Silence gave a slight nod and said slowly:

“Great Xuan’s Fourth Prince is not of especially good birth. His mother’s family was undistinguished; after she bore the Fourth Prince, she rose on her son’s rank, and only then was she granted the title Consort Zhao.”

“The Fourth Prince is brave and skilled in war, open and hearty by nature, but short on strategy.”

Ning Chen thought a moment, then asked, “Does the Fourth Prince have any supporters in the capital?”

Silence shook his head. “The Fourth Prince has made some small mark in the army, but at court he has no base at all.”

Ning Chen frowned slightly, then asked at once:

“How much do you know about the President of the Secretariat, at the Department of State Affairs?”

Silence considered. “Now there’s an unusual man.”

Ning Chen was curious. “How so?”

“The President of the Secretariat holds high rank and great power, yet he has almost no presence at court. On the surface his light is overshadowed by the Left Chancellor and the Right Chancellor — but underneath, he’s an old fox.”

“He knows how to hide his light and bide his time, to wait for his moment… Day to day he shows nothing, gives nothing away, but every task the Great Xuan Emperor hands him gets done, and done beautifully.”

“Even my mistress has said the man is a ruthless piece of work.”

Ning Chen narrowed his eyes. “A dog that bites doesn’t bark — you’re telling me he’s a dog that bites?”

Silence nodded.

“If the marquis wants to know more about him, he can find the time to come by the escort house.”

Ning Chen grunted, then asked, “At court, who does he keep close to?”

Silence shook his head. “He keeps close to no one. He stays out of harm’s way, and moves step by step, sure and steady.”

Ning Chen was silent a moment, then gave a slight nod. “Understood!”

“Then this small man takes his leave!”

Ning Chen grunted.

The next day, at court.

Sure enough, the memorials began — someone rose to denounce Ning Chen.

But the ones who leaped out were still that same pack of loudmouthed censors.

The Right Chancellor and the rest held their peace.

“Your Majesty, Ning Chen poisoned his own father for wealth and glory — he has lost every shred of conscience. We beg Your Majesty to punish him severely.”

“Your Majesty, Ning Chen’s methods are vicious and his character vile. How is such a man fit to marry the Ninth Princess? We beg Your Majesty to withdraw the decree and find the Princess a worthy husband instead.”

“Your Majesty, of all virtues filial piety comes first, and of all vices lust ranks worst. Ning Chen poisoned his own father, without a shred of conscience — this is unfilial. He spends his every day sunk in the courtesans’ quarter, lecherous and depraved, his conduct rotten to the core. He is not fit to be the Idle Marquis.”

“Your Majesty, the people’s anger is boiling over now and feeling runs high. If Ning Chen is not severely punished, we fear the imperial house itself will lose face.”

“Ning Chen poisoned his own father for wealth and glory, against every bond of kin… The Ninth Princess must never be married to so vile a villain.”

The Xuan Emperor watched the censors capering about, and the anger rose in him.

He knew perfectly well that these hidebound censors were being used by someone.

He was waiting for the others to leap out.

Otherwise he’d long since have had them all dragged off for thirty hard strokes of the rod.

But he waited a good while, and apart from the censors still capering about, no one else stepped forward to denounce Ning Chen.

The Xuan Emperor knew Ning Chen had wanted to catch the hidden hand out in the open at court — but it was clear now the ploy wouldn’t work, and he could not help a cold snort.

The court fell suddenly quiet.

His face blank, the Xuan Emperor said, “My beloved ministers make Ning Chen out to be so contemptible — do you have any proof?”

The censors looked at one another.

One censor stepped forward. “Your Majesty, word of this has already spread among the people; we fear it has stirred up real anger.”

The Xuan Emperor fixed him with an icy stare. “The common people pass an error along and it grows wilder with every telling; they believe it blindly… but my beloved ministers are steeped in the classics, learned and enlightened — do you truly not know that everything calls for proof?”

“On a few scraps of rumor you caper about here, denouncing a sitting marquis, blind to the truth, blind to his merit in the Northern Expedition, his merit in retaking the frontier.”

“Every other word out of you is ‘Ning Chen’ — is his name something the likes of you get to bark out? Did all your book-learning go into a dog’s belly? Do you understand nothing of high and low?”

“A pack of scoundrels, hidebound and useless, nothing but tongue-wagging fishwives who talk for the pleasure of hearing themselves… The court keeps you to uphold the law and to speak for the people’s wrongs — not to stand here making mischief and slandering out of spite.”

The civil and military officials wore all manner of looks.

His Majesty was cursing something foul.

Which told them just how angry His Majesty was.

The censors were far from cowed. Ning Chen was famous across the land now, riding high… and if they could bring him down, their own names would ring out — they might even go down in the histories as loyal ministers, remembered for all time.

“Your Majesty, there’s never a wave without a wind.”

“Your Majesty, our duty is to uphold the law and set right what has gone wrong. We cannot seal our lips merely because Marquis Ning is of exalted rank — and if we did, what use would the laws of Great Xuan be?”

“Your Majesty, that Marquis Ning poisoned his own father is a fact; before so conscienceless a deed, for your subject to stay silent would be to betray Your Majesty’s grace… Even if Your Majesty kills your subject today, your subject must still speak.”

“Just so — merit cannot cancel guilt. Marquis Ning’s war record is brilliant, true, but Your Majesty has already rewarded him and has not shortchanged him… yet that he poisoned his own father is a fact. This Ning Chen is simply a man out of his senses, disloyal and unfilial.”

The Xuan Emperor was so angry his fists clenched.

“Your Majesty must not shield him at every turn simply because you favor Ning Chen and dote on him.”

“Your Majesty, even if you put your subject to death today, your subject must speak… Ning Chen is unfit to be a marquis, unfit to be consort to a princess.”

“If Your Majesty is set on shielding Ning Chen, this old subject would sooner dash his brains out against the Golden Hall.”

The Xuan Emperor was so angry his face went black.

These censors were like flies that had caught the scent of something foul, swarming in all at once.

The more they talked, the more worked up they got.

At first it was only Ning Chen they denounced, but before long they dragged in the Xuan Emperor too… saying the Xuan Emperor kept the treacherous close and the loyal at arm’s length, and that at this rate Great Xuan was doomed sooner or later.

By the end they were painting the Xuan Emperor as a benighted ruler who could not reason, could not tell truth from lie, and did whatever he pleased.

The Xuan Emperor was so furious his head roared.

“Every one of you — this emperor says shut your mouths!”

The court fell instantly silent.

The Xuan Emperor let out a pent-up breath and said through gritted back teeth, “You wanted the truth, didn’t you? This emperor will give you the truth.”

That said, he glanced at Eunuch Quan.

Eunuch Quan bowed. “Yes!”

Then his shrill, thin voice rang out: “By the boundless grace of the throne — His Majesty, mindful of Marquis Ning’s brilliant war record and his coming marriage to the Ninth Princess, granted the poisoned cup, that Ning Ziming might keep his body whole.”

“This eunuch carried out the sentence by imperial command, and watched with his own eyes as Ning Ziming drank the poisoned cup and breathed his last.”

“Marquis Ning has always put loyalty and filial duty first; by the time he arrived, Ning Ziming was already dead… This eunuch cannot understand it either — how did so preposterous a rumor, that Marquis Ning poisoned his own father, ever get out?”

The whole pack of censors were dumbstruck.

The civil and military officials, each with his own expression, said not a word.

Whether what Eunuch Quan said was true or false, the move was masterful.

His Majesty had taken the whole burden onto himself — who would dare question His Majesty now?

One censor could not hold it in. “Your Majesty, your subject has heard that Your Majesty issued a decree long ago — beheading in three days… Of any decree granting the poisoned cup, your subject has never heard.”

The civil and military officials turned to look at him sidelong, pity in their eyes.

Had the fellow’s brains gone soft, or was he just iron-skulled… that he’d dare leap out and question His Majesty at a moment like this?

Good God — the man was all but throwing himself onto the point of the blade, as if terrified he might somehow fail to get himself killed.

The Xuan Emperor looked to Eunuch Quan and asked mildly, “Did this emperor ever issue a decree for beheading in three days?”

Eunuch Quan bowed and said respectfully, “Your Majesty issued no such decree.”

The Xuan Emperor’s gaze came to rest on that censor. “And when did my beloved minister ever see this emperor issue a decree for beheading in three days?”

“I— I…” the censor stammered. “Your subject only heard it said.”

The Xuan Emperor’s face darkened all at once. “My beloved minister is a Compiler. Instead of doing the job that is yours to do, you keep your eyes fixed on this emperor day after day… What are you after?”

That one sentence scared the censor half out of his soul; his legs buckled and he dropped to his knees. “Mercy, Your Majesty — forgive me, Your Majesty…”

To pry into the emperor’s every move — now that was a grave crime.

(End of Chapter 342)