The Earth King

Earth King

The smile on Han Sui's face stiffened for a moment.

He did not rush to answer Commander Liu. Instead, he had the maidservants nearby pour tea for them both.

Scalding tea splashed into fine white porcelain cups.

Pre-Qingming Cloud Mist tea—the fragrance wafted everywhere.

Then, putting on the full airs of a scholar-official, he used the lid to gently skim away the foam floating in the cup, blowing lightly over the steaming tea...

"With the Night Patrol Directorate safeguarding it... the glass business will surely sail smoothly before the wind."

"Commander Liu, your arrival is most timely."

Only after taking a few small sips of tea did he formulate his words and speak.

"However..."

"There is one step missing from the glassmaking process, and it is crucial. Xu Xing did not reveal it."

Han Sui set down his teacup and fixed his gaze on Commander Liu.

"Send him into the Night Patrol Directorate's Zhaoyu Prison."

"Put him through every punishment. He will not refuse to speak."

Commander Liu was exceedingly confident.

Few tough men could withstand the Night Patrol Directorate's brutal tortures and interrogations. Han Sui had to mind the repercussions; his reach did not extend into the Imperial Prison, so he was rather constrained in his actions. But Commander Liu was different. As the Commander of the Night Patrol Directorate personally promoted by the Chongming Emperor, he could temporarily take charge of criminal officials held in the Imperial Prison, without needing to worry about preserving any spotless reputation...

"No."

Han Sui shook his head. "Xu Xing's imprisonment was already my failing. Many of my colleagues bear grievances and dissatisfaction toward me. If Xu Xing is made to suffer again, forced to confess the secret formula for glass... I will end up abandoned and betrayed by all."

Scholars cherished their reputations and guarded their feathers.

Money mattered, but having reached his present station, both fame and profit mattered.

He could still fob off sending Xu Xing to the Imperial Prison to take the blame with the excuse of "having no other choice." Even if those in his faction heard of it, they would believe he had been forced into it.

But if he directly tortured Xu Xing for profit...

Those in his faction at court would certainly see him as a harsh and ungrateful man, and their hearts would turn away from him.

Reputation was intangible, yet immensely important.

"Stay out of this matter."

"This Commander will shoulder all the blame."

Commander Liu chivalrously intended to take all responsibility upon himself.

"If you stay out of it, Commander..."

"They... will not suspect me?"

Han Sui gave a soft chuckle, casually exposing Commander Liu's little scheme. He took another sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "Xu Xing's rebellious poem was written with such grandeur. It shows that he has already resolved himself to die. What he considers is nothing more than what comes after his death... Princess Anren is being married off today, and his execution has been postponed until next month. During this month, I will do my utmost to tempt him with profit and force him to voluntarily reveal the key to making glass..."

He understood Xu Xing's temperament.

Xu Xing was by no means some loyal minister or righteous martyr willing to die.

That so-called rebellious poem... was, at most, a means for him to seek benefit. There was no need to tell Commander Liu all of this.

"True enough. There is no need to rush over this little while."

Commander Liu mulled over Han Sui's words and grasped the crux of them.

Han Sui had originally intended to let Xu Xing die a romantic ghost, leaving behind descendants for him. Now that Zhao Yunniang was pregnant, once Xu Xing died a month later, with Zhao Yunniang and the child in her womb as leverage, Xu Xing would never guard this secret all the way to the netherworld...

He could wait one month.

"However, Commander, I have another matter to ask of you..."

"My daughter in the palace... is rather out of favor. I wonder... whether Commander has any ideas?"

Han Sui brought up another matter.

"Your daughter? Consort Han?"

"That is simple."

Commander Liu patted his chest. "Princess Anren is being married off to the northern frontier and will become the Prince of Zhenbei's daughter-in-law. Once she leaves, who knows when she will have another chance to return to the Divine Capital? Does Consort Han not usually enjoy currying favor with Princess Anren? Their relationship is quite good. She can set up scenes from the Princess's residence in the palace and assume an air of longing for the Princess..."

He and the Chongming Emperor were as close as brothers. A casual word from him could influence the currents within the palace.

Quite a few consorts had arranged scenes from the Princess's residence, but to draw the Chongming Emperor's notice, they would need his help...

A few days later.

Divine Capital, North City.

A residence.

"Heaven's Way is incomplete; common men must mend it. A good man leaves father and mother, for the sake of all under heaven, not for the sovereign. Only after slaughtering every official shall he stay his hand. I am a dignified man—why should I enter prison and become a captive?"

"A gallant man drains the wine from his bowl; on a journey of a thousand miles, he never turns back."

"Gongs and war drums thunder as the masses roar; unless we break the Yellow Dragon, we swear never to rest."

"Fine verses, fine verses."

In the Hall of Brotherhood, a burly man recited the rebellious poem from the paper. The more he read, the more excited he became. Every word of those verses seemed carved into his very bones.

"Heaven King."

"According to what your subordinate has learned, the man who wrote this rebellious poem is Xu Xing, formerly an eighth-rank Assistant Director of Imperial Stables."

"This man... was convicted of embezzling three hundred warhorses. He is to be beheaded next month. According to the Great Proclamations handed down by the Founding Ancestor, he will be flayed and stuffed with straw."

A man dressed in coarse blue cloth, resembling a household servant, stepped forward and spoke in a low voice.

He had accidentally seen the rebellious poem in the study of the General of the Left Guard's residence. Seeing how bold and stirring it was, he had taken it upon himself to send the poem as intelligence to Earth King, who was gathering information in the Divine Capital.

The dynasty had now reached the end of its three-hundred-year reign.

Rebel kings sprang up everywhere—eighteen routes of rebel kings, forty-six routes of smoke and dust.

Earth King was the third chief of Four Bright Mountain Stronghold, one of the eighteen rebel forces. Mourning Heaven King, the stronghold's chief, had sent him to scout for intelligence in the Divine Capital and, incidentally, seek out scholars who had failed the imperial examinations to join the great cause of rebellion.

No matter how much rough men of the wilds might disdain scholars, any leader with vision knew that winning the hearts of the scholar-officials meant winning the realm. A rebellion could not do without scholars.

"Embezzlement?"

Earth King's expression immediately darkened. "Damn it, I hate corrupt officials most of all. Good that he was killed—good that the court killed him. And here I thought he was some great loyal subject."

Though they were rebelling now, they still admired loyal ministers and renowned men from the bottom of their hearts.

Corrupt officials were not welcome among them.

"Heaven King, you misunderstand."

"How could Xu Xing possibly have the ability to embezzle so many warhorses? He was merely a scapegoat."

Seeing Earth King's displeasure, the servant-dressed man hurriedly explained.

This was his chance to earn merit. He absolutely could not let it slip away so easily.

"Poor fellow."

"I knew it—one's handwriting reflects the man, and so do one's poems..."

"How could a man capable of writing such bold verses possibly be a corrupt official?"

Earth King burst into hearty laughter.

"Yes, yes, Heaven King..."

"Xu Xing is more than that. Unlike ordinary scholars, he passed the provincial examination in the mathematics track. They say he possesses the talent to order heaven and chart the earth. It was only because he was poor at poetry and prose that he wasted half his life stumbling along the official road..."

The servant-dressed man continued.

Repeat a lie three times, and it becomes truth.

He had overheard a few words of praise for Xu Xing from his master in the study and decided that Xu Xing was a peerless talent. So he embroidered the tale himself, adding bits of hearsay gathered from the streets, fabricating Xu Xing's history and learning.

"This talent..."

"I must bind him and bring him to Four Bright Mountain for my elder brother."

Earth King was instantly moved and made up his mind.