TBR CH148
Chapter 148: A Young Heart – Far Away, Yet Close at Hand
Here, in the bright moonlight and peach blossom forest, Chu Huaicun shattered all the gloom that enveloped his eyes, seeing the trembling eyelashes of an old friend. Over there, a bitter wind blew, and Mr. Fang, as an old acquaintance, was recognized in the imperial prison.
“My friend, when did you come in?”
Mr. Fang sat cross-legged, his expression genial. “You know, they no longer call me ‘Jade-Faced Bodhisattva’; they call me ‘Living Yama King.’ It’s shameful to admit, but for a mere few million taels of silver, I was convicted and thrown into this imperial prison. Although you look unfamiliar, you surely aren’t capable of only so little.”
These words were indeed somewhat arrogant, as if a few million taels of silver were far beneath his worth.
The other person was the one in the cell opposite Qin Sangzhi. His clothes were dirtier than the soil on the ground. Qin Sangzhi was almost horrified; during his time alone here, the prisoners in the neighboring cells had never uttered a word, making him suspect they were merely breathing corpses.
A pair of malicious eyes scrutinized Mr. Fang repeatedly:
“It’s rare for you and I to be in the same place, both having wandered the jianghu, to be able to exchange a few words. It’s normal for a busy man like Mr. Fang to forget an unknown nobody like me. Moreover, the people in the imperial prison are either half-dead or mad, with one foot already in the grave. Mr. Fang, you are lucky to be assigned here…”
“Oh,” Mr. Fang narrowed his eyes and smiled, “What do you mean by that?”
“Doesn’t Sir know that the Imperial Prison also has different grades?”
The other party had indeed been silent for a long time, like a rusted tool, his voice sounding incredibly rusty.
“Don’t let this place look like hell; it’s actually the highest grade. Most of the people here have powerful backing and merely suffer some superficial pain; very few truly die. In the mid-tier cells, it’s a bloody mess, with bones piled high, having endured countless tortures, their worthless lives now just waiting to die. As for the lowest tier, no news has ever come out of it…”
“So, the condemned prisoners held inside must be extremely heinous and must not be released to cause chaos.”
“Why are you still so unable to tolerate a single grain of sand in your eyes, Sir?”
The other party sneered, “I’ve spent many years in prison, but I happened to see how these people looked when they were brought in. Oh, some were old, some were young, looking terrified and helpless. I don’t think they committed any crimes; I’m afraid they touched some taboo.”
“Oh,” Mr. Fang slowly nodded, “So that’s how it is.”
His indifferent reaction seemed to bore the other party. The cell suddenly fell silent, then a crisp sound echoed clearly in the stillness—the clinking of keys against each other. The other cells were fine, but the person opposite, who had just been staring at Mr. Fang while speaking, now looked at his hand with extreme shock.
Qin Sangzhi’s hands and feet went half-cold beside him.
He only thought of himself getting out, but never expected that the savior sent by Chu Huaicun was a Bodhisattva-like figure who sought to universal salvation, casually displaying their most important ace in the hole to others. He was so pale with anxiety that he desperately tugged at Mr. Fang’s sleeve. However, the other party remained unmoved.
If he got out, Qin Sangzhi thought, he would definitely ask Chancellor Chu to punish him for his mistakes.
The prisoner opposite was speechless for a moment, but his eyes were fixed on the string of keys in Mr. Fang’s hand.
“With your means, my friend,”
Mr. Fang said softly, “once you leave this living hell, how could you be captured again? Even if this is the best cell, it’s no match for a breath of air outside. Do you want to seize the opportunity and try your luck, or do you want to sink and die here?”
Chu Huaicun was, after all, Chu Huaicun.
No matter how many thoughts went through his mind, when he pushed open the door again, he was once more the impeccably dressed Chancellor Chu in the eyes of outsiders. He withdrew his fingers, feeling a slight chill, realizing that it had started raining after midnight, and the rain hadn’t stopped until Ji Ying left, drizzling obliquely on the departing person’s robes.
What a dreary rain, most suitable for lovesickness.
But Chu Huaicun had no leisure for melancholy. Chancellor Chu had risen steadily through the ranks over the years, relying not on self-pity, but on decisive means. The slight chill on his fingertips felt like the touch of memory—Ji Ying’s wet eyelashes.
…It was one thing for Ji Ying to cry, but why couldn’t even he help shedding tears?
These matters couldn’t be dwelled upon, yet they had to be.
The initial joy of having his wish fulfilled quickly dissipated, replaced by Chu Huaicun slowly contemplating the kind of torment the figure in his memory had endured, and with what kind of mindset he curved his lips in front of him. Thinking of the criticism he had suffered, the pain he had experienced, he felt that his own thoughts were not even a fraction of what he had gone through.
He had managed for many years, holding a high position, certainly not to let himself be helpless in such a situation.
Mr. Fang was in the imperial prison, a nail Chu Huaicun had deliberately driven in. But that wasn’t enough. Chu Huaicun intently considered the possibility of going himself for two minutes, then decided to postpone such an absurd decision.
He quietly instructed his confidant beside him:
“Please invite Young Master Liang and the others over; there are important matters to discuss.”
The Chancellor’s residence was like a meticulously operating system, impenetrable like a fortress under years of management and Chu Huaicun’s immense power. Chu Huaicun gave his instructions, and before long, everyone received their assignments, and things began to be implemented intensively. Assembling his advisors was an even easier matter.
Chancellor Chu appeared high and mighty, unstained by worldly dust, but in reality, he knew the lives of his subordinates inside and out. Those who had just joined might be a bit surprised, but after all, he had risen from the military and climbed step by step.
Under his governance, the Chancellor’s residence had a solemn atmosphere, exceptional efficiency, and clear rewards and punishments.
Most remarkably, when someone tried to win over his people, they would find that they were so satisfied with the remuneration and protection Chu Huaicun offered that they simply could not be swayed. Once one entered the Chancellor’s residence, one would realize that Chancellor Chu was notoriously protective of his own.
With such a superior, how could one not exert their utmost effort?
This thought still ran through Liang Kechun’s mind as he stepped through the doorway. He had become familiar with the advisors who had worked under Chu Huaicun since his military days. Although Chu Huaicun held him in high regard, he was neither subservient nor arrogant, but integrated well. When Mr. Fang was still in the Chancellor’s residence, he was surprisingly unconventional, but he still cared a little about Mr. Fang.
These thoughts temporarily dissipated upon seeing the figure in snow-white robes seated high in the bright hall.
Liang Kechun bowed solemnly and said, “Chancellor Chu.”
Chu Huaicun “hmmed” and gestured for them to be seated first. Then, he picked up the scrolls brought by the advisors and read them without missing a single word. If there were any questions, he would ask directly, sometimes even debating with the other party for several rounds. Through several back-and-forths, he gradually sorted out the several major court affairs that had caused unrest this spring.
The military grain case, the imperial examination fraud case, the imperial palace poisoned tea case…
Chu Huaicun’s fingers paused on the name Qin Sangzhi, and he pondered for a moment. He suddenly smiled inexplicably, as if he had understood something.
Combined with the Seventh Prince’s recent performance, the other party’s intentions should have been exposed at that time.
During that time’s winding-stream banquet, he had stayed by Qin Sangzhi’s side.
Thus, it was this prince who meticulously leaked the exam questions, hoping to gain favor through Chancellor Chu’s influence. If successful, he could gradually build up some power from scratch. His intention at the time was probably for Chu Huaicun to swiftly resolve the fraud case and suppress the situation.
After all, Chancellor Chu had previously shown an inexplicable partiality towards Young Master Qin, and this time should have been no exception.
Unexpectedly, Chu Huaicun trusted Qin Sangzhi too much, delaying the opportunity, and subsequently got caught in a tug-of-war with Ji Ying.
His scheme failed, and he had no choice but to lay low, which forced him to resort to despicable means like poisoning. As a prince with no backing, he had little time; the more he delayed, the more he would achieve nothing. His second attempt at least yielded good results on the surface, allowing him to climb onto Chu Huaicun’s high branch.
As for the Eastern Palace, under its bleakness, it instead developed a spirit of desperation.
The Crown Prince had never been allowed to see him, and it was unclear what impediment the poison on Chu Huaicun’s body caused. Chancellor Chu’s attitude changed drastically. Although he was not intelligent, he did have a few capable people around him, and various rumors had even spread throughout the capital.
Chu Huaicun said in a low voice:
“Send an invitation to the Seventh Prince, any pretext will do, just say it’s for a summer banquet. Gentlemen, your experience is deeper than mine, so please draft the guest list and show it to me for approval. The gates of the Chancellor’s residence have been closed for too long; some people are getting restless, and it’s time to let them understand that I am not yet dead, and let them gauge their own capabilities.”
He added: “Oh, and have someone build momentum beforehand, saying that Young Master Qin will make another appearance at this banquet.”
Chu Huaicun’s advisors raised their eyes in surprise. They had personally witnessed how Chancellor Chu, in the previous two years, had exerted his utmost effort and showed meticulous care in matters concerning this young man. Now that Young Master Qin had stumbled, had Chancellor Chu not given up yet? Was he going to regain favor?
However, the situation was unclear, and they would not question Chu Huaicun’s decision.
As everyone left the Chancellor’s residence and went their separate ways, Chu Huaicun sat in the main seat, looking through the open door and seeing that the rain outside had stopped. Only Liang Kechun remained there; he had something else to report to Chancellor Chu.
Although the clues were inexplicably broken, and Mr. Fang had no new news, the young top scholar, Liang, never stopped thinking about those old affairs of the former dynasty. These days, the few pages of material left by old Mr. Wei Gong, including the entire library of old books, were almost worn out from his constant perusal. He felt the clear breaks on the book pages, constantly discarding his previous conclusions in the interplay of light and shadow.
“Chancellor Chu,” Liang Kechun said, “I don’t understand. If the current Emperor’s claim to the throne is illegitimate, why didn’t my teacher speak up? Could it be that the evidence has been lost? I tried to find clues with this line of thought, and then I… I remembered something.”
“What?”
Chu Huaicun asked without a moment’s hesitation.
“I recall that before my teacher was murdered by them, he spent some time lecturing at many prominent aristocratic families. My family was poor, and I secretly received financial support from my teacher. If he brought me along, he wouldn’t bring other disciples, to prevent people from gossiping about me,”
Liang Kechun paused before continuing, “So I didn’t realize it in time. Whether from my perspective or from the perspective of other disciples, it was normal for the teacher to occasionally not bring us to class. I asked the teacher’s disciples from back then, and I discovered that there was only one time when the teacher didn’t bring anyone; he went alone.”
“Young Master Liang means…”
Chu Huaicun leaned slightly forward, staring at the slightly sorrowful eyes of the scholar before him.
“It was the Lin family,” Liang Kechun said. “And it happened to be during that period when my teacher was restless. He must have gone to look for evidence, but his discovery at the Lin family ultimately disappointed him, leading him to abandon the idea of making the matter public. That’s what I think… Although it may not be entirely correct, the key to the current problem is now all focused on the Lin family.”
“…What a pity.”
Liang Kechun continued, “It’s a pity that no one from the Lin family survived back then. It’s said that when the fire broke out, over a hundred people in the Lin family, along with merchants and clerks who happened to be there for business, none of them escaped. The court later counted the names. If even one person, one Lin family descendant who had studied at the villa back then, could provide some clues, perhaps things would take a new turn.”
Chu Huaicun closed his eyes for a moment.
The sword at his waist seemed to sense its owner’s emotions again, now anxiously humming. This sword had accompanied him from his youth until now; indeed, it was somewhat intuitive, even knowing that a name was now at its owner’s lips.
The Lin family members might all be dead, but one person must still be alive; he knew it.
And he would tell Liang Kechun here.
Chu Huaicun sighed silently and said, “Young Master Liang, the person you are looking for is far away, yet close at hand.”
“Ah?” Liang Kechun suddenly looked up, this usually steady scholar’s eyes flashed like lightning for the first time, asking urgently:
“Who is it? Have I seen them before? Is it Mr. Fang? No, the age doesn’t match. Or Qin Sangzhi? Isn’t Young Master Qin too young? It couldn’t be, it couldn’t be Lord Ji, but that’s utterly absurd—”
Liang Kechun rattled off many names, nervously scrutinizing Chu Huaicun’s expression, completely desperate. He even mentioned Old Zhang, the candy seller outside the Chancellor’s residence.
Chancellor Chu rarely curved his lips into a smile, as if spring water was just beginning to flow, and ice and snow were just starting to melt.
He whispered, “It’s me.”
Chu Huaicun’s identity within the Lin family was somewhat complex.
He was a guest whom the eldest son of the Lin family had brought into the residence for a long stay, ostensibly as a benefactor who had saved his life. This meant that although Chu Huaicun was young, most people held him in some respect.
Moreover, the eldest son of the Lin family regarded him with exceptional importance.
It was said that they met during a plague that was severe enough to seal off the city. At that time, one was a graceful gentleman in distress, his expression unchanged even in perilous circumstances; Chu Huaicun was a young swordsman who roamed the city unrestrained, alone and unburdened. It was unclear whether it was the hero saving the beauty or the beauty saving the hero, but a relationship naturally developed.
However, in his youth, Chu Huaicun treated most people with an equally cold indifference. Although the young swordsman possessed a handsome appearance, he exuded an aura that kept people at a distance, and he was also solitary. Consequently, he would skip nine out of ten days of schooling, and Young Master Lin himself would have to retrieve the youth, who was practicing swordplay somewhere unknown.
Although Chu Huaicun himself felt that his relationship with other Lin clan members during that period was unremarkable, he was actually unexpectedly popular at the time.
The disciples who grew up within the courtyard walls had never seen such a free-spirited martial artist who could also wield a sword, and they were utterly captivated. In corners unseen by Chu Huaicun, the Young Master Lin of that time would smilingly decline many invitations for him. The second Young Master Lin, even more uninhibited than his elder brother, had even asked the Lin family elders for Chu Huaicun to be his companion in studies and enter the palace together to be classmates with the imperial grandson.
When Chu Huaicun heard this news, he paused for a moment and asked the person who brought him the message:
“Can I still see you often?”
“The palace rules are not like those at home,” the other said softly, his eyes gentle yet somewhat dim. “Probably not. But whatever the outcome, I hope it’s your decision. This is a good opportunity if you want to make a name for yourself—”
“Then forget it,”
The youth refused without hesitation, “I wasn’t interested in these messy rules anyway.”
The person who heard his answer seemed to have moonlight shine into his eyes, a pristine white.
“Good, the Lin family will always be behind you. You only need to do what you want, and the rest will be left to me. Huaicun, if you are willing to stay by my side, I will give you something inferior to no one, so, hearing your answer…”
He smiled slightly: “I am very happy.”
These memories were like scattered pearls, scattered throughout Chu Huaicun’s mind.
No matter how intertwined his relationship with the Lin family had once been for a period, when the edifice was about to collapse, everything inevitably moved towards its end. He remembered the eyes reflecting the great fire, and the jackal-like gaze of the people patrolling the edge of the fire. He remembered the last lie that person told: they would surely meet again.
The other person forced a smile, but his foot was struck by a falling beam, and his steps towards escape grew slower and slower.
He said, “You go first, I’m tired. I’ll… I’ll catch up later.”
A gentleman restrains himself and conforms to the rites, binding himself with propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame.
You see, Chu Huaicun would think every time he recalled it, how bad he was at lying then. But he forgot to blame himself, because he had guarded those last few words for over ten years.
The fire grew more and more intense, almost swallowing the moon.
In the catastrophe that affected an entire family, only Chu Huaicun, as a visiting guest, finally escaped. His solitary nature helped greatly, because he had never appeared in public as a member of the Lin family, nor was his name recorded in any Lin family roster.
But there was a period of time when his footsteps indeed echoed through the long corridors of the Lin family, and the gleam of his sword illuminated the vibrant peach blossoms of the Lin family.
Therefore, Chu Huaicun, this inexplicable outsider, was, contrary to everyone’s expectations, the one who had intricate ties with the Lin family. Ji Ying was undoubtedly the most crucial person, but Chancellor Chu could also rely on his current identity to personally unveil some of the obscure truths.
He would always ask Ji Ying. Chu Huaicun was eager to see him, to hear him explain everything that had happened. But this did not mean he would reveal his identity to anyone before asking Ji Ying.
This was the most basic respect and trust.
Young Master Liang, the top scholar, was dumbfounded, taking a long time to react, even the words he had half-spoken caught in his throat.
Chancellor Chu then straightened himself slightly, calmly stating:
“Now that you mention it, I do recall something about Mr. Wei Gong’s lecture.”
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