Xuanqing Guard

Yang Jian’s health continued to deteriorate, relying on life-taking soup to squeeze what little life potential remained in his body, just so his final days would not be spent collapsed in bed, but with enough clarity of mind to prepare for what came after.

The price? His remaining lifespan would be cut in half.

More than once, Yang Xiusheng wanted to persuade Yang Jian not to be so relentless, but Yang Jian’s thoughts were simple: better to blaze brightly than to linger in misery!

He was the emperor—how could he willingly die on a sickbed?

So even at night, Yang Jian rested little. He always claimed the time spent soaking in the warm soup was "rest," but once he left the warm soup, that was his "final time."

"Uncle, if there truly is a next life, I think I might be a fish, even a loach would do."

Yang Jian was grateful he wasn’t as lonely as his father in his final days—at least he had Uncle Yang Xiusheng by his side.

"A next life? Perhaps there is, perhaps there is not."

"I hope there is."

This kind of conversation became more frequent as Yang Jian’s health declined. Yang Xiusheng felt it most keenly, even noticing a growing serenity in the Emperor’s eyes.

But though the Emperor’s gaze grew "serene," his actions did not slow—in fact, they accelerated.

This night was different, for the Emperor had rarely summoned several of the court’s highest-ranking officials into the palace. Outside the warm baths of Fuan Palace, he claimed he was inviting them for a drink.

Unlike the seating in ordinary households, when the Emperor held a banquet, each person sat at their own small table, arranged left and right. Yang Jian sat at the head position above all.

The gathering was small: Left Minister Ye Lansheng, the Five Ministers, the Commander of Xuanqing Guard, Vice Minister of the Ministry of War Wen Mingju, and including the Emperor, just nine in all.

Wen Mingju thought he’d arrived first, since he’d come at the Emperor’s summons immediately, but he saw someone was already present—Commander of Xuanqing Guard, Pang Ban.

"Greetings, Lord Pang."

"Mm."

Wen Mingju awkwardly took a seat as directed by the eunuch. On each table sat a brown earthenware jar, five jin size, with three large red labels affixed: Wuliangye.

An imperial banquet would never serve just any common wine. It was either some medicinal brew, or the finest liquor. Of course, what they drank was the least important part on occasions like this.

Soon after Wen Mingju arrived, others entered too. Led by Ye Lansheng, six civil servants took their seats. Then the Emperor himself appeared, dressed in regular attire.

Yang Jian sat at the head; Vice Minister of the Ministry of War Wen Mingju and Pang Ban sat to his left, the remaining six civil servants to his right.

This was not the usual seating. Normally, seats were assigned "by rank first, among equals by seniority," and one rarely saw such a clear division as tonight.

Wen Mingju, once an Imperial Guard by the Emperor’s side, knew much of the Palace’s ways and understood the Emperor’s temper and methods well. At such an arrangement, he knew tonight’s banquet would hardly be simple.

Was this the splitting of arenas?

Everyone knew the civil servants and the Xuanqing Guard had been locking horns fiercely these days. Tonight was the Xuanqing Guard’s five-day deadline, set by the Emperor, and now they were all called together—was this to fulfill the Xuanqing Guard’s assertions? But why call him, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War? It didn’t seem related to him—was he brought in as a witness?

Wen Mingju silently weighed the Emperor’s intent, carefully keeping any emotion from his face. Compared to the distinguished officials present, he knew exactly where he stood and how far his clout went.

Wen Mingju knew that if not for Yang Yansi being restrained by the Emperor and himself being the Emperor’s man, neither the Ministry of War nor the Great Court Assembly would have put him in charge—and among the many generals in the military, he was far from senior. All he had to do was fulfill the Emperor’s will, and when the Emperor was done with him, at least he’d get a peaceful end. Only a fool would be arrogant with imperial favor.

"Chancellor Ye, Minister Bai, Minister Ma..."

He made his greetings as was proper; even if the others only nodded without replying, Wen Mingju greeted them with a smile, appearing the amiable sort. But everyone at the table knew he was actually the royal hound. In the Emperor’s eyes, even Pang Ban couldn’t compare in loyalty—this was the one who would bite whomever the Emperor commanded.

"Be seated. Today I’m inviting you all to drink fine wine."

Wuliangye. Indeed, a fine liquor. Its taste was little inferior to the top-grade Immortal Brew, but considerably cheaper. The issue was simply that it was hard to come by.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the gift of wine!" All present bowed together in thanks.

"Fill the cups!"

Several eunuchs quickly filled the officials’ cups. Then the Emperor lifted the bowl in front of him and said with a smile, "It’s been a long time since we’ve drunk together; finish the first bowl in one draught."

"Yes."

No matter one’s tolerance, the first bowl was always mandatory.

The Emperor’s capacity for drink was average, and now, with age and his frail health... After the first bowl, his pale face flushed, but the color only made him look sicker, not livelier.

The Emperor smiled, turning his head to the right toward the civil servants: "Gentlemen, how do you find this wine?"

"It is excellent, no less than Immortal Brew. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your gracious gift," Ye Lansheng again offered thanks, all the while guessing what undercurrent lay this evening.

"I also find this wine quite good," the Emperor said, pausing before continuing, "but you may not know this wine is a specialty product from Fengri City, secretly backed by the Xuanqing Guard, essentially one of the Xuanqing Guard’s money bags, used to conceal some funds and activities. Haha, Pang Ban, is this considered me exposing the Xuanqing Guard’s secrets?"

Pang Ban bowed, "The Xuanqing Guard belongs to Your Majesty; Your Majesty may say whatever you please, this servant has no opinion." It wasn’t exactly a secret anyway. Last time, after a dispute between Fengri City and the Imperial City’s Song Family, word had gotten out to some extent that Wuliangye was backed by the Xuanqing Guard. The Emperor mentioning it now, however, left Pang Ban uncertain of his intentions.

"No objections, then. Actually, if you’d concealed this venture and not reported it, that would be an offense. But since you’ve submitted a memorial, it counts as expanding revenue, finding ways to support yourselves without skimming, and you’ve eased hunger for the common people—a good thing. I hear the originator was the Hundred Households who investigated the ’Ma San Case’? I hear he’s since been promoted to Thousand Households?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, that’s the man. His name is Shen Hao, currently Deputy Thousand Households Officer on pilot assignment to Black Banner Battalion in Fengri City."

"And this Qin Wenhe case is also his doing, yes? His name was on the file you just handed me. He seems capable—able to generate revenue, and handle cases."

A file? What file?

All present realized the Emperor had shifted topics—it was indeed about the Qin case after all. But it sounded as if Pang Ban had already submitted a file to the throne? Did the Emperor already know the outcome?