Yun Ye had been slacking off lately. He didn’t want to go to the Ministry of War office. He had been severely discouraged by the matter with Rong Huanü. He had already prepared a perfect ending for Goguryeo, but now they weren’t playing along. He had thrown a fierce punch only to hit nothing, leaving his heart feeling empty and uncomfortable. Many things had gone awry, truly proving the ancients’ saying that eight or nine out of ten things in life don’t go as one wishes.
Niu Jinda had now become a benevolent and kind-looking Buddha. When he heard about this matter, not only was he extremely happy, he also seized Yun Ye and severely reprimanded him. Why didn’t he quickly issue the transit documents and leave the Goguryeo monarch and his ministers squatting by the canal drinking the northwest wind? If anything went wrong, the first to be blamed would be the Ministry of War for not issuing the documents quickly enough.
Li Er had been looking at Yun Ye with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes these past two days. He didn’t rush Yun Ye either; he just wanted to see how long Yun Ye could hold out and whether he could truly put the bigger picture first.
In truth, Rong Huanü had already taken the entry documents. The King of Goguryeo and Yeon Gaesomun had already reached Great Tang territory. Zhang Jian was handling pacification matters within Goguryeo territory, and the troops from Zhuozhou were also closely monitoring these surrendered officials. They were already cooked ducks—how could they possibly fly away?
That ghostly woman Rong Huanü had become even more active. The Emperor had given her the title Lady Rong Hua, and she was so grateful she prostrated herself completely. She led Goguryeo’s singing and dancing girls around Chang’an, presenting performances to those meritorious nobles in turns. According to Xue Wanche, he had also received an invitation. He would be going to Yuezhou in April to serve as Grand Commander. Even someone who couldn’t help her like him had been flattered by Rong Huanü, yet he himself, a dignified Left Vice Minister of War, had been completely ignored by her.
“Why would she invite you? Apart from making sarcastic remarks and causing trouble, what else can you do?” Xue Wanche tucked his tablet into his waist and looked at Yun Ye with contempt.
“She’s already surrendered. Now she’s desperately trying to ingratiate herself with everyone, all to get a bit of care in the future. Don’t you feel sorry for her? You keep making things difficult. People in the court are already questioning your character. Haven’t you heard? Dirty jokes are already circulating among the common folk. They say you kept her for so many years, got addicted to the pleasure, and can’t bear to let go. All the subjects of Great Tang want to know what kind of seductive body this Lady Rong Hua has that could make the brilliant and unparalleled Marquis Yun unable to forget her.”
“Bullshit! I never laid a finger on her. If I wanted beautiful women, my household is full of stunning beauties. It wouldn’t be a middle-aged woman’s turn to seduce me.” Yun Ye was very angry when he heard this. The people of Chang’an still couldn’t shake their bad habit of spreading and believing rumors.
Xue Wanche looked left and right, and seeing no one nearby, bent down and asked lewdly: “I heard from Old Zhang of the Left Military Guard that back on the Liao River, that Goguryeo woman was stripped naked and holding onto you. Could it be that at that time you fell helplessly in love and couldn’t extricate yourself?”
Yun Ye helplessly patted his forehead. Those who could witness that scene were all his most loyal subordinates and would absolutely not spread it around. So there was only one possibility—that stinking woman Rong Huanü had spread it herself. This woman had truly gone all out to preserve the remnants of Goguryeo, not even caring about her own face anymore.
When a person has no shame, they become invincible under heaven. Yun Ye’s face still had great use and couldn’t be lost, so he had no choice but to quickly approve the transit documents to let the Goguryeo monarch and ministers proceed west.
The Yun Family was now in a state of both external pressure and internal difficulties. Zhangsun Wuji’s conversation with Old Madam went on endlessly. The female members of his family were sneaking furtively in and out of the Yun residence’s inner quarters. Zhangsun Chong was staying in Yun Ye’s study rummaging around everywhere. Xiao Wu even sent a note asking Yun Ye to come to the academy to watch a good show.
Of the three descendants of the Zhangsun Family, two had returned alive, while another had been impaled on a tree in a miserable state. The two who survived had endured in the Qinling Mountains like savages, chewing grass roots until the ice and snow melted. It was said that when they returned, they had become so thin they were unrecognizable.
Their steel industry was now being battered to pieces by the Great Tang National Steel Workshop and could only pursue a high-precision, specialized route. The low-end iron products market had already been completely monopolized by the National Steel Workshop.
Without the steel industry, they wanted to turn their attention to the aviation industry. This idea wasn’t wrong—Yun Ye also wanted to soon take flights on Great Tang Airlines between Lingnan and Chang’an. But even if your family wants to get involved in the aviation industry, you can’t just come to the Yun Family to plunder, right? Zhangsun Chong’s wife, Princess Changle, was chatting very happily with Na Rimu about this and that. You could figure out with your toes that the little bit of flying machine knowledge she knew had now become the Zhangsun Family’s property.
“Bug, do me a favor. This kind of brazen robbery doesn’t even consider Great Tang’s laws at all.”
“Who’s robbing? Didn’t I tell you? I’m giving you thirty percent in dry shares. Shouldn’t you contribute a little knowledge? Don’t be ungrateful. His Majesty only has thirty percent there too. My family only has forty percent. Now the whole family is about to starve, so we have no choice but to beg some scraps from you wealthy powers to fill our stomachs. You don’t even feel sorry for your brother. Tell me, since this flying machine could fly from Chang’an to the Qinling Mountains, doesn’t that mean it will definitely be able to fly from Chang’an to Luoyang in the future?”
“That’s certain. As long as you can solve the power problem for hot air balloons, you’ll definitely be able to travel a thousand li in a day. The problem is you can’t possibly find a winged horse to pull you flying through the sky. You’d better go discuss it with His Majesty and get a few low-ranking dragons to come back and help you pull the hot air balloon. That way you can display your Zhangsun Family’s might.”
“Stop choking me! I can barely breathe. You’ve found the wrong person. You should go find Qing Que or the Gongshu Family. They’re the pioneers in researching aviation power. What use is finding me? I can only send Kongming lanterns up into the sky.”
After hearing Yun Ye’s words, Zhangsun Chong blinked twice, felt it made a lot of sense, picked up a set of exquisite porcelain he had just given to Yun Ye, and said: “You’re absolutely right! I’ll go to Yushan right away to visit Old Master Gongshu and see if the old gentleman has any solutions. After all, his family’s ancestor made a bamboo bird that flew in the sky for nine days and nine nights.”
Yun Ye and Zhangsun Chong went to the front and saw that Old Madam was hosting a banquet to entertain Zhangsun Wuji and his wife. The three were chatting very happily. Thinking of Xiao Wu’s note, Yun Ye and Zhangsun Chong rode together in a carriage to the academy.
Zhangsun Chong went off with his porcelain for public relations, while Yun Ye entered the academy alone. He saw that the council hall was very lively, with students surrounding it so tightly that not even water could leak through. He grabbed a passing student and asked, only then learning that Li Yifu was accepting questioning from all the students.
Money needs a process of time to corrupt a person, especially for a group like academy students who don’t have much desire for money. A few months’ time was far from enough. Pang Yuhai’s plan had been implemented somewhat hastily.
However, when he saw Xiao Wu happily holding Huantou and watching the excitement, he understood seventy to eighty percent. If Xiao Wu hadn’t forced this to ripen, that would be the strange thing. Teaching arithmetic to lower-grade new students every day must have bored her terribly. With an attitude of enjoying the chaos and not fearing trouble, giving it a little push absolutely fit Xiao Wu’s current bored state of mind.
He must find her something to do, or else this little demon would make the academy a chaotic mess.
Pang Yuhai was very clever. He hadn’t appeared himself. The one now angrily questioning Li Yifu was another student leader.
“We come from humble origins and should therefore uphold our integrity, like green pines under ice and snow. They say when times are hard, integrity shows itself. Li Yifu, you are now in the academy, lacking neither clothing nor food. This is precisely when we should be vigorous and striving. A few measly copper coins have made you lose all dignity. You indulged in pleasure at Swallow’s Arrival Tower, wined and dined at singing and drinking establishments. I ask you, do you still not know you’re wrong?”
Li Yifu cupped his hands in thanks and replied: “Brother Yumin’s golden words of wisdom are like a cleansing enlightenment to Li Yifu. I will reform immediately. Please, Brother Yumin, don’t abandon me. Constantly urging me is the way of friendship.”
“As long as you can reconcile all the accounts today, we naturally won’t look down on you. If the accounts can be reconciled, it means you’ve only lost in private virtue, with no loss to your greater integrity. As long as you remain vigilant at all times, naturally you can reform. Now, please let Brother Yuhai verify the accounts with you.”
Pang Yuhai walked out holding the account book, cupped his hands toward the surrounding students, and said: “A gentleman is ashamed to speak of profit. Yuhai also believes that Brother Yifu would absolutely not commit errors or missteps. As everyone knows, these silver coins were all earned by our own hands at the Lantern Festival ice lamp fair, merely to supplement the inadequacy of our meals. Every single copper coin here is soaked with the sweat of us fellow students. So, Yuhai only hopes that every coin here can be used for everyone’s meals. If anyone dares to reach for this money, Pang Yuhai will regard him as my mortal enemy.”
When everyone heard Pang Yuhai say this, they immediately quieted down. Yumin looked at Pang Yuhai with reproach. Looking at the general ledger now, there appeared to be no errors. Li Yifu’s recent lifestyle had indeed become somewhat corrupt—perhaps he had accepted bribes from those merchants. They were all fellow students; where forgiveness was possible, forgive. Why go to such extremes as life and death? Once you put the label of embezzlement on Li Yifu, how could he face people in the future? What would follow would be the academy’s most severe punishment, and the academy would have to announce to everyone its educational failure.
He was just about to speak to smooth things over when he heard Li Yifu bow to Pang Yuhai and say: “Brother Yuhai speaks correctly. Not to mention Brother Yuhai who hates evil like an enemy thinks this way, Li Yifu thinks so too. There are three copies of the account books in total, but I wonder how many copies Brother Yuhai has obtained? As long as the three account books match, if there’s the slightest discrepancy, Li Yifu will immediately commit suicide in some filthy place outside the academy and absolutely would not dare to show the slightest disrespect to our Yushan Academy.”
Pang Yuhai’s expression didn’t change as he slowly said: “It’s not three copies, but four. You have one copy in your hands, the dining hall administration has another copy, the academy has a backup copy, and you’ve forgotten—the Student Bureau has another copy. This rule was established when I managed the accounts and has never had any omissions.”
Li Yifu’s face twitched twice. When he and Pang Yuhai did the handover, he had never heard of a fourth account book existing. If there were problems, they would inevitably appear in this account book he didn’t know about, because the one managing this account book happened to be Pang Yuhai.
“On February twelfth, purchased three thousand nine hundred jin of pork, one thousand eighty-three jin of mutton. On February twenty-sixth…”