In the Eighth Prince fu, Xuan Li smashed the nine-dragon patterned coloured glass tea cup to the ground in one fierce movement, and it shattered into a myriad of sparkling fragments. His muscles were all taut with tension, and his usual mild and gentle appearance had absolutely disappeared, replaced by a furious wrath that sank deep into his bones.
“How did this happen? Didn’t they say there was nothing wrong with the dam? If there was nothing wrong then how could it collapse?” He threw the book in his hand at the advisor who was standing nearest him.
Even though the advisor was terrified he did not even dare to exhale. This was the first time the ever-gentle Eighth Prince had lost his temper with him; he had always controlled his emotions very skillfully. Even if he had a deep-rooted hatred for someone, he would smile at his enemy as if the two of them were enjoying a warm spring breeze in a pleasant environment.
No one knew the irritation in Xuan Li’s heart at this moment.
Why did it have to be at this time!
When he was finally about to achieve all that he desired! He was popular with the people, he had the favour of the Emperor- all that was left was this final contribution to society- and he would shine more clearly in the eyes of the Great Jin dynasty. The majority of the officials would naturally give him their support and, with more people in the palm of his hand, he would have more clout and bargaining power in future.
Recently, he had poured his heart into the matter of the reservoir, thinking that it was a surefire endeavour. How could it all fall to pieces at the final stage!
Xuan Li was a person who was unwilling to admit defeat, and something like this had happened. It was as if someone had slapped him in the face in full view of everyone else. Although he appeared generous and good-natured, he was actually proud and arrogant. How could he tolerate this failure!
In a towering rage, he ordered, “Get Li An here!” Then, as something else came to mind, he said, “Find some people to guard that monk, and bring him here as well.”
His subordinates received their orders and left.
Overnight, the winds of fortune had changed direction. The once brilliant, wise, and outstanding Eighth Prince, who had rendered great service in flood control, had suddenly become an incapable, obstinate, and self-opinionated man who cared not one iota about the lives of the common people, and was even disrespectful to a senior monk.
Bo Chang reservoir had completely collapsed, and all the homes in the lower reaches were totally destroyed. If it were not for the actions of the city garrison’s Zhao Yi from the General fu and General Guan Liang Han who had recently returned from the border, who had worked through the night to evacuate the people, who knew how many innocent lives would have been lost due to this disaster.
The people praised the Zhao family soldiers and the Guan family soldiers as practically being living Buddhas who rescued the suffering and the distressed. In less than no time, they had become the objects of the love and admiration of the people in the capital city.
Moreover, Great Master Hui Jue, who had prophesied that Bo Chang reservoir would collapse, was being worshipped with great reverence. Everyone had witnessed for themselves that the rain was gradually dying down over the past few days, such that it appeared to be stopping soon, so who could have imagined that a heavy rainfall would descend upon them out of the blue that morning. If not for the Zhao and Guan family soldiers, the capital city would now be haunted by thousands of vengeful spirits.
Gossip in this vein swept rapidly through the streets and alleys, spreading to the homes of the nobility, to the air above the Great Jin dynasty, and finally to the imperial court.
The supporters of Fifth Prince seized this opportunity to justify their ruthless criticism of Eighth Prince’s methods, and petitions by the Imperial Censor to impeach Eighth Prince flew like snowflakes onto the Emperor’s table.
Even then, the situation did not come to a close.
A rumour had quietly begun in the capital city that the dam had been built by a subordinate of Grand Councillor Li Dong whom he had promoted to take charge of the project, and this subordinate had embezzled much of the money allocated for the construction of the dam. A large portion of the embezzled money had then found its way to the Grand Councillor fu. It was precisely because the Second Young Master of the Grand Councillor fu, Li An, was afraid that this would be discovered that he made a supreme effort to cover it up, disregarding the lives of thousands of people in the lower reaches of the reservoir. Eighth Prince and Li An had always been on close terms, which was why Eighth Prince had helped him with the cover up.
All the authorities in the world know that fish cannot survive when the water is too clean[1]. Thus, if the court officials, no matter at what level, were to practise graft on a small scale, that was a matter of little concern. However, Bo Chang reservoir had been the largest reservoir in the Great Jin dynasty. The people residing in the capital city had relied on its water for drinking and daily usage, and it was also the source of the water for irrigating thousands of acres of fertile land. Graft on a small scale was no big deal, but if the extent was too large, then it would be like termites boring into the heart of the country.
[1] Shui zhi qing ze wu yu ( 水至清则无鱼 ) – part of the saying, 水至清则无鱼, 人至察则无徒 lit. when the water is too clean, there are no fish; when one is too critical, one has few friends/ followers.
In particular, Li An’s method of handling the situation at this critical juncture was tantamount to killing people in order to prevent them from divulging a secret. What’s more, he had planned to silence thousands of lives at one fell swoop. The entire kingdom was in shock and the Emperor was furious. Without hesitation, he issued a decree – the Grand Councillor fu was corrupt and in flagrant abuse of the law, the damage to the dam was an unforgivable crime, and the fu’s people were to be escorted to prison to await trial.
At this time, Li An was at Eighth Prince’s fu talking to Xuan Li. Xuan Li said, angrily, “How on earth did this happen? How could what the monk said be true?”
Li An was also somewhat baffled for the first time in his life. After some thought, he said, “This was obviously well planned, and it must be connected with the Zhao family. Last night, Your Highness’ imperial bodyguards all vanished into thin air, and it can be assumed that they succumbed to the vicious attacks engineered by the Zhao family and Guan Liang Han. However, in the end, their soldiers are all from the army. How is it possible that they did not leave behind even the slightest trace?”
“What’s the use even if they did leave traces behind?” Xuan Li said, “I can’t possibly tell anyone about this situation, so I will just have to suffer all this pent-up grievance alone. Besides, since our opponents have no scruples slaughtering people, they have definitely prepared counter-measures.” He clenched his fist and said, “The Zhao family? I’m surprised that they would throw their lot in with Fifth Prince.”
“Your Highness, I still think there’s something very fishy about this situation; it may not be the doing of Fifth Prince,” Li An said.
Xuan Li looked at him contemptuously and said, “Li An, this prince[2] has already trusted you many times, but this time, you have failed.”
[2] Ben dian ( 本殿 ) – as Irisu explained in Ch 71, this literally means this palace hall, but often it refers to a royalty (who owns their own palace, which in and of itself signifies immense status and power) referring to themselves.
“Your Highness, please punish me!” Li An hurriedly knelt down to seek forgiveness, but in his eyes there was a flash of mockery.
“Enough,” Xuan Li said as he waved his hand. “At present, Father Emperor is certainly in a rage. I have to beg for forgiveness, otherwise we will be left with no way out.”
Just as he said this, an imperial bodyguard suddenly rushed in. When he saw Xuan Li, he quickly knelt down and said, “Your Highness, something has happened.”
Xuan Li frowned. “What is it?”
The imperial bodyguard eyed Li An. Xuan Li said, “Speak.”
“His Majesty, the Emperor, has issued an imperial decree that the people of the Grand Councillor fu be imprisoned to await trial.”
“What?” Li An abruptly stood up.
The imperial bodyguard swiftly narrated the entire series of events. Xuan Li’s brows were tightly knit. This situation looked to be a really great misfortune for the Grand Councillor fu, but his own fu was linked with his in innumerable ways. Even though the Emperor had yet to say anything at present, Xuan Li was afraid that he had already fallen out of favour.
Li An was totally dumbfounded, and had no clue what to do. A vague premonition unexpectedly arose in his heart. It was not as if the Emperor had no idea what the Grand Councillor fu was up to in the capital all these years, it’s simply that he had closed one eye to the proceedings because the situation in the imperial court required balance. There was a need for the Grand Councillor fu, for once this balance was disturbed, the current excellent situation in court would be destroyed. The Emperor knew this, and so did the Grand Councillor fu. Since they had a strong backing, as long as the relevant people behaved appropriately within the understood norms there would be no issue.
But, now, the Emperor had actually imprisoned the people of the Grand Councillor fu. For a person who had achieved unbounded glory, being imprisoned only had one significance – that he would never again regain his previous position. The Emperor was unshakeable in his resolve to punish the Grand Councillor fu, thus what could anyone do about it?
Xuan Li frowned and said, “Father actually believes such a preposterous story?”
“The rumours circulating outside are very fierce,” the imperial bodyguard said cautiously, “and they are very persuasive. The men the Emperor sent to seize the Grand Councillor fu really did find countless precious stones and jewels as they searched.”
Li An stood rooted to the spot in a daze.
Bo Chang reservoir had indeed been built by the person Li Dong had promoted to the position. Of course there had been graft, but it should not have been to the extent that the dam would collapse so easily. At the very least, the foundations should have been stable. There was a tacit understanding within the imperial court about what would happen to the silver for the construction project, but to have the dam suddenly collapse was absolutely unexpected. Hence, the numberless rumours swirling about.
To say nothing of the great amounts of gold, silver, and precious stones found in the Grand Councillor fu.
Although the majority of these valuables had nothing whatsoever to do with the reservoir building project, under present circumstances, people would definitely associate them with the silver that was allocated to the reservoir project.
A few days ago, Xuan Li had even hinted to the Emperor that the state treasury was empty, and that it would be possible to find a ‘solution’ in the fus of the higher level ministers. His intention was to target the Zhao family but, out of the blue, they had started distributing congee, making it difficult for the Emperor to move on them. Right now, the great amount of valuables in the Grand Councillor fu were like a ready-made meal that had opportunely appeared before the Emperor.
So much wealth, how could the Emperor not be tempted? What’s more, with the damage caused by the flood disaster, the state treasury would be in even greater need of replenishing.
Thus, with layer upon layer weighing them down, how could the Grand Councillor fu even have the slightest glimmer of opportunity to escape?
In this way, the Grand Councillor fu collapsed and Eighth Prince also suffered a great loss of power and influence. Meanwhile, Fifth Prince had benefited the most, but the Zhao family had also gained much.
Why had the General fu, who had always remained aloof from worldly affairs, and quietly remained neutral, acted so uncharacteristically? The disappearance of several hundred elite soldiers the previous night clearly had their signature all over it. When had the methods of the General fu become so ruthless?
And, what about Guan Liang Han? Why had Guan Liang Han taken part in this affair?
Li An swiftly made connections between all these, the General fu, Guan Liang Han . . . suddenly, a name appeared in his mind – Jiang Xin Zhi.
The General fu was the family of Jiang Xin Zhi’s biological mother, and Jiang Xin Zhi was Guan Liang Han’s Deputy General.
The faint smile of a young lady appeared before him, a charming young lady with cold eyes, bearing an ambiguous expression.
He suddenly remembered what Li Dong had mentioned to him the day before. “Your elder brother wants to marry that slut, Jiang Ruan, and the Jiang family has already made arrangements to send the geng tie over.”
At that time he had been preoccupied with checking the area around the reservoir to ensure that nothing was out of place, and was disinclined to argue with Li Dong.
However, now that he thought about it, those words were like a bolt of lighting appearing out of the blue and ferociously striking his heart.
If Li Yang wanted to marry Jiang Ruan, it could only be to torment her, because Jiang Ruan had castrated him.
But before the geng tie could be sent over, the Grand Councillor fu had been seized and searched.
A dreadful conjecture came to mind – that the General fu had changed from its usual laid-back style to a ruthless and aggressive one, that the Guan family soldiers had been involved – could it all have been due to Jiang Ruan?
While he was waiting for the opportunity to lure his prey into the trap, the prey had instead aimed at his backyard.
A diversion[3]– it was an excellent diversion!
[3] Sheng dong ji xi ( 声东击西 ) – lit. to threaten the east and strike to the west.
Li An stood where he was, feeling the great weight of depression in his heart. He abruptly straightened his neck and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
“Young Master Li!” the imperial bodyguard said in shock.
Xuan Li also stared at him in shock. Li An was a subtle and profound person, highly intelligent and self-controlled; when had he ever been so dazed and beside himself in distraction? He frowned and said, “Why don’t you first . . .”
“Your Highness, there’s something I have to do.” Without warning, Li An cupped his hands in salute and said, “Li An will take his leave first.” So saying, he leapt out of the window and disappeared.
“Your Highness, should we give chase?” An imperial bodyguard asked.
Xuan Li waved his hand. “No need, he is an intelligent man, and he won’t do anything without reason.” He kneaded his forehead; this sudden situation had left him feeling unbearably exhausted. It was truly hard to understand. How could something that was as good as guaranteed turn out this way? The present circumstances of the Grand Councillor fu had really put him in a difficult position, neither able to retreat or advance.
He would have to sacrifice his rook to protect his king, but this rook was his most important bargaining chip. How could he be willing to do so?
“Why hasn’t that monk been brought here yet?” Xuan Li asked, in a rather jittery manner. It was clear that the damage to the reservoir had been man-made, but the rainfall becoming heavier could not possibly have been orchestrated by humans. Could it be possible that the monk actually had some gift? If this were true, if he could make use of him and snatch him from Fifth Prince’s hand, it would make up for the losses he had incurred previously.
Just as he asked this, an imperial bodyguard ran into the room and said, in a panic, “Your Highness, it’s not good, someone has seized hold of that monk!”
* * *
In the Guan fu.
Guan Liang Han paced back and forth, looking at Xiao Shao, who was looking pensive. He could not help but say, “I’ve f**king reached the end of my patience, why won’t you let me ask Jiang Xin Zhi about last night’s happenings? How dare you steal my seal? And, why did you suddenly deploy your troops last night? You’re not worried that rascal Xuan Li will recognise your Jin Yi guards?”
“He won’t say anything.” Xiao Shao sat in front of the table and said, “It’s very obvious, someone wants to deal with the Li family.”
“The Grand Councillor fu? Guan Liang Han burst out in laughter before saying, “The Grand Councillor fu has been seized and sealed, I am utterly delighted! Li Dong, that old boor, I always knew that there was something off about him. For so many years, he’s been prancing around in the skin of the Grand Councillor, and this time he’s fallen flat on his face! What did you just say? Someone wants to deal with the Li family? Who? Jiang Xin Zhi?”
“Jiang Xin Zhi doesn’t know anything at all. There’s no use asking him,” Xiao Shao said indifferently.
“You won’t say anything about this, you won’t say anything about that, you’ll be the death of me!” Guan Liang Han said, “How did the Zhao family get mixed up in this? Furthermore, what kind of ability does that monk next door really have? He just has to say a few words about the rainfall getting heavier and the reservoir collapsing, and you all just up and move all the people to the top of the mountain? This b*st*rd is too god-like!”
“Watch Hui Jue closely and get some men to protect him.” Xiao Shu said, as a reminder, “Xuan Li is bound to ask all over the place for his whereabouts, and might even arrange to kill him to prevent his secrets from being found out.”
“Understood.” Guan Liang Han rubbed his hands together and said, “Whoever Xuan Li’s enemy is, he’s my friend. This monk is so interesting; in one move, he has negated all the merit Xuan Li gained through his contribution to flood control. Even if it was just to annoy Xuan Li, I would still protect him well.”
Xiao Shao nodded and said, “Many thanks.”
“No need for courtesy.” Guan Liang Han eyed Xiao Shao and sighed. “Even though I have no idea what you’re doing secretly Third Brother, I still want to offer you some advice. Don’t get mixed up in the piddling matters of the imperial court, otherwise you will find it hard to avoid getting sucked in yourself.”
They had been sect brothers for many years, so he naturally understood Xiao Shao’s temperament. He was a master at withholding information; If he did not want to say anything, not even a knife at his neck would persuade him to speak. The previous night, Xiao Shao had unexpectedly and urgently asked him to go to the Jinying Wang fu, where more than a hundred Jin Yi guards had dressed to look like Guan family soldiers and proceeded to thoroughly slaughter the imperial bodyguards Xuai Li had positioned at the reservoir to guard it. The Jin Yi guards had always been trained to carry out secret missions, so there was absolutely no trace of the massacre. Although he had no idea what Xiao Shao’s intention was, Guan Liang Han did not probe further.
“I only want to confirm something,” Xiao Shao coolly said with lowered eyes.
* * *
A heavy fall of rain, and what had collapsed was not only the reservoir, but also the stable imperial court the Great Jin dynasty had experienced over the past few decades. The capital was in chaos and everyone felt insecure, especially the people who were associated with the Grand Councillor fu. If they weren’t hiding behind closed doors, they were packing all their belongings and preparing to flee overnight.
The Grand Councillor fu had been stripped of all its glory and had been reduced to nothing but a pile of mud. Whoever was tainted by it would suffer misfortune.
In the Jiang fu, Jiang Quan angrily told Xia Yan, “Bring me Ruan niang’s geng tie!”
Although Xia Yan was extremely unwilling to do so, she could only plaster a small, sweet smile on her face and obediently place the geng tie which they had prepared to be sent to the Grand Councillor fu in Jiang Quan’s hand. Smiling, she said, “Ruan niang, this child, has such good fortune, as there’s still time! If this were one day later, she would have been married off to the Li family, and she would be considered guilty by familial association.” However, in her heart, she harboured a deep hatred. Why did she have to be so fortunate? Just one day’s difference, just one day! If not for that one day, Jiang Ruan would have been imprisoned just like the rest of the people in the Grand Councillor fu! Why was she so fortunate so as to have dodged this calamity!”
Jiang Quan took the geng tie from Xia Yan and reprimanded her, in a low voice, “Women’s opinions are impossibly stupid!” He looked once again at the geng tie in his hand and sighed in relief. “Thank goodness there was still time.”
From the looks of things at the moment, the Emperor intended to put the Grand Councillor fu in order. At this time, it was most important to protect oneself. If Jiang Ruan had really been married into the Li family, it would not only have been her suffering misfortune- the entire Jiang family would also have to accompany her in suffering.
