PCA Chapter 74

Chang’an City, Hanyuan Hall.

 

At the bi-monthly grand court assembly, Li Shi squinted his eyes, watching the various minor officials below gesticulating wildly, creating quite a lively scene.

 

The Yangzhou group indeed had many spies in the capital. Even Su Cen, a mere fifth-rank official, could be targeted, with them latching on like vicious dogs refusing to let go.

 

However, Zhang Jun was no pushover either. Having navigated the officialdom for years, he had become quite savvy. With a protruding belly and narrowed eyes, he stood with his hands behind his back, deflecting and evading like a master of Taiji.

 

“A mere assistant of the Dali Temple dares to disrespect imperial authority by openly not attending court assemblies,” a censor angrily rebuked. “Who does he think he is? The King of Heaven?”

 

Zhang Jun shook his head and said, “We’ve already explained, Su Cen is ill. People eat all sorts of grains; everyone gets an upset stomach sometimes. He can’t even get out of bed. You can’t force the impossible.”

 

The censor coldly smiled, “I’ve heard that Su Cen hasn’t reported for duty at the Dali Temple for several days. What illness could last so long?”

 

Zhang Jun thought to himself, “It’s been more than several days; I haven’t seen him for half a month.” But outwardly, he remained unperturbed, saying, “Who said that? I saw him just yesterday. Who’s spreading these rumors? Step forward and let me see.”

 

The censor gritted his teeth. He naturally couldn’t reveal that he had spies in the Dali Temple. He could only swallow this loss and coldly said, “Then after court, I’ll go to Su Cen’s residence to check. What if he’s not there?”

 

Zhang Jun, hands behind his back, remained unmoved. “If he’s not in his room, he might be in the toilet. If not there, he might be at a medical hall. There must be at least a hundred medical halls in Chang’an. I hope Lord Song will be thorough in his search and not wrongly accuse a good man.”

 

“You!” The censor was furious.

 

The Vice Minister of ministry of personnel asked, “May I ask Minister Zhang, when will Su Cen recover from his illness?”

 

Zhang Jun replied, “Who can say for certain? It might take ten days or half a month, or he might recover tomorrow.”

 

He thought to himself, “It depends on when that young ancestor returns.”

 

“If he never recovers, can he keep delaying indefinitely without attending court?” the Vice Minister of Personnel said. “How about this: let’s compromise. Ask Lord Su to come to the office tomorrow for everyone to see. If he truly can’t walk, we can visit him at home. We’re all colleagues; surely Lord Su won’t refuse to see us?”

 

Two or three others immediately agreed. Zhang Jun frowned, about to continue his evasion when he heard the person on the throne say, “Su Cen is at Xingqing Palace. Those who want to see him can go there.”

 

The court fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an uproar.

 

The young emperor couldn’t help but lean forward, “Uncle, why is Su Cen at your palace?”

 

Before Li Shi could answer while fiddling with his thumb ring, someone in the hall had already knelt and kowtowed: “Your Majesty! You’re young and don’t understand. For the Prince to mention such things before Your Majesty, how improper! How improper indeed!”

 

Li Shi raised an eyebrow, glanced at the person, and smiled, “What did I mention?”

 

Liu Cheng coldly said, “The Prince should not forget Emperor Taizong’s final instructions.”

 

Li Shi leaned back in his chair: “Oh? Did you hear them?”

 

“What does the Prince mean by this?” Liu Cheng’s expression was displeased. Emperor Taizong had only the previous emperor by his side when he passed away, so naturally, Liu Cheng hadn’t heard the instructions. But the imperial edict was announced by the previous emperor. Liu Cheng coldly said, “Is the Prince questioning the previous emperor?”

 

“Perhaps my royal brother misheard,” Li Shi, not bothering to argue with these people, slowly said while supporting his forehead with his right hand, “If you want the person, come to my Xingqing Palace to get him. Whether you can see him or not depends on your abilities.”

 

After the court session that day, as soon as Li Shi exited the palace gates, he saw Wu Chiha waiting by the carriage. Seeing Li Shi emerge, Wu Chiha approached with his sword, saying, “Master, Lord Wen wishes to see you.”

 

Li Shi frowned slightly, “He found out so quickly?”

 

Wu Chiha nodded.

 

Li Shi, assisted by Wu Chiha, boarded the carriage. Lifting the curtain, he instructed, “Go to the Ning residence and bring the old master. We’ll go meet my esteemed father-in-law.”

 

In Yangzhou City.

 

Overnight, the Jia family’s salt shop was sealed off. Lord Feng Yiming personally led the raid, discovering piles of substandard private salt in the shop’s backyard. Many citizens gathered outside the shop, demanding an explanation. The incident caused an uproar throughout the city.

 

In contrast, the Wang family seemed unaffected. Their shop remained open, welcoming customers. Those who were concerned could even search the inner courtyard themselves. If they found a single grain of private salt, it would be worth half a jin of salt.

 

As a result, of the two salt shops facing each other, one was bustling with customers, while the other was sealed with two conspicuous white strips.

 

Feng Yiming acted swiftly, making the incident known throughout the city before Xue Zhi and others could react, leaving no room for reversal. However, Xue Zhi forcibly took over the case afterwards. In the end, a shop manager was made to take the blame, while the Jia family only lost one shop and some salt, with no one else implicated.

 

Even so, Old Master Jia was still unsatisfied. He pondered how such a secretive matter could have been discovered. No more than five people knew about it, all his trusted confidants… No, there was one more. Jia Zhen had been hiding in the courtyard that day, who knows how much he overheard.

 

But Jia Zhen was his own son; there was no reason for him to help outsiders against his own family.

 

After much thought, he concluded that only one person stood to gain the most from the Jia family’s misfortune.

 

On a warm, sunny day, He Xiao was by the window, copying “The Haidai Stele.” It was said to have been recently copied from the tomb of an emperor from the previous dynasty. Knowing his interest in such things, it was sent to him while still warm.

 

This copy was indeed a masterpiece, with characters as if carved by a knife, revealing sinews and bones, powerful and vigorous. Just as he was about to finish copying, poised for the final stroke, a servant boy rushed in, disrupting the atmosphere.

 

He Xiao looked displeased. The last stroke seemed increasingly off. After scrutinizing it for a moment, he crumpled the paper and tossed it aside. Looking up, he asked, “What is it?”

 

The servant boy then dared to say, “Old Master Jia has arrived.”

 

He Xiao frowned, straightening his clothes, and said, “Tell him I’m not here.”

 

“But…” the servant boy said hesitantly, “he’s already inside.”

 

Immediately after, a man strode in, pointing at He Xiao and cursing, “He Xiao, you scoundrel, plotting against me behind my back! Who do you think you are? Don’t forget, you don’t have the final say in Yangzhou yet! If I rally the Yangzhou Merchants’ Association to boycott your salt shops, you won’t have it easy either!”

 

He Xiao waved his hand, and the servant boy retreated, not forgetting to close the door behind them.

 

He Xiao calmly brewed a cup of tea and offered it to the man, saying unhurriedly, “Have some tea to cool down. I’ve heard about the Jia family’s situation. It’s not that bad, is it?”

 

“What do you mean it’s not that bad?” Jia Wangchun slammed the teacup down, spilling tea all over the table. “Of course, it’s easy for you to say when it’s not your Wang family’s shop being sealed, not your Wang family’s salt being confiscated!”

 

He Xiao gave Jia Wangchun a cold glance, “This is tea given by Zi’an. Old Master Jia, you’re truly wasting a treasure.”

 

Jia Wangchun was stunned, then felt a chill in his heart.

 

This was a blatant threat. Among the four largest families in the Yangzhou Merchants’ Association – the Jia, Wang, Su, and Yue families – just because of He Xiao’s relationship with Su Lan, three major families were united. If they were to target the Jia family together, it would be enough to drive him out of Yangzhou.

 

Jia Wangchun reluctantly picked up the teacup and took a sip. Only then did He Xiao’s expression soften.

 

He Xiao continued, “I warned you long ago not to get involved with private salt. You should have focused on running your business properly, and I would have handled the rest. Why didn’t you listen?”

 

Jia Wangchun snorted, “You think I don’t know? You collude with the officials, getting salt at low prices from the Salt Transport Commissioner, while my Jia family has to make up the difference. If I don’t deal in private salt, how am I supposed to fill such a large gap?”

 

“Every advantage comes with a disadvantage,” He Xiao said, sipping his tea slowly. “If you want the officials to pave the way for you and crack down on private salt, naturally you have to pay a price. The government doesn’t just act out of kindness.”

 

Knowing he was in the wrong, Jia Wangchun didn’t dwell on this point and asked directly, “I just want to know, did you orchestrate this incident?”

 

“What benefit would I get from ruining you? If I had wanted the Wang family to dominate, I would have done it years ago,” He Xiao paused. “There have always been people in the court wanting to abolish the salt monopoly. A tall tree attracts the wind; I won’t let the Wang family become that target. So whether it’s colluding with officials or cracking down on private salt, I’m just trying to secure some living space for official salt. Have you ever seen me take action against salt merchants all these years?”

 

Jia Wangchun pondered for a moment. It was indeed true. If the Jia family fell, the Wang family might prosper for a while, but He Xiao wasn’t so short-sighted. He knew clearly that after the Jia family, the Wang family would be next in line for misfortune.

 

He Xiao added, “Let me give you some advice. Instead of suspecting me, you’d better go back and discipline your young master. That Li Xu he’s recently befriended seems not so simple.”

 

“Li Xu?” Jia Wangchun was startled, “What about him?”

 

“I’m not sure yet,” He Xiao frowned slightly. “His timing is too suspicious. He arrived just after Feng Yiming sent out several memorials. I’m uneasy about it.”

 

“From the capital?” Jia Wangchun lowered his voice, “I heard Su Lan has a brother working in the capital. Could it be him?”

 

He Xiao shook his head, rubbing his brow, “I’m not sure, but there’s been no news from the capital. Perhaps I’m overthinking it.”

 

“These matters are your business, I don’t care,” Old Master Jia stood up to leave. “I just want to know when I can get my shop and salt back.”

 

“This incident has caused quite a stir in Yangzhou. We’ll have to wait for things to calm down,” He Xiao took a sip of tea. “In a month, perhaps.”

 

“A month?” Jia Wangchun stepped forward, “No, that’s too long. Ten days. I want my shop reopened in ten days.”

 

“Don’t push your luck,” He Xiao slammed his teacup on the table. “I’ve already gone to great lengths to ensure your family’s safety. Do you think I’m some kind of miracle worker? Don’t you think smoothing things over with various parties takes time? And that Feng Yiming, do you think he’s easy to deal with?”

 

“You just want to make a hefty profit while the Jia family’s salt shop is closed,” Jia Wangchun smiled coldly. “Don’t think I don’t have leverage over you. That incident three years ago, I saw everything.”

 

 

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