Chapter 34
JIANG SUIZHOU WANTED TO ASK Huo Wujiu what was wrong, but the words stuck in his throat.
The man’s expression was permanently stern, after all. He always looked pretty grumpy, which made it nearly impossible to gauge his mood reliably. What if he wasn’t even angry about anything at all, and Jiang Suizhou ended up asking pointlessly?
That would be incredibly awkward.
So, Jiang Suizhou sneaked another glance or two at Huo Wujiu and then ended up swallowing his words.
After breakfast, he changed his clothes and headed straight to Gu Changyun’s courtyard.
As usual, Gu Changyun and Xu Du were both waiting in the room. The two were about to stand and bow when Jiang Suizhou waved his hand and sat down at the head of the table.
“Sit,” he said coolly.
The two exchanged a glance and sat down in the chairs beside him.
“Yesterday, Minister Ji was arrested for embezzlement. Both of you know this already, correct?” Jiang Suizhou said.
They nodded.
“Your Highness need not worry,” Gu Changyun said, smiling. “Minister Ji has never taken sides, and despite our attempts to persuade him, he remained uncooperative. Even if he’s dealt with by Pang Shao, it doesn’t harm us. Your Highness doesn’t need to take it to heart.”
Jiang Suizhou locked eyes with him.
“I want to save him,” he said bluntly.
Gu Changyun hadn’t expected to hear that sort of declaration. He stared at the prince in shock for a moment but quickly recovered.
“Your Highness is kindhearted. Your subordinate is naturally pleased. However…”
“Xu Du,” Jiang Suizhou suddenly interrupted.
“Your Highness?” Xu Du replied reflexively.
“You haven’t told him anything yet, have you?” Jiang Suizhou prodded.
It took a second for Xu Du to understand what he meant.
“Without Your Highness’s orders, your subordinate dared not speak recklessly,” he answered tactfully.
At that, Jiang Suizhou nodded and turned back to Gu Changyun.
“Gu Changyun, now that you’ve joined my side, it’s safer for your grandmother and younger sister to remain where they are.”
“Your Highness…?” Gu Changyun trailed off, and the smile on his face slowly faded.
Jiang Suizhou looked up and gazed seriously at Gu Changyun as he continued speaking.
“I’m different from him, so let me tell you outright: I have no intention of holding your family hostage. But since they’re already living there, there’s no need for them to move out. That said… If you want to see them, you are free to go to their courtyard at any time from now on.”
Gu Changyun paused, overwhelmed.
He’d never told anyone this, but ever since his family had been coerced into the residence by the Prince of Jing, he hadn’t had the chance to see them even once.
After a moment, he looked up at Jiang Suizhou with red, watery eyes and a genuine smile.
“…Your Highness is truly kind and wishes to save him. Your subordinate will naturally do his utmost.”
Jiang Suizhou nodded.
Both of his subordinates were sharp, so there was no need to spell things out completely.
The two of them had already figured out he wasn’t the original owner of this body. By coming clean and doing damage control on the original prince’s manipulative tactics, Jiang Suizhou was demonstrating that the current Prince of Jing deserved Gu Changyun’s trust.
He couldn’t take back the cruel leverage he had over this man, but he could at least use it to prove his sincerity while also taking care of Gu Changyun’s family. After all, Gu Changyun was irrevocably tied to him. At this point, there was no turning back. This arrangement was the best outcome for all involved.
“It’s not only because I’m kindhearted,” Jiang Suizhou said frankly, seeing that Gu Changyun understood. “Pang Shao now holds absolute control. Clearly, he can take down any official he likes with little effort.”
He looked at both of them with a solemn expression.
“If we let him kill Ji You today, who will it be tomorrow? Right now, many officials are counting on me for protection. If I fail to protect even one or two of them now, I risk losing their trust and support.”
After a pause, he continued.
“Naturally, I also think that saving one is better than none. We can’t let Pang Shao keep getting his way.”
Hearing this, Xu Du frowned slightly.
“It’s good that Your Highness thinks this way,” he said. “But…does Your Highness have a plan?”
Gu Changyun nodded in agreement.
“The Ministry of Rites also has members of Pang Shao’s faction. It’s easy to fabricate evidence of embezzlement and pin it on Minister Ji. But if we wish to exonerate him, we currently lack a clear starting point.”
“It’s easy to pin it on him, but the whereabouts of the embezzled funds…” Jiang Suizhou mused. “Presumably that should also be investigated?”
“Of course,” Gu Changyun said with a nod. “But according to the laws of Great Jing, even if the whereabouts of the embezzled funds can’t be traced, the criminal must still be punished.”
Jiang Suizhou pondered for a moment.
This lined up with his understanding of the historical record. There were countless corruption cases documented over the years, many of which were resolved quickly and with minimal evidence.
So, as someone from the future, how could he leverage his knowledge against his opponent?
Jiang Suizhou fell silent for a long time, and the expressions of his two subordinates were also grave. For a while, no one spoke.
Finally, Xu Du broke the silence.
“Now that the case has been made, the only way to save Minister Ji is to find a scapegoat. But…we can’t frame an innocent person.”
A scapegoat?
Suddenly, Jiang Suizhou’s eyes lit up as he found himself struck by a flash of inspiration.
The court would have a hard time tracking down where that money Ji You supposedly embezzled actually ended up. Tracing these things could be quite a daunting task, so perhaps he could help them figure that out?
He’d studied the history of the Jing dynasty extensively, after all. He didn’t know every official’s entire biography by heart, but he was familiar enough with what each of them had done—including who had engaged in corruption and embezzlement. A rough plan began to take shape in his mind.
It shouldn’t be hard to find someone from the Ministry of Rites who’d embezzled a large sum and deserved a bit of heat. If they steered the Ministry of Justice’s focus toward that individual, Ji You could end up cleared of all charges.
“That’s an excellent idea,” he said.
“Does Your Highness already have someone in mind?” Xu Du asked, surprised.
Jiang Suizhou just smiled.
Of course. Not only was this individual a good candidate, but he was also someone who had walked right into the line of fire all on his own.
Chen Ti.
He’d certainly benefited financially from his many attempts to curry favor with Pang Shao. Coincidentally, just before Jiang Suizhou traveled through time, a colleague had written a thesis on corruption during the late Jing period. He distinctly remembered seeing at least one mention of Chen Ti and the numerous large mansions he had bought in Lin’an.
And wasn’t he the one who’d thoughtfully invited Huo Wujiu to that flower-viewing banquet? Perhaps Jiang Suizhou should repay his kindness by inviting the Ministry of Justice to a viewing of those mansions Chen Ti owned.