By the regulations of this dynasty, court was supposed to adjourn at the hour of the Dragon. Yet today, the officials on duty at the Ministry of Justice could not help but grow uneasy.
By all rights, their lord should have returned long ago.
So they waited and waited. They waited until the sun had passed overhead, and then until it was past the hour for the midday meal. At last, their Minister of Justice, Lord Cui, returned—with a dark expression on his face.
And the first thing he said upon entering was:
“Where is that man An?”
The subordinate who had been waiting for some time immediately pointed toward the rear courtyard of the Ministry of Justice and replied in a low voice,
“My lord, Lord An is by the fishpond, keeping Madam An company while she fishes.”
Cui Gudao’s eyes widened. He froze for a moment, his expression turning exceedingly sour. “Fishing?”
When the answer was confirmed, Cui Gudao’s face darkened further. With a sweep of his sleeve, he said, “Come. I shall go and see for myself!”
The official had not been exaggerating. An Sheng and A Mei really were fishing.
As for how it had come to this—after Madam An had finished her pastries, she waited and waited for Lord Cui to return. When he failed to appear, she grew terribly bored and remarked that she wanted to look around.
Lord An had promptly taken her hand and led her through the Ministry of Justice, from south to north, then from east to west.
Until they arrived at the fishpond.
Madam An’s eyes lit up at once. She insisted on going fishing.
Lord An immediately ordered the Ministry of Justice to provide fishing rods and bait, throwing the entire place into another bout of chaos. And thus came the scene before them.
By the time Cui Gudao arrived in force with a crowd of subordinates, A Mei had already caught two of the five beloved fish once kept by the former Minister of Justice, Lord Zhuang. She was even discussing with An Sheng whether they would taste better steamed or braised in soy sauce.
Cui Gudao held himself back for a long while before finally coughing lightly and saying through gritted teeth, “Lord An and Madam An are certainly in fine spirits. To think that at a time like this, you still have the leisure to come fishing at my Ministry of Justice.”
Hearing the commotion, A Mei turned around, just about to greet Lord Cui. But An Sheng promptly wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her forward.
With his arm around his wife, An Sheng stepped up and gave Cui Gudao a rather peculiar smile. “I came here early this morning to wait for Lord Cui. You truly kept me waiting, Lord Cui.”
That remark was bad enough—but the moment it left his mouth, Cui Gudao’s expression twisted beyond control. Lord An actually had the nerve to blame him for returning late!
Still, with so many subordinates present, he forced himself to restrain his emotions. His chest rose and fell heavily as he said, “Then I ask Lord An to proceed to the main hall. I have matters to discuss with you at length.”
An Sheng curved his lips into a remarkably gentle smile. “Of course. After you.”
The group returned to the main hall. Cui Gudao waved broadly at his subordinates. “You may all leave.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Once only Cui Gudao, An Sheng, and A Mei remained in the hall, Cui Gudao could endure no longer. He slammed his hand down on the table.
“An Sheng! You are utterly shameless! Under the very eyes of the Son of Heaven, you are a high-ranking court official, in charge of the Internal Operations Directorate—how can you be so... so utterly lawless and reckless!”
He was the dignified Minister of Justice. Court had adjourned at the hour of the Dragon, and the journey back was only a few li—yet it had taken him until now to return. The twists and trials along the way had been no less arduous than a pilgrimage to the Western Paradise!
Even Cui Gudao, who was usually amiable and easygoing, was thoroughly enraged. This... this An Sheng was simply shameless! Brazen beyond belief! He had committed every kind of evil!
Pointing at An Sheng, he snapped, “Lord An, aren’t you afraid someone will go before His Majesty and accuse you again, acting so openly?”
An Sheng wore an expression of utmost sincerity and feigned innocence. Yet the affected, shrill tone in which he spoke—both coy and mocking—made anyone who heard it itch to grind their teeth.
“Oh? I’m afraid I don’t quite understand what Lord Cui means. Isn’t this precisely why I’m here at your Ministry of Justice, waiting for someone to come accuse me?”
Cui Gudao said irritably, “A real man dares to act and take responsibility for his actions. What? You even dare to block and harass a second-rank official like me. In all the realm, apart from you, An Sheng, tell me—who else would possess such audacity and capability?”
An Sheng suddenly gave a derisive snort. He lifted his chin slightly, wholly unconcerned, and drawled, “Oh dear, what are you talking about, Lord Cui? Have you forgotten? I’m a eunuch. I’m not some ‘real man.’”
Cui Gudao: “...”
The breath caught in Cui Gudao’s throat. His face turned purple with anger.
After a long while, he finally managed to catch his breath and let out a heavy sigh. “Lord An truly covers the sky with one hand, deceiving the sovereign and deluding the world, acting without law or restraint. If I am not mistaken, those officials who claimed sick leave today, saying they were too ill even to rise from their beds—were they also your handiwork?”
This time, An Sheng did not deny it. He merely sneered, a cold and venomous gleam flashing through his eyes. “Hmph. The fact that I did not take their lives was already an act of mercy.”
“You... you...” Cui Gudao had been provoked to the point where he could no longer even summon anger. He could only say weakly, “Lord An, do you truly think His Majesty knows nothing of your conduct? Besides, after what happened in court yesterday, who would genuinely dare come to the Ministry of Justice to accuse you? Was there any need for you to go to such lengths?”
An Sheng laughed softly. The look he gave Cui Gudao was filled with contempt, and his leisurely voice carried a strange, chilling menace.
“Lord Cui, you are still far too naïve. I did not survive to this day by sitting around and waiting for death, leaving my fate to Heaven. They don’t dare come, they choose not to come, and they want to come but are unable to—those are three very different things. Let me offer you a piece of advice, Lord Cui: one’s life must be fought for by one’s own hand.”
As he finished, An Sheng curled his lips into a smile and cast Cui Gudao a meaningful, enigmatic look.
“As for whether His Majesty knows or not, that truly need not concern you, Lord Cui.”
Cui Gudao: “...”
Seeing Lord Cui trembling with rage after being so badly provoked by her husband, A Mei, who had obediently remained at An Sheng’s side, could not bear it any longer and spoke up to soothe him.
“Lord Cui, please do not be angry. I know you are concerned for my husband. But my husband has always been far-sighted and meticulous in his plans—he calculates ten moves ahead for every step he takes. He is never the one to suffer losses; others are. So please rest assured, Lord Cui.”
“Before we came, I told my husband that Lord Cui was upright and impartial, and that you would surely clear his name. And indeed, just as I expected, everyone knows that Lord Cui is fair and selfless, a brilliant judge of cases, able to distinguish right from wrong. With Lord Cui’s formidable authority here, those people who falsely accused my husband truly did not dare come after all.”
Cui Gudao stood there, utterly dumbfounded. The next instant, the world spun around him, and he fainted stiff as a board.
—
“Fainted from hunger?” Emperor Chengde raised an eyebrow.
The chief eunuch attending him replied respectfully, “This servant sent someone to inquire. Minister Cui did not partake of the imperial refreshments after morning court and returned straight away. However, he was delayed by other matters on the road. By the time he made it back to the Ministry of Justice, it was already past noon. Not long after returning, he was too weak to carry on and collapsed. Was it not simply hunger that caused him to faint?”
Emperor Chengde asked again, “Did any officials go to the Ministry of Justice today to bring charges against An Sheng?”
The eunuch shook his head. “By this hour, all the ministries have already closed for the day, and no report has been delivered. I imagine there were none.”
Emperor Chengde gave a cold, humorless laugh. After a long while, he sighed softly.
“My officials,” he said faintly, “are not fools after all.”
—
