Something was definitely wrong.
Shen Chen stared at Wen Zhuo’s upright back, lost in thought.
Could Wen Zhuo truly be this heartless? Was he really willing to use the entire Wen clan as a bargaining chip just to put Shen Zheng on the throne?
Or was he merely bluffing because he had no other choice?
Nearby, the hushed voices of two censors drifted into his ears.
“Lord Wen has been idle for years. Who would have thought he’d finally show his mettle over this?”
“After all, His Majesty favors him a thousand times more than anyone else. Since the founding of our Great Qian, who else has risen to a position like his at such a young age?”
“Ah, I can’t agree with that. If you were in his place, would you be willing to donate your entire fortune to provide disaster relief?”
“This…”
“You hesitated, didn’t you? Just in terms of courage, none of us can compare with Lord Wen.”
“Very well. Brother Wei, you make a fair point.”
The longer Shen Chen listened, the heavier his heart sank.
This was strange—far too strange!
In his previous life, when Wen Zhuo had assisted him, Wen Zhuo’s reputation had grown worse by the day. The civil and military officials of the entire court had been furious yet dared not speak out, terrified of offending this unparalleled minister of power.
That was why, after ascending the throne, Shen Chen had found it so easy to impeach Wen Zhuo. With a single man, he had won the willing submission of hundreds.
Yet in this life, Wen Zhuo’s reputation was actually improving by the day!
At a time when the state treasury was empty and wealthy families throughout the realm were needed to contribute, Wen Zhuo had eased Emperor Shunyuan’s pressing predicament with only a few words.
Overjoyed, Emperor Shunyuan was equally generous. “I hereby appoint you Governor-General of the Border Circuit, bearing the authority to tour Mianzhou in the Son of Heaven’s stead and assist the Fifth Prince, Shen Zheng, in providing relief to Ying and Jing Prefectures. From the day you receive this decree, all civil and military officials in Mianzhou shall obey your orders. Anyone who delays or shirks their duties shall be dealt with under military law!”
Wen Zhuo gathered his robes and knelt. “Your subject will not fail Your Majesty’s trust.”
“Rise, quickly.” Emperor Shunyuan waved repeatedly, his tone filled with concern. “You have always been in poor health. The journey ahead is a long one, so be sure to take good care of yourself. If there is anything you need, ask me without hesitation.”
Not even the princes had received such solicitude. The sight made all the officials envious, and they could not help thinking that Lord Wen’s imperial favor was truly unprecedented.
Emperor Shunyuan was so absorbed in speaking with Wen Zhuo that he completely forgot about Xie Langyang, who was still bowing to one side.
Xie Langyang kept his back rigid as he bowed for a long while. When it became clear that the emperor on the throne had no intention of acknowledging him, he could only straighten up awkwardly.
He looked toward Wen Zhuo, who seemed surrounded by radiance, and his feelings grew complicated.
In his previous life, after Prince Xian had fallen, they had followed the clues and uncovered traces of Wen Yingjing’s involvement in Prince Xian’s web of interests in Mianzhou.
Although the new emperor had proclaimed a general amnesty upon ascending the throne, there was no guarantee that he would not settle the accounts later.
Wen Yingjing had been remarkably shrewd. He had immediately donated his entire fortune to provide relief for the refugees of Bozhou, who had been left without food by the locust plague. As a result, he had earned the title of Great Sage, forcing Shen Chen to show him mercy.
Xie Langyang found it impossible to believe that Wen Zhuo could be so ruthless toward Wen Yingjing.
He had learned long ago that Wen Yingjing was not Wen Zhuo’s biological father.
After his mother had remarried into the Wen family, Wen Zhuo had enjoyed many years of material comfort and dignity. It had even been Wen Yingjing who had invited renowned local scholars to tutor him with painstaking care, enabling him to pass the metropolitan examination and place second in the imperial ranking at the mere age of seventeen.
Xie Langyang knew all too well how difficult the civil examinations were. Born into a great aristocratic family, he had received the strictest education and regularly consulted successful examination candidates from previous years about composition. Even so, he had not passed the palace examination and earned the title of top scholar until he was twenty-one.
Wen Zhuo was nearly five years younger than him. That alone showed how much Wen Yingjing had invested in him.
And yet Wen Zhuo could truly remember none of that nurturing kindness?
Great Qian governed the realm according to filial piety. Even if Wen Yingjing was only his stepfather, Wen Zhuo should still have followed the example of Lu Yi, who endured hardship to honor his stepmother.
If Wen Zhuo refused to show favoritism toward his parents and brothers and instead acted entirely according to the law, then their whole scheme would become a complete joke.
Not only had they used their sole advantage of foresight to help Wen Zhuo bring down Prince Xian, they had also created an opportunity for Shen Zheng to distinguish himself through meritorious service.
Xie Langyang was frantic with worry, yet helpless to do anything. All he could do was hope he had guessed wrong—that Wen Zhuo had not truly become so heartless.
“Court dismissed!” Liu Quan called out.
The officials immediately straightened their robes and bowed to kowtow.
Wen Zhuo rose unhurriedly and brushed the dust from his knees. Before long, he was surrounded.
“Lord Wen!” Xue Chongnian’s eyes shone with stars, his admiration nearly bursting from them. “I am truly ashamed. I had no idea you possessed such noble character!”
Wen Zhuo lowered his lashes slightly and shook his head with a smile. “You flatter me. Anyone would do the same in the face of a national disaster.”
“No, no, no!” Xue Chongnian was utterly serious. With righteous indignation, he declared, “I’ll stake my reputation on this: in the entire court, there isn’t a second person who could empty his fortune for the sake of disaster relief.”
Wen Zhuo’s expression remained modest. “Lord Xue, you exaggerate. My salary is still safely tucked away. All I did this time was persuade my family to be generous.”
“Given our relationship, I’ll be frank. What could that little salary possibly amount to? It wouldn’t even be enough to hire a few servants. Lord Wen, you can stop being modest.” Xue Chongnian prattled on without end, genuinely awed by him this time.
As they neared the entrance to the Hall of Martial Valor, Wen Zhuo caught sight of Xie Langyang, who seemed lost in thought.
He deliberately stopped, then turned and smiled. “Vice Minister Xie, it was thanks to your quick reaction and exceptional intelligence that you thought of me and helped resolve His Majesty’s concerns. You must be delighted now.”
Xie Langyang wore such a crestfallen expression that he looked anything but delighted.
He opened his mouth and murmured, “Wanshan, are you truly—”
But Xue Chongnian was still beside them, enthusiastically expressing his admiration, so Xie Langyang could not finish the question.
He wanted to ask Wen Zhuo whether he truly intended to cast aside the kindness of those who had raised him and resort to any means necessary in the struggle for the throne.
Even he could not explain whether this instinctive resistance, rising from the depths of his being, came from concern for Wen Zhuo’s elders—or from his own fragile pride.
Wen Zhuo took in the disappointment and confusion in his eyes. The corner of his mouth curled into a contemptuous smile. “I’m truly delighted. Who would have thought such a tremendous opportunity would fall into my lap? Vice Minister Xie, rest assured. I will not disappoint you or His Highness the Sixth Prince.”
“Wanshan, are you doing this deliberately out of spite? If you truly give away your entire fortune, how will your parents and brothers survive?”
Xie Langyang still refused to believe it. Even he could not say whether this rejection came from his concern for the Wen family elders or from his own pitifully vulnerable self-respect.
Wen Zhuo slowly shook his head, his voice laced with mockery. “So this is what it feels like to watch a fool waste his efforts. How amusing.”
Xue Chongnian chimed in from the side. “Vice Minister Xie, what do you mean, how will they survive? The imperial court isn’t going to keep the money forever. At Lord Wen’s level, you ought to learn from him.”
Xie Langyang: “…”
In truth, Wen Zhuo could hardly blame the two idiots for being so horrified. From beginning to end, he had never revealed the truth about his family to them.
When he had first met Xie Langyang, Xie Langyang had already carried himself like a young nobleman from an aristocratic house. Whenever he went out, servants had to surround him. In his residence, only the finest pine-oil lamps would do. He refused to wear anything but the brocade and silk of Juanshu Pavilion. Even the paper he used for studying and calligraphy had to be pure white, supple, and absorb ink without bleeding.
Whenever Wen Zhuo saw Xie Langyang and the other examinees casually handing out tips worth several ounces of silver, his feelings became painfully tangled.
He had no choice but to claim that he, too, came from a wealthy family, lest he be ostracized.
Fortunately, he truly understood how the wealthy gentry lived—those comfortable days simply had never belonged to him.
It was an accidental stroke of luck. The little bit of pride he had secretly preserved in his previous life had become an unexpected turning point in the present.
While Shen Chen and Xie Langyang’s undertaking had collapsed halfway through, the faction of Prince Xian was not faring much better.
Bu Zhangyi and the other trusted senior ministers set aside their official duties for the time being and gathered at Prince Xian’s residence to discuss a response.
Prince Xian sat upright in the seat of honor, one knuckle pressed to the space between his brows. His forehead was creased deeply as he said in a low voice, “Do you not think Shen Zheng has risen a little too quickly of late?”
Bu Zhangyi was unconcerned. “In the matter of mistreating the Crown Prince, Your Highness did lose some of His Majesty’s favor. It is therefore understandable that His Majesty did not choose Your Highness. It is not that Shen Zheng has risen too quickly.”
“That is not right!” Tang Guangzhi immediately objected. “Then why did His Majesty not choose the Fourth Prince or the Sixth Prince?”
Bu Zhangyi said, “It is only because His Majesty’s waistband came loose. Eunuch Liu made an offhand remark, and that was when His Majesty suddenly recalled the Fifth Prince.”
Shang Zhiqin slapped his thigh. “What is the point of dwelling on this now? The urgent matter is that we absolutely cannot allow Shen Zheng to succeed in disaster relief! If he gathers both imperial favor and the people’s support into his arms, what will become of Prince Xian?”
“This…” Tang Guangzhi looked troubled, as though he wanted to speak but could not bring himself to do so.
It was certainly necessary to obstruct Shen Zheng—but there were millions of people in the two prefectures of Xing and Jing. Were they truly meant to stand by and watch them starve to death?
Prince Xian’s gaze swept over the gathered men. Seeing that few supported Shang Zhiqin, his face immediately took on an expression of sorrow. Shaking his head, he said, “That will not do. How could I, for my own selfish desires, disregard the lives of countless common people?”
“Your Highness,” Shang Zhiqin urged anxiously, “we cannot let another grave threat grow unchecked!”
Prince Xian raised a hand, his attitude firm. “Think of another way.”
Only after seeing that Prince Xian had made up his mind did Bu Zhangyi breathe a quiet sigh of relief. He turned to reproach Shang Zhiqin. “Lord Shang is playing with fire! The people regard food as heaven. Starving people will go mad. If you force the people of the two prefectures into rebellion, Shen Zheng may indeed gain no credit—but what benefit would a tottering Great Qian dynasty bring His Highness?”
“Then by your reasoning, the Ministry of Revenue might as well scrape together enough silver and grain and do Shen Zheng the favor!” Shang Zhiqin retorted irritably.
Tang Guangzhi attempted to smooth things over. “Did Director Wen not say that even if his own family has to exhaust its fortune, they will gather enough grain? Let us not forget that his father, Wen Yingjing, is one of Mianzhou’s foremost incense merchants.”
“Mianzhou…” Prince Xian’s pupils abruptly contracted. That was precisely his greatest source of wealth. It pained him greatly. “Wen Zhuo has never involved himself in factional disputes. Surely he would not deliberately set himself against me?”
“Rest assured, Your Highness,” Bu Zhangyi said. “We have always acted with due caution and will certainly leave behind no evidence. It is only that the prefect of Mianzhou is unlikely to be saved this time.”
Concealing a disaster report was no trivial offense. Once Wen Zhuo arrived, there would be nowhere to hide the matter.
For years, Mianzhou had illegally converted rice paddies into incense fields, leaving an enormous shortfall in grain taxes. They had relied entirely on purchasing grain from the prefectures of Xing and Jing to cover it, while the government granaries had stood empty for many years.
Now that Xing and Jing had suffered disaster and could barely fend for themselves, Mianzhou did not dare follow their example and plead hardship before the court.
For once the account books were examined, their long-standing seizure of commoners’ land and rampant profiteering would inevitably be exposed.
In truth, a secret letter from Mianzhou had already been delivered to Bu Zhangyi’s residence, but Bu Zhangyi had not replied.
After a long silence, Prince Xian said slowly, “Zhongqing has indeed planned far ahead. Fortunately, this line of ours does not depend on any single prefect.”
Bu Zhangyi accepted the praise, but added, “Still, for some time to come, I fear we will have to tighten our belts.”
—
The last leaf on the old pagoda tree in the palace was swept down by the cold wind. The instant it landed on the golden bricks, a young eunuch hurried over to pick it up. Across the vast Forbidden City, the ground remained spotless as ever.
After court, Wen Zhuo went directly to the Hanlin Academy.
His trip to and from Mianzhou would take no short time, and he needed to arrange every matter in the academy properly.
Gong Weide in particular was so foolish and dull-witted that Wen Zhuo had to repeat his instructions again and again to prevent him from making mistakes while serving as an imperial reader.
Once he had dealt with the Academy’s affairs, Wen Zhuo took a small sedan chair back to his residence. The moment he crossed the main gate, Liu Qi hurried toward him.
“My lord, His Highness and the others are waiting for you at the Marquis Yongning’s residence.”
Wen Zhuo nodded. He took out a handkerchief and wiped away the fine dust from his face. Once he had cleared his head a little, he lifted the cover of the secret passage in the rear courtyard.
The stone steps had been repaired, and oil lamps hung within the passage. When he reached the bottom, he saw Shen Zheng leaning against the wall with his arms folded, his tall figure stretched long by the lamplight.
Wen Zhuo paused. “Why is Your Highness waiting here?”
Shen Zheng lifted his eyes to him. Light seemed to burn in those deep-set eyes as well. “I simply wanted to come and wait for you.”
“…”
What sort of reason was that?
…Yet it was strangely pleasing.
The passage was narrow. As they walked side by side, their shoulders brushed now and then, arm against arm, but neither of them suggested making more room.
“Why did Xie Langyang recommend you?” Shen Zheng suddenly asked. “Could it be a trap?”
Wen Zhuo chuckled. “With brains like theirs, what trap could they possibly devise?”
Shen Zheng sighed inwardly. The oblivious little cat still did not know that the Mianzhou assignment was the most difficult of all. Even if Wen Zhuo’s family truly spent every last coin, there would be no grain to borrow. Mianzhou itself was already in deep trouble.
“Your Highness did not come looking for me merely to discuss this, I presume?”
“We will speak of it in detail shortly. Huang Ting and Mo Shu are here as well.”
“Huang Ting?” Wen Zhuo slowed, hesitation showing on his face.
“Yes. I had him come. As the Eastern Palace’s Palace Attendant, no one understands Prince Xian better than he does. Today, Bu Zhangyi and Tang Guangzhi were playing off one another, clearly hoping Prince Xian would take charge of disaster relief. From now on, Prince Xian will likely regard me as a thorn in his side.” Shen Zheng smiled faintly and reached out to steady Wen Zhuo by the elbow, letting him ascend the steps first. “I need to know my enemy as well as I know myself, so I can meet whatever comes.”
“And you are not afraid that his loyalties are unsettled, that he is hiding something from you?”
“Trust those you employ. Besides, who does not have a few secrets? Is that not so, Teacher?”
Wen Zhuo immediately turned to look at him. His heart lifted slightly. He pressed his lips together with particular caution, though his eyes hid his emotions well.
Yet Shen Zheng merely patted his waist with his broad palm and said with a smile, “Hurry up.”
When they emerged from the passage, Huang Ting and Mo Shu rose to their feet.
Marquis Yongning was absent today, and Jun Dingyuan was occupied with the affairs of the three great military camps. Only the four of them were in the study.
Huang Ting cupped his hands in greeting. “So Director Wen is one of Your Highness’s people. No wonder that when I came to your door with gifts on the Crown Prince’s behalf that day, Director Wen paid me no heed.”
Wen Zhuo did not tell him to dispense with the formalities. Instead, he regarded him with smiling eyes. “After all this time, Palace Attendant Huang still remembers it?”
Huang Ting shook his head. “That is all in the past. I, Huang Ting, consider myself proud and arrogant, and I have never been particularly well liked. But I am a man who values loyalty. His Highness has treated me generously, and I will certainly be honest with him.”
Seeing that he did not appear to be lying, Wen Zhuo finally raised a hand to signal that everyone should sit. “You came to speak of Prince Xian. Do you know how Prince Xian has planned matters concerning this disaster relief effort?”
“Indeed.” Huang Ting had followed the Crown Prince for many years and knew the Crown Prince’s faction inside out; he also understood Prince Xian perfectly well. His expression darkened. “Your Highness spent ten years as a hostage and may not know this: among the officials of this court, how many are not scoundrels wallowing in pits of money? In the past, Qianzhou and Nanzhou were the Crown Prince’s channels, while Liangzhou and Mianzhou were Prince Xian’s moneybags. Even the cabinet ministers, famed for their integrity, possess several thousand mu of farmland whose origins cannot be accounted for. Bu Zhangyi did not lie—the Ministry of Revenue truly has no silver left. But Prince Xian’s own silver could likely be piled into mountains. If responsibility for disaster relief fell into his hands, he would undoubtedly handle it without a single flaw.”
Shen Zheng raised a brow. “I would hear the details.”
Huang Ting continued, “Cao Fangzheng is falling from grace because he is far too ostentatious, and his methods of amassing wealth are crude. I warned the Crown Prince long ago that the Cao faction needed to be restrained, but the Crown Prince insisted on having his way and refused to heed my counsel. When it comes to lining their pockets, Prince Xian’s people are far more clever. If Your Highness wishes to bring him down, it will be a hundred times harder than it was for them to bring down the Crown Prince.”
“Oh?” Shen Zheng thought. Taking in Huang Ting had truly been worth it—he seemed to have something to offer.
Then Huang Ting abruptly changed the subject and asked, “Has Your Highness heard of the Grand Storehouse Commissioner in the Ministry of Revenue?”
