Aoyama

Chapter 488 The Trouble-Relieving Pavilion

It's getting dark.

The trail begins in Changping County.

He walked along the ninety-mile official road from dawn till dusk, all the way to the Renshou Palace. He ignored the difficulties posed by the Court of State Ceremonial, the ridicule of others, and Zhang Li's advice.
This time, he did not walk obsequiously at the end of the honor guard, nor did he stand with his hands folded before the Filial Piety Monument like a lamb to be slaughtered.

Instead, they crossed that high threshold and silenced all the voices.

This was what Chen Ji had promised Zhang Xia: he would find a way.

The gauze curtains in Renshou Palace swayed in the wind, obscuring Emperor Ning's expression on his throne. He seemed like an emotionless deity, looking down upon all living beings.

Beneath the throne, the officials, holding their tablets, turned around to look at Chen Ji with surprise, before turning their gaze to Grand Secretary Chen, who was resting with his eyes closed on the embroidered stool.

But Grand Secretary Chen didn't even lift his eyelids, as if he already knew what was going to happen.

Someone in Renshou Palace muttered, "A hothead."

But Zhang Zhuo looked deeply at Chen Ji. He had worked with Chen Ji for a long time, so he knew that Chen Ji was never a hothead.

It doesn't matter if the other party knows the consequences before doing something.

At this moment, Emperor Ning on the throne slowly said, "Those who trespass into Renshou Palace will receive twenty strokes of the cane later."

Chen Ji bowed low and said, "Your humble servant obeys your decree."

Emperor Ning's voice was calm and composed, like a still lake: "Baron of Wuxiang County, do you know how history will judge you after you have spoken your mind in Renshou Palace today?"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "It's not important."

Emperor Ning asked again, "Then what is the most important thing?"

Chen Ji calmly said, "The most important thing is to stay true to yourself."

Emperor Ning seemed to have heard something amusing and burst into laughter.

In the thirty-second year of the Jia Ning era, this was the first time the court officials had heard such laughter in Renshou Palace.

Emperor Ning slowly suppressed his laughter, rose gently, donned a black Taoist robe, and stepped down from his throne, parting the veil.

The courtiers knelt on the ground, watching Emperor Ning's footsteps pass by them and stop beneath the caisson ceiling of the Twenty-Eight Constellations.

He looked up at the twenty-eight constellations above and suddenly exclaimed, "The highest achievement is to establish virtue, the next is to establish merit, and the next is to establish words. These will not be forgotten even after a long time; this is what is meant by immortality. Gentlemen, there is great terror between life and death. Only by leaving a name in history can one be called 'immortal.' Your obsession with 'posthumous fame' is nothing but a pursuit of longevity."

Emperor Ning lowered his head, looking at the kneeling officials at his feet, and casually joked, "Everyone says I'm senile and want to live forever. Little do they know, you all live each day wisely, fearing you'll lose your posthumous reputation. Isn't that just another form of cowardice?"

The court officials' expressions changed, and they all shouted in unison, "We deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

Emperor Ning said in a detached voice, "Alright, alright, you're all people who want immortality, no need to talk about how you deserve to die. Wu Xiang County Man, tell me why you sent Yuan Cheng back to Jing Dynasty?"

Chen Ji said without looking up, "Firstly, Yuan Xiang, the Grand Councilor of the Jing Dynasty, is now all-powerful. Yuan Cheng has always been the person used by the Jing Dynasty royal family to check Yuan Xiang. Without Yuan Cheng, the Jing Dynasty emperor is old and no longer has the strength to deal with Yuan Xiang. Only by letting Yuan Cheng go back can Yuan Xiang be restrained for several more years."

An official knelt on the ground and angrily rebuked, "Nonsense! No matter how powerful Yuan Xiang is, he is just a subject. How can the Emperor of Jing Dynasty not deal with him?"

Chen Ji did not argue with him, nor did he need to argue with him.

Emperor Ning simply needed someone to be the first to speak out, so he stepped forward on Zhang Zhuo's behalf, nothing more. As for who could persuade whom afterward, that would require dozens of days of political maneuvering in the court, and had nothing to do with him, a mere magistrate of Wuxiang County.

Someone else angrily retorted, "Did the magistrate of Wuxiang County accept bribes from the traitor Jingchao?"

"After Yuan Cheng returns to Jing, he will surely lead his troops south to take revenge on our dynasty. The magistrate of Wuxiang County is despicable!"

Amidst the clamor, Chen Ji's eyes remained calm as he continued, defiantly enduring the angry shouts: "Secondly, Yuan Cheng's crimes are heinous. In times of war, he should be executed as a sacrifice to inspire the army. But in these peaceful times, what use would it be to execute him by a thousand cuts? It would be better to exchange him for something useful to our dynasty, such as warhorses. Our dynasty has five thousand more warhorses, while the enemy has five thousand fewer. This is a worthwhile deal."

No sooner had he finished speaking than an imperial censor angrily pointed at Chen Ji: "I impeach the Baron of Wuxiang County for disobeying the ceremonial procedures of the Court of State Ceremonies and acting arbitrarily. I request Your Majesty to strip him of his title and exile him to Lingnan!"

Zhang Zhuo couldn't listen any longer and stepped forward, clutching his official tablet: "Your Majesty, I believe..."

Chen Ji suddenly interrupted Zhang Zhuo loudly: "Thirdly, the Jing Dynasty is about to seize the throne. Yuan Cheng is the link between the Yuan and Jiang families and supports the Third Prince. Yuan Xiang and Lu Jin support the Sixth Prince. If Yuan Cheng is released, there will definitely be an internal struggle between the two sides, which will be entirely beneficial to our dynasty!"

Zhang Zhuo looked at Chen Ji with a complicated expression.

At this moment, a high-ranking official from the Ministry of War said loudly, "Your Majesty, the magistrate of Wuxiang County is still young and does not understand..."

Chen Ji straightened up and stared at the official: "Sir, you are in red robes, and so am I. Why bring up age in Renshou Palace? Could it be that my red official robes are fake?"

The official was speechless.

Renshou Palace fell silent again, and the court officials all knew that Chen Ji was determined to take the lead.

After a long while, Emperor Ning slowly asked, "Are you finished?"

Chen Ji said in a low voice, "I have finished speaking."

Emperor Ning waved his hand: "Now that you've finished speaking, go and receive your court flogging."

Chen Ji replied, "Yes."

He got up and backed out of Renshou Palace, then went to lie down beside the Filial Piety Stele. Jie Fanwei looked up and saw Wu Xiu standing beside the throne with his toes pointing outwards.

Jie Fanwei understood immediately and avoided striking Chen Ji's back with the twenty strokes of the cane, instead striking his buttocks and thighs where he was under the most pressure, until both canes broke.

After receiving the caning, Chen Ji stood up, dusted off his robes, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this humble subject takes his leave."

……

……

Sunset.

A young eunuch led Chen Ji through the deep palace. The young Wu Xiang County boy's red official robes complemented the red walls and golden tiles. However, the deep palace was too vast. The two of them walked on the wide palace road, like the last leaves on a tree branch in winter. The branches were withered and the leaves were lonely.

Chen Ji let out a long breath, but then heard the little eunuch walking in front suddenly exclaim, "The man from Wuxiang County has great courage. In recent years, the number of people who dare to refuse to enter the palace can be counted on one hand, and those who can leave the palace unscathed after entering are even rarer."

Chen Ji was taken aback upon hearing this; it was the first time he had ever seen a young eunuch dare to speak with a court official in the palace.

At this moment, the young eunuch led him around a palace wall, and Chen Ji frowned: "Fengxian Hall? This is not the way out of the palace."

The young eunuch remained silent, carrying Chen Ji through the palace on his own.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Ji finally followed.

The young eunuch led him to a wooden building and stopped, saying with a smile, "The Magistrate of Wuxiang County requests your presence; the Grand Chancellor wishes to see you."

Chen Ji looked up at the wooden building's plaque, which clearly read "Relieve Troubles".

Jiefanlou (解烦楼)

For some reason, Chen Ji was a little nervous, so much so that his palms were slightly sweaty.

The vermilion gate in front of Jiefan Tower opened, revealing a dimly lit interior, as if the outside light could not penetrate the window paper of Jiefan Tower.

The mountain ox, clad in armor, stood inside the door and said in a deep voice, "Follow me."

Chen Ji entered the door and followed Shan Niu up the wooden stairs. Shan Niu's huge and burly body made the stairs creak.

The building was filled with the scent of pine resin and ink, as if the person sitting there was not the powerful eunuch whom scholars and knights-errant resented, but a learned scholar who had devoted his life to studying the classics.

Shan Niu led Chen Ji to the top floor and gently knocked on a door.

His movements were light and careful, which seemed out of place with his physique, creating a strange sense of incongruity.

"Dong dong dong."

"My lord, we've arrived at Chenji."

The room remained silent for a long time, and after more than ten breaths, someone rang the copper bell.

Mountain Bull pushed open the door and said calmly, "Come in."

There were no instructions on what to be careful about, nor were there any warnings against being reckless or harboring any ill intentions. It was as if they were certain that anyone who stepped through this door would not dare to have any disloyal thoughts.

Chen Ji entered the room, but could not see the Prime Minister himself. In the dimly lit room, the table was blocked by a screen, on which was embroidered a seated python, staring directly at the visitor.

He felt a chill run down his spine and lowered his head: "Your Excellency, Minister of the Interior."

The person behind the screen was writing a document, without looking up or saying a word.

Chen Ji was puzzled, but he didn't know why the other party had summoned him to the Jie Fan Lou.

After much deliberation, he tentatively spoke, "This time, we're going to Chongli Pass to escort Princess Liyang back to the capital. This person has the support of three military governors of the Jing Dynasty, and the Longyou region is willing to die for her. Moreover, she is extremely ambitious. Not only that, Princess Liyang and Lu Jin have an irreconcilable conflict, which concerns the succession, and neither side can back down even a little. If we let her bring Yuancheng back to the Jing Dynasty, she might pose a great threat to Lu Jin. I believe that this person is far more important than Yuancheng."

Chen Ji pondered that the Secret Service and the Military Intelligence Bureau had been fighting for more than ten years, and Lu Jin should be a thorn in the side of the Prime Minister. This should be the Prime Minister's biggest concern.

But he waited for a long time, and the minister still did not speak.

After a moment's hesitation, Chen Ji spoke again: "Jiang Xianzong has been sitting idly by while the generals were pursuing and killing Princess Liyang. He may have already sided with Lu Jin..."

He glanced up discreetly, but the blurry figure behind the screen continued writing furiously, showing no intention of speaking.

Chen Ji was puzzled, then said, "Jiao Tu and Yun Yang provided a lot of assistance on this trip to Chongli Pass, and they killed more than twenty captured generals, which can be considered their greatest contribution."

The figure behind the screen said calmly, "You fought your way from Luoyang to Guyuan, and from Guyuan to the capital. You finally managed to get into my Jiefan Tower. Now, tell me your story."

Chen Ji was slightly taken aback, then took a deep breath: "This humble servant only wishes to share the burdens and relieve the worries of the Inner Minister."

The blurry figure behind the screen paused his pen on the paper, looked up at the screen, and said in a detached voice, "Everyone who enters my Trouble-Relieving Pavilion seeks something, but only you will share my worries and relieve my troubles?"

Chen Ji said in a low voice, "In my humble opinion, as long as it can relieve the Prime Minister's worries and troubles..."

The minister behind the screen sneered, "I used this building to relieve the troubles of the people, but little did I know that I myself would become the trouble of the people. You are trying to relieve my troubles, but in the end, you will probably become my trouble too. Young man, stop beating around the bush and tell me what you want."

(End of this chapter)