Chapter 145: A New Addition to the Xu Estate and the Full Truth Revealed

The rain was still falling. Two hundred heavily armed soldiers galloped out on horseback. Though a few people in the city were already awake, it did not attract much attention; sometimes the imperial guards in the capital conducted drills on an even larger scale. In the blink of an eye, they reached the farmstead. Because of the early morning rain and the shrouding mist, the sky looked dim and murky. When they stormed the farmstead, not everyone had woken up yet.

However, those with a guilty conscience remained somewhat vigilant. Hearing the sound of horse hooves approaching from afar, some woke up with a start. Knowing that capture meant certain death, a few began to flee, while others actually picked up weapons to resist arrest. A small-scale skirmish truly broke out: one imperial guard was struck by two arrows and gave his life, while three or four others were wounded. Three or four of the assassins were also killed on the spot, but not a single other person managed to escape. Not only them, but everyone up and down the farmstead was completely rounded up. First, to seal off the information; second, for harboring criminals—and criminals who had attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince at that. Such a charge was exceedingly grave.

They were secretly escorted back to the capital.

Normally, various cases in the capital were tried either by the county magistrates of Jingzhao, the Prefecture of Chang'an, or at the highest level, the Court of Judicial Review. This case, however, was different, as it involved Xu Jingzong. All the chancellors sat in participation, but proper protocol was still observed without a formal presiding judge. Nevertheless, fearing complications, Dai Zhide selected a few upright officials from the Court of Judicial Review to preside over the trial. They also cleared out some prison cells, especially placing the dozen or so assassins and Liu Lu one to a cell. Zhou Xing wanted to prevent them from colluding on their testimonies, and these officials were equally afraid of such collusion.

Guangzhen and the others escorted the two prisoners to the Court of Judicial Review.

After paying their respects, Guan Fu said, "My lords, just as your subordinate was leaving the Eastern Capital, Junior Official Di wrote a letter, instructing me to deliver it to the relevant chancellors once the assassins were captured."

With that, he handed over the letter. Dai Zhide opened it and read that Di Renjie had succinctly written about only one matter: in this time of urgency, expediency should take precedence, and Zhou Xing was to be allowed to assist in the interrogation. Dai Zhide and the other Court officials were perplexed. Although Di Renjie might not have held the highest rank in the Court of Judicial Review, the truth of the case had been single-handedly unearthed by him, and he was a trusted confidant of the Crown Prince. Thus, half-doubtful and half-believing, they watched to see how Zhou Xing would conduct the trial.

Zhou Xing began to explain those little contraptions. He only explained a tiny fraction of them before all the officials from the Court of Judicial Review fled in terror, running to report to Dai Zhide that although expediency was acceptable in urgent times, things could not be done in this manner. Dai Zhide and the others were discussing the case and, upon hearing this, also felt that something was amiss. Just as they stepped forward into the main hall to put a stop to it, within that brief moment, several defendants had already begun to confess. In particular, Liu Lu, upon hearing Zhou Xing explain the fifth little contraption, wet his breeches right there.

Not only did he confess the entire ins and outs of the case, but he also blurted out another startling matter.

Because they considered him "clever," Xu Jingzong had also consulted him on certain affairs, such as using bamboo paper to spread rumors claiming that Li Zhi and Wu Zetian were usurping their son's achievements—specifically alluding to Wu Zetian's role in the middle—and spreading word about Yang Min's lack of virtue. Whether Yang Min lacked virtue or not was something only Yang Shijie cared about enough to fly into a rage; Dai Zhide and the others were not particularly concerned. At least compared to the major case that preceded it, this was merely a drop in the bucket.

Spreading rumors about the Two Saints was not as severe as assassinating the Crown Prince, but it was nonetheless a heaven-shaking crime! To blaspheme the two Sovereigns and drive a wedge between the Crown Prince and the Two Saints was tantamount to treason.

Dai Zhide and Xiao Zhaode exchanged glances, their eyes filled with pleasant surprise.

They had been worried that this case alone might not be enough to bring down Xu Jingzong. Or, even if he were brought down, because the investigation was directed by Di Renjie, it might cause some trouble for the Crown Prince. But with this subsequent matter added, everything would be easy to handle. Using Helan Minzhi to assassinate the Crown Prince forced Helan Minzhi to jump into a fire pit; even without mentioning the assassination attempt, the Emperor would have been displeased. Now, they had actually gone so far as to slander and blaspheme the Empress—this was equivalent to desecrating the Emperor's own lifeline!

Dai Zhide's eyes flashed with excitement as he clapped his hands softly and said, "We have him!"

To speak of it, it seemed hard to believe: in the case of the Crown Prince's assassination, because of the coldness of royal familial affection, everyone had feared that Li Zhi and Wu Zetian would not put Xu Jingzong to death.

With this confession in hand, all of them gained a sense of assurance, suddenly understanding Di Renjie's intention. Dai Zhide instructed Zhou Xing, "Continue the interrogation."

As for whatever torture methods Zhou Xing might employ now, they cared not a whit; each of them desperately wished he could extract even more from the mouths of these wretches. Dai Zhide commanded, "Men, immediately lead troops to surround the Xu residence."

Xu Jingzong, however, remained entirely unaware, and very few people in Chang'an knew either.

His own manor was exceptionally bustling. Looking at the various congratulatory notes, Xu Jingzong felt quite pleased inwardly, though his face maintained an expression of deep sorrow.

Just at that moment, a fast horse galloped in from outside. It was also a servant of the Xu family, but one belonging to their household in Luoyang. He vaulted down from the saddle and cried out loudly, "Quickly, report to my lord! There is great joy at the Xu residence."

Only as he spoke did he realize something was amiss: why was the entire household draped in hemp and wearing mourning garb? Upon asking, he learned that Lady Yu had "died of a sudden illness." Not thinking much else of it—a fallen favorite concubine dying was nothing—he immediately said, "Hurry inside and notify my lord, the young master has been blessed! The day before yesterday in the Eastern Capital, the young madam gave birth to a plump baby boy."

"Wait a moment," the doorman said, equally delighted, knowing at least that their master would reward the servants for such news. With that, he went inside to make the report.

Upon hearing this, Xu Jingzong cast aside his reception of guests and immediately commanded, "Let him in."

Xu Yanbo had been given an official post in the Eastern Capital and had taken his wife along, but before they arrived there, Xu Yanbo's wife had already been pregnant. Calculating the days, she was expected to give birth around this time. Yet whether it would be a boy or a girl remained unknown. If she had borne a daughter, the burden would have been much lighter. Moreover, in this era, childbirth was fraught with danger.

Listening to the servant's report, Xu Jingzong asked, "How is the little young master?"

Instead of inquiring after Xu Yanbo's wife, he was deeply concerned about his great-grandson.

The servant replied, "Replying to my lord, both mother and child are completely safe and well."

"That is wonderful, simply wonderful!" Though occupying a high position and possessing a deeply guarded disposition, he spoke the words in a very calm tone, yet he still paced back and forth in agitation. After walking for a moment, he glanced toward the mourning hall, thinking to himself: *You wretched slave, didn't you curse me to die a horrible death? Look at me now—I am living exceedingly well, and on top of that, we have added a new descendant, four generations living under one roof.*

The servant added, "My lord, the young master instructed your servant to come to the Western Capital to ask my lord to bestow a name upon the little young master."

"A name..." Xu Jingzong stroked his beard and muttered. He considered himself quite capable, having fathered five sons and several daughters with his wives and concubines. Yet his sons proved utterly useless; aside from that rebellious scoundrel Xu Ang, none of the others had any offspring. Because of this, he had been widely mocked. Thinking of this, he said, "Let us name him Xu Wang."

"An excellent name," the visiting guests flattered him one after another. Yet some found it awkward; this joyful event was more significant than the death of a concubine, but offering congratulations during a period of mourning was something none of them could easily bring themselves to voice.

Right at that moment, the doorman outside came running in hurriedly and cried, "My lord, it's terrible! Chancellor Dai and countless soldiers have completely surrounded our entire manor!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Jingzong's face drained of color. Dai Zhide was an upright official who, much like Yan Liben, kept a very low profile and was seasoned and prudent—though the difference was that one took constructive action while the other practiced near-total inaction. Without absolute certainty, Dai Zhide would never have taken it upon himself to personally lead troops to surround his residence.

Could that wretched woman have betrayed him?

It seemed unlikely. No matter which yamen she reported to, he would have caught wind of it. Furthermore, locating the group of sworn assassins under his command was no easy feat; they would have had to make some moves, and any movement would have alerted him. While he was trying to figure out which link had gone wrong, Dai Zhide had already walked in followed by a hundred guards.

Looking at Xu Jingzong, Dai Zhide said, "Chancellor Xu, forgive Dai's discourtesy, but I must take all the servants of your household to the Court of Judicial Review for questioning."

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Here are the confessions of your retainers, as well as those of Liu Lu and the others." Dai Zhide was about to hand them over for him to read, but changing his tone, he added, "Chancellor Xu, your eyesight is not very good. Let me read them to you instead."

With that, he began to read them line by line.

Only the opening was read before all the attending guests stood frozen in utter stupefaction. Before the reading was finished, Xu Jingzong swayed where he stood and suddenly collapsed, fainting away entirely. Dai Zhide showed no pity; how many innocent people had been exiled to Lingnan or died under the executioner's blade because of this man? He merely said as a formality, "First, help Chancellor Xu into his room to rest."

Then, looking at the guests—many of whom were officials from the capital who had curried favor with him—he declared, "Take them all away."

In short, this time the heavens had collapsed upon them. The number of people implicated or even sentenced to death would far exceed those from the case of Helan Minzhi. As for these opportunistic flatterers, though they might not face the death penalty, many would be condemned to exile.

The guards began their arrests. Not only the servants, family members, and guests at Xu Jingzong's residence, but also those from the farmstead and all related properties were rounded up one after another and subjected to trial. Only Xu Jingzong was left behind; because of his illustrious status, he was not immediately taken away but kept confined within the manor. A dozen guards were dispatched to place him under house arrest and monitor him, while concurrently tending to his needs. They simply had to wait for the imperial edict to be issued before executing the sentence. Even Lady Yu's corpse had been taken away—she had "died of a sudden illness," a pretext everyone understood.

This trial unearthed even more matters, extending far beyond the current case. It brought to light various misdeeds committed by these servants in the past, relying on the immense power of their master. The snowballing scale of the case far exceeded even Di Renjie's expectations.

As evening gradually fell, many well-informed individuals in Chang'an had already caught wind of the news.

Among them, however, the overwhelming majority were people clapping their hands in celebration.

Though ordinary commoners often found it difficult to distinguish right from wrong among the court ministers, there were two exceptions whom the common people hated to the marrow of their bones: the first was Li Yifu, and the second was Xu Jingzong.

Listening to the clamor outside, Dai Zhide looked at the endless stream of case dossiers being delivered and asked Zhang Wanguan, Xiao Zhaode, and Li Jingxuan, "What should we do?"

Li Jingxuan replied, "Send them to the Eastern Capital immediately."

Zhang Wanguan shook his head and said, "Inappropriate."

"Why?"

"They should be sent in batches."

Men who had climbed to such high offices were hardly ordinary figures; they grasped the implication instantly. Seeing yet a fresh batch of dossiers being brought in, Dai Zhide said, "This is a brilliant method. It would be best to send a batch every single hour."

With that, the men exchanged covert smiles of amusement...

After laughing, they let out a sigh: "Who would have thought that Chancellor Xu, so shrewd his entire life, could be so foolish in his old age?"

The sighs were entirely feigned; they were clearly shedding crocodile tears.

Sitting in the lower seat, Yang Shijie let out a long breath of relief, thinking to himself: *Foolish he may not be; if not for Di Renjie, who could have ever foreseen this? With such a man assisting the Crown Prince, it is like a tiger growing wings. One must never underestimate him simply because of his minor official rank—his future prospects are truly immeasurable.* Yet with Xu Jingzong's downfall, the stifling oppression and anxiety that had weighed upon his chest for the past few months were finally lifted.

Naturally, the chancellors paid no heed to his present mood. Dai Zhide said, "Since you all have no objections, sooner is better than later. Let us send the first batch to the Eastern Capital."

A knowing smile spread across their faces once more as they began selecting the dossiers.