“May my child be foolish and dull, reaching high office without disaster or difficulty…” Hiss, what a venomous tongue.
The meaning of this poem is that the author laments being too clever, which has hindered him throughout life. If he were a foolish person, he could have become a high-ranking official without facing any trouble.
This was mocking the court officials and nobles as brainless fools.
The surrounding officials exchanged awkward glances, their expressions indescribably strange. They had come to watch Secretary Sun make a fool of himself, but unexpectedly found themselves stabbed in the back.
It was unbearably uncomfortable.
“The Sangbo Case: A Gift to Secretary Sun”… He’s mocking me for being stupid, for shooting myself in the foot… He wants to nail my name to the pillar of shame… The poem’s title echoed in Secretary Sun’s mind, his anger boiling over.
The highest aspiration for scholars is to leave their mark on history, which appeals to them even more than educating others. But equally, as much as they yearn for historical recognition, they fear being remembered as infamous.
How could he tolerate this?
It was intolerable.
“Guards! Seize this scoundrel, seize him!!!” Secretary Sun shouted, trembling with rage, his face flushed crimson.
It was his arbitrary decision to try to kill the Night Watchman Bureau’s presiding official, Xu Qi An, that had led to the aftermath of the Sangbo case. He was already regretting it so much that he wanted to flip the table, and now, what he couldn’t stand most was being kicked while he was down.
And Xu Qi An’s poem wasn’t just dropping a stone, it was dropping a mountain. Even an experienced official like Secretary Sun had his composure shattered.
The personnel from the Ministry of Justice surged forward in unison, ready to apprehend Xu Qi An outside the imperial city.
“Please calm down, Lord Sun.” Wei Yuan’s calm and gentle voice stopped the angry crowd from the Ministry of Justice.
This man in a long blue robe unhurriedly walked over, standing in front of Xu Qi An.
“Wei Yuan, this boy has publicly slandered me, insulting a Secretary of the Ministry. By law, he should be exiled,” the Secretary of Justice said through gritted teeth. “Today, even you can’t protect him.”
“Slandering a Secretary is indeed a serious crime,” Wei Yuan said, fixing a stern gaze on Xu Qi An. Just as everyone thought he was about to reprimand the outspoken junior watchman, he turned to Secretary Sun with a straight face and said, “Telling the truth doesn’t count as slander.”
“You…” Secretary Sun staggered, pointing a trembling finger at Wei Yuan.
Wei Yuan smiled, turned, and left. Xu Qi An trotted behind his “father”, escaping the encirclement of the Ministry of Justice personnel.
After a few steps, he stopped and turned back, calling out, “Congratulations, Secretary Sun! Your name will be known throughout the land, bringing fame to the scholarly community!”
Secretary Sun froze. A few seconds later, unable to catch his breath, he fainted dead away.
“Secretary, Secretary…” The Ministry of Justice officials panicked.
…
Back at the yamen, Xu Qi An followed Wei Yuan into Haoqi Tower, eagerly pouring tea for Wei Yuan and the two Golden-Badge Constables.
“Lord Wei, there are a few things I don’t understand,” Xu Qi An asked respectfully.
Wei Yuan was both a strategist and a wise man. It was always better to ask him directly rather than fumbling around on one’s own. It was like asking a teacher when you had questions in school – both convenient and efficient.
“Why did His Majesty want the Ministry of Justice to handle this case?” Wei Yuan asked, holding his teacup with a faint smile.
“Of all the talent in the world, Lord Wei alone possesses eight-tenths, while I and the Cloud Deer Academy share but one-tenth,” Xu Qi An flattered.
“Pfft…” Jiang Luzhong spat out a mouthful of tea.
Yang Yan’s mouth twitched.
The faint smile on Wei Yuan’s lips quickly widened, clearly pleased with Xu Qi An’s flattery.
Scholars are like this. If you praise them with “Wow, awesome” or “Bro, that’s lit,” they won’t bother to respond.
But that doesn’t mean scholars don’t like being flattered. It’s just that you need to change your approach. Xu Qi An’s flattery was very precise, using a method that scholars appreciate, delivering a compliment that made Wei Yuan feel good.
Wei Yuan was a very proud scholar.
“The Minister of Rites is a member of the Wang faction. If the case were handed to the Night Watchman Bureau for investigation, it would implicate a large number of Wang faction members,” Wei Yuan explained.
At that point, the balance of power among court factions would be disrupted… Neither a single dominant faction nor two dominant factions were what Emperor Yuanjing wanted to see, as it would hinder his control over the court situation, especially given his frequent engagement in Daoist cultivation… Even though the Wang faction had colluded with demons, blown up Sangbo, and destroyed the ancestors’ Dharma image, compared to his power, what did the ancestors matter… Xu Qi An analyzed and distilled the core content from Wei Yuan’s words.
His impression of Emperor Yuanjing worsened as a result.
Emperor Yuanjing might be a highly skilled emperor, but he wasn’t a good one. The amateur historian Xu Qi An categorized emperors into three levels: wise rulers, mediocre rulers, and incompetent rulers.
Wise rulers were good emperors who could ensure the people were well-fed and clothed.
Mediocre rulers were emperors who neither achieved much nor made major mistakes. Most emperors in history fell into this category. In fact, for the common people, a mediocre ruler who didn’t disturb their lives was already considered a wise ruler.
Incompetent rulers were emperors who favored petty men and kept worthy ministers at a distance, usually throwing the court and the country into chaos.
Why wasn’t “tyrant” included? Because the first three types could all potentially be tyrants.
In Xu Qi An’s eyes, Emperor Yuanjing was an incompetent ruler because, as an emperor, he only cared about his power and position. The current chaotic situation of factional struggles at court was entirely caused by Emperor Yuanjing.
He practiced Daoism and neglected state affairs, so he needed a chaotic court situation to secure his position. Otherwise, he could easily be marginalized.
“There’s another thing I don’t understand – why didn’t the Minister of Rites kill Zhou Chixiong to silence him?” Xu Qi An asked.
He had originally thought that the Night Watchman Bureau would surely interrogate the Minister of Rites, and he could ask then. But he hadn’t expected Emperor Yuanjing to be so cunning.
Wei Yuan shook his head, “Don’t worry about these small issues. The Sangbo case has come to an end. Since His Majesty didn’t mention your matter, it means it’s already been put to rest.”
Xu Qi An smiled sincerely and immediately said, “I plan to invite my colleagues who assisted in the investigation to drink at the Courtesans’ Registry, but I don’t have money. I request Lord Wei to allocate funds.”
This was like a company finishing a big project and everyone going to a restaurant to celebrate, with the company footing the bill, of course.
Wei Yuan glanced at him and said, “Get out.”
After sending Xu Qi An away, Wei Yuan pondered for a moment and said, “Yang Yan, give him two hundred taels of silver as a reward from the yamen.”
Then, looking at Jiang Luzhong and Yang Yan, he added, “You two can go with him.”
Jiang Luzhong shook his head repeatedly, “Lord Wei, I won’t go to such a place as the Courtesans’ Registry.”
Yang Yan also shook his head.
Wei Yuan didn’t insist, leisurely sipping his tea, “With him there, I reckon quite a few top courtesans will be in attendance.”
…
As night fell, the Courtesans’ Registry was brightly lit, with the melodious sounds of strings and woodwinds echoing.
In the Yingmei Pavilion, Floating Fragrance played the zither, Bright Inkstone danced, and Little Elegance acted as the host, creating a lively scene.
Yang Yan and Jiang Luzhong each had a charming top courtesan serving them wine. Xu Qi An raised his cup and smiled, “Everyone, don’t be shy. Eat and drink as you please.”
At first, the Bronze-Badge and Silver-Badge Constables felt a bit uncomfortable, given the presence of two Golden-Badge Constables, which put some pressure on them.
But Jiang Luzhong was an old hand at drinking parties. He knew how to liven up the atmosphere, constantly raising his cup in toasts and even telling bawdy jokes, completely different from his on-duty persona.
Gradually, the Silver-Badge and Bronze-Badge Constables loosened up.
Only two people at the gathering remained serious, not at all like they had come to enjoy themselves: Yang Yan and Li Yuchun.
“You two, truly worthy of being superior and subordinate, cut from the same cloth,” Jiang Luzhong teased with a smile.
“Golden-Badge Jiang’s words aren’t quite right,” Xu Qi An, having drunk quite a bit and feeling a bit tipsy, boldly joked about his two superiors, “Golden-Badge Yang simply doesn’t care for women, while the Chief is just putting on airs. There’s still a difference between the two.”
With this, the atmosphere at the gathering lightened, and everyone burst into laughter, filled with a sense of joy.
They drank until the second quarter of the Hai hour (9:30 PM) when the feast finally dispersed. Jiang Luzhong left with the voluptuous top courtesan, while Yang Yan returned to the yamen.
Li Yuchun also wanted to leave, but Xu Qi An, Song Tingfeng, and Zhu Guangxiao desperately held him back, pushing a petite and pretty girl into his arms and shutting them in a room.
Xu Qi An, as the “host,” only entered Floating Fragrance’s room after ensuring everyone else was settled.
“Why did so many people come today?” Floating Fragrance, having just finished bathing, sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, drying her jet-black hair.
“It’s still about keeping all the girls in the courtyard in order,” Xu Qi An said as he took off his outer robe and sword, then turned to leave the room. “I’ll be back shortly.”
He tiptoed stealthily towards Li Yuchun’s room, only to find Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao equally sneaky at the corner.
Xu Qi An signaled with his eyes, “Are you also here to eavesdrop?”
The two nodded and silently asked back, “The Chief is at the Spirit Transformation realm, be careful and control your breathing…”
Finally, they slowly approached the window of Li Yuchun’s room. Finding no sound of a creaking bed, they heard a conversation inside:
“My lord, this servant has finished bathing. You can go wash now.”
“Mm…” Li Yuchun responded with a slightly deep voice.
After a while, having finished washing, the woman’s voice came again, “My lord, the bed is warm. Why are you pacing around the room?”
“The room is too cluttered, a complete mess. Staying in this room makes me feel like I’m sitting on pins and needles,” Li Yuchun said with distress.
“Huh?” The woman was stunned. “But it’s already very tidy. This servant cleans the room every day.”
“No…” Li Yuchun said seriously, “The teacups on the table should be arranged around the teapot, maintaining a specific distance… The potted plant by the window should be moved two inches to the left… The stools are placed too haphazardly, they should be arranged like the teacups around the teapot… Shouldn’t the painting on the wall be hung in the center?… The folding screen was crooked, I just straightened it… Hmm, even your embroidered shoes aren’t neatly arranged…”
“…How can these things possibly be so orderly? Who could manage that?” the woman said softly. “My lord, this servant has been waiting for you for quite a while.”
Hearing this, Li Yuchun became displeased and said sternly, “Who says it can’t be done? Watch and learn. I’ll teach you how to tidy up a room properly.”
The woman: “???”
Under the window, Xu Qi An, Song Tingfeng, and Zhu Guangxiao were dumbfounded.
Tiptoeing away, Xu Qi An asked with distress, “Is the Chief not married?”
“He is married,” they replied.
“How does he seem like such a novice?” Xu Qi An said.
“Could it be his first time at the Courtesans’ Registry?” Song Tingfeng found it hard to believe. Although he had worked under Li Yuchun for many years, he didn’t know much about his private life.
Xu Qi An thought for a moment and said, “When we go back to our rooms later, let’s make our noises extra loud.”
“Good idea,” Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao thought this plan was excellent.
And so, the sounds of creaking beds in Yingmei Pavilion were particularly intense that night.