Jian Yu Zi ended her life in a manner that could only be described as tragic, and Jian Yu Yan bore the brunt of it.
Although Jian Yu Zi did not directly reveal the father of her unborn child, her demeanor as the lady of the household at the beginning of the banquet had already been deeply ingrained in people's minds. Coupled with her months-long stay at Prince Ning's estate under the guise of recuperation, there was no one other than Situ Jue who could possibly be the father.
If this incident hadn't occurred, after Jian Yu Zi's passing, she would undoubtedly have married into Prince Ning's estate as his secondary wife.
But such is life; there are no "ifs."
When the news reached Marquis Qi Ying's estate, memorials impeaching Prince Ning for disregarding human ethics and Marquis Qi Ying for failing to discipline his daughter poured onto Emperor Chang Wu's desk like snowflakes.
Emperor Chang Wu was enraged and confined Situ Jue once more.
The Empress followed suit, summoning Marquis Qi Ying's wife to the palace and berating her.
For a woman, confinement was not a severe punishment, but Situ Jue was vying for the throne with the Crown Prince. The time he had already lost was enough for him to feel heartbroken, and now, shortly after his release, he was confined again due to a domestic affair.
Consort Jian went to intercede with the Emperor, but she too was placed under house arrest.
Marquis Qi Ying had intended to consult with her, but now, he couldn't even see her.
Jian Yu Yan was sent back to Marquis Qi Ying's estate to recover. The entire capital was aware that she had used her sister's illness to seduce her brother-in-law and was now with child. If she hadn't secluded herself within her residence, a single spit from everyone could have drowned her.
Her dream of marrying into the estate as the principal wife was now definitively impossible.
It was fortunate that the Emperor had not decreed she become a nun.
Situ Jue was also quite unlucky. Just as this storm was beginning, the Minister of Revenue, Chen Yang, submitted a memorial; something had gone wrong at the Mining Road Directorate.
The Great Yin Dynasty had been at war for years and had yet to establish a suitable management system for its mining industry. They had no choice but to continue with the old methods of the previous dynasty, setting up Mining Road Directorates in various regions, overseen by Silver Supervisors to manage the extraction and refining of minerals.
If there were private mines, they were to pay a silver tax.
Every winter, the Grand Canal Governor would transport the output from the mines back to the capital along with the grain tribute.
Just a few days prior, the Shanxi Mining Road Directorate, having transported the copper they had accumulated for a year, was ambushed. A full three hundred thousand tons of refined copper ingots vanished without a trace, seized by bandits.
Emperor Chang Wu was furious. How could mere bandits be so audacious?
The borders of the Great Yin Dynasty were never peaceful. In recent years, Japanese pirates had also joined the fray, leading to a constant shortage of weapons and an ever-increasing demand for copper.
If it weren't for this, the imperial court would not have granted private individuals the right to mine copper.
The court was thrown into an uproar. The Mining Road Directorate was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, and the current Silver Supervisor, Chen Zhe, was Chen Yang's own brother.
The Crown Prince was overjoyed. He had been looking for an opportunity to place his own people in the Mining Road Directorate, and now this perfect chance had presented itself.
Coincidentally, Situ Jue was under confinement, so there was no one to compete with him. It was a shame, though, that the copper had not been lost while in the custody of the Grand Canal Governor.
Without him even having to speak, his loyal subordinate, Official Qi, stepped forward and declared Chen Zhe negligent, demanding that Emperor Chang Wu punish him severely.
Furthermore, the Shanxi Mining Road Directorate could not be left without leadership; someone needed to be quickly dispatched to take over Chen Zhe's position.
Emperor Chang Wu glanced at the Crown Prince, who stood by with his hands clasped, not offering a single word of objection. A chill ran down his spine. "Prince Rui, what are your thoughts?"
Situ Yan bowed and said, "Your humble servant is not very familiar with the Mining Road Directorate. However, since it was an ambush, the most important thing is naturally to find the bandits and recover the stolen goods."
"Then, in your opinion, who should be responsible for this matter?"
"Surely the Governor of Shanxi has not been idle?"
In such a situation, shouldn't the principle of proximity be applied? Shanxi was far from the capital; by the time word reached here and someone was dispatched, that copper would likely have been melted down. However, Shanxi was truly chaotic if they dared to rob imperial property.
If his wife were not pregnant, he would have already requested to lead the troops to quell the bandits.
Emperor Chang Wu waved his hand. "This matter will be discussed later."
He then summoned several of his trusted confidants to the imperial study for further discussion before announcing the end of the court session.
The Crown Prince also hurried out of the palace and went to the Duke Cao's estate.
Situ Yan's words had given him a reminder; his father might be preparing to send troops to suppress the bandits. Shanxi had many mines, and for that reason alone, he had to make a trip there. If he could recover this batch of copper, it would undoubtedly earn him respect from the military. His martial arts skills were lacking, preventing him from competing with his fourth brother in military achievements, so he had to pursue these alternative avenues.