Chapter 260: Human Sentiments (1)

Outside the hall, the Jingyang Bell tolled three deep times.

The official from the Court of State Ceremonial called out in a clear voice:

"Court—dismissed—"

The officials filed out in an orderly manner, those in scarlet and purple robes going their separate ways.

Le Wuya held his court tablet with one hand, head held high, and strode outward.

"Surveillance Commissioner Wenren! Wait a moment!"

Hearing this thunderous, resonant call, Le Wuya smiled slightly, turned around, and bowed respectfully: "General Yuan."

Since court had already adjourned, the formalities were not as strict as during the session.

"Nice moves, kid—you're so quick I almost couldn't keep up!" Yuan Weiyan strode forward with large steps, let out a couple of hearty laughs, and grabbed his arm, squeezing firmly.

Summer court robes were on the thinner side, and feeling the firm, well-defined muscles under the sleeve, Yuan Weiyan squinted with satisfaction: "Lad, I was wrong about you—when we first met in the capital, I never would have guessed you were a master archer!"

Le Wuya showed no false modesty and asked: "How does that stack up against you in your prime, old general?"

Yuan Weiyan was taken aback for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.

He liked this kind of straightforward, down-to-earth person!

He clapped Le Wuya on the shoulder, pulling his punch by seventy percent: "This old man's strength is all brute force—not cut from the same cloth as Lord Wenren. A pity you were born too late; otherwise, I would have dragged you into my ranks by force to be my second-in-command!"

Yuan Weiyan had risen from the rank of Centurion, having truly earned his stripes one sword stroke at a time from the bottom up. Even when showing goodwill, he carried a hint of the old bandit about him.

An ordinary civil official couldn't handle such blunt friendliness.

But Le Wuya gave a sly wink and laughed: "As long as the old general isn't afraid I'll steal your thunder and take your position as commander!"

Yuan Weiyan stroked his beard and laughed heartily, his laughter so deep and resonant that a passing civil official nearly stumbled and jumped back in surprise.

Talking with such an open person, with no beating around the bush, was simply refreshing.

When his laughter subsided, Yuan Weiyan stated his purpose: "Surveillance Commissioner Wenren, I haven't prepared an invitation, so I'll speak plainly—don't mind the lack of formality: Xiao'er talks about you every day, can't stop missing you. I plan to host a banquet at Hongbin Tower, have him pay his respects as your disciple and toast you three times—don't give me that look—it's tea! You drink like a bird—drink an ounce, puke out a pound. Who in the whole capital doesn't know that?!"

Yuan Weiyan's voice boomed with authority, carrying in all directions.

Not far away, Wang Su, walking with careful, deliberate steps, stumbled and nearly fell.

...It brought back some rather unpleasant memories.

Having barely steadied himself, he huffily adjusted the new wig on his head and hightailed it out of there.

Le Wuya smiled.

Old Tiger Yuan was like that—rough on the outside, sharp on the inside.

His public invitation, not a private banquet, and using the respectable cover of a master-disciple ceremony, had already minimized any chance of being accused of "colluding for personal gain."

That young tiger Yuan Xiao'er still had a lot to learn.

He gave a dashing bow in the martial style: "I'd be honored to accept, General Yuan. After I clear it with Chief Censor Wang, I shall—"

Yuan Weiyan cut him off, hauling him to his feet: "Then it's settled! Two days from now, I'll formally send the invitation to your residence—don't you dare slack off!"

Taking advantage of their proximity, Le Wuya asked in a low voice: "Aren't you worried, General, that civil and military officials mingling might raise the emperor's suspicions?"

Yuan Weiyan's fierce brows furrowed.

...Was it his imagination?

He caught a familiar whiff of slyness from this man.

"It's fine." A flicker of unease stirred in Yuan Weiyan's chest, and he lowered his voice accordingly: "This old man holds no troops—a commander with nothing but himself. I should've retired years ago to enjoy my old age."

A shrewd glint flashed in Le Wuya's eyes: "...Oh, really?"

With that, he stepped back as light as a feather, cupped his hands in farewell, and then, wagging his fox tail, continued on his merry way toward the palace gates.

...What did that mean?

Yuan Weiyan stood there for a long moment, then let out a low chuckle.

Well played, lad.

He'd read him wrong again.

You couldn't get a read on this guy.

...

Just as Le Wuya was about to step out of the palace gate, he felt a hand land on his shoulder.

Le Wuya turned to look.

Another familiar face.

"Lord Zhang." He glanced to the side. "This is the Right Side Gate. As the head of the Grand Court, you should exit through the Left Side Gate."

Sunlight filtered through the carved dragon ornaments, casting dappled shadows across the newcomer's handsome features.

Zhang Yuanye regarded him for a moment, then lowered his eyes and said: "...Surveillance Commissioner Wenren, I still need to go over the details of Scholar Tian's case with you. Before court, I already informed Chief Censor Wang—you need not return to your office. Come with—no, come with me to the Grand Court."

Finally, he added politely: "As Judge Zheng said, Surveillance Commissioner Wenren is exceptionally skilled at adjudicating cases—truly a model of criminal justice for our great Dayu."

Le Wuya said softly: "Thank you for the praise, Lord Zhang."

Zhang Yuanye: "..."

He blushed.

...This was truly not intentional on his part.

But... being praised by someone with a face like that...

It was like being praised by that lord...

Awkwardly embarrassing.

Sensing his cheeks burning red, Zhang Yuanye grew even more mortified, and coughed in a futile attempt to cover it up.

The redness only spread all the way up to the tips of his ears.

Le Wuya said, "..."

He hesitated, then turned around. He waved to Hua Rong, who was waiting with the carriage nearby, signaling for him to go home first. He turned back and pretended not to notice Zhang Yuanye's embarrassment. "Then I shall trouble you, Lord Zhang, for a ride in your carriage."

Zhang Yuanye, painfully aware of his own loss of composure, wished he could cover his face and run.

But that would only make things worse.

He could only nod with great solemnity, his face still burning red. "Very well."

Zhang Yuanye beckoned to the attendant behind him, instructing him to bring the carriage closer.

The attendant agreed readily, but upon seeing Zhang Yuanye's flushed face, he grew concerned and blurted out, "Oh! My lord, why is your face so red?"

Caught between his subordinate's worried gaze and Le Wuya's amused smile, Zhang Yuanye felt like he might burst into flames.

He fanned himself with his hand, forcing calmness into his voice. "The summer heat is unbearable, that's all. Have Clerk Qi add more ice to the ice chest in the carriage."

...

Zhang Yuanye brought Le Wuya back to the Court of Judicial Review.

Many familiar faces remained in the court. When they heard that someone bore a striking resemblance to Lord Yue, they drifted over out of curiosity.

This led to the dining hall being packed at noon.

Chef Liu, still the same old soldier who could twirl his spatula into a blur, was run off his feet, his wrist moving so fast it left afterimages.

Zhang Yuanye felt that such a crowd pressing in from all sides was hardly fitting for the dignity and authority of the court.

But these people had never been easy to manage, and they paid his soft glares no mind whatsoever.

One particularly brazen clerk even brought his rice bowl over. "Surveillance Commissioner Wenren, where are you from?"

Le Wuya told him the truth.

The man said "Oh" and walked away.

Then a second person came over. "Surveillance Commissioner Wenren, how many people are in your family?"

By the time the fifth person came running over to ask if Surveillance Commissioner Wenren had a twin brother, Zhang Yuanye could no longer maintain his scholarly composure. He apologized, stood up, and shooed them away like a flock of chickens.

Le Wuya had served at the Court of Judicial Review the longest and had the deepest affection for it.

He had handpicked the best and trained the entire current staff into the same unruly, irreverent lot he had been in his youth.

Seeing these incorrigible jokesters teasing Zhang Yuanye, the grand lord of the court, Le Wuya watched with a smile, chopsticks in hand, as they chased him around.

While he enjoyed the spectacle, a sixth person came over. "Surveillance Commissioner Wenren, don't mind us. Lord Zhang is young, but he sits in court all day buried in case files, practically cultivating immortality. We like to get him riled up, make him run and laugh, to loosen him up a bit."

Zhang Yuanye had just managed to shoo one away when he turned to see Le Wuya cornered again. His head spinning with frustration, he hurried back to chase them off.

The sixth person scampered off, laughing.

Meanwhile, Chef Liu had finished his work and finally had a moment to catch his breath.

He walked over and asked cautiously, "My lord, is the food to your liking?"

Le Wuya praised him. "Excellent cooking. It tastes exactly as it always has."

The chef wiped his hands on his apron, looking a bit sheepish. "My lord, forgive my impertinence, but might I ask you something?"

"Ask away."

Chef Liu mustered his courage. "...Well, do you believe in reincarnation?"

Zhang Yuanye, who had just returned, was speechless.

This staff was impossible to manage!!

...

By the time Zhang Yuanye had chased off all those lively troublemakers and gone through the case details with Le Wuya, verifying everything was in order, it was already early evening.

Noticing the dimming sky outside, Zhang Yuanye felt apologetic. "Surveillance Commissioner Wenren, let me have someone escort you back."

"No need." Le Wuya waved his hand. "Lord Zhang, don't stand on ceremony. I'd like to take a walk, stretch my legs, and clear my head."

Zhang Yuanye had troubled him all day, and his subordinates hadn't done him any favors either. He couldn't very well press further kindness upon him, so he could only bow with slight regret. "Then I won't insist. Do take care on your way, Surveillance Commissioner Wenren. The West Avenue has trenches being dug recently—mind your step."

Le Wuya lazily raised a hand. "Got it."

Zhang Yuanye, who had been about to add more words of caution, fell silent.

He stared blankly at Le Wuya's retreating figure, his heart stirred with emotions he could not easily settle.

...

The lamplight flickered like a bean, and the clamor of the world faded to a murmur.

Le Wuya walked slowly forward in the warm night breeze.

Now, the situation was becoming clearer.

Once again, it was proven that he, Le Wuya, was simply a magnet for storms and strife.

Scholar Tian's case had been casually wielded by him to stir up a whirlwind, and judging by the results, it had yielded considerable gains.

He had pushed the Sixth Prince to the forefront, making him step right on the Emperor's taboos, all to foster a slight but meaningful "wariness" in the Emperor toward him.

At present, Xiaoliu had been transferred to the Ministry of Works, a post focused on practical matters.

But Le Wuya had no worries about his abilities.

During his time at the Ministry of Revenue, he had quietly built up a network of connections.

Seeing Xiaoliu fall from favor, the fair-weather types would keep their distance; but surely there were also those who favored helping those in need—officials who, seeing his misfortune, would lend him a hand where they could, so that the Sixth Prince might owe them a favor.

Xiaoliu's days at the Ministry of Revenue would not be wasted.

He could marshal many resources to pave the way and open new ground for his work at the Ministry of Works.

When that time came, he would reap his own rewards.

As the saying goes, it's better to stay still than to move.

This time, the changes affected not only Xiaoliu, but also the Fifth Prince.

The Fifth Prince had been transferred from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Revenue—seemingly a move to a place of wealth and plenty—but unlike Xiaoliu, he would find it hard to bring any real benefit to the Ministry of Revenue.

It remains to be seen whether the Fifth Prince can truly flex his muscles and make something of himself in the Ministry of Revenue.

However, even if he pulls himself together, drops his shady tricks, and throws himself into the day-to-day work, whether the Emperor would even be happy to see him succeed is anyone's guess.

Le Wuya gazed at the crescent moon on the horizon, his expression grave.

Everything else, he had already figured out.

Only one thing nagged at him, a concern he couldn't shake:

...This pawn of his was hardly obedient—there was even a risk it might bite the hand that moved it.

Would Xiaoliu...?

At that thought, Le Wuya cut off his train of thought and abruptly turned his head.

In the dim lantern light, there were only passersby—not a single suspicious figure in sight.

Le Wuya arched an eyebrow.

...

Fifty feet away, the brothers Le Hang and Le Jue were hiding in a dark alley, staring at each other wide-eyed.

Le Hang was kicking himself.

After work today, Le Jue couldn't contain himself—he rushed to the gates of the Imperial Academy to wait for Le Hang, dead set on dragging him to visit Wenren Mingke.

Le Hang had known all along that Wenren Mingke had joined the Censorate, but he knew it would only bring trouble and had no desire to court it.

He tried to talk Le Jue out of causing their benefactor unnecessary trouble, but Le Jue had a whole speech ready: "We're just going to say hi! Besides, who doesn't know about Lord Wenren's last trip to the capital, when he helped your brother out on the main street? Now that Yuan Zijin has come back to the capital in one piece, and they say he's a completely different person now! We've got nothing to hide; what's there to be afraid of in meeting him on the street? If we avoid him, wouldn't that make us look like ungrateful, ill-mannered louts?"

Le Hang mulled it over.

Le Jue was impulsive, but he had a point.

What's more, Le Hang was thinking even further ahead than his brother.

Lord Wenren's face looked strikingly similar to Ali's, which was bound to stir up gossip.

As members of the Yue family, being too close to him would look bad; but deliberately avoiding him would only make them look guilty.

In short, no matter what they did, they couldn't win.

So they might as well follow their hearts and meet him out in the open.

As long as they met in a public place instead of visiting his home in private, no one could fault them.

But when they went to the Censorate, they found out Le Wuya had gone to the Court of Judicial Review on business that day.

Le Jue, being impatient, refused to let the trip be a waste and wanted to check the Court of Judicial Review.

Le Hang couldn't talk him out of it and got dragged along.

However, halfway there, they spotted Le Wuya strolling along, taking his sweet time.

Le Hang had wanted to find a crowded place to approach him, but never found the right chance to strike up a conversation.

...Before they knew it, they'd ended up in this awkward situation of tailing him.

As the brothers lurked in a small alley, with Le Jue craning his neck to peek out, the man ahead—Wen Ren—seemed to sense something and suddenly spun around.

Le Jue couldn't dodge in time and was about to be caught, but Le Hang, quick-eyed and quick-handed, yanked him back into the shadows.

Hidden in the alley, the two brothers had no idea what to do.

Le Hang let out a long sigh and said, "...We never should've come."

Le Jue picked at his ear: "Brother, that's the eighth time you've said that."

Le Hang said stiffly, "Say it a ninth time—it's still that we shouldn't have come."

Le Jue was about to retort when his gaze shifted, and he froze in place.

Le Hang, sharing a bond with his brother, could guess from his expression what had happened.

Before he could even turn around, his heart began to pound wildly.

Meanwhile, Le Wuya's head popped out from the alley's edge, his hat's wings trembling, his eyes curving into a smile: "So it really is you two."