Zhao Yuanshan was sent by Minister Liu on the second mission, to persuade the prince to confess to His Majesty. Since the prince has already agreed, it’s best to quickly send out the manpower to resolve the matter sooner.
What he meant was to find the person quickly, but he actually hoped that the person wouldn’t be found, so that Prince Fu could confess to His Majesty before Lih Mian completed the investigation, allowing some initiative.
If the prince’s culpability is reduced, others won’t be implicated.
It hasn’t been easy for the secondary advisor and Minister Wang and others to manage Prince Fu’s affairs for decades, and if the prince were suspected of treason by the emperor, it would likely lead to a purge of Prince Fu’s faction.
The secondary advisor and Minister Wang, these high-level officials, would be implicated, dismissal and demotion would be the least of their concerns. If the accounts of the Ministry of Works’ silvers over the years were scrutinized, many might end up in jail.
Many things are ; without investigation, everyone turns a blind eye, and all is harmonious. When following the unwritten rules, everyone’s happy, and it’s peaceful.
But once caught and exposed, it turns into a corruption case.
The people sent by Prince Fu hadn’t returned, but Lih Mian already brought his investigation results to the emperor.
The person under Prince Fu was captured by Lih Mian’s Imperial Guard Camp subordinates. When the Imperial Guard arrested this person, they took his whole family and gathered valuable items and simple belongings to create the illusion for Prince Fu that the person fled on his own, buying time to investigate the case.
It was this very misperception that allowed Lih Mian to extract a confession, leading to clues in Tongping Prefecture and Huaiyuan County.
Lih Mian reviewed all investigation files and carefully questioned those handling the case before drafting a simple outline to report to the emperor.
For him, this was as far as he could investigate. From here on, it depended on the emperor’s attitude, whether to cover it up and punish Prince Fu with another excuse, or to hand it over to the Ministry of Justice or Imperial Clan Court for further handling.
Involving the emperor’s son, even for the most trusted official, there’s little that could be done.
The emperor had preparations for this matter beforehand, so the reaction upon receiving this outline was relatively calm.
In the small palace hall, only the emperor, Zhang Cunhai, and Lih Mian were present.
The emperor skimmed the outline, somewhat relieved; fortunately, the iron materials didn’t link to weaponry, his son could still remain his son.
He put down the paper roll and asked Lih Mian, "Why not continue to investigate?"
Lih Mian broke into a slight sweat. He wrote it so plainly, and with the emperor’s wisdom, it was obvious, yet he still asked why not continue the investigation.
Being the emperor’s most trusted official was indeed not easy!
Lih Mian bowed and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, I believe that other than the amounts of materials exceeding the court’s official records, the rest have basically been verified. Stopping now allows for greater flexibility. Those two locations are strictly guarded, and rashly sending people might spark conflict. It wouldn’t just alarm His Highness Prince Fu; it might also attract others’ attention, making it hard for me to manage."
The emperor was noncommittal about Lih Mian’s response and continued, "What’s your suggestion on what to do next?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel·fire.net
Lih Mian sensed the sweat on his forehead threatening to coalesce, "I believe that His Highness Prince Fu only found the large use of iron materials in the first phase of the railway construction an opportunity to make some profit."
Being the emperor’s trusted aide really wasn’t easy, having to find fitting excuses for the offending prince, "According to the findings of the Imperial Guard Camp, other than making some profits, His Highness had no other intentions." In other words, the prince wasn’t guilty of treason.
Lih Mian finished and discreetly wiped his forehead. Speaking these words was a risk. Based on current evidence, Prince Fu seemed to have sought only monetary gain with no other ulterior motives.
But who could guarantee he’d have no other intentions in the future? If Prince Fu truly harbored treasonous thoughts later, today’s words would have been covering for Prince Fu at a time when he showed signs of treason.
If the emperor or adversaries scrutinized today’s statement, he’d be doomed, at least accused of inept handling and missing critical signs.
The emperor showed no expression, but inwardly was quite pleased with Lih Mian’s response.
It was what he wanted to hear. He knew his son well enough; Prince Fu did have aspirations for succession, but the emperor didn’t believe he’d usurp the throne.
"The task was well handled, this case ends here. Compile all documents you have into files and hand them to Zhang Cunhai, to be archived in the palace."
Lih Mian promptly agreed.
The following day, after the emperor’s court, following the usual debates, and after some exchanges among differing court views, the usual dissolution of the court was announced.
The Crown Prince and the two princes exchanged greetings before heading out of the palace.
Normally, the emperor paid little attention to these interactions, but after Lih Mian’s report, he noticed that these three left the court faster than others.
Prince Fu was preoccupied, eager to leave the tumult and return to think quietly, or to find a way to turn the tide. But what were Jinrong and the Crown Prince busy with? It seemed Lih Mian had to investigate the movements of these two troublesome sons.
Prince Fu hadn’t yet stepped out of the hall when a little eunuch caught up beside him, bowing slightly, and said softly, "Your Highness, please hold your steps, His Majesty requests your presence in the Imperial Study Room to discuss matters."
Prince Fu’s heart sank. He had sent his people days ago, but no word had returned.
That day, after listening to Liu Yu’s suggestion, he also hoped this matter could end promptly, ideally finding the person, to end it quickly. Either way, it would offer him peace for a while longer. If he couldn’t find the person, he wouldn’t expect further investigation and would just confess to his Imperial Father, accepting any punishment.
Since Lih Mian had already discovered the iron mine and smeltery workshop, he feared he was already under the emperor’s control, with hardly any room left for other maneuvers.
The emperor’s summoning to the Imperial Study Room at this time likely meant it was about this issue. It’s probable that the person was indeed captured by Lih Mian and key testimonies already obtained.
Prince Fu’s first thought was, his father already knew.
Sure enough, the little eunuch stayed with him in the Imperial Study Room for only a short while before the emperor entered with Zhang Cunhai in strides. He didn’t look at him, instead proceeding directly to the main seat.
Zhang Cunhai dismissed the little eunuch, and then the emperor asked, "Jinyi, are you aware of your crimes?"
With things being spoken so clearly, how could Prince Fu not know what the emperor was asking?
He immediately knelt down, "Your son realizes his mistake, I was momentarily beguiled, when constructing the railway transport project, seeing the substantial movement of iron materials, I sought to take advantage and procure personal gains, thus hiding some materials during the mining and smelting process. Your son admits his guilt, ready for your disposition."