In the wake of the palace coup, the revelation that a son of the He family had survived, coupled with the exposure of the twenty-year-old disaster relief case, sent shockwaves through the realm. Emperor An’s vacillations in court forced him to issue an edict naming Prince Tai as crown prince under pressure from the ministers. The burning of Rongjiang and the chaos in the southern bureaucracy, along with the rampant buying and selling of official posts, stunned the world.
The “edict of self-condemnation” penned by Prince Tai on behalf of Emperor An was proclaimed in the capital the following day, with countless copies transcribed and dispatched to prefectures, counties, and yamen across the land for public display.
In the capital, within three days of Xiao Yan sending Xi Weifang’s “confession” to Liang Guangyi, Xi Weifang, who had previously denied everything, suddenly demanded to see him.
In the Ministry of Justice’s prison, Xiao Yan stood before Xi Weifang. The man opposite him bore few signs of harsh torture; even the official robe he wore to the banquet remained on him, though he looked somewhat disheveled as he raised his head.
“Overseer Xiao, your methods are impressive. Even Grand Preceptor Liang has come to your aid. But I am old and nearing retirement. With power already in your hands, Overseer, why must you pursue total destruction…?”
“You summoned me just to say this?” Xiao Yan asked.
Xi Weifang met the coldness in his gaze and fell silent. After a moment, he said, “Of course not. I wish to make a deal with you, Overseer Xiao.”
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow.
Xi Weifang looked at him. “I do know about the events in the south twenty years ago, and I’m aware of the He family’s treason case. I admit my fault, but it was merely greed that led me to be bought by the Lu family. I turned a blind eye to the reassignment of southern officials, but I had no hand in He Wenzhu’s death or the extermination of the He family.”
“The Lu family was the chief culprit, yet you’ve spared their collateral branches, Overseer. I only ask that you show mercy and spare the Xi family’s bloodline. I’m willing to confess everything I know, holding nothing back.”
Xiao Yan sat in a chair, observing Xi Weifang as he tried to negotiate. With one hand propped against his cheek, his expression was unreadable.
“Just turning a blind eye, with no involvement?”
He turned to the side. “Jinyun.”
Jinyun stepped forward with a thick stack of documents, flipping through a couple of pages before speaking.
“In the sixth year of Wuan, during the rebellion of Prince Luohe, Emperor Taizu led a campaign south. Deputy Commander Xi Weifang of the Xiao Camp, while dining with others, lost a military route map, nearly causing the deaths of thirteen thousand vanguard troops at Guanning Prefecture. Emperor Taizu stripped him of his post and ordered fifty lashes before the army. It was only through the intervention of Lu Chongyuan, the second son of the Lu family, that he escaped hard labor in the military camp, earning a chance to redeem himself and return to the army.”
“In the twelfth year of Wuan, the head of the Lu family died. The eldest son, Lu Chonghuan, was set to take over, but he perished in a bandit attack at Anqing Mountain while returning to the capital. At the time, Xi Weifang, recently promoted to garrison commander due to military merits, was stationed at Tunxing Pass near Anqing Mountain. Afterward, Lu Chongyuan took control of the Lu family. The following year, Xi Weifang was transferred back to the capital and entered the Ministry of War.”
“In the sixteenth year of Wuan, Xi Weifang, widowed for years, suddenly won the favor of a Mo family daughter. Becoming brothers-in-law with Liang Guangyi, who also married a Mo family daughter, he rose swiftly in the Ministry of War with Liang’s support, reaching the rank of Vice Minister within three years. On the surface, he supported the Liang family and maintained close ties with Liang Guangyi, but secretly, he helped Lu family loyalists establish themselves in the military.”
“In the twenty-third year of Wuan, during the southern floods, the crown prince was sent with He Wenzhu to oversee disaster relief. Xi Weifang, then Vice Minister of War, strongly recommended Lingyuan Earl Liu Gang and Vice Minister of Revenue Yue Hongchang to accompany them. Later, when the official ship sank, Yue Hongchang falsely accused the crown prince, tarnishing his reputation.”
“Afterward, Xi Weifang sent letters to his former subordinates at Tunxing Pass, ordering them to pose as bandits and rioters, inciting unrest in the south. In the chaos, Lingyuan Earl Liu Gang died protecting the crown prince…”
Jinyun flipped through the dossier, glancing at Xi Weifang, whose face had gone ashen.
“Minister Xi, shall I continue?”
Xi Weifang’s aged face no longer held the calm confidence of moments ago. His lips trembled, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyes were filled with fear as he looked at Xiao Yan.
“You… how could you…”
“You want to know how I know all this?” Xiao Yan said, his expression impassive as he regarded the cowering Xi Weifang. “I’ve been investigating the Lu family for years. While I may not know everything about Lu Chongyuan, I know most of it.”
“On the surface, you had no connection to the Lu family and even had friction with Vice Minister Hou Rui, a supposed Lu family confidant who was actually bought by Empress Lu. But looking at your career, every near-fatal crisis and sudden promotion, including your transfer back to the capital, bears the Lu family’s shadow.”
“Liang Guangyi never suspected you, partly because he trusted you and partly because the clans were once united. He also wanted to elevate Lu Chongyuan to take control of the clans’ influence in court, so he didn’t dig deeper. But I’m not him.”
“Uncovering your past was no difficult task.”
Xi Weifang’s lips quivered, his face deathly pale.
Xiao Yan raised his gaze. “I have no interest in negotiating with you, nor do I care for your excuses. Your crimes will be judged by the law.”
Xi Weifang stammered, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll say nothing?”
Xiao Yan’s lips curved slightly. “You’re welcome to try.”
Seeing Xiao Yan rise to leave, showing no intention of staying, Xi Weifang suddenly shouted hoarsely, “Xiao Yan, you want to clear the He family’s name and vindicate He Wenzhu. Without my confession, the truth of those events will remain unclear. And with all the effort you’re putting in, I suspect it’s not just about the He family…”
Xiao Yan paused, turning back to look at him.
Xi Weifang flinched under the sharpness of his gaze but forced himself to hold firm, his pale face resolute.
“I can help you. I know my actions warrant the extermination of the Xi family. I don’t ask you to spare everyone, just my great-grandson. He’s only an infant, still in swaddling clothes. After the Xi family is gone, no one will tell him of today’s events.”
“You can send him to a remote place, keep him under watch for life. I only ask that you spare him, let him grow up safely, and preserve a single spark of the Xi family’s legacy.”
Xiao Yan’s eyes flickered. “Since Liang Guangyi came to you, why not beg him?”
Xi Weifang shook his head. “I don’t trust him.”
No one among the clans was truly benevolent, just as they had ruthlessly destroyed the He family years ago.
Liang Guangyi had leverage over him and might promise to preserve the Xi bloodline, but Xi Weifang didn’t believe him.
He feared that once he confessed and his crimes were confirmed, the Xi family would face annihilation. Worse, he feared Liang Guangyi, enraged by years of deception and betrayal, would wipe out the Xi family entirely.
“And you trust me?” Xiao Yan tilted his head. “I’m no saint.”
Xi Weifang looked at him steadily. “I trust you. A man raised by the former crown prince, no matter how ruthless, must still honor a gentleman’s promise.”
Xiao Yan’s expression froze.
Jinyun’s face darkened abruptly.
Xi Weifang’s voice rasped, “When the Eastern Palace caught fire years ago, the crown princess and the crown prince perished, but Concubine Xue escaped. I was the one who led the troops to hunt her down.”
“When I chased Concubine Xue, she had a chance to escape. With the Xue family’s shadow guards aiding her, she had already slipped away. But just as I was about to turn back, she deliberately left a trace.”
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