Chapter 8: A Wastrel's Poem Stuns the Court, and He Sets Another Chain of Traps

“Half-furled red banners draw near the Yi River;

“Heavy frost chills the drums till their voices fail.

“To repay my lord’s favor at the Golden Terrace,

“I take up my jade-hilted sword and die for him.”

Li Xuanzhen really had composed a poem in five steps.

As his voice faded, Emperor Jingyuan leaned forward slightly, brows raised, studying the young man below.

He understood what the boy meant.

This was a pledge of allegiance on behalf of the Duke of Liang’s household!

Through his poem, the boy was declaring that his household would serve the emperor to the death.

In the ten years since Jingyuan’s accession, the household had never offered so much as a conciliatory word.

Relying on the late emperor’s favor, fifty thousand troops of the Realm-Guarding Army, and the prestige of guarding the north for thirty years, Li Zhenbei had never bowed his head.

Even his son Li Cijiu, with the Northern Garrison under his command, had always treated the emperor with cool, strictly official courtesy.

Today, a mere wastrel had composed a poem in five steps here in Zichen Hall, then presented three generations of his household’s pride to the emperor with both hands.

Good! Very good! Excellent!

His face remained as still as a tranquil lake, but inwardly Emperor Jingyuan was delighted.

The outcome of the Academy’s sale of places no longer concerned him.

He even intended to find a suitable opportunity to reward the household and draw the old duke’s grandson closer.

If all went well, the Northern Garrison Army would soon become a sharp blade with which he could sweep away the factions.

Li Zhenbei stared, unable to believe the poem had come from his grandson’s mouth.

He was a soldier. He had won his household’s honors on horseback, one stroke of the saber at a time.

He possessed little literary grace, but had heard countless poems in his lifetime. Never had one made this bloodstained old soldier’s heart tremble.

Li Xuanzhen’s poem depicted the tragic grandeur of bitter fighting on the frontier. Its final two lines were unmistakable: to repay a ruler’s recognition and welcome of talent, the speaker was willing to die for his country.

A fine poem!

A truly fine poem!

Suddenly Li Zhenbei remembered the night his eldest son, Li Xinnian, had departed for the northern frontier.

The moonlight that night had been pale as frost. Li Xinnian had knelt before him, struck his forehead to the ground three times, and spoken a few words.

“Father, if I do not return victorious, I shall return wrapped in a horsehide shroud.

“Rest assured. Whatever happens, I’ll keep my younger brother safe.”

The next day, his two sons had led their troops north.

A year later, a coffin had returned south.

And even that had held only clothes for an empty grave…

The old duke’s eyes slowly grew wet.

The six vice ministers stared wide-eyed, exchanging disbelieving looks.

Was this still the supreme wastrel they remembered, the one who knew nothing but chasing women?

If a man like this counted as a wastrel, then the boys in their own households…

Cui Zheng’s mouth twitched. His son was a wastrel too. Sixteen years old, and he still could not recite a decent poem…

When he got home, he would bring every household rule and punishment down on the brat. Surely a beating could knock something into him!

The Vice Minister of Personnel swallowed. His face felt hot, as though someone had slapped him hard.

His own son was much the same as Cui’s.

Wei Mingyuan’s eyes brightened too.

Though he now headed the Prison Pacification Bureau, in his younger years he had led troops across battlefields and won great merit for Great Li.

Li Xuanzhen’s poem had pierced the softest place in his heart.

If not for the Red Robe Case that year…

The man most deeply affected was Chancellor Zhang Wenzhen.

Besides being Great Li’s Right Chancellor, he held a post as an Academician at the Imperial Academy.

He taught there regularly. Most students wore fine robes; few carried much learning in their bellies.

Today, here in Zichen Hall, an ignorant wastrel who spent his days amusing himself with fowl and fighting dogs had composed a poem in five steps!

His gifts surpassed even those of the son in whom Zhang Wenzhen placed such hopes.

The other three dukes glanced at Li Xuanzhen in disbelief.

They knew exactly what the boy was like. Their own wayward sons spent every day with him.

Birds of a feather flocked together.

Yet a clean ball of cotton had somehow popped out of a filthy ditch…

Savoring the poem once more, Zhang Wenzhen stroked his beard and nodded.

“A fine poem,” he murmured.

Now Zhao Ji was afraid.

Earlier, Li Xuanzhen had claimed he had offered himself as bait to expose corruption at the Academy. Now that claim had support.

Whether he had paid for his place no longer mattered.

That poem alone proved he possessed genuine talent.

But Zhao Ji could not understand it. They were Great Li’s top wastrels and spent their days together. When had Li Xuanzhen learned to compose poetry?

Yesterday at the Academy, he had still seemed a complete idiot. Otherwise he would never have fallen into the trap so easily.

At Hundred Flowers House last night, it had been the same.

Zhao Ji had used Li Xuanzhen’s name to saddle the Duke of Liang’s household with a bill for fifteen thousand taels of fine silver.

But now…

Li Xuanzhen stood with his head high and chest straight, a smile at his lips. He even cast Zhao Ji a seemingly casual glance.

The contempt in his eyes made Zhao Ji grind his back teeth.

He had meant to dig Li Xuanzhen a pit. Instead, his own cleverness had backfired and made the other boy’s name.

Damn him!

Emperor Jingyuan’s expression turned thoroughly cold. He looked toward the Vice Minister of Justice.

“Take Zhao Ji into the Ministry of Justice’s custody.

“Cui Zheng, investigate the sale of places at the Imperial Academy in full.

“Punish everyone involved strictly under Great Li’s laws, without exception.”

At this spoken command, cold sweat broke out over Cui Zheng.

Commoners could not enter the Imperial Academy.

It was an important institution, the cradle of Great Li’s future talent, with more than two thousand students.

Its students were the children of officials or descendants of honored noble houses.

One thing was certain: if they united to bring charges against the Ministry of Justice, the consequences would be far more than the ministry could bear.

Take the four dukes currently in Zichen Hall. Any one of them need only stamp a foot to make the ministry shudder.

And there were imperial princes and princesses at the Academy too.

Even the heirs to the great houses studied there…

Wasn’t ordering the Ministry of Justice to investigate the Academy the same as ordering it to offend the powers behind all two thousand students?

Cui Zheng could not afford to offend any of them. This assignment was far too hot to handle.

But the emperor’s word was law. He dared not oppose him in public.

Seeing Cui Zheng’s face, as though he had swallowed a dead fly, Wei Mingyuan smiled from his quiet place at the side.

Unless the emperor ordered otherwise, this had nothing to do with his Prison Pacification Bureau.

Plenty of serious crimes and strange cases awaited the bureau. Why waste time on something as minor as buying and selling school places?

While Cui Zheng stood at a loss, Li Xuanzhen stepped forward and saluted.

“Your Majesty, I have a plan for investigating this affair.”

After that poem, the emperor had to admit the boy looked considerably more agreeable.

He nodded and asked, “What plan?”

Li Xuanzhen glanced at Zhao Ji, then saluted again.

“A full investigation of the Academy will alarm the entire court. It may even provoke reactions among students throughout the realm.

“After all, this is hardly an honorable business.

“Even a thorough investigation would, I believe, damage Great Li’s reputation.

“Why not have the Academy examine all its students tomorrow, with the questions set by Your Majesty?

“Just as Your Majesty examined me today.

“Those who pass will have demonstrated genuine learning. There will be no need to implicate them over their places.

“Those who fail can then be investigated by the Ministry of Justice. Their ultimate punishment will be for Your Majesty to decide.

“It will save time and effort, while avoiding offense to too many people.”

Emperor Jingyuan said nothing, his face still.

His thoughts, however, were anything but calm.

In a few words, the boy had produced an almost perfect solution.

Cui Zheng, meanwhile, saluted Li Xuanzhen with open gratitude in his eyes.

Everyone knew the truth. Most Academy students did possess considerable talent and learning.

Only a small minority relied on powerful backgrounds to occupy places without doing any work.

Li Xuanzhen’s proposal would save the Ministry of Justice a great deal of time and manpower.

More importantly, the ministry would not have to offend every powerful family at court.

Wei Mingyuan considered briefly, then nodded.

“Not bad.”

Emperor Jingyuan paused.

In his experience, Wei Mingyuan treasured his words and seldom praised anyone.

Getting “not bad” out of him was no small achievement.

It was ample proof that Li Xuanzhen possessed real ability.

The emperor nodded.

“Good. Then We shall follow your proposal.

“Minister Cui, do you understand?”

Cui Zheng hurriedly bowed and saluted respectfully.

“I understand, Your Majesty.”

He turned, his face cold, and beckoned toward the doors.

Imperial Guard soldiers entered, seized Zhao Ji, and began escorting him out.

“Your Majesty, I’ve been wronged!” Zhao Ji cried as they took him away.

By now, however, who had been wronged and who had laid a trap seemed perfectly clear.

Li Xuanzhen stepped forward again.

Li Zhenbei’s heart jumped. What was the brat planning now?

The six vice ministers were puzzled. He was already safe. Why speak again?

Zhang Wenzhen and Wei Mingyuan had their own suspicions.

The boy might truly mean to poke a hole through the sky.

Li Xuanzhen saluted.

“Your Majesty, Young Master Zhao says he has been wronged. Perhaps there really is an injustice here.

“Why not ask him to explain exactly how he has been wronged?”

The dukes and senior officials frowned again, casting complicated looks at him.

His words appeared solicitous. In truth, he was digging Zhao Ji a pit.

They all knew Zhao Ji was shouting about injustice because he wanted to, not because he had actually suffered any.

The emperor’s newly relaxed brow tightened again.

“You truly believe he has been wronged?” he asked coldly.

Li Xuanzhen nodded.

“Your Majesty, why not examine him to establish the truth?

“If he possesses genuine talent, and offered himself as bait as I did, would sending him into custody not wrong an innocent man?”

Zhao Ji blinked, utterly stunned.

He had never imagined that bastard Li Xuanzhen could be so viciously calculating.

A knife hidden behind a smile!

If the ministry simply took him away, his father, the Duke of Zhao, could intervene and pull a few strings. He would walk out of prison unharmed.

After all, how would the Ministry of Justice dare offend a ducal household?

But an examination before the emperor? The few drops of learning in his belly would never sustain him.

Worse still, if he exposed his ignorance, his household’s purchase of his Academy place would become an established fact.

Before anyone else could speak, Li Xuanzhen turned toward Zhao Ji and gave him a kindly smile.

“Young Master Zhao, hurry and prove you’ve been wronged.

“His Majesty is waiting.”