Pressure

It was midsummer, when the days were long. When the officials hurried to the Pu royal palace, dawn was only just breaking. Cai Shizhi was among the latecomers, strolling leisurely along the palace avenue, when someone caught up with brisk steps to walk beside him. Without even looking, Cai Shizhi knew from the footsteps that it was his nemesis, Liu Wenkai. When that fellow heard he had received an appointment as an academician in Western Pu's court, he had actually traveled ten thousand li to pledge himself to Western Pu, taking the modest post of Vice Minister of Rites just to oppose him. "Attentions unprovoked hide malice or deceit! Coming so close, Vice Minister Liu, could you be plotting some mischief again?" Cai Shizhi naturally showed him no warmth. Liu Wenkai looked nonchalant and said, "As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together, and people divide by their kind. Since you and I share such an odious affinity, naturally we should get closer." "Bah! Who is the same kind as you? You old bag of bones just married two sixteen-year-old concubines! Aren't you afraid of snapping your withered back? Hmph, a disgrace to human ethics!" Liu Wenkai remained unruffled. "When the Master of the Four Sages Academy was twelve hundred years old, he dual-cultivated with a fair young female cultivator of ninety. Why didn't you speak out against that? Could it be you're jealous of my pair of sister blossoms?" Cai Shizhi was momentarily at a loss for words, then retorted, "That was an orthodox method of cultivation on the immortal path! How can that be compared to an old lecher like you?" Liu Wenkai said, "Fine, let us leave that aside. I'll ask you another matter. Last month, you published five consecutive essays denouncing Wei Yuan, claiming he treated human life like grass, brought ruin to living souls, and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of refugees. Let me ask you this: are the refugees under heaven divided into high and low, noble and base? Just this one question—do you dare answer aloud?" Cai Shizhi raised his brows. "Why wouldn't I dare? All refugees under heaven are equal; all are our kin! Before we cultivated, we too were mere mortals. What makes us any nobler than them?" Liu Wenkai said, "Good! You say Wei Yuan slaughtered hundreds of thousands of refugees—right or wrong aside. But right now beneath Hanyang Pass, hundreds of thousands of refugees are lingering on their last breath, unable to advance or retreat, about to starve to death! Why does Master Cai turn a blind eye to this? Are your eyes merely decorative?" "Th-this is entirely different." Liu Wenkai raised his voice. "How is it different? You just said yourself that all refugees under heaven are equal! What, are these hundreds of thousands of refugees of a lower sort, deserving to wait for death? You haven't failed to see it—you just don't dare speak of it!" By now, their heated exchange had drawn a sizable crowd of court officials. Cai Shizhi's weathered face flushed crimson as he snapped, "Nonsense! I am upright to the core, with an iron-willed spine—whom have I ever feared?" Liu Wenkai laughed heartily and proclaimed loudly, "When Qingming's refugees took to the battlefield, they died resisting foreign races—at least their deaths had purpose! Yet inside Hanyang Pass, hundreds of thousands of refugees have nowhere to go because the gates are shut, and they are left to starve to death before our very eyes. That is a man-made catastrophe! Just as Master Cai said, these truly are two different matters—they cannot be equated! "You, Cai Shizhi, bark furiously at Qingming, yet stay dead silent on this. Isn't it simply because you fear the Xu family? For a scoundrel like you who fishes for fame, bullying the weak while cowering before the strong, how dare you speak of righteous scholarly spirit or the integrity of a literatus? In my eyes, you should strip off that scholar's gown of yours, lest the departed spirit of your founding patriarch find out in the heavens and roll over in fury!" Cai Shizhi's face cycled between pale and flushed as he argued, "Am I a man who fears power and authority—" The moment the words left his mouth, Liu Wenkai cut him off: "You are!" A voice sounded from the side: "I wonder how my Xu family has offended Master Liu?" The officials turned to look and bowed one after another upon seeing Xu Gong, Minister of Revenue. Liu Wenkai bowed as well and said, "Liu is merely discussing the facts as they are. I simply cannot stomach this Cai fellow's villainous conduct." Xu Gong snorted coldly. "This is a private matter between you two. Do not drag the Xu family into it, lest you bring trouble upon yourself." Liu Wenkai chuckled without a shred of fear. "Lord Xu, you are mistaken in saying that. Liu also has a master; I'm not just anyone you can trample on at will. Stretch your foot out carelessly, and you might easily find yourself bitten back. Furthermore, Lord Xu is of noble descent from the senior lineage of a great clan. If you step down to beat a running dog like me in person, wouldn't that demean your stature? "I am merely a running dog. If Lord Xu finds me an eyesore, you ought to find a running dog of your own. Conveniently enough, isn't there an ownerless stray cur right here?" Cai Shizhi finally could endure it no longer. With a darkened face, he said, "Just watch what Cai does!" With that, he flicked his sleeves and stormed off. Watching his departing back, Xu Gong's expression darkened as well. Word had it that this Liu Wenkai had close ties to the Bao family, so he could not be touched lightly. But what was Cai Shizhi? A wandering ghost, a pedantic rotten scholar, barely tolerated even in the Four Sages Academy—a truly isolated loner. What was more, ever since he left Qingming and penned essays severely denouncing Wei Yuan, all the prominent great clans kept him at arm's length. When great clans employed people, loyalty came first, virtue second, and talent only third. Great clans saw beyond mere right and wrong; in their eyes, Wei Yuan had initially treated Cai Shizhi with utmost courtesy, yet at the slightest disagreement, Cai Shizhi had turned on his heel, walked out, and immediately published essays vitriolically reviling Wei Yuan. Thus, he was an untamable cur that no one would dare employ. The morning court began. No sooner had the King of Jin finished his opening remarks and asked, "What matters do you ministers have to report?" than Cai Shizhi stepped forward from the end of the ranks and spoke loudly: "The Hanyang Pass Garrison Commander took it upon herself to close the pass without authorization, leaving hundreds of thousands of refugees nowhere to go, with vast numbers starving to death each day! This act violates heaven and reason, an egregious sin—nothing short of death will quell the people's fury—" Cai Shizhi truly lived up to his name as a great scholar: impassioned, speaking with innate eloquence and without pause. In the end, he even stated outright that if the King of Jin failed to deal with this, he would be a fatuous ruler; and if the Xu family shielded the culprit, they would be sinners before all under heaven. The King of Jin looked displeased, as did the officials of the Xu family faction, while only the members of the Lu clan gloated, practically wearing their glee on their faces. Cai Shizhi, heedless of everything, continued his relentless tirade. In the end, the King of Jin had no choice but to interrupt him, stating that he understood and would certainly handle it, but the facts had to be clarified first—only then managing to press him back into his rank. When the court session ended, the King of Jin ordered Liu Quangong to summon the Left Prime Minister to the imperial study, demanding right off the bat, "Who let that thing into the court?" The Left Prime Minister replied calmly, "Back when Li Weisheng proposed the theory that when the court is filled with upright men, the state naturally grows strong, Your Sagacious Majesty agreed wholeheartedly. Since then, your old servant has recruited several capable scholars and great literati of renown. Master Cai was one of them, and later, men like Liu Wenkai pledged themselves as well." The King of Jin said angrily, "What great scholar? He is clearly a mad dog! In what year are there no refugees? Where are there no refugees? Does that warrant debate in the imperial court? You recruited him. Now that this matter has blown up, what do you suggest we do?" "The matter is actually simple. If Your Sagacious Majesty does not wish to provoke the Xu family, there is only one word: delay. In any case, an investigation can take several days or several months. If that many refugees truly die beneath the pass, it would actually be a good thing. The Xu family's reputation will be ruined. When that happens, they will inevitably try to cover it up, and all of that will become flaws and leverage against them." The King of Jin slowly nodded. "Then let us do so." Just as the Left Prime Minister was about to withdraw, the King of Jin suddenly asked, "What does Wei Yuan want so many refugees for?" The Left Prime Minister said, "I have heard that the Qingming Celestial Stone possesses a secret method called Ephemeral Multitude. Once activated, it can multiply mortals' strength, granting them Body Casting prowess. Wei Yuan drove refugees to fill the front lines, then used Ephemeral Multitude to unlock their potential, instantly turning the refugees into combat-ready troops. That was how he held off the Shamans' assault. Wei Yuan recruited nearly a million refugees in total, effectively giving Qingming a million-strong army, which laid the foundation for his eventual grand victory over the Shamans." "Truly worthy of a celestial stone! If so, we certainly cannot allow Wei Yuan too many refugees." The Left Prime Minister said, "Not necessarily. First, this method can only be used within Qingming; so long as one does not step into the Qingming Domain, there is no threat. Right now, Qingming is like a hedgehog—more than adequate in defense, but lacking in offense—ideally suited to guard the western gateway. Second, the Heavenly Dao is constant. This method overdraws the refugees' potential, leaving them inevitably weakened to die an untimely death soon after. Wei Yuan fed the refugees to the front line, and it is said not one in a thousand survived. He used the hands of the Shamans to purge every refugee whose potential was spent—truly ruthless. Yet this also proves that once Ephemeral Multitude is used, the refugees are ruined and can only be disposed of early." The King of Jin's expression softened considerably, and he nodded. "Only that accords with common sense. As for Hanyang Pass, handle it as you see fit." The Left Prime Minister bowed and withdrew. *** At this moment, Wei Yuan stood aboard an ornate flying boat, having exchanged courtesies with Wei Boyang. Wei Boyang took Wei Yuan by the arm and led him into the cabin, setting out wine and dishes before saying, "Lord Wei, over these three months of bloody battle against the Shamans, we all saw how you fought, and my admiration comes straight from the heart! Originally, the court's appointment of you as Qingyang Garrison Commander was merely a titular post, but looking at it now, it might very well be made official. In two days, this general must return. If there is anything you need done, don't hesitate to speak!" Wei Yuan said, "There is indeed one matter. I hear the scenery at Hanyang Pass is magnificent. Before returning to court, General, you might as well go have a look." Wei Boyang laughed heartily and said, "Rest assured, I will certainly take a very close look."