The Xuan Emperor’s brows were drawn tight. He rubbed at the space between them, irritated.

There had been far too many memorials denouncing Ning Chen these past few days.

He knew perfectly well that these men did not want Ning Chen’s life. Ning Chen was only a little silver coat… What they were really after was to slap the face of the emperor himself.

The Inspectorate’s business was to watch every official in the empire.

There was no counting the officials the Inspectorate had stripped of office, or the households it had put to the sword, or the families it had wiped out to the third generation.

The Inspectorate was a sword hanging over every official, civil and military, and it could come down at any moment and part a man’s head from his body.

So there was not a man in the whole court who did not hate the Inspectorate.

Officials regularly sent up memorials proposing that the Inspectorate be abolished… that it should never have existed at all.

He had thrown every one of them out.

This time Ning Chen had offended against his superiors and cut down the Empress’s brother with a sword, and it had handed them another chance to make trouble.

While the Xuan Emperor’s head was aching over it, a young eunuch crept in on tiptoe and dropped to his knees. “Your Majesty. Lord Geng requests an audience.”

The Xuan Emperor said, low, “Send him in.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The young eunuch got up and went out, and a moment later Geng Jing came in.

“Your subject Geng Jing greets Your Majesty.”

“Get up and speak.”

Geng Jing stood and came straight to the point. “Your Majesty. A short while ago the Third Prince broke into the Inspectorate’s cells meaning to kill Ning Chen. Your subject stopped him.”

The Xuan Emperor’s face darkened. “The third boy? That worthless thing. He dared force his way into the Inspectorate’s cells?”

Something in Eunuch Quan shook. The Third Prince has gone and touched one of the places a man must never touch.

Even the crown prince doesn’t dare go too near the Inspectorate.

“Is Ning Chen all right?”

Something jumped in Geng Jing. The first thing out of His Majesty’s mouth is whether Ning Chen is safe?

Is the boy really His Majesty’s illegitimate son after all?

He said quickly, “Your Majesty, Ning Chen is unhurt… But in saving him your subject wounded the Third Prince by accident. Your subject asks to be punished for it.”

That startled the Xuan Emperor. “The third boy is hurt? Is it bad?”

Geng Jing dropped to his knees with a thud. “When your subject was saving Ning Chen he knocked the sword out of the Third Prince’s hand, and the web of his hand bled… Your subject asks to be punished.”

The Xuan Emperor let out a breath. Only a split in the web of the hand. A fart of a wound.

“Geng Jing. Get up. There was a reason for it. This emperor pardons you.”

“Your subject thanks Your Majesty for the mercy.”

Geng Jing knocked his head in thanks for heaven’s favor and only then got to his feet.

He hesitated a moment. “Your Majesty. Since your subject wounded the Third Prince by accident, your subject would like to go to Her Majesty the Empress and ask her pardon.”

“This emperor has already pardoned you. There is no need to go to the Empress—” The Xuan Emperor did not finish it. He turned and gave Geng Jing a strange look, and laughed. “You coarse fighting man. Have you learned to talk around a thing?”

Eunuch Quan glanced at Geng Jing, then lowered his head again.

The Xuan Emperor set his face and said angrily, “Worthless thing. He dared force his way into the Inspectorate… Has he any regard at all for this emperor?”

“This time, even if the Empress pleads for him, this emperor means to punish that good-for-nothing properly.”

Geng Jing pressed his lips together. His Majesty can act. I’ll give him that.

Her Majesty the Empress had her teeth in Ning Chen and would not let go, and His Majesty’s head ached over it.

Now that the Third Prince had gone and done this, he would be astonished if the Empress did not give way… She was an intelligent woman. If the Third Prince lost His Majesty’s favor, the throne was as good as closed to him forever after.

Killing Ning Chen, or the Third Prince’s future — she could certainly work out which of those mattered more.

“Geng Jing. Is there word from Chongzhou?”

“Your Majesty, your subject was about to report it… A sealed dispatch came in a moment ago. They have found the book of evidence and they have verified it. Every word set down in it is true… Every official in Chongzhou, high and low, has been taken. Any who resisted were killed on the spot. The rest are on the road to the capital under escort and will be here in two days.”

The Xuan Emperor nodded slightly. “Good. When those men arrive they do not go through the Three Courts. Put them straight into the Inspectorate’s cells and question them yourself.”

“Your subject obeys.”

The Xuan Emperor waved a hand. “That’s all. You may withdraw.”

“Your subject withdraws.”

When Geng Jing had gone, the Xuan Emperor stood up. “Quan Sheng. Have the procession made ready for the Hibiscus Palace.”

The Hibiscus Palace was where the reigning Empress lived.

Two days later, forty-one officials of Chongzhou, high and low, were brought into the capital under escort.

Every one of them went into the Inspectorate’s cells.

The officials of the capital heard about it and were badly shaken.

The Xuan Emperor had moved far too fast this time. The men were already under arrest and back in the capital before word of it ever reached them.

Some were steady as old dogs and went on doing exactly what they had been doing.

Others lost their heads, like ants on a hot pan, and could neither eat nor sleep.

Ning Chen spent those two days with his heart in his mouth as well.

Because he did not know whether the Xuan Emperor meant to have him torn apart by five horses or sent to the cauldron.

He had spent those days turning it over. Did I read the Xuan Emperor wrong?

He hadn’t been in any mood for his little friends these last days either… meaning the rats.

Footsteps broke in on him in the middle of it.

By the sound of it, a good many people were coming in.

He hurried to the front of the cell, worked his face into the gap between the bars as far as it would go, and looked sideways down the passage.

Inspectorate men were bringing in a whole crowd of prisoners.

Ning Chen was wondering who they were when his eyes fixed and his breathing went short.

He saw Ai Wenguang, the magistrate of Zhenyuan County. And several other faces he knew, all of them men he had seen that day at the Empress’s brother’s house.

These were the officials of Chongzhou, high and low.

They had been arrested.

Ning Chen’s whole face went red with excitement. Old General Chen had come through after all. He had not trusted the wrong man.

“Hahaha…”

He could not hold the delight in. He laughed out loud.

“You beasts in official dress. It’s come back on you, hasn’t it?”

“When you were butchering the common people, did you ever once think a day like this would come?”

“Beasts, one and all — welcome as guests to the Inspectorate’s cells.”

Ning Chen was still hollering when a tall shape appeared in front of him.

Pan Yucheng watched him forcing his face out through the gap between the bars. It was squeezed out of shape and looked ridiculous.

He held the laugh in. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

Ning Chen rolled his eyes. “None of your damn business.”

Don’t look so pleased with yourself, Pan Yucheng. Sooner or later you’ll be in a cell yourself. Ning Chen grumbled it inwardly.

The corner of Pan Yucheng’s mouth twitched. “If it’s none of my business, then move.”

And he put out a hand and pushed Ning Chen’s forehead.

Ning Chen staggered back several steps. He was about to lose his temper when he saw that Pan Yucheng had already opened the cell door, taken Ai Wenguang by the collar, and thrown him inside.

Then he threw several more men in after him.

Ning Chen was taken aback and frowned. “Pan Yucheng. What is this?”

Pan Yucheng said, without any expression at all, “Not enough cells.”

“Bullshit. The cell next door is empty. The cell across from me is empty. And you’re telling me—”

Ning Chen’s voice stopped dead.

Shutting these pieces of human garbage in here with me is a good thing… If I get bored I can beat on them for something to do.

Ning Chen stared at Ai Wenguang, and a laugh got out of him. Heh heh heh.

Ai Wenguang and the others shook all over with fright, dropped to their knees with a thud, and knocked their heads on the floor in front of Pan Yucheng.

“My lord. Don’t shut me in with him. He’s a madman. He’ll kill me.”

“My lord. I beg you. Put us in another cell.”

Pan Yucheng paid them no attention at all and locked the cell door.

Ning Chen narrowed his eyes and worked his wrists loose, and said with a smile on his mouth and nothing behind it, “My lords. I never expected us to meet again so soon… Surprised? Shocked?”

(End of Chapter 62)