Chapter 101: Cockroach

Old Ninth could now proudly inscribe his name into the annals of the Kangxi era, having undoubtedly set a new historical record: the number of impeachment memorials filed against him had surpassed that of the Tenth Prince, placing him at the very top among all imperial sons. No, it was more fitting to say he ranked first in the entire Qing dynasty.

With this thought, Old Ninth mused that perhaps he could set a record in the Banner Reconciliation Competition as well, seeing if each successive event might outdo the previous ones, just as he, so wise and valiant, so striking and elegant, had done.

Yet Old Ninth’s pride was short-lived. After the Tenth Prince’s scolding in court, he could no longer carry himself with such ease. He cast a sideways glance at the impeaching censor, finding no interest even in defending himself. He deeply wished to return to Yan Yan and resume his peaceful slumber; had it not been for the fear that his father would insist on assigning him duties at the Lifan Yuan, would he have to attend court daily?

But the next moment, calm abandoned him.

For the Han Minister of the Lifan Yuan stepped forward to report that a woman had gone missing from the Korean tribute delegation that arrived that day in the capital. Then Ruiman from Shuntian Prefecture came forward as well, stating that at dawn, an official claiming to be subordinate to Prince Yi Yun of Joseon had reported that the future queen of Joseon had been murdered and requested Kangxi’s intervention.

Kangxi’s brows furrowed. He had not taken Old Ninth’s amorous escapades seriously—after all, a prince fancying a woman was simply the woman’s fortune. Yet to resist death was a grave crime; sparing the victim’s family from collective punishment was already an act of mercy.

Who would have thought that, in the blink of an eye, Old Ninth’s romantic mischief would escalate into a matter affecting the diplomatic relations between two nations? Though Kangxi was not intimidated by the small tributary state of Joseon, the news was hardly flattering once it spread.

Thus, Kangxi fixed a dark gaze upon Old Ninth. The prince was baffled. He had initially suspected someone was scheming against him by unearthing the corpse of the girl he had killed the previous day. Yet the situation had since taken an eerie turn.

When Kangxi looked at him, Old Ninth immediately knelt, protesting plaintively: “Father Emperor, after leaving the palace yesterday, I returned directly to my residence to draft the memorial for the Banner Battle. I did not even step outside the gates. I beseech Your Majesty to judge justly and punish those who slander me and seek to spoil Your Majesty’s New Year celebrations.”

See how Old Ninth cunningly twisted the accuser’s intent onto Kangxi himself? Kangxi was not oblivious to Old Ninth’s subtle scheming but chose not to rebut, tacitly accepting it.

This prompted the Third Prince to speak up: “Ninth Brother, do not rush to proclaim your innocence. It is better to narrate the full details of yesterday’s events to Father Emperor so that he may judge fairly. After all, what is Joseon? Father Emperor will surely protect you.”

The Tenth Prince could not hold back either, retorting sarcastically: “Third Brother’s words are confused. Ninth Brother has been clear: he was at home writing the memorial. Not only did he not leave the gates, he did not even leave the study. We all dined together in the study last night.” His testimony cast doubt upon the ministers who had already concluded that Old Ninth was the assailant.

As the case grew more convoluted, Kangxi swiftly ended the morning court and summoned the involved parties to the Qianqing Palace. Naturally, all the princes followed. By moving the inquiry to Qianqing Palace, Kangxi implicitly conveyed a message: Old Ninth was not to be harmed; no muddy water should be thrown on him.

Yet when the Joseon officials were brought before Qianqing Palace, Old Ninth found himself tongue-tied. Even the Tenth Prince began to suspect that his Ninth Brother had impulsively fixated on the future Joseon queen.

Meanwhile, Yan Yan made a rare appearance at the Dong’e Residence, as it was the only place where news circulated freely. Evening had fallen, meaning the investigation had lasted an entire day. Were it not for Kangxi’s overt protection, Old Ninth would likely have been imprisoned by now.

---

By evening, Qianqing Palace was said to have recessed, but Old Ninth had not returned home and remained in the palace. The Eighth and Tenth Princes visited Old Ninth’s residence and met with Lady Dong’e.

Lady Dong’e did not summon Yan Yan, so despite Yan Yan’s anxious efforts, there was little she could do. Fortunately, the Tenth Prince understood Yan Yan’s importance to Old Ninth and instructed his trusted servant to deliver a letter to Wu Tong.

Yan Yan then realized that Old Ninth had been falsely accused of raping the future Joseon queen. In a fit of shame and anger, he had killed her and buried the body in a chaotic suburban graveyard. The fabricated story was detailed: a few days prior, while inspecting the Lifan Yuan, Old Ninth had stumbled upon the future queen fleeing a room infested with cockroaches and instantly fallen deeply in love.

Hence, Old Ninth had searched for the perfect time to execute his abduction plan, choosing the moonless, windy night before last. At the hour of the Dog (around 7–9 pm), Joseon officials noticed strangers around the Lifan Yuan guest quarters. At the hour of the Pig (9–11 pm), the queen’s maid found her missing and urgently contacted the Lifan Yuan, but no one responded.

At the third quarter of the Pig hour, someone saw a figure carrying a sack through the back gate of the Ninth Prince’s residence. The future queen was later found inside that sack.

The Tenth Prince, Mu Jingyuan, and Qin Daoran left Old Ninth’s residence shortly after the Pig hour, giving Old Ninth about half an hour in which to commit the crime. Yan Yan stared dumbfounded at the letter’s account, pitying Old Ninth as though he had been unknowingly trapped by both insiders and outsiders.

But Yan Yan quickly spotted a flaw. In the Qing dynasty before central heating, warmth came only from heated bricks and charcoal braziers. The idea of cockroaches appearing in winter was bizarre.

It was already November according to the old lunar calendar, equivalent to December or January in later times—the coldest days of the year. Without any effects of global warming, the winter chill was severe. Finding a live, scuttling cockroach in such subzero temperatures was absolutely impossible.

Yan Yan immediately wrote to Wu Tong, urging him to swiftly deliver this to the Tenth Prince.

The Tenth Prince widened his eyes reading the letter and told his wife, the Tenth Princess Consort, “Now I understand why Ninth Brother favors Yan Shi so much. Her intelligence is truly the lucky star in his life.” Though the princess could not read, she agreed with Yan Yan’s insight, recalling that in Mongolia, all manner of insects existed—but never cockroaches.

The next day, the Tenth Prince neither attended court nor the second round of inquiry at Qianqing Palace regarding Old Ninth’s guilt. Many believed Old Ninth had lost his only supporter and that the Tenth Prince was pressuring Kangxi with this absence. But Kangxi found this hard to believe; if anyone was likely to flee in battle, it was not the stubborn Tenth Prince.

Sure enough, soon news arrived from Wudan: the Tenth Prince, with his confidants, had expelled the residents from the Lifan Yuan and declared that anyone who caught a cockroach would be rewarded ten taels of gold. Generously, he announced to the entire city that any citizen capturing a cockroach would receive ten taels of gold and free vegetables for a year from the Nine-Flavored Vegetable Shop.

He Gui’er, the shopkeeper, promptly responded and added that according to household registration, once someone caught one, it would be reported to Shuntian Prefecture. Even wealthy families with hundreds of members would be honored with their reward.

Wudan’s announcement unsettled all ministers in Qianqing Palace. What nonsense was the Tenth Prince concocting? What did cockroaches have to do with this case? Only the astute Kangxi smiled knowingly.

Old Ninth was quite displeased, wondering why he had to pay for this nonsense himself. Just as he was about to protest, he recalled that the vegetable shop belonged to Kangxi, so he obediently withdrew. No matter how much the Tenth Prince made a fuss, Kangxi would foot the bill.

---

Old Ninth’s indifferent attitude stirred discontent among all. It seemed everyone at court worried that he might foolishly jeopardize diplomatic relations between the two nations. Yet he showed not a hint of anxiety.

In truth, Old Ninth was not worried. If he had been tense upon first hearing the chain of events, he was now a detached observer. After all, this battle of wits was a challenge to Kangxi’s intelligence by schemers. Let them fight it out.

“Prince Ninth, do you not feel even a shred of remorse for the Tenth Prince’s actions?” Prince Jian stood and questioned Old Ninth’s leisurely demeanor. “Perhaps by now, the Tenth Prince has emptied several chests of gold and is on the verge of ruin.”

Old Ninth gave Prince Jian a half-smile: “What is there to fear? My Tenth Brother may seem careless, but he is shrewd in business and will not lose money. Please rest assured.”

Even Kangxi nodded and chuckled: “Then let us wait for the Tenth Prince to catch a cockroach. Let the Joseon envoys try too. If they succeed, I shall reward them with one hundred taels of gold.” At Kangxi’s words, all officials were astonished, and many, after leaving the palace, searched their own backyards for cockroaches.

---

A brief interlude (word count pre-calculated, no extra charge):

Prince Jian and Old Ninth met in Yong Alley. After gazing at each other for a quarter of an hour...

Prince Jian: “I am a descendant of Jierhalang...”

Old Ninth shot him a glance: “You know how to do business!”

Prince Jian, irritated: “I am an Iron-Capped Prince...”

Old Ninth glanced again: “You know how to do business!”

Prince Jian, exasperated: “I am handsome, elegant, beloved by all...”

Old Ninth once more: “You know how to do business!”

And so on...