Li Hongzhuo smiled and nodded.

But an old fox with that many years in officialdom was never going to take Ning Chen at his word so easily.

This time they had done no more than reach an understanding to work together.

“Marquis Ning, this old man will take his leave!”

“Safe journey, Lord Li Hongzhuo!”

Watching Li Hongzhuo’s carriage draw farther and farther away, Ning Chen let out a cold laugh.

From the conversation with Li Hongzhuo he had distilled a lot of useful information.

First: Li Hongzhuo said he could secure him a lifetime of glory, which meant the man behind him stood very high — high enough to have a chance at the throne.

But that was a wide field.

There were plenty of men close to the throne. Besides the princes, there were the princes of the blood.

So for the moment he could not pin it on any one man.

Second: Li Hongzhuo knew about him and the Wu woman emperor, which meant he had a line into the Wu Kingdom.

Being able to dig up the business with the woman emperor meant the man was high in rank and heavy in power over there.

It had to be the Prince Regent of Wu, Song Tiancheng.

“Li Hongzhuo, you won’t live out the month. I’ve said it, and Jesus himself couldn’t keep you here.”

Ning Chen said it under his breath, then turned his horse’s head and left.

He reached the Inspectorate and found quite a few men from the Ministry of Justice there.

Li Zhixing had come too.

Ning Chen thought about it a moment and understood.

Ning Ziming might be dead, but the rest of the Ning household still had to go to the sword.

Ning Chen caught sight of Chang Ruyue, Ning Gan and the others.

And the mother and son saw Ning Chen.

They knew perfectly well they were finished… on the single charge of the Left Chancellor’s treason, a hundred deaths would not have been enough.

So they did not beg.

But the pallor of their faces showed what they felt about dying.

The look they turned on Ning Chen, though, was full of venom.

“Ning Chen. Killing your own father, killing your own mother, destroying your own elder brothers — does that sit easy with you?”

Chang Ruyue’s eyes were vicious on him.

Ning Chen’s own eyes were cool. “Death is at your throat and you’re still thinking about blackening my name. Chang Ruyue, you really are something.”

“Your father committed treason and you have done more evil than he ever did… That you have lived this long is already His Majesty’s grace.”

Chang Ruyue’s face twisted. “Ning Chen, you’ll die badly… Even if I turn into an angry ghost, I will never let—”

The rest of what Chang Ruyue was saying turned into a scream.

It was Feng Qizheng’s doing, a slap across Chang Ruyue’s mouth… one that turned her lip inside out, split the corner of her mouth and all but knocked her teeth loose.

“Damn it… You’re a dead woman already. You could at least keep a civil tongue in your head. Aren’t you afraid of coming back as a beast in the next life?”

“Ning Chen, what I am today is what you’ll come to… You’ll die worse than I will, you’ll—”

Chang Ruyue shut her mouth, but then Ning Gan started up.

This time it was not Feng Qizheng’s turn. Chen Chong unhooked his scabbard and brought it down hard across Ning Gan’s mouth.

That was far worse than a slap. It tore Ning Gan’s mouth straight open and broke off several of his teeth.

Li Zhixing came over. “My lord marquis, this official will take his leave!”

Ning Chen gave a slight nod.

Li Zhixing was about to turn away when he stopped short and looked back at Ning Chen. “Your other two elder brothers — His Majesty has pardoned them the death penalty and sentenced them to exile… They should be nearly at the city gate by now.”

“The marquis may rest easy. I have instructed the escorting officers to look after them well on the road.”

Ning Chen nodded. “My thanks!”

Chang Ruyue and her son were taken away.

They had been beaten past speaking, but their eyes stayed fixed on Ning Chen, venomous the whole way.

Ning Chen simply ignored it. He did not give it a thought.

Chen Chong came over. “You all right?”

Ning Chen smiled. “What could be wrong with me?”

Chen Chong made a small sound. “Come eat at my place at noon, then. Don’t you like your sister-in-law’s cooking?”

The corner of Ning Chen’s mouth twitched. He remembered the last time, when he had nearly been stuffed to death.

“Where do you two think you’re going? You’re eating at my place at noon.”

Feng Qizheng and Gao Ziping had been about to sneak off, and Chen Chong had spotted them.

What they were afraid of was Chen Chong’s wife.

What Ning Chen was afraid of was being stuffed to death.

“Old Chen, something’s just come back to me — I’ve got somewhere to be shortly… Give your wife my apologies. Next chance I get, I’ll certainly come.”

Chen Chong looked at him suspiciously. “What do you have going on?”

“Uh… I have to go into the palace for an audience.”

Chen Chong made a small sound. He could hardly stand in the way of Ning Chen going into the palace.

“You two. Home with me at noon.”

Feng Qizheng’s and Gao Ziping’s faces screwed up like steamed buns.

Ning Chen took the chance and slipped away.

That evening Ning Chen made a trip to the Carefree Escort House.

He wrote a letter and had Silence send it on to the Wu woman emperor.

Silence had harriers; the letter would be there inside two or three days.

“This letter is extremely important. See that it doesn’t fall into anyone else’s hands.”

Silence nodded. “The marquis may rest easy!”

Ning Chen grunted, then said, “The peace terms should be arriving about now, shouldn’t they?”

“Barring accidents, they should already be in your Great Xuan emperor’s hands.”

Something flickered in Ning Chen’s eyes. How was he going to sweet-talk Li Hongzhuo into going to the Wu Kingdom?

“Bring me whatever intelligence you’ve gathered on Li Hongzhuo.”

“A moment, my lord marquis!”

It was very late by the time Ning Chen left the Carefree Escort House.

He did not go to the courtesans’ quarter, but went straight home.

“Fourth Young Master, an edict has come from the palace. His Majesty wants you at court tomorrow.”

So said Uncle Chai.

Ning Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then the corner of his mouth lifted… The hunt was beginning!

The next day, at the morning court.

“The several of you may withdraw for now. This emperor has something of great importance to say.”

The Xuan Emperor sat high on the dragon throne and waved off the officials who had been preparing to present memorials.

“The emperor of Wu has sent men with terms for peace — they wish to lay down arms and treat with our Great Xuan.”

The assembled officials were astonished at first, and then an uproar broke out.

The Right Chancellor, Li Hongzhuo and the rest showed no particular reaction — because they had known about it since yesterday. The peace terms had gone to the Department of State Affairs first and were only then presented to His Majesty.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty, and felicitations… Your Majesty’s talent and strategy are without equal. With the brush you can settle all under heaven, and in the saddle you can order the universe. The men of Wu are bloodthirsty and love war and boast that they have never once admitted defeat, and now even they bow before Your Majesty’s heavenly might.”

“Your Majesty’s virtue is deep and its light spreads far. Wise and godlike in war, revered by all your people and served by a hundred kingdoms, Your Majesty deserves the name of the one emperor of all the ages… Your subject’s reverence for Your Majesty is like the rolling waters of a great river, on and on without end.”

Ning Chen was the first to leap out.

An opportunity for flattery like this could not be allowed to fall to anyone else.

When Ning Chen had finished, the whole court was silent.

Every man there was looking at Ning Chen — some astonished, some contemptuous, some disgusted.

Pah… shameless!

With flattery like that laid down, how are the rest of us supposed to flatter him?

The corners of the Xuan Emperor’s mouth were harder to hold down than an AK. He could not manage it, and actually laughed out loud.

He turned his head away at once and coughed a few times to cover the awkwardness.

By the time he turned back he was himself again. He looked at Ning Chen. “Some of the credit for this is yours. The men of Wu are bold and fine fighters and never admit defeat. If you had not won back the frontier, the emperor of Wu would not have sent these terms.”

“And if the peace talks succeed, Ning Chen, the first credit will be yours!”

Ning Chen bowed hurriedly. “My thanks for Your Majesty’s praise… To ease Your Majesty’s burdens is your subject’s very great honor!”

The assembled officials watched the Xuan Emperor and Ning Chen trading compliments like two merchants, and had nothing to say to it.

At this point a censor stepped out. “Your Majesty is sage and benevolent, and Your Majesty’s civil rule and martial achievement have long since—”

“That’s enough. Withdraw! We are discussing a great matter that touches the empire itself. This is not an occasion for flattering this emperor, so keep your nonsense to yourself.”

The censor had not finished his sentence before the Xuan Emperor shouted him down.

The censor was dumbfounded, and his belly was full of grievance.

How is that fair?

Ning Chen can flatter you and I can’t?

He laid it on far thicker than I did. Why isn’t what he said nonsense? That’s favoritism, plain and simple.

(End of Chapter 346)