He Anchang’s early education had actually been provided by the Marquis of Huiyang. Although the men of the He family were all upright and unyielding officials, none possessed his particular brand of refined elegance in every gesture. In the early years, when the elder Lord He was still in court, he was so preoccupied with his duties in the Secretariat that he had no time to instruct the young child at home. At that time, the Marquis of Huiyang had retired to his estate on Mount Luyi. Having only daughters at home, he often kept He Anchang by his side, teaching him calligraphy and literature.
After the Marquis passed away, leaving Xiao Jin as his sole heir, everything Xiao Jin heard and saw revolved around the legendary grace of the Marquis. During the years he lived in the capital, he frequently heard He Anchang’s name mentioned. Many elders remarked that He Anchang was the one who truly took after the Marquis of Huiyang, while Xiao Jin had inherited nothing but the physical shell, possessing entirely different temperament and interests.
Consequently, when Xiao Jin looked at He Anchang, he felt a desire to be close, yet a bitter taste in his heart. But when he wasn't close, the bitterness was even worse. Now that he had returned to the capital as the Commander of the Capital Guard and saw that He Anchang had become a vital official of the Secretariat, a natural urge arose within him to chase after this man and see when he might finally measure up.
He looked at He Anchang the way a younger brother looks at an elder brother—an elder brother he had looked up to for years. It wasn't until he went to Qingping and spent his days catching fish and stealing birds with Xie Jingsheng that he realized the word "brother" could also apply to an improper rogue. As he grew older and his shoulders became broad enough to carry responsibility, he could put his arm around Xie Jingsheng’s shoulders and call him "brother" this and "brother" that. Yet, only toward He Anchang did he become increasingly constrained and awkward.
This mixture of feelings made him heave a long sigh, cursing himself for being useless. A stray dog, having eaten the red bean bun he had offered in a moment of distracted thought, saw his troubled expression atop his horse. Thinking he might toss a few more, it sat at the mouth of the alley, wagging its tail and refusing to leave.
Seeing the dog’s fawning, tail-wagging display, Xiao Jin was reminded of his own tail-wagging behavior in front of He Anchang just moments ago. Flustered and exasperated, he cracked his whip in the air and cursed, "You've already eaten my bun, what are you still acting cute for? Scram!"
The stray dog tucked its tail and ran off dejectedly. Seeing its shrinking silhouette, Xiao Jin felt even more irritated. However, this young man was so preoccupied with his own awkward feelings that he had completely forgotten the few lines he had used to disparage Xie Jingsheng earlier.
***
Meanwhile, the horses of the Capital Guard arrived at the Prince of Pingding’s manor. Xin Yi had not been asleep for long. Having received Bai Jiu’s orders, Old Qu did not dare enter to disturb them. He simply received the messenger, offered him tea, listened to the message Xiao Jin had sent, and sent the man on his way. Half an hour later, movement finally came from within.
When Old Qu entered the room, he could still hear his Lord softly coaxing someone, thinking to himself that the young heir was likely sleeping in again. Old Qu stopped before the curtain and announced, "My Lord, someone from the Capital Guard has arrived."
Upon hearing the voice, Xin Yi stopped lingering in bed and immediately scrambled up to dress behind a nearby screen. With his arms suddenly empty, Bai Jiu rolled over to sit on the edge of the bed. He picked up an outer robe draped to the side, threw it on casually, and stepped out from behind the curtain. "What is it?" he asked.
Old Qu relayed the message. Bai Jiu rinsed his mouth with tea and said, "He hasn't arrived yet; he isn't worth fretting over."
Old Qu replaced the cup and said in a low voice, "The Crown Prince is traveling quickly." The floods in Jiangtang had submerged the Qingping River, blocking the path to Mount Wuhanfo. The Crown Prince likely knew of the capital’s summons long ago, yet he had patiently feigned ignorance to take the long way around, touring Shanyin before suddenly picking up his pace. He had likely received some news in Shanyin.
"Winter is almost here, and he’s rushing for the year-end festivities," Bai Jiu said calmly as he settled into a chair. "He’s hurrying back to deal with people; naturally, he had to visit Shanyin."
It was common knowledge that Bai Jiu’s meteoric rise began with the Shanyin embezzlement case, and Xin Yi had also been brought back from Shanyin. To say that Shanyin bore no traces of Bai Jiu was naturally impossible. But only Old Qu knew that in Shanyin, there were even more extraordinary matters.
Xin Yi emerged from behind the screen and leaned over as he passed Bai Jiu’s chair. Bai Jiu leaned back and looked up; Xin Yi reached out to smooth the collar of his robe. Although Bai Jiu had been wearing a faint smile, this single gesture caused the chill that had just begun to gather in his eyes to vanish instantly. Xin Yi’s ears flushed. He self-consciously picked up a cup of tea from the table and went to the couch by the window to read through the case files.
Old Qu did not mention the past events of Shanyin again and withdrew.
Bai Jiu leaned against the back of his chair, lost in thought. Xin Yi focused on the files, but after a long silence, his gaze drifted over, only to collide with Bai Jiu’s narrow eyes.
Bai Jiu smiled. "Finished reading?"
Xin Yi nodded and said slowly, "Is the Crown Prince coming back?"
"He’s on the road." Bai Jiu stood up and sat across from him at the table. He flipped through the files and asked, "What do you think of the Gu City Clubbing Case?"
Xin Yi closed the scroll. "Though this case was driven by moral justice, it failed the principles of law."
The Gu City Clubbing Case occurred in the thirty-sixth year of Hongxing, when the Prefect of Gu City was beaten to death with clubs inside his own manor. The six perpetrators were all commoners of Gu City. The case shocked the empire not because a prefect had died, but because after the six were arrested, thousands of people lined the streets to see them off as their prison carts passed, and the populace hailed them as righteous heroes. The presiding judge at the time was not the then-inexperienced Zuo Kaizhi, but his mentor, Jiang Bozhou. The investigation revealed that the Prefect of Gu City had disregarded human morality by forcibly taking his younger brother’s wife, imposed harsh taxes, and seized civilian lands; he was a man of unmitigated evil, hated by all. However, Jiang Bozhou first confiscated the prefect’s embezzled taxes and returned the land to the people, then executed the six perpetrators, inciting public fury. Jiang Bozhou was a man of rigid integrity his entire life, yet this single case led to him being condemned and pointed at by the masses. Within three years, he submitted his resignation to retire to his hometown, after which Zuo Kaizhi took over the Court of Judicial Review.
The case was not difficult to judge; the difficulty lay in winning the hearts of the people. Jiang Bozhou’s strict adherence to the legal code and rigorous execution of the law was not wrong. However, the people of Gu City had suffered for a long time. The prefect had covered the sky with one hand, and the path to appeal was fraught with obstacles. If they hadn't been pushed to a dead end, why would they have chosen a path that led to certain death? Bai Jiu had a specific reason for picking out this case.
Xin Yi continued, "The public's anger was not truly directed at Lord Jiang, but at the system of official oversight. The Court of Judicial Review handles cases and trials; what it requires is the word 'Law.' As it is said, if the legal principles are not upright, the foundation of the state will be unstable. Therefore, those six people had to be executed." His expression turned solemn as he added, "But for local officials, the Censorate finds it difficult to monitor and discipline them. Local ranks suppress those beneath them, and power provides a shroud. It is like raising a tiger but losing the chain to restrain it—this is a lapse in the central government’s oversight. When a prefect commits evil, the Censorate sends annual inspections to local officials, yet they only stay for a few days before returning. These 'local snakes' rule their dens; they only need to put on a show to get through those few days of inspection. Although the court increased the duration of inspections after this case, it was of no practical use. If one does not wish to investigate, they won't find anything even if they stay for ten years."
Bai Jiu listened throughout, handing him a cup of tea when he finished. Xin Yi took a sip to moisten his throat and asked, "Extending the inspection time was a proposal from the Eastern Palace. Did Lord Zhang not stop it?"
"Zhang Taiyan was willing but lacked the power. The Crown Prince has never been close to him, and the Emperor intended to let the Crown Prince gain some prestige, so he granted the proposal at the conclusion of that case. Later, as the Crown Prince’s position stabilized, the extended inspections did indeed result in many people being imprisoned, so the matter was gradually dropped from conversation."
"It doesn't seem like an affair of state," Xin Yi pursed his lips. "It seems more like a family matter."
Through this, the Censorate gained the attention of the central government, and for more than half of every year, its members were embedded in local regions. When the central government sends inspectors, the local authorities must show some courtesy. Over time, they become familiar faces, and it becomes a lucrative post. Everyone scrambles for it, not to perform inspections, but for the sake of those 'tokens of appreciation.' When they go out to rake in wealth so brazenly under imperial decree, can the Censorate fail to take a portion of that bounty and offer it to the Crown Prince? I fear the local troublemakers remain troublemakers; they have simply become someone else’s troublemakers—and the Crown Prince’s troublemakers.
"The Brocade Guards... the Brocade Guards have the power of military and political policing. Has my Lord ever conducted an investigation?"
Bai Jiu’s fingertip brushed over the pages of the file. "Yes. Only twice."
"Only twice?"
Bai Jiu raised his eyes, their depths profound. "Once in the fifty-first year of Hongxing, and the second time was also in the fifty-first year."
Xin Yi keenly sensed there was likely a story behind this, but Bai Jiu’s narrow eyes had suddenly become bottomless, and he didn't know if he should ask. In a flash of insight, he remembered Bai Jiu’s previous words: he had entered the capital in the forty-seventh year, yet Xiao Jin and the others all said he had arrived in the fifty-first year. His Lord had never mentioned those four intervening years; he wondered if it was... a taboo subject.
"The Brocade Guards of today are no longer the vital organ of the previous dynasty," Bai Jiu said with a smile. "Since the twentieth year of his reign, the Emperor has gradually weakened the Brocade Guards. By the time I arrived, they were rarely able to participate in major court affairs. Their original duty of guarding the palace was handed over to the Capital Guard. Without a direct order from the Emperor, no one can move the military and political police. The blades of the current Flying Fish robes are rusted." His finger stopped. "If it were you, what would you do?"
Xin Yi was startled, then replied immediately, "Reorganize the Censorate, re-screen the key officials, and station them in local Censorate branches. Rotate them once a year with no extensions allowed. Establish direct oversight officials who travel unpredictably for spot checks to eliminate the local culture of corruption."
Bai Jiu’s smile deepened. "Where would you draw the people for a yearly rotation? If you rely solely on the Censorate, who can guarantee the next cycle won't just be an old friend? As for direct oversight officials, if they report directly to the Emperor, there is a risk of bias; if they report to anyone else, there is the worry of bribery. To eliminate local corruption... across the nineteen cities, three major prefectures, and three vassal lands of Da Lan, this method might stop the local officials, but what about the Provincial Governors and the Princes? The factions in court are intertwined; if you cannot draw enough manpower, and every hand you grab brings up a tangled mess of roots, what then?"
Xin Yi was speechless. Bai Jiu’s tone shifted. "But suppose the Emperor is just and enlightened, the court atmosphere is clean and honest, and factional struggles have nowhere to take root. If the legal principles are clear and the laws are strictly enforced, it might not be impossible to try."
Xin Yi remained silent for a long while, then lowered his eyes. "But it is not so."
Bai Jiu reached out and ruffled his hair. "It won't always be so."
The Emperor had been Emperor for nearly sixty years. He had been entrusted to the Zhang family of the previous dynasty while still in the womb; he was carried into court to listen to politics by an Imperial Consort while still in swaddling clothes. He didn't truly participate in national affairs until he was nearly twenty. Now, the Crown Prince had been established for over twenty years, yet the Emperor refused to abdicate, seemingly determined to sit on the dragon throne until his death. That was his plan, but was the Crown Prince willing?
Xin Yi raised his hand to hold Bai Jiu’s hand and buried his head in the case files, sighing, "Whatever."
Bai Jiu lightly scratched the back of his neck. "Let's stop here for today."
Xin Yi hummed in agreement. Hearing the sound of rain outside again, he immediately looked up. "Jiangtang is going to flood again."
Bai Jiu tapped his forehead and laughed. "Nonsense."
Xin Yi laughed as well, and the two moved on to other topics. It was only that night, after the lamps were extinguished, that Bai Jiu suddenly had a dream.
He dreamed of his youth, back when he had just begun his travels after descending from the mountain. He was still a sickly youth then, out for the first time. Someone was traveling with him, and the two of them arrived in Beiyang. That person went to lead the horses while he stood by the road. He saw a handsome, spirited young boy run past, having snatched a grass-woven grasshopper. Behind him followed a sobbing, crumpled little stutterer, crying "Th-th-third Brother" all the way.
At that time, he was at his thinnest and weakest; he feared even the weight of his clothes on his shoulders might break him. Because he had spent so long indoors, he carried an air of illness and rarely smiled. Seeing the little stutterer’s pitiful state, he reached out and plucked some grass from the roadside, haphazardly weaving something and stuffing it into the hands of the annoying little child.
The hand he extended was gaunt and pale, and his demeanor was gloomy.
He didn't remember if the little stutterer had been frightened to tears by him. He only remembered that before the person leading the horses could even reach them, the little stutterer had sprinted over as if seeing his mother, throwing himself into the person’s white robes and greeting him with a flurry of tears and snot. The young boy who had run far ahead also circled back, standing behind them as obediently as a cat. The hands that had always been meant for brushes and ink wiped the little stutterer’s face, and the person picked the child up to coax him. Behind them, a dignified man arrived on horseback. He stepped forward, took the little stutterer from the person’s arms to settle him on his own shoulders, and reached down to brush a stray hair from the person’s ear.
In that moment, the tenderness and deep affection surpassed everything around them. He saw it clearly. In his heart, he felt no great shock at the relationship between these two men; instead, a sense of envy arose.
The person nodded to him, and the man looked toward him. He plucked a blade of grass and bit it nonchalantly, his youthful pride refusing to let a single trace of longing show on his face. He used an arrogant, "eyes-above-the-head" bravado to clumsily mask it all.
Back then, he envied that the person had a home to return to; he envied that the person had brothers and parents; he even envied the person’s unspeakable, secret romance. He envied everything about that person, until the great snow of the fifty-first year.
Bai Jiu woke up, his brow aching slightly. He was still holding Xin Yi in his arms. Looking down, he saw Xin Yi sleeping soundly, nestled peacefully in his embrace. Bai Jiu stroked his temple, the trepidation in his heart finally ceasing. A brimming warmth overflowed, bringing life back to his cold chest.
Bai Jiu leaned in and called his name in a low, warm voice. Xin Yi was deep in sleep, yet he kept humming in response. Bai Jiu captured his lips in a lingering, invasive kiss, and Xin Yi responded in a half-dreaming state. Only then was Bai Jiu satisfied, holding the boy tightly.
What he craved was nothing more than a single-minded devotion for a lifetime; what he envied was nothing more than the simple warmth of the mortal world. Heaven had never given him these two things. Only Xin Yi could be considered his heart’s desire, worth more than ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers. It was only a pity that Xin Yi was asleep and knew nothing, missing the chance to coax a story of the past out of him.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 鹿懿山 | Mount Luyi | The location of the Marquis of Huiyang's estate. |
| 京卫使 | Commander of the Capital Guard | Xiao Jin's official title. |
| 中书 | Secretariat | The central government office where He Anchang works. |
| 顾城棒杀案 | Gu City Clubbing Case | A historical legal case discussed by Xin Yi and Bai Jiu. |
| 蒋泊舟 | Jiang Bozhou | Zuo Kaizhi's mentor and the judge of the Gu City case. |
| 洪兴 | Hongxing | The current era name/reign title. |
| 督察院 | Censorate | The branch of government responsible for oversight and anti-corruption. |
| 大理寺 | Court of Judicial Review | The supreme court/judicial body. |
| 飞鱼纹 | Flying Fish robes | The iconic uniform of the Brocade Guards (Jinyiwei). |
| 布政使 | Provincial Governor | A high-ranking local official. |
| 无翰佛山 | Mount Wuhanfo | A location mentioned on the Crown Prince's route. |
| 山阴 | Shanyin | A location significant to Bai Jiu and Xin Yi's past. |
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
A Minister's Capricious Affection | Chapter 28 | Echoes of a Past Dream | Novela.app | Novela.app
