The news of Jiang Suizhou’s plans to visit to the Ministry of Justice had already spread. When he got out of the carriage, the Vice Minister of Justice was waiting for him at the entrance.
He even greeted him with a smile, and, noticing how unsteady and frail Jiang Suizhou seemed, he reached out to help him exit the carriage.
Jiang Suizhou snubbed the gesture, sidestepping him. He let Meng Qianshan steady him instead.
“We’ve been waiting for you, Your Highness,” the Vice Minister of Justice said as he politely stepped aside. “Please, come in.”
“Our ranks are the same. There’s no need for such formalities,” Jiang Suizhou said tersely. “Besides, I’m here today to be interrogated.”
The Vice Minister of Justice laughed.
“Your Highness, what are you saying? We know you’ve been ill recently and had no part in this. Any potential investigation won’t involve you…”
Jiang Suizhou raised his hand to stop him.
“There are some things I’ve handled personally,” he said calmly. “Whether you investigate or not, I need to talk to him myself.”
Hearing this, the Vice Minister of Justice nodded and led him inside.
The allegations put forth were simple: a cut-and-dried case of embezzlement. The funds allocated to the Ministry of Rites had been approved by the Ministry of Revenue, and everything was properly recorded in the accounts. But during the cleanup this morning, someone had discovered that many of the banquet’s decorations were of inferior quality, substituted by metals and minerals that were neither gold nor jade, and there was a significant discrepancy in the funds.
“By our calculations, Ji You must have embezzled roughly…” The Vice Minister of Justice held up four fingers as he trailed off.
“Just say it. Don’t play games with me,” Jiang Suizhou said coldly.
“At least four thousand taels,” he clarified awkwardly.
Four thousand taels wasn’t an enormous amount, but embezzling from the emperor’s birthday banquet at all was a serious offense. For an ordinary official, it could mean exile or even execution.
Jiang Suizhou didn’t say anything. After a moment, the Vice Minister of Justice continued.
“Your Highness, there’s no need to worry. Even if the Ministry of Justice investigates your residence, it’ll be a simple routine check. This matter mainly involves Ji You and has nothing to do with…”
“I need to see Ji You,” Jiang Suizhou cut in.
The Vice Minister of Justice froze. He looked troubled.
“Well… The thing is, Ji You is currently in custody,” he said hesitantly.
Jiang Suizhou’s expression was calm.
“I handled a batch of materials,” he said. “I need to ask him about it privately to relieve my doubts.”
Hearing this, the Vice Minister of Justice seemed to understand.
Ji You had embezzled, but it seemed the Prince of Jing wasn’t entirely innocent either.
It was highly probable that the Prince of Jing wasn’t entirely blameless regarding His Majesty’s birthday banquet. This explained why he’d hurried over so urgently and even sought to interrogate Ji You in private.
The Vice Minister of Justice had already received orders from above to deal with Ji You. If the Prince of Jing wanted to shift some of the blame onto Ji You, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
After all, the Prince of Jing was a member of the royal family. Even if he embezzled a bit of silver, what could the emperor say?
With this in mind, the Vice Minister of Justice reluctantly agreed and led Jiang Suizhou to the Ministry of Justice’s prison.
The prison primarily housed suspects awaiting investigation or those charged with minor offenses. Its conditions were better than those of the imperial prison, and it wasn’t as heavily guarded. The cells even had small windows that allowed light and ventilation.
Jiang Suizhou followed the Vice Minister of Justice deep into the prison. After turning a corner, he saw Ji You in his cell.
Having just been imprisoned, he still wore tidy robes, and he looked relatively composed, seated alone on a straw-covered cot in the cell.
Noticing his approaching form, Ji You looked up.
Jiang Suizhou stopped at the cell door and gestured for the Vice Minister of Justice to wait outside.
“But…” The Vice Minister of Justice hesitated.
“Fifteen minutes,” Jiang Suizhou insisted.
The Vice Minister of Justice hesitated for a moment, a troubled expression on his face, but he soon relented.
“Then please keep it brief, Your Highness. I’ll wait for you at the prison entrance.”
Ji You was already imprisoned, after all. Surely the Prince of Jing didn’t have anything too significant to discuss with him at this point. Besides, the Vice Minister of Justice was a lower-ranking official without powerful backers. It wasn’t worth it to offend the Prince of Jing over such a minor issue.
The Vice Minister of Justice retreated.
Once he was out of earshot, Jiang Suizhou stepped forward.
“Minister Ji.”
Ji You stood up from the bed and walked to the cell door, where he stared in disbelief at Jiang Suizhou through the iron bars.
“Your Highness…?”
Jiang Suizhou paused.
“I…originally planned to return your books today.”
This stunned Ji You into silence for a moment. Then he laughed dryly.
“Your Highness, there’s no need to return them,” he said. “The heavens are unpredictable, and everyone has their own fate. It seems my fate has led me here.”
Jiang Suizhou felt a pang of sadness seeing Ji You like this.
“Although we’re not close, I know you’re not the type to do such a thing,” he said after a pause, his voice firm.
“If the evidence is solid, it doesn’t matter whether I did it or not,” Ji You said.
Jiang Suizhou wasn’t sure what to say. After a moment, Ji You continued.
“Your Highness has always been at odds with Pang Shao’s faction. You can probably guess what’s going on. Members of Pang Shao’s faction have repeatedly tried to win me over, but I’ve refused each time. They must have been displeased, particularly with my recent interactions with Your Highness. They’re likely taking precautions.”
His tone was calm; there wasn’t a hint of accusation in his voice, but Jiang Suizhou’s hands clenched tighter at his sides.
…He had guessed as much.
Though Ji You may not have blamed him, Jiang Suizhou blamed himself. He knew something that Ji You didn’t—that his mere presence was a life-altering calamity for Ji You.
Ji You wanted to remain neutral, and since he didn’t hold any real power, Pang Shao paid him no attention. There was no reason for concern, as the original Prince of Jing had no real connection to Ji You beyond the simple fact that they both worked at the Ministry of Rites.
However, since Jiang Suizhou had traveled through time to take the prince’s place, the relationship between the Prince of Jing and Minister Ji had changed. A few casual chats caused Ji You to offer the frail prince a handful of kind accommodations for his poor health. They could have been considered acquaintances at best, really, but that was all it took for Pang Shao to become wary enough to necessitate the elimination of Ji You.
Seeing Jiang Suizhou’s silence, Ji You was a little taken aback. But then he smiled gently.
“Your Highness, there’s no need to blame yourself,” Ji You said. “I knew this day would come, from the moment I first refused to join their faction. I’m a lazy man with little talent. I’ve spent over a decade in this position, yet I’ve accomplished nothing because I wished to stay uninvolved with political schemes while serving in the court. It’s not Your Highness’s fault that I’ve ended up like this.”
But Jiang Suizhou, who had been silent for a long time, shook his head.
He looked up at Ji You with those dark, slightly upturned eyes that normally gave the impression of a cunning fox. But now, gazing resolutely through the cell bars, they shone with fierce brilliance.
“The matter hasn’t been fully investigated yet,” Jiang Suizhou insisted firmly. “You won’t be convicted right away.”
Ji You could hear the natural charisma still dripping from his lowered voice.
“Please remain calm while in prison, Minister Ji. I swear I won’t let you suffer an unjust fate.”