Chang’an Small Restaurant

Chapter 103.2 The Revival of Prince of Wu’s Case

While the Emperor pondered the appointments and adjustments of the capital city's officials, Lin Yan was focused on re-examining the case of the Prince of Wu.

Investigating the Shen Residence's dossier inevitably involved delving into Prince of Wu’s case. From these records, conversations with informed individuals like Chu Di, and scattered texts found in the capital city's government repository and the Ministry of Justice, Lin Yan began to form some speculations about the Prince of Wu case. Many were implicated by the case, with the most famous being not Official Shen, but the Military Commissioner[1] of Hedong, Huo Chen.

However, could it be that the Prince of Wu was, in fact, implicated by Huo Chen?  After all, the Prince of Wu was merely a peripheral Vassal King, while the Military Commissioner of Hedong governed the vital region of Taiyuan and controlled several provinces and counties, with troops under his authority with military forces to guard against the Hu people. His position held far too much significance.

When Huo Chen fell from grace, who benefited? The Metropolitan Governor[2] of Taiyuan, Prince of Zhao, took over Huo Chen's military authority and has been in control for many years...

Last summer, as rumors circulated throughout the capital, the atmosphere bore a remarkable resemblance to the tumultuous final years of the previous Emperor's reign. A'Ji's insights led directly to the northern capital of Taiyuan. The bandits carried an unmistakable scent of cured meat, and among the venues lining the same Lane, known for their substantial reserves of cured provisions, was the Incoming Cloud Tavern—an establishment owned by the Prince of Zhao.

At that time, Lin Yan had discreetly sent someone to inspect the storage rooms of Incoming Cloud Tavern. The place was impeccably clean, with no traces left behind; however, sometimes excessive cleanliness itself can be a sign.

Yet, based on these inferences and the scant testimonies extracted from the fearless assailants, it was impossible to convict a Vassal King who was safeguarding their country’s security.

However, they were far too impatient. During this frigid spring, they resumed their activities, and this time on a larger scale. The crucial factor was that they had chosen Shen Indelible Tavern as their scene of operation, a place where A'Ji, who could potentially secure a position at the Ministry of Justice or the Imperial Court of Judicial Review, was present...

Involving the Imperial Guards and the Hu people made it remarkably easy to set up an ambush. The movements were hasty and urgent, which played into their hands.

At the thought of Shen Shaoguang, Lin Yan smiled faintly, then took from his sleeve a preliminary report on the interrogation of the captured criminals from the tavern. Given the short time and the fact that they were all warriors unafraid of death, the results were limited. It was still necessary to let the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Court of Judicial Review handle the details slowly.

Lin Yan also presented a report on the investigations his agents had conducted in the northern capital, Taiyuan, and the so-called ‘Illustrious Sage of Great Virtue and Clear Guidance’'s hometown of Wei (vassal state) and his sect.

Lin Yan first pleaded his guilt to the Emperor, "This subject has conducted an investigation into the old case of Prince of Wu without Your Majesty’s permission. Imploring Your Majesty to punish me for my actions."

The Emperor waved his hand dismissively. In the past, such actions would have displeased him, but at this moment, he found Lin Yan’s sharpness and capability commendable.

"Your Majesty, please look at this," Lin Yan said, presenting the findings from his investigation in the northern capital. "After the death of the late Emperor, the esteemed ‘Illustrious Sage of Great Virtue and Clear Guidance’ departed. Some said he ascended to immortality, others claimed he wandered off, but in reality, he went, or better worded as— returned to Taiyuan. According to the testimony of a Taoist from the Qingjing Monastery in Taiyuan, a ‘noble person’ from the Prince of Zhao’s Residence used to visit the monastery for several days every year. It is said that he was fond of the stone monument behind the monastery. This ‘noble person’ passed away two years ago and was buried on the mountain behind the monastery. The inscription on the monument reads ‘Great Virtue Wang.’"

"Your Majesty, please look at the section after Wei. The surname of this Daoist spiritual master is ‘Wang,’ with no given name, and the locals refer to him simply as ‘Sir One.’ Illustrious Sage of Great Virtue and the captured Qiao Hai are not only from the same hometown but also from the same sect. Qiao Hai’s original name was Heishi. As a child, he was bitten by a fish while fishing in the river, resulting in severe skin and flesh necrotization that was dug with a knife, leaving a large scar—according to an elderly surnamed Liu who was their playmate back then, it was the Illustrious Sage of Great Virtue himself who took care of it. This subject has personally seen this scar."

"Your Majesty, please also review the following information…"

The case against the Prince of Wu originally arose from the so-called 'prophecy' of that Taoist, which later expanded to incorporate additional 'evidence.' Lin Yan probed into these origins, uncovering that the Taoist harbored ulterior motives; the 'prophecy' was nothing more than a fabrication!

Faced with such evidence, the Emperor found it impossible to suggest, "Let the past be past and focus only on the current matter."

The Emperor faintly smiled at Lin Yan. "To investigate so thoroughly is no small feat. What prompted you to revisit the case of the Prince of Wu, An Ran?"

"It is not for Prince of Wu, but for my father-in-law, Official Shen," Lin Yan replied calmly.

The Emperor reacted with a pause, "The Minister of Rites, Shen Qian?"

"Yes."

The Emperor furrowed his brow slightly. Shen Qian had publicly denounced the Taoist priest for endangering the country and sought justice for the Prince of Wu. The previous Emperor, in his anger, had meted out severe punishment: Shen himself was beheaded, his son hanged, and his wife and daughter... relegated to the Lateral Courts?

"My fiancée, maiden name Shen, was released from the palace two springs ago," Lin Yan continued. "She is the proprietress of Shen Indelible Tavern in the East Market." 

The Emperor’s expression shifted to one of realization. Lin Yan had previously mentioned that the discovery was made by the Shen Indelible Tavern's proprietress and had suspected they were acquaintances and that he was the one who had written the preface for the poetry collection...

The Emperor smiled and asked, "Was it you who wrote the preface for that poetry collection?"

Lin Yan acknowledged with a smile, "It is indeed written by this subject."

The Emperor laughed. "I had thought of it as merely a worthy talent in the wild, but it turns out he’s already among zhen’s courtiers."

Lin Yan also chuckled.

Considering Shen Indelible Tavern’s caution about not selling food to the Imperial Guards, and the details of the cooker, the menu, the poetry anthology, and tasteful banter, the Emperor hesitated, finding it difficult to describe Miss Shen accurately. To say she was ‘talented’ didn’t quite fit, as the talented women of the capital then wouldn't fit that definition; to say she was ‘interesting’ seemed insufficient...

The Emperor, with a hint of jest, remarked, "An Ran has quite the discerning eye."

Lin Yan nodded with a faint smile, "She truly is remarkable."

The Emperor was a bit taken aback by such unabashed praise of one’s wife, unsure of how to respond.

"Last summer, during the case of the rumors, the criminals attempted to use her as leverage against me. She remained fearless, even handed me a fish-slicing knife. Later, she deduced the criminals’ identities based on their scent and choice of food..." 

As Lin Yan circled back to Prince of Zhao, the Prince of Wu case, or perhaps Shen Qian’s case, the Emperor smiled. Well, fairness was fairness; it was something that had to be given when due.

Hearing the Emperor’s assent, Lin Yan saluted solemnly.

Seeing he already assumed the role of Shen Qian's son-in-law, the Emperor suddenly could taste a hint of sour in his mouth. With so many beauties in his harem, he had always felt content. Yet, seeing Lin Yan like this, he felt as if something was missing from his own life.

"How far have you and Miss Shen progressed in terms of the Six Etiquettes?"

Lin Yan pressed his lips together and replied, "We are still waiting for an elder of the Shen Clan to arrive at the capital to preside over the ceremony."

The Emperor’s sourness dissipated. Hah, it turned out everything was merely the result of his own enthusiasm.

.

.

.

The author has something to say: I changed the name of Prince of Zhao’s son and suddenly realized it was homophonic to Chancellor Li’s name.

———

Today is Deputy Magistrate Lin’s day to show off his affection.

Emperor: …Zhen has never seen such impudence before!

Prince of Heyang: Ok, I’ve learned— my beauty’s flat cakes are the most delicious!

—

Footnotes:

[1] Military Commissioner (节度使) - The jiedushi or jiedu, was a regional military governor in China; the title was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of jiedushi has been translated as "military commissioner", "legate", or "regional commander". Originally introduced in 711 to counter external threats, the jiedushi were posts authorized with the supervision of a defense command often encompassing several prefectures, the ability to maintain their own armies, collect taxes and promote and appoint subordinates.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiedushi 

[2] Metropolitan Governor (府牧) - Metropolitan Governor of a Region (chou) in Sui or, later, a Superior Prefecture (fu), in all cases the site of a dynastic capital, principal or auxiliary; lower second-ranked title, often a sinecure for a member of the imperial family, in which case an Administrator, nominally his assistant, actually bore his responsibilities. 

Source: #4041 https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/cbdb/files/hucker_official_titles_ocr_searchable_all_pages.pdf