Chapter 310: Catching Spies (1)

Before the New Year, the heavy snowfall was unlikely to cease.

Following the usual pattern of previous years, it seemed this heavy snowfall would persist until New Year's Eve and beyond.

According to the old practice of the imperial court, His Majesty the Emperor would have the Internal Affairs Bureau prepare gifts to be bestowed upon various ministers. Although, in name, it was the Emperor's decree with the vermilion seal, in reality, it had always been managed by Her Majesty the Empress. However, with the Empress' passing and no consorts in the harem palace, His Majesty the Emperor publicly declared closed-seclusion. Nevertheless, people had their suspicions about his actual whereabouts, and those eligible to receive New Year gifts from the capital city did not expect to receive anything these two days.

But in reality, many would still lament the current situation. Logically speaking, the entire Great Liang Dynasty should not be greatly affected by the absence of an empress. However, for some reason, since the passing of the Empress, the Divine Capital had become much quieter, making it difficult for people to understand the exact reasons behind it.

Zhang Xin, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, had ranked third in the imperial examinations over a decade ago, which was also a so-called "Tan Hua" scholar. After entering officialdom, it took him several years before he managed to enter the Ministry of Personnel. Then, after several more years, he advanced to his current position as the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel. A few years ago, after becoming assistant minister, he was bestowed a residence in the East City by the imperial court. Otherwise, with his meager salary, it would have taken him many more years to afford a house in that valuable and limited space.

Different from officials from prominent families, Zhang Xin truly came from a humble background. Tracing back three generations, his family were all ordinary commoners. His rise to his current position was a result of his intelligence.

Perhaps due to his background or his personality, Zhang Xin had never been fond of making friends within the court. He had very few close acquaintances among the officials. Even on this last day of rest before the New Year, he chose to stay within his study, reading books and not venturing outside.

Raising his head to look out the window, Zhang Xin, whose temples were now streaked with white, watched the falling snowflakes, feeling vicissitudes of emotion. He thought to himself that although he was already sitting in the position of assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel at this age, he was well aware that the possibility of advancing further in his lifetime was slim.

When he was the third-ranked scholar after the imperial examination, he had initially believed that his career path would be smooth sailing throughout his life. However, as time passed, he faced setbacks in the bureaucracy, making him understand that the so-called title of third-ranked was nothing but hot air.

To climb the ranks, one needed either influential figures ahead or powerful backers behind. As a solitary individual, he had strived all his life, achieving nothing but a laughable result.

Lost in his thoughts, a voice suddenly sounded from outside the window, "Master, gifts from the palace have arrived."

Hearing this, Zhang Xin stood up, looking puzzled as he glanced toward the door. The steward stood to the side with the utmost respect, waiting for Zhang Xin to inquire.

"Isn't His Majesty still... in seclusion? Her Majesty is no longer around, who is managing the New Year gifts from the palace?"

Currently, the Great Liang Dynasty was temporarily governed by the Premier. While the Premier could make decisive decisions on major national matters, he might not necessarily be able to decide such trivial matters. After all, who should receive the palace's New Year gifts, how they should be delivered, and whatnot, it was all hard to decide. Even if it were the Premier, he would not dare to make a unilateral decision either.

The steward replied in a hushed tone, "Your Excellency, I heard it's now being managed by Her Highness, Princess Anping."

Upon hearing the familiar yet unfamiliar word of 'Her Highness', Zhang Xin fell silent for a moment, lamenting softly, "Almost forgot that our Great Liang Dynasty still has such a princess."

Ever since that old incident in the past, and with the deliberate concealment by the imperial family, many in the Divine Capital had forgotten about this princess.

Now, when the Divine Capital was in turbulent times, the appearance of this princess was truly rather strange.

"Which palace eunuch is it?"

Zhang Xin tidied himself up. Regardless of which palace eunuch came personally to his residence, he had to express his gratitude. Otherwise, it would appear disrespectful to the imperial family.

"Master, the eunuch who delivered the gifts left after dropping them off. He said that there were too many matters to attend to, so he won't wait for Master to express gratitude. Also, he said that His Majesty didn't arrange for these things this year, and there's no need to thank a princess like her."

The steward gently explained, repeating the words spoken by the visitor. When working as a steward in the households of these officials, the most important thing was having a good memory; otherwise, countless matters could go wrong.

Zhang Xin waved his hand, making the steward leave.

Afterward, he sat back down, rubbed his temples, and thought about the fact that this princess was the legitimate daughter of His Majesty and Her Majesty after all. The way she handled things was extremely measured, making it impossible for anyone to find fault.

Seated by the window, he was about to take out the book he had been reading earlier. However, as he reached for it, he felt a sense of restlessness and retracted his hand. He just gazed outside at the heavy snowfall that was howling relentlessly.

The snowfall in the Divine Capital this year was even heavier compared to the previous year.

Thinking that after this New Year's celebration, perhaps the entire Great Liang Dynasty would undergo a fresh transformation, and his career path might also take a different course, Zhang Xin felt a little excited.

Maybe this excitement made him a bit impatient - or not exactly impatient, but a different kind of excitement.

In any case, no matter how you put it, the current Zhang Xin could not focus on reading.

Actually, a few years earlier, he had such a problem. Whenever he felt excited, he was unwilling to read. Later, he became aware of this issue and even thought that if he did not have this problem, perhaps during the imperial examination, he would not have been the third-place, but the top scholar.

Sighing, Zhang Xin felt a bit regretful about his past.

"Why are you sighing? You know that you'll be dying today?"

A voice suddenly echoed in the study. Zhang Xin was startled and quickly turned around, only to see a black-clad young man sitting behind the desk. He was currently perusing the rare books on his shelf.

Although he held the position of assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhang Xin was essentially a scholar with no difference from other scholars. Collecting rare books from former sages and scholars was naturally a hobby for him. Now, seeing this young man nonchalantly flipping through the precious items he treasured, Zhang Xin did not have time to get angry either. Instead, he was a bit nervous and asked, "Who are you?"

The black-clad young man did not immediately answer him. After perusing some old books, he finally said, "Those gifts of yours were all delivered to your residence by me."

Zhang Xin was taken aback, his expression changing slightly. At the same time, he looked outside the window, about to speak.

"Don't bother. It'll probably take another hour for the patrols from the Left Guard to reach this place. So, we still have an hour to chat."

It seemed that the black-clad young man could perceive what Zhang Xin was thinking, and he smiled as he spoke.

As a scholar, he did not attend the academy, so he was naturally not a cultivator either. His safety normally depended entirely on the protection of the Left Guard. Now, if the Left Guard did not show up here, his safety would naturally be entirely compromised.

However, glancing at the time, following the usual Left Guard's schedule, it would not take more than a few minutes for the officials to arrive.

The black-clad young man knew what he was thinking and said softly, "Actually, even if it's a few minutes or just an instant, it's enough time for me to kill you."

Zhang Xin looked at the young man in front of him, suddenly calming down. He could not help but think of many things, so he probed, "Sir, are you the Lord Commander of the Left Guard?"

Despite efforts to suppress the reputation of the black-clad young man in the Divine Capital, intelligent people would not easily be misled.

Chen Chao was rather surprised and said, "You guessed it so quickly. Lord Assistant Minister really lives up to the reputation of the prodigy from years ago!"

Zhang Xin could discern the ridicule in Chen Chao's words, but he was not annoyed. He patiently inquired, "Why is Lord Commander currently not in the Left Guard's office? What did you appear in my official residence for?!"

Chen Chao remained seated, speaking indifferently, "Didn't I tell you earlier? I'm here to kill you."