“What are your plans next?” Shen Qi asked.
Su Yan gently swirled the alcohol in his cup. After a brief moment of thought, he replied, “Take multiple approaches. Qi Jingtang is skilled in military strategy and has achieved considerable success suppressing bandits in the Shandong region, but his merits have long been taken by his superiors, so his name has never gained prominence at court. I’ll need you, Qilang, to investigate his achievements thoroughly and compile a memorial to present to the Grand Secretariat, only then will I have grounds to recommend him.”
“As for Yu Gelao, I will go speak with him. If he insists on not using Qi Jingtang, then we can only rely on an imperial decree to override him. But I believe that once the two of them have contact and work together for a period of time, they will come to appreciate each other.”
“Also, while I’ve been recuperating at home these past two days, I haven’t been idle. I’ve already had Zhao Shizhen invited over for a discussion. This man is quite interesting, despite being only a seventh-rank official, he showed no particular reaction upon meeting me, a Gelao, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly. Only at the end, when I told him I intended to transfer him to the Heavenly Works Academy to focus on firearms research, did he show gratitude, and immediately handed over the firearms compendium he spent half his life compiling.”
Su Yan took out a carefully wrapped booklet from his robe, its edges even padded against impact, and handed it to Shen Qi. On the cover were the words “Compendium of Brilliant Divine Weapons.”
Shen Qi flipped through a few pages and saw that it was richly illustrated with text and diagrams, detailing the structures, manufacturing methods, and operation of various new-style firearms, including muskets, cannons, and explosive devices, all accompanied by dense explanatory notes.
“This man really is obsessed with firearms,” Shen Qi said with a faint smile. “But whether these improved weapons can actually be produced, and how effective they would be once made, that remains to be seen.”
Su Yan poured him another cup of wine. “Old Zhao has ideas, skills, and a certain obsessive drive. What he lacks is a research platform and financial support. Those I can provide. It depends on whether he can produce something worthwhile.”
“Developing firearms is expensive. The Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue Xu Ruiqi is notoriously stingy,” Shen Qi reminded him.
Mentioning Xu Shangshu only annoyed Su Yan. “He’s stingy in all the wrong places, yet every year he can spend over a hundred thousand taels on the Ao Mountain Lantern Festival without blinking! This year, because of the state mourning during the New Year, the festival wasn’t held. The money saved can go perfectly to the Heavenly Works Academy. And in the future, I think the Lantern Festival doesn’t need to be so extravagant, just something symbolic will do. All that gunpowder used for fireworks is such a waste; better to let me use it to make bullets and landmines!”
Shen Qi smiled. “A good idea.”
Su Yan tucked the “Compendium of Brilliant Divine Weapons” back into his robe, intending to preserve it for posterity, to astonish future generations and show them the ingenuity of their ancestors.
“Qilang, do you have any leads on how to deal with this demonic book matter?” Su Yan asked.
Shen Qi said, “In truth, we can all guess who is behind this, it is likely connected to Mister He and the Player. The difficulty lies in two points. First, how to dispel the rumors and prove that Emperor Jinglong is indeed of Emperor Xianzhu’s bloodline, only then will the people’s hearts be stabilized. Second, how to lure the snake out of its hole, forcing Mister He and the Player to make their full move and reveal all their cards.”
Su Yan nodded and sighed softly. “To prove the innocence of an old woman from thirty or forty years ago… that truly stumps me. Especially with something like ‘adultery’, to prove it exists, forging evidence is all too easy: altered letters, stolen tokens, impersonated witnesses, and so on. But to prove it does not exist, it’s very hard to produce evidence. No matter how you try to clear it, the stain remains. Even if there are witnesses from that time, it’s still just words without proof.”
“…If only there were DNA testing these days,” Su Yan muttered, then laughed at himself. “Unfortunately, all we have is that completely unreliable blood-matching test. Even if it were reliable, we can’t exactly go to the imperial mausoleum and ask Emperor Xianzhu for a drop of blood.”
Shen Qi also found it difficult. Books could be burned, underground printing operations destroyed, the masterminds captured, but how could such widely spreading rumors be eradicated? Rumors that attacked the heart and killed without form were far harder to deal with than armies of thousands.
Su Yan had no good solution for the moment, so he consoled them both: “When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road. We’ll think of something. First, let’s bring Qi Jingtang forward and have him jointly command military affairs with Yu Gelao, to suppress the arrogance of Madman Liao and the Wang brothers.”
Time was of the essence. Shen Qi immediately returned to the Northern Surveillance Bureau to compile intelligence gathered by informants and write a memorial detailing Qi Jingtang’s military achievements.
That very afternoon, the memorial was delivered to the Grand Secretariat. Su Yan took it to Yu Chezhi, intending to discuss Qi Jingtang with him. Unfortunately, Yu Gelao was still immersed in grief over his friend’s death, treating Su Yan coldly and showing little interest in the twenty-five-year-old, obscure young officer mentioned in the memorial.
Su Yan had no choice but to entrust Fubao with delivering this memorial into Zhu Helin’s hands.
After more than half a shichen, Fubao hurried to the Wenyuan Pavilion and returned the memorial to him: “Lord Su, His Majesty says you must personally deliver it and present the matter face-to-face.”
Because of the “three-person bridal chamber” incident Zhu Helin had caused at Lotus After Rain Villa a few days ago, Su Yan still felt lingering fear and did not want to meet this wildly unpredictable young lord in private. He therefore claimed that official duties kept him too busy to get away, asking Fubao to make another trip on his behalf, convey his apologies, and leave the memorial with the emperor.
After another half a shichen, Fubao came rushing back to the Wenyuan Pavilion again, panting heavily. The moment he saw Su Yan, he waved his hands repeatedly: “Lord Su, please, do me a favor and go in person. Don’t make this servant pass messages anymore. If I collapse from exhaustion, who will run errands between you and His Majesty in the future?”
Su Yan glanced at the sky, troubled. “It’s nearly the end of shenshi. If I go to the inner court to see His Majesty now, I’m afraid I won’t make it out of the palace gates before they lock for the night.”
If it were only to submit a memorial and say a few words, there would be enough time to leave the palace. But if Zhu Helin managed to catch him in private, nine times out of ten he would stir up trouble again, keeping him for a meal, dragging out idle chatter, and deliberately wasting time.
Fubao replied, “Lord Su needn’t worry about that. His Majesty no longer resides in the Qianqing Palace. He says it’s inconvenient for attending court, so he has moved to the Fengxian Hall.”
Fengxian Hall stood opposite the Yangxin Hall, both located outside the inner court’s restricted gates, right next to the outer court of the palace. From the Wenyuan Pavilion where he was currently working, going north past Wenhua Hall and continuing a bit further would lead straight to Fengxian Hall.
With no way out, Su Yan had to board the small sedan chair Fubao prepared and make the trip in person.
To his surprise, however, Zhu Helin did not behave as unreasonably as before. He first listened to Su Yan’s explanation in a businesslike manner, accepted the memorial, and only after reviewing it did he invite him to stay for dinner.
Su Yan intended to decline politely. But Zhu Helin said just one sentence, and he immediately changed his mind.
Zhu Helin said, “Lihua has returned from Nanjing. After all the rushing and travel, she just arrived in the capital and can’t adapt to the climate. She’s been on a hunger strike, throwing a tantrum. Aren’t you going to do something about it?”
Su Yan instantly forgot everything else and said anxiously, “She loves to eat so much, how can she go on a hunger strike for two days! Let me try to comfort her and see if I can feed her some dried fish.”
Zhu Helin shot Fubao a look.
Fubao immediately ordered the palace attendants: “Quick, go bring His Majesty’s imperial cat, carefully!”
When Su Yan saw Lihua, she was indeed thinner, and even her fur seemed duller. Feeling distressed, he immediately took her into his arms and stroked her until she lay belly-up.
Hearing Lihua let out a comfortable purring sound, Su Yan began feeding her bit by bit. While eating absentmindedly, she curled her tail around Su Yan’s arm.
“As expected, you’re the only one who can coax her…” Zhu Helin, now jealous of both man and cat, couldn’t help but come over, petting the cat together with him, and tangling himself with both man and cat alike.
As they kept petting, the two of them naturally ended up settling onto the luohan couch. Fubao, perceptive as ever, gestured for the attendants to withdraw and had the hall doors closed.
Zhu Helin lifted Lihua’s two little paws and waved them toward Su Yan. “Tell your second Father to stay and sleep with you tonight?”
Seeing this behavior, utterly lacking imperial dignity and even somewhat resembling using the cat to act cute, Su Yan couldn’t help but laugh and poke the soft pink pads of the cat’s paws. “You should go sleep with your real Father instead, you kneading maniac!”
***
At the next day’s court session, Zhu Helin distributed the memorial submitted by Su Yan for discussion among the officials of the Six Ministries.
The court officials’ attitudes toward the person recommended by Su Yan were quite telling. Some firmly supported it, and there were not a few of them. Among them, a portion were “lackeys of Su Twelve,” while others were more clear-headed, recognizing that this memorial had not been submitted directly in court by Su Yan but issued by the emperor, meaning it already had imperial approval. If they didn’t agree, were they going to oppose the emperor?
Of course, there were also habitual dissenters, arguing that Qi Jingtang was too young and likely inexperienced, or questioning why, if he truly had ability, his name had never been heard at court.
Some officials also took the opportunity to recommend their own candidates.
Among the Grand Secretariat members, Xie Shiyan was absent due to illness; the stammering elder Jiang Chunnian said nothing; Yang Ting seemed inclined toward Su Yan’s proposal but not firmly. Yu Chezhi still insisted on taking command himself, replacing the fallen Fang Qing to oversee military affairs and suppress the rebel army, and even openly criticized Su Yan for being careless in his selection.
Su Yan did not get angry. Smiling, he said, “Pooling wisdom and effort is good. If any of you have more to say, please go ahead.”
After the officials had mostly finished speaking all at once, he stood again and made a concluding statement: “I recommended Qi Jingtang, but I do not intend for him to take sole command of military affairs. For the chief commander, I still lean toward Lord Yu. Qi Jingtang is still young, so it would be more appropriate for him to serve as a deputy.”
Then he turned to Yu Chezhi and smiled. “Lord Yu, the first person I recommended was you, the second was him. You say I am careless in selecting people, but I think Lord Yu carries great weight and is well suited for major responsibility.”
Yu Chezhi, having been subtly flattered, found it hard to continue criticizing and fell silent for the time being.
In the end, Zhu Helin made the final decision: “We shall proceed according to Minister Su’s proposal.”
The court’s official transfer order was sent with urgent dispatch over eight hundred li to Dengzhou in Shandong. However, when the courier arrived at the garrison, he discovered that Qi Jingtang was not there.
According to the officers at the garrison, Lord Qi had set out for the capital last month to visit his ailing Father.
They also reported a strange and alarming incident, just the previous night, a group of unidentified black-clad assassins had infiltrated the garrison, attempting to assassinate Lord Qi. However, like the courier, they had come up empty-handed.
With a face full of astonishment, the courier had no choice but to leave the transfer order behind and set off again in haste, returning to the capital to report.
When Su Yan heard this, he was equally astonished. Qi Jingtang was in the capital? But Shen Qi’s earlier investigation into his Father’s residence had found no trace of him, so where had he gone?
Another day later, Shen Qi invited Su Yan to the Northern Surveillance Bureau and told him a piece of investigative news that was both laughable and exasperating,
Qi Jingtang had been arrested on the orders of Gelao Xie Shiyan and was being detained in the firewood shed of the Xie residence.
It turned out that Qi Jingtang, unwilling to spend seven or eight hard-fought years only to have all his achievements seized by his superiors, began to scheme how to make a name for himself in this “murky officialdom.” At that time, news came that his Father had fallen ill. He requested leave to return to the capital to visit him, and on the way brought along two bottles of “Rejuvenation Pills” refined by Daoist alchemists from Penglai Island in Shandong, said to have the effect of reviving withered trees back to spring.
When he returned to the capital, he found that his Father’s illness had already mostly recovered, so the pills were no longer needed. With some free time, he sought out old acquaintances to inquire about paths to promotion, and barely managed to connect himself to Gelao Xie Shiyan.
Xie Shiyan, nearly sixty, had fallen ill in early spring, with both qi and blood depleted. Thus Qi Jingtang seized this excellent opportunity to curry favor with the Gelao and went to his residence to present the Rejuvenation Pills.
When Su Yan saw Lihua, she was indeed thinner, and even her fur seemed duller. Feeling distressed, he immediately took her into his arms and stroked her until she lay belly-up.
Hearing Lihua let out a comfortable purring sound, Su Yan began feeding her bit by bit. While eating absentmindedly, she curled her tail around Su Yan’s arm.
“As expected, you’re the only one who can coax her…” Zhu Helin, now jealous of both man and cat, couldn’t help but come over, petting the cat together with him, and tangling himself with both man and cat alike.
As they kept petting, the two of them naturally ended up settling onto the luohan couch. Fubao, perceptive as ever, gestured for the attendants to withdraw and had the hall doors closed.
Zhu Helin lifted Lihua’s two little paws and waved them toward Su Yan. “Tell your second Father to stay and sleep with you tonight?”
Seeing this behavior, utterly lacking imperial dignity and even somewhat resembling using the cat to act cute, Su Yan couldn’t help but laugh and poke the soft pink pads of the cat’s paws. “You should go sleep with your real Father instead, you kneading maniac!”
***
At the next day’s court session, Zhu Helin distributed the memorial submitted by Su Yan for discussion among the officials of the Six Ministries.
The court officials’ attitudes toward the person recommended by Su Yan were quite telling. Some firmly supported it, and there were not a few of them. Among them, a portion were “lackeys of Su Twelve,” while others were more clear-headed, recognizing that this memorial had not been submitted directly in court by Su Yan but issued by the emperor, meaning it already had imperial approval. If they didn’t agree, were they going to oppose the emperor?
Of course, there were also habitual dissenters, arguing that Qi Jingtang was too young and likely inexperienced, or questioning why, if he truly had ability, his name had never been heard at court.
Some officials also took the opportunity to recommend their own candidates.
Among the Grand Secretariat members, Xie Shiyan was absent due to illness; the stammering elder Jiang Chunnian said nothing; Yang Ting seemed inclined toward Su Yan’s proposal but not firmly. Yu Chezhi still insisted on taking command himself, replacing the fallen Fang Qing to oversee military affairs and suppress the rebel army, and even openly criticized Su Yan for being careless in his selection.
Su Yan did not get angry. Smiling, he said, “Pooling wisdom and effort is good. If any of you have more to say, please go ahead.”
After the officials had mostly finished speaking all at once, he stood again and made a concluding statement: “I recommended Qi Jingtang, but I do not intend for him to take sole command of military affairs. For the chief commander, I still lean toward Lord Yu. Qi Jingtang is still young, so it would be more appropriate for him to serve as a deputy.”
Then he turned to Yu Chezhi and smiled. “Lord Yu, the first person I recommended was you, the second was him. You say I am careless in selecting people, but I think Lord Yu carries great weight and is well suited for major responsibility.”
Yu Chezhi, having been subtly flattered, found it hard to continue criticizing and fell silent for the time being.
In the end, Zhu Helin made the final decision: “We shall proceed according to Minister Su’s proposal.”
The court’s official transfer order was sent with urgent dispatch over eight hundred li to Dengzhou in Shandong. However, when the courier arrived at the garrison, he discovered that Qi Jingtang was not there.
According to the officers at the garrison, Lord Qi had set out for the capital last month to visit his ailing Father.
They also reported a strange and alarming incident, just the previous night, a group of unidentified black-clad assassins had infiltrated the garrison, attempting to assassinate Lord Qi. However, like the courier, they had come up empty-handed.
With a face full of astonishment, the courier had no choice but to leave the transfer order behind and set off again in haste, returning to the capital to report.
When Su Yan heard this, he was equally astonished. Qi Jingtang was in the capital? But Shen Qi’s earlier investigation into his Father’s residence had found no trace of him, so where had he gone?
Another day later, Shen Qi invited Su Yan to the Northern Surveillance Bureau and told him a piece of investigative news that was both laughable and exasperating,
Qi Jingtang had been arrested on the orders of Gelao Xie Shiyan and was being detained in the firewood shed of the Xie residence.
It turned out that Qi Jingtang, unwilling to spend seven or eight hard-fought years only to have all his achievements seized by his superiors, began to scheme how to make a name for himself in this “murky officialdom.” At that time, news came that his Father had fallen ill. He requested leave to return to the capital to visit him, and on the way brought along two bottles of “Rejuvenation Pills” refined by Daoist alchemists from Penglai Island in Shandong, said to have the effect of reviving withered trees back to spring.
When he returned to the capital, he found that his Father’s illness had already mostly recovered, so the pills were no longer needed. With some free time, he sought out old acquaintances to inquire about paths to promotion, and barely managed to connect himself to Gelao Xie Shiyan.
Xie Shiyan, nearly sixty, had fallen ill in early spring, with both qi and blood depleted. Thus Qi Jingtang seized this excellent opportunity to curry favor with the Gelao and went to his residence to present the Rejuvenation Pills.
