There was a time when Gongsun E had been just like He Tianyang.
He had believed that right was right and wrong was wrong, and that nothing mattered more than the truth.
But after he had ascended that cold dragon throne, he had come to understand that the truth was precisely what could hurt people most.
He Tianyang would never know that the same hands with which Gongsun E examined corpses and solved crimes had once manipulated the affairs of the realm, setting powerful aristocratic clans against one another. He had also laid secret traps and watched impassively as civil and military officials attacked one another. Sometimes hundreds of heads had fallen in a single night. He had killed more people than he had saved throughout the first half of his life.
He Tianyang was a subject of the throne. He could therefore believe firmly in a clear distinction between right and wrong and pursue justice with a heart full of passionate conviction.
Gongsun E, however, was different.
He had once been a sovereign.
Sovereigns did not cling to the truth. They sought only the best possible outcome for the greater whole.
“Brother He, you’ve forgotten.”
Gongsun E’s gaze rested on his face, his voice calm and low.
“I told you once before, in the dungeon: not everyone in this world lives for justice and righteousness.”
He Tianyang abruptly raised his head, looking as though he wanted to speak. Yet a thousand words lodged in his throat, and he could not force out a single one.
Outside the window, the setting sun sank away. The last ray of daylight faded into darkness.
He Tianyang clenched his fist at his side, but in the end said nothing. Dazed and dispirited, he turned and left the study one step at a time, disappearing around the corner of the courtyard wall.
Gongsun E remained seated in the room. Only when dusk had settled over his shoulders did he slowly pick up the cup of tea, long since gone cold, from the corner of the table and take a sip.
He thought that something inside He Tianyang might have shattered. Yet if the young man could recognize the world’s cruelty, he might one day know how to preserve himself amid the treacherous currents of court politics.
Then again, Gongsun E thought, it did not matter if he could not understand.
This world still needed people like He Tianyang, people of sincere hearts who refused to bow to those in power.
Late that night, Gongsun E went straight to Wei Xiao’s courtyard.
Although He Tianzheng had already taken charge of escorting the salt silver, Shen Wanjin remained an unresolved problem. He would certainly have to be taken to the capital to stand trial. By now, however, Prince Jin had probably heard what had happened. If Shen were entrusted to local constables or an escort party summoned from elsewhere, it would be all too easy for someone to find an opening and silence him.
After turning the matter over in his mind, Gongsun E decided it would be better to have the Eastern Depot escort the prisoner.
The trouble was that Wei Xiao was petty when nursing a grudge. If he was still angry over their previous dispute, he would hardly agree to help so readily.
As it turned out, Gongsun E’s guess was correct.
“Escort Shen Wanjin?”
At first, Wei Xiao had thought Gongsun E had come to visit him late at night, and the anger in his heart had finally subsided a little. But the moment he learned the purpose of the visit, he let out a cold laugh and said with biting sarcasm:
“And here I thought Lord Gongsun had suddenly developed a conscience and come to apologize. So it turns out you need something from me again. I should have known. When a weasel pays a New Year’s visit to a chicken, it has nothing good in mind. My rooms are small, and I’m afraid they cannot accommodate a great Buddha such as Lord Gongsun. You had better leave.”
With that, he swept his sleeves aside, rose, and walked to the window with his back to Gongsun E, making his intention to dismiss his visitor unmistakable.
Gongsun E did not take offense. He followed him without a sound and slowly gathered him into his arms from behind. Lowering his head to Wei Xiao’s ear, he spoke in a voice soft and low.
“Can Your Excellency really bear to refuse me?”
Wei Xiao could not even be bothered to lift an eyelid. He sneered. “What’s this? Isn’t Lord Gongsun terribly capable? One secret letter was enough for you to summon the Qinglü Office, and you even dared intercept my salt silver. Now that it’s merely a matter of escorting one prisoner, why would you need the Eastern Depot’s help?”
“That was only because Your Excellency chose to indulge me.” Gongsun E rested his chin on Wei Xiao’s shoulder, his voice gentle, almost coaxing. “Otherwise, how could those paltry tricks of mine amount to anything in Your Excellency’s eyes?”
It would not kill him to say a few flattering words.
Besides, he needed a favor. Being a little sweet-tongued could hardly hurt.
Wei Xiao was so aggravated by his intimate gestures that he had nowhere to direct his anger. Frowning, he said under his breath, “Let go!”
Far from releasing him, Gongsun E tightened the arms encircling his waist. With his lashes lowered, he caught Wei Xiao’s pale fingertips and toyed with them in his palm.
“If Your Excellency is still angry, you can scold me to let off steam. But at this hour of the night, do you truly have the heart to turn me away at the door?”
Wei Xiao went rigid from the way Gongsun E rubbed against him, yet could not break free. He said coldly, “Stop wearing me down with all this coaxing. I won’t fall for it!”
“Then what approach would Your Excellency fall for?” Gongsun E asked with apparent earnestness, without loosening his hold in the slightest. “At least give me some instructions so I’ll know what to do.”
The question left Wei Xiao momentarily speechless. He turned to glare at Gongsun E, but the anger in his eyes had finally faded somewhat, giving way to greater frustration at being unable to do anything about him.
Gongsun E saw it, and the corners of his mouth curved upward. Pressing his advantage, he said, “If Your Excellency agrees to help with Shen Wanjin, I will certainly remember the favor. In future, if there is anything you ask of me, so long as it does not cross my principles, I won’t refuse.”
Wei Xiao laughed in sheer fury. “Lord Gongsun certainly knows how to make his promises sound pleasant. What do you mean, ‘does not cross my principles’? Are you the one who gets to decide that, or His Majesty?”
Everything the Eastern Depot did crossed one line or another. Gongsun E’s promise was no better than a fart!
Gongsun E said nothing, though inwardly he gave a leisurely click of his tongue. Wei Xiao had fallen for his tricks too many times; he was getting harder to fool. “Then tell me, Your Excellency, what would make a promise count?”
Wei Xiao watched him for a long while. Then his gaze dropped to the back of the hand Gongsun E had wrapped around his waist. “Let go first.”
Gongsun E obediently released him.
Wei Xiao turned and looked him up and down. After a moment, he said in a tone difficult to read, “You want the Eastern Depot to escort Shen Wanjin to the capital? Fine. But you must promise me one thing.”
Gongsun E smiled as though he could not be more accommodating. “Say whatever you wish, Your Excellency.”
Wei Xiao fixed him with a stare and spoke one word at a time. “You must promise that, after returning to the capital, you will ask His Majesty to relieve you of this case. You will hand the investigation over to someone else and never interfere in it again.”
By intercepting the salt silver, Gongsun E had already offended the Crown Prince.
If he continued investigating and implicated Prince Jin, he would plant a thorn in the Emperor’s heart as well. He would end up offending everyone at court. How could he possibly retain a foothold there afterward?
Gongsun E paused slightly at the demand, then smiled. “Your Excellency is worried that I’ll offend people?”
Wei Xiao replied coldly, “Offend them or don’t. So long as you agree, I guarantee that Shen Wanjin will arrive in the capital alive. Well?”
Of course, that was not a satisfactory arrangement at all.
Gongsun E understood the ways of court officials far too well. No matter how grave the matter, once it passed up through the layers of government offices, a great crime would become a minor one, and a minor one would vanish altogether. It was entirely possible that, in the end, no one but Shen Wanjin would be convicted.
But he could not say any of that to Wei Xiao.
All Wei Xiao cared about was whether Gongsun E could extricate himself from this mire. The entrenched abuses of the court, justice, and the principles of right and wrong meant nothing to him.
Gongsun E lowered his eyes and lightly rubbed his fingertips together. After considering the matter for a moment, he looked up at last, smiled, and said unexpectedly, “Very well. I agree.”
Even Wei Xiao was taken aback by how readily he agreed. He eyed him with uncertainty. “Are you sure?”
Why was Gongsun E agreeing so quickly this time? Perhaps he was merely saying yes now and would go behind Wei Xiao’s back again later.
“Your Excellency has already made yourself perfectly clear. If I kept finding excuses, wouldn’t I be failing to appreciate your kindness?”
Gongsun E sounded serious, even a little sincere.
“Besides, your reasoning makes sense. I’ve offended quite enough people in the course of this investigation. Continuing may bring nothing good. If I hand it over to someone else, I get some peace, and Your Excellency has one less worry. Both sides benefit.”
Wei Xiao studied him for a long while, apparently searching his face for signs of deception. But Gongsun E’s expression was entirely open, and Wei Xiao could find no hint of anything amiss. Only then did he believe him. He emphasized:
“Fine. Remember what you’ve said.”
“Of course I’ll remember.”
Gongsun E agreed readily enough, but inwardly he had other calculations.
There were plenty of people at court who wanted to bring down Prince Jin and the Yin family. Once they returned to the capital, he need only present solid evidence to the Emperor. Even if he did nothing further, others would be waiting hungrily for the chance to tear into them.
So there was no harm in making the promise.
With one worry settled, Gongsun E drew Wei Xiao into his arms again and slowly kissed his way down from his brows and eyes. Perhaps Wei Xiao felt that Gongsun E had just made a concession, for after a moment’s resistance his body softened and he made no attempt to evade him. He merely closed his eyes and allowed that warm touch to travel lower.
Gongsun E knew both Wei Xiao’s sensitive spots and the boundaries he did not want crossed. So when his kisses reached Wei Xiao’s collarbone, he stopped at the right moment. His warm breath brushed the other man’s neck as he changed the subject.
“In another two days, He Tianzheng will lead his escort back to the capital. They’ll be traveling overland the entire way.”
“I’ve given it some thought, and I believe that’s much safer than traveling by water. The winds and waves on the river are unpredictable. If we’re ambushed, our boats will be stranded on open water with nowhere to flee. Why don’t you and I return with He Tianzheng’s party? There will be safety in numbers, and we can look out for one another.”
Little did he know that these words struck directly at Wei Xiao’s sorest point.
He Tianzheng had seized the salt silver from him, and Wei Xiao was still choking on his resentment. Now Gongsun E wanted him to travel all the way back to the capital in the same company as that man, seeing his face every day. How was that any different from rubbing salt into an open wound?
“Impossible!” Wei Xiao rejected the suggestion without a moment’s thought, his voice dark.
“Really? It won’t do?” Gongsun E asked with interest.
“Certainly,” Wei Xiao replied with a cold laugh, his words harsh with pique. “When I’m dead.”
Gongsun E almost laughed. “I’m only asking you to travel the same road, not to drink and make merry with him.”
Wei Xiao flicked his sleeve coldly. “Not even that! It’ll take at least a month to get back to the capital, and I’d have to see his face every day. Gongsun E, do you think I’ve swallowed my anger too easily?”
Gongsun E sighed and patiently tried to reason with him. “The salt silver is one matter, our safety another. Your Excellency should know which takes priority.”
“I know perfectly well,” Wei Xiao sneered. “That’s why I said no.”
Gongsun E regarded him, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly. He deliberately asked, “Even if I insist on traveling overland, Your Excellency would rather be separated from me than agree?”
Wei Xiao was so furious his teeth ached, yet he stubbornly refused to back down. “I said I won’t agree, and I mean it. And you’re not allowed to go either!”
Gongsun E nodded and did not press him further. Instead, he gave Wei Xiao a faint, unreadable smile, slowly released his hold, and stepped back. “In that case, it’s late. Rest well, Your Excellency.”
With that, he turned toward the door.
Wei Xiao’s expression changed. “Gongsun E!” he blurted.
But Gongsun E paid no attention. Without looking back, he continued toward the door.
Both startled and angry, Wei Xiao’s voice shot up what sounded like eight octaves. “Gongsun E! I’m ordering you to stop!”
Gongsun E finally paused. He turned his head to look back at Wei Xiao and asked with a half-smile, “So Your Excellency agrees to go?”
“…”
Wei Xiao swallowed his anger and ground out a sentence through clenched teeth.
“I’ll go, all right?!”
Gongsun E was always like this, as though he knew perfectly well how to get the better of him.
Still, anger was one thing, and Wei Xiao was no fool. He knew Gongsun E’s concerns were not without reason. There had already been assassins aboard their ship on the journey to Yangzhou. Who knew what ambushes might await them on the return trip? On the water, there was nowhere to retreat, whereas a journey overland was clearly safer. If they met trouble, they could at least run if they could not win the fight.
When the day of departure arrived, they arranged to meet at the entrance to the official road.
Of everyone present, He Tianzheng probably wore the grimmest expression. Escorting such an enormous quantity of salt silver was conspicuous enough without traveling alongside Gongsun E and Wei Xiao. If something really happened on the road, should he protect the silver or the men?
Whichever side he protected, he would neglect the other. Either mistake could cost him his head.
Seeing his unhappy expression, Gongsun E urged his horse a few paces closer. “Lord He, there’s no need to worry. Escorting the silver alone is already hard work. With additional men to guard you, surely the journey will be safer. Should trouble arise, the Eastern Depot’s men can shoulder some of the burden.”
As he spoke, his gaze swept across the men behind He Tianzheng and paused briefly.
Perhaps He Tianzheng feared his younger brother would only make trouble if left in Yangzhou, for He Tianyang was returning to the capital with the party as well. Yet he clearly had not recovered from the blow he had suffered that day. His head hung low, and he seemed distracted.
From horseback, He Tianzheng cast a chilly glance over the mass of Eastern Depot cavalry. Several gold-roofed carriages stood in the center of their formation, outrageously luxurious, with gold-embroidered curtains and silver-plated shafts. They were almost more eye-catching than the salt silver in the convoy.
Wei Xiao was seated in the central carriage. He had not come down because he disliked the clouds of dust rising from the official road.
“That’s easy for Lord Gongsun to say. But if we truly fall into an ambush, I’m afraid the Eastern Depot riders will protect Chief Eunuch Wei first, not the salt silver I am escorting.”
Gongsun E smiled and said unhurriedly, “You need not be concerned about that, Lord He. Recovering the salt silver was Chief Eunuch Wei’s assignment to begin with. Should anything happen, we certainly won’t stand by and do nothing.”
He Tianzheng was momentarily silenced by this response. Unable to find fault with it, he merely snorted, nudged his horse with his heels, and rode on ahead.
Gongsun E watched He Tianzheng ride away, his thoughts unknown.
He Tianzheng was decisive and vigorous, a man who could not tolerate the slightest wrongdoing. The Emperor had shown sound judgment in placing the Qinglü Office in his hands. Yet a man too rigid could easily break. If Prince Jin’s people truly meant to kill someone on this journey to the capital, their first target might not be Shen Wanjin at all. It might well be the Chief Commissioner escorting the salt silver.
Gongsun E drew back his gaze, and his eyes flicked toward the gold-roofed carriage in the middle. At some point, Wei Xiao had lifted the curtain and was glaring at him through the window. Wei Xiao arched a brow, displeasure unmistakable in his deep voice.
“Why waste your breath on that idiot? It’s dusty outside. Come ride with me.”
Gongsun E shook his head. “The road isn’t secure yet. If I climb into your carriage now, it won’t look good if Lord He sees. Let us travel a little farther first.”
Wei Xiao gave a cold snort. “Suit yourself.”
He lowered the curtain and leaned back against the soft cushions, but his eyes remained fixed through a narrow gap on Gongsun E, who continued riding beside the carriage.
After watching him quietly for a long time, Wei Xiao finally looked away. He took a note from his sleeve, held it between his fingers, and, expressionless, burned it over the candle on the low table.
Flames swallowed the paper, casting shifting light and shadow over Wei Xiao’s cold, beautiful, eerie profile.
It was an urgent message the Crown Prince had sent that very morning by carrier pigeon. The note contained only one sentence:
[Once the salt silver leaves the city, seize it on the road.]