Chapter 124: The Bell of the Cruel Official (Part I)

In July, the Six Way Envoys returned to the Eastern Capital one after another, and the great purge gradually drew to a close.

The Eastern Capital, however, remained shrouded in heavy clouds. Empress Wu had upended the ranks of the civil and military officials, with appointments, dismissals, transfers, and removals interweaving in a dazzling and chaotic mess. Sometimes imperial edicts were issued in the morning only to be rescinded by evening; at other times, officials were summoned back before they even reached their new posts. The exhausting, erratic, and unstable atmosphere left the entire court and country silent and unable to speak.

On the fifteenth of July, the Ghost Festival, the Plum Blossom Inner Guard took the shocking step of arresting Wu Yanji, the eldest son of Wu Chengsi, breaking the tradition that the cruel officials did not touch the Wu family. Upon investigation, it was confirmed that Wu Yanji had indeed engaged in slander, repeatedly mocking Shen Nanmiao and Xue Huaiyi. His transgressions were identical to those of his late brother, Wu Yanyi. Wu Chengsi was terrified; his second son was already dead, his third was bedridden with illness, and now his eldest was being dragged away. Was he to be left without an heir? He crawled and scrambled to the Empress’s presence to beg and wail, but the Empress remained noncommittal.

According to the brisk and ruthless style of the Plum Blossom Inner Guard, Wu Yanji should have been either executed or released long ago. Quan Ce had dragged his feet, only remembering to seek instructions from the Empress in the palace toward the end of July. Nominally, he was asking how to dispose of Wu Yanji, but he also took the opportunity to bring up Di Renjie and Doulu Qinwang. With the dust settled on the Six Way Envoys affair, it was the perfect time to have them released.

"Do you think Yanji should be pardoned or executed?" the Empress asked coldly.

Quan Ce knelt on the floor. "I believe that as Yanji is young, his occasional slips of the tongue are not worth deep resentment. The scoundrels he associated with should be dealt with severely as a warning, and we may observe his conduct thereafter."

"After your southern journey, where you killed like reaping grain, I thought you had changed your nature," the Empress’s voice grew noticeably lighter, though her words were a rebuke. "Yet you remain soft-hearted and ill-suited for great deeds."

"I am guilty," Quan Ce bowed his head. "I am incompetent. There are two other prisoners; I request the Heavenly Empress's instructions on how to handle them."

"Doulu Qinwang is innocent; release him immediately," the Empress declared without waiting for him to elaborate. "Transfer Di Renjie to the Ministry of Justice for further trial; I will decide his fate myself."

"The Heavenly Empress is wise; I obey your decree." Quan Ce breathed a silent sigh of relief. The hardest part of protecting someone is seeing it through from beginning to end; one careless step can turn a savior into a predator. Fortunately, the foundations of these two were solid enough. With Di Renjie in the Ministry of Justice prison, his life was at least safe for the moment.

"August is almost upon us. As the Grand Commander who holds the power of life and death, what are your plans?" The Empress’s expression was unreadable. She lounged on her side, one hand pointing to her forehead while the other tapped against the table—the rhythm started steady, then grew erratic.

"If the Heavenly Empress will forgive my boldness, August is a time of peace and clarity, a time for the reunion of people and the moon, and the most auspicious moment for all things. I wish to accumulate blessings for the Heavenly Empress and have no desire to incite further warfare." Quan Ce knew that in history, the Wu Zhou Revolution occurred in September; August was not a time for people to live in fear, but for song and dance. He ventured to test her.

The Empress stopped her tapping, rose solemnly, and stared at him coldly. "Peace? Hmph, it is not so easily won. The peace of the masses is not bestowed by heaven, but created by man. If you lay down your arms now, do you have any desire to share my burdens?" Her voice was stern, her anger flared, and she pointed sharply toward the palace gate. "Get out! Think it through carefully. If you cannot understand, you shall wear this skin for the rest of your life."

"I am guilty. I take my leave." Quan Ce asked for forgiveness in panic. As he retreated and turned, a hint of a smile and a trace of relief appeared on his face. Fortunately, he had no interest in the so-called power of life and death; if he had mismanaged this, he might truly have been forced to remain a shadow forever.

Leaving the palace, Quan Ce rode along the Luo River. He encountered Deng Huaiyu, a former subordinate who had been promoted to Vice Minister of the Court of Diplomatic Ceremonies. When Quan Ce bowed to him from afar with a smile, Deng Huaiyu turned his horse, covered his face with his sleeve, and took a wide detour to avoid him.

There are no walls without cracks. During the time the Plum Blossom Inner Guard committed atrocities in the south, Quan Ce had disappeared from the Eastern Capital. With a little imagination, the answer was not hard to guess. His current status was truly loathed by all.

When he met Li Qiao, the Supervisor of the Imperial Library, Quan Ce offered a bitter smile and took the initiative to step aside. To his surprise, Li Qiao called out to him, took his hand, and spoke at length. Though his expression was complex, his sincerity remained. "Take care of yourself, Dalang. If it is possible, I hope for your return soon."

Quan Ce bowed repeatedly; this gratitude came from the heart. After parting with Li Qiao, he encountered the somber-faced Lai Junchen. They had once served in the same office but were never compatible. After a hollow exchange of pleasantries, they passed each other, but a loud spit from Lai Junchen followed him.

Quan Ce felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He sat on his horse for a long time. Once upon a time, he had stood with the other ministers in despising the cruel officials; who could have foreseen that one day he would become the object of their scorn?

He dared not linger, whipped his horse, and hurried back to the Yiyang Princess Residence in Shanglin Ward, leaving behind a trail of desolation and disgrace.

As soon as he entered, the gatekeeper informed him that his mother, Princess Yiyang, requested his presence.

"Mother, I have returned. I pay my respects," Quan Ce said, feigning ease as he bowed.

He heard no response for a long time. Slowly raising his head, he saw his mother with reddened eyes, staring at him with a gaze full of despair and grief. She held several thin sheets of paper, her hands trembling as if they weighed a thousand pounds.

"My son..." Princess Yiyang cried out, forcing her expression to steady, her brows knitted tight. "That woman, did she truly demand this of you?"

Quan Ce reached out and gently took the papers. There was one from his uncle, Prince Yu Li Sujie, filled with listless despair, even mentioning self-demotion to a commoner and forsaking his ancestors just to find a shred of peace. He mentioned Quan Ce only once, urging him not to struggle in vain. There was another from his father, Quan Yi, full of reprimands and cold words, blaming the failure of his eldest son entirely on his wife, venting a strange, bitter resentment. He even claimed he would pin his future hopes on the unborn child of a concubine. There were others from various Li clan members, every word filled with resentment, humiliation, and accusation. Caught in the storm, they dared not act, so they could only vent their anger on Princess Yiyang.

"Mother, I am unfilial." Quan Ce knelt, overcome with shame. As a man acting in the world, he had implicated the women and children of his home. No matter how many reasons he had, he was filled with disgrace.

"I know your nature; you are not one who kills without limit. Tell me, was it her? Did she force you?" Princess Yiyang’s complexion shifted from pale to purplish-red, veins bulging on her neck. She suppressed her voice as tears streamed down her face, a tide of hatred spreading through her. That woman had murdered her mother and treated the three of them—her siblings and herself—with cruelty. Was it not enough? Could she not even spare her son?

Seeing her extreme agitation and labored breathing, Quan Ce hurried to embrace her, rubbing her back to soothe her. "Mother, do not worry. Those I have killed all deserved to die. I have not forgotten your teachings, nor have I lost my conscience. I cherish my life and will not let others scheme against me. As for my reputation, I shall find a way to turn it around. Even if I cannot remain spotless, I will not let the world revile me."

"It is my son who suffers," Princess Yiyang wailed. Hearing her cry, Quan Ce felt a sense of relief; it was better for her to vent. He carefully folded the letters and tucked them away. He was not a man who enjoyed killing, but he would no longer be a soft target. Someone had to pay in blood for people to realize that even the Buddha has a temper.

"Dalang, my son!" A voice filled with tears came from outside; it was his aunt, Princess Gao'an, and his cousin, Wang Hui. Wang Hui’s expression was complex.

"Dalang, my son, the talk outside is truly unbearable. The tasks assigned by the court are all blamed on you; it is truly unreasonable. Aunt will go with you to beg for the Heavenly Empress's grace. We shall not be officials anymore; we will live in peace and recover at home." Princess Gao'an grabbed Quan Ce and pulled him toward the door in a huff.

Quan Ce used some strength to steady her and smiled bitterly. "Aunt, I am already a commoner."