Chapter Ninety-Three: Trouble Brews
At last, the matter of Nanny Lin was quietly left unresolved. Li Jing’s face remained as impassive as ever, and Marquis Wen could not tell from him how the case was progressing. Still, since the Emperor had not pursued the matter further, it was probably enough to say they had passed that hurdle. He let out a secret sigh of relief, then warned the people beneath him that they must be especially careful in their dealings of late and never leave any weakness for others to seize upon. Otherwise, they had only themselves to blame if he turned his face against them when the time came.
Many who heard those words felt a chill in their hearts. After all, back then, in order to cleanse himself entirely, he had personally sent both his own daughter and son-in-law to the execution ground. Such ruthlessness was enough to make one’s flesh crawl.
The second Master of the Wen family’s memorial requesting to resign had been set aside for some time, but after he submitted it again and again, and Marquis Wen repeatedly interceded on his behalf, the Emperor finally relented and approved it. The day after the memorial was granted, the second Master of Wen left the capital with his belongings, accompanied by the Marquis’s youngest son. The procession was vast and imposing, the wagons rolling onward in a long stream. From high atop the city tower, Wen Jiangyue stood watching, and for a moment he was lost in a daze.
On an evening several dozen days later, the sunset clouds were blazing and richly colored. Qi Nansing finished reviewing his memorials and lifted his head to glance at the sky. Before long, a man in black entered.
“Your Majesty, everything on the Lingcheng side has already been arranged.”
“Are you certain nothing can go wrong?”
“Dark Three and Dark Seven are personally leading the team, and all the men behind them are skilled hands. We will not disappoint you.”
“Then I shall wait for the Wen family’s death notice.”
The man in black vanished in an instant. Qi Nansing watched a bird fly across the sky and thought: after killing so many people, Wen Jiangyue, you will surely face retribution.
As the days grew hotter and hotter, no one knew whether it was the weather or not, but the Emperor’s manner of doing things abruptly became swift and severe. Many petty faults that had once been let slide were now met with harsh punishment without exception. The court was thrown into unease, everyone fearing that the next thunderbolt would strike their own heads.
At court that day, the Emperor flew into a rage once more, and his reason was nothing more than that an important minister had exceeded the allotted time in handling his duties.
“You all assume that the law cannot punish the multitude, so you grow ever more careless in your work. I tell you this as well: our Great Liang lacks nothing if not talented young scholars. If I cut you down today, I can find hundreds to replace you tomorrow. I was far too indulgent with you before, which is why officeholders have accomplished nothing and merely draw salaries without doing real work. And as for those who keep submitting memorials saying they are too unwell to attend court in the early morning—if you are unwell, then get out. You occupy your posts and do nothing. Must I be the one to provide for your old age?”
The ministers all fell to their knees at once. “We are guilty. May Your Majesty calm your wrath.”
What the guilt was did not matter. What mattered was that the Emperor’s anger had been appeased.
As they knelt, everyone vaguely sensed that the Emperor might be preparing to take a knife to the Wen family. His estrangement with the Marquis of Wen was no longer a secret at court or in the realm. That rift had only grown more obvious after the return of the Eldest Prince. Yet Wen Jiangyue was an exceedingly cautious man; even when he acted, he rarely left behind any evidence. Without a crime to seize upon, the Emperor could do nothing to him. But to be stripped of face at court in such a way was a first, for among all the ministers, only the Marquis Wen had claimed illness and stayed away from court.
The Marquis was not pretending to be ill. He was truly sick. After all, he was old now, and though his body had been carefully nurtured, age was still wearing it down. The night before, in a moment of craving for coolness, he had drunk a bowl of chilled rice porridge. By morning he felt especially unwell, and that was why he had not gone to court.
“Marquis, the Minister of Works has arrived.”
“Quickly, show him in.”
“Marquis, are you truly ill?” Even the Minister of Works had not expected Wen Jiangyue to be genuinely sick.
“What do you mean by that? Do you think I’m doing this on purpose?”
“The Emperor was furious again this morning… and more than a little sarcastic.”
“He’s probably wishing I were dead. A pity for him—Heaven still takes pity on me.” The Marquis seemed to realize he had spoken too sharply, and changed the subject. “I hear the Emperor is preparing to go to the Lu Mountain detached palace.”
“They’re already drawing up the list. This year the heat came early, so by the sixth month they’ll move to the Lu Mountain palace to escape the summer. Marquis, your name is on the list as well.”
“Good. This damned weather is unbearable. Moving early to the palace will let everyone breathe a little easier.”
“Second Master is probably the one who feels most at ease now. By the way the journey is laid out, he ought to be reaching Lingcheng about now. I still remember when we first set out, I drank orchid wine with him on a street in Lingcheng. Its mellow fragrance is something I’ve never forgotten, even after all these decades.”
“Lingcheng is indeed a fine place. Beyond Lingcheng lies my Wen family’s ancestral home.” That place—if one could not ascend to the pinnacle, then perhaps one would never return to it again in this lifetime.
The tides at court shifted and churned. An Zi felt an unease he could not name. At last, on a rare day of leave, he begged the Emperor to let him out of the palace to visit Gan Sui’s home and, while he was there, ask about recent affairs as well. Yet he had come at an inopportune time: Lin Tianyu was soon to be married, and early that morning he had gone to seek advice from Gan Sui, saying he wanted to learn from experience.
An Zi had arrived early. Xingcai was just making the two children eat breakfast. The children ate slowly, playing as they ate, while Xingcai occasionally wiped their faces. An Zi sat on the left, holding a steamed bun he never touched, simply staring blankly into space. Seeing his low spirits, Xingcai asked, “What’s wrong? You look so glum. Isn’t it a holiday? Why aren’t you happy?”
“It’s not that I’m unhappy. I just keep feeling uneasy, like there’s some huge thing about to happen that I don’t know about.”
“Wasn’t it because your imperial father was sick for a while and you got scared?”
“Maybe. Or maybe not. I asked the imperial physicians whether Father’s poison had been cured, and they all said it was under control. I asked how Father’s health was, and he said everything was fine, everything was fine. But the way he’s been acting lately… I keep feeling his health isn’t nearly as good as he says.”
“Your brother-in-law, when he was serving as prefect, carried the livelihood of tens of thousands of people on his shoulders. Even then, there were times he wasn’t quite normal. What your imperial father shoulders is the fate and future of all the people of Great Liang. He must be terribly anxious as well. It’s only natural that his conduct might become a little biased. And now that the weather is hot, being restless and irritable is unavoidable. Don’t overthink it.”
“I hope I’m the one overthinking.”
“Look at you—barely in your teens, and already you’re always frowning. Like a wrinkled little bun. You were quite good-looking before. If you really end up with a bitter, gourd-like face in the future, how will you ever find a pretty little wife?”
“Elder Sister, why are you…”
“Bringing this up too. You’re already a big child now. But listen to me: it’s better not to rush into such things. Just look at your taste right now. Ten years from now, your preferences may change again, so it’s better to think about these things only after you’re mature.”
“Fine, I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m going downstairs to wash Guang’s face.” With that, as if a ghost were chasing him, he picked up Guang and hurried into the house.
Yu Huai saw that his sister was gone. “Sister, run.”
“All right, all right, we’ll go too.”
An Zi had finally gotten a day off, so naturally he was determined to enjoy himself. The few children ran back and forth in the garden, their laughter seeming enough to lift the very sky itself. The weather was hot, and before long they were all covered in sweat from all the commotion. Xingcai hurriedly called them inside.
Yu Huai and Guang had not yet played enough and pouted as if they were about to cry. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Your uncle is inside telling stories for you.”
The children gathered together to listen and play. An Zi told stories with all the skill of someone who had inherited Gan Sui’s true teachings. His little tales were so engaging that even Xingcai listened with delight. By nearly noon, Gan Sui finally returned.
That morning, Lin Tianyu had taken him out, supposedly to buy a present for the bride-to-be. Gan Sui had no idea why he had to be dragged along for such a thing. Lin Tianyu’s reasoning was that choosing girlish gifts alone felt somewhat awkward, but if Gan Sui came along, the two of them would feel awkward together—and that was still better than being awkward alone.
They went to the largest jewelry shop in the city. Gan Sui was nearly ready to bow down to Lin Tianyu’s sense of taste. Everything he picked was glittering gold, the sort of oversized, thick bracelet that screamed nouveau riche from a single glance.
“Can you please be a little more sensible? How could a girl possibly like something like this?”
“What’s wrong with it? It’s a huge lump of gold—one look and you know it’s luxurious.”
“That’s not luxurious, that’s just shouting ‘I’m rich’ in everyone’s face.”
“What, so being rich isn’t enough? Then you choose for me.”
And so Gan Sui “willingly” helped pick out many items of jewelry that girls would like.
“Brother, you’ve got real skill. What you chose isn’t bad at all. Since you spent the whole morning helping me, go ahead and pick some more for Xingcai and Guang.”
Gan Sui did not hold back in the slightest, selecting the most expensive pieces, then coolly and nobly refusing Lin Tianyu’s invitation to dinner before returning home.
“You’re back. You were still out in this heat walking around—weren’t you baked by the sun? Come, have some sour plum soup. It’s been kept chilled the whole time. It’s wonderfully refreshing.”
“When Anzi left, did he say when he would return to His Majesty?”
“He’ll go back later this afternoon. It was too hot to return just now, and besides, there’s my favorite braised goose paws for lunch. Brother-in-law, I’ve got a few things I don’t understand lately. Could you explain them to me?”
“Then let’s talk in the study.”
“What can’t be said tomorrow? Must it be during the meal?”
“It’s all right, Sister won’t mind.”
The two entered the study.
“Brother-in-law, can Father’s poison really be cured?”
“I have no particular insight into medicine or poison. The imperial physicians know far more than I do. What do they say?”
“They say they’re thinking of a solution. I’m just afraid…”
“Anzi, you have to trust the imperial physicians. They were personally chosen by His Majesty, so they are surely loyal to him.”
“I’ve recently heard some rumors saying Father is about to move against the Wen family…”
“That much is true. The Wen family has occupied the court for many years. Now that the second prince is growing older by the day, if they are not swiftly and decisively rooted out, then should they later incite the prince to harbor rebellious thoughts, it will be all the more difficult when blood ties and family affection are forced to stand against one another.”
“Second Brother isn’t that kind of person. He’s very obedient…”
“We are not talking about how he is now. The difficulty lies in the future. So long as the Wen family does not fall, countless people will endlessly tell him that he must contend with you. By then, no matter how deep the bond between brothers may be, it will inevitably be wounded.”
“Why must we always fight with others for things?”
“Perhaps because desire is never easy to satisfy. Once one thing is obtained, one always wants something better. The more one gets, the more one seeks.”
“Then, Brother-in-law, do you have something in your heart that you seek?”
“Of course. What I seek is nothing more than the peace and safety of our whole family.”
People who enjoy following a great figure to the summit of life, please bookmark it: following a great figure to the summit of life, the popular hub updates the fastest.