TBR CH135

Mr. Fang stepped over the threshold of the Chancellor’s study and saw the newly appointed Young Liang Tanhua hunched over a pile of papers filled with winding symbols, completely engrossed and motionless. Chancellor Chu emerged from the inner room, raising a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence, indicating that he should come out to talk.

“After Mr. Fang went out to attend to business, I couldn’t persuade Young Master Liang,”

Chu Huaicun said with a hint of helplessness, “He insisted on continuing to work with your translated findings. Although the effort you put in is something he can’t match in a short while, it’s hard to ignore his diligent efforts…”

Deciphering the secret text left by Wei Gong was important, but working day and night was also inefficient.

Chancellor Chu had seen Ji Ying from afar on the street, and a thought struck him, giving him this idea. Young Liang Tanhua greatly approved of Chancellor Chu’s decision, but looking at the empty desk, he couldn’t help but be drawn to it.

“Ah. This is good too.”

Mr. Fang had already washed off his disguise as the blind storyteller. His eyes, now tempered by years, gleamed with a touch of cunning and wisdom, as if possessing the power to see into people’s hearts:

“Liang Kechun is a talent; Chancellor Chu has a discerning eye and was not mistaken. Yesterday, I asked him to help me organize the translated manuscript, and he actually managed to point out errors in it. It’s truly…”

His voice lowered: “He could—he could be a prime minister.”

Only Mr. Fang could speak to Chu Huaicun like this, following the rules of the jianghu. But when the old man said this, he involuntarily lowered his voice, leaning close to Chu Huaicun, a secretive look on his face, his words abruptly breaking off into a deafening silence.

Then, Mr. Fang’s voice once again sounded calmly:

“Chancellor Chu, at this moment, you wish to contend with His Majesty, and engage in a life-and-death struggle with His Royal Highness Prince Duan, is that right?”

Chu Huaicun understood his meaning almost instantly. Chancellor Chu, dressed in snow-white, nodded slightly. An aura of coldness, like snow on branches, emanated from him, and he was as cool to the touch as jade:

“With His Royal Highness Prince Duan, it cannot yet be called a life-and-death struggle.”

Such treasonous words, spoken from the mouth of the now immensely powerful Chancellor Chu, surprisingly carried a hint of modesty. Mr. Fang silently stared at the son of his old friend for a moment. In his mind, he suddenly saw again the boy he had witnessed back then, attempting to sever the neck of the person who had stolen his food with half a blade concealed in his hand:

“The current Crown Prince, he lacks the military talent you possess, Chancellor Chu, and has no capable scholars to rely on apart from you and his maternal clan’s influence. But who doesn’t know that Chancellor Chu despises royal law and disregards princes and nobles? I ask you, using your master’s name, are you truly without ambition… for that position?”

Chancellor Chu understood why so many people had been deceived by Mr. Fang. He became serious, his expression no longer carrying that deliberately feigned air of mysticism. His silver-white beard trembled slightly in the air, his gaze sharp and piercing.

He simply told the truth: “Indeed, I have no such ambition.”

Mr. Fang seemed about to let out a sigh, but then remembered something halfway through, and his expression dimmed slightly:

“I’m not intentionally making things difficult. Among the present princes, the Seventh Prince is still young, the Crown Prince is someone Chancellor Chu knows best, and Prince Duan was once defeated by Chancellor Chu. But if you truly harbor inappropriate ambitions because of these things, that would be an act against all under heaven.”

“Mr. Fang is right,” Chu Huaicun said calmly, “An improper name leads to an unrighteous word; it would be despised by all under heaven.”

“Even if compelled by my authority, no one would dare to openly question me, but the limit of a subject’s ambition is just this far. To sit on that position, the most essential thing is a legitimate claim. The world is vast, not just one capital; even if I possess immense power, there will be endless opponents coming before me whom I cannot kill. Only by maintaining the current state—”

Mr. Fang sighed, “It’s just, alas, I shouldn’t have brought it up on my own initiative. Chancellor Chu’s considerations are much deeper than mine.”

“If I die,” Chu Huaicun, instead, continued calmly, his dark hair falling like splashed ink, forming a stark contrast with his snow-white robe and the warm luster of his jade pendant, “I will do my best to ensure your safety for a hundred years. At that time, I will have to rely heavily on Mr. Fang.”

“Pah!” Mr. Fang immediately spat heavily, expressing his displeasure at the inauspicious words, “Those words don’t count.”

His master also used this method to dispel ill omens from his mind, but Chancellor Chu was reminded of someone else. The eldest son of the Lin family had been taught elegance and propriety since childhood. When he first interacted with Chu Huaicun, who had traveled the jianghu, he would always be uncomfortable with the young man’s stark descriptions of blood and death. But of course, he couldn’t use such a crude method to amend what he had said.

That person would later cover his mouth with a hand when he mentioned something unpleasant, his movements still gentle and graceful, but his expression filled with worry and anxiety, gently correcting him not to speak such self-cursing words.

The noble young master, pure as the bright moon and gentle breeze, was so fair and clear even in his admonitions, yet Chu Huaicun found himself utterly helpless against this tactic.

Chu Huaicun, slightly recovering from his memories, then heard Mr. Fang exasperatedly shout, “I shouldn’t have brought up such distant matters, Chancellor Chu! This is all because you wanted me to convey a message to Young Master Ji, making even me anxious and uneasy.”

That person in his memory flickered slightly, transforming into Ji Ying, whom Mr. Fang just mentioned. With just a thought, that face, grim and pale, wrapped in a deep purple official robe, appeared before Chancellor Chu.

Even Chu Huaicun was a little surprised at how profoundly Ji Ying had imprinted himself in his mind.

“Even?”

Chancellor Chu paused slightly, then naturally repeated.

“Ai,” Mr. Fang sighed dramatically again, “Chancellor Chu’s idea wasn’t wrong. Young Master Ji did cooperate a lot. The toxicity in his body, unsuppressed by the silver needles, indeed resurfaced. But after this whole ordeal, he’s fine. However, Chancellor Chu should have guessed it, Young Master Ji was angered by your words.”

…That was indeed the reaction he expected Ji Ying to have.

“I tell you young people,” Mr. Fang began to lament the decline of morality again, “why are you always caught up in grudges and grievances all day? Think about it yourself, asking him not to avoid you is one thing, but is Chancellor Chu’s way of comforting him to tell him that you will both be disgraced after death, leaving infamous pages in historical records, so there’s no need to feel burdened now?”

Chu Huaicun lowered his eyes: “I don’t think I said anything that excessive.”

“What’s the difference? He’s a patient,” Mr. Fang said, “You don’t know how pale his face turned when he heard that.”

He then intently studied Chu Huaicun’s expression for a while. Seeing that Chancellor Chu showed no sign of remorse, he tried to persuade him with a tone of disappointment, “Chancellor Chu, this is not how you pursue someone. If you want Young Master Ji not to push you away because he thinks he ‘won’t have a good ending,’ you need to clarify your feelings and then express them to him.”

Chu Huaicun was silent for a moment: “Who told you I was pursuing him?”

This sounded even worse. Mr. Fang’s moral bottom line was not much left, but Chu Huaicun seemed to be precariously testing its limits with every word. They kissed, Mr. Fang thought, they held hands, they were alone together. Chu Huaicun even asked him to treat this treacherous official who should have been irreconcilable with him. Now, to try and distance himself, who would believe it?

“Is there anything else you two haven’t done?” Mr. Fang counted on his fingers. “Chancellor Chu, think if there’s any shred of innocence left in your relationship. Besides the final step, alas, at my age, I really shouldn’t be saying this, but you are my old friend’s adopted son after all—”

Chancellor Chu, for perhaps the first time in his life, felt something akin to guilt. He cleared his throat, his expression unchanged.

In truth, that final step had probably already been taken.

Chu Huaicun truly possessed a handsome appearance, and one that exuded an air of aloofness and untouchability. Mr. Fang scrutinized him for a moment and found himself somewhat hesitant. After all, he appeared too noble, ethereal, and cold as ice; if he claimed to have never felt emotion, it would seem plausible. The old man hastily shook his head, clearing his thoughts:

“In short, if Chancellor Chu doesn’t figure it out soon, I’m afraid…”

“Afraid of what?” Chu Huaicun’s gaze shifted slightly.

Mr. Fang smiled cunningly, like a fox who had cultivated for many years: “Before I left, I asked Young Master Ji if he had any message he wanted me to convey to Chancellor Chu. He told me to give you a message.”

“A very important message?”

Chu Huaicun spoke with a hint of a sigh.

“Yes,” Mr. Fang said, “a very important message, but, such messages usually come with conditions.”

“This message is probably the same, then?”

Mr. Fang smiled slightly, with a touch of jianghu flair: “How could it be an exception for Chancellor Chu?”

At three quarters past酉時 (around 6:45 PM), night had already enveloped the entire capital city, the shadows cast by the eaves even deeper than elsewhere. At this time, three things happened.

The first was Ji Ying turning the tables, wanting to send a message to Chancellor Chu through Mr. Fang’s mouth. But to know what that message was, a condition had to be met. The second thing happened in the interim before the first was resolved. Before Chu Huaicun could respond, he heard a clattering sound from the inner room.

Liang Kechun had been quietly translating inside; why would such a noise suddenly come from him?

The accidental interlude arrived with extreme cleverness, perfectly pulling Chancellor Chu from his thoughts for a brief respite. Chu Huaicun and Mr. Fang walked into the inner room together and saw Liang Kechun standing, propped against the table, his eyes staring straight ahead. The papers and brush on the desk were in disarray, a few books on the edge had been pushed to the floor, along with an innocent inkstone. He hadn’t even noticed that someone was standing in front of him.

Chu Huaicun took one look and relaxed.

It was good news. Liang Kechun’s eyes were filled with uncontrollable ecstasy, as if he had finally discovered the mystery of this script, or had deciphered Mr. Wei’s secret text. His entire body trembled with excitement; he couldn’t even hold a book steady, and had knocked over the inkstone again.

“—Young Master Liang.”

“Chancellor Chu,” his soul seemed suddenly called back to reality, his eyes lighting up, “I understand! I understand where the possibility of deciphering what the master left is. The master prepared all this for me. This book is extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive to study, but there’s a simple path, one the master taught me before. I should have discovered it earlier. Give me the paper now, I…”

He was almost incoherent. Chu Huaicun calmly guided him with a few words until he finally spoke clearly.

Mr. Fang, meanwhile, let out a soft “hmph” beside them. He had spent so many days on this task, only to be suddenly surpassed by a young man. However, he wasn’t truly displeased; on the contrary, he greatly admired Liang Kechun:

“Let me see,” Mr. Fang naturally took Liang Kechun’s manuscript to examine it.

Chu Huaicun had no intention of disturbing them, nor of adding to the chaos. He had no interest in deciphering unfamiliar languages, and frankly, no talent for it either. But he couldn’t remain there waiting for a result, because at that very moment, the third thing happened. The Chancellor’s butler came to report, whispering to Chancellor Chu: Young Master Qin Sangzhi is here to see Chancellor Chu, waiting in the reception room.

He wouldn’t come without a reason.

Why had he come? Naturally, it was for the imperial examination question leak.

Chu Huaicun walked from the study to the reception room, passing through the large peach grove. Even though it was already enveloped by night, the thin silver moonlight fell between the branches, spreading a beautiful, rich color. From early spring when he plucked a peach branch to give to Ji Ying until now, most of the flowers in the peach grove had bloomed, weighing down the branches heavily, and even the ground was covered with tiny pink and white petals.

If he were to come again, Chu Huaicun thought, he could give him a real peach blossom. Clean and beautiful.

He quickly walked past the peach grove and arrived at the reception room.

As soon as he entered, he heard Qin Sangzhi’s clear and cold voice. He always paid attention to his public persona, and though his voice was slightly unsteady at this moment, he still maintained a confident demeanor, saying to Chancellor Chu:

“I believe only Chancellor Chu will trust my innocence and seek justice for me.”

However, today, Chu Huaicun’s reaction seemed unusually slow. Regardless of Qin Sangzhi’s various hints, although Chancellor Chu agreed, expressing no doubt in him, he did not make the promise Qin Sangzhi desired. Qin Sangzhi didn’t want to speak directly, fearing losing face, but watching time gradually pass, he couldn’t help but grow anxious:

“It is said that all suspects will be sent to the imperial prison,” Qin Sangzhi’s eyes widened, his light blue robe lightly stirring with his anxiousness, “After being in the imperial prison, whose reputation remains untainted?”

“The clear will remain clear,” Chu Huaicun said, “Young Master Qin will surely receive a just judgment.”

He spoke calmly, as if truly and genuinely trusting the other party.

Qin Sangzhi was frantic. His fingernails dug tightly into the fabric of his robe. Finally, he struggled to get straight to the point:

“Chancellor Chu, I can’t… you know I can’t, you must help me. That imperial dog Ji Ying is now arresting people everywhere, throwing them into the imperial prison. Make him… make him get out of my territory. Such a reversal of black and white, slandering loyal officials, I absolutely cannot be involved in such a matter!”