Seeing Zhang Yao continually pursuing details, Shaoshang said irritably: “General Zhang shouldn’t be guarding tombs—he should be a merchant, so meticulous and nitpicking, endlessly entangled in trivial matters.”
Zhang Yao most hated when people mentioned his tomb-guarding duty. The girl had mentioned it twice. Already narrow-minded by nature, he said angrily: “You impertinent little woman, still brazenly claiming to be a witness! I think Huo Buyi didn’t want you, so you settled for the Yuan family’s son. Now you’ve eagerly come to curry favor—are you hoping Huo Buyi will change his mind?!”
As these words landed, Chen Chi’s face showed he couldn’t bear to watch. The Crown Prince secretly sighed, wishing it were true.
Shaoshang’s face turned livid with anger, her fingers trembling: “You, you… fine, fine…”—This bastard surnamed Zhang was truly a character. After so many years of never losing a verbal battle, today she’d actually been forced into being unable to refute. If she hadn’t reformed herself, she’d nearly have brought out the three-character classic to retort!
At this moment, Ji Zun struck the table for the third time: “Enough! Meaningless verbal disputes end here!”
Zhang Yao still wasn’t satisfied: “Having someone with deep ties to Huo Buyi testify—this humble officer truly cannot trust…”
“Zhang Yao!” Ji Zun shouted sternly. “You can’t trust this one, can’t trust that one. You think superiors want to shield Marquis Huo, you think subordinates are currying favor or fearing Marquis Huo. Does that mean only your words are most trustworthy under heaven! If you can’t trust anyone in the entire court, this old man advises you to resign and retire in seclusion. Why remain at court?!”
Seeing the Crown Prince’s poor expression, Zhang Yao realized he’d gone too far and hastily bowed deeply: “This humble officer wouldn’t dare. It’s just that this humble officer worries the injustice cannot be redressed, that innocent common people suffered grievances…”
“Zhang Yao.” Huo Buyi suddenly spoke. “You and I have known each other quite some time. Even if I were to kill innocents for credit, with my abilities, would the people I trained leave such enormous flaws for accusation?” This was the first time he’d proactively spoken since the inquiry began.
Zhang Yao was startled, then sneered: “Who knows? If you were truly infallible in your calculations, five years ago when you exterminated the Ling clan under cover of night, you wouldn’t have been caught red-handed and struck off the cliff by me!” This was his proud achievement.
Shaoshang wasn’t pleased and said coldly: “Five years ago, did General Zhang infallibly calculate to block Marquis Huo at the cliff edge? Even boasting has limits! Gilding your own face requires checking if there’s enough quality—don’t gild it with brass! Five years ago, I was the one who accused Marquis Huo. Only then could General Zhang, for once changing from his usual frustration on the training grounds, display his martial prowess. If General Zhang wants to boast about this in the future, pick a time when I’m not present!”
Chen Chi let out a soft snort of laughter.
The Emperor was both civil and martial, so he’d opened up a huge training ground in the empty Northern Palace area, regularly having the Yulin and Tiger Guards plus attending military officers display their skills. While Huo Buyi wouldn’t claim to be invincible, he’d beaten Zhang Yao down at least a dozen or twenty times.
Zhang Yao also thought of this, his face swelling red as pig’s blood. Actually, he hadn’t boasted about being “infallible in calculations”—he’d only indicated Huo Buyi wasn’t “infallible.” Who knew the girl would thrash him with words, leaving him only able to stammer: “You, you… you…”
No matter how times changed, accusing one’s own fiancé was never glorious. That Cheng Shaoshang could speak of it so brazenly and shamelessly left everyone in the hall bitterly smiling, speechless. The Crown Prince even rolled his eyes: “Lady Cheng, you speak so grandly about it—your heart truly harbors no resentment.”
Shaoshang kept her face rigid and said nothing. Huo Buyi hastily interjected: “Shaoshang’s accusation was entirely correct. It was my wrongdoing.”
His voice was gentle, his eyes smiling, as if a clear, warm spring breeze had suddenly blown into this gloomy hall. The Crown Prince stared dumbfounded, thinking his eyes were deceiving him and his ears blocked. The girl was equally unprepared and nearly slid off her stool.
Ji Zun secretly gathered his energy and picked up the gavel for the fifth time to strike the table. Huo Buyi, sharp-eyed, called out loudly before he could strike heavily: “Lord Ji, please discern clearly. I will naturally refute the circumstances in detail. Please first have attendants restrain these four village women.”
Ji Zun acted accordingly.
Huo Buyi began his defense: “Over five years ago on that day, after sending Shaoshang back to the capital, I galloped back swiftly. Who knew that midway I heard His Majesty had appointed Marquis Cui as commander and begun reorganizing troops. So I didn’t return to the new recruit camp but went directly to Panqing main camp.”
Ji Zun nodded: “So you never saw Li Si and the others, and didn’t know what happened at Gushan.”
“Correct.” Huo Buyi said. “Afterward I remained on standby in Marquis Cui’s commander camp, then followed the army to suppress the Peng rebellion. Li Si, seeing the battle situation urgent, never found an opportunity to report to me. He planned to speak after the war. Who knew that before suppressing Peng was concluded, the Tongniu County Magistrate’s entire household murder case broke. I returned to the capital early while Li Si was kept in Shouchun to handle matters. When he’d barely finished, I sent him back to his ancestral home on business—at that time, I’d already decided to perish together with the Ling clan. Many deputy generals around me were dispersed this way.”
He looked at the girl full of apology. Shaoshang silently turned her face aside.
“Later I went to the northern desert border. A year later Li Si also rushed there, finally having leisure to tell me the details.” Huo Buyi continued.
Ji Zun said: “What exactly did Li Si say?”
Chen Chi blurted out: “Could those common people have been killed by mistake?”
Zhang Yao said: “How could so many common people be mistakenly killed, then their heads cut off afterward? Clearly this was silencing witnesses and killing innocents for credit!”
Huo Buyi said: “The common people could be considered common people, but Li Si and the others didn’t kill the wrong people either.”
“How so?” The Crown Prince was also puzzled.
Huo Buyi looked toward those four women pinned down on the ground and slowly said: “During great chaos under heaven, besides military disasters, even more detestable are bandit troubles. In every province and commandery, wherever there are mountains and dense forests providing hiding places, there are bandits. However, as the realm gradually stabilized and His Majesty ordered bandits suppressed region by region while encouraging land clearance and agriculture, these bandit strongholds large and small found survival difficult.”
Shaoshang knew this. That Nanny Fu of Ge Shi’s had once said “Qingzhou’s bandits have been thoroughly suppressed, so they’re migrating there to clear wasteland and farm.”
As Huo Buyi spoke to this point, everyone gradually formed guesses and turned their gazes toward those four village women on the ground.
The four village women indeed trembled violently, their faces ashen.
Huo Buyi looked at them and continued: “Your bandit stronghold saw the opportunity early and knew the court’s army would come sooner or later. So after deliberation, over two hundred men, women, elderly and young from the entire stronghold disguised themselves, pretending to be refugees fleeing disaster who came below Gushan. Claiming to be brothers, spouses and family, they received ‘Encouraging Agriculture Orders’ and wasteland. During the day they’d turn the soil, getting along amicably with surrounding villages. Once they found opportunities, they’d rush to the mountain pass on Gushan’s other side to ambush and kill wealthy travelers and caravans passing through. What I’ve said—is it true or not?!”
Those four women trembled and couldn’t speak. Zhang Yao still refused to admit he’d wrongly accused someone and shouted: “That’s just Li Si’s one-sided testimony. Just because he says they’re bandits makes them bandits…”
“I already said earlier—how could people I trained handle matters so sloppily, leaving evidence for false accusations?” Huo Buyi’s lips held a trace of mocking smile.
Zhang Yao’s cold sweat flowed down.
“Based on estimates from ambushed corpses, the bandits numbered at least seventy or eighty. But when Li Si and the others reached Gushan, they discovered the mountain terrain was level with sparse trees—completely unable to hide such a band of thieves. They followed traces searching and gradually found several villages below Gushan—that band of bandits hadn’t been on guard and exposed themselves on the spot. Unfortunately, Li Si led a team of new recruits. In the fierce battle, quite a few male and female bandits escaped. To guard against bandit remnants still hiding in surrounding villages, Li Si ordered soldiers to jointly dig a large pit, burying all the seized gold, silver and valuables, pressing a thick layer of earth on top, then filling in the bandit corpses…”
Huo Buyi bowed with cupped fists toward Ji Zun: “Your Lordship can order people to continue excavating that corpse pit. There will certainly be findings.”
Chen Chi showed an admiring expression, striking the table in praise: “Wonderful! Even if bandit remnants returned to kill, they’d never imagine the valuables were buried beneath the corpses. This preserves evidence too—truly a strong general has no weak soldiers!”
Zhang Yao’s expression was extremely ugly.
Huo Buyi said: “According to Li Si, though those stolen goods weren’t much, the variety was complex—Youzhou gold camel ingots, Jiaozhou sea pearl strings, Jingchu snowflake silver, Longxi lotus jade. Could be called from all corners of the realm—their crimes were grave indeed.”
The Crown Prince’s face darkened: “What a band of wicked evildoers! Not only robbing and plundering, deceiving the authorities, but refusing to reform!” Most alarming was that if this band of bandits had simply stopped there, farming with men and weaving with women, truly no one could have investigated them!
Speaking to this point, the matter was essentially clear. Shaoshang felt herself quite redundant. Obviously Huo Buyi had long been prepared—her earlier performance was simply laughable. She immediately wanted to leave. But just as she turned, Ji Zun spoke and she couldn’t help but stop.
“Zhang Yao, now the case is clear. What do you have to say?” Old Man Ji had people take down those four village women while asking in a low, stern voice—when his face darkened, it was quite frightening.
Zhang Yao muttered: “What could I have to say?” He casually cupped his fists toward Huo Buyi. “This time I wronged you. It’s all these treacherous common people being vicious and cunning—I was also deceived. However, you’re also at fault. Why only speak now about something from over five years ago? You’ve made me busy myself for nothing!”
“You’re even shifting blame!” The Crown Prince finally became angry. “Zicheng returned from the northern desert less than half a month ago. Ancestral worship, tomb repairs, settling his residence, plus the court wanting to promulgate the land survey decree—when has he had a moment’s leisure! Though this matter involved bandits deliberately deceiving, if you hadn’t been so eager for the hunt and shouting everywhere about it, how would it have caused such an uproar outside! A general killing innocents for credit—is that glorious for the court! Even if you can’t trust heaven or earth, you should trust Marquis Yang’s character! At the very least you should have privately asked Marquis Yang first. If Zicheng truly had suspicions, publicizing it wouldn’t have been too late. Having reached this point, you’re still full of righteous indignation, refusing to repent. Your character is plain to see!”
Zhang Yao was scolded by the Crown Prince until his face turned blue and purple, yet stubbornly refused to yield: “Naturally I can’t compare with Marquis Huo. He’s descended from meritorious nobles, deeply favored by the sovereign. I’m merely of common people origins…”
“You and I are both from the Six Commanderies’ good families. Would I specifically harm you?!” Chen Chi said earnestly. “However much His Majesty favors Eleventh Brother, he still must personally charge into battle! Swords and spears have no eyes—would enemy chiefs deliberately show mercy seeing he’s His Majesty’s beloved foster son?”
“Hmph!” Zhang Yao stiffened his neck. “His Majesty allocates him the most magnificent steeds, the most valorous deputy generals, the most astute scouts—naturally he wins every battle! I’m someone without cunning. I know the Crown Prince is already angry with me now. Whatever punishment there is, I’ll accept it all. I just fear my loyal heart falling to such an end will chill the hearts of the Six Commanderies’ good families’ sons!”
“You…” Chen Chi was at a loss for words. The Crown Prince was so angry his face turned livid and his hands shook.
“This concubine finds it very strange.” A delicate female voice rang out. Everyone looked over to see Shaoshang standing impatiently by the door, one hand on the doorframe, as if she’d already been about to step out.
“Marquis Huo is descended from loyal martyrs, His Majesty’s foster son—this everyone knows. General Zhang, your parents are alive and well, your entire family harmonious and complete. What basis do you have to compare with Marquis Huo? If you truly want to compare, you should compare with General Chen.”
Shaoshang smiled without smiling. Chen Chi smiled bitterly and covered his forehead but didn’t stop her.
“General Chen and you are both from the Six Commanderies’ good families, even from neighboring counties. You entered service the same year, were selected as palace guards the same year, yet he’s been one step ahead of you everywhere. When he was appointed Tiger Guard deputy general, you were still an ordinary guard. When he became Tiger Guard General, you’d only just become Yulin deputy general… Speaking of which, why exactly don’t you compare yourself with General Chen?” Shaoshang feigned incomprehension.
The Crown Prince’s thoughts were quick. He immediately sneered: “Naturally he doesn’t dare compare with Chen Chi. Because once compared, everyone can see he’s not as thorough and capable as Chen Chi, not as magnanimous in treating people and able to command respect, and even less as loyal, honest and pure! He can only compare with Zicheng, yet refuses to death to admit he’s truly inferior in skill! “
Zhang Yao was like a fish whose scales had been scraped off—face full of shame and indignant grief, body convulsing, his form seeming to suddenly shrink a size. He could no longer righteously make unreasonable trouble.
Everyone looked at him coldly, all knowing this person was no longer worth consideration.
…
Shaoshang had thought she’d be the first to leave, but who knew the Crown Prince walked faster than her, his robes rolling like churning river water. Shaoshang called out lightly from behind: “Your Highness, walk slowly! Mind your step… oh my…”
The Crown Prince actually did stumble. After steadying himself, he shouted: “You think I’m as idle as you?! Right now the court has a thousand threads and ten thousand strands to handle. Today I squeezed out time from my packed schedule to come!”
Shaoshang very much wanted to say you didn’t need to come observe (eat melon), but she didn’t have the courage.
“Zicheng.” The Crown Prince called to Huo Buyi behind him.
Huo Buyi bowed: “Your Highness, please go ahead. This subject will follow immediately.”
The Crown Prince glanced at Shaoshang, snorted lightly, and left with a sleeve flick.
Shaoshang was quite alert. When the Crown Prince spoke with Huo Buyi, she quickly walked toward the exit. After Huo Buyi bid farewell to the Crown Prince, he immediately lifted the hem of his robe with his left hand, strode forward with long legs to catch up, hurrying fast and slow until he grabbed her just as she was about to descend the stone steps.
“What are you doing! Let go quickly!” Shaoshang’s wrist felt a burning circle of heat. She looked left and right anxiously.
Huo Buyi only held the girl’s left hand: “I have something to say to you. This place…”
“Huo Buyi, what do you intend?!” Yuan Shen, waiting below the stone steps, saw this scene. His eyes nearly popped out in shock as he hastily lifted his robe hem and ran up the stone steps.
Huo Buyi remained calm and peaceful: “I have something to say to Shaoshang.”
“Say what? Can’t you say it in front of me?!” Yuan Shen was a refined scholar, usually skilled at debating classics on discussion platforms, but unfortunately his performance was subpar at this moment.
Huo Buyi looked at Yuan Shen for a while, then smiled: “That’s fine too. Attendant Gentleman Yuan, come along as well…”
What?!—The engaged couple Yuan and Cheng both gaped.
“However, this place isn’t convenient for talking. My carriage is just below. Let’s get in the carriage first before speaking.” So saying, Huo Buyi held the girl’s wrist with one hand and placed his other hand on Yuan Shen’s shoulder. With slight pressure from both hands, he pushed the two people forward.
Yuan and Cheng were at a loss, dumbly being pushed forward by Huo Buyi.
Having walked down half the stone steps, a slippery, roguish voice suddenly came from nearby: “Oh my, who is this! Let this prince see—well well, if it isn’t Marquis Gaoyong, Gentleman Yuan, and Palace Manager Cheng…”
The three stopped. They saw the Fifth Prince approaching with a beaming smile, waving a garishly colorful five-colored feather fan.
“Why is Fifth Prince here? The Court of Judicial Review isn’t a place for casual strolling. Did Your Highness commit a crime?” Shaoshang said.
“Bah, bah, bah! Can’t you say something auspicious?!” The Fifth Prince said repeatedly in annoyance. “This prince didn’t come to the Court of Judicial Review—this prince just came out from the Office of Imperial Clan Affairs ahead…” He smiled proudly. “Father Emperor is going to enfeoff this prince!”
“Oh, then congratulations to Your Highness.” Shaoshang was completely unmoved. “Farewell.”
Huo Buyi continued pushing people forward.
“Hey, hey, don’t leave! This prince came on horseback and is now tired. I want to ride in a carriage back to the palace. Please give this prince a ride, Eleventh Brother!” The Fifth Prince’s face clearly showed he was watching a spectacle, constantly glancing back and forth among the three of them. “Besides, meeting is fate. This prince will soon go to my fief—who knows when we’ll meet again!”
Yuan Shen said expressionlessly: “If Your Highness acts improperly in your fief, you’ll be summoned back for questioning. Then we’ll be able to see Your Highness again.”
The Fifth Prince’s face turned green: “Yuan Shangjian, can you speak properly?!”
“Does Fifth Prince truly want to ride in this humble subject’s carriage?” Huo Buyi said.
The Fifth Prince said loudly: “That’s right!”
“Fine.”
Moments later, the four people sat in Huo Buyi’s newly built enormous Dark Iron carriage, recalling the crowd’s astonished gazes at the Court of Judicial Review entrance just now—Yuan and Cheng wore gloomy expressions, the Fifth Prince was sunshine-brilliant, and Huo Buyi’s expression was normal as usual.
“What exactly does Marquis Huo want to say to this concubine?” Shaoshang looked utterly unlucky.
Huo Buyi gazed at her and said sincerely: “Shaoshang, break off your engagement with Yuan Shen, then marry me.”