Shi Mingyuan clutched the secret report from Jiangnan, his fingertips whitening from the strain. The contents made fury surge in his heart… Li Du, a scholar from a poor family, had actually dared to deceive him! The Yan family turned out to be a centuries-old great clan of Jiangnan.
“The Yan clan of Jiangnan, a century-old tradition of upright scholars, a family of scholars and books, founders of the White Deer Academy, holding half of Jiangnan’s literary heritage…”
Every word seemed to mock him. He, too, had been far too trusting. Shi Mingyuan secretly counted himself lucky that he had not yet made a move against Yan Shu.
A centuries-old clan, though based in Jiangnan, carried an influence not to be underestimated. Not to mention the White Deer Academy founded by the Yan family, which was renowned even in the capital… many high-ranking officials and nobles who wanted to send their sons there had been turned away. Of the civil faction at court, many had come from the White Deer Academy. How could a mere Vice Minister’s Residence easily get the better of them!
After a moment’s thought, he understood exactly what Li Du had been calculating… nothing more than the fear that, once Shi Mingyuan learned of the Yan family’s might, he would abandon helping him eliminate Yan Shu, dissolve the marriage alliance with the Li family, and cut off the road to success he sought through the Vice Minister’s Residence. What a selfish, short-sighted fool!
Just then, the butler’s excited announcement came from beyond the door: “Master! Great news! The son-in-law has placed First Class second in the imperial examinations… second-place scholar!”
The anger on Shi Mingyuan’s face faded, replaced by hesitation. Second place was an excellent ranking, too. He immediately pressed further: “Do you know who the top scholar is?”
“…It is, it is the Jiangnan scholar Yan Shu.” The butler’s voice suddenly dropped. He knew the residence had recently been searching high and low for Yan Shu, who seemed to be at odds with the son-in-law, and he couldn’t help cautiously watching Shi Mingyuan’s expression.
Of course it was Yan Shu! Shi Mingyuan waved the butler away and sat alone in his grand chair, his expression shifting between light and dark. He was pleased that Li Du had earned second place, yet furious that Li Du had forged a death feud with Yan Shu, and wary of the Yan family behind him.
For Yan Shu to have survived such desperate straits, then to seize the top honor right after recovering from grave injuries… this young man’s temperament and learning were both extraordinary. And after so many days of searching, the residence had found nothing at all. Who, then, was the person behind Yan Shu?
If not for Yan Shu, he would have been perfectly satisfied with Li Du’s second place as the son-in-law of his Vice Minister’s Residence.
“Send more men!” Shi Mingyuan was still unwilling to give up. “Track down the officials who went to announce the good news at Yan Shu’s residence, and investigate carefully for me! We must uncover the person behind him! Also look into the Yan family’s connections in the capital, and who they associate with.”
At the same time, at the Yan family’s residence in the capital… the Orchid Garden
With the help of the Yan family’s connections in the capital, built up over many years, as well as the information secretly passed along by Li Wenruo, Yan Li’s side had uncovered evidence of the crimes of Madam Shi’s natal family… the Wu family in the west of the city… in lending out usurious loans and driving more than ten people to their deaths. Each time, Vice Minister Shi had used his power to suppress the matter, and of course, most of the yearly profits had also gone into Vice Minister Shi’s pockets.
The sun sank in the west, and dusk closed in from every side.
The spy sent by Shi Mingyuan finally brought back word: “Master, we’ve found it! That Yan Shu… has been hiding all along in a courtyard in Liquan Ward in the west of the city! Today when the results were posted, I noticed the guards who came out of the courtyard… from their dress, they should be men of the Pingyang Marquis Residence.”
“The Pingyang Marquis Residence? Shen Ji?” Shi Mingyuan was startled at first, then unexpectedly felt a weight lift from his heart, disdain flashing in his eyes.
So it was that newly risen, frail, and helpless Heir of the Marquis Residence? Merely a brat who’d had a stroke of luck and toppled his stepmother. The Marquis Residence had long since declined, holding an empty title without real power… in the deep waters of the capital, it counted for nothing. He had inadvertently learned that Prince Duan wanted to eliminate Shen Ji, though for reasons unknown, the prince had yet to make a move.
By this measure, the Yan family in the capital was nothing much either. Shi Mingyuan suddenly recalled the “Lanruo Powder” that his subordinate had brought back from the southern frontier last Mid-Autumn Festival.
It was said that with the slightest contact, this poison would paralyze a person entirely, leaving them unable to move, their organs failing from within, and killing them within the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Moreover, it was difficult to detect and was often mistaken for sudden death from heart palpitations.
Using this poison against Shen Ji would be perfect… after all, the entire capital knew that Heir Shen had been frail and weak since childhood, with an affliction of the heart and lungs.
Why should the Vice Minister’s Residence act with its own hands? This was precisely killing with a borrowed knife, severing Yan Shu’s support in the capital. It would also conveniently curry favor with Prince Duan… who wouldn’t want the merit of assisting a future emperor? Then the Vice Minister’s Residence could go even further.
Shi Mingyuan pondered for a moment, ruthlessness and calculation flashing in his eyes.
The night was pitch black. He changed into an inconspicuous dark-colored casual robe, took a small sedan chair, and made his way silently toward Prince Duan’s Residence.
…
In the blink of an eye, the Deer Cry Banquet arrived.
Within the palace grounds, golden-yellow and vermilion silk curtains hung aloft, brand-new eight-treasure colored-glass palace lanterns sparkled with brilliance, and white marble balustrades were tied with large red silk flowers… a scene of resplendent glory, showcasing the extraordinary grandeur of an imperial celebration.
At the third quarter past noon, the auspicious hour had arrived. Outside the Chengtian Gate of the Taiji Palace, the sound of great bells and mighty drums thundered, resounding through the heavens and drowning out every hushed whisper. The ritual official’s high, drawn-out chant of “Ascend the hall… enter the banquet…” was passed layer by layer along the white-marble imperial roadway.
The newly enrolled examination scholars, dressed in brand-new blue scholar’s gowns, were guided by officials of the Court of State Ceremonies, heads bowed and eyes lowered, breath held, as they filed one after another into the hall.
The civil and military officials had long since stood in solemn array on both sides by rank. Shen Ji stood at the very back, watching the solemn and majestic scene before him.
Yan Shu stood at the very front, his posture tall and straight, his features refined to the point of otherworldliness. Behind him, Li Du’s expression was somewhat twisted. This was also the first time Shen Ji had seen this classmate who had murdered Yan Shu. Further back, the third-place scholar, though handsome of feature, still paled in comparison to Yan Shu. Shen Ji couldn’t help silently remarking to himself.
Only after a series of ponderous ceremonies did they at last reach the evening banquet. Shen Ji secretly breathed a sigh of relief… had it been the original owner, he would likely have fainted long ago during the lengthy proceedings.
He swept a glance at Prince Duan at the head of the hall, who was chatting and laughing with the Sixth Imperial Prince, his expression cheerful. Shen Ji turned his gaze back… it seemed the upcoming banquet would indeed be his Hongmen Banquet. Ignoring the officials nearby who kept their distance, pointing at him and whispering among themselves, Shen Ji spread his mental energy around him and settled in to enjoy the fine fare… after half a day of busyness, he was famished.
Within the hall, silk and bamboo music was pleasing to the ear, and cups clashed in lively toasts.
Scholars chatted in twos and threes about their future ambitions, or composed a poem to win thunderous applause from the hall… dreamlike and surreal, a scene of festivity and harmony.
A palace maid dressed in light green palace attire lowered her head, carrying a wine flagon as she wove among the seats. Shen Ji had long since noticed her furtive movements, but pretended not to, keeping his head down as he savored the delicacies.
The palace maid walked to Shen Ji’s side, and her feet seemed to trip on something. With a startled cry of “Ah!”, wine splashed onto Shen Ji’s robes!
“This slave deserves death! This slave deserves death!” The palace maid was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she hastily knelt, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
The surrounding gazes instantly converged. The head eunuch hurried forward to berate the palace maid, then turned to Shen Ji with an apologetic smile: “Forgive me, Heir Shen. This girl is careless and has stained your robes. Clean garments have been prepared in the side hall. May it please the Heir to follow this slave to change?”
Shen Ji’s gaze swept indifferently over the trembling palace maid and the fawning eunuch, and a trace of coldness, almost imperceptible, flickered at the corner of his lips.
He rose, his tone calm and unruffled: “No matter. Lead the way.”