Nirvana In Fire

Because I just couldn’t resist reading on……..

The Shangshu* of the Ministry of Justice, Cai Quan, had been very busy recently. Though the Xuanjing Bureau still existed in name, many of their unresolved cases had been handed over to the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice’s methods and procedures for investigating and filing cases were entirely different from those of Xuanjing Bureau. A memorial for all these cases had already been presented to the Liang Emperor, and he had personally ordered them to investigate. Every one of these cases was like a red-hot charcoal ball. But Cai Quan was strong-willed by nature. Xia Jiang’s escape had caused him to choke on his own breath, so even though it was difficult to swallow what was assigned to him, he would still swallow it.

*High official / Minister

Fortunately, he had Prince Jing’s support and several capable people under him. He also often went to the Su Residence to discuss matters with the Qilin talent where he often got helpful suggestions, so all his hard work yielded results after a month.

Who would have thought that the new ruling minister of the Imperial Court of Justice, Ye Shizhen would be such an eccentric and critical person. When the case files were sent to him for review, he at once picked out quite a number of discrepancies. Apart from “the manner of writing does not comply with standards” or “the phrasing is vague” which can be regarded as nitpicking, the rest of the discrepancies were genuine. Because of this, Cai Quan, who was always full of energy and enthusiasm, who had never met defeat since taking office, became dejected and depressed for a period of time. Everyone in the Ministry of Justice also felt a sense of shame, and they rallied together, vowing to get it right the second time. According to Shen Zhui, “it quickly descended into madness”.

But such madness bears its own fruit. In the second round of review, Ye Shizhen couldn’t find anything no matter how many times he combed through them, so he had no choice but to sign off, put his seal on them, and have them sent to the inner court. Having passed through his rigorous review, the Liang Emperor was satisfied. It was only to be expected that the original plan to select a candidate to be in charge of Xuanjing Bureau would be abandoned. Prince Jing was given permission to dissolve it and divide its powers. Part of it will be incorporated into the Imperial Court of Justice, while the other into the Ministry of Justice.

The dust had just begun to settle, and the young Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice had just breathed a sigh of relief when the Commander General of the Imperial Guard, Meng Zhi dropped by with two constables in tow. It happened that these two men were so disgruntled with how the Imperial Court of Justice had made things difficult for the Ministry of Justice that they went so far as to try to collide into Ye Shizhen’s sedan chair on the pretext of chasing after a criminal. Fortunately, Meng Zhi happened to pass by and stopped them before it happened, thus avoiding any repercussions. Then he quietly dragged them to the Ministry of Justice’s government office, handing them over to Cai Quan to deal with, rendering him speechless.

After summoning everyone in the ministry and severely admonishing them against acting out any personal grievances against the Imperial Court of Justice, Cai Quan repeatedly thanked Meng Zhi for preventing the incident. Before this, the both of them had no personal friendship but because of this matter, they chatted briefly, discovering that they could get along, and that they didn’t live far from each other. Cai Quan, who hadn’t seen his wife and children in more than half a month, having spent all this time in the ministry office, decided after the conversation to go home, and they both journeyed together in the carriage belonging to the Ministry of Justice.

Along the way, they found a new topic of conversation, and as they happily talked about the Mister Su who now served as an honorary visiting high official, Meng Zhi happened to glance out the window and suddenly burst into laughter.

Cai Quan followed his gaze and couldn’t help but smile. On the busy street outside, the casually dressed Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue Shen Zhui was carrying a watermelon that was as round as his belly in his arms, strolling around the various stalls, occasionally stopping to chat with a stall owner.

Meng Zhi smiled and said, “Shen Shangshu is a good official who is constantly paying attention to the people’s cost of living. But why is he doing with the watermelon?”

“Perhaps he just bought it?” Cai Quan also smiled and shook his head. Instructing the driver to stop, both men alighted to say hello, when an unforeseen event suddenly took place.

There was a wagon full of logs in front of them. One of the ropes securing the logs suddenly snapped, and they all began to roll off the wagon in Shen Zhui’s direction, threatening to crush him. People all round screamed as they dodged out of the way, but Shen Zhui was fat and moved slowly. Meng Zhi leapt forward, but he was too far away to come to the rescue. Just as the logs were about to hit him, a quick and light figure flashed past and lifted the rotund figure of the Shangshu like a sack and released him under the eaves by the streetside.

“Fei Liu!” Meng Zhi was overjoyed, “Luckily you passed by!”

Cai Quan rushed forward to support his good friend. When he had gotten over his shock, Shen Zhui hurriedly turned towards Fei Liu to thank him, but the youth merely grunted “Ng”, looking at him with a cold and expressionless face. Due to their recent frequent visits to the Su Residence, both Cai Quan and Shen Zhui were familiar with Fei Liu’s behavior so it didn’t bother them. Though the logs were scattered all over the place and many stalls had suffered damage, it was fortunate that nobody was injured. The owner of the log carriage was sweating profusely, his face pale, and he was soon surrounded by the damaged stall owners demanding compensation.

“Fei Liu, where were you heading?” Seeing that the people were merely arguing over the amount of compensation and that there was no big conflict, Meng Zhi didn’t bother much about it and turned to smile at the youth.

Fei Liu snorted and flicked his head away, refusing to look at him. The Commander General of the Imperial Army smiled wryly. Ever since he angered Xiao Shu by suggesting that he came clean with Prince Jing, the overprotective-of-his-Su-gege Fei Liu treated him as the bad guy and ignored him.

But he found it strange. Previously, no matter how often he made this error, Xiao Shu would patiently explain to him why not. That day, however, he turned away and left without a word, looking exceedingly weary and emotional.

Constantly thinking about this, even though he regarded himself as rough and unrefined, Meng Zhi felt uneasy.

“Shen xiong, are you hurt?” asked Cai Quan suddenly.

“No….”

“Then this red spot….” Cai Quan reached out to touch it. “Oh. Watermelon.”

Fei Liu crooked his head and glanced at him, then removed a piece of silver from within his clothing and gave it to Shen Zhui, who looked confused and said, “What’s this for?”

“Compensate you!”

All three men tightened their faces, trying hard to hold back laughter that was about to burst out, until their bellies ached. Gasping for breath, Shen Zhui placed the piece of silver back in Fei Liu’s hand and said, “Fei Liu xiaoge*, you’ve saved my life. If you need to compensate me for a watermelon, what kind of person have I become?”

*younger brother

“I toppled!” said Fei Liu earnestly, “I compensate!”

“Alright, Shen daren will accept it,” said Meng Zhi, holding back his laughter. “Fei Liu has been brought up well. If you don’t accept it, he will be angry.”

Shen Zhui looked at the piece of silver that had been stuffed back into his hand, not knowing if he should laugh or cry. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a flirtatious voice beside him.

“Beautiful young lady, such lily-white hands shouldn’t come in contact with such pungent things. Come, let me help you pick them up…..”

All three men turned to look. They saw a vegetable stall that had been knocked over by a log, and a young girl of about sixteen picking up garlic that had rolled onto the ground, who was blushing because a strange man was hitting on her. Though she was a pretty girl from a humble background, when they looked closely, they could see that she was astonishingly beautiful.

“You’re really beautiful…..” Looking at his attire, the frivolous wastrel squatting beside her appeared to be from a wealthy family. He was actually quite handsome but the lecherous expression on his face detracted from his good looks, and his next words were even more inappropriate. “Young lady, what’s your name? Have you been promised to anyone?”

The young lady blushed and tried to get away. The moment she turned around, the lecher blocked her way. “Don’t leave so soon. I won’t offend such a beautiful woman. Let’s just chat for a while?”

Cai Quan couldn’t stand it any longer, and snorting contemptuously, he said, “A person of noble background should restrain himself in such broad daylight.”

The lecher’s passionate eyes flickered. Turning halfway to look at them, he said, “Restrain what? Are you jealous that I’m speaking to a beautiful young lady?” At this point, he suddenly noticed Fei Liu and his eyes immediately lit up.

“Wow. This little brother is also very beautiful. He has a very sturdy body. Let me pinch and see…..”

As Meng Zhi and the rest watched the lecher move closer with a lustful look on his face, his hand reaching out as if to touch Fei Liu’s face, they raised their eyebrows simultaneously, knowing that they would soon get to see a wonderful acrobatic performance.

But what followed almost made their eyes pop out. To their surprise, Fei Liu just stood stiffly in place, his thin lips pressed tightly together, allowing the lecher to lightly pinch his face.

“Hehehe, Fei Liu is very obedient. Looks like you’re a little fatter. I told Changsu a long time ago not to feed you so much. If you’re fat, you won’t be so pretty…..” As soon as the lecher said this, he suddenly remembered. Turning around, he stamped his foot and exclaimed, “Where’s the beautiful young lady? She ran away so quickly….I’ve not seen such an unpolished gem in such a long time. What a shame.”

“Over there!” Fei Liu pointed in a certain direction.

“Ah, our little Fei Liu is the best. I’m going to chase the beautiful young lady. Go and tell Changsu that I’m going to bring him a generous gift. He must be happy. See you tonight.” Then, with a flick of his fan, he dashed off into the distance.

“This….this person….who is he?” stammered Shen Zhui as he stared at the retreating back of that person with that seemingly free and easy nature.

“It sounds like he’s a friend of Mister Su….he also has such friends?” Cai Quan’s eyebrows narrowed doubtfully.

But Meng Zhi looked thoughtfully at that person’s less than swift footwork, his expression solemn.

Fei Liu was probably struck by the words “See you tonight” and stood dumbfounded for a long time before he abruptly tightened his lips and vanished. It was unclear if he returned to the Su Residence or fled elsewhere.

Once the two of them left, the three men still at the scene naturally didn’t remain standing in the middle of the street. Meng Zhi had originally planned to follow Cai Quan all the way home, but this encounter with the lecher piqued his curiosity and he wanted to check it out for himself, so he suddenly recalled that he had an appointment and took his leave. Coincidentally, Shen Zhui also hinted to Cai Quan that he had something to tell him, so everyone parted company politely, with Shen Zhui and Cai Quan boarding the MInistry of Justice’s carriage together, leaving Meng Zhi behind.

“Have you heard?” said Shen Zhui excitedly as soon as the curtain was lowered. “The Astrological Bureau has already divined a few auspicious dates. The Crown Prince investiture has been fixed on the 16th day of the 6th month.

“Really?” Cai Quan was suddenly cheerful. “I’ve been so busy these few days I haven’t been paying attention to any news. So that means that in about half a month’s time, Prince Jing will be the Crown Prince….Things are beginning to look up for the court!”

“Yes, I just hope nothing happens before this….”

“Why do you say that? Everything looks set. What could go wrong?”

Shen Zhui glanced at him. “Haven’t you noticed that His Highness Prince Jing has seemed depressed recently, as if there’s something on his mind?”

“No….I’ve been so busy I was close to collapsing…why is His Highness unhappy?”

“If I knew why would I discuss it with you?” Shen Zhui wrinkled his stubby eyebrows. “The court is running smoothly, there’s no threat at the borders. He is also very well favored by His Majesty. I really can’t figure it out. What’s causing His Highness to be dissatisfied?”

Cai Quan raised his head and ponder for a long time, but couldn’t think of a reason. “Could he be ill?”

“I heard that he tamed a wild horse sent from the southern border just two days ago, so how could he be ill…..”

“Then perhaps he’s nervous about the approaching investiture….”

Shen Zhui remained silent for a long while before saying, “It seems unlikely…..but there seems to be no cause or reason, and I don’t know how to ask him. I only hope that things would be better for him after the investiture. Now that the investiture of the crown prince has been determined, I’m afraid the imperial edict ordering Prince Yu to take his own life will soon follow suit in the next few days. I heard he had been writing a memorial everyday expressing his repentance and requesting for a waiver of the death sentence, but His Majesty has not aopproved it.”

“How can a traitor avoid the death sentence?” Cai Quan shook his head as he said, “Prince Yu should also have understood the risk he took. If he won, he would have won the world, and if he lost, he would be utterly crushed. How can there be another way?”

“If that’s the case, then it would have been better for him to have lost to the former Crown Prince,” Shen Zhui sighed regretfully. “Even if he ended up being exiled outside the imperial capital, at least he would save the life of his whole family. Whether that would have been lucky or not, it’s difficult to conclude.”

Cai Quan suddenly narrowed his eyes and slowly said, “Do you think….His Highness’s moodiness, is it because of what happened to Prince Qi then?”

Shen Zhui leapt up in shock. Forgetting that they were both in a carriage, he instinctively looked around. “Why are you suddenly bringing this up?”

“The case of rebellion is similar. What’s so strange about recalling that incident?” Cai Quan looked at him strangely. “Why are you so nervous?”

“Don’t you know….” Shen Zhui drew a breath, “At that time, when the incident surrounding Prince Qi happened, the streets of the imperial capital were practically bathed in blood. Half the civil and military ministers pleaded for leniency, but the more they pleaded, the more the situation deteriorated. People were killed, one round after the other, and several households were terminated. When my mother entered the palace at the time, she saw the body of the once much favoured Consort Chen niang niang carried out bundled in a white silk cloth….All these years since then, who would dare to speak so casually of Prince Qi?”

Shen Zhui was the son of Qinghe county lord and related to the imperial clan, so naturally, he was much more aware of the circumstances surrounding the bloody and tragic events that happened those years ago, compared to Cai Quan who was only a local official. Just saying those words caused him to shiver. Cai Quan remained stunned for a long time. Then his expression suddenly turned grave, and he said solemnly, “But Xia Jiang was in charge of investigating Prince Qi’s case, right?”

Shen Zhui trembled, immediately understanding his meaning, and raised his eyebrows.

“Prince Jing had always objected to Prince Qi’s case. This position is well-known. Because of this, he was suppressed for more than ten years, and was frequently asked to leave the capital. If the person who led the investigation against Prince Qi himself committed treason, how could Prince Jing not start planning?” Cai Quan was grim as he said, “I think he has been worrying recently, most likely because he has been thinking about whether or not to propose a reinvestigation of Prince Qi’s case to His Majesty.”

“He absolutely must not!” Shen Zhui was dripping with cold sweat. “The investiture has not happened yet. If he offends His Majesty, there will be a lot of trouble. Although Xia Jiang was the chief investigator, the person who ultimately decided the case was His Majesty. If he calls for a reinvestigation without strong evidence, His Majesty will think that he is now bringing up the old case just because he has achieved new merits. Do you know what His Majesty hates the most? Someone challenging his sovereign power! Wouldn’t reinvestigating Prince Qi’s case clearly demonstrate that His Majesty had committed a big mistake back then? His Majesty will never tolerate it!”

“But…..” Cai Quan persisted, “Based on Xia Jiang’s betrayal, perhaps one can see that the truth back then…..”

“Why do you still not understand?” said Shen Zhui grimly, “What is the truth? Do you think nobody called the truth into question all those thirteen years ago? In the end, they were either exiled or had their heads separated from their body, or….they obediently kept silent. Perhaps to His Majesty, it wasn’t important whether or not Prince Qi truly rebelled at the time. What’s important was that if he wanted to rebel, he could rebel anytime!”

This was the first time Cai Quan heard such a perspective. He felt numb all over, and looked silently at Shen Zhui for a long time.

“In short, Xia Jiang’s betrayal is insufficient reason to speculate that the previous case was unjustly concluded.” Shen Zhui relaxed his tone again, looking a little helpless, “I think His Highness would probably have realized this, which is why he has been so low in spirits……”

Cai Quan looked up at the roof of the carriage, deep in thought, then said coldly, “If I were His Highness Prince Jing, I wouldn’t give you.”

“What are you saying?” Shen Zhui didn’t quite understand and looked at him in surprise.

“What does it mean if he wanted to rebel he could rebel anytime? Just because of this, tens of thousands of lives were lost?” The more he spoke, the angrier Cai Quan was. “The Emperor is responsible for the care of his people, and his power lies in being a model of benevolence. To suspect someone of treason when there is no such intention….if that’s how the Emperor thinks, then how could he be noble and benevolent towards his subjects? I had originally thought that Prince Jing was resentful only because of Prince Qi, because they were both very close, but now that I hear what you have to say, actually……”

“Alright,” Shen Zhui interrupted his good friend, “Pretend I didn’t say anything. But seeing your indignation, I can better understand His Highness’s frame of mind. But no matter how pressing it is, now is not the right time. It’s better to wait till later…..when that time comes, is there anything that can’t be achieved? We must find an opportunity to persuade His Highness not to act impulsively.”

“If you want to persuade him, go ahead. I won’t join you.”

“Alright. You continue to be just and upright. I’ll be smooth and cunning and persuade him myself.” Although Shen Zhui said this in a huff, after giving it more thought, he still felt that it wasn’t proper. “It’s not appropriate for me to go. It’s better to ask Mister Su to persuade him one day. He followed His Highness to the Spring Hunt and stood against the rebellion with him. The men from Prince Jing’s household also mentioned that His Highness now has even greater respect for him. It’s better for him to speak. If he personally persuades His Highness, His Highness will definitely listen.”

Cai Quan actually knew deep down that Shen Zhui’s point of view was more appropriate to the situation than his. Unwilling to budge for a while, he finally grunted “Ng.”.

Outside, the carriage happened to pass by Prince Yu’s former mansion. Looking through the screen window at the once majestic and impressive royal mansion that was now in ruins and exposed to wind and dust, the two Shangshu recalled their recent conversation, suddenly realizing how unpredictable the affairs of the world could be. Looking at each other, they couldn’t help but heave a long sigh.