The Left Chancellor was past holding his anger in, and there was still nothing he could do about Ning Chen.

And this was not a thing that could be allowed to get out.

If it did, his political enemies and the censors would seize the chance to impeach him.

“An ignorant boy. This chancellor cannot be bothered with you. We are leaving.”

The Left Chancellor’s face was dark. He wanted out of a place with this much trouble in it.

The boy’s mouth was poison. He was better at clapping hats on people than the censors themselves, and they were bad enough.

Ning Chen made a cold sound. “Everyone else may go. Ning Gan stays… The Inspectorate is working a case. Persons with no business here will stand aside. Anyone who tries to stop me should not complain that the sword in my hand doesn’t know his face.”

That very nearly finished the Left Chancellor.

He was the Left Chancellor. Below one man in this court, and above ten thousand. And he had just become a person with no business here?

“Ning Ziming. Is this the fine son you raised?”

He could do nothing to Ning Chen for the moment, so the temper went onto Ning Ziming instead.

Ning Ziming’s whole face was swallowed grievance. Angry, and not daring to say so.

There was nothing else for it. He put his dignity down and tried coaxing. “Chen’er. You are brothers, all of you. Blood tearing at blood only gives people something to laugh at.”

“Your eldest brother lost his post recently and his temper has suffered for it. Bear with him. Your father will give him a proper lesson afterward.”

“The things in your room were old. Your father has been meaning to send men to replace them for a long time, but the business of state has been heavy and it never got done… Don’t worry. I’ll have new ones brought in at once.”

Ning Chen looked at him without any expression at all.

Chang Ruyue had lost her nerve as well. Her own father could do nothing to Ning Chen. How could she not be frightened?

“Gan’er. Aren’t you going to apologize to your fourth brother?”

Ning Gan’s nerve had gone long since. He looked at the long sword in Ning Chen’s hand with the cold light moving on it, and his voice shook. “Fourth Brother, I—”

Ning Chen waved a hand and cut him off. “Never mind the apology… You pretend to apologize, I pretend to forgive you, and we’re all busy people. Let’s not act out the whole loving-brothers routine.”

His eyes went to Ning Ziming. “Minister Ning. The weather is cold and I have nothing warm to wear… I need a hundred taels of silver to have some heavy clothes made.”

“Yes. Of course… Your father will send it over at once.”

Ning Ziming agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

Christ… he said yes far too quickly. I asked for too little. My trouble is that I don’t think big enough. Ning Chen reproached himself over it.

Ning Ziming’s face was piled with smiles, exactly like a loving father. “Chen’er. You’ve only just come home. Rest properly. We won’t disturb you.”

Ning Chen said nothing.

Ning Ziming bowed and scraped his way out, attending on a Left Chancellor whose face was terrible to look at.

Chang Ruyue and her sons went faster than rabbits.

Ning Chen put the sword away slowly and let out a small breath.

He had been putting it on the whole time, as a matter of fact.

He was not in the Inspectorate yet. He took up the post tomorrow… which made this a fox borrowing a tiger’s roar, and swindling with it.

If the three words the Inspectorate had not frightened the Left Chancellor off, and the man had really pressed it, he would have come out of it badly.

He had also offended the Left Chancellor past all repair, and would have to watch himself from now on.

This was a man below one man in this court, and above ten thousand. Wanting Ning Chen dead would cost him nothing.

The Left Chancellor would not dare kill him openly. Arranging for him to die where no god or ghost would see it was another matter, and not a difficult one.

At the same time, something came clear to him.

The Xuan Emperor had put him in the Inspectorate as another way of protecting him.

Without that standing today, he would have been beaten to death in the yard.

Not long afterward Steward Wu arrived with men. They cleared the old furniture out of the room first and brought new furniture in.

Then he had the whole room swept, inside and out.

“Fourth Young Master. You must be hungry. Shall I have something prepared and sent to your room?”

Steward Wu’s face was nothing but flattery.

He had seen the whole scene with his own eyes. This Ning Chen, in a silver fish-scale coat with a sword at his hip, cut an impressive figure… He was no longer the bastard anybody in the house could abuse.

Ning Chen nodded once and made a sound of agreement.

“Steward Wu. Wait.”

Steward Wu was on his way out. Hearing Ning Chen call him made him jump.

He turned quickly, the smile still fawning. “Fourth Young Master. Was there something else?”

Ning Chen looked at him and said nothing for a long time.

Steward Wu’s heart went cold and the sweat started on him.

At last Ning Chen spoke. “Steward Wu. Are you interested in the Inspectorate cells? Shall I take you along and show you around?”

The fright went straight through Steward Wu’s legs. He dropped to his knees with a thud and knocked his head on the ground over and over. “Spare me, Fourth Young Master. Spare me—”

That was the Hall of the King of Hell. Nobody who went in came out alive.

Ning Chen smiled slightly and said it without warmth. “Since you’d rather not go, I’ll give you a chance instead… When you get back, put every coin you’ve skimmed off their wages back where it came from. Not one coin short.”

“One coin short, and I’ll take you for tea in the Inspectorate cells.”

“There’s a punishment we have. They strip a man, bind him in a fishing net, and cut the flesh off him one slice at a time. He doesn’t die for a long while. It takes a thousand cuts before he goes, slowly, in as much pain as a man can be in.”

“As well fed as you are, Steward Wu, I’d say you could last two thousand.”

Steward Wu’s sight went black and the whole of him collapsed onto the floor. He came very near to passing out.

“Spare me, Fourth Young Master. Spare this servant, Fourth Young Master… I’ll pay it back, I’ll pay all of it back, I swear not one coin will be short. I beg the Fourth Young Master to spare my dog’s life—”

Ning Chen said it with a faint smile. “Good. I’ll give you that chance… Steward Wu, whatever you do, don’t disappoint me. I never give a man a second one.”

“Thank you, Fourth Young Master. Thank you for sparing my life… Don’t you worry. I’ll smash the pots and sell the iron if I have to, but I’ll make up every coin I took from them.”

“Good. I’ll trust you this once… Go on. Send the food to my room. And remember to tell Minister Ning that persons with no business in this courtyard should stop coming to it.”

Steward Wu said it shaking. “Rest easy, Fourth Young Master. I’ll carry your words to him.”

Ning Chen made a sound and turned back into the room.

Only then did Steward Wu dare get to his feet, unsteady with it, and scramble away.

The servants in the yard looked at Ning Chen’s room with gratitude all over their faces.

The Fourth Young Master was a good man indeed. Somebody had finally dealt with Wu the Skinner.

The reason Ning Chen had not actually done anything to Steward Wu, and had only frightened him, was that Steward Wu had no man’s life on his hands. His crimes did not merit death.

A man like that is grass on top of a wall.

While you are up, he stands in front of you wagging his tail harder than a dog.

When you are down, he throws stones on you in the well and treads on you twice for good measure.

There is no shortage of that kind of man.

Ning Chen looked around the room, made new… This was what power was good for.

(End of Chapter 42)