ChangNing’s Imperial Army

Chapter 36 – Bribe You
A Yanta Academy student from a rather influential family had died, and a powerful triad had been eradicated in an area where ordinary folks of Changan city could not see. If the imperial court and triads formed a vast body of water, the splash created by these two events were in fact not big at all.

The chief constable of Changan made a single trip to Yanta Academy and decided to thoroughly give up pursuing the matter. In his words, he was only but a low-ranking official. The pressure created by this case fell upon the magistrate – not him.

There were all kinds of commotion going on within the academy. It was not that difficult to investigate this matter. After all, it was one that implicated a second-in-command official, who was a Class B Fourth pin official. He might not be a big figure, but he was not considered small either. In any case, the Ministry of War had to stick up for its people. Of course, it was nothing more than a mere formality.

Some people demanded Meng Changan to be severely punished; they came together to make an appeal to the headmaster. Ultimately, the group of people stood outside from morning until sunset but still did not manage to see him. Hence, everyone knew the headmaster’s stance on this matter. No matter how big the commotion within the academy was, it could not be compared to the headmaster’s silence.

Silence was a type of attitude.

That very night, the headmaster was called to the palace. Everybody was speculating about what His Majesty and the headmaster were talking about. Great Ning promoted martial spirit, and the Four Depositories Military Repository was of utmost importance. Perhaps even His Majesty was unable to feign ignorance.

There were some people who sneered in secret. They felt that His Majesty’s attitude was much more important than that of the headmaster’s.

However, most of the people who felt that way did not know that for the most part, His Majesty shared the same attitude as the headmaster. The Great Scholar, a senior figure who had served three generations within the imperial court with students all over the country, had once said before – when it came to disciples and students, he could never be compared to the headmaster of Yanta Academy.

Si Mao Zhai was located deep within the imperial garden. His Majesty had personally named it as such – nobody knew what it meant.

The emperor gestured, hinting to his attendants to leave. Thereafter, he personally poured the headmaster a cup of tea. “I want to know something. Is effort is proportional to results?”

 

The headmaster answered, “Of course not.”

The emperor’s hands stopped for a brief moment. “Which is more?”

The headmaster smiled. “Your Majesty, you’ve profited big time. Meng Changan is a strong and aggressive person of great potential. Your Majesty, if you trust my judgment when it comes to people, please pay extra attention to that fella. For all you know, you might want to appoint him to one of the Four Borders. As for appeasing a second-in-command, all Your Majesty has to do is to put in a few words, in order to ensure that Great Ning has a great general in the future. It is indeed a huge profit.

“Headmaster, you have never been so certain of a person’s future. Why is this the case today?”

“This is because it’s simply too evident. As long as he’s not dead, it’s only a matter of time before he achieves great things.”

The emperor took out a book and started writing down – on a certain year, month and day, a certain old fella said that Meng Changan would become a great general. The headmaster stared at him in a daze. He sighed and wondered if His Majesty was trying to convict him of a crime in advance.

The emperor laughed out out. He put down his book. “Who is Meng Changan’s helper? I sent someone to investigate and found out that he has an ordinary background.”

“I don’t know.”

The headmaster said, “I only heard that Meng Changan’s cousin from his hometown came to visit him.”

The emperor wrote down the words, ‘Meng Changan’s cousin from his hometown’. “A cousin who was able to bring down the entire Liu Lang Dao by himself. If it’s his biological cousin, Meng Changan must be more like his mother.”

The headmaster pondered over the meaning of His Majesty’s words. Thereafter, he realized that was making a cold joke…

“He’s from Anyang, right? Zhuang Yong’s troops are in Anyang. Get him to take not of it. It would be such a waste for a person of such potential to not enlist in the army.”

The emperor sat properly. “Meng Changan is injured. Is he still able to make it to the third rank?”

“He’s not 100% confident.”

“How many percent then?”

“99%.”

The headmaster felt good. The bad mood that Meng Changan put him through had been diverted to the emperor…as expected, the emperor cocked his head and shot him a glance. Despite being shot a glance, the headmaster was still happy.

“Did he mention where he wants to go?”

“Northern Border Cavalry.”

“Chen Zishan’s father is stationed there, and yet he insists on going? It’s so far away from Changan, if Chen Gao wants to really wants to avenge his son’s death, he has countless ways to make Meng Changan’s death seem like an accident.”

“But if he were to go somewhere else, Chen Gao would be even more unrestrained, right? If something were to happen to Meng Changan within the Northern Border, everyone would inevitably think of him.”

“For the sake of avenging his son, do you think he would care that much? Without evidence, I would not be able to do anything to him.”

“Hence, I feel that Your Majesty should find an opportunity to give Chen Gao a friendly reminder.”

“You want me to directly protect Meng Changan? I don’t have that authority yet.”

“No, no, no. What I meant was, you should remind Chen Gao to be careful. Chen Gao will be in danger, once Meng Changan goes to the Northern Border.”

 

The emperor narrowed his eyes and thought to himself: What a cold joke…

“Everything depends on whether or not he can emerge number one in the great competition. It’s getting late, you should head back to rest first.”

“Your Majesty, are you spending the night in Si Mao Zhai?”

“No, I need to return to the imperial concubines’ chambers.”

“In that case…can I borrow a chair and spend the night here?”

“Huh?”

“I don’t feel like heading back. At this moment, there are still people outside my door. I’m afraid I can’t sleep well. I’m already old, hence sleep is especially important.”

The emperor laughed. “Somebody, set up a bed for headmaster in the parlor.”

Who knew that the headmaster ended up idling away in Si Mao Zhai till the second night. He did not even attend the great competition. In the evening, news about Meng Changan coming in first place reached the palace. Only after that did the headmaster laugh happily as he left, holding his head up high.

That fella was still heavily injured, but 99% was indeed 99%.

Before the headmaster got out of the palace, he was called over by the emperor. Naturally, the headmaster had already expected this to happen. He seemed to be floating on air as he walked. How many talented people had he nurtured after being a headmaster for so many years? East Border’s great general Pei Tingshan was one of the students of the academy. Whenever he saw him, he still had to greet him respectfully. However, that did not make him as happy as he was today.

 

Imperial study.

The emperor put down the thing he was holding in his hands. He looked at the headmaster and asked earnestly, “Why didn’t you go back to host the great competition?”

“If I were there, people might say that I’m unfair or that I interfered with the competition. If I’m not in the academy, and Meng Changan came in first place, it would seem more genuine.”

“The words ‘crafty and manipulative’ best describe people like you.”

The emperor passed to the headmaster the item he was looking at earlier on. “The Meng Changan you were talking about came in first place, and even took the time to go to the literary side to get an exam paper and completed it. Take a look at this.”

The headmaster received it and looked as though he was put on the spot. “Over hundreds of years in Great Ning, and over the last hundred years in the academy, not a single person came in first in both martial arts and literary.”

“This is a good thing. Why do you look as though you are being put on the spot?”

“I am agonizing on your behalf, Your Majesty. He came in first in both sections, isn’t Sixth pin too low for him?”

The emperor had already expected him to say that. He was still brooding over what he said the day before, about him being 99% certain, and finally found an opportunity to counter it, “I am indeed being put on the spot. With such results, even Class B Fifth pin is not fitting enough for him. But because he was involved in some matters, which offset his great results. So ultimately, he’ll still be a Class A Sixth pin Official.

The headmaster opened his mouth. He was rather flustered, and also felt somewhat bitter.

The emperor’s mood took a turn for the better.

“For a young man to have the reputation of coming first in both sections, how many people would be noticing him? If I hold him in higher regard, it would not do him any good. Ordinary folks take tend to forget about things and people after three to five days, but it’s different for officials in the imperial court – they hold onto things after three to five years. I’m doing this for his own good.”

The emperor stood up. “I remember that Chen Gao, the second-in-command at the Northern Depository Military Repository, has two sons. If I remember correctly, Chen Zishan had an older brother. I heard that when he was a child, he had a very high fever that rendered him slow-witted. Even to this day, he is still like that. I will give some of Meng Changan’s salary to him, making him a Third Class Baron. This will do both families good. Chen Gao can’t possibly take care of his son forever…”

The headmaster bowed. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Even though His Majesty claimed that he was giving away part of Meng Changan’s official salary, in reality, he was trying to do good on Meng Changan’s behalf, expelling grievances…If Chen Gao was a bright person, he would understand His Majesty’s effort. One day, either he or his wife would leave this world first. The official salary of a Third Class Baron was enough to help his ill-stricken son to live the rest of his life without worrying about finances.

According to usual practice, the top scholar in both literary and martial arts would have to be draped in red silk as a sign of honor and paraded through the streets on the second day, receiving cheers and blessings from the common folks. However, on the second day, after everyone had assembled, they realized that Meng Changan had disappeared.

Afterwards, some people asked around and found out that Meng Changan had gone to the Ministry of War early in the morning and received an official correspondence and a black cord sword. He carried a small bundle and left Changan city, making his way towards the north on his own.

Just like how he carried his small bundle back then, with the copper coins that Shen Leng had given him in his pocket, leaving Yulin town. Beneath the surface, that fella was lonely, not arrogant and aloof.

Conventions were not laws, hence, when Meng Changan did not show up for the celebration, nobody could do anything to him. Some people chastised him in secret for being unable to recognize others’ good intentions; some people felt that there was something fishy about this matter; and some people speculated that Meng Changan got killed off by somebody. There were several differing opinions.

When Shen Leng found out that Meng Changan came in first place in both segments, he could not stop smiling at all. Presently, he had already been back in the Navy’s camp in Anyang for several days. The bad news he had received prior to this had been overshadowed by this piece of good news for the most part.

After he was back in the Navy, Shen Leng heard that His Majesty had promoted Mu Xiaofeng to a Class B Fourth pin Ying Yang General. Within the Navy, only Zhuang Yong was ranked above him. He was even the second-in-command in the Navy.

After a full day of training was over, Shen Leng went back to the barracks to rest. Right after he laid in bed, he was called over by Zhuang Yong. Ever since he got back, Zhuang Yong never asked him about what he did in Changan city. Right now, it seemed as though he could no longer hold himself back from questioning him.

After Shen Leng entered, he did a military salute and stood respectfully. Zhuang Yong lifted his hand and tossed something to him. Shen Leng caught it and smiled after looking at it. It was an iron tablet of a ten-man squadron leader.

“Thank you, general!”

“Do you have any requests?”

“Can I pick ten people?”

“No.”

“Five?”

“No.”

Two? I can’t go any lower.”

“Fine. Two at most.”

Shen Leng added, “I want Wang Kuohai – the guy who I fought against in the evaluation. The other person I want is a new recruit named Chen Ran. He had just passed the evaluation. Just these two.”

Zhuang Yong frowned slightly. “Wang Kuohai has the makings of an outstanding soldier. As for Chen Ran, he seems rather average. Why do you want him?”

Shen Leng thought to himself: As it turns out, the general had observed and analyzed every single soldier that passed the evaluation. How will it be possible for a general as such not to produce strong and powerful troops?

“When I was younger, I ate a lot of his family’s steamed buns. When I left Yulin town, I used their money as well. But all these are not important; most importantly, he is my friend. If I take him under my wing, he will not get bullied.”

Shen Leng’s replies were always that strange. He managed to say those words without blushing or feeling embarrassed.

Zhuang Yong put down the thing in his hand. He was silent for a few moments before he suddenly asked, “Cousin?”

Shen Leng turned around and left.

“Stop right there!”

Zhuang Yong scoffed. “Where do you think you can run to?”

Shen Leng turned his head around and smiled, feeling embarrassed. “General, can I offer you a bribe pertaining to this matter? I think it’s rather difficult to silence someone by killing them.”

Zhuang Yong was speechless.

Shen Leng added, “I haven’t paid you back the twenty taels of silver that I borrowed. Why don’t you lend me another hundred taels?”

“What are you trying to do?”

“Bribe you!”

 

Zhuang Yong was speechless once again.