Prime Minister.

Chapter 32.032 [On the Importance of Life and Death]

The hall was quiet, and the sounds coming from the inner room seemed particularly jarring.

At this moment, Xue Huai could clearly see fear on Xu Hui's face.

In this way, the identity of the person inside becomes self-evident.

When the door to the inner room was pushed open, a richly dressed young man stepped out. He was the fifth son of the current emperor, Prince Jiang Chang of Dai.

Xue Huai looked up and saw that the Prince of Dai, who was eighteen years old at the time, was tall and slender. His face was a cold white, as if he had lived in the deep palace for a long time. His raven-black hair was loosely tied up with a plain silver hairpin, and a few strands of hair fell in front of his forehead, making his eyebrows and eyes look even more gloomy.

He went out today dressed in casual clothes, a long robe of lapis lazuli and blue brocade, with a finger-width strip of sable fur trimmed along the collar and cuffs, which both protected him from the November chill and displayed the dignity of a prince. A black leather belt with gilded black thread was tied around his waist, from which hung a mutton-fat dragon pendant, and the hem of the robe was embroidered with cloud patterns in silver thread, shimmering with light as he moved.

Such luxurious attire should have accentuated the youthful spirit, but the gloom etched between his brows only gave off a sinister aura, as if gold and jade were concealing evil.

From the moment he appeared, Xu Hui lowered his head and didn't dare to even breathe loudly.

The Prince of Dai sat down at the table, looked up at Xu Hui, and said, "Useless trash, get out of here!"

Xu Hui apologized and withdrew in fear, as if he would be beheaded if he lingered even a moment longer.

The Prince of Dai's sinister gaze swept over the two envelopes on the table, and he said in a low voice, "Editor Xue is upright and dignified, as steadfast as a pine tree. His reputation is indeed well-deserved."

Previously, Xu Hui had showered Xue Huai with compliments as if they were free, almost praising Xue Huai as the only conscience of the Great Yan court. Moreover, his demeanor and tone were extremely sincere. However, his flattery came out of nowhere. Even if Xue Huai did not have the experience of living two lives, he would not be fooled by his words.

Now, the Prince of Dai is saying the same thing, but his sarcasm is obvious. On the one hand, it is because Xue Huai's resolute attitude just now has angered him, and on the other hand, as a prince, he really does not take Xue Huai, a compiler of the Hanlin Academy, seriously.

If it weren't for Xu Hui's persistent persuasion, the Prince of Dai would never have felt the need to make this trip today.

Even if he does nothing, would Shen Wang and his apprentice Xue Huai dare to point the finger at the Prince of Dai's mansion?

Xue Huai remained standing in the same spot, and said expressionlessly, "Your Highness is too kind. I am merely following His Majesty's instructions and dare not disobey the laws of the court."

Upon hearing that he had moved out of the palace and was the emperor, the Prince of Dai finally turned his head and looked directly at this scholar of the same age.

Xue Huai stood tall and straight like a bamboo shoot, his shoulders and back taut but not stiff, as if beneath the green robe and egret-patterned attire of the Hanlin Academy lay not flesh and blood, but an unyielding spirit.

Although Xue Huai was unable to sit on equal footing with the Prince of Dai due to the difference in their social status, he showed neither the obsequious fear of Xu Hui nor deliberate arrogance. He simply erected an icy barrier with the four words "respectfully obeying the imperial edict," keeping all attempts to win him over or threaten him out of the room.

"Disobeying the laws of the imperial court?"

The Prince of Dai chuckled and asked, "I'd like to hear how you violated the laws of the court today."

Xue Huai remained calm, his words sharp as knives: "Since Your Highness wishes to hear, I will explain."

"First of all, Xu Changshi had evidence of the crimes committed by officials of the Ministry of Works' Agricultural Reclamation Bureau but failed to report it to the court. According to the provisions of the 'Formal Law' and 'Judgment Law' in the 'Great Yan Law,' Xu Changshi has committed the crime of concealment."

"Secondly, Chief Secretary Xu intended to force me to own a valuable storefront. According to the provisions of the 'Great Yan Law' on accepting bribes, officials who accept bribes and pervert the law will be punished with caning for minor offenses and exile for serious offenses. Those who offer bribes will be punished equally, and as Chief Secretary Xu is the chief secretary of the Prince's Palace, his crime will be punished twice as severely."

"at last--"

Xue Huai paused slightly, looked directly into the Prince of Dai's eyes, and said, "Although Your Highness is a prince, you have not been granted the right to observe politics by His Majesty. Therefore, you must not interfere in military and civilian affairs. Violators will be stripped of their titles at best, and executed at worst."

"boom!"

The Prince of Dai slammed his hand on the table, startling Xu Hui, who was standing outside the door, so much so that he stumbled.

"Xue Huai, don't say I didn't give you a chance. Now, walk out of this room, go and knock on the Dengwen Drum at Xuande Gate to appeal to the Emperor. Tell him that I have violated the laws of the court, and that you must uphold justice and execute me!"

The young Prince of Dai's face was ashen, and his gloomy eyes stared intently at Xue Huai.

Xue Huai remained motionless.

The Prince of Dai certainly didn't think Xue Huai was being cowardly or guilty, but he still sneered, "What, you dare not?"

"It has nothing to do with whether you dare or not."

Xue Huai's reply was calm and swift: "Since a matter involves a prince, solid evidence is naturally required, but I have no evidence. How can empty words convince Your Majesty and the court officials?"

The evidence was right on the table, but Xue Huai didn't think he had any hope of taking it away.

No matter how arrogant the Prince of Dai was, he wouldn't be that stupid—unless Xue Huai was willing to sign and press his fingerprint to accept that priceless pledge of allegiance.

This answer clearly failed to satisfy the Prince of Dai. He tapped his long, slender fingers lightly on the table and said unhurriedly, "Xue Huai, I know you are by nature upright and outspoken, which is why I had Xu Hui explain things to you. I didn't expect you to be so ungrateful. Fine, I won't stoop to the level of a scholar like you. As long as you accept this shop, I will do my best to look after you in the future." Although he had no power to oversee politics, Consort Liu's position in the harem was very secure, and the Emperor's favor towards him had not diminished. Therefore, setting aside the condescending tone, his promise did indeed carry some weight.

Xue Huai's reply was concise and resolute: "I will not accept it."

The Prince of Dai frowned, and a fierce look appeared in his eyes.

Just before he was about to explode, Xue Huai said again, "I just can't understand it."

The Prince of Dai said coldly, "What don't you understand?"

Xue Huai glanced at the two envelopes on the table and slowly said, "According to Chief Secretary Xu, the officials of the Agricultural Reclamation Bureau sold him that fertile land in the southern suburbs under the guise of wasteland, without his prior knowledge. Therefore, this case has nothing to do with the Prince's Mansion; it was all done on his own initiative by the officials of the Ministry of Works. So, Chief Secretary Xu only needs to report the truth to the court, and His Majesty will only reward the Prince. Why would he blame him?"

A strange feeling flashed through the mind of the Prince of Dai.

He had initially disagreed with doing so, but Xu Hui persuaded him by saying that "this is a deal that kills two birds with one stone."

According to Xu Hui's analysis, Shen Wang is personally taking charge of thoroughly investigating the major case in the Ministry of Works this time, and he certainly won't give up easily. The things between the Prince's Mansion and the Ministry of Works will be discovered by the other party sooner or later. Rather than passively waiting to be investigated, it's better to take the initiative to eliminate potential risks in advance.

Using the corrupt officials of the Tuntian Division to exchange for the Wangfu's withdrawal, while also bringing Xue Huai under their command, isn't this a win-win situation?
Xue Huai himself may be insignificant, but his father left a very good impression on the emperor, and he also has a mentor like Shen Wang. His influence in the court will only grow stronger in the future.

The Prince of Dai finally nodded in agreement, but little did he expect that Xu Hui would be unable to accomplish the task.

He had only heard about Xue Huai's deeds before, but never truly experienced them firsthand. Now he realized that even the emperor found this person troublesome, truly like a rock in a latrine.

With this thought in mind, the Prince of Dai rose to face Xue Huai.

The two are the same age and similar in height.

The prince's imposing aura swept over him, but Xue Huai's face remained completely expressionless.

The Prince of Dai said, word by word, "Xue Huai, are you threatening me?"

"I don't dare."

Xue Huai spoke these three words with remarkable fluency, as if he had already anticipated what the Prince of Dai would say. He calmly said, "I just find it very strange. My master was ordered to thoroughly investigate the corruption case in the Ministry of Works. Logically, it shouldn't involve the Prince's Mansion. Even if there were fertile fields being used as wasteland, that's not the Prince's Mansion's responsibility. Your Highness doesn't actually need to do anything. Yet Your Highness is using both bribery and coercion, as if there's some strange inside story involved."

Although he said he dared not, the meaning behind his words had already hit the king's weak spot.

If he didn't have something to hide, why would he go to all this trouble for no reason?
"good very good."

The Prince of Dai nodded, and said with a forced smile, "Today I have truly witnessed the brilliance of Editor Xue."

Xue Huai said calmly, "Your Highness, I have official business to attend to and cannot stay any longer. Farewell."

"and many more--"

The Prince of Dai spoke up, saying, "I did not ask you to leave."

Xue Huai asked without changing his expression, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

Prince Dai knew he couldn't do anything to Xue Huai today. Although Xue Huai's rank wasn't high, the Hanlin Academy wasn't a place where one's future was determined by rank.

As the undisputed place of succession for prime ministers in the Great Yan Dynasty, the Hanlin Academy's members, once sent out to other places, would at least become prefects. If they did not leave the capital, they would be transferred to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and then become high-ranking officials at the level of vice ministers of the Six Ministries.

This is the meaning of the words "refined and noble".

It is true that Prince Dai is deeply favored by the Emperor and Consort Liu, but if he dares to openly lay a hand on a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, he will be drowned in the spittle of the entire court. At that time, not only will Shen Wang take action, but even the Grand Secretary Ning Hengzhi will have to step in, because such a heinous incident represents the imperial family trampling on the dignity of scholars in the world.

Therefore, the Prince of Dai simply turned around and walked to the table, saying leisurely, "I vaguely heard that Editor Xue accidentally fell into the water some time ago? You should be more careful, otherwise you might drown when you go out, be run over by a carriage while walking on the street, or even choke to death while drinking water. Wouldn't that be a case of dying young and being envied by the heavens?"

This is a naked threat.

As long as Xue Huai leaves Taihu Tower safely today, then no matter what happens to him in the future, without solid evidence, who would dare to suspect that this most favored young prince is the mastermind behind it all?

At this point, Xue Huai's previously relaxed brows finally furrowed.

The Prince of Dai noticed this detail, and a carefree smile appeared on his face.

(End of this chapter)