chsdbacks Chapter 76 was a freebie? Really?
Chapter 76 was a freebie? Really?
"Twenty-one."
Old Han paused for a moment, patted Lin Yan on the shoulder, and went out the door.
Zhao Wenhan stood under the eaves, his expression changing repeatedly.
Lin Yan turned to look at Zhao Wenhan, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Lord Zhao, have you passed the test?"
Zhao Wenhan opened his mouth, but before he could speak, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.
A minor official from the Ministry of War ran in and whispered a few words in Zhao Wenhan's ear. Lin Yan then saw Zhao Wenhan's face change completely, and he almost dropped the teacup in his hand.
"General Lin."
His voice was a little dry. "The examination is over, and the military merit records have been verified. General, please return."
Lin Yan clasped his hands in a fist salute, then turned and walked out.
When Lin Yan walked out of the Ministry of War gate, Sun Dayong was still sitting at the tea stall across the street. Lin Yan took the knife back from the gatehouse, tucked it into his waistband, and mounted his horse.
"Let's go back to the East Palace."
That night, in a side courtyard of the East Palace.
When Steward Feng brought in a basin of hot water, Lin Yan was sitting shirtless on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), having Old Meng treat his wounds.
The bloodstain on his chest, caused by the blade's energy, wasn't deep, but it was a long, red line.
The cuts on his waist were the same, but the one on his neck was the shallowest, just a slight break in the skin.
While applying the medicine, Old Meng muttered, "A blade aura from the Unending Realm, even a slight graze will leave a bloody gash. If you were to be hit squarely, you'd probably lose half your life. You really aren't careful."
"It wasn't a full hit, was it? I feel that Han Gongfeng deliberately held back, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to last so long under his attack," Lin Yan said.
Xiong Kuo squatted by the doorway, his thick-backed sword resting across his knees, his face ashen. "Three against one, not just in shifts, but one of them is even a third-rank Unending Realm cultivator. Is this how the Ministry of War conducts its examinations? Is this an examination or murder?"
Lin Yan put on his clothes. "Zhao Wenhan wants to see me make a fool of myself at the examination. Even if I get slashed a few times, it'll just be an accident if I can really cover it up."
"Then why did he let you go?"
Lin Yan finished wrapping the bandage around her neck. "Because someone's coming."
"Who?"
"I don't know. But Zhao Wenhan's face turned very ugly after hearing what that clerk said, so someone must have caught him red-handed."
Sun Dayong squatted on the doorstep, thinking for a moment. "Could it be the Crown Prince?"
"Not necessarily. The Crown Prince has been fighting with the Second Prince in court for so many years. If he really wanted to take action against Zhao Wenhan, he would have done so long ago. He wouldn't have waited until I arrived at the Ministry of War to make a move. The fact that he only made a move now means that he has obtained something important at the last minute."
Steward Feng, who was listening nearby, suddenly spoke up: "General Lin, His Highness wants you to go to the main hall of the East Palace for a meeting early tomorrow morning."
Lin Yan glanced at him. "What is it?"
"He didn't say, but His Highness met someone in the study tonight, surnamed Shen."
After thinking for a moment, Lin Yan asked:
"Shen San, the strategist by the Second Prince's side?"
Manager Feng did not answer, and took the empty basin out.
Early the next morning, in the main hall of the East Palace.
Crown Prince Li Zhengxin sat behind his desk, several documents spread out on the table in front of him, a teacup in his hand, and a smile on his lips. This smile was different from his usual one; it wasn't a cynical smile, but the smile of prey that had stepped into a trap.
"Lin Yan, please sit down."
Li Zhengxin pointed to the chair next to him, "Are your injuries alright?"
"External injury".
"Was it done by Zhao Wenhan?"
"His retainers."
Li Zhengxin nodded and pushed a document over. "Take a look at this."
Lin Yan took it and opened it.
It was an internal document from the Ministry of War, dated the day before yesterday, authorizing the retrieval of military merit records in the northern border region.
The approval document was stamped with the seal of the Vice Minister of War, and the signature was Zhao Wenhan's name.
However, at the very bottom of the document was a line of smaller characters, mostly obscured by ink, with only a few words still legible: "...After the matter is accomplished, Lin Yan will be transferred to...for official duties..."
"This was delivered by Shen San last night," Li Zhengxin said.
Lin Yan looked up.
"Shen San is the Second Prince's man."
"Yes, my second brother is a fool and useless. Shen San is a smart man. He knows that if he fails in his power struggle, Shen San will definitely lose his position as strategist, and may even lose his life. Rather than sinking with the Second Prince, it is better to find a way out in advance."
"To save his life, he came to me, asking only that after the deed was done, I would protect him and give him a way out of the capital."
Li Zhengxin put down his teacup. "Shen San has been by the Second Prince's side for eight years and has a lot of shady stuff in his hands. This document is just an appetizer. There are account books, secret letters, and contact lists to follow. They are all evidence of the Second Prince's planting of people in the Ministry of War through Zhao Wenhan over the years."
Lin Yan closed the document. "What does Your Highness intend to do?"
"Zhao Wenhan is a pawn of my second brother in the Ministry of War. Tomorrow morning at court, Zhao Wenhan was accused of secretly transferring an outside general, which is a sign of treachery. Father will surely be furious and remove him, which will also reduce my second brother's control over the Ministry of War."
Li Zhengxin paused for a moment, then said, "But you have to confront him face-to-face in court. Zhao Wenhan will definitely not admit to this crime. You have to tell him everything that happened at the Ministry of War yesterday."
Lin Yan was silent for a moment, then nodded.
Morning the next day.
In the Golden Palace, civil and military officials lined up on both sides.
Emperor Li Chengji sat on the dragon throne, looking much less energetic than when he last met Lin Yan. His eye bags were deeper, and his voice was lower.
"If you have something to report, speak now; otherwise, the court may adjourn."
Crown Prince Li Zhengxin stepped out of the queue, holding a folded paper in both hands.
"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present. Zhao Wenhan, the Vice Minister of War, secretly transferred a general to a remote area and, under the guise of conducting an examination, committed murder with ulterior motives. The evidence is here; I request Your Majesty's review."
The entire court was in uproar.
Zhao Wenhan stepped forward from the ranks of civil officials, his face ashen. "Your Highness is slandering me! My summons of Lin Yan to the capital to verify his military merits was in accordance with the Ministry of War's regulations; the martial arts assessment was also a routine matter. How could there be any ulterior motive?"
Li Zhengxin handed the folded document forward, and the eunuch took it and presented it to the emperor.
Li Chengji flipped through the folded document and glanced at it, his brow furrowing. "Zhao Wenhan, did you sign this document authorizing the access to the Northern Border military merit files?"
"It was signed by me. But I was acting in accordance with the Ministry of War's regulations..."
"Regulations?" Li Zhengxin interrupted him. "The regulations stipulate that the transfer of generals from outside the capital must be approved by the Minister of War. You, a mere Vice Minister, what authority do you have to issue such an order directly?"
Zhao Wenhan was speechless.
Li Zhengxin continued, "Furthermore, martial arts testing is to verify skill, not to encircle and kill. You arranged for three retainers to fight against one person; is that what you call a test? The test regulations state one-on-one combat, limited to thirty moves. What did you arrange?"
He handed another document to the eunuch. "This is the examination regulations archived by the Ministry of War, written clearly in black and white."
Li Chengji's face darkened after reading the regulations. "Zhao Wenhan, what else do you have to say?"
Sweat dripped down Zhao Wenhan's forehead.
"Your Majesty, I...I only wished for General Lin to spar with the instructors; I had no intention of harming him..."
"There was no intention to harm?"
Li Zhengxin sneered, "Then why was General Lin covered in knife wounds when he came out of the Ministry of War? You should know how powerful the internal energy of a third-rank martial artist is; if these wounds were even an inch deeper, they would be fatal. You call this sparring?"
The discussions in the imperial court grew even louder.
The Second Prince, Li Zhengming, stood at the front of the military officers' line without saying a word.
But his hand, gripping the cuff of his court robe, was trembling slightly.