Chapter 47

He bowed toward the front of the great hall, his voice ringing out:

"Father, I beg you to give the two men a chance to compete. That would also allow the Daoist master to clear his name!"

"After all that, you still want to let that man do as he pleases!"

"I merely think we must not sacrifice the greater good for the lesser. Unless Fourth Brother thinks the master cannot defeat that man?"

"What nonsense! How could the master possibly lose to some country nobody..."

"If that is so, shouldn't we let the master demonstrate his powers again and put the rumors to rest?"

Their voices grew louder and louder. They were on the verge of arguing outright.

"Enough!"

Both men fell silent at once.

The emperor swept his gaze over the people below, then settled it on Xie Heng, who stood in the center.

"Minister Xie, what do you think?"

Xie Heng stirred from his seemingly detached stance. After a moment's thought, he stepped forward and said:

"In my opinion, truth cannot be made false, nor falsehood made true. Since both sides insist they are right, let them face each other in a contest. But allowing a commoner to disregard the law and act at will could lead to disaster. If the person responsible truly has the ability and acted in the name of justice, his punishment may be reduced. If he slandered another out of jealousy, however, his offenses should be counted together and punished severely."

The Fourth Prince was about to speak when the Crown Prince said, "I agree with Minister Xie. That is the most appropriate course."

The First Prince said, "I agree as well."

The ministers bowed. "We agree."

The Fourth Prince choked on their show of agreement. When he felt the gaze from above fall on him, he quickly composed himself.

"I agree too."

"In that case, Commander Zhang, I shall give you a chance to make amends. Find the person who posted those papers within two days, and I shall pardon you. Otherwise, your offenses will be counted together."

Zhang Yulin kowtowed in gratitude. "Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty!"

When the court session ended, the Fourth Prince strode out of the hall and caught up with the two men ahead of him.

"Eldest Brother and Second Brother rarely see eye to eye. Have you two finally made up? What wonderful news. Allow your little brother to congratulate you both."

The First Prince paid no mind to such childish tactics. He gave a cold laugh and said:

"You're overthinking it, Fourth Brother. We've always been brothers, and brothers don't hold grudges overnight. What is there to make up? If you wanted to come to my Residence for tea, I'd welcome you warmly too."

The Crown Prince wore his usual gentle expression. "Eldest Brother and I simply cannot stand seeing the people of Zhaojing deceived. Whichever side is telling the truth, leaving this unresolved will only harm them."

"Well, well, how lovely that sounds." His face darkened, and his voice turned icy.

"I wonder what my two brothers really think."

The First Prince had trained in the army. Hot-tempered and no good at veiled barbs, he dropped all pretense in the face of the Fourth Prince's needling.

"You should have known that taking a shortcut like this would catch up with you one day."

The Fourth Prince flew into a rage. "Master Xuanxin truly has the ability!"

"All right, all right, whatever you say. We'll know whether he's genuine in two days."

"Yes, we will. I hope my two brothers will still be so 'close and united' then!"

The Crown Prince waved a hand. "We shall see."

The three parted on bad terms.

By the time Xie Heng returned home, the sun had set, though the sky was not yet fully dark. Lamps glowed in the rooms around the courtyard, and a pair of lotus-shaped lamp stands cast their light across the room.

Two people sat chatting softly in carved rosewood chairs at the front of the sitting room. Beside them, the flame in a covered porcelain lamp with lotus patterns flickered. Its warm yellow glow surrounded the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law seated together, lending the moment a quiet peace.

Seeing Xie Heng return, Xie Madam rose with a smile. "You're finally back. Any later, and Lan Tang and I couldn't have waited for you."

Xie Heng handed his outer robe to a maid beside him. "Something came up at the office and delayed me."

"Never mind that. Come in and eat."

A servant brought over clean water and a towel. Xie Heng washed and dried his hands quickly before sitting down.

Xie Madam and Shen Lantang had already moved to the dining table. Once Xie Heng took his seat, the dishes were served.

As Xie Madam served him food, she asked, "How did things go at court today? Did His Majesty decide to let the two men compete?"

Xie Heng had discussed his plan with both of them, so although neither had gone out, they knew what had happened that day.

"Everything went according to plan. There were no mishaps."

"That's good, that's good."

Softhearted as she was, Xie Madam had wanted to expose the Daoist as soon as she learned he was using Pregnancy-Safeguarding Talismans to swindle women out of their money. She hoped to spare more women from falling for his deception.

Xie Heng looked at Shen Lantang. "Has Little Five mastered everything?"

"Don't worry, Father. Even if he leaves the Xie Residence someday, he'll be able to support a family by performing on the street."

Xie Heng was in high spirits and joined in the joke. "Then when he grows old, the Xie Residence won't have to pay for his retirement."

"Does the household provide a retirement allowance? How much?"

"You'll have to ask your mother."

"You two, don't joke about that. As mistress of the household, I can hardly tell you."

"..."

The meal felt rather like dinner for a family of three. Afterward, Shen Lantang bid them good night. Xie Heng was about to rest when a palace attendant slipped silently through the gates of the Xie Residence.

"Minister Xie, His Majesty is waiting for you in his study."

Under the dim night sky, Xie Heng soon entered the palace accompanied by two palace attendants. He passed through the Gate of Heavenly Purity and across the square before the Palace of Heavenly Purity, then entered through a small gate. At once, the air felt cooler.

Emperor Shunde, dressed in a bright yellow informal robe, was writing something. A porcelain bowl filled with ice sat on his desk. He did not pause when Xie Heng arrived. Ruler and minister remained silent, each attending to his own task. Only after the emperor finished his final stroke did he set down his brush with evident satisfaction and look up at the man in the room.

Rankings

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Time-Travel and Rebirth Romance

Devoted Love

Jiang Ciyu

Mind Reading

Salty Fish