Chapter 324
Chapter 324
Initially, Shen Lang had sought out Zhang Chong’s second son, Zhang Xun, to impeach him, leaking the secret that Xue Yin was a wanted fugitive. As a result, Zhang Xun immediately sent a secret letter.
[Young Master Shen, haven’t we already settled the grudge between our families? Please, do not try to harm me!]
Shen Lang was quite embarrassed that the man was so sensible and clever. However, at the end of his letter, Zhang Xun mentioned that Zhu Wenhua had just entered the Censorate and was young, full of vigor, and eager to act. Consequently, Shen Lang entrusted this momentous task to Zhu Wenhua. And just as expected, the newly appointed censor, Zhu Wenhua, took the bait.
After learning the secret that Xue Yin was a wanted criminal, he was ecstatic, thinking he could finally drive Shen Lang to his death and annihilate his entire clan. But since he wasn't qualified to attend the court assembly, he went to the Chief Censor, Wang Shengchu. Lord Wang Shengchu was always looking to uncover a major case to earn merit, preferably one that would shock the world. That way, he could flaunt the authority of the Censorate. However, his rank was not high enough to know the secret of Xue Yin's fugitive status, so he, too, hastily reported the matter at court. The key was that he also bore a grudge against Shen Lang! And so, thanks to them, Shen Lang achieved his first victory in today’s court assembly.
At that moment, Shen Lang discovered that sometimes, an enemy was more useful than an ally. Allies, after all, could sometimes do things that would be the death of you. Like Princess Big Buttocks, for instance. Ugh! Let’s not even talk about it!
* * *
King Ning Yuanxian spoke.
“We have wasted time on trivial matters, and it is already approaching noon. Let us quickly discuss official business. Count Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, has annihilated the pirate Qiu Tianwei and seized Raging Tide City, expanding the territory of the State of Yue. In accordance with precedent, I intend to enfeoff him as Marquis Xuanwu. If the court has no objections, we shall proceed.”
Just then, Shen Lang stood with his legs splayed wide, looking like a crab. It was as if he were holding a butcher’s knife, his posture seeming to say:
‘Who’s next? Who else dares to stand in my way? You all saw what happened just now, didn’t you? The one who tried to harm me got beaten to a pulp, lost his official post, and was thrown into the prison of the Court of Judicial Review. You want to be my enemy? Then you’d better check if your neck is sturdy enough. Anyone who dares to obstruct my family’s enfeoffment as a marquis is an enemy of Shen Lang, and I will hound you to death. I will see you dead.’
The entire court fell silent; not a single person stepped forward. Having witnessed Shen Lang’s earlier display, they were all clearly intimidated.
‘You’re too vicious when you strike.’
The king said.
“If the court has no objections, then it is decided.”
At that moment, a minister stepped forward and spoke in a cold voice.
“Your Majesty, I wish to report that the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate is secretly plotting a rebellion. I have irrefutable evidence! Your Majesty, you must not enfeoff Jin Zhuo as Marquis Xuanwu! I implore Your Majesty to swiftly dispatch masters from the Blackwater Terrace to arrest Jin Zhuo, and to gather the southeastern armies to reclaim the Jin Clan’s domain and Raging Tide City. Shen Lang has entered the court as an official with treacherous intentions. He became an official to cover for the Jin Clan’s rebellion, and I request his arrest. The situation is extremely urgent. If this is allowed to continue, a world-shaking incident will occur. The Jin Clan has colluded with the State of Wu, intending to betray our nation and rebel. I have irrefutable evidence!”
Shen Lang narrowed his eyes.
‘Here we go again? Looks like today is the day we settle this for good.’
* * *
What kind of person was King Ning Yuanxian? He was harsh and vain, yet meticulous. Does that sound familiar? Shen Lang had a similar personality. In a way, Zhang Chong had clearly rendered meritorious service, yet the king had kept him locked in the prison of the Court of Judicial Review for months and still hadn't released him. Furthermore, when the war with the State of Nanguo took an unfavorable turn, the king became desperate for a victory. For that reason, he had sent Shen Lang as an envoy to the State of Qiang and then exaggerated the minor victory Shen Lang had secured into a great achievement to save his own face.
At the same time, he was also an extremely intelligent man. He could grasp the truth of any matter at a glance, but his selfish and vain nature led him to feign ignorance on many occasions. With people like him, if they liked someone, everything that person did seemed wonderful; if they disliked someone, everything they did was detestable. At least for now, he was quite fond of Shen Lang, and his liking was growing.
Shen Lang was meticulous and intelligent, yet he had no ambition. He had his flaws and shortcomings, but he never tried to hide them. Moreover, he was just as vain as Ning Yuanxian. This personality was what allowed Shen Lang to engage in seemingly insane acts, such as when he stood before the palace like a pyramid scheme salesman, calling upon the ministers to impeach Su Nan, or his beating of Zhu Wenhua in court today.
The King of Yue, with a personality similar to Shen Lang's, could not be called a sage king of his era. But who decreed that a king must be a sage? Just ascending to the throne was painful enough; becoming a sage king on top of that was an incomparably agonizing task. Take the Qing Dynasty, for example. The Yongzheng Emperor governed with all his might and brought about a revival, but he died in his forties and was ill-reputed his entire life. His son, Qianlong, was incredibly vain and selfish. Yet he lived past eighty, content his whole life, even praising himself as the "Old Man of Ten Perfect Accomplishments." From the perspective of the officials, who was harder to serve, Yongzheng or Qianlong? In reality, both were fearsome monarchs who gave no peace of mind. Father and son were equally matched in their willingness to execute people.
Because Shen Lang was intelligent, it seemed he would grow more and more to Ning Yuanxian’s liking, but it was for that very reason that the king was particularly harsh with Shen Lang in certain aspects. One of them was the Jin Clan’s collusion with the State of Wu. That was an absolute taboo.
‘I know you, Shen Lang. You have no ambition, so you won't rebel. And while I don't like Jin Zhuo one bit, I trust his character and integrity. However, I am still displeased that you all undermined me during the implementation of the new policies. But unless I send troops to destroy your Jin Clan, I have no choice but to let it go. Shen Lang, if you achieve even a small merit, it feels as though the knot in my heart will loosen, and the crack in my soul will mend.’
It was with this mindset that the king had stubbornly delayed the enfeoffment as Marquis Xuanwu, which should have happened months ago. He even insisted that the marquisate would only be granted to the Jin Clan after Shen Lang performed a great service. But if he were to discover that the Jin Clan had colluded with the State of Wu, all his goodwill toward Shen Lang would crumble, and Jin Zhuo’s enfeoffment as Marquis Xuanwu would once again face turmoil. That was why Shen Lang had always told Jin Zhuo to never openly collude with the State of Wu unless absolutely necessary, and not to threaten the king by feigning reliance on them. Doing so would not just be a loss of face but a complete severing of ties, something to be saved for the next major conflict.
For the Jin Clan’s political enemies, claiming that Jin Zhuo was colluding with the State of Wu and planning to betray the State of Yue was their ultimate weapon to block his enfeoffment. It was a weapon not to be drawn unless absolutely necessary, one they had to wait to unleash until the very moment the king was about to declare the imperial edict. As expected, those words struck a nerve with the king. His eyes, flashing like lightning, shot toward Shen Lang.
‘What is the meaning of this? You couldn't wait any longer just because I delayed the Jin Clan's enfeoffment for a few months? To so openly collude with the State of Wu and threaten me!’
When Shen Lang had previously pestered the king for the Marquis Xuanwu title, he hadn't minded. It was like a child asking for candy, not particularly irritating.
‘But I will never yield to threats. It is yours only if I choose to give it to you. How dare you try to take what I have not given?’
The king asked coldly.
“Yu Chenzhu? Do you have evidence for this matter?”
Shen Lang had never seen this official before, but he had heard the name. He was a Vice Censor, half a rank higher than Zhang Chong, making him a fairly high-ranking official. The Jin Clan had no feud with him, so for him to attack them like this, there could be only one reason: the Su Faction! Behind him must be Su Nan.
He said, “I have evidence, Your Majesty. I possess a secret letter that Jin Zhuo wrote to the King of Wu. Furthermore, three high-ranking officials from the State of Wu secretly traveled to Raging Tide City to negotiate with Jin Zhuo. They were Wu Meng, Junior Minister of the Court of the Imperial Clan; Zhu Ye, Director of the Ministry of Rites; and Wang Chengyan, Junior Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial.”
This was true. Ever since the Jin Clan had taken Raging Tide City, the State of Wu had sent a constant stream of envoys. They had offered to enfeoff the Jin Clan as dukes and even promised to dispatch troops to help them seize the entire Leizhou Commandery, granting them governance over it. Their only condition was that Jin Zhuo betray the State of Yue and pledge allegiance to Wu. The State of Wu had sent increasingly higher-ranking envoys, and a short while ago, they had secretly sent three high-ranking officials. The Junior Minister of the Court of the Imperial Clan represented the Wu royal family, Director of the Ministry of Rites Zhu Ye represented the Grand Secretariat, and the Junior Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial Wang Chengyan was responsible for diplomatic negotiations. What was significant was that they had sent officials of such a high rank for what was essentially a one-sided request for a secret meeting, not a formal negotiation.
The king demanded in a furious voice.
“Where is the letter?”
Vice Censor Yu Chenzhu presented the secret letter.
“This is a handwritten letter from Count Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, to the King of Wu. If you do not believe me, you may have the handwriting verified.”
The moment the king took the letter and read it, his expression changed drastically. In an instant, the atmosphere in the court became as dark as a sky full of storm clouds, threatening to unleash thunder and lightning at any moment.
“Shen Lang, see for yourself.”
The king flung the letter with force. The thin sheet of paper flew straight toward Shen Lang as if it were a blade. It seemed the king knew a fair bit of martial arts himself. Shen Lang picked up the letter and examined it. At first glance, the handwriting was very familiar, looking like that of his father-in-law, Jin Zhuo. The distinctive curves of the strokes were identical, so much so that an ordinary person would be unable to tell the difference; even Shen Lang found it difficult to distinguish. However, after a comparison using his mental computer, he could determine that it was not his father-in-law's handwriting.
On modern Earth, a handwritten signature was considered evidence. Generally, a person's handwriting could not be perfectly imitated, so a precise analysis by a computer could verify it. Even so, there were people who had become wealthy through their skills in forging signatures with great precision. Their stories were even made into movies. In this world, where verification techniques were less advanced, a forged script would be even harder to detect.
‘The one who forged this letter is a supreme master. They have replicated my father-in-law's handwriting almost perfectly.’