The seven-day public memorial concluded smoothly, but its effects were like slowly fermenting yeast, seeping its influence into every street and alley.
“Generation-skipping inheritance” became a popular topic among the capital’s people in their idle conversations. Whenever someone privately brought up the old scandal of the Empress Dowager and insinuated that the late emperor and the current one were not of true imperial blood, they would be mocked:
“Have you not seen how much the current emperor resembles Emperor Xianzu? If they’re not true grandfather and grandson, you can take my head!”
“So what if the Empress Dowager had an affair in her youth? She’s not the one sitting on the dragon throne. As long as the son she bore is of imperial blood, that’s enough. Besides, whether a woman keeps her virtue is her husband’s business. When she goes to join Emperor Xianzu in the afterlife, she’ll face punishment if she deserves it. Why are you, a commoner, worrying about something that doesn’t concern you?”
Such opinions gradually overwhelmed the previous rumors. From the information successively reported by Embroidered Uniform Guard agents across the regions, the situation in other prefectural cities was much the same.
After the memorial, official notices were posted, defining the demonic book case as yet another malicious act by the Void Sect to spread heretical words and attempt rebellion. Thus, public opinion among the people clearly shifted, spreading from the prefectural cities to the broader counties.
Su Yan’s strategy had taken effect. However, limited by the speed of information dissemination in this era, the influence on public sentiment was not immediate, it would take a relatively long time to cover the entire country. But at least in the capital beneath the Son of Heaven’s feet, the shadow of doubt over the imperial lineage had begun to dissipate.
At this, Su Yan could finally breathe a slight sigh of relief. He hoped to clear a patch of clear sky for Zhu Jintang and Zhu Helin, father and son. More importantly, he wanted to prevent future historians from leaving behind a stain of doubtful legitimacy on two generations of emperors.
Zhu Helin was delighted, but the Empress Dowager living in seclusion in the Eastern Garden was furious to the point of near collapse.
The rumors had indeed been dispelled, but only to vindicate the bloodline of her son and grandson, not her own reputation. The palace servants she had sent to gather information among the common people did not even dare repeat those vividly told “thirty years of secret affairs in Qin Wang’s inner chambers,” for fear of angering her to death.
The Empress Dowager suspected that this “clarification,” orchestrated by Su Yan, had deliberately sacrificed her reputation to make the truth more convincing in the eyes of the people. Unable to bear it, she wanted to demand an explanation from her eldest grandson.
Zhu Helin anticipated her causing trouble and avoided seeing her with various excuses. Struck by this, the Empress Dowager fell ill from pent-up anger.
When a grandmother falls ill, it is proper for children and grandchildren to attend her bedside. But Zhu Helin was not someone who would suppress himself for the sake of ritual propriety, if he said he wouldn’t go, he wouldn’t go. Inevitably, the moralists in court raised the banner of filial piety and lectured him at length.
Zhu Helin could not openly defy filial piety, nor could he disregard these venerable ministers entirely. So he grudgingly expressed that he had learned his lesson, went to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, sent gifts, personally delivered a few bowls of medicine, then returned to his hall in a huff and summoned Su Yan to accompany him for tea and snacks, taking the opportunity to complain.
Su Yan burst out laughing after hearing it.
Zhu Helin glared at him. “I’m already feeling suffocated, and you’re still laughing!”
Su Yan countered, “Why shouldn’t I laugh? Not only should I laugh, you should laugh as well.”
“What do you mean?”
“In the struggle for the throne, you are the victor, and she is the defeated. All the tolerance, pity, and even occasional lowering of posture that the victor shows the defeated is a form of bestowing grace, because the victor knows the defeated has nothing left.” Su Yan handed him a piece of pea cake. “Come to think of it, the more filial you appear, the worse she’ll feel inside. If you keep showing up before her and irritating her, while also earning a chorus of praise throughout court and country for being ‘filial and benevolent,’ isn’t that something quite worth laughing about?”
—So this is how an emperor must conduct himself! Zhu Helin recalled his father’s nearly flawless bearing in daily life and seemed to glimpse a certain art of rulership within it.
“Not feeling stifled anymore, are you?” Su Yan asked with a smile.
Not only was he no longer stifled, he even felt rather relieved. But Zhu Helin kept a straight face, the corners of his mouth pressed into a line three parts displeasure, seven parts grievance. “How could I not feel stifled? I’m in the prime of my youth, lying awake night after night alone, able only to relive again and again that night when you and I were joined as one. By day I still have to face your serious, proper expression, how unbearable that is, do you not know, or do you simply not care? Official Su, you don’t love me at all, yet you spout things like ‘this minister’s heart is like a lodestone needle’ and ‘to raise the jade dragon and die for the ruler’, it’s outright fraud!”
Su Yan, pinching half a piece of pea cake between his fingers, froze in mid-smile.
“…Young master, be reasonable. Those lines speak of loyalty to the ruler and service to the country, how did I become a fraud?”
“The ancients said, ‘when ruler and minister are of one virtue, they are as fish and water.’ You won’t even grant me the joy of fish and water, what kind of loyalty is that?”
Once this young master entered his obstinate, unreasonable mode, there was no reasoning with him. Su Yan swallowed the pea cake in one gulp and muttered vaguely, “Cheap debt!” before getting up to leave.
Seeing him avoid him like a tiger, the pent-up anger in Zhu Helin’s chest suddenly flared. He grabbed Su Yan’s wrist and yanked him fiercely into his arms. “Did I permit you to leave? What, you want to defy an imperial decree?”
Su Yan struggled but could not break free from his grip. Helpless, he said, “Alright, enough is enough, young master. Weren’t we talking just fine earlier? As long as it doesn’t involve personal feelings, we can perfectly well remain ruler and minister in harmony, why seek trouble for ourselves?”
A fierce look appeared on Zhu Helin’s face. “Why should the nature of our relationship be decided by you alone? If you say ruler and minister, then ruler and minister? If you say teacher and student, then teacher and student? Su Qinghe, have you forgotten, if it’s crossing the thunder pool, we’ve already crossed it; if it’s crossing the forbidden line, we’ve already crossed that too. And now you want to pretend nothing happened, is that even possible?”
He seized both of Su Yan’s struggling arms tightly. Su Yan stumbled, his entire back pressed against the round table, crushing the remaining pea cakes on the plate beneath him.
Zhu Helin leaned forward, staring fixedly at him. His gaze was like a river after a storm, turbulent waves concealing beneath them unwillingness and pain, wild fervor and resolve.
He bent close to Su Yan’s ear and said in a low voice, “That night in Fengxian Hall, I will never forget it in this lifetime. And I don’t believe you can truly forget it either. Do you dare swear before heaven and your own conscience that that night had no effect on you, and that you feel nothing for me, Zhu Helin?”
For a moment, Su Yan was at a loss for words.
After a pause, he finally said, “We had an agreement beforehand. Emotional debts settled cleanly. My will is decided. A ruler does not trifle with his word.”
Zhu Helin stared into his eyes; Su Yan was the first to look away.
Rejected mercilessly once again. But this time seemed somewhat different… Zhu Helin suddenly realized, Qinghe, usually so quick-tongued, had failed to answer his question directly. What did that imply?
***
At the Office of Transmission, the newly promoted Right Tongzhen Cui Jinping was behind his desk, organizing memorials submitted from various regions to the court.
These reports, delivered to the capital by “urgent horseback relay,” along with memorials from officials in the capital, all converged at the Office of Transmission, this hub and transfer station of information. After classification and sorting, they would either be sent to the Grand Secretariat or presented collectively to the emperor at morning court.
Ever since falling out with Su Yan at the teahouse, Cui Jinping had been somewhat distracted these past few days. While working, he would suddenly drift off, then snap back to himself after a moment, cursing inwardly: It’s all Su Twelve’s fault!
“Lord Tongzheng!” A clerk hurried into the office, placing a stack of memorials onto the desk. He took the top one and handed it directly to Cui Jinping. “A memorial from Grand Secretary Yu, sent by eight-hundred-li express from Daming Prefecture. I didn’t dare delay and brought it over immediately.”
Cui Jinping opened the memorial at once and skimmed through it rapidly; his expression changed drastically.
“Grand Secretary Yu has been ordered to oversee military affairs and is currently leading the capital troops in suppressing bandits in Beizhili. Since he used the eight-hundred-li express this time, the situation must be urgent. Lord Tongzheng, shall I have this memorial delivered to the Grand Secretariat immediately?”
Cui Jinping thought for a moment, then said, “I happen to be going to the Grand Secretariat. I’ll take it along on the way. You stay here and organize the memorials on the desk, sorting them into categories.”
With the superior having said so, the clerk was happy to save himself a trip and readily agreed.
Cui Jinping tucked the memorial into his robes, left the Office of Transmission, got into a carriage, and instructed the driver, “To the Meridian Gate.”
Inside the Meridian Gate, on the right-hand side, lay Wenhua Hall where the Grand Secretaries worked.
After the carriage had gone only a few steps, Cui Jinping suddenly changed his mind. “No, go to Grand Secretary Xie’s residence!”
Xie Shiyan’s body, drained by excessive use of rejuvenation pills, had only recently begun to recover somewhat under careful treatment. He still attended court on the third, sixth, and ninth days of each ten-day cycle, but otherwise mostly stayed home under the pretext of recuperating, seldom remaining at the Grand Secretariat offices.
Cui Jinping hurried to the Xie residence. After the servants announced him, he was led to meet Grand Secretary Xie.
His first words upon meeting were, “A new memorial has arrived from Grand Secretary Yu.”
Xie Shiyan was somewhat impatient. “Submit it to the Grand Secretariat as usual. Why come to report to me separately? I am still recuperating and should not overexert myself with concerns.”
Cui Jinping continued, “It concerns Qi Jingtang.”
At the mention of the name, Xie Shiyan flared up. “Do you think I would be interested in learning what military merit that brat who nearly poisoned me has achieved?”
“It’s not merit, but disaster.” Cui Jinping’s throat was dry with tension and excitement, making his voice sound sharp.
“What disaster?”
“The memorial says Qi Jingtang ignored Grand Secretary Yu’s objections and insisted on leading troops deep behind enemy lines to strike Madman Liao. Now the entire force has lost contact, most likely doomed.”
After a moment of astonishment, Xie Shiyan’s face lit up with wild delight. “Heaven is helping me! That brat from Dengzhou has reached the end of his life!”
Cui Jinping knew that Xie Shiyan bore a grudge against Qi Jingtang, and that this news would surely please him. That was why he had rushed to the Xie residence ahead of all others to inform him.
Xie Shiyan took the memorial and read it again and again, bursting into loud laughter, then abruptly stopping. “That man surnamed Qi disobeyed his commanding officer, rushed forward greedily for merit, and led his troops into danger. Even if he survives by luck, a crushing defeat alone will be enough for the court to dismiss him and hold him accountable. And Su Twelve, who insisted on promoting him in the first place, will inevitably be implicated and punished for poor judgment in employing people… This is truly a piece of good news that kills two birds with one stone!”
Cui Jinping was stunned.
He had not considered that this matter also involved Su Yan, now, hearing Xie Shiyan say this, Su Yan… was going to be in trouble?
Seeing Cui Jinping’s somewhat dazed expression, Xie Shiyan said, “What, still clinging to that pitiful bit of fellow scholar sentiment with him? Cui Tongzheng, think carefully, he left a talent like you sitting idle, yet went all out to recommend that obscure, morally corrupt brat surnamed Qi. Why do you think that is?”
Cui Jinping moved his lips slightly but did not answer.
Xie Shiyan answered for him, “Because that brat knows how to flatter and give gifts.”
Cui Jinping couldn’t help but think: I also once wanted to give Su Yan gifts, but his servant wouldn’t even let me through the door.
Xie Shiyan narrowed his small eyes and glanced at him. “That brat is skilled at presenting aphrodisiacs, and he’s not bad-looking either.”
Cui Jinping froze again, then a brick-red flush rose on his cheekbones. “What does Gelao mean by that…”
Xie Shiyan sneered. “Just speaking of facts. Others may not fall for that sort of thing, but Su Twelve might, otherwise he wouldn’t be in such close company with that Embroidered Uniform Guard Shen Qi. So if he didn’t favor or recommend you, there’s no need for you to feel indignant, you should consider yourself fortunate.”
Cui Jinping was almost unable to speak, filled with disappointment and anger. More than half of that anger was directed at Su Yan, who had disappointed him so deeply; a hidden portion was directed at the mockery and insinuation embedded in Xie Shiyan’s words.
After taking a deep breath to steady himself, he finally said, “Shall this memorial now be submitted to the Grand Secretariat as usual? I await Your Excellency’s instructions.”
Xie Shiyan walked slowly back to his chair. “Of course the memorial must be submitted, failing to do so would be dereliction of duty punishable by beheading. But as for when to submit it… delaying it three to five days is no great matter.”
Only then did Cui Jinping realize that Xie Shiyan intended to use these few days to contact allies first, and then, at the appropriate moment, launch a collective denunciation or impeachment to catch Su Yan off guard.
He hesitated.
Xie Shiyan’s expression darkened. “What, Cui Tongzheng, are you thinking of taking this memorial and making a trip to Su’s residence instead?”
Cui Jinping hurriedly said, “I have no such intention. I will act entirely according to Gelao’s orders.”
Only then did Xie Shiyan nod in satisfaction.
After Cui Jinping took his leave, Xie Shiyan summoned his eldest son, Xie Yun, and said to him, “Do you remember when I told you before, ‘I will make preparations in secret and, at the critical moment, stab him hard in the vital spot from behind’? Now, the opportunity to stab Su Twelve has arrived!”
