Geng Jing had spent the whole night questioning prisoners and had not managed a moment’s rest since.

He was turning over the charge sheets on his desk, his brows knotted tight.

“Your subordinate Ning Chen, presenting himself to Geng the Purple Coat!”

Ning Chen’s voice came from outside the door.

Geng Jing raised his head from the charge sheets, and his brows knotted deeper still, until they were as wrinkled as a sheet of egg skin.

“Come in!”

Ning Chen stepped inside and looked around him, hunting for his reward.

But he went right round and found nothing at all. Only then did he put his eyes on Geng Jing, and at the same moment he was blank for a beat.

Because Geng Jing was looking at him in a way that was very far from pleased.

Ning Chen scratched his head. He had no idea what any of that meant, but it sounded impressive.

“Ning Chen. You are very bold indeed, to make a fool of me and Commander Nie.”

Ning Chen was blank for a beat. So that was what was wrong with Geng Jing’s face — this was what it was about.

Thinking of Geng Jing licking renzhonghuang the night before and saying it tasted pretty good, that there was an apple smell about it, Ning Chen could not hold it in for a moment and burst out laughing.

“You still dare to laugh? Don’t imagine that because His Majesty dotes on you I won’t dare deal with you.”

Seeing that Ning Chen was still laughing, Geng Jing was angry enough to clamp his back teeth shut.

Ning Chen did not dare presume any further. Geng Jing was the head of the service, after all, and squaring accounts with him would be simple enough.

His face turned serious. “Lord Geng, you have truly misunderstood me on this… In fact I was saving your life and Commander Nie’s.”

Geng Jing made a cold sound in his nose. “Make it up. Go on making it up… I’ll give you your chance. If you can’t invent a reason today that convinces me, I’ll let you taste the punishment rods yourself.”

Ning Chen said gravely, “Lord Geng, I truly am not making it up… Think about it. Those elixirs His Majesty was eating had the very things you ate mixed into them as well.”

“I did not eat it. I only licked it!”

Geng Jing argued for himself, beside himself.

Ning Chen pressed his lips tight together, for fear of laughing out loud like a pig squealing.

“Yes, yes, that’s right… Lord Geng only licked it.”

“But Lord Geng might think it over properly. His Majesty asked me a question and I did not dare not answer. And you two happened to be standing beside me, and heard what I said… and so learned that the elixirs His Majesty was eating had every kind of dung and piss and wind mixed into them.”

The corner of Geng Jing’s mouth twitched hard several times.

Put that way, His Majesty was a great deal more to be pitied than he was.

Ning Chen went on. “That is the reigning sovereign we are speaking of. If this business got out, what would become of His Majesty’s face? To keep it from getting out, His Majesty would certainly kill the men who knew and close their mouths.”

A slight change went over Geng Jing’s face… There was something in what Ning Chen said.

“But Lord Geng has eaten the dung and Commander Nie has drunk the piss… which amounts to your having become His Majesty’s own people. You two will certainly never tell anyone that you ate dung and drank piss, so naturally His Majesty won’t need to kill you and close your mouths!”

Geng Jing was shaking with cold rage, and said through his clamped back teeth, one word at a time, “I will say it again. I did not eat it. I only licked it!”

“Lord Geng, let’s not pick over the wording now… You ought to be thankful you’re still alive.”

Ning Chen paused, then went on. “This move is called if you can’t beat them, join them… To save you and Commander Nie, I spent no end of trouble on it. I wrung out every drop of milk in my brains.”

Geng Jing kept feeling that something about this was not right. But for the moment he could not work out where the problem was.

Where the face of the imperial house was concerned, His Majesty really might kill men to close their mouths.

Put that way, Ning Chen had certainly talked them into licking that filthy stuff — but he had also genuinely saved them.

He had been up the whole night and had still not rested, and he was worn past bearing, and his head was not turning over properly.

“Lord Geng, this business touches His Majesty’s face. Better not to speak of it again after this.”

Geng Jing inclined his head slightly. There was nothing wrong with that, at least.

Hm?

That wasn’t right!

Geng Jing fixed his eyes on Ning Chen. “You said just now, if you can’t beat them, join them. Then why didn’t you eat any yourself? Weren’t you afraid His Majesty would kill you and close your mouth?”

Ning Chen lifted his head and threw out his chest and said, with righteousness blazing off him, “Because I am loyal to His Majesty to the bone, and stand ready at any moment to give my life for him.”

Geng Jing: “……”

“Have you no shame at all… The way you put it, Commander Nie and I are men who cling to our own skins.”

Ning Chen said seriously, “We are not the same… I can die. You and Commander Nie cannot.”

Geng Jing’s face was all astonishment. “Why?”

“Because you command the Inspectorate and inspect the officials of the court on His Majesty’s behalf… and Commander Nie is charged with the safety of the whole imperial city. You are His Majesty’s right hand and his left. His Majesty cannot lose his arms.”

“And I am only a nothing, of no weight at all. Whether I live or die is of no consequence.”

Geng Jing was struck dumb!

And in his heart there rose, of all things, admiration for Ning Chen, and gratitude.

And at the same time the feeling that something here was still not right.

Seeing that he had talked Geng Jing lame, Ning Chen hurried to change the subject. “Lord Geng, where’s my reward?”

“Hm?” Geng Jing was at a loss, and looked at him. “What reward?”

“We took the Elixir Bureau last night. Didn’t His Majesty reward according to merit?”

Geng Jing’s expression turned strange all at once — and there was something in it, too, that was pleased at another man’s misfortune.

“Ning Chen. His Majesty gave you no reward.”

Ning Chen’s expression stiffened. He did not believe it.

They had taken the Elixir Bureau and the merit was mostly his… and His Majesty doted on him so. How could there be no reward?

“Lord Geng, swallowing up things given by the emperor’s own hand is a serious crime. You had better think three times before you act.”

Geng Jing was angry enough to laugh at it. “You think it’s me who’s pocketed your reward?”

Saying it, he took the imperial edict down from a stand at the side and handed it to Ning Chen. “Read the last line for yourself.”

Ning Chen took the edict and opened it, and his eyes came to rest on the last line, and then the man went stupid.

The last line was four characters only… Ning Chen: no reward.

“This, this—”

Ning Chen did not know what to say.

No reward was one thing. But to have it written out specially on the imperial edict.

“What does His Majesty mean by this?”

Geng Jing did feel some sympathy for Ning Chen, but seeing him get his comeuppance was a most agreeable thing all the same.

“Can’t you read? It means what it says on its face… You have no reward.”

Ning Chen was very angry, and said in a fury, “On what grounds? We took the Elixir Bureau, and I think my merit is as great as yours or Commander Nie’s… On what grounds does everybody get a reward except me? It isn’t fair.”

Now that it was raised, Geng Jing was very puzzled by it too.

By rights, with the favor His Majesty showed Ning Chen, it was not possible there should be no reward at all.

The only explanation was that Ning Chen had done something. Something that had made His Majesty angry.

“Ning Chen. Have you done something to make His Majesty angry?”

Ning Chen cast his mind back.

Could it be because he had said His Majesty’s tea did not taste good?

Surely not? Was His Majesty as small-minded as that?

Or perhaps it was because he knew about His Majesty eating every kind of dung.

But Geng Jing and Nie Liang knew about it too, and they had both been rewarded.

Christ!!!

What in the world was it for?

Ning Chen shook his head. “I can’t think of anything… I’m as loyal as this. How could I have made His Majesty angry?”

“Lord Geng, do you suppose it could be because my merit was too great, and His Majesty couldn’t think for the moment how to reward me?”

Geng Jing made a small scoffing sound, and said, pleased at the misfortune, “You think too well of yourself… If that were it, His Majesty would not have written the four characters Ning Chen: no reward on the imperial edict.”

“Then what do you say it’s for?”

Geng Jing said, out of temper, “How should I know? At any rate His Majesty rewarded me with a great many fine things. I can’t spend it. I can’t possibly spend it…”

Ning Chen had felt hard used to begin with. Now he felt worse used than ever, and hurt as well.

(End of Chapter 115)