Exiting the palace through the West Xianchi Gate, it took the time to drink a cup of tea to reach White Tiger Lane by carriage.
Within the lane stood a courtyard with a single entrance. Su Jin raised her eyes to look—above it were written the four characters “Clear and Peaceful Grass Hall.” Liu Chaoming pushed open the courtyard gate and walked directly to the thatched cottage door, saying: “This is the place.”
This was the old censor’s former residence.
Forty years ago, when Emperor Jingyuan rose from western Huai, he had once been desperately thirsty for talent. Later, with talented people gathering under him and aided by the strategy of “build high walls, store abundant grain, slowly claim kingship,” he ultimately won the realm.
What a pity that once a person reaches a high position, it’s hard to avoid worrying about gains and losses, accumulating anxiety into illness—nothing short of scraping bone could ease the pain.
Over the span of a dozen years, Zhu Jingyuan killed all his meritorious ministers, and the entire court was shrouded in a bloody wind.
If one were to ask who could still walk with difficulty through this bloody wind, it would only be the former Left Chief Censor, Lord Meng Liang, known as the “Old Censor.”
Liu Chaoming stood in the shadows and said to Su Jin: “In the Old Censor’s life, he was imprisoned twelve times and encountered danger countless times. In the fifth year of Jingyuan, he went to Guanghu to inspect cases. Local officials colluded with bandits and held a blade to his neck. He blocked the blade with his hand and had all five fingers of his right hand severed, yet he did not retreat. In the eighth year of Jingyuan, His Majesty suspected the Great General Who Pacifies the North of harboring treasonous intentions. He risked death to remonstrate and was treated as an accomplice, imprisoned in the imperial prison for three years, suffering endless torture, yet he did not retreat. In the eleventh year of Jingyuan, His Majesty abolished the position of Prime Minister, implicating over ten thousand people on charges of treason. He emerged from the imperial prison and immediately offered direct counsel. His Majesty in fury wanted to kill him, yet he still did not change his original intention.”
Su Jin said: “I’ve heard of this matter. At that time, all the civil and military officials pleaded for his life, which allowed the Old Censor to keep his life.”
Liu Chaoming said: “Even so, he still received caning punishment. Both his legs became necrotic, and for the remaining ten years of his life he depended on his sickbed and medicine.” He turned to look into Su Jin’s eyes: “Su Shiyu, in your eyes, what is Xu Ying’s death? Is it the regret of an old friend who died with hatred and couldn’t clear his name? Or is it an extraordinary injustice that heaven doesn’t acknowledge and ghosts and spirits weep over? Or perhaps it’s neither—his death is merely a life tragedy you personally witnessed and tasted, and this tragedy tells you: enough, it’s time, why not sound the gong and withdraw your troops?”
Su Jin avoided Liu Chaoming’s gaze and looked toward the incense table that held the Old Censor’s memorial tablet: “Lord Liu, I’m not unwilling to retreat. I just don’t understand—is retreating wrong? When one tries their best but cannot achieve their wishes, isn’t withdrawing early better? Must one be like the Hegemon-King of Western Chu fleeing to the Wu River, committing suicide by the riverbank when there’s no path of retreat left?”
Liu Chaoming looked at her and suddenly sighed: “Have you heard of Prime Minister Xie?”
Su Jin’s heart suddenly tightened. She dug her nails fiercely into her palm to avoid raising her head and revealing a panicked expression. “I’ve heard a little.”
Liu Chaoming said: “The greatest Confucian scholar at the founding of the court. His Majesty once invited him three times to serve as Prime Minister. He had long since returned to seclusion, but unfortunately the disaster involving the Prime Minister implicated too many and affected him as well. The Old Censor was caned precisely because he pleaded for Prime Minister Xie.
“Su Shiyu, your unwavering persistence in Chao Qing’s case reminds me of the Old Censor’s courage in those days. Do you know that after receiving the caning that year, his legs could still have been saved? But when he heard that Prime Minister Xie’s only granddaughter had disappeared without a trace in this disaster, he actually went west to the land of Sichuan to search for his old friend’s remaining bloodline. This delayed treatment and caused both legs to become necrotic.”
Su Jin suddenly raised her eyes and stared at Liu Chaoming in shock.
The Liu Chaoming before her seemed different now. The dense fog that had accumulated in his eyes for years dispersed in an instant, revealing a pair of eyes bright as luminous jade and black as lacquer, yet clear and resolute—as if with one glance, one could reach straight to his true heart.
Su Jin suddenly understood in a daze what Liu Chaoming meant by “a censor who remains true to their principles.”
Because this was precisely how he had always conducted himself—remaining true to his principles, fulfilling every promise.
Liu Chaoming said: “Su Shiyu, I know you are unwilling to retreat. I only want to tell you that Xu Ying’s death is merely one among the thousands and thousands who died filled with hatred and grievance. As a censor, you can only face such setbacks directly. Even when everything seems absurd, you should be like the Old Censor—sailing a boat through dark night, following only the bright moon.”
Sailing a boat through dark night, following only the bright moon.
Su Jin laughed quietly: “Where the Way lies, though thousands and tens of thousands oppose me, still I go.” Then she raised her eyes, her pupils burning like searing fire, though her tone was light. She turned to pick up a stick of incense: “Let me offer a stick of incense to the Old Censor.”
Also on behalf of her grandfather, offering a stick of incense to an old friend not seen for many years.
Liu Chaoming watched her hold the incense and light it, suddenly remembering what the Old Censor had said while alive: “If I could have this child, I would certainly keep him by my side and teach him well,” and the last words he said while holding his hand on his deathbed—Liu Yun, Su Shiyu’s life will be too difficult, too difficult. You must find him and use your strength to protect him for a lifetime.
Liu Chaoming pressed his hand over Su Jin’s: “I’ll join you.”
Then he lit incense, glanced at Su Jin, and looking toward the Old Censor’s memorial tablet, said: “We should pay respects with the ceremony due to an honored teacher.”
They returned to the Imperial Censorate near the hour of the Monkey.
Shen Xi was playing with a folding fan, leaning against the corridor doorway and calling out: “All officials are entangled in mundane duties. I originally thought that Brother Yun and I—one barred from morning court, one with a broken leg—ought to get together and amuse ourselves in our troubles. I never imagined Brother Yun would find a companion before me.” He waved his hand at Su Jin in a casual salute. “Magistrate Su, we meet again.”
Su Jin returned the salute: “Greetings, Lord Vice Minister.” She was about to bow down.
Shen Xi quickly said: “No need, no need.” He jerked his chin toward the front hall: “Is this person your friend?”
In the main hall knelt another person. Su Jin looked carefully—it was actually Zhou Ping.
She said: “Indeed.”
Shen Xi smiled mischievously: “Watch this.” He cleared his throat and said with utmost seriousness: “Assistant Magistrate Zhou, I pardon your offense and command you to rise.”
Zhou Ping wished he could bury his head in the ground: “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. I beg for punishment, my lord.”
Shen Xi laughed out loud with a “pfft,” then quickly restrained himself and said even more seriously: “You may rise. Magistrate Su has already told me he will accept punishment on your behalf.”
Zhou Ping suddenly raised his head, first looking at Shen Xi with a face full of confusion, then looking at Su Jin with a face full of reproach, before kowtowing again: “Reporting to Lord Shen, Magistrate Su still has injuries. I beg my lord to show mercy. Otherwise, otherwise—let me receive double Magistrate Su’s punishment on his behalf.”
Shen Xi could no longer hold back and clutched his belly laughing: “What kind of confused mess is this?”
Liu Chaoming knew he always loved teasing people. He stepped into the front hall and said: “Assistant Magistrate Zhou, rise.”
Zhou Ping lifted his eyelids for a glance, weighed the official rank in his mind, and rose meekly.
Liu Chaoming looked at Shen Xi coldly: “What did you do to him?”
Shen Xi improperly sat down to his right and put on a look of surprise: “Censor Lord, these words wrong this humble citizen. Assistant Magistrate Zhou came to the Imperial Censorate early this morning looking for Magistrate Su. As luck would have it, you two weren’t here, and it was I, just dropping by, who happened to receive guests on behalf of the Imperial Censorate.”
Liu Chaoming cast him a cold glance.
Shen Xi grinned and changed his wording: “Greeted. Greeted the guests. My leg was broken, you see, and official robes are too cumbersome, so I wore casual clothes. How was I to know Assistant Magistrate Zhou would mistake me for a menial servant? He said he had walked all the way from outside the palace and was terribly hot, and wanted to ask me for a bowl of tea.
“I thought, this is after all a guest of the Imperial Censorate—we couldn’t slight him, right? So I was finding teapots, boiling tea, busy for quite a while, and finally managed to brew a cup of tea for Assistant Magistrate Zhou. Who knew that Qian San’er, that blind fool, would suddenly come over and call out ‘Lord Shen,’ and even bow. Assistant Magistrate Zhou nearly choked to death at that, then knelt on the ground and refused to get up no matter what.”
As he spoke, he picked up the teapot again, poured a cup of tea and handed it to Zhou Ping: “Brother Zhou, isn’t that right?”
Zhou Ping fell to his knees on the ground again with a thump.
Shen Xi handed the tea in his hand to Su Jin instead: “Hey, I say, you’re such a rebellious character—how do you have such an honest and straightforward friend? I bet you bully him daily, don’t you?”
Su Jin took the tea and set it aside, then turned to help Zhou Ping up: “Lord Vice Minister’s question has stumped me. Lord Liu is all righteousness, yet can’t he still not guard against associating with Lord Shen?” Having said this, too lazy to pay Shen Xi any more attention, she asked Zhou Ping: “Gaoyan, what brings you to find me?”
Shen Xi tapped the desk with his fan and asked Liu Chaoming: “Hey, was his habit of showing no respect for elders and committing insubordination spoiled by you?”
Liu Chaoming ignored him too.
Zhou Ping glanced up at the expressions of the two lords in the hall. Neither seemed to truly intend to punish him, so he said: “Yesterday an old woman came to the magistracy looking for you. Brother Yichu and I asked around—she’s Yuanzhe’s grandmother. Because Yuanzhe mentioned you in letters home, when she couldn’t find him, she came looking here.”
Su Jin’s eyes dimmed.
Zhou Ping continued: “I asked Magistrate Yang to inquire, but we don’t know what’s happened to Yuanzhe now, so I came to ask you.” He paused and lowered his voice: “Plus I was very worried about you, so I came to check on you.”
Hearing this, Su Jin turned back to look at Liu Chaoming, who nodded at her.
Su Jin said: “I’m fine now. I’ll return with you right away.” With that, she bowed in farewell to Liu Chaoming and Shen Xi.
After Su Jin’s figure disappeared outside the Imperial Censorate, Liu Chaoming thought for a moment. Remembering that the person who ordered the poisoning hadn’t been found yet, he was just about to instruct Qian San to secretly send two people to follow when Shen Xi’s fan blocked him: “No need, no need. With this thief not yet caught, you’re not the only one worried. When Magistrate Su departs, naturally there’ll be a certain fool following him.”
Liu Chaoming was startled. Probably guessing who he meant, he asked: “How do you know?”
Shen Xi smiled: “We all studied together at the Hanlin Academy in the past. The old grand tutor always said you were the most intelligent one.” Then he clicked his tongue and sighed: “What a pity your brain is used entirely on official duties—you’re still too lacking in understanding people.”
Liu Chaoming raised an eyebrow.
Shen Xi said: “Do you know what all the fools in this world have in common?” He held up one finger: “First, waiting by a tree stump for a rabbit.”
Su Jin and Zhou Ping walked past Xuanyuan Terrace and crossed Yunji Bridge. A person emerged from behind the bridge.
Another one in casual clothes whose identity couldn’t be discerned. He glanced at Zhou Ping, coughed once, and before he could speak, Zhou Ping knelt down.
Zhu Nanxian was startled. He had thought his casual robe would be perfectly appropriate for accompanying Su Jin out of the palace, but hadn’t expected that a stranger would recognize his identity at a glance.
Shen Xi held up a second finger: “Second, covering one’s ears while stealing a bell.”
Zhu Nanxian steadied himself and decided to ignore the stranger. He coughed again and said: “Magistrate Su, what a coincidence?”