The Crown Prince demanded Yan Shang be recalled. Mu Wanyao agreed with this suggestion. In her view, Yan Shang had offended too many influential parties in Shu and was no longer safe – he indeed needed to return. However, since this suggestion came from the Crown Prince, Mu Wanyao’s political instincts made her pause, and she didn’t agree immediately.
Mu Wanyao frowned. “Wait two more days.”
She didn’t believe the Crown Prince truly cared about Yan Shang’s safety. Yan Shang wasn’t Yang Si – how could the Crown Prince be so concerned about him? The Crown Prince must have another purpose.
“Yaoyao…” the Crown Prince spoke earnestly.
“Wait two more days,” Mu Wanyao insisted firmly.
She looked at the Crown Prince with concern. “If no better news comes from Shu in these two days, then I’ll have him return. Maybe he can handle the current situation? Pretending to be ill to deceive him… it doesn’t feel right.”
The Crown Prince wanted to persuade her further, but seeing Mu Wanyao’s expression, he pressed his brows together and finally held back his words. Mu Wanyao was different now – the Crown Prince could no longer force things on her as he had in the beginning.
Coming in the rain and leaving in the rain, the Crown Prince departed from Princess Danyang’s residence in low spirits. Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, he instructed the Vice Minister of Revenue to visit Mu Wanyao in the next two days to persuade her – that they must get Yan Shang to return.
If Mu Wanyao still wouldn’t cooperate… the Crown Prince would forge evidence of her illness if necessary to get Yan Shang back.
Before two days had passed, while the Crown Prince was anxiously waiting, Mu Wanyao summoned the Vice Minister of Revenue. As a high official who had risen from the Princess’s household, he naturally came immediately when called. The Vice Minister stood under the eaves awaiting the Princess’s instructions, and Mu Wanyao invited him in for tea.
The Vice Minister sat down across from Mu Wanyao. Though the palace maids had brewed fragrant tea, he barely sipped it, not daring to drink more.
Mu Wanyao stared at him. “Was it your suggestion to the Crown Prince to have Yan Shang return?”
The Vice Minister lowered his eyes. “Yes.”
Mu Wanyao’s hand struck the table as she contemplated for a moment. She asked, “Is the situation in Shu truly dangerous?”
“Yes. If Second Master Yan doesn’t return, he could truly lose his life in Shu. Please, Your Highness, help us…”
Mu Wanyao cut off his rambling: “I’ve already seen the memorial submitted by the Ministry of Revenue and understand these matters fairly well. But I still don’t understand why you insist Yan Shang must return. Indeed, staying in Shu might be dangerous for him, but I don’t believe any of you should be concerned about the life of a seventh-rank minor official. Moreover, I trust Yan Shang can handle matters in Shu – he wouldn’t challenge situations he couldn’t manage.
“Though I worry for his safety, I also have faith in his abilities. You’ve known Yan Shang for more than a day or two, working with him for so long, you should be even more aware of his capabilities. Why are you so anxious to have him return at the first sign of trouble in Shu? What’s the real story here?”
The Vice Minister stammered, unable to speak.
“Talk!” Mu Wanyao’s voice turned cold. “How can I help you if you don’t tell me?”
After a long while, the Vice Minister gave a bitter smile. “Your Highness must already know that officials in Shu protect each other, colluding with merchants – it could easily become a major case. Yan Shang is young and passionate; he might make the case too big. If it gets too big, where will we find enough officials to fill the vacancies? Moreover, our interests would be damaged. Doesn’t Your Highness fear this?”
Mu Wanyao was quiet for a moment.
Softly, she said: “You mean the Ministry of Revenue is also implicated. The matter could reach us?”
She slammed the table. “How dare you!”
The Vice Minister smiled bitterly. “Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue is wealthy beyond measure – how could there not be some collusion with local officials? Truth be told, even the Ministry of Personnel isn’t clean. But this disaster relief effort was initiated by Revenue, unrelated to Personnel. If Second Master Yan investigates too deeply, it will only affect us… His Majesty won’t allow it to spread too far. Your Highness and the Crown Prince’s foundation lies in Revenue – how can there be mistakes?”
Mu Wanyao paused for a long while, her voice growing softer: “Then let the matter stay in Shu, resolve it there.”
The Vice Minister looked up. “Your Highness, we all wish the matter could be resolved in Shu. We fear Second Master Yan won’t allow it.”
Mu Wanyao gritted her teeth. “Nonsense! Why wouldn’t he? Does he mean to force us to our deaths? I know him – he’s not like that!”
The Vice Minister: “What if I told you the Governor of Yizhou is my cousin?”
Mu Wanyao’s expression suddenly emptied.
Her voice turned cold. “What did you say?”
The Vice Minister rose, shook his sleeves, and knelt before Mu Wanyao, speaking bitterly: “Today’s Governor of Yizhou is my cousin. Though we rarely communicate… we’re still from the same clan – how could there truly be no connection? People might easily link from the Governor to me, and from me to the Ministry of Revenue.”
Mu Wanyao said nothing. She held her teacup and without hesitation threw the hot tea at him.
“Thud—”
The white porcelain cup fell on the carpet, making a dull sound without breaking due to the thick rugs. The Vice Minister was drenched with scalding tea, which dripped down his collar. He remained kneeling fearfully, not daring to rise.
Mu Wanyao looked at him as if she could devour him.
She spoke through gritted teeth: “How dare you! Knowing this, you still dared send Yan Shang to Shu? What were you thinking initially, how did you dare let Yan Shang go?”
The Vice Minister: “None of us imagined he wouldn’t focus on disaster relief but instead investigate the background… We didn’t expect he could uncover things, and wouldn’t stop! Now we’re riding a tiger and can’t get off – we can only beg Your Highness to intervene and bring Second Master Yan back. If Second Master Yan continues like this, my position might not be secure…”
The Vice Minister was one of Mu Wanyao’s important subordinates – how could she willingly lose him?
Her face flushed with anger, eyes bulging, wanting to strangle these useless people. Even she was always careful to avoid ideological conflicts with Yan Shang over such matters. How dare the Vice Minister and Crown Prince let Yan Shang investigate! Had Yan Shang’s unhesitating execution of the Zhang family had not taught them enough?
Hadn’t they realized what kind of person Yan Shang was?
Someone so devoted to the people and justice was naturally different from those who benefited from class interests like them. Such a person would never consider matters from their perspective!
This was why Mu Wanyao often avoided letting Yan Shang know too much about her affairs. The truth she dared not reveal, Revenue had dared to expose.
Yet these Revenue fools… Mu Wanyao paced the room, finally understanding the source of the Crown Prince’s anxiety. She too grew worried, fearing both that Yan Shang might offend Shu officials to the point of no return, and that he might truly investigate Revenue and become enemies with all its officials…
She couldn’t let Yan Shang damage her interests!
Her position was supported by these officials, and what she had gained wasn’t necessarily free of their plunder… She couldn’t let Yan Shang destroy everything.
Mu Wanyao closed her eyes, making her decision: “Xia Rong, come in! Send a letter to Shu immediately, saying I’m gravely ill, near death, and want Yan Shang to return!”
She looked back at the Vice Minister, speaking coldly: “You can send other officials to Shu to replace him and bring him back.
“And! Clean up your accounts! Especially you! Don’t let that cousin of yours implicate you – if necessary, just kill him! Let Shu be the final explosion point, don’t let it reach Chang’an! To think I have to cover your mistakes… if you err again, you might as well die to atone for your crimes.”
Xia Rong hurried out to write the letter as the Princess commanded.
The Vice Minister repeatedly agreed, promising to remedy the situation. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that with the Princess’s intervention, surely Yan Shang would turn back. The court all said Second Master Yan and the Princess were close – even if Yan Shang wouldn’t give them face, he would surely give the Princess face?
In Shu, it still hadn’t rained.
In the county where Yan Shang was stationed, his accusations against officials had caused widespread panic.
Meanwhile, Yan Shang had learned: “The Governor of Yizhou is a cousin of the Capital’s Vice Minister of Revenue.”
Even a servant like Yun Shu realized the case his master was investigating was no small matter. Yun Shu worried: “Master if you investigate further, it might reach Chang’an. If things become that serious… you might lose your position.”
Yan Shang was silent.
He had feared such things from the start, never expecting his prediction to come true. Thinking of Chang’an… he hesitated too, knowing that if the case reached there, he wouldn’t be offending just one or two people, but an entire group. His rank was low – it would be hard to protect himself.
Yan Shang sighed softly, speaking quietly: “I too hope the matter can be concluded in Shu.”
Seeing his master wasn’t insisting on making things bigger regardless of consequences, Yun Shu breathed a slight sigh of relief. He had worried that if his master persisted stubbornly, he might fall out with the Princess… truthfully, his master’s current position owed much to the Princess’s protection. Without her protection, Second Master’s promotions couldn’t have been so smooth.
Better not to offend the Princess.
Yan Shang said: “Let’s go meet the Governor of Yizhou and talk with him.”
Yan Shang and Yun Shu led some servants, leaving their impoverished county for Shu County. Among Yizhou’s ten counties, Shu County was the administrative center and the Governor’s power base. Having mostly sorted out the small county’s affairs, Yan Shang naturally needed to meet Yizhou’s highest official.
Yizhou had always been mountainous, with treacherous paths. Yan Shang’s group hired warriors for protection as they traveled the mountains. But even with such precautions, while the group was traversing the mountains exhausted, bandits suddenly descended, surrounding them.
The bandits were extremely arrogant, each with fierce expressions.
Yun Shu nervously blocked Yan Shang, shouting: “How dare you! Do you know who we are…”
The other side laughed wildly: “Aren’t you just dog officials? Pah, you drove us to this point – today we’ll carry out heaven’s justice and kill you all!”
The guards on Yan Shang’s side drew their swords together as the disorderly bandits charged down. During the fighting, Yun Shu frantically pulled at Yan Shang, begging his master to flee.
Yan Shang smiled bitterly. He observed in all directions, seeing how the enemy had surrounded them, and noticed more bandits sitting on high rocks watching them. Yan Shang knew they were well-prepared – escape was impossible.
Moreover…
Yan Shang muttered: “So this is where the missing household registrations went.”
Yun Shu didn’t immediately understand what his master meant: “What household registrations?”
Yan Shang stared at the bandits, raising his voice so those sitting on the high rocks could hear: “After the disaster, Shu’s population suddenly decreased. According to previous years’ disaster data from other counties, it shouldn’t have decreased so much. I always wondered how a drought could kill so many people… Now I understand – they didn’t die, they were common people who became mountain bandits!”
The fighting bandits faltered.
The bandits sitting high above glared down, murderous intent in their eyes.
Yan Shang stared at them, speaking softly: “You were ordinary farmers forced into banditry – do you truly wish to remain bandits forever, never returning to normal life?”
He continued: “After farming for decades, one natural disaster strikes, and from now on you’ll live by killing, abandoning your household registrations, forgotten by the court, becoming bandits to be eliminated? Even if you’re willing, are your children and descendants willing to live as bandits?
“If I die here today, a court official killed by your hands, you’ll never have the chance to restore your proper status!”
The bandit sitting high above suddenly stood up. Many bandits erupted in chaos, and even those fighting stopped. They looked around anxiously – they weren’t true bandits but had been forced to this point by circumstances. Hearing Yan Shang say they might never restore their status, they began to hesitate.
The bandit leader spat a curse, shouting: “Brothers, don’t listen to his nonsense! It’s officials like him who forced us into becoming bandits. His words can’t be trusted…”
“Nonsense!” The bandits’ opinions were divided, and as their leader was giving orders, another voice came from behind the mountain. The officials, guards, and bandits all looked to see a powerfully built man stride forward, anger in his eyes.
The man shouted: “How dare you try to kill a court official?”
The bandits saw the man and grew excited: “Second Chief…”
The original leader, naturally the First Chief, gave a light snort but didn’t oppose the Second Chief’s intervention.
Yan Shang’s eyelashes trembled slightly as he thoughtfully watched the Second Chief… The Second Chief turned to see the elegant young official in his long robes and jade belt below, his eyes showing excitement. Ignoring his brothers, he jumped down and knelt before Yan Shang.
The man looked up, voice filled with emotion: “Young Master!”
Yan Shang looked at the man kneeling before him, showing a surprised smile as he bent to help him up: “Han Suxing? How did you end up like this?”
The bandits protested: “Second Chief, how do you know this dog official…”
Han Suxing was humble and excited facing Yan Shang but turned a cold face to the bandits: “Insolent! How dare you speak this way before Second Master Yan! Let me tell you, even if all officials in the world were corrupt, Second Master Yan would never go along with them. There must be a misunderstanding…”
The bandits grumbled angrily: “But he brought guards – isn’t he here to eliminate us?”
Yan Shang raised an eyebrow, saying: “I think it’s more accurate to say you came to kill me.”
With this exchange, both sides froze, realizing there was a miscommunication, that something had gone wrong—
Originally, these bandits had received secret intelligence that a high official from the court was coming to eliminate them – these people who had changed from honest citizens to bandits – to clean up the household registries and leave no trace. They were furious and naturally unwilling to be killed.
Since they got the news, they decided to strike first.
After leaving Chang’an, Han Suxing wandered until chance brought him to Shu during the great drought. Seeing these people lose their good fields and unable to survive, forced to become mountain bandits in chaos, Han Suxing pitied them and helped.
From then on, Han Suxing was stuck there, somehow becoming their Second Chief.
That night, Yan Shang stayed in the mountains, listening to the bandits explain their situation. Comparing information from both sides, Yan Shang realized that those who wanted to use the bandits to eliminate him were probably all the officials of Yizhou. Yun Shu was dumbfounded and terrified: if everyone in Yizhou wanted Second Master Yan to die here, how could he escape?
Moreover, there were still these bandits.
Han Suxing knelt before Yan Shang on behalf of the bandits, pleading: “Young Master, they aren’t evil people, they were forced into this by circumstances. If they could restore their proper status…”
In the pitch-black cave lit by fire, the bandits stood in disarray. The First Chief led his brothers in watching warily, not believing that Yan Shang, as an official, would overlook their crimes and help restore their status.
Yan Shang sat in the darkness, watching them. His gaze passed over each bandit’s face, seeing their forced lawlessness, their desperately affected ferocity. He saw their mismatched weapons – some had even come up the mountain with farming plows…
For a moment, he thought of his childhood, when he followed his parents through Jiangnan and saw those disaster victims, refugees, and wanderers.
He saw how many people starved by the roadside, how many chased their carriage while his parents dared not stop, fearing the refugees would overwhelm them…
As a child, Yan Shang had asked his parents: “Is it always like this?”
His mother held his shoulders, sighing softly: “It’s always like this.
“So, Second Son, if you truly become an official, try to help these people…”
Past scenes echoed in his ears;
Present scenes unfolded before his eyes.
In the quiet, amid everyone’s doubts and fears, Yan Shang closed his eyes, thinking what kind of world was this, to force people to such extremes—
When he opened his eyes again, Yan Shang helped Han Suxing up, speaking softly: “I will help you restore your proper status.”
The bandits erupted in chaos.
The First Chief stood straight, his voice taut as he asked: “What price do you want us to pay?”
Yan Shang looked at them, his heart aching, and said: “You don’t need to pay any price.”
A bandit said anxiously: “But we’ve killed people…”
Yan Shang spoke softly: “There are too many killers. You’ve killed, and the Yizhou officials are killing too. How could I possibly count all the crimes?”—
The Governor of Yizhou thought that by leaking information to get the bandits who hated the officials to kill Second Master Yan, he could rest easy and continue being an official.
But two days later, the Governor of Yizhou saw Yan Shang alive.
Not only did Yan Shang arrive, but he also brought a bound tall bandit and summoned all the local officials—
The Governor of Yizhou was anxious, exchanging glances with all the officials standing in the garden.
Seeing Han Suxing kneeling bound at Yan Shang’s feet, guarded by soldiers, they were terrified, wondering if their plan had been exposed and if Yan Shang would settle accounts with all of them.
But how could he possibly settle so many accounts?—
In the gloomy afternoon, Yan Shang sat in the Governor’s courtyard, waiting for all officials to arrive and be seated.
As all the officials sat uneasily, Yan Shang spoke: “Gentlemen, I’ve been in Yizhou for over two months and have dealt with you for more than a day or two. You know I’ve never trusted you, always harboring doubts… Recently I was also attacked by bandits. Fortunately, I survived and wasn’t killed by the bandits.
“After interrogating these bandits, I finally know who wanted to kill me.”
The courtyard grass was yellow, withering from lack of water.
In the stuffy air, everyone was drenched in sweat. They kept wiping sweat with their sleeves and hearing Yan Shang’s words, they sweated even more. Looking at each other, a trace of ruthlessness rose in their hearts—
If Second Master Yan truly dared to bring them all down, they would kill him here today!
Yan Shang saw their expressions, his heart bitter. He knew well what these people were thinking, but he truly couldn’t bring them all down. He could only select the most heinous criminals, and could only negotiate with them.
Yan Shang’s gaze fell on the constantly sweating Governor’s face.
All the officials’ gazes followed Yan Shang’s to the Governor’s face. Some were confused, some suddenly understood, some were terrified, some excited—
That stuffy afternoon, Yan Shang secretly negotiated terms with these officials.
All crimes were pushed onto the Governor of Yizhou. No matter how the Governor protested his innocence, these officials spoke in unison, standing with Yan Shang, supporting the court official.
Yan Shang would memorialize the court to remove the Governor’s position and bring him to the capital for punishment, and the Yizhou officials all nodded, saying the young master had worked hard.
In return, they cooperated with Yan Shang, beginning to recompile Yizhou’s household registries, requiring the bandits hiding in the mountains to return home, each contributing silver to voluntarily help these people resettle and redistribute land.
Everyone in Yizhou waited for water to be diverted from various regions, or for heaven to send sweet rain to end Yizhou’s drought—
In early September, Yan Shang had finally reached an understanding with the Yizhou officials, and they were willing to let him take the Governor back to the capital for punishment. They had Yan Shang’s guarantee that as long as they settled the people properly, he wouldn’t cause major changes to their positions…
It was at this time that Yan Shang received a letter from Chang’an: the court had sent new officials to replace him in Shu to wait for rain, and Princess Danyang was gravely ill. The letter from the Princess’s household had been sent half a month ago, and Yan Shang was burning with anxiety, not knowing how ill Mu Wanyao had become to write such a letter.
Thus he hurriedly handed over his duties, leaving the officials to slowly escort the Governor to Chang’an, while he rode ahead at full speed to return to the capital—
Just ten days after Yan Shang left Shu, heavy rains fell, finally ending the drought.
Five days later, fierce bandits appeared, true mountain bandits came down, slaughtering commoners. The people who had come down from the mountains to restore their status barely survived – they had endured the drought but couldn’t survive the bandits’ raids.
Yizhou defined this as an unexpected incident. With no new Governor appointed, these officials chaotically and casually directed troops to suppress the bandits, but achieved no results—
In late September, after burying all his brothers, Han Suxing went up the mountain to challenge those bandits.
Later he learned from the bandits who wanted to kill those people.
Han Suxing sat at his mountain brothers’ graves for a whole night, drinking in silence.
The next day, he smashed the wine jar and turned to leave. He took up his sword and headed for Chang’an, wanting an answer from that murderer—
At the same time, Yan Shang returned to Chang’an. Travel-worn and dusty, without even washing up, he first visited the Princess’s residence to ask about her illness.
But the Princess wasn’t there.
The palace maid stammered: “Our Princess’s illness? She’s… she’s already recovered.”
Yan Shang stood in the Princess’s courtyard, quietly watching the maid before him whose eyes flickered, unable to meet his gaze.
His heart turned cold as ice, human nature at its coldest.
As autumn maple leaves swirled through Chang’an, under the red-leaved trees, Yan Shang had a sudden realization—perhaps she had never been ill at all.
It was just to trick him into returning.