Chapter 7: “I Offered Myself as Bait”—And the Entire Court Is Stunned

Something to say?

He still had something to say?

Or did he mean his last words?

On the dais, Emperor Jingyuan frowned slightly as he studied the Duke of Liang’s grandson.

Wei Mingyuan’s arrival had certainly been unexpected. Still, it was precisely his arrival that had brought this affair to a reasonably satisfactory conclusion.

All the emperor needed now was a plausible explanation from Li Xuanzhen himself.

If the boy bowed his head, Li Zhenbei would surely do the same for the sake of this grandson.

The Duke of Liang, who had always remained neutral, would then become a powerful ally.

The Imperial Academy had rules laid down by generations of sovereigns, but rules, ultimately, were made for people.

As Great Li’s reigning emperor, Jingyuan could permit those rules to stand. He could also order them changed.

There were officials’ children at the Academy with genuine talent and learning.

There were also descendants of honored families who had learned nothing of use.

The capital’s most notorious wastrels, for example, were all students there.

The reason was simple. What family didn’t have a few useless children? Rather than let such unpredictable troublemakers run loose all day, better to gather them in one place under supervision.

Emperor Jingyuan knew about the dealings that went on in private. For years, he had turned a blind eye.

A man who could never pretend to be deaf or blind could not manage a household.

The late emperor had done it. So should he.

So did every civil and military official at court.

But so far, Zhao Ji alone had dared drag the matter into the open.

Sometimes, settling things privately was far better than exposing them to public view.

Zhao Ji had undoubtedly broken that unspoken rule.

Yet Great Li’s court was unstable, its factions numerous.

The power Emperor Jingyuan held was less than half what the late emperor had wielded.

The Crown Prince watched hungrily, coveting the throne and building his strength in secret. Half the court had already quietly attached itself to him.

The emperor’s reluctance to mention it did not mean he was unaware.

Even his dear younger brother, the Prince of Jin, was privately courting Great Li’s officials.

And now…

Zhao Ji was a rat dropping tossed into the pot!

The mere sight of him made Emperor Jingyuan sick.

If he ordered a full investigation of the Academy, the implications might reach very far indeed.

After a moment’s thought, the emperor’s eyes brightened.

An excellent idea had occurred to him.

The art of ruling lay in balancing competing powers.

Since Zhao Ji wished to put himself at risk, why not oblige him and let him acquire a fine “reputation”?

And since Li Xuanzhen had something to say, why not let him say it freely? Perhaps he could break the existing deadlock.

Even if he failed, all the blame would still rest on Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji had broken the balance. Zhao Ji had started all the trouble.

Ultimately, only the Duke of Zhao’s household need suffer the repercussions.

The emperor himself would remain untouched, still sovereign of Great Li.

Feigning displeasure, Emperor Jingyuan snorted and spoke sternly.

“What more have you to say?

“If this allegation is true, We shall not spare you, even as the old duke’s legitimate grandson.”

Li Xuanzhen saluted.

“Your Majesty, Young Master Zhao is correct that my place at the Imperial Academy was bought.”

The dukes and senior officials all felt a chill.

Even Wei Mingyuan looked momentarily surprised.

They all knew something of what went on at the Academy.

That the Duke of Zhao’s household would find its path obstructed at every turn from now on was already beyond doubt.

But for Li Xuanzhen to admit it so brazenly—was his head full of shit?

People said the old duke had been wise and capable all his life, yet the household’s good name would probably be destroyed by this grandson.

It seemed the rumor was true.

At Li Xuanzhen’s answer, Emperor Jingyuan’s expression darkened completely.

He snorted angrily and glared at the boy.

“Since you admit it, spare Us the rest.

“Minister Wei, imprison him at the Prison Pacification Bureau and interrogate him thoroughly.

“Find every person involved in buying and selling places at the Academy, whatever office they hold.

“We demand a detailed account. No one is to be spared.”

Wei Mingyuan bowed and accepted the order without hesitation.

“As Your Majesty commands.”

Still, he did not think this boy was the sort to spin a cocoon and trap himself inside it.

An odd feeling. This was his first encounter with the Duke of Liang’s grandson, yet there was something absurdly elusive about the young man, something even he could not quite read.

Wei Mingyuan had commanded the Prison Pacification Bureau for years. What lord at court did not show him some respect?

Who dared refuse?

And now a callow boy had caught his interest.

No one would believe it if word got out.

Li Xuanzhen hurriedly saluted again.

“Your Majesty, I still have something to say.”

The emperor frowned, his face cold.

“You have confessed in person. The evidence is conclusive. Do you mean to argue your way out before Our very eyes?”

Li Xuanzhen cupped his hands.

“My place was bought, yes. But which young gentleman present did not buy his?”

The three dukes snorted coldly.

Their looks toward Li Xuanzhen were unfriendly. Their looks toward Zhao Ji contained undisguised fury.

Li Xuanzhen was delighted with those expressions.

The higher today’s flames rose, the better they served his purpose.

He wasn’t afraid of muddy water.

The bigger this became, the more it benefited him.

He drew a deep breath and continued.

“But there was a reason for this too.

“To tell Your Majesty the truth, I had no choice but to purchase my place.”

The emperor answered coldly. “You paid for a place, and now you claim you were forced?

“We shall give you time to make your excuses. Who would dare force a duke’s legitimate grandson?”

“I offered myself as bait,” Li Xuanzhen replied, “to expose the filthy dealings hidden beneath the Imperial Academy.

“I have gone to great pains. I beg Your Majesty to recognize my intentions.”

The dukes and senior officials frowned and turned to look at him.

Even Emperor Jingyuan studied him more closely.

Was he struggling desperately to save himself?

Or had he truly entered the trap of his own accord?

There was no telling yet.

The emperor snorted. “Filthy dealings?

“What do you know? Speak at once!”

Li Xuanzhen saluted, then turned toward Zhao Ji.

“Young Master Zhao, your father bought your place at the Academy too.

“Now that we’re speaking openly, there’s no need to conceal it.”

Zhao Ji’s face filled with angry embarrassment.

Li Xuanzhen was plainly determined to drag him down as a cushion for his own fall.

The other three young noblemen had all retreated behind their fathers.

Their places had also been bought through connections.

The Dukes of Lü, Chen, and Wu looked equally grim.

They knew their sons’ failings better than anyone.

These boys could neither bring peace through scholarship nor secure the realm through martial skill. At chasing women, however, they were supreme experts.

Anything less would have disgraced their standing as Great Li’s foremost wastrels.

Above all, the three dukes were silently cursing Zhao Ji.

That little bastard from the Duke of Zhao’s household was a completely worthless idiot.

His attempt to harm the Duke of Liang’s household was his own business. Why drag theirs into it?

If they got the chance, all three would visit the Duke of Zhao and have a proper discussion with that old bastard about how he raised his son. How did a man produce such a useless creature?

“You wastrels think you deserve to rank alongside me?” Li Xuanzhen gave Zhao Ji a cold glance. “My place was bought, but I possess genuine talent and learning. I’m nothing like you.”

The dukes and senior officials blinked.

Had anyone else said that, they might have been willing to believe it.

But this was the leader of all Great Li’s wastrels!

He possessed genuine learning?

Tomorrow’s sun would sooner rise in the west.

Having mocked Zhao Ji, Li Xuanzhen turned and saluted respectfully toward the dais.

“Your Majesty, whether I possess real talent is not for them to decide. Let Your Majesty test me.

“If I prove to be an ignorant fool, my household will willingly accept punishment.

“If my claim is true, I beg Your Majesty to forgive me for acting first and reporting afterward.”

Holy shit, Li Zhenbei thought.

An arrow he had loosed years ago had finally come back and struck him squarely between the eyes.

Back when this brat had been calling the other dukes’ wayward sons his brothers and earning the title of Great Li’s supreme wastrel, Li Zhenbei himself had said, “My household may not have mountains of gold and silver, but it can still guarantee my beloved grandson a lifetime of wealth and honor.”

“If it makes him happy, I’m willing to stake the entire household.”

And now…

Li Zhenbei’s face did not change, but inside he was weeping.

I’ve fought for Great Li all my life. Today, that lifetime’s good name will probably end in the dirt.

What a family misfortune!

He knew his grandson’s abilities all too well.

Emperor Jingyuan raised his brows.

“Very well. We shall examine you.

“If you truly are a fool, We shall punish you severely, without regard for the old duke. Do you accept the test?”

Li Xuanzhen saluted solemnly. “I do.”

“Good!” The emperor lightly patted his dragon throne. His eyes shifted as he considered, then he asked slowly, “Tell Us: what is loyalty to one’s sovereign?”

Right Chancellor Zhang Wenzhen gently stroked his beard.

The emperor’s question appeared to test Li Xuanzhen. In truth, it was a probe of the Duke of Liang’s loyalties.

Anyone with a sensitive understanding of politics could see the present state of the court at a glance.

The emperor was seeking useful talent and courting useful powers.

Zhang Wenzhen suspected that if the Duke of Liang’s household read the situation correctly and knew which side to take, the emperor would very likely save Li Xuanzhen’s life.

If Li Xuanzhen really was a fool, his perpetually neutral household would become the chicken the emperor killed to warn the monkeys.

Zhao Ji was overjoyed.

True, his place at the Academy had been bought. Whose hadn’t?

He knew he possessed little talent, but Li Xuanzhen was no better.

In some respects, Li Xuanzhen was even worse.

At least Zhao Ji could write his own name.

Lü Feng, Chen Tu, and Wu Zhaoxu were troubled too, though fear occupied them far more.

They were scarcely any better than Li Xuanzhen.

If the emperor had not had enough after examining him and decided to test them as well, their world would collapse.

Even with their fathers shielding them from above, the wind that reached them would be enough to flay off a layer of skin.

Wei Mingyuan stepped aside, apparently content to watch.

Yet his gaze returned more often than not to Li Xuanzhen.

For some reason, he felt certain the boy could turn danger into safety.

Where that intuition came from, he did not trouble himself to ask.

His rise to his present position owed a great deal to instinct. The Red Robe Case all those years ago was one example.

Hearing the emperor’s question, Li Xuanzhen smiled.

His Majesty was his lucky star!

Here was his chance to dazzle everyone!

“Black clouds bear down on walls about to break;

“Armor, facing the sun, unfurls in golden scales.

“Horns fill the autumn sky from end to end;

“Frontier rouge congeals to purple in the night.”

…