UCTOOT CH56

In the late autumn weather, the hillside was blanketed in yellow wild chrysanthemums.

With Dahuang trailing behind him, Shi Shu walked along, plucking a stem here and there from the green leaves until his hand was clutched full of a dense bouquet.

By the time he arrived and sat by the grave mound, green shoots of grass had already sprouted over the fresh earth.

Setting the plucked wildflowers before the tombstone, the autumn breeze tossing his hair, Shi Shu smiled and spoke: “Pei Wenqing, there’s more good news. Xie Wuchi toured another five prefectures. I heard from the Prince that the land taxes he squeezed out for Dajing amount to at least thirty million taels.”

“Thirty million taels equals an entire year’s revenue for Dajing’s imperial treasury. Part of the silver goes toward training troops and fortifying border defense, as well as disaster relief. The things you wished to see are coming true one by one.”

“You were right! Death isn’t terrifying; having no hope is what’s terrifying. Having hope now is wonderful.”

“…”

After speaking with him, Shi Shu rose to his feet, rubbing his aching calves: “I’m heading back first. I’ll come visit you again in a couple of days, Pei Wenqing.”

Having said his farewell, Shi Shu led Laifu as one man and one dog headed back toward the city. Without realizing it, three months had slipped by. The Eastern Capital had long summers and brief autumns, and signs of incoming winter were already gathering.

Autumn padded clothes had yet to be purchased. Walking along the streets, Shi Shu’s gaze was drawn to a tall pavilion.

The pavilion was adorned with bouquets in celebration of the New Policies touring six prefectures, staging theatrical plays of Xie Wuchi matching wits and brawn against local landlords across the provinces.

Over these three months, Shi Shu discovered that the implementation of the New Policies across the country was known to every soul in the Eastern Capital. Commoners loved nothing more than watching righteous champions clash with corrupt forces. Sure enough, the seats below the crude stage were packed to the brim with spectators, shouting cheers in unison. Actors with chalk-white face powder dressed in crimson stage robes sang their verses, while many young scholars sat to the side, who turned out to be students from the Imperial Academy and National Directorate of Education.

“Is that supposed to be Xie Wuchi? Hahaha, he looks like this?” The actor’s costume was crude; attempting to portray Xie Wuchi’s renowned handsome bearing, it ended up looking greasy and garishly painted instead.

Shi Shu chuckled for a bit before recalling the real Xie Wuchi. Not seeing him for three months was like parting with a college roommate over summer break. Did he miss him?

On stage, an actor bellowed: “Halt! State your name!”

“I am the Imperial Commissioner appointed by the Emperor, here specifically to butcher corrupt dogs larded with fat who ignore the lives of the people!”

“Waaaahhh…”

Singing, chanting, reciting, and pantomiming unfolded on stage; though crude, it drew a rapt crowd of common folk.

To the side, an imperial scholar fluttered his folding fan, elegantly sipping tea with his peers: “Where has Censor Xie toured to now?”

With idle time on their hands, their chatter revolved entirely around the New Policies.

“Judging by past progress, likely Taiyin Prefecture.”

“This Censor Xie vaulted out of nowhere. Who would have guessed that within half a year, he would become a name known to every household in the Eastern Capital!”

“Supposedly he began as a Buddhist monk skilled in occult arts. Otherwise, why would His Majesty favor him so heavily?”

“Hmph? His Majesty, favoring him? His Majesty may value him, yet dozens of memorials impeaching him reach the court daily, and he has barely managed to hold his ground until now. Still, in my view, these glory days of his, soaring like the sun at noon, are not long for this world.” The speaker wore a disdainful, lofty sneer, clearly hailing from a family with court connections.

“Young Master Zhou, stop teasing us! Out with it, what happened to Censor Xie?”

Shi Shu grew curious as well, halting his steps to listen.

“They say the moment he grasped power, he ran wild with his decrees! Do you know how ruthless and precipitous this Censor Xie operates? In Qian’an Prefecture, without a single greeting, he stripped the prefect of his robes on the spot! Then he mobilized troops without authorization! Arriving in Shukang Prefecture, he executed three wealthy gentry on his very first day! He even executed the wealthiest merchant in Shukang. What kind of methods are those? And when he went to Shaoxing Prefecture, everyone knows Shaoxing is teeming with scholars supported by centuries-old Confucian clans like the Xu family. He originally gained momentum through the backing of Old Master Xu Shouchun, yet the moment he arrived, even the Xu family was forced to pay their land taxes. Hasn’t he offended everyone under heaven by now?”

“Makes sense, makes sense. Yet the ancient proverb says: if the Son of Heaven commits a crime, he shares the same guilt as a commoner. Since it’s equalizing land taxes, naturally one person cannot be taxed while another is spared.”

“Foolish! When it comes to officialdom, you still have much to learn!”

Standing on the street listening to him speak, Shi Shu realized that plenty of people harbored such deep resentment toward Xie Wuchi.

To the other side, a poor commoner spat contemptuously: “Whoever slanders Censor Xie merely fears Censor Xie! Just because your own household is rich, you spit venom on Censor Xie? Your position truly dictates your brain.”

“Exactly! What an idiot!”

“Come on, let’s curse him to death!”

“…”

With opinions clashing, the two camps broke into loud bickering. Refusing to get involved, Shi Shu turned and walked away, gazing toward the vast sky: “Xie Wuchi, you really are something. The commoners of the Eastern Capital treat you as a hero, while the wealthy treat you as a demon. The moment people get free time, all they speak of is Xie Wuchi, Xie Wuchi. Even three-year-olds know how to chant your name.”

“Only mediocres avoid jealousy. It’s precisely because you accomplished great feats that everyone talks about you.”

Gazing northward, Shi Shu seemed to peer past rolling peaks to see Xie Wuchi clad in his official robes, eyes downcast amid the bustling crowd, handling affairs with meticulous precision.

Shi Shu’s heart couldn’t help swelling.

Xie Wuchi, the entire Eastern Capital trembles because of you.

You accomplished all this. Your every gesture is watched by all; a single word from you is analyzed by tens of thousands. Countless people try to uncover your past, dissect you, and debate your achievements. They revere you fanatically, or gnash their teeth in burning hatred. Yet none of them can dim your brilliance in the slightest.

Every victory report from you tugs at everyone’s heartstrings. What a staggering feat. A full thirty million taels: not only resolving the treasury’s dire straits, but providing funds to resettle countless disaster victims.

This was what it meant to vault out of nothingness, unleashing three million jade dragons to freeze the heavens into chill.

Truly badass, Xie Wuchi. Shi Shu thought to himself: I admit it, you are the true god of time travel.

“Laifu, let’s go, time to go home.” Lost in his thoughts, Shi Shu returned to the courtyard.

Unlocking the courtyard gate, Shi Shu habitually scanned the ground for letters, but found nothing: “Still no letter? Wasn’t it one every ten days before? It’s been fifteen days already. Did you get too busy and forget all about me?”

Pei Wenqing had passed away a month ago. Not long ago, Shi Shu wanted to look for Xie Wuchi, but Xie Wuchi had sent back a letter containing only two words: Don’t come.

Things on his end seemed bogged down in complex entanglements.

Xie Wuchi’s letters were far milder than his actual behavior. At first, Shi Shu thought he would serialize erotic novels in his missives, but upon opening them, the wording proved placid and polite. Yet considering that letters easily left evidence behind, Shi Shu understood.

Xie Wuchi was exceptionally cautious in his dealings; he surely wouldn’t want anyone discovering that he couldn’t control his lower half in private, right?

“No letter means no letter, whatever. Or are you still holding a grudge?” Rubbing his head, Shi Shu walked inside. It happened to be evening, and Granny Wang next door brought over a bowl of stewed pig’s trotters for him.

If Shi Shu didn’t eat it, Granny would be displeased, so he sat at the table and ate every bite. Over these past two to three months, he had stayed by Pei Wenqing’s side, practicing calligraphy and learning medicine from Lin Yangchun, abandoning athletics to study healing.

On this day, having bustled alongside Lin Yangchun from dawn to dusk, Shi Shu had just returned home when a figure darted in from the door.

“Second Young Master! Second Young Master! Joyous news!”

Shi Shu: “What is it?”

The page boy from the Prince’s estate was drenched in sweat: “Word just arrived! Tomorrow, Censor Xie returns to the Eastern Capital!”

Shi Shu: “What? Isn’t he on a nationwide inspection tour?”

“It’s completely true, carriages and mounts have already reached the lodge outside the city walls! He enters the capital tomorrow!”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, supposedly summoned back by imperial decree for some affair. Anything beyond that is above this servant’s head!”

Shi Shu bolted: “Alright, I’ll go check it out!”

After sprinting a couple of steps, Shi Shu braked hard and doubled back, clearing his throat: “Here’s silver, thanks, xiongdi.”

The page took the money and departed, while Shi Shu darted to the kitchen to boil hot water, inexplicably starting to wash his body and hair.

Washing up, he muttered under his breath: “Sorry, handsome guys pay close attention to personal grooming. Of course I usually pay attention too, but today I really got dirty, so taking a bath and washing my hair is only proper.”

“Damn it, why am I fussing over this?”

“Still, that’s just how handsome guys roll.”

“This has zero to do with Xie Wuchi coming back! Even if we’re roommates, when friends haven’t seen each other in a long time, washing your hair before meeting is basic courtesy, right?”

Shi Shu picked out clean clothes, dried his hair over the brazier, and bolted straight toward the city gates.

The official guesthouse outside the city was designated specifically for traveling officials to rest. Spotting the gray-tiled eaves, official markers, and carriages, Shi Shu slowed his pace, trying to feign complete nonchalance: “Did I run too fast? It makes it look like I’m desperate to see him. We were fighting before we parted!”

“Still, just standing here wasting time is pointless.”

Having not seen Xie Wuchi for so long, Shi Shu felt somewhat hesitant.

Perhaps because he wasn’t watching where he was going, his shoulder was slammed hard, nearly knocking him off the path.

“Hey! What are you doing! Watch where you’re going!” Shi Shu winced in pain.

In the gloom, a familiar voice sounded: “Oh, it’s dark and I didn’t see clearly. It’s the Second Young Master!”

Shi Shu looked closely: “Zhou Xiang, Li Fu?!”

Li Fu snapped sourly: “None other than this servant. Why isn’t the Second Young Master staying in the courtyard? We were just heading back to pack our things. The Master has been stripped of his censor post, so he has no use for servants anymore. Had I known this would happen, I wouldn’t have bothered leaving the Censorate!”

A blast detonated in Shi Shu’s mind, grabbing his wrist violently: “You said Xie Wuchi was stripped of his post?”

Smack! His hand was swatted away as Li Fu muttered impatiently: “Still asking? Was my voice too soft? You heard me clearly.”

Fury flared in Shi Shu: “Explain it clearly!”

Seeing him truly furious, Li Fu shrank back with shifting eyes: “An imperial edict demoted him all the way from Taiyin Prefecture back to the Eastern Capital. He is now a convict awaiting trial, to be sent to the Ministry of Justice prison tomorrow for exile. That’s the long and short of it.”

“Damn it!”

Shaking his hand off, Shi Shu strode toward the guesthouse. Zhou Xiang called from behind: “We’re heading to the courtyard to collect our belongings.”

“Wait there!”

Without turning back, Shi Shu reached the entrance of the guesthouse, where bailiffs barred the door: “No entry!”

Deeply irritated, Shi Shu yelled outside the official archway: “Ge!”

Knowing he was Xie Wuchi’s biological didi, the bailiffs showed some courtesy and refrained from shoving him away: “Just leave! The imperial court has its regulations!”

Shi Shu: “I’m not leaving!”

What on earth happened? Why did Xie Wuchi, whose tour brought non-stop victory reports, suddenly get demoted? Could it be a lie? How was that possible? Working day and night on the New Policies to spare the common folk while filling the state treasury, Shi Shu had seen all his hard work firsthand. He raised so much silver to train the army, provide disaster relief, and build defenses, so why was he abruptly stripped of his rank?

“I need to go inside and see him!”

“We said no entry! Leave!”

Shi Shu kicked the stone lion by the steps, heart pounding wildly, glaring with pure fury at the men. Amid the commotion, a creak sounded from behind the wooden door.

“…Regulations must be followed, Lord Xie. Please do not make things difficult for this humble officer.”

“My didi misses me dearly. A brief meeting will suffice.”

Shi Shu looked up. From behind the door emerged a tall figure draped in plain, snow-white silk, holding a delicate bone lantern in one hand. His silhouette stood out with crystalline clarity against the night, accompanied by the metallic clink of chains with every step, backed by the somber gray bricks and dark eaves.

Xie Wuchi.

Not having seen him for three months, he stood by the doorway with a calm, composed expression, lowering his eyes to meet Shi Shu’s gaze.

“Xie Wuchi, what on earth…”

Shi Shu froze mid-sentence. Over these three months, Shi Shu had frequently recalled Xie Wuchi’s blunt propositions: “Want to hook up to celebrate?” “Sleep with me.” Seeing him now, having shed his crimson robes for plain, austere white garments, seeing him after so long stirred an unexpected sense of unfamiliarity.

And the more unfamiliar he seemed, the more provocative those lingering memories felt.

Shi Shu stammered: “How did you end up like this?”

Turning a strand of bodhi prayer beads through his fingers, shifting them one by one, Xie Wuchi asked evenly: “Why did you come here?”

Shi Shu: “People from the Prince’s estate told me you were back. I never imagined you had your official hat stripped and were escorted to the capital under guard.”

Shi Shu was generally carefree, but parting without seeing Xie Wuchi had effectively been a quarrel. Unsure of what tone to adopt, he spoke normally, trying to discern the emotion behind Xie Wuchi’s words.

Xie Wuchi: “Mm. My circumstances are not very good. Stay inside the courtyard over the next few days to keep out of the storm; wait until it blows over before stepping out.”

“Keep out of what? Wait out what? What happened to you?!”

“Stay clear of my misfortune. Less than six months into the New Policies, the core figures are being purged from court one by one. Now it is my turn.”

“You!”

How could this happen? How could it end up like this… Hadn’t everything been going so well? Hadn’t hope surged, sweeping away the decaying gloom of Dajing?

“Lord Xie, His Majesty decreed that Lord Xie is forbidden from meeting with anyone…”

With voices urging from behind, Xie Wuchi was constrained on all sides as a state prisoner under guard. Casting another glance at Shi Shu, Xie Wuchi turned back: “Once word of me arrives in a few days, come visit me in the prison.”

Shi Shu suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs: “Xie Wuchi! Halt!”

The shout was so brazenly disrespectful that it brought Xie Wuchi to a stop, while the surrounding officials looked up in surprise.

Shi Shu: “Are you going to die?!”

“I do not know.”

Shi Shu finally caught the detachment and distance in his words. Throwing caution to the wind, he blurted out: “Why are you talking to me like this? Because I refused to do that with you, are you holding a grudge?!”

The onlookers pricked up their ears to catch the gossip: “That?”

Do what?

What could it be?

Xie Wuchi looked at him. After three months apart, there seemed little to say. Lowering his eyes in thought, he finally smiled faintly: “I hold no grudge. In fact, I wanted to apologize. During that time, the fault was mine; I bullied you.”

Shi Shu: “Huh?”

“Lord Xie…” The guards urged in hushed tones again. Xie Wuchi gave a slight nod, looked at him once more, then turned and walked into the holding chamber: “Come find me at the Ministry of Justice in a few days.”

Left alone on the steps, Shi Shu watched the heavy door close once more, his heart hammering in his chest, unable to unravel the lingering tremors inside him.

It was that same vintage tavern again. Shi Shu sat sipping tea with a bamboo hat slung over his back. This place was the gathering hub where imperial scholars voiced political critique.

Keeping an eye on the time, Shi Shu waited in anxious anticipation. Before long, that same elegant gentleman entered fluttering his folding fan, taking a seat by the window. Shi Shu immediately shifted to the neighboring table.

“Pardon me, could you spare this table for me? I’ll pay you, thanks!”

Knowing this man’s family held deep ties in the imperial court, Shi Shu sat close, listening in.

“The court has been turbulent as stormy seas lately, one wave rising while another crashes.”

“The biggest matter…”

“Why were the New Policies halted all of a sudden? I heard that Censor Xie was escorted back to the Eastern Capital under guard!”

“Not just him! All reform officials were stripped of their posts and demoted. The New Policies will likely fall apart. It’s simple logic: most of the wealthy gentry are retired court officials closely tied to the ruling faction! On the surface it targets landlords’ fields, but in reality it slices flesh from these officials!”

“So this Censor Xie was doomed from the start. Accomplishing such monumental feats is already extraordinary.”

So that was it… so that was it… Shi Shu sipped his tea with trembling fingers. Listening to them talk, a voice cried out inside his heart: Will Xie Wuchi die? Was he purged by the ruling faction in this power struggle?

“Hmph, word is that over these past few months, memorials impeaching reform officials never stopped! Especially against this arrogant Censor Xie; at the peak, over a hundred memorials targeted him in a single day! Accusing him of being tyrannical, ruthless, and bloodthirsty, slaughtering gentry everywhere he went until people trembled at the mere mention of his name! What chilling bloodlust!”

The young gentleman snapped his fan shut: “Opposing the entire civil and military court was like a mantis trying to halt a chariot! Far away in the provinces while hundreds of officials submitted petitions, dripping water carves stone, and public slander melts gold.”

“Demotion was inevitable.”

“Indeed, indeed!”

“I heard that the other day over a hundred officials threatened collective resignation! Is that true?”

“Of course it’s true! Claiming His Majesty favored an ‘occult monk’ who disrupted court governance, trampled upon the dignity of scholars, and plunged the realm into unrest. With such massive accusations leveled against him, who could withstand it?”

“His Majesty’s resolve must have been worn down over these months, leaving him no choice but to summon him back for punishment to appease the court’s wrath…”

Another voice whispered conspiratorially with a chin tilt:

“Besides, the Prime Minister has always opposed reforms. How could he ever allow the reform faction to climb over his face?!”

“If the reform faction rises, other factions collapse! How could they permit reforms to take root?”

“Furthermore, auditing thirty million taels in land taxes was enough for them! There was no stomach to push further!”

“…”

Setting down his teacup, Shi Shu stood up and walked outside, the chilly autumn wind tossing his hair. The seasons in the Eastern Capital remained as unfamiliar as ever, and human hearts remained as cold as ever.

That magnificent vision: opening new revenue streams, equalizing land taxes, filling the state coffers, delivering the nation from peril, and rescuing the populace from starvation—such a monumental pillar had collapsed in a single roar.

Gazing across the street, Shi Shu could almost picture hundreds of high officials kneeling in the Golden Throne Hall. Because their personal fortunes were trimmed and their status threatened, they bred bitter hatred and launched endless assaults, crying out over their memorials in the court.

“This so-called Censor Xie and his New Policies harm the state and ruin the people! Fostering hatred against the gentry, cutting down the scholarly legacy, and misleading the masses with sorcery! Though he secured silver, he has destabilized the nation. This is truly a catastrophe for all living souls!”

“Your Majesty must never, for the sake of these millions in silver, indulge a wandering monk to trample upon Dajing’s meritorious ministers and wound the rule of benevolence and righteousness!”

“Among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, scholars stand first! How can we seize the wealth of scholars and break the hearts of all literati under heaven?!”

“Your Majesty, this minister begs for the abolition of the New Policies!”

“Your Majesty…”

“…”

Hundreds of memorials demanding the abolition of the New Policies. Personnel were recalled from the provinces, transferred, demoted, or exiled. In the tenth year of Taikang, barely six months into the New Policies, it all came to an end.

The autumn wind blew bleak. Shi Shu walked along the walls to the side courtyard of the Ministry of Justice yamen, guided through a dark, deep corridor toward a prison cell door.

Inside, a figure sat among the straw clad in prisoner’s garb: Xie Wuchi. The only light inside the cell came from the pale beam slanting through the high window, and he sat beneath that beam, turning the dark, aged bodhi prayer beads in his hand.

Clap, clap, clap.

Shi Shu approached, clapping his hands: “Xie Wuchi, half a year, and it’s your second time visiting this cell.”

Xie Wuchi looked up at him: “Sit.”

Brushing away the dust, Shi Shu sat down opposite him outside the bars. Having not seen him in three months, Xie Wuchi felt strangely distant, as if they weren’t well acquainted, an unexpectedly sharp gap separating them.

Shi Shu: “Being friends with you is great, but I’m constantly worried you’re going to die.”

Xie Wuchi said evenly: “I will not. The Emperor’s decree has arrived: exile of three thousand li, dispatched to the border of Taiyin Prefecture.”

Shi Shu repeated each word slowly: “Exile of three thousand li?”

“Taiyin Prefecture lies on the border between Dajing and the Min, a place where sandstorms howl and herds follow water and grass, the strategic border defense zone of Dajing. Exiled to Taiyin Prefecture for military servitude, I must walk there on foot within a two-month deadline. This is my offense alone; it does not implicate you.”

“…”

Shi Shu clutched his hair, falling silent.

Sometimes, he genuinely felt he couldn’t comprehend what people were saying.

Damn it, why did people speak in such baffling ways?

Shi Shu sought confirmation: “You’re saying you’ve been exiled three thousand li? A feat of thirty million taels in silver, traded for exile of three thousand li?”

Xie Wuchi remained serene, twisting the bodhi beads in his palm: “Entering the struggle for power, I prepared myself to accept the outcome. The rise and fall of officialdom is perfectly normal.”

Shi Shu stared unblinkingly: “What do you plan to do?”

“I am exiled, but you should simply remain in the Eastern Capital. The house and funds are all yours. His Majesty demoted me publicly, yet privately rewarded twenty myriad taels in silver. I converted it into banknotes to be given to you, enough for you to live carefree in the Eastern Capital for years.”

“Holy fucking shit, Xie Wuchi!” Shi Shu held his forehead: “You…”

Xie Wuchi’s obsidian eyes watched him, his pupils reflecting Shi Shu’s silhouette.

“Exile of three thousand li… Even if I haven’t been exiled, haven’t I watched TV? Lin Chong being exiled to Cangzhou, marching in wooden cangues from dawn to dusk, walking three thousand li on foot. What kind of torment is that? And you just brush it off so lightly?”

Xie Wuchi: “What else should I do?”

Shi Shu looked up at him: this gambler of power, this demon cloaked in white robes. Knowing the ending would be grim, why did he insist on taking part? Unimaginable torment and punishment, yet he wore an expression of complete nonchalance, scheming with full confidence within. What on earth was he thinking?

Fleeing Xiangnan Temple in the night to seek help, he had run straight to a supreme demon.

Shi Shu stared at him. Catching his gaze, Xie Wuchi smoothed his collar unhurriedly, his features still holding the icy aloofness of a flower atop an inaccessible peak. His expression seemed cool and detached, yet his Adam’s apple bobbed, his collar revealing fair collarbones, broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His physique radiated the raw, masculine allure of a male fox.

Ascetic yet fiercely sensual.

Xie Wuchi looked down at him for a moment and said, “You didn’t want to hook up with me, but I wasn’t angry.”

Shi Shu turned a deaf ear: “When do you leave?”

Xie Wuchi: “Within three days.”

“I’m going with you.”

“No need.”

“Haha! You don’t get the final say on that. I’m heading back to pack my things.”

“If you truly want to know, I’m profoundly disappointed in this world. I only want to walk beside you.”

Xie Wuchi’s fingers had been twisting the bodhi beads the entire time. In the practice of self-cultivation, inner stillness was the supreme realm: neither rejoicing in gain nor grieving in loss, pursuing a chosen path with unwavering resolve, shutting out all external distractions.

In that instant, his fingertips stilled.