Chapter 125: Officialdom Protecting Its Own

At the first light of dawn, a woman was cooking, while the Magistrate of Chang'an County sat staring at his son, who had cried all night long, with a look of helpless bitterness. He had already summoned a physician and administered medicine, but the child would not stop wailing.

The Magistrate stood up, stretched his weary limbs, and headed toward the latrine. It was at that very moment that the person who had been waiting all night finally moved. He vaulted into the courtyard, slipped through a window into the room, strangled the child, and vanished as quickly as he had come.

When the Magistrate returned, he found his son silent and, assuming the boy had finally fallen asleep, breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped forward to tuck the blanket around him, only to see his son’s eyes bulging, his tongue lolling out, and bright red handprints bruised deep into his neck.

Trembling, he scooped up his son’s body. Just then, the woman walked in with the meal. Seeing their child’s horrific state, she dropped the tray and ran outside, screaming, "Murder! Help! Someone come quickly!"

Her gut-wrenching cries shattered the silence of the morning. Neighbors, clutching robes and wielding sticks, burst out of their homes.

"Where is it? What happened?"

"He strangled my son! He strangled my son!" the woman shrieked, pointing frantically toward her house.

The crowd surged into the courtyard, where they saw the Magistrate walking out, step by step, cradling his son in a daze.

"Seize him and take him to the authorities!" someone bellowed.

The woman wailed, "Take him to the Court of Judicial Review! He is the Magistrate of Chang'an; only the Court of Judicial Review dares to hold him accountable."

The neighbors were shocked to learn he was a government official, and some began to shrink back. Just then, a voice rang out: "Corrupt official! Killing an infant—you have no humanity! Take him to the Court of Judicial Review; we have so many people here, we have nothing to fear!"

The Magistrate of Chang'an was led away in silence, his heart bleeding. *Was it not said that the Marquis of Chang'an was a blunt and straightforward man? If they provoked him like this, wouldn't he surely slaughter those outside the Marquis’s estate? Why has he acted this way? You have murdered my son!*

Outside the Marquis’s estate, the scene was equally chaotic. When old friends of Chang Zai came to pay their respects, the sight that greeted them in the mourning hall made their blood boil with rage.

Some lifelong friends nearly suffered strokes on the spot. They grabbed mourning staves from the floor and began thrashing the shameless, half-naked wretches in the hall.

One of Chang Zai’s cousins was struck across the face by a staff and leaped up in pain. Seeing the fire-eyed scholars and the jeering onlookers, then looking at himself and the women slowly struggling back into their clothes, a chill crept up his spine. He wondered if he had been possessed by a demon the night before to commit such an immoral act in a mourning hall.

"You animals! Chang Zai’s body is not yet cold, and you dare do such things before his very eyes? I will beat you to death!"

"Mercy! We’ll never do it again!"

A few grown men, stripped of every stitch of clothing, scurried through the streets, drawing roars of laughter from the townsfolk.

No one cared about the talk of family extermination anymore. The government hadn't even claimed the Marquis was responsible, and seeing the behavior of these cousins, it was just as likely they had murdered the family out of greed for the Marquis's wealth.

Xu Jie stood at the back gate, watching the scene coldly. He had heard from Dong Zhu that the Marchioness had been furious all day yesterday; now, this spectacle had provided a vent for all that anger.

Just as he was watching with interest, a ball of paper was thrown from around the corner. Xu Jie caught it, glanced at the contents, and immediately folded the note, retreating back into the courtyard.

"My Lord, My Lord! These corrupt officials truly protect one another. The Magistrate of Chang'an was released not long after he entered the Court of Judicial Review."

Xu Jie was panting as he hurried over. Cai Cong looked startled—did they even have people inside the Court of Judicial Review?

"Keep a close watch on him. Who did he meet after he was released?"

"He met no one. He went straight back to the county office and has been hiding in his room ever since."

"Keep watching. I want to know everyone he meets and every word he says to anyone. The enemy is hiding in the shadows, but once they make contact, they will surely surface. Has Tang Yi returned yet?"

"No, and no signs he left behind have been found. It is possible he is dead," Xu Jie sighed.

"Keep looking. Dead or alive, find him," Cai Cong said worriedly. The enemy was ruthless; the moment Chang Zai stood up, his entire family was wiped out that same night. If Tang Yi had been discovered, his chances were slim.

At the fifth watch, the city was ablaze with torches as officials headed toward the palace; the carriages were as numerous as a marketplace. This was the most direct description of the morning court. Cai Cong wore his dignified official robes and sat in a sedan chair; he had learned his lesson—only greenhorns in the official world rode in carriages.

Having been away from the court for months, returning to the Taiji Palace felt like a lifetime ago. Only now did Cai Cong realize how isolated he was; both civil and military officials stood far away from him.

Li Er had stripped Cai Cong of all his titles. He wasn't even qualified to enter the hall and could only watch as others filed in, left to pace alone outside.

He wasn't entirely alone, though. It was then that Cai Cong noticed someone else standing stiffly in place, not daring to move.

"Young man, who are you? I haven't seen you before," Cai Cong asked with the air of an elder, eyeing the person up and down. He was certain this was not the son of any major official.

Feng Zhidai almost laughed. Why was such a young person speaking with such an old-fashioned tone? Were people in Chang'an all this comical? But he dared not laugh and turned away to avoid looking at Cai Cong.

Just then, a eunuch walked to the palace gates and shouted, "Proclaim... Feng Zhidai, son of the Duke of Geng and Governor of Chun Prefecture, to enter the palace and face the Emperor!"

Feng Zhidai straightened his hat and robes and stepped into the Taiji Palace. Only then did Cai Cong realize the lad was the eldest son of Feng Ang. He had heard that because Li Er suspected Feng Ang of rebellion, the man had been so terrified he sent his son to Chang'an as a hostage.

Wei Zheng had played a major role in this; had he not vouched for Feng Ang’s loyalty, Li Shimin would have already sent troops to attack him.

Well, this was fine; he had time to wait. It had taken the lad over a month to reach Chang'an, and Li Shimin would certainly have to soothe Feng Zhidai’s anxious little heart.

Sure enough, Cai Cong stood outside for a full hour before a eunuch finally came out to summon him.

"Subject, Cai Cong, pays respects to Your Majesty."

"Spare the formalities. Cai Cong, I sent you to study, yet you've caused so much trouble! You disguised yourself as a page to tell stories—is there any dignity left in a Marquis?" Li Shimin said helplessly. The boy was naturally restless; he could stir up trouble wherever he went.

"Ahem, speaking of stories, I recall there is a sequel to *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* called *The Return of the Condor Heroes*. Would Your Majesty like to hear it?"

"Ahem... we shall discuss that later. This is the Imperial Court! Do you intend to turn this into your storytelling stage? Why have you come before the court today?" Li Shimin nearly choked. The boy was utterly irreverent; he was trying to bring up such things in a place for discussing state affairs.

Cai Cong dropped his smile and said solemnly, "I impeach the Magistrate of Chang'an for murder, and I impeach the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review for releasing the Magistrate without investigation. The two are shielding one another, disrupting the laws of the nation."

Hearing this, Dai Zhou really wanted to leap out and slap the brat. He had worked so hard to escape the whirlpool of the Ministry of Revenue and flee Cai Cong's shadow—and yet, the boy was like a lingering ghost! He had actually followed him to the Court of Judicial Review.

"Where is the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?"

"This subject is here!"

Hearing Li Shimin’s voice, Dai Zhou stepped out helplessly. Cai Cong was startled and asked, "Why are you here? Old Dai, weren't you doing fine at the Ministry of Revenue? Why have you run off to the Court of Judicial Review..."

Dai Zhou glared fiercely at Cai Cong. *Fine?* He had been hounded for money and grain, his hardships were beyond words, and in the end, he was insulted as being less capable than a mere child. How was that "fine"?