace them in Longyou Road. Several princes and even officials in the court would take the opportunity to install their own people in Longyou Road.
If that were the case, it would be acceptable. What Scholar Gu worried about most was whether the officials not listed in the roster were truly upright officials.
If they were spies planted by the barbarians, wouldn't they be protected under the guise of being upright officials? Once they were given important positions, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Therefore, if the roster were in Minister Yao's hands, whether to investigate or not would be extremely tricky and could easily cause public unrest, leading to instability in Suzhou Prefecture.
But now that the roster was in Zhan Feiyu's hands, and she was just a young girl with the scholarly title of Xiu Cai, Zhan Feiyu at least had no authority to investigate the officials listed in the roster, thus breaking this dilemma.
What Scholar Gu could think of, the Emperor had also thought of. Recalling the secret letter from the Imperial Guards, Zhan Feiyu was being followed by several groups of people. They were currently hesitant to act rashly due to the prestige of Qingzhou's Grand Secretariat, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
After pondering for a while, the Emperor spoke again, "I plan to send Wu Yan over. The matter of the roster will be handed over to Wu Yan."
"This minister thanks Your Majesty for your care for Xiao Yu on her behalf," Gu Qingzhou rose and bowed respectfully to the Emperor on the dragon throne.
With the roster constantly in Zhan Feiyu's possession, Gu Qingzhou also worried about her safety. However, the roster was not suitable to be handed over to Minister Yao. Now that Yin Wu Yan was coming to take this hot potato, it was indeed the best choice.
...
Far away in Minhe Prefecture, Zhan Feiyu had no idea that Yin Wu Yan would be coming.
"Miss, it has just been confirmed that those two people who were tailing us are from the Yuan Mansion," He Sheng reported grimly. He had become accustomed to being followed since leaving Suzhou Prefecture for Minhe Prefecture.
Even when tailing them, these people had hidden their tracks. Who would have thought that after arriving in Minhe Prefecture, these two tailing individuals would become so brazen? Even a scholar like Zhan Feiyu could detect their movements, indicating that the other party was either incompetent or had a strong backing.
"Yuan Mansion?" Zhan Feiyu put down her book and looked at He Sheng in confusion. "Do they have a significant background?"
Previously in Suzhou Prefecture, Chushi had acted so arrogantly because he was backed by the Second Prince. With the Yuan family openly tailing them, Zhan Feiyu suspected that perhaps another prince from the palace was behind it.
"It's not greatly related to the palace..." Since He Sheng could find out about the Yuan family, he naturally knew their background.
During the reign of the previous Emperor, the Yuan family had produced a wife who married into a princely mansion. Madam Yuan was a concubine and had only one daughter, who was enfeoffed as a County Princess. After the County Princess married, she had two sons and three daughters.
The youngest daughter of the County Princess's eldest daughter married into the Yuan family in Minhe Prefecture. However, this Yuan family was a collateral branch of Madam Yuan's Yuan family. In a sense, they were related to the imperial family.
But this status of imperial relatives could only impress people in the region of Minhe Prefecture. If they went to the capital, the Grand Steward of the princely mansion would have more prestige than the Yuan family.