Xinyue entered the palace carrying her son. Without her son as a protective talisman, she wouldn’t be able to see Li Er and would get beaten. Her son had an official position—a legitimate Imperial Guard to the Emperor. Although he was still nursing, he could have an audience with His Majesty. Despite his young age, he was qualified.
Walking on the imperial road holding her child, she felt like she was floating. From the moment she received Yun Ye’s letter of safety, that feeling of helpless isolation vanished completely. Her back was ramrod straight. A eunuch held an umbrella for the mother and son. The summer sun in Chang’an was vicious. This was specially arranged by the Empress, making the officials coming and going look on in wonder. They were all flowing with sweat, tongues hanging out, bare-headed suffering under the sun. Of course, this was Xinyue’s impression—standing under the umbrella was simply better than those people baking in the sun. Look at that fat man—what’s flowing out isn’t sweat anymore but oil. Poor thing, and he still has to keep waiting.
She glanced sideways at those officials waiting for audience discussing in low voices, stretching her ears long, preparing to listen and let her vanity be further satisfied. Unfortunately, those people were very professional—she couldn’t hear clearly what they were saying. When the eunuch announced in a drawn-out voice that Captain of the Guard Yun Baobao was granted audience, Xinyue performed a courtesy and, under the astonished gazes of those officials, carried her son into the Taiji Palace. Even Du Ruhui, who had been dozing while standing in the sun, looked somewhat surprised.
In the Taiji Palace, a gentle breeze blew continuously, and the floor-length gauze curtains fluttered ceaselessly. Upwind, there were many wooden trays filled with ice. Li Er couldn’t tolerate heat. This ice had been made by Li Tai using saltpeter and donated free of charge to his father and mother.
Empress Zhangsun came out and took Yun Baobao from Xinyue’s arms, holding him and playing with him constantly without speaking. Today Xinyue was having a formal audience—there was no room for her to interject.
“Yun Xin Shi, what brings you to see Us? Do you have news of your husband?” Li Er set down the brush in his hand and looked up to ask Xinyue.
“In response to Your Majesty, my clumsy husband is currently in Lingnan. This is his memorial to Your Majesty from Lingnan, which this subject’s wife must personally present.” She had been clutching a small cloth bag in her hand the entire time.
A eunuch received the cloth bag on a wooden tray, opened it to look, appeared somewhat surprised, and placed the tray and all on the Emperor’s desk.
Li Er picked up the cloth bag and shook it. Several lychees, a slip of paper, and a small sealed scroll rolled out of the bag. Li Er ignored the note and scroll, picked up the lychees to look at and smell them. The peels were blackened but had no strange odor. He set down the lychees and said to Xinyue: “He at least has good sense, reporting his safety at the first opportunity.” Having said this, he waved his hand. Xinyue performed a courtesy and went with Empress Zhangsun through the gauze curtains to talk in the inner palace.
Li Er picked up the slip of paper, and his nose nearly went crooked. At the top of the note were written three characters: “Leave Request.”
“This subject, due to being kidnapped by Dou Yanshan, had no choice but to abandon his post without authorization. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness. This was an irresistible circumstance. Unable to request leave in person, this is the fault of the Bai Qi Si and the Five Cities Military Commissioner—it has nothing to do with this subject. After Dou Yanshan fought a flood dragon for three hundred rounds, they perished together. This subject managed to escape. Now stranded in Lingnan, alone and helpless, I still beg Your Majesty’s pity—please grant this subject another year of leave so this humble subject may walk back to Chang’an on foot. Your subject, Yun Ye, bows one hundred times.”
“Fought a flood dragon for three hundred rounds? Nonsense! Alone and helpless? Nonsense! A year to walk back? Does he think We don’t know what’s really happening? Boy, hiding in a tender haven unwilling to return, eh? At least you have some conscience. Anlan alone in Lingnan unable to open up the situation—that’s the real reason you’re staying, isn’t it? Let Us see what other devious thoughts you have. If you provoke Feng Ang into rebellion, We’ll skin you alive!” Li Er muttered to himself as he found a silver knife, pried open the wax seal, unrolled the scroll, scanned it once, and bellowed: “Summon Du Ruhui!”
A veteran minister was a veteran minister. Having stood in the sun for so long, his forehead showed no sweat, his bearing still unchanged. “Bring Minister Du a bowl of hawthorn water. Didn’t We have a shade pavilion built for you? Why are you still standing in the sun?”
“Your Majesty speaks incorrectly. During audiences, maintaining strict formation is what protocol requires. How can we, for momentary comfort, lose our proper place as subjects? To gain small benefits while losing great ones—this subject will not do.”
Du Ruhui was most particular about court etiquette. Today he was at the head of the formation, so not a single official dared go under the shade pavilion. If it were Fang Xuanling, the officials would have long since crowded under the pavilion.
“I wonder who this Yun Baobao that Your Majesty just summoned might be? Why doesn’t this humble subject know of him?” He was the second-ranking figure among the subjects, with all the empire’s officials stored in his mind. But that Captain of the Guard Yun Baobao just now was truly unheard of. He should know about officials of the seventh rank, upper grade.
“That’s Yun Ye’s son. He hasn’t been given a name yet, so he can only be called Yun Baobao. That woman is Yun Ye’s legitimate wife, Yun Xin Shi. She came to request leave on her husband’s behalf. Take a look.”
After Du Ruhui read through the slip of paper once, he immediately became furious. “Complete nonsense! Being kidnapped by Dou Yanshan is true, but what follows—fighting a flood dragon for three hundred rounds, stranded in Lingnan—though it’s far, it doesn’t require a year. In a year’s time, he should be able to crawl back to Chang’an. Your Majesty, such a shameless person should be severely reprimanded with an imperial decree, commanding him to return to Chang’an immediately without error.”
“We originally thought so too, but after reading this scroll, We changed Our mind. My dear minister, don’t be angry. Drink some water. After you finish reading the scroll, then make your judgment.”
Du Ruhui sat down, picked up the hawthorn water on the desk and took two sips, steadying his mind, and only then began reading Yun Ye’s scroll. He always repeatedly pondered everything Yun Ye wrote, trying to block all loopholes, leaving no room. This had already formed a consensus among court officials. The painful lesson of the Ministry of Works was truly a cautionary tale. Give him a little opening, and he could tear it into a hole large enough for carriages to race through. In the end, his success only highlighted the officials’ incompetence. Once or twice was one thing, but time after time like this made the officials feel like fools. How could officials who considered themselves wise endure this?
Even after steadying his mind, Du Ruhui still gaped, asking the Emperor incredulously: “Your Majesty, they’ve already destroyed seventy-four nations?”
Li Er scratched his chin and said with a headache: “It should be true. The Bai Qi Si also reported it, just not as detailed as what Yun Ye described.”
“Accumulated countless treasures? Spices like mountains, grain no less than five million dan?” Du Ruhui sucked in cold air, continuing to read this utterly absurd scroll as if his teeth hurt.
“Three thousand rabble actually expanded territory by a thousand li? This subject looked—half of the countries that were supposed to pay tribute to Your Majesty next year have already disappeared. Zhenla? What did they go there for? Lion Country? Your Majesty, do you know this country?”
After finishing the scroll, the monarch and subject were speechless for a long time. They suddenly realized that what they had painstakingly and exhaustively prepared to attack—Xueyantuo, Tuyuhun, Gaochang and other nations—the benefits gained couldn’t match the achievements of three thousand rabble. How was this possible? Lingnan, a remote and desolate place—where would so many treasures and grain come from for them to plunder?
“Ridiculous nonsense!” The monarch and subject simultaneously gave this verdict to Yun Ye’s scroll.
“Your Majesty, how about the court send someone to take a look?” After a long while, Du Ruhui spoke to Li Er again in an uncertain tone. After all, Yun Ye had pulled off creating something from nothing more than once.
Empress Zhangsun walked in from behind and placed a fist-sized gemstone on Li Er’s desk, saying softly: “This is what Yun Ye brought from Lingnan. It’s a birthday gift for this subject’s wife, called Heart of the Ocean.” Having said this, she went back.
Li Er’s eyes reddened slightly. He flicked the gemstone with his hand—blue and lustrous without a single flaw. He picked it up and tapped it on the desk—it wasn’t glass. Li Er was very certain.
The palace attendant presented the gemstone to Du Ruhui. Old Du was also immediately entranced by this gemstone—perfect and flawless. This was a peerless treasure, a one-of-a-kind item, a natural wonder.
“Minister Du, should We send a few more people to take a look? Shouldn’t all these things be transported back? Western campaigns, eastern campaigns—all require funds.” For the first time, Li Er’s words no longer rang forcefully. Although a large portion of this wealth belonged to the nobles, when the nation needed it, they couldn’t refuse to contribute. The court wouldn’t take everything—half in taxes still had to be paid.
“Your Majesty worries too much. Which of the dukes isn’t someone who serves the people and nation? How about at tomorrow’s grand court assembly, we ask the dukes exactly how much of Lingnan’s proceeds they’re willing to contribute to supplement the national treasury? This way, this old subject can calculate a figure to see exactly how much money and grain can be obtained. The dukes probably don’t know the wealth would be so staggering. Tomorrow there will surely be a good answer.”
“If Marquis Yun’s memorial is true, he must have recorded detailed data as a foundation in Lingnan. His memorial to Your Majesty probably wasn’t originally meant to tell Your Majesty how prosperous Lingnan is, but rather to plot against those old established families that made him suffer losses. He’d rather lose his own wealth than drag down all the high gates and great households that made fortunes. Purely harming others without benefiting himself, and making Your Majesty take the blame. He’s determined that the court won’t pass up these riches. I imagine that bastard is in Lingnan laughing so hard he can’t straighten his back.”
The more Du Ruhui spoke, the more he felt his guess wasn’t far from the truth. He pounded the table with both hands, furious beyond measure. His family also had household troops who went to Lingnan and naturally would have reaped rich rewards. Now that he knew the secret, tomorrow he would have to set an example in court. Thinking of all that money and grain flowing into the national treasury, his heart was sour and astringent. This was Yun Ye’s open and aboveboard stratagem. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and fall into the trap, and couldn’t speak of it.
Li Er showed it to him not because he didn’t believe what Yun Ye said, but because he had no doubt whatsoever. This was forcing him to take a stand. He had jumped out to take the fall. The Emperor didn’t want to offend so many subjects all at once either. The best outcome was to find a scapegoat. When Du Ruhui thought about tomorrow’s court session where those dukes would generously donate, he regretted why he had Sun Simiao cure his lung disease. When Yun Ye recommended he go for treatment, was he already planning to have him be a healthy scapegoat?
“My dear minister, don’t be angry. That boy is indeed a bastard. Look at the last sentence of the scroll and you’ll know that Feng Ang’s good days in Lingnan are coming to an end.”