They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 32 Wei Zheng's Troubles

It was already late, and we were in our room at the inn.

Wei Zheng's withered fingers gripped a thin ledger, his knuckles turning white from the force. His chest heaved violently, like a broken bellows in a storm, and his eyes, usually sharp and scrutinizing, now shone with an intense light, as if they wanted to set the simple room of the post station ablaze.

"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!"

Wei Zheng's voice suddenly rose, like an old cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Look at this! Open your eyes and look at these holes! What 'former officials of the Prince's Palace, who have made great contributions and deserve to be rewarded'? Bullshit! It's clearly jackals pouncing on their prey and termites gnawing at the national treasury!"

He pointed to the lines of records marked in red ink on the ledger, his spittle almost splattering onto Chen Guangrui's face across from him.
"Under the guise of repairing the old Qin Prince's Mansion, they emptied half of the national treasury in three days! They moved an entire Bohai coral tree back to their private residence, claiming it was for 'guarding the house'! The imperial craftsmen built a new heated pavilion and artificial hills and ponds for their home! The former master is not far away, and all the items in the Qin Prince's Mansion belong to the national treasury! These wicked servants, however, have taken advantage of the situation, stealing from the inner treasury and treating it as their own personal money bag! Their behavior is even worse than that of street thieves! How can the law be upheld if such treacherous parasites are not killed?!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, veins bulging on his forehead, his emaciated body trembling slightly, as if he were about to rush out and fight those "insects" to the death.

Chen Guangrui put down the rough pottery teacup in his hand, his face still calm and composed, and he even nodded slightly to indicate that he was listening.

He knew in his heart that although this Lord Wei seemed to have a bad temper, he was actually quite cautious.
Sure enough, just as a burning ember needs to cool down slowly, Wei Zheng's voice gradually lowered after his outburst of anger.

He stood up, walked out of the hall, circled around to make sure no one was around, and then tiptoed back.

"Scholar Chen," Wei Zheng's voice was extremely low, hoarse with a barely perceptible dryness, as he spoke of the previous memorial.

"Now His Highness has appointed me as the Chief Clerk of the Imperial Household, which means I am making an enemy of all the old meritorious officials of the Prince of Qin's mansion. Now I have submitted a memorial proposing war, which I am afraid will anger them."

He looked at Chen Guangrui, a hint of struggle deep in his cloudy eyes.
"Even if my body were covered in a hard shell, I fear I could not withstand the torment and scheming of so many people! I am likely to be shattered to pieces sooner or later!"

The air in the room seemed to freeze, with only the dim yellow light of the oil lamp dancing on his deeply wrinkled face.

Looking at the undisguised loneliness and worry on Wei Zheng's face, Chen Guangrui slowly curled up a faint, knowing smile.

“Lord Wei,” Chen Guangrui’s voice was calm and even, “haven’t you seen it clearly yet?”

He tapped the table lightly, making a crisp sound.

"His Highness the new Crown Prince placed you in this position of Chief Clerk of the Imperial Household Department for today, to have you restrain those people in the Prince of Qin's Mansion, to prevent them from banding together and becoming too powerful to control, ultimately undermining His Highness the Crown Prince."

Chen Guangrui spoke each word clearly and distinctly, each word like a small hammer striking Wei Zheng's heart.

“This position,” Chen Guangrui’s gaze calmly met Wei Zheng’s complex eyes.
“You are destined to be a ‘lone minister.’ What His Highness needs is a lone minister who has no factions and no way out, so that he can be unreserved and loyal to only one person! His Highness will not allow you to have friends, and the old guard of the Prince of Qin’s mansion will see you as a thorn in their side. Everyone will be your enemy, everyone will target you, and this is the effect His Highness wants.”

Wei Zheng's pupils contracted sharply, his tightly pursed lips turned pale, and his white beard trembled slightly.

Chen Guangrui's words were like a bucket of ice water poured into his burning head, extinguishing his last bit of hope.

Yes, he had a premonition all along, but Chen Guangrui's blunt revelation today completely solidified his heavy loneliness and inevitable hostility.

The last vestige of composure on his face vanished, leaving only a resigned weariness and a hint of the resolute resolve of an advisor. After a long silence, he nodded very slowly and heavily.

"Yes...that makes sense." Wei Zheng's voice was terribly hoarse, filled with resigned dejection, then he seized upon a single word from Chen Guangrui.

"A loyal subject... what a loyal subject..." He took a long breath, refocused his gaze, and his eyes became extremely bitter.

"In that case, this memorial must be submitted! However..."

He changed the subject, his worry deepening. "The reasoning is sound, but how does it translate into practice? Take that memorial you mentioned, for example. The idea is good, but ultimately, a war needs people to fight it. I'm all iron, how many nails can I hammer? I'm now hated by them. If His Highness asks me who will fight this battle, should I recommend Cheng Yaojin? He might deliberately lose. In that case, the memorial might be good, but it could also backfire!"

Wei Zheng's facial muscles twitched, filled with immense worry about the subsequent implementation.

"I'm afraid... I just risked my life to submit the memorial, and none of the people in the Prince of Qin's mansion are willing to fight this battle. At this time, how can Your Highness be at ease letting an outsider take command of the army? The matter will not be accomplished, and everyone will be offended."

At this moment, Chief Clerk Wei had completely lost the passion he had shown when he denounced the officials of the Prince of Qin's mansion, and he was scrutinizing every detail repeatedly.

Upon hearing this, Chen Guangrui's composed smile deepened. He picked up his teacup and took another sip of the now somewhat cold coarse tea.

"Lord Wei, why worry so much?"

He put down his teacup, his voice soft yet carrying an undeniable authority.

“This is something His Highness is going to do, and your memorial says what he wants to say. Naturally, he will not let this battle be lost.”

"Your Highness?" Wei Zheng was taken aback for a moment, then smiled wryly, "Who knows if Your Highness really wants to fight?"

Chen Guangrui shook her head, interrupting his hesitation.

"Your Highness's ambitions extend beyond this; the Turks are a must-fight. Even if the people of the Qin Prince's mansion harbor deep resentment, they wouldn't dare openly sabotage things and completely ruin the affair. At most,"

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"It might be a bit slow and cause some trouble. But as long as the sword is in His Highness's hand, the outcome will be right."

He paused briefly, then changed the subject, "However..."

Chen Guangrui frowned slightly, his fingers unconsciously tracing circles on the table, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Lord Wei's concerns are valid. Indeed, we need to find an experienced veteran to lead the troops."

Wei Zheng's clouded gaze returned to Chen Guangrui's face. Seeing that he was also seriously considering the selection of a candidate, the worry on his face eased slightly. This was precisely the key issue he was concerned about. Chen Guangrui not only understood his situation but also acknowledged the difficulty of the matter.

“That makes perfect sense.” Wei Zheng nodded slowly, agreeing with Chen Guangrui’s thinking. As for who the candidate would be, that would have to wait until the memorial was submitted and the new crown prince made his decision.

But then, his brows furrowed even more deeply, a look of extreme confusion and unease flashing in his eyes. He leaned forward slightly, and this time, he seemed to trust Chen Guangrui even more and was about to share a secret of his own.

"But... lately, I've been feeling... that something seems amiss."

His voice was even lower, almost a whisper, carrying an indescribable chill.

"In my heart... there always seems to be a voice muttering. It's not a human voice, and I can't hear or touch it... but I just have a vague feeling, like someone... blowing wind in my ear, or like... something stirring in the water... making me feel that this memorial to the throne seems... something I have to do? There's a strange feeling of... an arrow on the bowstring, something that must be released?"

As Wei Zheng spoke, he subconsciously rubbed his cold fingers, his cloudy eyes scanning the doors and windows warily once more. Outside, the night deepened, and the wind chimes under the eaves swayed abruptly and very slightly in the night breeze, but made no sound.

(End of this chapter)