The Hour of the Tiger had arrived when An Sheng opened his eyes.
A Mei was still sleeping soundly in his arms. Naturally, he could not bear to wake her, so he carefully eased himself away, got out of bed, and dressed, keeping his movements as quiet as possible.
Once he was dressed, An Sheng walked to the bedside, bent down, and kissed A Mei on the cheek. He gazed at her peaceful sleeping face for a long while, then gently tucked the blanket around her before turning and leaving.
An Sheng reclined lazily in the sedan chair. Though he appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, his fingers tapped the seat beside his knee again and again without conscious thought. The movement seemed gentle, but anyone watching closely would have noticed the unspoken, vicious force behind it.
Suddenly, An Sheng opened his eyes. His cold gaze narrowed, taking on a dangerous and chilling edge.
The sedan chair had just turned a corner when it came to an abrupt stop.
Wu Da’s voice followed immediately. “My lord, it’s Lord Cui, the Minister of Justice.”
An Sheng raised an eyebrow, then leaned out of the sedan chair.
By then, Lord Cui had already left his own sedan chair and walked over to its side.
The two men met each other’s eyes without revealing their thoughts. An Sheng tugged at the corner of his mouth and drawled, “I wonder why Lord Cui has gone to the trouble of waiting here for me. Is there something you wish to advise me on?”
Cui Gudao’s expression was solemn. He took a memorial from inside his robes and handed it to An Sheng. “As far as I know, it isn’t only the Ministry of Justice. Every department is submitting memorials against you at this morning’s court session. I cannot reach far enough to suppress them all; I could only hold back the ones from the Ministry of Justice. As for the other departments, there was nothing I could do. That is why I came to warn Lord An.”
An Sheng accepted the memorial and opened it casually. It was still dark outside, so Wu Da quickly raised the lantern in his hand to illuminate the writing.
An Sheng skimmed through it at a glance. Then he tossed it aside, his eyes filled with disdain. In a languid, mocking tone, he said, “That’s all? Lord Cui, how have you become so easily alarmed? Your courage seems to be shrinking by the day.”
Seeing that An Sheng was so completely unconcerned, Cui Gudao’s expression turned unpleasant. He snorted. “I meant well. Believe it or not, it’s up to you!”
A faint smile curved An Sheng’s lips. “Rest assured, Lord Cui. Naturally, I believe you.”
He narrowed his eyes, smiling as though he knew something Cui Gudao did not. “I appreciate your concern. Don’t worry—everything is under control.”
Just as expected, the attack against Commander An Sheng of the Inner Depot began without warning during that morning’s court session.
It started with a memorial from Anchang of Lindong, delivered to Emperor Chengde by express courier.
As Emperor Chengde read the memorial, a Grand Secretary from the Inner Cabinet was the first to speak.
This man was the most senior member of the Inner Cabinet. For decades, he had never made enemies at court. He had always been generous and mild-tempered, and was widely respected for his virtue and seniority.
He now hobbled out of the ranks, trembling as he went. Holding several memorials in his hands, he slowly knelt before Emperor Chengde.
“I have a memorial to present.”
Emperor Chengde raised his eyes, the corner of one eye twitching slightly. “Grand Secretary Feng, speak.”
Grand Secretary Feng handed the memorials to a eunuch beside him to present to the emperor, then spoke slowly and clearly.
“Commander An Sheng of the Inner Depot has long abused his authority, treated human lives as grass, used his position for personal gain, and accepted bribes while violating the law. He poses a grave threat to the people and the state, one capable of destabilizing the foundations of our dynasty! Every word I have spoken is true. I implore Your Majesty to investigate Lord An thoroughly and punish him severely!”
The moment these words were spoken, the entire court was shaken.
Even Emperor Chengde visibly froze for an instant.
Only An Sheng, the man at the center of the accusations, remained exactly where he was. He did not move, nor did he so much as lift an eyelid.
Grand Secretary Feng let out a sudden sigh before continuing in a low, mournful voice. “Everyone knows that I have served as an official for many years and have never meddled in affairs that did not concern me. Moreover, I have no enmity with Lord An. Aside from serving in the same court, we have hardly had any dealings at all. But I devote myself wholly to the state. Whenever the foundations of the dynasty are threatened, I will advance without hesitation.
“The petition I have presented to Your Majesty is a joint appeal from the honored officials of the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Personnel. It details the many instances in recent years in which Commander An Sheng of the Inner Depot persecuted his fellow officials, bullied others through the power of his position, and treated human lives as worthless. I implore Your Majesty to examine it! If Your Majesty has doubts, the many witnesses and material evidence may all be brought before you for Your Majesty’s judgment.”
At his words, several more officials stepped forward. One after another, they began listing An Sheng’s alleged crimes, launching into a fierce denunciation of him.
A single stone had stirred up a thousand waves.
More and more officials suddenly came forward to condemn An Sheng. Some even exposed everything he had supposedly done in Lindong—accepting bribes, seizing property by force, extracting confessions through torture, and treating human lives as expendable.
They further claimed that Prince Anchang had initially been forced by An Sheng’s prestige and authority to go along with him, but had eventually found it too shameful to continue and broken with him. Everyone in Lindong’s official circles knew about their falling-out.
They alleged that, fearing his crimes would come to light, An Sheng had struck first against Prince Anchang. Under the pretext of conducting an imperial inspection on behalf of the emperor, he had used the imperial sword to command obedience and executed numerous officials in Lindong, plunging the region into chaos and leaving its people bitterly oppressed.
Empty accusations were worthless, of course. Since they had dared to challenge An Sheng, they had brought forth ample evidence and witnesses.
As more and more officials stepped forward to denounce An Sheng, even Emperor Chengde’s expression grew solemn.
The emperor’s face gradually darkened. He lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions within them.
For a time, everyone in the court waited for Emperor Chengde to speak.
At last—
Emperor Chengde raised his eyes and looked directly toward the second row on the western side.
Everyone’s attention followed his gaze and settled on the seemingly ordinary man who had always appeared to have no presence at all.
As usual, he stood quietly with his eyes lowered, composed and unruffled, as though nothing in the world could disturb him.
Emperor Chengde slowly spoke.
“Minister An, since this matter has arisen because of you, do you have anything to say?”
