This was a night that guaranteed sleeplessness for certain people. The affair, seen one way, was not so large; seen another, it was by no means small — at the very least, it was enough to be brought before the Emperor.
And the last thing Prime Minister Yao Wuhen wanted was precisely this kind of situation. Did he not know what His Majesty disliked?
But being brought before the Emperor depended entirely on how it was brought. If handled badly, he would lose his post and his rank. If handled well, someone else would lose their head.
So when Zeng Ziji came to him and said that Chief Justice Gui Yuanshu was demanding ten thousand taels, Yao Wuhen felt something close to a burning desire to curse the entirety of Gui Yuanshu’s ancestry going back a hundred generations.
“Go and tell him there’s nothing available right now — we’ll speak again tomorrow. I’ll have someone check the treasury.”
Yao Wuhen said: “There should still be some funds that can be shifted from the Ministry of Revenue.”
Zeng Ziji was somewhat perplexed: “Prime Minister, we have more than enough silver right here in the residence. Shouldn’t we get our men back first, and then —”
“Get them back?”
Yao Wuhen said: “Those useless wretches — are they worth ten thousand taels?”
Zeng Ziji immediately asked: “Then what does the Prime Minister mean to do?”
“Use treasury silver for Gui Yuanshu’s payment. Our men coming back or not makes no difference. Tomorrow the Grand Hero Assembly’s stage still needs to be built — that money was set aside for exactly that purpose. Tomorrow, have someone quietly deliver the silver to Gui Yuanshu’s hands. When the stage can’t be constructed for lack of funds, it’ll be brought before the Emperor just the same.”
“Since he wants it brought before the Emperor, I’ll oblige him — but the manner in which it’s brought will be up to me, not him.”
Yao Wuhen said: “When you went to hire those men, did you ever mention my name? Did you mention the Prime Minister’s residence?”
Zeng Ziji immediately replied: “Prime Minister, I would never mention the residence or the Prime Minister. From beginning to end, I said only that Cao Du had hired workers and refused to pay — that was the whole story. And the men who came to ‘rescue’ the others were framed as their friends and family who couldn’t stand by.”
Yao Wuhen smiled coldly: “Not a single piece of direct evidence tying me to anything involving Cao Du. But the silver for the Grand Hero Assembly has ended up at the Court of Judicial Review. His Majesty will know perfectly well whom to put first on the chopping block.”
He looked at Zeng Ziji and said: “Go. Stall until tomorrow, one way or another.”
Zeng Ziji immediately answered: “Understood.”
—
The Court of Judicial Review.
Li Chi laughed: “Stop waiting. Go to sleep.”
Gui Yuanshu suddenly seemed to realize something, and turned to Li Chi: “Are you trying to trap me?”
Li Chi asked: “How so?”
Gui Yuanshu said: “If I take their money, I leave myself exposed. His Majesty will certainly deal with me.”
Li Chi said: “When you put it that way, it does seem as though that’s the case.”
Gui Yuanshu immediately rose to his feet and looked at Li Chi: “What exactly is it you’re trying to accomplish?”
Li Chi answered, with an air of unconcern: “I just want you to stop being Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review.”
Gui Yuanshu’s expression had begun to go cold: “Young Marquis — if you’re deliberately trying to harm me because His Majesty assigned me to watch you, then you’ll have to explain yourself before the Emperor.”
Li Chi said: “You know as well as I do — I’d welcome the chance to see the Emperor.”
He rose and began to pace the room: “You know better than I do what this court looks like. You know better than I do how the Emperor would choose right now.”
He turned to Gui Yuanshu: “My Cao family has offered assets worth ten million. Would His Majesty really have me killed over something this minor?”
Gui Yuanshu said: “Everything you’ve done — from beginning to end — was just to get me removed from the Court of Judicial Review?”
Li Chi said: “This court of Dachu — does it suit you? How far has the rot spread through the court — can’t you see it yourself? I think you’re a decent person. So I want to save you. Stop wading through officialdom. Come with me.”
Gui Yuanshu exhaled slowly, walked to stand before Li Chi, and said, word by word: “I thank you for your good intentions. But this official’s uniform — I will not take it off. If you have any more schemes to trap me, bring them all at once and I will meet them head-on. If I am brought down by you, and His Majesty strips me of my post, I will accept that too. But follow someone like you? I’d sooner be put to death by imperial decree.”
Li Chi let out a sigh: “Stubborn man… forget it. I have no intention of harming you. But there are others who cannot be relied upon to feel the same. If I’m not mistaken, they’ll stall until morning, then find a way to shift treasury funds and send the silver to you — catch you in the act, and your position as Chief Justice becomes untenable.”
Li Chi said: “As for how you handle it — that’s your own business. I’ve told you as plainly as I can.”
He clasped his fists: “The Court of Judicial Review is a place with no shortage of complications. I’d like to go back to the courier station and sleep.”
He turned and walked out.
Gui Yuanshu watched Li Chi’s retreating figure and thought to himself: the Court of Judicial Review has no shortage of complications — and you are the complications.
He stood in a moment of bewilderment, asking himself: what is this Cao Du’s real objective?
“Zheng Shunshun, Ding Man!”
Gui Yuanshu turned and called out: “Wake Zhang Youdong and Zhao Shanying as well. We’re going out.”
The two men on duty immediately answered and ran to rouse the sleeping ones.
—
After returning, Li Chi actually slept — and slept all the way until the sun was well overhead.
When he woke, he asked if there was anything interesting to report. Yu Jiuling laughed so hard he could barely keep a straight face.
Yu Jiuling said: “Just as you predicted — Gui Yuanshu wasn’t about to sit still and take whatever came. He led his men out of the Court of Judicial Review last night and went to keep watch outside the Ministry of Revenue treasury. Early this morning, someone showed up at the treasury to withdraw a sum of silver — and Gui Yuanshu immediately detained them on the spot, declaring they were thieves caught robbing the treasury in broad daylight. He brought the whole lot in to the Court of Judicial Review.”
He grinned: “If things proceed as expected, the Emperor should already know about this by now — and is probably in a fine rage.”
Li Chi smiled: “Entertaining as all this is, it still won’t be enough to bring down Yao Wuhen. The next move will have to do it.”
—
The Shiyuan Palace. The Imperial Study.
Emperor Yang Jing looked at Yao Wuhen, his expression carrying a chill: “Explain yourself. What happened?!”
Yao Wuhen’s composure was barely holding — but he still managed to project the air of someone with nothing to do with it, as he bowed: “Your Majesty, this official truly does not know the details of this matter.”
The Emperor looked at Gui Yuanshu: “You speak.”
Gui Yuanshu said: “Last night, this official apprehended a group of violent criminals and brought them back to the Court of Judicial Review. Not long after, the Daxing Prefecture’s Prefectural Administrator, Lord Qian, arrived in the middle of the night.”
“He said these men were connected to a powerful figure at court, and asked this official to turn a blind eye — offering ten thousand taels as a gratuity.”
Gui Yuanshu looked at the Emperor: “Your Majesty! Ten thousand taels! Lord Qian named that figure as if it were nothing.”
The Emperor’s anger surged: “Bring Qian Yu before me!”
Hui Chunqiu, Commander of the Imperial Guard, immediately issued orders, and a detachment of imperial guards mobilized swiftly from the Shiyuan Palace.
The Grand Eunuch Zhen Xiaodao stood at the Emperor’s side, urging calm in an unbroken murmur.
The Emperor looked at Gui Yuanshu: “Continue!”
Gui Yuanshu said: “This official felt the matter was suspicious — Lord Qian couldn’t have produced ten thousand taels in cash on his own, and even if he could, funds of that magnitude would almost certainly not come from the prefecture. Given the seriousness of the affair, this official dared not be careless, and dispatched men to follow him discreetly.”
“What this official could not have anticipated was how brazenly these criminals acted — in the full light of day, they walked straight into the Ministry of Revenue treasury and began withdrawing silver. This official is quite at a loss to imagine how treasury silver could possibly be extracted so freely.”
When he had finished, Gui Yuanshu dropped to his knees and prostrated himself: “This official’s intent was merely to bring a few corrupt individuals to justice. I had no idea the affair would reach this far.”
The Emperor spun around to face Yao Wuhen: “Without your authorization slip, who could so easily enter the Ministry of Revenue treasury? Without your slip, who could so easily withdraw silver?”
Yao Wuhen’s mind raced through a thousand permutations in the span of a breath. The back of his robe was soaked through with sweat.
He quickly knelt: “Your Majesty, this official truly had no knowledge of this. Yesterday, this official did issue an authorization slip — withdrawing ten thousand taels for the Grand Hero Assembly’s stage construction. Your Majesty may have this thoroughly investigated. The slip was issued in front of numerous officials — many of them can testify to this, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor walked to stand before Yao Wuhen and looked down at the Prime Minister: “Yao Wuhen, you issued an authorization to withdraw ten thousand taels for the Grand Hero Assembly. Why did a group of people with no connection to the court go to retrieve that silver?”
Yao Wuhen immediately straightened up, as if struck by sudden realization: “This official gave the authorization slip to the Daxing Prefecture.”
The Emperor’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Yao Wuhen said: “Those funds were to be transferred from the treasury to the Daxing Prefecture, where they would be disbursed for the assembly’s daily operations — Lord Qian has been managing the Grand Hero Assembly’s practical affairs. So this official… took a shortcut, and sent someone to deliver the slip directly to the Daxing Prefecture for Lord Qian to handle.”
“Standard procedure would have been for this official to send someone to the treasury with the slip, retrieve the silver, and escort it personally to the Daxing Prefecture office for Lord Qian. This official was careless and negligent — so instead the slip was delivered to Lord Qian directly, for him to retrieve…”
Yao Wuhen raised his head: “This official requests Your Majesty’s permission to return to the ministerial chamber. The slip from yesterday is on file. This official will retrieve it and present it to Your Majesty at once.”
His sole thought at this moment was to find a reason to leave, and then immediately arrange for someone to eliminate Qian Yu.
The Emperor’s fury boiled over. He turned and shouted: “Where is Qian Yu? Has he been brought?!”
Hui Chunqiu quickly bowed: “Your Majesty, this official has already dispatched men. They will return shortly.”
The Emperor strode to the doorway and bellowed at Hui Chunqiu: “You go yourself! Right now! Bring him back alive — or bring back his corpse!”
Hui Chunqiu looked at the Emperor and bowed: “This official obeys.”
The color drained from Yao Wuhen’s face.
—
More than half an hour later.
Hui Chunqiu came rushing back. The moment he stepped through the doors, he dropped to his knees: “Your Majesty, this official is guilty.”
The Emperor frowned: “What is it now?”
Hui Chunqiu said: “Your Majesty, this official arrived too late. When this official reached the Daxing Prefecture office, Prefectural Administrator Qian Yu had already been killed in his own study — a single knife to the throat. A clean cut. By the time this official arrived, the body had long since gone cold.”
The Emperor’s fury erupted: “Begin an investigation at once! A thorough investigation! Who has the audacity — to lay hands on the treasury silver, to assassinate a court-appointed official?!”
He was visibly shaking with rage, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Zhen Xiaodao went pale with fright and offered up a cup of water: “Your Majesty, please calm yourself. Your Majesty, please calm yourself.”
The Emperor snatched the cup and hurled it to the ground.
It shattered with a sharp crack, and everyone in the room flinched.
The Emperor swept his gaze across the officials kneeling before him in the imperial study. He let out a cold huff: “I don’t need you to investigate. Hui Chunqiu — you take the imperial guards and look into this. Give me a full accounting.”
Hui Chunqiu bowed: “This official obeys.”
The Emperor looked at Yao Wuhen and the others: “Now all of you get out of my sight. I don’t want to look at any of you… And let it be known: if anyone impedes the Grand Hero Assembly’s proceedings, I will exterminate their entire clan.”
“Yes, Your Majesty…”
Yao Wuhen and the others hastily kowtowed and crawled to their feet, bowing as they retreated from the imperial study.
The Emperor watched until they had all gone, and then slowly exhaled.
He looked at Hui Chunqiu and said: “Keep a close eye on Gui Yuanshu. And keep a close eye on Cao Du… I am beginning to suspect that this Cao Du is not what he seems. He has only been in Daxing a short while, and already the current Prime Minister has been implicated in scandal.”
Hui Chunqiu bowed: “Your Majesty — shall this official arrange for his removal?”
The Emperor sighed: “I… need silver.”
Hui Chunqiu felt a pang in his chest.
The Emperor waved a hand: “You may all leave as well. I need a moment alone.”
Zhen Xiaodao and Hui Chunqiu both withdrew from the imperial study. Standing at the door, they simultaneously sighed.
Zhen Xiaodao lowered his voice: “You… Lord Qian?”
Hui Chunqiu nodded, without speaking.
Zhen Xiaodao understood. The Grand Hero Assembly was nearly upon them — with Yao Wuhen presiding over it. If the Prime Minister had a scandal of this magnitude break out before the Assembly had even opened, and faced removal or prosecution, how would the Assembly proceed?
What would the men coming to the capital from all across the land — those hoping to serve the realm — think of all this?
Zhen Xiaodao lowered his voice: “Someone is trying to destroy the Grand Hero Assembly.”
Hui Chunqiu nodded again, still without a word.
—