Unsurprisingly, before Xu Ji had been away from Chang’an a month, all manner of talk had begun to spread.

People said that in less than a month of travels, Xu Ji had already removed three Prefects and four County Magistrates — two of whom had been executed on the spot.

Grumbling began to surface among the military. Men below were petitioning upward, saying Xu Ji had truly gone too far.

Some attempted to approach Master Yan, hoping he would say a word to His Majesty. Master Yan gave everyone the same reply.

If the men Xu Ji dealt with deserved to be dealt with, I would not dare speak carelessly before His Majesty. If they did not deserve it, His Majesty will have something to say when Xu Ji returns.

If pressed too hard, Master Yan would add one more sentence: *If you believe Xu Ji has been unjust, you may confront him before His Majesty when he returns.*

As a result, word spread further that Xu Ji was without question Da Ning’s most powerful minister — in the most formidable sense of the word.

Yet Li Chi seemed entirely unconcerned. No matter how much discontent stirred below, no matter how much noise people made, the Imperial Censorate remained utterly silent.

Those Censors — who in ordinary times would latch on to Xu Ji’s slightest misstep and never let go — this time, not one of them breathed a word.

And that in itself said everything. It meant that what Xu Ji was doing was reasonable and justified.

The Censors knew it themselves: if they went after Xu Ji over this, it would stain their own hard-won reputation for straight-speaking integrity.

In early autumn, a memorial arrived from the western frontier: the nations of the Western Regions had jointly petitioned, requesting that Da Ning’s Emperor permit them to come to court to pay tribute.

Accompanying this petition was a thick gift register — each nation setting out clearly what it intended to offer to Da Ning’s Emperor.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites reviewed it and found nothing amiss, and so they memorialized the Emperor for a decision: should the envoys be permitted to come, or not?

The officials of the Ministry of Rites believed that it would be best to allow them to come to Chang’an. The Celestial Dynasty ought to carry itself with the bearing of a Celestial Dynasty.

The memorial reached Li Chi. He read it through and was prepared to approve it — then on a whim he wanted to look at the gift register, to see what was actually being offered.

The register was very thick, given that it represented dozens of nations. The entries on it, read at a glance, made the eyes swim.

After skimming a few entries, Li Chi’s interest suddenly faded. He set the register aside, picked the Ministry of Rites memorial back up, and wrote two characters in vermillion brush.

*Not permitted.*

The official now serving as Minister of Rites was none other than Lian Xiwu — formerly an important minister in Ji Province who had overseen the construction of the great Daxing City, and now headed the Ministry of Rites.

Hearing that His Majesty had declined, he immediately knew the matter was not so simple. He rushed to the entrance of the Eastern Warm Chamber and requested an audience.

Li Chi had Ye Xiaoqian invite the Minister in, and even personally brewed tea for him.

“Your Majesty…”

Lian Xiwu asked cautiously, “Is there something amiss with the Western Regions nations’ request to come to court?”

Li Chi smiled. “Their wanting to come to Chang’an is nothing more than a response to the western border passes being sealed — with no one left to trade with, they’ve come up with this scheme. They call it paying tribute, but the little thoughts behind it — I don’t like them.”

Lian Xiwu bowed. “Your Majesty, this subject truly could not see any impropriety in the petition. May I ask Your Majesty to point it out, so that in future when such matters arise, I may know what to watch for.”

Li Chi pointed at the gift register. “The petition itself is fine — nothing but heaped-up phrases flattering Us. The problem lies in the register.”

Lian Xiwu quickly picked up the register and studied it again, but Li Chi, watching his flustered expression, laughed.

“Don’t look. You won’t find anything.”

Li Chi said, “You have never been to Daxing City, so the offensive detail in this register will not be apparent to you.”

He sat down and continued, “In the former dynasty’s palace at Daxing City, I once saw a register exactly like this one — the gift register the Western Regions nations sent when Yang Jing first proclaimed himself Emperor.”

Li Chi pointed again at the one in Lian Xiwu’s hands. “Whether in the grade of gifts, the quantities, or the declared value — everything is somewhat less than what was presented for Yang Jing’s accession. If anyone would have me believe the people of the Western Regions didn’t do that deliberately, I would not believe them.”

Lian Xiwu was alarmed. Li Chi had made it sound effortless, but this was no small matter.

If His Majesty had not personally spotted this — and the Western Regions envoys had received word that they were welcome to come to Chang’an — they might very well have laughed behind their sleeves.

They would mock that Da Ning’s Emperor was worth less than the last Emperor of the fallen Chu dynasty.

Lian Xiwu raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his brow and bowed deeply. “This subject truly did not know of this discrepancy. But this subject is at fault — as Minister of Rites, I should have examined this far more carefully. I did not consult the historical records of the former dynasty. I am guilty of negligence. I request Your Majesty’s punishment.”

He moved to kneel.

Li Chi quickly pulled him up. “I already said — none of you have ever seen that register, so naturally none of you could know the difference. You cannot be blamed for this.”

Li Chi smiled. “Handle it according to Our ruling. The Western Regions nations, playing such games in a matter like this — let them play their games outside the passes. Coming into Da Ning is out of the question.”

Lian Xiwu bowed. “This subject will comply. I will go draft the reply at once.”

Li Chi said, “No need to write much…”

He thought for a moment, then said to Lian Xiwu with a smile, “Just send them one sentence. Tell them I said: they needn’t come to see me. If I want to see them, I’ll go to the Western Regions myself.”

This made Lian Xiwu want to laugh outright — he quickly covered it with a deep bow.

He came out of the Eastern Warm Chamber and had not gone far when he saw Master Yan coming with an armful of memorials.

The two greeted each other, and Lian Xiwu, unable to suppress his curiosity, lowered his voice. “His Majesty is truly remarkable.”

Master Yan looked puzzled. “What has happened?”

Lian Xiwu said, “His Majesty once saw a Western Regions tribute register in the former dynasty’s palace at Daxing City — and simply from that one viewing, he spotted the difference from this one now. With a register that long, His Majesty’s ability to recall and retain every detail is truly extraordinary.”

Master Yan let out a sudden laugh, glanced around, then lowered his voice. “Of course His Majesty has extraordinary recall — back in Daxing City, His Majesty had people go through that register item by item, checking everything against the actual objects.”

“You see, after Daxing City’s palace was breached by enemy soldiers, many things were lost to the world — those soldiers naturally would not keep such treasures, and had sold them off at low prices. His Majesty sent people to carefully trace where everything had gone. Many wealthy households in Chang’an had acquired some of these pieces — the fainthearted ones handed them over immediately; those with a bit more nerve had them returned promptly enough once a廷尉 officer came knocking.”

“At the time we were desperately short of funds — no military supplies, no grain, lacking everything — and His Majesty personally appraised every single item recovered, set prices for each one himself, and auctioned them all off to the wealthy households of Daxing City.”

This was something Lian Xiwu had never heard before. Listening to it now, he could not help pressing his lips together to hold back a smile.

Master Yan sighed. “Part of the campaign funds for the conquest of Shu Province — a portion of it came by exactly this route. So when you say His Majesty has extraordinary recall, you are not wrong — every price was set by His Majesty’s own hand…”

Lian Xiwu laughed. “So by that account, His Majesty is truly remarkable indeed.”

Master Yan said, “The Western Regions nations love to play their little games — and they’ve dared to be petty about something like this. Make sure you don’t mishandle it. If His Majesty is displeased, this affair will have to be dealt with firmly.”

Lian Xiwu said, “I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Master Yan.”

The two exchanged a few more words before parting ways. Master Yan, carrying his armful of memorials, entered the Eastern Warm Chamber.

“Your Majesty.”

He called softly upon seeing Li Chi absorbed in watering the wildflowers on his desk.

Those wildflowers — when he and His Majesty had been tidying up the little garden, His Majesty had said the flowers were already in bloom, and it would be a shame to ruin them. So he had dug them up and planted them in a pot. Over these past two days, the small flowers had been blooming more vibrantly than ever.

“Shall I say this subject was exhausted?”

Master Yan smiled. “This armload of memorials — I have already carried them back and forth three times. My legs are quite sore.”

Li Chi laughed. “From the outside, it truly would seem that Master Yan is genuinely worn out — most observers out there probably can’t tell this is a performance.”

These memorials had already been reviewed and annotated by Li Chi. The whole exercise was for show — for the eyes of those watching.

Li Chi took up a small pair of scissors and trimmed a few leaves from the wildflower plant. “If people in the palace are bold enough to pass messages out to Xu Ji, then let them run their legs for it. They’ll run far more than you, Master Yan — after all, Xu Ji is already quite a distance away by now.”

Master Yan said, “Some of those people are probably just in it for a bit of silver — they think silver matters more than rules.”

Li Chi made a sound of acknowledgment. “This act has to keep going — not just for a day or two.”

He glanced at Master Yan and smiled. “Once Xu Ji returns, you won’t need to endure this performance anymore — you may go to Ji Province then and take a rest.”

As he said this, Li Chi gestured for Master Yan to come closer.

Master Yan stepped forward at once.

Li Chi lowered his voice. “There is still someone in Cao Lie’s keeping. Xu Ji has been searching for that person, I expect — keep that person safe, and take them with you to Ji Province when you go.”

Master Yan bowed. “This subject understands.”

Li Chi asked, “How is Lu Chonglou lately?”

Master Yan said, “Your Majesty is not truly asking about Lu Chonglou — you are asking about those who have set their sights on him, aren’t you?”

Li Chi gave a slight nod. “This is one act I cannot allow to proceed. Have it put to an end — cleanly and completely.”

Master Yan bowed. “This subject will make the arrangements.”

Li Chi said, “Have Jia Ruan and Zhen Gen handle it — they must be going mad with boredom by now.”

Master Yan smiled. “Sending those two to handle this — it may be a bit of overkill.”

Li Chi smiled back. “Right — have Yu Jiuling go as well. He was telling me just two days ago that he had nothing to do.”

Master Yan lowered his voice. “So this matter — it is to be handled in the shadows?”

Li Chi said, “They chose to act in the shadows. Naturally, it is handled in kind. Do they dare make it public?”

Master Yan said, “This subject understands. Then it will be done by their own methods.”

—