Chapter 111: A Banquet with Ill Intent

By the time they returned to the residence, darkness had completely fallen.

The Xue family mansion was ablaze with lamplight. Grandmother Li, Xue Rui’s grandmother, was dozing in her chair, while Madam Zhao paced back and forth across the main hall, glancing outside from time to time.

“They’re back! They’re back!”

A moment later, Xue Yuanbai hurried into the hall.

Startled awake, Madam Li rose and asked, “How are your brother and nephew?”

“They’re both perfectly fine—not so much as a scratch,” Xue Yuanbai said quickly, reassuring his mother.

Only after hearing that the two men were unharmed did Madam Li finally relax.

“Hmph. You make it sound so impressive. They were supposedly going to avenge Yan’er’s father, but I say the father and son merely went out for a stroll.”

Madam Zhao sat down angrily, her words dripping with sarcasm.

“What kind of thing is that to say? Surely their coming home safely is what matters. Did you really expect them to storm someone’s residence and fight?”

Ever since learning that a large sum had gone missing from the family accounts, Madam Li had treated her eldest daughter-in-law with cool indifference. Now, hearing her complain that the men had not done enough, she could not help straightening her face and rebuking her.

“Mother, that isn’t what I meant…”

Accustomed to receiving her mother-in-law’s praise, Madam Zhao was somewhat at a loss after being scolded. For a moment, she did not know how to respond and fell silent.

Under the watchful eyes of the three people in the hall, Xue Rui and his father entered one after the other.

Madam Li asked anxiously, “Hao’er, are you two all right?”

“Mother, we’re fine. The matter has been settled.”

Having resolved such a troublesome problem, Xue Yuanhao was rather pleased with himself. Yet he did not dare show off too openly before his mother and could only pretend to be modest.

“Settled?”

Seeing that Xue Yuanhao did not even offer a single boastful word, Madam Zhao sneered. “You mean the other side settled you?”

“Aunt, what are you saying? I said I would avenge my elder uncle, and I always keep my word. Just wait and see. There will certainly be news tomorrow. When the time comes, you’ll know whether I was telling the truth.”

Madam Zhao’s tone left Xue Rui deeply irritated. He had originally wanted to announce that Liu An had been arrested, but he felt that his elder uncle and aunt would never believe him. Thus, he kept silent.

Once they heard the news tomorrow, they would naturally understand what the father and son were capable of.

Seeing how calm the two men remained, the stone in Madam Li’s heart finally sank. She knew her second son’s temper well. If something had gone wrong, he would never have been able to hide it from his eyes and expression. Since he appeared so composed, the matter could not be too serious.

Even so, she still reminded them, “The two of you must be careful not to cause any more trouble. We are only a modest household. As long as we can live in peace, that is enough. We cannot withstand any more upheaval.”

“Mother, rest assured. Your son knows what he is doing. It is getting late, so you should return to your room and rest. Everything will be clear tomorrow.”

After seeing Madam Li back to her room, the father and son returned to the side courtyard.

When Xue Rui told Liu-shi and Su Su that he had dealt with Liu An through a minor stratagem, the two women could not help clapping their hands in delight.

Liu An had nearly caused them to be driven out of the residence. His being thrown into the imperial prison was nothing more than the consequence of his own actions.

The following day.

In the Archives Office, Xue Rui was listening with the hereditary students to a lecture given by Bu Ci, the newly appointed Director of the Summer Office.

“They’re here! They’re here!”

Suddenly, a loud cry came from outside.

The Directorate of Astronomy immediately seemed to erupt. Astronomical students poured out of the various rooms and rushed toward the courtyard.

The commotion was so great that the hereditary students all craned their necks to look outside.

Xue Rui glanced at Bu Ci and asked curiously, “Director Bu, who are they saying has arrived? Could it be Director Guo of the Astronomical Office?”

As he spoke, he cast a glance toward Guo Heng in the corner.

Guo Heng’s father, Guo Gui, had been transferred to the Northern Directorate. Although his official rank had not changed, compared with the unimportant post he had held in Nanjing, this place was unquestionably the center of the Ming Empire’s astronomical research and carried far greater prestige.

As the contemporary successor of Guo Shoujing, Guo Gui possessed an exceptionally respected status. It was no wonder that his arrival would cause such a commotion.

Unexpectedly, Bu Ci shook his head. “No. They are speaking of those who perished at Tumu Fortress.”

“So soon?”

Xue Rui finally understood and could not help feeling surprised.

After the disastrous defeat at Tumu Fortress, Xuanfu had collected the bodies of many civil and military officials, along with their attendants, who had died in the battle. Since the Oirat army had not yet withdrawn, the bodies had remained in Xuanfu and could not be transported back to the capital.

A few days earlier, Esen had taken the captive Emperor Zhengtong, Zhu Qizhen, and fled all the way back to his homeland. With the military crisis in Xuanfu and the surrounding regions temporarily eased, the court had seized the opportunity to order that the remains of those who had died there be brought back to the capital.

Xue Rui had heard some news of this before, but he had momentarily forgotten. He had assumed that Guo Heng’s father had arrived and caused the commotion.

Realizing that he had made a foolish mistake, Xue Rui glanced at Guo Heng, only to find the other man glaring at him furiously. Xue Rui could only cup his hands and give an embarrassed smile.

“My apologies.”

“Hmph.”

Guo Heng snorted coldly and lowered his head to read.

Xue Rui did not take offense. After all, Guo Heng was descended from a great master of astronomy from the Yuan dynasty. A certain degree of arrogance was only natural. Xue Rui would have many matters in the future for which he would need Guo Heng’s father, so avoiding offense whenever possible was certainly best.

The return of the Tumu dead was an event that had shaken the entire capital. Once the astronomical students learned of it, they began asking which officials and fellow students had perished, intending to pay their respects after their duties ended.

Seeing this, Bu Ci no longer had the heart to continue lecturing. He told the hereditary students to study on their own and went off to gather gossip himself.

Since many officials and students of the Directorate had died, students such as Liu Jin, who had lost close elders, naturally had to return home to prepare the funerals.

Xu Dun had no reason to prevent them from doing so. He granted all of them leave so that they could return home and observe mourning for their parents and elders.

As the end of the workday approached, Xue Rui had Zheng Debiao inquire about Liu An.

At the morning court session, Censors of the Censorate led by Chen Yi, together with supervising secretaries from the Six Offices, had submitted a memorial impeaching Liu An. His crimes were listed as follows:

“Abandoning his assigned post, hurrying directly to the imperial court, possessing neither wisdom nor strategy and doing nothing to save the realm from disaster; acting without a court edict and arrogating to himself the honor of a marquis. He must be subjected to the proper punishment, so that others may take warning.”

When Zhu Qiyu had reprimanded Liu An earlier, his tone had already been severe enough. Yet the man had still refused to submit. He had now abandoned his post and secretly returned to the capital.

Some even claimed that he had privately met with astronomical officials with the intention of plotting rebellion.

Zhu Qiyu naturally did not believe that. Liu An lacked both the courage and the intelligence for such a thing.

But at such a critical moment, Liu An had acted solely for his own benefit and treated the military orders of the court as though they were nothing.

If he were not severely punished, and every frontier commander followed his example by disregarding the law, would the Ming Empire not be doomed?

After hearing the censors’ impeachment, Zhu Qiyu found their arguments reasonable and asked the ministers to decide upon a punishment.

Liu An was the supreme commander of a major frontier garrison. With the Oirat army lurking nearby, he had nevertheless fled to the capital without authorization.

Had the Oirats seized the opportunity to attack and captured that vital frontier stronghold, the capital would have lost its most important shield.

And if the capital itself had fallen, would the million soldiers and civilians within its walls not have become souls beneath Oirat blades?

At the thought, the ministers’ anger surged. They immediately advised Zhu Qiyu that Liu An must be executed as a warning to all.

Zhu Qiyu had not expected them to be so ruthless. He had originally intended only to strip Liu An of his title and send him to guard the frontier. Yet the ministers had demanded his death at once, leaving the emperor deeply hesitant.

He had been emperor for only a few days. If he executed a nobleman so quickly, he would lose considerable standing among the hereditary aristocracy.

The aristocratic military families had already suffered enormous losses in the disaster at Tumu Fortress, while the civil officials had taken advantage of the situation to expand their influence. If Zhu Qiyu lost the support of the hereditary nobles, his position on the throne would become extremely precarious.

The art of kingship lay in the word balance. Only by allowing civil and military officials to check one another could an emperor rule with ease. Zhu Qiyu understood this principle perfectly.

After much deliberation, he still did not wish to execute a nobleman at such a sensitive juncture. He therefore adopted a delaying strategy, ordering Liu An to be detained for the time being and dealt with after the war had ended.

Seeing that the emperor’s attitude was firm, the officials could not press him further.

Yu Qian stepped forward and asked who would replace the commander of Datong.

With Liu An stripped of his office, the Datong garrison had been left without a leader. A man capable of controlling the overall situation had to be appointed as commander in order to stabilize the troops.

After discussion, some ministers recommended Guo Deng for the position.

Guo Deng was himself related to the imperial family and possessed reasonably good abilities.

When Liu An had previously left the city to pay his respects to Zhu Qizhen, Guo Deng had remained behind to guard Datong. Later, when Liu An had forcibly ordered him to leave the city and meet the captive emperor, Guo Deng had still arranged the city’s defenses flawlessly.

At the time, Esen had secretly observed Datong. Seeing that the guards on the walls were vigilant and the soldiers entirely alert, he realized there was no opportunity to exploit. That was why he had not detained Liu An and the others, choosing instead to attack Datong.

After further discussion, Zhu Qiyu accepted Yu Qian’s proposal. He appointed Guo Deng Commander-in-Chief of Datong, granted him the seal of General of the Western Expeditionary Vanguard, and ordered him to defend the city.

When Xue Rui learned that Liu An had been imprisoned but had not lost his life, he felt a little disappointed.

Still, the outcome was acceptable. It was enough to give the elder branch an explanation.

At the end of the workday, Xue Rui returned to the residence with his father.

At the gate, Xue Yuanbai was craning his neck to look down the alley. As soon as the carriage carrying father and son came to a stop, he hurried forward, removed the mounting step, and placed it beneath the carriage so that they could climb down.

“Elder brother, what are you doing?”

Seeing the broad, ingratiating smile on Xue Yuanbai’s face, Xue Yuanhao was bewildered. He had seen that humble, flattering smile only when his elder brother encountered the instructor at the county school. Now his elder brother was smiling at him in exactly the same way, and he found it deeply unsettling.

“Second brother, I was wrong to blame you before. Liu An was arrogant and domineering, and he attacked people in our residence. None of that had anything to do with you.

“Your sister-in-law has prepared a tableful of fine dishes today to apologize to you both. Come inside and join us. Mother is already waiting.”

Xue Yuanbai hurried to explain.

“Elder brother, you already know about Liu An?”

Xue Yuanbai had more or less understood why his elder brother was suddenly being so warm. He had probably learned that Liu An had been seized and thrown into the imperial prison, and had gained a new appreciation of what the father and son were capable of. That was why he had lowered his head and come to apologize.

“That’s right. I went to the residence of the Guangning Earl this morning to ask around and learned that Liu An had already been arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

“Just look at you. You had the ability to send an earl into the imperial prison, yet you kept it hidden from us. Worse, you did not breathe a word of it to Mother. That was truly improper.”

Xue Yuanbai pretended to complain.

“This… is a long story. But Liu An has already received his punishment, and I have vented your anger for you. Let us put the matter to rest and never mention it again.”

Xue Yuanbai had clearly misunderstood. He believed that Xue Yuanhao had used his connections to have Liu An sent to the imperial prison.

Xue Yuanhao, however, knew that everything had been driven by Chen Yi. Without him, how could father and son possibly have possessed the power to send Liu An to prison?

Looking at his elder uncle’s fawning manner, Xue Rui sensed that the matter was certainly not so simple. After all, his aunt was not someone who surrendered easily.

Judging by her usual behavior, if she had learned that Liu An had been arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and thrown into the imperial prison, she would first have doubted whether Xue Rui and his father were truly capable of such a thing. If she caught even the slightest weakness in their story, she would have pursued it relentlessly until the father and son were humiliated.

Yet now she was behaving entirely out of character. She had even prepared an entire feast and taken the initiative to apologize. There had to be another motive behind it.

Xue Rui gave his father a meaningful glance, then cleared his throat.

“Elder uncle, since Aunt has already prepared the meal, Father and I would be rude to refuse.”

“What’s there to be polite about? We’re all family. Come, come, come. Your grandmother has already taken her seat.”

Seeing Xue Rui agree, Xue Yuanbai grew visibly excited and hurriedly led father and son into the residence.

Sure enough, by the time they reached the dining hall, Madam Zhao had prepared a table laden with dishes.

Grandmother Li sat in the place of honor, staring at the sumptuous meal with a puzzled expression.

Behind her stood Madam Li and Liu-shi, one on either side, each wearing a different expression. No one could tell what they were thinking.

When Xue Rui and his father entered, Madam Zhao quickly forced a smile.

“Come, take your seats. We have been waiting for you. Such a splendid meal will not taste nearly as good once it grows cold.”

Father and son glanced at Liu-shi. Seeing that she was just as confused as they were, they had no choice but to sit down first.

Madam Li said to her two daughters-in-law, “We are all family. You should sit and eat as well. Let the servants handle the rest.”

The two women obeyed and took their seats. Xue Yuanbai and his wife then began urging the three members of the second branch to eat, treating them with even greater enthusiasm than they showed Madam Li.

Madam Li ate only a few bites of vegetables. Once the two brothers had drunk several cups of wine, she finally asked, “Hao’er, your elder brother told me that Liu An was actually seized by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and thrown into the imperial prison. Is that true?”

“It is true. The court has already ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to detain him. He will be dealt with after the military situation has stabilized.”

Xue Yuanhao hurriedly set down his chopsticks and answered.

“Will the Liu family hold a grudge against us?”

The previous day, Xue Rui had confidently guaranteed that Liu An would suffer for what he had done. Today, Liu An had indeed been seized and imprisoned. If it were merely a coincidence, the few people who knew the truth would never believe it. Since it was not a coincidence, then the arrest must have been the work of Xue Rui and his father.

Madam Li was, after all, only a woman of the household. She understood the consequences of offending powerful men. Ever since learning that Liu An had been imprisoned, she had been troubled by this question, and before the meal was even finished, she could not wait any longer to ask Xue Yuanhao.

“Mother, do not worry. This matter actually has very little to do with us. It was mainly Rui who—”

“Father, try this fish. The flavor is excellent.”

Xue Rui hurriedly placed a piece of fish into his father’s bowl, interrupting him. He had no intention of letting his elder uncle learn that it was his own report that had sent Liu An to prison. If that secret were exposed, the consequences would be far from minor.

“Is that so? Then I must try it.”

Understanding his son’s intention, Xue Yuanhao picked up the piece of fish and began eating, keeping his mouth shut thereafter.

At the side, Xue Yuanbai and Madam Zhao looked deeply disappointed. They had repeatedly urged Xue Yuanhao to drink, hoping to discover what connections he had used to send Liu An to the imperial prison.

Xue Yuanhao had just been about to reveal the truth when Xue Rui cut him off. Madam Zhao was so furious that she nearly ground her back teeth to dust.

Her eyes rolled thoughtfully. Then Madam Zhao suddenly sighed.

“Very well. Since everyone is here, I may as well speak plainly. Apart from apologizing to my younger brother-in-law today, Yan’er’s father also has a favor to ask. That is why I prepared this feast.”

Xue Rui and his father exchanged a glance. It seemed their guess had been correct.

This was indeed no banquet without an ulterior motive.

Madam Li looked toward her eldest son in confusion.

“What favor could you possibly ask of your brother?”

Xue Yuanbai rubbed his hands together and carefully chose his words.

“It is like this. The provincial examination is only a few months away, yet I still have no confidence in my heart. When I was making inquiries earlier, I heard that Second Brother had befriended quite a few high-ranking officials.

“I was thinking that if Second Brother could introduce me to Director Zhou of the Shuntian Prefectural Academy, my chances in the examination would be virtually assured. Naturally, all expenses would be borne by our branch. I would not let Second Brother spend a single coin.”