Chapter 2
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Finally, the banquet was over.
Han Jiao blended in with the crowd, following a servant holding a lantern as they left the Minister’s grand residence. They passed by fancy carriages and horses, while the officials nearby chatted and bid each other farewell, going their separate ways.
Gradually, only Han Jiao remained, following the servant.
This wasn’t the beginning of a ghost story. It was just that Han Jiao’s mode of transportation was parked a bit far.
“Master, did I guide you the wrong way?” the servant, who had already walked two-thirds of a mile, politely asked Han Jiao.
“We have arrived,” Han Jiao spoke appropriately, “Please go back now. You have been very helpful.”
The servant looked around the empty alley, unable to spot any carriage, and then smiled. “It’s quite dark in this place. Let me escort Master to the alley entrance.”
Han Jiao couldn’t make excuses, so he had to take the servant along for another one-third of a mile until they finally reached the front door of a commoner’s house. He knocked on the door and brought out the little donkey that he had left there.
Yes, his ride was a donkey. Truly a sight to behold.
Actually, his family had a decent living condition, which wasn’t contradictory because his father was an official, and his grandfather had also held an official position. Both were clean, honest officials.
For some reason, many alternate historical novels liked to use the official system of the Ming Dynasty as a reference. The frustrating thing was that the salaries of officials during that era were incredibly low, breaking the Guinness World’s of records.
The Emperor would often claim to favor upright and incorruptible ministers, but he never showed any appreciation through their salaries.
Everyone knew that the way to express love was by helping the other person empty their shopping cart. Alternatively, one could say that the Emperor was just a big hypocrite.
But complaining about these things was pointless.
In truth, his family wasn’t very poor. He rode a donkey because his mother was worried about the dangers of him riding a horse too swiftly.
However, Han Jiao was a person who cared about his reputation. He hoped that the servant escorting him wouldn’t ask any questions about the donkey. It would make him feel awkward.
“Master, why did you leave the donkey here?”
Han Jiao: “……”
What else but to avoid being seen.
“Next time the Master come to our residence as a guest, just hand over the donkey to the gatekeeper. We will take care of it for you!”
“Understood, thank you.” I’ll hit you if you mention the donkey again.
With a calm and unhurried pace, the donkey carrying Han Jiao arrived at his family home, approximately around ten o’clock in the evening.
The streets and alleys were filled with silence. Amidst the quietness, the radiant lantern at his own doorstep shone conspicuously.
More conspicuous than the lantern was the short, stout silhouette cast outside the door.
He had come again.
No matter when Han Jiao returned home, this person would always lie in wait at this spot.
Han Jiao pretended not to notice anything, quickened his pace, allowing the other person to determine his position, until he was about to step over the threshold…
“Boo!!!” A small figure that had been lying in ambush suddenly leaped out.
“Aaah!” Han Jiao took a big step backward, perfectly cooperating with being startled and sent flying.
“Buwahahahaha…” The ambusher laughed heartily, rocking back and forth with amusement. His chubby little figure resembled a roly-poly doll.
This chubby child, with a rather boring hobby, was none other than Han Jiao’s little brother, Han Mo, who had turned five years old this year.
Han Jiao bent down and lifted his little brother, fiercely pinching his chubby cheeks. “You brat, dare you pull pranks again next time? Huh?”
“I won’t dare! I really won’t dare anymore!” The little brother promised for the thirty-seventh time.
“Staying up so late just to scare your big brother?” Han Jiao carried his brother to the eastern chamber, preparing to tell stories and coax the mischievous little troublemaker to sleep.
“Big Brother! A’Mo will perform magic tricks for you!” The little brother’s wide eyes excitedly looked at Han Jiao.
No wonder he was so excited. It turned out he had learned a new trick.
Han Jiao nodded and smiled. “Alright, come on, show me what you’ve got.”
The little brother eagerly turned around and pounced onto the bed, grabbing his “props” that he had been practicing with all day. With his chubby figure facing away from Han Jiao, he fiddled around mysteriously, taking quite a while to prepare. Finally, he turned around, tilting his head back and beckoning at Han Jiao.
Han Jiao crouched down in front of his little brother, playing along.
The little brother raised a small wooden ball, about the size of a grape, in his left hand and solemnly ordered, “Big Brother, watch closely, you hear?”
Han Jiao focused intently on the small wooden ball and nodded.
“Ha!” The little brother let out a roar, adding a heart-stopping sound effect to his magic trick. “Tudu, tudu…”
Unexpectedly, the wooden ball fell to the ground, bouncing haphazardly. Han Jiao quickly caught it with his keen eyes and nimble hands.
Examining the wooden ball in his hand, Han Jiao looked at his little brother with confusion. “Did it change color? Impressive.”
“No!” It wasn’t meant to be a color-changing trick. The little brother angrily snatched the wooden ball back, and explained, “A’Mo wanted to make it disappear! A’Mo’s hand slipped just now!”
“Oh, I see.” Han Jiao raised his hand, signaling his little brother to try again.
Perhaps feeling a bit nervous, the ball accidentally slipped again. It flew directly toward Han Jiao’s face.
Han Jiao couldn’t dodge in time and got hit in his left eye. He covered his eye and looked at his little brother. “Is this magic trick about blinding the audience, so they can’t see the ball anymore?”
“A’Jiao, is that you?” Suddenly, their mother’s voice came from outside the door.
Worried that his mother would scold his little brother, Han Jiao quickly blinked his eye, forcibly opening it, and stood up.
“When did you come back?” Mrs. Han stepped into the room, attentively observing Han Jiao’s expression. “Didn’t you drink too much?”
“No, I didn’t drink at all. This smell of alcohol is from someone else.”
“Why didn’t you drink at all?” Mrs. Han looked concerned.
Han Jiao looked bewildered. “When I left, didn’t you ask me to drink less?”
Women were truly unpredictable creatures.
“But you shouldn’t drink nothing at all! I’ve reminded you so many times to get along well with your peers, don’t have the stubbornness of your father, and offend your colleagues…”
“I know,” Han Jiao hurriedly placated, “The colleagues at the birthday banquet considered my young age, so they didn’t force me to drink. You don’t have to worry. I have a good relationship with my colleagues.”
“That’s good.” Mrs. Han contentedly smiled.
Looking at everything in front of him—the foolish little brother, the gullible mother, and the stubborn father, who secretly prided himself on his prodigious son, in the adjacent study—Han Jiao felt very happy.
Although these family members looked different from his previous life’s family, it was a curious coincidence that their names were the same.
In his previous life, Han Jiao’s parents and little brother died in a car accident. At that time, his brother was only three years old.
Han Jiao suspected it wasn’t an accident, but he had no evidence. When the incident occurred, he was studying abroad.
After taking a leave from school and returning to the country, he secretly investigated the illegal wastewater factory that his father had been investigating before his death. After two and a half years, he still hadn’t found any evidence. When he woke up, he found himself in this world.
This was the world from a novel he had read during his high school years.
The family members here had the same names as his parents and little brother in his previous life. Even their personalities were strikingly similar.
It seemed as though his family couldn’t bear to see him harboring hatred and struggling alone in another world, so they brought him here.
However, this world was not safe, especially for his father, who had the same stubborn and strong-willed personality as his father in his previous life.
In the ancient officialdom, this was practically the standard for cannon fodders.
Han Jiao’s knowledge of the original plot was limited to the life of Prince Yan.
Taking advantage of this, he should carefully choose the right time to offer his advice and ensure his safety.
After all, in the era he was in, talent, power, or even moral conduct couldn’t guarantee safety. The only reliable means of livelihood was to gain the complete trust of those in power.
As the male lead, Prince Yan was a qualified backer. Being only one year older than Han Jiao, excelling in martial arts and had an excellent physique, he should be able to outlive Han Jiao in this lifetime.
Han Jiao had already firmly set his sights on relying on Prince Yan’s support. However, the current stage he was in happened to be the period when Prince Yan would face his first major difficulty.
In the novel, Prince Yan was slandered, hence losing the Emperor’s trust. Although the Emperor didn’t harm his son, he eliminated some key figures in Prince Yan’s faction.
During this period, Prince Yan was completely defenseless. Han Jiao didn’t want to take risks by seeking refuge at that time, so he didn’t show up last night to pay his respects. However, he was quite curious about this Prince Yan.
He wondered how the Prince looked and what his personality was like when he was young. In the novel, he appeared upright and resolute. He was probably a modest and gentlemanly person who didn’t fuss over trivial matters, right?
•••
Early in the morning, a few birds perched on the eaves of the main hall in the northern courtyard of Prince Yan’s residence.
“It must be that Hanlin scholar from the other courtyard, around eighteen or nineteen years old, with a handsome face and an arrogant bearing. Find out about him for me. I must get to the bottom of this.” Prince Yan, who was being attended to while changing his clothes, complained miserly to the eunuch, “He is extremely arrogant.”
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps startled the birds on the eaves, causing them to fly away.
“Your Highness, Master Liu urgently requests an audience.”
“So early?” Prince Yan nodded, signaling the eunuch to hurry up.
Before the white jade belt buckle at the center of his waist was properly adjusted, Prince Yan hastily walked out of the main hall.
Liu Tong, pacing back and forth in the side hall, heard the sound of the bead curtain being lifted and eagerly stepped forward. “This humble servant pays his respects to Your Highness.”
“Don’t be too formal, Master Liu. What’s the matter?” Prince Yan noticed his pale complexion, indicating that something significant had occurred.
Liu Tong drew a secret letter from his sleeve and respectfully handed it over. “Please have a look, Your Highness.”
Prince Yan swiftly unfolded the letter and read its contents in one glance.
“Has the transcript of the interrogation already been presented to Father Emperor?” The Prince’s elongated eyes widened, his face paling as he looked at Liu Tong.
“Not yet!” Liu Tong quickly reassured, “The case has not been decided yet. This testimony was secretly entrusted to me by the Left Censor-in-chief for Your Highness to review.”
Slightly breathing a sigh of relief, the Prince slowly closed his eyes. Though his expression seemed calm, his clenched fist couldn’t contain his inner turmoil. He held a thick stack of papers that were almost torn apart by his thumb.
“This shameless scoundrel!” He slammed the papers onto the desk, uncontrollably walking up to Liu Tong. “Does he think that by associating himself with this Prince, the Three Law Departments won’t thoroughly investigate him? Let them not worry and investigate him thoroughly to the end!!”
“Your Highness, please calm down,” Liu Tong quickly tried to console him, “Zhao Liang is likely acting on someone’s instructions. Falsely claiming merit while causing discord between His Majesty and Your Highness is his true intention. We mustn’t act rashly and play into his hands!”
“Then what do you suggest?” The Prince suppressed his anger. “That beast guarded the border for three years while the Tatars continuously harassed the border residents. The people were already suffering greatly. This despicable creature, desperate to achieve merit as his position is about to be replaced, committed such unforgivable acts! He intended to implicate me in his testimony, and now he expects me to protect him? If that were true, it would mean I personally harmed the innocent people who died on the border!”
“Please be cautious with your words, Your Highness!” Liu Tong knelt down on the ground, unable to contain his tears.
Prince Yan had always been upright and caring for the people since his youth. As his teacher, Liu Tong had high expectations for the future of Great Chu. However, without the favor of the Emperor, the Prince’s integrity became a double-edged sword that harmed himself.
A month ago, a victorious report arrived from Qining Pass in Liaodong—Our army has killed over 1,200 enemy soldiers.
Half a month ago, an urgent confidential report from the Investigating Censor reached the capital, stating that corpses of women and children were found among the enemy’s remains, suspecting that the commander of Qining Pass had committed atrocities and falsely claimed merit.
The news of the victory pleased the Emperor. It was even announced through official bulletins, reaching every province. One could say the whole nation knew about it. And now, with this incident, where could the dignity of the Emperor and the Prince be placed?
As a result, the confidential report was temporarily suppressed by the court to urgently conduct an investigation by the Three Law Departments. They needed to determine the truth of the matter before causing any disturbance to the Emperor.
During the interrogation, the accused surprisingly mentioned his meetings with Prince Yan when he returned to the capital for official duties. He claimed that Prince Yan privately met him multiple times and said the Prince knew his character. He accused the disloyal and unfilial individuals who wanted to shift blame onto him.
This was an attempt to implicate Prince Yan in his crimes.
The two meetings were indeed real because the Prince genuinely cared about the border warfare. However, he couldn’t be present at the border at all times, so he sought information from him.
Unexpectedly, this despicable individual, on the brink of death, tried to drag Prince Yan into his wrongdoing.
The fiery temperament of Prince Yan made it impossible for him to remain calm. He wished to burn this despicable person.
Liu Tong repeatedly pleaded and consoled him, eventually calming down the Prince.
“What does Senior Minister Xu say?” Prince Yan lowered his head, speaking with despair.
“Senior Minister Xu said that this villain deserves nothing less than death!” Liu Tong whispered, “However, we can’t execute him on the charges of wrongful executions and falsely claiming merit, as it would damage the Emperor’s reputation and unjustly implicate Your Highness. It’s better to temporarily suppress the matter, wait for the situation to settle down, find another reason, and ensure that person dies a slow and agonizing death!”
Silence.
After a long while, Prince Yan’s voice sounded hoarse, “What about those innocent people who died? How can we console their families?”
“There are no surviving relatives,” Liu Tong said sorrowfully, “It is likely that they massacred the village to eliminate any witnesses. There are no surviving voices to seek justice.”
“This is unacceptable!” The Prince could no longer tolerate it. “No! We cannot conceal the crimes of this despicable person!”
“Your Highness!”
Despite Liu Tong’s repeated efforts to persuade him, he had no success. He could only retreat and discuss the matter with Senior Minister Xu at his residence.
Prince Yan was so infuriated that he couldn’t eat or drink throughout the entire day.
A eunuch entered the room with joy and announced, “Your Highness, we got an information. Among the scholars who paid their respects last night, there was only one who is not yet twenty years old, the child progidy known throughout the capital, Han Jiao!”
Surprisingly, Prince Yan’s attention was diverted by this news. He stood in a daze for a moment, squinting slightly. “No wonder he is so arrogant.”
The eunuch respectfully waited for Prince Yan’s instructions.
After a long while, Prince Yan let out a derisive laugh. “Child prodigy.”
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