The accusation in those words was too severe, falling like a thousand-pound weight that sent shockwaves through all of Jinling City.
“Wu Nao… Xiao Yu…”
Chen Su, the Minister of Revenue, tapped his stone table in the courtyard of Chen Manor. He turned to the attendant beside him: “The Ministry of Personnel currently has no minister—it’s in complete chaos right now. Use my connections to investigate the backgrounds of these two individuals.”
The attendant promptly presented the information: “The staff below had already begun working on it the moment you gave the order.”
Those who had followed Chen Su to Nan Qian were all seasoned veterans of the Yimen Chen Clan. As a long-established aristocratic family spanning both the previous Yan dynasty and the current Qian dynasty, some subordinates acted with even greater speed than minor officials in the bureaucracy.
Chen Su nodded with satisfaction and looked at the two names.
Both came from aristocratic families. Wu Nao was born into the main lineage of the Gusu Wu Clan—a genuine second-generation scion of nobility. Surprisingly, Xiao Yu also hailed from the Wu Clan, though from a collateral branch. Years ago, to avoid suspicion from the local chief examiner, he had changed his surname to his mother’s maiden name.
“This is bad…”
Everyone knew that nearly all officials in the Crown Prince’s faction came from prominent aristocratic families.
With this single revelation, the Celestial Screen had exposed the truth everyone had been desperately trying to conceal. Who knew what the entire court would become now?
Especially the Third Prince’s faction—their staunch supporter, the State Preceptor, an avid proponent of the Celestial Screen, would certainly not miss this opportunity to deal a heavy blow to their opponents.
In Yunxing Hall, Emperor Yunqi directly hurled his teacup at the Crown Prince.
Although he spent his days refining elixirs, the emperor’s understanding of the origins and backgrounds of court officials was as clear as a mirror. He instantly connected the dots and knew exactly whom to target.
The Crown Prince knelt on the floor, trembling even more violently. He truly had no idea why, during what was supposed to be a routine debriefing, he had coincidentally encountered the Celestial Screen. And encountering it was one thing, but for the Celestial Screen to expose all the chaos caused by aristocratic officials in Jiangnan—it was simply too much.
Emperor Yunqi still said nothing, continuing to watch what played out on the Celestial Screen.
Meanwhile, in Gusu City.
The Wu Clan? The Wu Clan had already begun attempting to change their surnames. They never dreamed that the person exposing the chaos of factional strife would not be one of the Third Prince’s humble-born followers, but a young master from their own family.
“What a calamity… our ancestral graves must have exploded…”
Wu Nao’s father stared at the Celestial Screen, wishing he could sew shut the mouth of his foolish son who had blurted out everything.
[“Is there really no way out?!”]
Wu Nao felt he might die from rage: [“Are we just going to let this place remain in chaos, unable to sleep every night? They fight like this, and we bear all the consequences—so why don’t we just go to Jinling, to the Ministry of Personnel, to the Censorate, or even to the Meridian Gate if it comes to that—and ask the court! Is there still law and order?!”]
Xiao Yu was truly running out of energy: [“Stop for a moment. I know you’re outraged, but the Ministry of Personnel? Did you not see? Jun He’s blood is still staining the hall, uncleaned—and it’s too late for us to run now. The governor… the Sixth Prince’s entourage will arrive soon. How can we escape?”]
[“Another incident! Another incident!”]
Before the two men, anxiously pacing in circles, could devise a solution, they heard a servant rush in urgently.
[“My lords—my lords! The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner has summoned all officials for an emergency meeting at his residence!”]
Xiao Yu closed his eyes.
The two hurriedly rushed to the Surveillance Commissioner’s residence, only to find that the powerful officials from across Jiangnan had not gathered there.
They were the only two guests who had come.
Xiao Yu closed his eyes, wanting to faint again, but was firmly held up by Wu Nao: “Don’t faint! What am I supposed to do if you faint?”
Xiao Yu thought to himself: Damn it, this idiot isn’t acting stupid when he should be! If I faint, just take me to a doctor!
The Surveillance Commissioner had been waiting in the hall for a long time. He appeared to be a kind-faced old man, but Wu Nao and Xiao Yu, having worked with him for years, naturally knew the terrifyingly venomous heart hidden beneath that benevolent exterior.
Of Xu Lang’s three million taels, a significant portion had likely been squeezed out through wrongful cases contributed by this man.
The old superior wasted no time on pleasantries. First, he feigned a sigh, lamenting how Xu Lang was truly despicable, having betrayed Jun He, His Majesty, and the expectations placed upon him. Then, he shook out a piece of paper and handed it to Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu glanced at the paper, and his face instantly shifted from black to white, then from white to green, as if he had been splashed with a palette of five colors.
“Brother Xiao, sign it. Based on my thirty years of experience in criminal justice, if you sign this, the chaos across Jiangnan can come to an end. It would be a great service.”
The Surveillance Commissioner leisurely continued sipping his tea, appearing completely unfazed by the fact that he had handed such a document to Xiao Yu.
Seeing Xiao Yu standing there dazed for too long, Wu Nao quickly leaned over to look and read out haltingly: “Confession of the Guilty Official, Prefect of Lin’an, Xiao Yu, Prostrating Before the Throne…”
Wu Nao glanced suspiciously at Xiao Yu again—the handwriting on this confession was entirely Xiao Yu’s own.
He continued reading: “Your guilty servant, Xiao, with a burden of sin, bows his head repeatedly before the imperial steps:
In the case of Xu Lang, the treasury deficit amounts to over three million and seventy thousand taels. The joint investigation by the Ministry of Justice has found the accounts chaotic and unclear. Today, your guilty servant must confess before the sacred hearing—all of this was done by your guilty servant alone.”
By the time he reached the last few words, Wu Nao’s voice had changed tone: “All done by you alone?! When did you do it? You never told me, and here I was, like an idiot, telling you about the injustices I encountered—”
“You are an idiot, shut up!” Xiao Yu couldn’t bear it any longer and directly struck Wu Nao on the back of the neck with a chop. Unfortunately, the man was thick-skinned and tough, completely unfazed.
This confession absolutely could not be signed. The accusation was too severe—he absolutely could not admit to it.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao Yu decided to faint first as a sign of respect. Once he fainted, he wouldn’t be able to sign anyway.
Unfortunately, the attendants on both sides reacted faster. Before he could even collapse, cold tea and hands pinching his philtrum rushed over, painfully jolting him back to consciousness.
Xiao Yu had no choice but to open his eyes.
“Brother Xiao, you’d better confess quickly. Consider it a final act of benefiting the people during your term.”
The Surveillance Commissioner remained as leisurely as ever, infuriating Xiao Yu to the point of grinding his teeth: Why don’t you mention that I was doing perfectly fine as the Prefect of Lin’an? Why has it suddenly become the final moments of my term?
Wu Nao, at this point, also sensed something amiss. He suddenly spoke up: “Xiao Yu, was it really you?”
What could Xiao Yu say? With the Surveillance Commissioner sitting right there, whether it was him or not, the answer had to be yes.
But Wu Nao seemed to have grown a rare bit of sense: “Since you’re not saying anything, it probably wasn’t you. Your attitude toward things you’ve done has always been that there’s nothing to deny—if it wasn’t you, why should you confess?”
He stood blocking Xiao Yu, looking up at the Surveillance Commissioner before him: “Sir, both of us come from judicial backgrounds. ‘The stroke of the pen can condemn or save a life’—that’s what you told me on my very first day in office. Yet now you… Be careful, ‘investigating a case is like watching a fire; a moment of carelessness can burn you!'”
The Surveillance Commissioner merely looked at Wu Nao as if he were a fool: “Deputy Commissioner Wu, what gives you the confidence to play the hero here with me?”
Wu Nao truly began to think. By rank, he was entirely subordinate to the Surveillance Commissioner and had no right to meddle in his superior’s affairs. After pondering for a moment, he actually blurted out a few words: “My father is Wu Cheng of the Gusu Wu Clan!”
The Gusu Wu Clan had served as officials for three generations, with successive generations entering government service, making them a renowned aristocratic family in Da Qian.
If official rank couldn’t restrain him, what about family influence?
Wu Nao naively thought.
…
Silence fell over Jinling City tonight.
No, over all of Nan Qian.
The Celestial Screen hung high above, visible clearly to the entire city of Jinling. Beyond Jinling, only certain officials or prominent figures from various walks of life could see it.
And among them happened to be members of the Wu family.
Wu Cheng, Wu Nao’s father, thought to himself, The ancestral graves have truly exploded. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have forced Wu Nao to study for the imperial exams back then, nor should I have bought him the position of Deputy Surveillance Commissioner.
Why did I have to see the Celestial Screen? If only I hadn’t, I could have deceived myself into believing nothing had happened.
Even though what the Celestial Screen showed was the future, and indeed, nothing had happened yet.
[“Hahahaha—! What use is your father being Wu Cheng? Not to mention Jun He is already dead, your father bought his official position from me for ten thousand taels back then—if you keep being this naive, you’ll be the one signing for him in a moment.”
The Surveillance Commissioner tapped the lid of his teacup again, somewhat exasperated.
Wu Cheng was quite shrewd—how did he end up with such a foolish son?
Wu Nao wanted to say more, but Xiao Yu staggered to his feet.
“…Could Your Excellency grant a little more time?”
Xiao Yu’s voice was hoarse: “At least allow this humble official time to dismiss the family members in my household… I will definitely come to sign in three days.”
“Out of consideration for our past colleagueship… one day. No negotiation.”
The Surveillance Commissioner leisurely blew on the tea leaves and waved his hand, dismissing Xiao Yu.
Gnashing his teeth, Wu Nao still wanted to argue about fairness, but Xiao Yu grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away, all the way back to Xiao Yu’s residence.
The carriage ride was terribly bumpy. Xiao Yu thought despairingly: Above are corrupt officials, below are treacherous couriers, and my colleague is a fool. Those in the middle can’t do a thing.
“Hey? What are the gardeners in your residence doing? Digging soil to plant new flowers?”
On the way to the council hall, Wu Nao pointed at the gardeners in the flowerbed.
“What are they doing? They’re digging our graves!”
Seeing that Xiao Yu’s sanity was already fraying, Wu Nao quickly raised his hands in surrender: “I just saw how anxious you were and wanted to change the subject, afraid that discussing what just happened would upset you!”
“Will I be any less upset if I don’t hear about it?! The prison cart is already waiting for me! And you won’t escape either!”
Xiao Yu was nearly driven mad with rage.
He took a deep breath: “We’ve become sacrificial pawns. If they can abandon me, they can certainly abandon you too. The Wu clan was discarded first because they were deemed unimportant, unable to compete with other prominent families. Soon there will be a second, a third… Now, to muddy the waters of the corruption case, there’s only one move left. No matter if the surveillance commissioner is a prince or not, don’t think he’ll walk away unscathed!”
Wu Nao nodded: “I knew you’d have a plan. What move?”
Xiao Yu: “Only a greater crime can divert the attention currently focused above. Colluding with sea bandits, or with Northern Qian, or with Shuo. Or make them choose all three—take them all down at once!”
Even Wu Nao widened his eyes at this: “…Are you insane?”
“They forced this upon us—they deserve to die! I must go see the Sixth Prince… Whether we can save our own lives is a desperate gamble now.”
Xiao Yu paused: “Though dust is insignificant, when stirred, it can tear the robe of a golden Immortal. I refuse to believe there isn’t a single person in the entire court who shares my thoughts!”
Xiao Yu spoke with unwavering resolve.
Upon hearing these words, certain officials in Jinling City looked up.
They were individuals deeply suffering under the strife between the Two Factions, yet still holding onto their principles.
Yes… the same thoughts.
The Crown Prince’s Faction, representing the entrenched aristocratic families, clung stubbornly to tradition, while the Third Prince’s Faction, emerging from the Qian-Severing Rebellion, consisted of newly risen commoners who cared only for wealth and pleasure.
The court had never lacked insightful individuals from diverse backgrounds. They all wondered: Is there, is there a third choice?
Why must they choose between two equally dreadful options?
Even if the third choice were a fool…
Even if the third choice were a fool.
Then…
Would the fool answer them?
Author’s Note:
Xiao Jingchuan: My ministers, your emperor has arrived!