Chapter 129: Zhou Yuanshen's Manipulation
Cheng Zhao barely managed a doze just before dawn.
Zhou Yuanshen lay down briefly, then said to Cheng Zhao, "I need to go out. There’s much to handle. Don’t be afraid. Don’t go to the Hall of Morning Brightness or the Garden of Longevity today, no matter who calls you."
Cheng Zhao acknowledged his instructions.
It wasn’t just the second branch of the family who had spent the night sleepless.
Almost everyone in the Duke’s estate had barely slept.
Huan Qingtang huddled in the Courtyard of Concentrated Fragrance, drenched in cold sweat. The image of Doctor Feng’s corpse haunted her vision.
Yet she couldn’t let this disturb her.
She got up and went to the Hall of Morning Brightness. She saw a few rough servants crouching under the eaves, but no one else. Doctor Feng still lay on the floor tiles.
“...Why hasn’t he been dealt with?” Huan Qingtang asked, her hands trembling within her sleeves, though her voice remained calm.
The servant woman replied, “No one has given orders, Eldest Young Madame.”
The Dowager Madame had returned to the Garden of Longevity; the First Madam, frightened, had hidden in a side chamber to rest.
“Summon someone. Have the men outside wrap this man in a straw mat and place him in a vacant side room in the rear,” Huan Qingtang ordered.
Set him aside for now, but what then?
Her mind raced.
An old servant woman immediately went to relay the order.
Soon, Steward Sun arrived. He brought two manservants and an oxcart, and they moved Doctor Feng’s body away.
“...Eldest Young Madame, how should we explain this to Doctor Feng’s family?” Steward Sun asked for guidance.
Doctor Feng was an official. There were a thousand ways to execute him, but none as simple as the Emperor running him through with a sword.
Huan Qingtang thought for a moment, then said, “He took his own life out of guilt, defiling the Hall of Morning Brightness. Tomorrow at first light, send his body to the Court of Great Justice, along with the evidence of his crimes.”
Steward Sun acknowledged her orders.
At the very rear of the Duke of Chen’s estate, beyond the back garden, stood several clusters of courtyards and rows of low houses. These were quarters for stewards’ families, servants, and poor relatives seeking shelter.
Since there were many empty rooms, one could be chosen to hold the corpse temporarily for the night without issue.
At dawn, Zhou Yuanshen arrived at the Hall of Morning Brightness, and Nanny Sun, who served the Dowager Madame, also came.
“The Eldest Young Madame has already ordered the body placed in a rear side room,” said a servant woman from the Hall of Morning Brightness. “She also instructed it to be sent to the Court of Great Justice.”
Nanny Sun nodded.
After greeting Zhou Yuanshen, she turned and returned to the Garden of Longevity.
Zhou Yuanshen then left.
Before the morning court session, he rushed to the Imperial Study to see the Emperor.
“...Your Majesty, I have reorganized the evidence of Doctor Feng’s crimes. At dawn, the Zhou family will deliver both his suicide note and his body to the Court of Great Justice,” Zhou Yuanshen said.
The Emperor had, in fact, slept.
After waking, he recalled killing the imperial physician the day before at the Duke of Chen’s estate and felt deep regret.
But at that moment, his mind had been consumed by that one thing—he had to kill someone. He always carried a sharp sword on his person; he had used it to wound a minister before.
Those damned ministers would now make a fuss over this minor matter, buzzing like flies.
They were utterly detestable—untouchable by threats, unbreakable by intimidation.
If he tried to kill them, they would think of “dying by remonstration” to secure their place in history, and they would be more thrilled than he was!
What the Emperor enjoyed was his ministers’ fear, not their eager expressions in the face of death. That infuriated him.
He could neither strike nor kill them; he had to follow their rules.
Only his mother-in-law understood his torment.
Now, one more person did.
Zhou Yuanshen not only understood him but also helped him clean up unpleasant matters.
“If only you were my son,” the Emperor sighed. “None of my sons has your resolve.”
He added, “If your aunt hadn’t died, she would have borne me a Crown Prince. That prince would naturally possess the shrewdness and decisiveness of the Zhou family—just like you.”
As he spoke, tears flowed from his eyes.
Zhou Yuanshen lowered his head and spoke earnestly, “Your Majesty, please restrain your grief and take care of your dragon body.”
The Emperor wiped his tears. “Forget it.”
Then he said, “You handled Doctor Feng’s matter well. His crime is unforgivable. I will exterminate his three clans.”
Zhou Yuanshen replied, “Your Majesty is most wise. If you order the extermination of his three clans, the court officials will surely plead for leniency. That way, no one will question why he took his own life.
Then, Your Majesty can relent and spare his clansmen. All the officials will be grateful for Your Majesty’s magnanimity and will believe it was their words that swayed your judgment.”
The Emperor laughed. “This idea suits me well. We shall do that.”
In that brief moment, he wept with genuine sorrow and then laughed with unrestrained delight.
He thought to himself: on the throne, he would announce the extermination of Doctor Feng’s three clans, watching the officials panic and beg for mercy. Once he agreed to spare the Feng clan, they would think they had won again.
They were nothing but rats for him to toy with.
Zhou Yuanshen, expressionless, bowed respectfully and took his leave.
He still attended the morning court that day.
The Court of Great Justice had not yet received the case, so the court discussed many matters, including the "mutiny" in the Capital Garrison.
The Duke of Pi was furious, because one of his men had been killed.
He argued fiercely with Zhou Yuanshen, insisting that Zhou Yuanshen had orchestrated the mutiny and was pulling the strings.
Zhou Yuanshen did not refute much; he simply presented his memorial, laying out everything clearly.
After court, Zhou Yuanshen walked over to the Duke of Pi and spoke quietly to him:
“Perhaps you should exert some influence in the Court of Great Justice to finalize Doctor Feng’s charges. If you look closely, Your Majesty intends to exterminate not just the Feng clan, but also the Dou clan.”
“What charges? What clans?” The Duke of Pi was baffled.
Zhou Yuanshen walked away.
When he returned to the estate, he went first to the Garden of Longevity.
The Dowager Madame had already risen and was taking some nourishing tonics.
She had Zhou Yuanqi go to the eastern side room, put down her spoon, and asked, “How did things go?”
“Consort Dou and her family are even more afraid of the Feng matter escalating. They will bribe the coroner to confirm that Doctor Feng took his own life,” Zhou Yuanshen said.
The Dowager Madame nodded slightly. “You handled it well.”
Then she added, “A pity...”
If the Emperor hadn’t killed Doctor Feng on the spot but had turned him over to the Court of Great Justice, perhaps they could have eliminated Consort Dou today.
But dealing with her natal family, the Duke of Pi’s estate, was still difficult, since many of these matters involved the Consort’s interests. The Dou family could always disclaim responsibility.
But the Emperor...
The Dowager Madame felt regret.
Two pawns had been wasted this time—Doctor Feng and the child that Mu Jiang had failed to carry.
Both had died for nothing.
None of the goals the Dowager Madame had wanted to achieve were accomplished.
The only thing gained was a test of Huan Qingtang.
“...Your eldest aunt hid herself away, but Huan Qingtang handled everything calmly and properly. She is truly a noble lady of a high family, steady and reliable in her actions,” the Dowager Madame said to Zhou Yuanshen.
Zhou Yuanshen met her gaze evenly, his dark eyes showing no emotion. “Grandmother, Cheng Shi will bear many children. Our sons will inherit the incense of the Duke of Chen’s estate. I will not become a second husband to a widow and ruin my reputation.”
The Dowager Madame’s heart seized.
This was the first time Zhou Yuanshen had stated his intentions so clearly.
He was defying her.
She slowly sat up straighter. “Yuanshen, do you think you can go against my will now?”
“Grandmother, the force behind your will is nothing more than the Emperor’s support,” Zhou Yuanshen said, each word measured. “Grandmother, open your eyes and look at the Emperor. How much longer will he remain clear-minded? A mad emperor may be manipulated by you, but can he not be manipulated by others?”
The Dowager Madame was left speechless.
The eastern side room was silent for a long while, when suddenly the Dowager Madame hurled both the bowl and spoon at Zhou Yuanshen.
Zhou Yuanshen dodged.
The spoon and bowl crashed to the floor, sending shards of porcelain scattering in all directions.