Chapter 594: Poison Chancellor |
The Inner Chancellor previously used the two words 'fame' and 'profit' to dismantle the Jianghu of the Ning Dynasty until it swayed amidst wind and rain. Some were offered amnesty and enlisted to become lapdogs, some slaughtered each other, and some abandoned faith and discarded Righteousness.
The two words 'fame' and 'profit' were like a saber, hacking down on the Jianghu With Irresistible Force, severing ninety percent of the world's chivalrous spirit. But now, these two words suddenly became ineffective when it came to Chen Ji.
Inside the Trouble-Resolving Tower.
Wu Xiu curled the knuckles of his index and middle fingers, knocking on the case file bit by bit, emitting a muffled sound. The autumn sun was just right outside the window, his shadow stretched very long, casting upon that empty armchair.
He looked back at that armchair behind the desk, muttering to himself: "No wonder you went through so much trouble."
The Directorate of Palace Servants Superintendent carefully observed Wu Xiu's expression, choosing his words carefully before speaking: "Lord Inner Chancellor, what did you say?"
A single "Inner Chancellor" pulled Wu Xiu back from his thoughts.
He gave a sidelong glance, his gaze neither cold nor warm: "What did you call this seat?"
The Directorate of Palace Servants Superintendent put on a smiling face: "In the past, when Xu Wenhe was the Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, he was the Inner Chancellor. Now that you are the Seal-Holding Eunuch, you are naturally the Inner Chancellor."
The Directorate of Palace Servants Superintendent was startled, not daring to reply.
Wu Xiu's fingers stopped knocking, resting on the case file: "In the eleventh year of Jianing, he secretly instructed the Secret Spy Division Zodiac Shan Niu to take twelve volumes of Scriptures from the Trouble-Resolving Tower and quietly bury them in the outskirts of Changsha Prefecture. Half a year later, Mu Gou swaggeringly dug them out, deliberately fleeing with those twelve volumes of Scriptures."
"From Changsha Prefecture to Jinling, it's one thousand seven hundred li of mountain roads. Mu Gou deliberately walked neither fast nor slow, just enough time for the news to spread, just enough for those Jianghu martial artists to take action upon hearing the wind. Just the general outline in the first three volumes provoked a Blood Rain and Foul Wind in the Jianghu, slaughtering until heads rolled."
Jiao Tu was alarmed inwardly: "This was the Inner Chancellor's scheme? You mean those twelve volumes of Scriptures of the Five Rampant Spectral Soldiers?"
Wu Xiu said methodically: "Otherwise what? Jinling has no way to flee the Ning Dynasty by sea, and it's also a heavily guarded town of the Trouble-Resolving Guard. Why would Mu Gou run toward Jinling? Wouldn't that be casting himself into the net?"
Jiao Tu was puzzled: "But those Scriptures ultimately fell into the hands of others, and Mu Gou also died and his path extinguished."
Chang Xiu said smilingly from the side: "Just a few volumes of Scriptures, the Trouble-Resolving Tower has plenty. As for Lord Mu Gou's life... if the Poison Chancellor begrudged the lives of others, he wouldn't be the Poison Chancellor. Twelve volumes of Scriptures and one Mu Gou exchanged for twenty-one years of discord and divided loyalty in the southern faction Jianghu; it was worth it."
Wu Xiu sighed with emotion: "Whether it's Poison Chancellor or Inner Chancellor, they were not self-proclaimed by him; they were spread around the Jianghu over a long time until they stuck. Remember, the Seal-Holding Eunuch is just the Seal-Holding Eunuch, not the Inner Chancellor."
The Directorate of Palace Servants Superintendent hurriedly bowed and said: "This humble official has remembered it."
Wu Xiu knocked on the desk with his hand: "Let's set aside the Morning Newspaper for now, how are things on the Salt Certificate side?"
The Directorate of Palace Servants Superintendent lowered his head and said: "Everything on the Salt Certificate side is actually peaceful. At first, the salt merchants were still worried that after the Salt Certificate Exchange was nationalized by the Imperial Court, accounts would be settled after autumn (retaliation). But Bai Long had given instructions that not a single word of the rules Chen Ji left behind is allowed to change. Gradually, the salt merchants also dropped their guard. However..."
Wu Xiu's gaze turned sharp: "When speaking in front of this seat, pant less."
The Directorate of Palace Servants Superintendent hurriedly said: "Now this Salt Certificate business has almost turned the Salt Quota Registers in the hands of the Eight Great Head Merchants into waste paper. I'm afraid they won't let the matter drop easily. Bai Long said that Chen Ji had long left a backhand for this. Brother Pao once told the Stick Bearers under him to just wait for the Eight Great Head Merchants to cause trouble... but no one knows what this backhand is."
Wu Xiu thought for a moment: "It will take a while for the Eight Great Head Merchants to react, the matter of the Salt Certificates can be put on hold for now. The Morning Newspaper is the most pressing matter... for these few days, deliver the Morning Newspaper to Renshou Palace as usual."
The Directorate of Palace Servants Superintendent's expression changed: "Ah? Me?"
Wu Xiu wore a half-smile: "What, the things you couldn't handle well, you want this seat to cover for you? Go. Rather than shirking responsibility, it's better to think carefully about how to manage the Morning Newspaper well."
The Directorate of Palace Servants Superintendent left in a hurry.
Wu Xiu then looked toward Chang Xiu: "Go meet with Qian Ping of the Three Mountains Society, and have them take over the matter of distributing the Morning Newspaper."
Chang Xiu shook his head instead: "Lord, the Three Mountains Society has always been at odds with our Eunuch Faction. Even when the Inner Chancellor was here, he was too lazy to gnaw on this tough bone."
Wu Xiu nodded, not forcing the issue: "That's true too. Finding a solution to the problem requires the person who started it. For some matters, we still have to let Viscount Wuxiang do it himself. Jiao Tu, Yun Yang, the two of you go arrest a batch from the Red Gate and dismiss a batch. Viscount Wuxiang wants to rely on that bit of Peace Money to be a wealthy old master At Peace with the World; this seat also wants to see if he can truly guard destitution and live a quiet life."
Jiao Tu and Yun Yang cupped their fists: "Yes, these humble officials will go right away."
Footsteps faded into the distance.
The room finally quieted down.
Wu Xiu stood alone behind the desk, his fingers gently stroking across the wood grain on the desktop. That texture had been polished warm and smooth over countless days and nights.
He raised his head, looking at that armchair behind him, looking for a long time.
The chair was very old. The armrests were polished until shiny, and there was a shallow scratch on the backrest, unknown which year it was left behind. The seat cushion had already collapsed, forming a deep indentation from being sat on.
Wu Xiu stared at that chair, ultimately not sitting down. He withdrew his gaze and walked outside.
When he reached the doorway, his footsteps paused, instructing Chang Xiu: "From now on, have memorials and secret reports sent to the Falconry Office. Seal the Trouble-Resolving Tower for now; without my Waist Plaque, no one is allowed to enter or exit."
Chang Xiu smiled and bowed slightly: "Understood."
...
...
Early morning the next day.
In the main hall of the Falconry Office, Wu Xiu sat behind a blackwood desk, leaning over to write Cinnabar Rescripts.
Three stacks of memorials were piled on the desk: the left was already endorsed, the right was waiting to be endorsed, and the middle was what he was currently reading. A cup of tea was placed at the corner of the desk, already completely cold, the tea leaves settled at the bottom of the cup without moving.
Outside the window, the sound of pigeons flapping their wings could be heard from time to time, uninterrupted all morning. In the past, carrier pigeon secret reports were all handled by Bai Long, but now Bai Long had submitted a memorial saying he went to investigate official corruption, and couldn't even be seen.
Footsteps came from outside the Falconry Office. Wu Xiu looked up, just in time to see Jiao Tu and Yun Yang passing through the three-courtyard complex layer by layer, startling the free-range pigeons in the courtyard.
Over ten old locust trees were planted in the courtyard, their branches stretching out to cover half the courtyard.
Jiao Tu and Yun Yang passed through the old locust trees and stood outside the threshold, their expressions somewhat subtle.
Wu Xiu took one look, then continued lowering his head to endorse the memorials, his tone indifferent: "How many Red Gate Stick Bearers did you catch?"
Jiao Tu hesitated for a moment, taking a step forward: "Reporting to the Lord... didn't catch any."
The tip of Wu Xiu's brush stopped.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze shifting from the memorial to land on Jiao Tu's face: "Didn't catch any?"
Jiao Tu felt a bit creeped out by his stare, hurriedly explaining: "Yesterday evening, Brother Pao set up a banquet at Victorious Restaurant in the outer city, calling all the Red Gate Stick Bearers there."
Wu Xiu set down his brush and leaned back.
Jiao Tu carefully chose her wording: "He dismissed everyone. He said in front of everybody, An Ordinary Man is Innocent, Treasuring Jade Makes Him Guilty. If the Stick Bearers continued to band together, sooner or later they would follow in the footsteps of Lucky Auspices and Harmony Guild."
Yun Yang picked up the conversation from the side: "He divided the Peace Money from Liulichang, Eight Great Hutongs, Panjiayuan Ghost Market, and Chongnan Ward among those small sects like Twin Blades Sect, Lost Track Sect, Through-the-Back Sect, and Piercing Feet Sect. Each family governs an area, Well Water Does Not Interfere With River Water. From now on, in the territory of the capital city, there is no more Red Gate."
Wu Xiu raised his eyebrows.
A pigeon outside the window flapped and flew up, the sound of its wings beating exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard.
He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly let out a laugh: "Chen Ji actually has a compassionate heart. He guessed what this seat was going to do. In order to spare those Stick Bearers from the disaster of imprisonment, he simply dispersed everyone."
Jiao Tu and Yun Yang exchanged a look, neither daring to reply.
Wu Xiu picked up the already cold tea and took a sip: "And Brother Pao?"
Jiao Tu nodded: "Brother Pao is now living together with Chen Ji in Liquor Alley. They pitched two Wool Felt Tents in the courtyard. Sleeping inside every day, they don't even find it uncomfortable."
Wu Xiu suddenly asked: "Chen Ji has already dispersed all his family wealth, where did he get the silver to throw a banquet?"
Jiao Tu said helplessly: "I heard the singing girls at Plum Blossom Ferry pooled money together for him."
Wu Xiu closed the memorial in front of him, tossing it to his left hand side: "He actually doesn't find it humiliating. Where is Chen Ji?"
Jiao Tu's expression grew weird: "He went to the Imperial Academy of Medicine first thing in the morning."
Wu Xiu was somewhat surprised: "He's really going to study medicine?"
...
...
Outside the gate of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, Chen Ji looked up at the plaque.
The plaque had black background and gold characters, inscribed with the three large characters 'Imperial Academy of Medicine', the handwriting upright and dignified.
Two wooden couplets were hung on both sides of the door, also with black background and gold characters. The upper couplet read "Inheriting the arts of Qi and Huang, rescuing the world requires profound skill relying on three needles", the lower couplet read "Keeping the spirit plain in heart, Great Power to Bring Back Spring will be renowned for a thousand autumns".
These four words 'Great Power to Bring Back Spring', Chen Ji read with a muddled understanding.
The main gate of the Imperial Academy of Medicine was vermilion red, the lacquer surface mottled, revealing the grey-brown bare wood underneath. The door nails were arranged horizontally and vertically in sevens, standard for a primary rank three government office.
The threshold was very high.
Chen Ji stood outside the threshold without immediately stepping in, only smelling the fragrance of medicine drifting out from the door.
It wasn't a pungent medicinal smell, but a faint fragrance, spilling out in thin threads from the crack of the door, swirling in the autumn morning light.
Chen Ji took a deep breath. He was very familiar with this smell.
The Taiping Medical Clinic also had this smell: Old Yao's medicine cabinet, the bubbling steam from the decoction stove, and the clothes of She Dengke and Liu Quxing, all carried this scent.
He thought for a moment, picked up the Beast-Head Door Knocker, and patted the vermilion lacquered main door.
A Gate Clerk poked his head out from a room, sizing up the grey cloth garments on Chen Ji's body: "Who are you?"
Chen Ji said politely: "This lowly one is Chen Ji, I've come to the Imperial Academy of Medicine to borrow and read Medical Books."
The Gate Clerk ignored what he said, sneering: "Where did this poor and sour scholar come from? The Medical Books of my Imperial Academy of Medicine are precious. You think you can borrow them just by asking? Roll to the side."
Chen Ji stood outside the threshold without arguing, pondering for a moment before turning and leaving.
The Gate Clerk went 'tsks', then ducked back into the room to catch up on sleep.
Two incense sticks of time later, Chen Ji changed into a bright red Qilin Rank Robe, stood in front of the door, and again picked up the Beast-Head Door Knocker on the vermilion lacquered main door to knock.
When the Gate Clerk poked his head out again, Chen Ji pointed to the Qilin Rank Patch on his chest and asked sincerely: "How about now?"
The Gate Clerk's expression changed drastically. He turned and ran toward the depths of the Imperial Academy of Medicine.
"Director! Vice Director! Oh no, Viscount Wuxiang has come!" (End of Chapter)