The court was solemn, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
The light in Xiao Chiye’s eyes gradually dimmed as he removed his own waist badge.
Li Jianheng’s chest heaved violently as he said, “Imperial Guards Commander Xiao Chiye is suspended from duty pending investigation and confined to his residence! From now on, all internal and external patrols of Qudu will be taken over by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eight Great Camps.”
Among the crowd, Xi Hongxuan remained outwardly calm. Beneath his black gauze hat, he glanced toward Xiao Jiming, who had not uttered a single word the entire time. Xiao Jiming stood steady and unmoving, as if oblivious to everything.
Steady enough!
Xi Hongxuan cursed inwardly.
Xiao Jiming truly was hard to deal with. With Xiao Chiye having fallen into such dire straits, he could still hold his composure—no panic at all, not even the slightest sign of stepping forward to speak.
After court was dismissed, they gathered at the Lotus Blossom Pavilion.
Shen Zechuan took his gold plaque and changed into an elegant, moon-white robe with subtle floating patterns and wide sleeves. Led upstairs by one of the courtesans, he found Xi Hongxuan reclining on a Sumeru couch, watching tea being brewed.
Seeing Shen Zechuan enter, Xi Hongxuan burst out laughing. “Lanzhou, that was satisfying today! Ever since we came back from the hunting grounds, everything’s been suppressed by Xiao Second. This time—it really feels good!”
Shen Zechuan sat down and said, “Fu Linye was a fine move. I didn’t expect you to bring even him under your banner.”
“What was the Fu family back then?” Xi Hongxuan accepted the tea from the serving maid and took a few slow sips before continuing. “They were nothing but cow-dung pickers outside Chun City. If my old grandfather hadn’t recognized their talent and helped them shed their servile status, the Fu clan would still be herding cattle today. It’s just a pity about Elder Wei’s setup—Xiao Jiming didn’t take the bait.”
“Pressing down Xiao Second is already no small feat,” Shen Zechuan said as he tasted the tea. “Going after Xiao Jiming now would likely bring more loss than gain.”
“One should press the advantage after a victory. If we don’t strike now, then when?” Xi Hongxuan waved the maids away and sat upright. “Even if we only make Xiao Jiming suffer a small loss in Qudu, it’s still a crack.”
“I thought your aim was Qudu,” Shen Zechuan said. “But your foundation isn’t stable yet, and you’re already thinking of pushing outward. The authority of the Eight Great Camps hasn’t been firmly grasped—skipping over Xiao Second now will most likely make you stumble.”
Xi Hongxuan set down his teacup. “Then what do you suggest?”
“You just said it yourself,” Shen Zechuan smiled. “Press the advantage.”
Xi Hongxuan pondered for a moment. “Today’s move has already made Xiao Second lose imperial favor and stripped him of his badge, leaving him unable to act before spring. But he and His Majesty are old friends. There’s no way we can remove him with just this one matter.”
“As long as Xiao Second remains Imperial Guards Commander, the patrols of Qudu will inevitably fall back into his hands,” Shen Zechuan said. “All of you went to such lengths—was it just to seize temporary control of the Eight Great Camps for a month or two, only to hand it back? This blow landed on Xiao Second. When he recovers by spring, how will you face his counterattack?”
Xi Hongxuan flicked open his folding fan and waved it lightly. “What else can I do? There’s no way to bring him down right now.”
“We may not be able to bring him down, but we can wear him down,” Shen Zechuan said, tapping the table lightly. “His Majesty has already developed a rift with him. Such rifts will only grow. This is precisely when you should act.”
“I have neither reputation nor merit,” Xi Hongxuan laughed. “How could I compare to him?”
“No need to belittle yourself,” Shen Zechuan said. “Even the music here at the Lotus Blossom Pavilion avoids clichés—it would be refreshing even to an emperor long steeped in pleasure quarters. Second Young Master Xi, do you still think you can’t outplay Xiao Second?”
“Even if we talk about play,” Xi Hongxuan replied, “one can’t play their way up to Xiao Second’s position. You must have another move in mind.”
“Xue Xiuzhuo has entered the Court of Judicial Review and has handled major cases one after another,” Shen Zechuan said, tracing a small circle on the tabletop with his fingertip. “But he’s still only one man, and in terms of reputation he’s overshadowed by Yao Wenyu of the carefree mountains. If he wants to go further and prepare for entering the Grand Secretariat, he needs supporters. Last time, you gained acclaim among the students of the Imperial Academy—wasn’t that goodwill perfect to sell to Xue Xiuzhuo as a favor? Recently, Elder Hai also wants to revive the Grand Academy. Xue Xiuzhuo can then select talent and deploy people as a matter of course.”
“Expanding manpower and forming momentum,” Xi Hongxuan mused. “But there are already people in Yanqing—why insist on the Grand Academy?”
“We want to deal with Xiao Second, and our goal is to turn enemies into allies and join forces,” Shen Zechuan said. “But the Yao family is unwilling. Think about it—within the scholarly world, the Yao family stands like a towering cliff. If they refuse to join us, so be it, but what if they turn around and collude with Xiao Second? In that case, why not kick the Yao family out early and leave the position to someone more capable?”
Xi Hongxuan laughed. “You’re from Zhongbo—you don’t understand the depth of the Eight Great Families’ ties. Even if the Yao family won’t act together with us, we can’t kick them out. They simply can’t be kicked out.”
“At the height of the Yao family’s power,” Shen Zechuan said, wiping water droplets with a handkerchief, “there was no place for the Xi clan in court at all. I understand the old ties, but I’m asking you to restrain the Yao family. The current situation can no longer accommodate extra hands. Second Young Master—hesitation brings chaos.”
Xi Hongxuan didn’t dare decide on his own. “We’ll discuss this again. Let me think it over.”
Xiao Chiye was honing his blade, carefully wiping the Wolf Fang Saber until not a speck of dust remained.
Zhaohui served tea to Lu Guangbai and said, “Second Young Master keeps wiping the blade again and again—is he planning to chop someone up?”
Lu Guangbai laughed as he drank his tea. “With how he is today, it’d be hard enough just to carry a blade out the door. Jiming, did you see it clearly? When he took off his badge, I thought he was about to cry.”
“A rare sight,” Xiao Jiming also smiled. “Even a scoundrel has a day when he can’t vent his temper.”
“Who are you calling a scoundrel?” Xiao Chiye folded the cloth, displeased.
“I’m praising you,” Lu Guangbai sighed. “You’ve really stayed in Qudu too long—your acting was flawless.”
“What else is there to learn here?” Xiao Chiye sheathed the blade and sat down with one leg propped up. “Old Wei pushed so hard I almost have to admire him. But the rest of you—seeing me get pressed down like that, every one of you looked delighted. What gives?”
“A rare sight,” Zhaohui echoed.
“I was worried you’d feel bad,” Lu Guangbai said. “You can play games with anyone, but not with the imperial house.”
“His Majesty ascended the throne abruptly and has faced repeated assassination attempts—he’s never been brave to begin with. Being frightened like this was expected,” Xiao Chiye said. “What I didn’t expect was that Fu Linye would also be cut from the same cloth.”
“Fu Linye has ties to the Xi family, but he hasn’t fallen to the point of being a mere tool of the great clans,” Xiao Jiming said. “His impeachment of you was likely just riding the current to curry favor with His Majesty and Wei Huaixing.”
“You pushed Wei Huaixing hard enough that he had to bring out his final piece,” Lu Guangbai said. “Once it’s out, we can counter it head-on.”
“Wei Huaixing’s failure to enter the Grand Secretariat after all these years is tied to his temperament,” Xiao Chiye said. “When Hua Siqian was alive, he used him but disliked him. Now Elder Hai fears the great clans monopolizing the cabinet and keeps him suppressed. He harbors resentment. To go against Elder Hai, he has to join forces with Xi Hongxuan, charging ahead for them, hoping to leap over the threshold that’s blocked him for more than a decade. If I showed even the slightest retreat, he would definitely pursue relentlessly and produce that last memorial.”
“This matter is too grave—fake evidence would be made to look entirely real,” Xiao Jiming said. “He struck at the Imperial Guards’ accounts because he knows that ever since the Hua faction, Hai Liangyi has been especially sensitive about military expenditures. He won’t tolerate even a grain of sand there. In the coming days, the Censorate will investigate you. Fu Linye must not be allowed to conduct it alone—we need to bring in someone else from the Censorate or an official with auditing authority, someone truly impartial.”
“It’ll probably be people from the Embroidered Uniform Guard assisting Fu Linye,” Zhaohui said after a pause. “This is, after all, an assassination case.”
“The Embroidered Uniform Guard,” Lu Guangbai looked at Xiao Chiye. “We’ve got no allies there—only enemies. Aye, this time you’re really going to take a beating.”
Xiao Chiye smiled, a bit wickedly. “The Embroidered Uniform Guard? I know them well.”
A few days later, the Censorate began auditing the Imperial Guards’ accounts. Before setting out, Fu Linye met Shen Zechuan, who was assigned to assist him. Knowing that Shen Zechuan was His Majesty’s newly favored figure, Fu Linye didn’t dare slight him and had fine tea brought in first.
After a few sips, Shen Zechuan said gently, “This is my first assignment. I’ll have to trouble Lord Fu to guide me along the way.”
Fu Linye regarded him as aligned with the great clans—cordial yet wary. He replied, “Guidance would be too much to say. Just asking the Pacification Commissioner to accompany me on this trip. The Imperial Guards are like an iron barrel—many accounts are murky. When the time comes, I ask that the Pacification Commissioner search carefully.”
Search whom? Search where? Fu Linye said nothing.
He didn’t want to side with the great clans and offend Hai Liangyi, nor did he want to side with Hai Liangyi and offend the great clans. Like a fence-sitter, he watched the wind and leaned with it. But he also knew that having offended Xiao Chiye so severely this time, he would surely face obstruction when auditing the accounts. Who didn’t know Xiao Second’s unruliness? Searching residences would only add fuel to the fire. So he refused to take the lead himself—he pushed Shen Zechuan forward to do the searching, making Shen Zechuan the vanguard.
Shen Zechuan accepted readily.
Seeing this, Fu Linye’s wariness eased a little. He took Shen Zechuan for a reckless youngster.
They split into two groups. Fu Linye went to the Imperial Guards’ offices, while Shen Zechuan went to the Libei Prince’s residence.
Before they even arrived, Ding Tao spotted them from the rooftop and sighed. “How can he do this?”
Bonejin said, “Do what?”
Ding Tao hemmed and hawed.
Bonejin said, “You mean—he’s close with Second Young Master, yet he’s helping others investigate him?”
“Not just close!” Ding Tao blurted out.
“Men,” Bonejin said, twisting open his wineskin. “You’ll understand when you grow up. Everyone’s like this. Embracing each other—that’s indoor business. Once you’re dressed and step outside, it’s outdoor business. You can’t mix the two… Just forget it!”
Shen Zechuan arrived at the gate, greeted by Zhaohui and Chenyang. Zhaohui held military rank, so Shen Zechuan actually had to salute him.
“The northern side is the heir’s courtyard,” Zhaohui said to Shen Zechuan. “It’s mostly Libei military affairs.”
Shen Zechuan understood and said, “This subordinate has come to investigate Second Young Master. It has nothing to do with Libei.”
Zhaohui nodded, knowing he hadn’t come looking for trouble, and gave Chenyang a look. Chenyang stepped forward to lead the way. “Second Young Master’s courtyard is to the east. Pacification Commissioner, please follow me with the Embroidered Uniform Guard brothers.”
Shen Zechuan saluted Zhaohui and followed Chenyang.
Xiao Chiye’s courtyard was large—by regulation, it exceeded that of the heir. Xiao Fangxu had been too lazy to change it back then, and the brothers didn’t mind, so Xiao Chiye had always lived there. After taking the post of Imperial Guards Commander, he rarely returned, usually staying at the small residence near the Imperial Guards’ offices.
When Shen Zechuan saw him, Xiao Chiye was wearing a loose sleeveless garment, fishing by the pond.
“So early, Pacification Commissioner,” Xiao Chiye said, holding the rod. “Have you had breakfast?”
“I ate at the Censorate,” Shen Zechuan replied. “The Commander has quite the leisure.”
“I’m an idle man with my badge stripped—how could I compare to the Pacification Commissioner?” Xiao Chiye lifted the rod slightly. “If you’re searching my courtyard, show me the warrant first.”
“We’re all veterans working in Qudu,” Shen Zechuan said unhurriedly. “Commander, blocking me here like this—what’s the point?”
“I recognize warrants,” Xiao Chiye stood up and tossed aside the fishing rod. “No warrant, no entry. I won’t allow it.”
A censor accompanying them hurriedly stepped in to mediate, soothing both sides. “Easy, easy. Commander, just wait a moment. Pacification Commissioner, don’t be upset.”
“The Embroidered Uniform Guard knows procedure best,” Xiao Chiye strode closer and barked coldly. “You came out of the Zhao Crime Temple—haven’t you learned yet?”
Shen Zechuan looked at him and said, “When a tiger falls to the plains, it’s bullied by dogs. Today, even a stray dog like me—you’ll still have to smile and greet me, warrant or not.”
The censor wiped his sweat, forcing himself between the two, bowing repeatedly. “Easy, easy—”
“Such sharp words,” Xiao Chiye brushed past the censor. “What—are you going to lay hands on me?”
“No fighting, no fighting!” the censor craned his neck and shouted. “The search warrant exists—Commander, please take a look. The courtyard must be searched, Pacification Commissioner, just wait a moment. Everything can be discussed—why rush like this!”
In his panic, the censor even shouted in his hometown accent!