To the Salt Transport Commissioner, Ye Zhao was a malefic star, but in the eyes of the Crown Prince and the others, he was truly perceptive. In such a short time, he had unearthed the commissioner’s prior offenses. However, this did not seem to offer much immediate help for the matter at hand.
Ye Zhao looked up at the Minister of Justice, who sat at the head of the room as if lost in thought. "Does Your Excellency have a lead?" he asked.
The Minister glanced back at him, answering with a question of his own. "And what of Young Master Ye? Do you have any thoughts?"
Ye Zhao considered for a moment and said calmly, "I suspect we won't get anything more out of the officials in charge of salt affairs."
As the words left his mouth, Ye Zhao thought he saw a flicker of light in the Minister’s eyes—a hint of approval. The Minister allowed himself a rare smile. "It seems Young Master Ye and I are of the same mind."
Ye Zhao returned the smile. They looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them.
Only the Crown Prince, Prince Rong, and the spectator Song He remained in a state of confusion. What sort of riddles were these two playing at?
The Minister of Justice was a man of few words who prioritized action. Having found a direction, he acted immediately, seeking and receiving an imperial decree from Emperor Wei that very day.
Soon after, the group sat within Tingfeng Pavilion, located very close to the offices of the Ministry of Revenue. They began poring over the Ministry’s archives from recent years, as well as all the records the Yulin Guards had on file regarding various court officials.
The Ministry of Revenue oversaw the national treasury’s finances. This "finance" encompassed trade, political affairs, and the circulation of all resources—even the population was registered there. To move such a massive quantity of salt, the Ministry of Revenue would certainly have transaction records. However, finding something unusual within these seemingly mundane accounts was an incredibly difficult task.
It was not only difficult but also mentally exhausting.
"Where is the tea? Bring the tea at once!" After two hours of reviewing financial records, Wei Ling was visibly irritable, shouting his dissatisfaction.
A palace maid hurried forward to serve the tea.
Tossing aside the ledger in his hand, Wei Ling grabbed the teapot and poured himself a cup. After just one sip, he immediately cursed, "Are you trying to scald me to death!"
He slammed the cup onto the table, splashing tea all over the rim.
"This servant has erred... I beg Prince Rong for mercy!" The maid’s face turned pale as she knelt on the floor, kowtowing repeatedly.
Hearing the commotion, Wei Ze looked up. Seeing his brother’s thin veil of rage, he advised, "Second Brother, let it go..."
"We have serious business to attend to. Do not fuss over such trifles."
His voice carried a hint of exhaustion; he was clearly also suffering from a headache brought on by the mountain of archives.
It would have been better if he hadn't spoken. As soon as he did, Wei Ling felt the other was mocking him—mocking him for being petty.
His dissatisfaction shifted targets instantly. "I merely said a word, and yet the Crown Prince rushes in to lecture me?"
"If you have the time, why don't you read a few more lines of the accounts for me?" With that, he sat back down, picked up the ledger he had discarded, and began flipping through it again.
Wei Ze’s expression stiffened for a moment before returning to its usual calm.
From then on, the two went about their own business, ignoring each other.
Ye Zhao’s gaze surreptitiously shifted between the two of them, his thoughts unreadable. In an instant, his eyes met those of the Minister of Justice.
The Minister gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head.
The meaning in his eyes was clear: *Don't be curious, and don't meddle.* Ye Zhao paused, then lowered his head to continue his work.
The next day, Ye Zhao welcomed a powerful external aid.
...
In the evening, as the light gradually dimmed and the setting sun blanketed the ground, Minister Qian stepped out of the Ministry of Revenue’s main gate. Before he had walked more than a few paces, he spotted a suspicious figure in the distance, huddled by a window of Tingfeng Pavilion, peeking inside.
"?" Startled, he opened his mouth to shout, but the more he looked at the figure, the more familiar it became.
Wasn't that...
"What are you doing?"
A voice suddenly rang out in Song He’s ear, making him jump.
Song He turned around. Seeing who it was, he let out a long breath and clutched his chest, fuming. "Can't you walk with some noise? You nearly scared the life out of me, jumping out like that!"
Meanwhile, inside Tingfeng Pavilion.
"What was that sound?" Ye Zhao looked up from behind his desk, glancing toward the window where the noise had originated.
It turned out that in his fright, Song He had accidentally bumped into the window frame.
Pei Shi’an glanced toward the window and remarked casually, "The wind must have rattled the shutters."
"Oh..." Ye Zhao nodded, not giving it much thought as he returned to his work.
Outside, hearing Song He’s complaint, Minister Qian fell silent for a moment before replying sardonically, "I was passing by and saw someone acting furtively. I merely asked a question. Are you actually blaming me?"
"Who’s acting furtively!" Song He retorted indignantly.
"Then why were you pressed against the window? Do you dare say you weren't spying?" Minister Qian exposed him without mercy.
"Shh! Keep it down." Song He immediately made a gesture for silence, his expression turning tense as he looked left and right.
"Come here!"
Song He grabbed Minister Qian.
"What are you doing?" Minister Qian had no desire to be manhandled. Once pulled to the window, he quickly shook off the other’s hand, his face full of disdain.
Song He: "..."
He was speechless for a moment and rolled his eyes, looking equally disgusted. *You think I want to pull you?*
The two clearly saw the expressions on each other's faces. Minister Qian suppressed his patience. "If you have something to say, say it."
Song He cast aside his annoyance as his thoughts returned to the matter at hand. He quietly pushed the window open a tiny crack and whispered to Minister Qian, "Look in there."
"?"
"Look at what?"
As Minister Qian spoke, he looked around to see if anyone was approaching.
"I told you to look, so look! Why all the nonsense!" Song He hissed urgently.
Seeing no one around, curiosity finally won out. Minister Qian leaned in to look. After watching for a long while, the confusion on his face only deepened.
He straightened up. "I looked. And?"
He continued, "The Crown Prince and the others are working inside. I know that." The Ministry of Revenue’s archives had been sent over by his own men, after all.
Seeing his reaction, Song He knew he hadn't understood. He quietly lowered his hand, closing the window crack before turning back and whispering, "Ye Zhao and the Old Chancellor are also in there. Looking at them, doesn't it remind you of anything else?"
"?" Minister Qian blinked. "Remind me of what?"
"Agh!" Song He looked exasperated by the man’s lack of insight. "Don't you think the way they look now is exactly like the way the Old Chancellor and Lord Tianshu used to look when they worked together?"
...
Minister Qian’s train of thought stalled for a moment. Then he replied, "Ye Zhao and Lord Tianshu look alike to begin with. What’s so strange about that?"
Song He’s expression shifted into a mix of conflict and agitation. He paced back and forth a couple of times before sighing. "Sigh, I don't know how to explain it to you. I’ve been standing here for half an hour. Watching the way the Old Chancellor and Ye Zhao interact... the tacit understanding in their every move is just too perfect. It’s so practiced that the more I watch, the more I feel like Lord Tianshu is the one sitting there."
*Pei Shi’an and Ye Zhao have known each other for nearly a year. Isn't it normal to have a rapport? What’s so strange?* Minister Qian thought.
But seeing the gravity and confusion on Song He’s face, Minister Qian couldn't help but push the window open again to look inside.
At some point, Ye Zhao had habitually brushed back the stray hairs from his forehead, revealing his entire, sharply defined face.
Before, when his hair softened his features, it wasn't as apparent. Now, one could clearly see the aggressive nature of that face. The corners of his eyes and his brows were filled with a sense of sharpness. When he wasn't smiling and turned serious, he exuded a palpable sense of pressure.
Ye Zhao was focused on reviewing a scroll, while Pei Shi’an sat to the left of his desk, reading another archive aloud to him. It must be said, this scene of multitasking did indeed bear a striking resemblance to the way Lord Tianshu used to handle government affairs years ago.
Minister Qian thought as much. He lowered the window and said softly, "One really shouldn't look for too long..."
If one looked for too long, that face—in the eyes of those who had known Tianshu in their youth—would always produce overlapping phantoms. But that was merely an illusion born of their own psychological state.
Hearing him say this, Song He looked as if his suspicions had been confirmed. He let out a long sigh. "See? I told you. This father and son are just too alike."
"Oh..." Minister Qian acted normally, completely failing to understand the other’s profound sighing.
"A couple of days ago, I happened to stumble upon Ye Zhao interrogating someone. He nearly had the Salt Transport Commissioner dragged out to be beheaded."
Minister Qian was startled. "That happened?"
"Yes." Song He gazed at the dying sun on the horizon, looking somewhat lost in thought. He spoke with half-sentiment: "At that moment, it was as if I saw the scene of Lord Tianshu interrogating people back then..."
In the twilight, Minister Qian looked at the aged profile beside him, wrinkled like an orange peel, and felt a surge of emotion.
Now that the conversation had reached this point, he seemed to understand what was on the other man’s mind.
"When people get old, they always love to dwell on memories of their youth. But what use is there in thinking so much? Old Song."
He spoke the name with an obscure tone, as if there were a hidden meaning behind his words.
Song He fell silent. The atmosphere between the two became uncharacteristically peaceful and quiet.
Just then, they saw Eunuch Babao approaching from a distance, leading a group of young eunuchs.
A moment later, the group arrived before them.
"The two Ministers have not yet left the palace," Eunuch Babao said, bowing slightly in greeting. A friendly smile remained on his face.
Minister Qian and Song He had known him for many years and were on good terms with him.
After returning the greeting, Song He noticed the large food boxes carried by the young eunuchs behind Babao. He asked curiously, "Eunuch Babao, this is...?"
Eunuch Babao glanced back at what Song He was looking at and turned back with a smile. "Knowing that Young Master Ye and the others are burdened with heavy affairs, His Majesty has decided to have the Duke of Anguo and Young Master Ye stay in the palace to rest. He sent me to inform them and bring their dinner as well."
"Oh, I see."
The two nodded in understanding. Just as they were about to take their leave, Eunuch Babao asked, "What are the two Ministers doing standing here? Why not go inside?"
"Er..."
The two, who had just been eavesdropping at the corner, felt a momentary pang of guilt, like thieves caught in the act. They looked at each other.
Looking at the kindly smiling Eunuch Babao, they couldn't tell if he was teasing them while knowing the truth, or if it was just a casual question.
Minister Qian was the first to react. "We were just about to go in!"
"Yes, yes, exactly," Song He immediately chimed in.
The corners of Eunuch Babao’s mouth curved further as he stepped aside, gesturing for them to go first. "Then, after you, Ministers."
...
After hearing the message delivered by Eunuch Babao, Ye Zhao thought the arrangement was quite good, as it meant he wouldn't have to rush back home after dark every day. Ye Zhao and the others set aside their scrolls and chatted while eating dinner, enjoying a rare moment of rest in their long day.
***
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