Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Chang'an Taiji Palace Shenshi Hall

Night had fallen, and most of the Taiji Palace, north of the Imperial City, had fallen silent. Only the area housing the Central Office remained brightly lit. This was the true heart of imperial power, from which the torrent of decisions flowed in all directions, even possessing the terrifying power to "reject" imperial edicts under certain circumstances. The Court of Justice was the core of this heart—the office of the Central Office.

"Squeak-"

The heavy carved wooden door was flung open, bringing with it a gust of night wind that flickered the candlelight within. An official in a fifth-rank blue robe, panting and sweat dripping from his forehead, practically staggered in, clutching a memorial wrapped in yellow silk.

The scene inside the hall was completely different from the solemn and tense atmosphere he had imagined. Zhao Mingcheng, the current Left Prime Minister and holder of the Central Command Seal, was not seated at the large rosewood desk symbolizing supreme authority. Instead, he slumped unrefinedly on a soft couch by the window. His hair and beard were white, his figure was gaunt, and he wore a half-worn house robe. He squinted his eyes, crunching a handful of candied melon seeds with a gusto, mumbling incoherently, "Alas, the rain came too early this year... Even these candied melon seeds are damp and not crisp..."

"Prime Minister! Prime Minister!" The blue-robed official ignored etiquette and called out urgently.

"Huh?" Zhao Mingcheng was startled by the sudden shout. His hand trembled, and a few sunflower seeds fell onto his collar. He slowly opened his eyes and took in the person. Far from blaming them for their recklessness, he felt a touch of embarrassment and surprise, as if he had been caught. "Why are you shouting so loud? You scared me... No," he thought, and looked at the other person suspiciously. "How... did you know I was here?"

The blue-robed official composed himself, a mischievous smile on his face. "Your Excellency, I just went to your residence, and the people there said you hadn't returned yet. I've come to think of a place where, at this hour, you wouldn't be in a hurry to return home, and where you could hide from the eyes and ears of your wife... except this courtroom?"

"Hmph!" Zhao Mingcheng's old face flushed slightly. He glared at him in feigned anger, then lowered his voice nervously, "You're quite clever! But... if you dare tell your wife Xiu'er about me stealing candied melon seeds here, I... I will fight you to the death!"

The blue-robed official looked at the old prime minister, who looked timid, protective of his food and afraid of his wife, and couldn't help laughing: "Prime Minister, I dare to advise you again, your teeth... it's better to eat less candied melon seeds."

"Alright, alright, stop nagging!" Zhao Mingcheng waved his hand impatiently, carefully gathering the remaining melon seeds into a small cloth bag and hiding them. "Tell me, what's the matter that brought you to me so urgently?"

The blue-robed official's expression straightened as he hurriedly and respectfully presented the memorial wrapped in yellow silk. "Prime Minister, this is a memorial from Yunzhou! It is of great importance, and I dare not delay!"

"Memorial?" Zhao Mingcheng took it, weighed it, and was puzzled. "Even if it's a formal memorial, according to the rules, it should be submitted to the Secretariat for sorting and processing first, and then forwarded to the central government or the emperor. Why did it come directly to me?"

"Your Excellency, please understand," the blue-robed official stepped forward, his voice lowered with a hint of hidden excitement, "In addition to this memorial, there's also a secret letter enclosed inside! It's...it was written by Brother Yanzhi."

"Yanzhi?!" Zhao Mingcheng's cloudy old eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and the lazy expression on his face disappeared. He sat up straight, "This kid! Has he become lazy in Yunzhou? He hasn't written to me in a long time! Quick, where's the letter? What did he write?"

"Here is the letter! Please take a look at it personally, Your Majesty!" The blue-robed official took out a sealed letter from his sleeve, carefully opened the sealing wax, took out the letter paper, and presented it with both hands.

Zhao Mingcheng took the letter and read it carefully in the bright candlelight beside him. The letter was written in the familiar, vigorous running script of Liu Yanzhi:

> To my teacher,

＞ Seeing your letter is like meeting you in person. I, the student, bow my head twice and respectfully ask how are you, teacher.

A serious and unusual case involving the "Five Stone Powder" has been uncovered in Gaoyang County, Yunzhou. The complexity of the situation and the extent of its implications are truly shocking! Even more concerning, the case involves relatives of the then-current Shi Xiang. This has caused the Gaoyang County Magistrate to face numerous obstacles and find it difficult to even begin his investigation.

I am fully aware of the gravity of this case, fearing it may involve matters of state, and therefore I dare not act on my own initiative. I now submit to you, my dear teacher, a copy of the memorial submitted by Gaoyang County Magistrate Zhang Jingwei, "Chen Shi Shu," along with a summary of the case. I humbly hope that you will discern the details and make the final decision.

＞ Student Liu Yanzhi, respectfully presents this to you in Yunzhou.

Zhao Mingcheng's gaze slowly moved across the letter, his expression shifting from initial concern to a solemn expression, finally solidifying into an icy coldness. He slowly raised his head, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light, completely devoid of the languid expression he had just had while cracking sunflower seeds. His voice was low, with a subtle chill in it: "This letter... was it taken from Chang'an Post? Has anyone at Shi Xiang's... seen it?"

Chang'an Post Station was the official mail hub. All documents and letters entering the capital were customarily reviewed and screened by special officials (mostly controlled by the Censorate or Prime Minister Shi).

The blue-robed official's expression froze, and he quickly said, "Don't worry, Prime Minister! Fortunately, the postmaster on duty today is one of our own! As soon as the letter arrived, he immediately recognized it as Brother Yanzhi's confidential document and confiscated it without anyone else's knowledge!"

"There's no news from the Censorate..." Zhao Mingcheng asked, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrest of the couch.

"Your Excellency, Brother Yanzhi is very thoughtful. He sent this memorial and the secret letter via the civilian post!" the blue-robed official explained. "The civilian post offices have lax inspections and are not included in the Censorate's regular monitoring list. They probably haven't noticed yet."

"Hmm..." Zhao Mingcheng nodded slightly, a glint of approval in his eyes. "Yanzhi is a prudent boy." He put down the secret letter and picked up the heavy memorial "Chen Shi Shu". "Let me see, what shocking things are written on this Jingwei that make Yanzhi so cautious."

At first, Zhao Mingcheng casually leaned back on the couch and flipped through the documents. After all, memorials from local county magistrates were often lengthy and tedious. However, as he read, his languid posture gradually straightened. His dim eyes widened, his brows furrowed in a frown, and the relaxed expression on his face vanished, replaced by a look of intense concentration and unconcealable shock. The contents of the memorial were like a heavy stone dropped into a deep pool, stirring up a surging wave in his heart.

"Zhang Jingwei? Zhang Qi?" He suddenly raised his head and looked at the blue-robed official, his tone hurried, "Is he the young and inexperienced county magistrate who broke up that Grand Canal copper smuggling case a while ago and turned the Yunzhou officialdom upside down?"

"That's him, Prime Minister!" the blue-robed official responded quickly. "I've even checked his background! He's... Zhang Lian's son!"

"Zhang Lian?!" Zhao Mingcheng's pupils suddenly contracted, and a look of disbelief appeared on his face. "The Zhang Lian from the Hanlin Academy? When he was an official in Beijing, I never heard that he was married?"

"My Lord, he was born in Yunzhou after he left the capital for exile in the north," the blue-robed official added. "Furthermore, Brother Shen seems to hold him in high regard. Not only did he accept him as his disciple, he even personally gave him the courtesy name 'Jingwei'!"

"'Jingwei'... Zhang Jingwei..." Zhao Mingcheng muttered the name, fragments of memory swirling in his cloudy eyes. A moment later, he slapped his thigh, suddenly realizing, "Oh, oh, oh! I remember! I remember! Look at my memory!" He pointed at the blue-robed official. "As soon as you mentioned the word 'Jingwei', I remembered it! When Yanzhi mentioned this in my letter, I said that the word was too grand and imposing, and I was worried that the child, at such a young age, wouldn't be able to handle it!"

"You did say that, Prime Minister." The blue-robed official confirmed.

"Haha..." The icy coldness on Zhao Mingcheng's face melted away instantly, replaced by a cunning and cheerful smile like that of an old fox. He twirled his beard, his eyes flashing with a glint of insight, and spoke to the void as if to an invisible opponent:

"Oh my, Shi Jinchao, ah Shi Jinchao... (calling Prime Minister Shi by his given name) you've got shit on your tail this time, haven't you? You can't shake it off!" His gloating tone was filled with the implication of impending disaster. The candlelight in the courtroom seemed to flicker even brighter at his words.