Lighting a Lantern at Your Brow - Chapter 10

Pei Lan and Yao Hangshan were both taken aback again.

What did the young prince mean by that? Was Prince Cong’s household planning to intervene in this matter?

But since Cheng Chang had already asked, Pei Lan replied, “To say there’s no way at all… wouldn’t be entirely true.”

“There is a way. It’s quite simple, actually. Someone just needs to persuade His Majesty that evidence exists to prove Yun Luo’s innocence, and ask him to delay the case and grant a little more time.”

Back then, when Zhao Yuan’s betrayal cost them the battle and Yun Luo was killed, it was Pei Lan who led troops to recover the situation. Now that he’d returned in victory with both testimony and documents in hand, he was naturally the most credible person to speak on Yun Luo’s behalf.

Pei Lan said, “I did speak to His Majesty about Yun Luo, but the relationship between the Pei family and the Marquis’s household is…” He paused, letting the unsaid linger. “In the end, His Majesty didn’t put much stock in my words.”

“Of course, someone else could try,” he added. “But this is a sensitive matter, one that’s been shelved for years. Mishandled, it might backfire.”

Pei Lan’s explanation was vague, but Cheng Chang understood it clearly.

The Pei and Yun families had ties. If Pei Lan insisted too hard on clearing Yun Luo’s name, it might raise suspicions in the emperor’s mind—that the Pei family was trying to shield the Marquis’s household.

And the emperor, no longer in the prime of life, had become increasingly cautious and distrustful.

A few years ago, the crown prince had died, leaving the emperor in deep grief. With only three sons remaining—none of whom seemed to please him—the position of heir had remained vacant.

In such a tense political climate, the one thing a ruler feared most was his ministers forming private alliances.

Zhao Yuan’s betrayal had been a thorn in the emperor’s side. Yun Luo being involved in that matter—even if only tangentially—made him an unfortunate scapegoat.

Now imagine a court official going to the emperor saying, “General Yun was innocent, we’re this close to finding proof.” The emperor would ask: “And where is this claim coming from?” Oh, it’s from the Pei family. And from there, the thought might follow: “Is he trying to win favor with the Yun family to consolidate power?”

To an emperor, that would look a lot like faction-building.

Seen from this angle, Pei Lan’s decision to stay out of the matter entirely… wasn’t necessarily wrong.

But Cheng Chang couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else hidden in Pei Lan’s carefully chosen words, something unspoken.

He picked up his tea again and said nothing more.

He had only been in this world a little over a month. He’d met the emperor just once. There were likely all sorts of hidden twists and turns to this whole affair that he still didn’t understand. And if he didn’t understand, it wasn’t wise to jump to conclusions or press too hard.

Some things, if pushed too far, would only end in a dead end.

It’s better to wait and watch.

Yao Hangshan, seeing that Cheng Chang had fallen silent, finally relaxed a little.

A moment ago, the young prince’s cool, poised demeanor had almost fooled him into thinking he’d been possessed by some wise immortal—those eyes had looked as if they could see right through the ways of the world.

But now, looking again, the little prince was still the same as always. Ever since that incident in the water, he might’ve toned things down a bit, but he was still muddleheaded. Probably hadn’t understood a single word Pei Lan said.

Yun Xi said, “May I ask the General to share the name of the prisoner, his hometown, current family situation, and where they may have relocated?”

Pei Lan asked, “You still plan to find that urgent letter?”

Before Yun Xi could answer, he unrolled a sheet of paper on the desk, dipped his brush in ink, and jotted down a few lines before handing it to her.

“The names at the bottom are scouts I left stationed in the north to help trace the letter. Since you’re determined to clear Yun Luo’s name, you may reach out to them for assistance.”

Yun Xi took the paper. “Thank you, General.”

Pei Lan let out a sigh. “Let me offer one more word of caution. This matter is far from simple, and it won’t be resolved in haste.”

Yun Xi said, “Even so, I must do everything I can. I can’t let my brother bear such an injustice for nothing.”

With that, she bowed to the men in the room and left the duty office.

Cheng Chang had already been thinking about what kind of post he wanted.

Military positions were out of the question. If he took one, he’d just end up being someone’s errand boy.

Civil posts were probably out too. He could read classical Chinese, but official documents from this era were a different beast. He’d have to learn everything from scratch, and the bureaucracy alone sounded like a nightmare.

Ideally, he wanted something that allowed him to move around often. In this life, he’d finally landed a sturdy body; staying cooped up behind a desk would just lead to neck and spine issues.

Oh, and best if it involved discipline. Just thinking of the gang of wild servants in his courtyard made his head hurt. If he could get a job overseeing behavior and order, he could at least whip them into shape by example.

After hearing Cheng Chang’s list of preferences, Pei Lan thought for a moment and said, “The Secretariat doesn’t have anything like that, but there is one position that might suit you quite well.”

“City Inspector under the Censorate.”

In short, it meant patrolling the streets, keeping an eye on public order, and chasing down thieves or criminals.

It was technically a censorate role, but light on paperwork. The path for promotion was promising, and it came with a horse.

“Then that’s the one,” Cheng Chang said, quite pleased with the choice.

Pei Lan nodded, drafted a letter of recommendation for him on the spot, and stamped it together with Yao Hangshan’s seal. Cheng Chang was to take it to the Censorate the next day.

With the document tucked into his sleeve, Cheng Chang walked out of the Inspection Division’s courtyard. At a glance, he spotted someone standing at the end of the covered walkway, a figure clad in the bright crimson uniform of a constable. It was Yun Xi.

She noticed him at the same moment and quickly stepped forward. With a respectful bow, she said, “Third Young Master.”

Cheng Chang paused in surprise. “Something wrong?”

Yun Xi lowered her eyes and said, “Just now… thank you for speaking up.”

“Oh, that?” Cheng Chang waved it off casually. “You arrived before I did anyway.”

Yun Xi pressed her lips together, then added, “Still, I’m grateful you were willing to say that on my behalf.”

She wasn’t naïve. It was obvious Pei Lan had been evasive and vague when it came to Yun Luo’s case. She’d seen it clearly. But she was insignificant in the grand scheme of things. What could she do against that?

If not for that offhand remark from Cheng Chang earlier, which had nudged Pei Lan into revealing more than he intended, Yun Xi doubted he would have even handed over the information on that captive.

“It’s nothing,” Cheng Chang replied mildly. “I didn’t really do anything.”

His tone was calm and unassuming.

Hearing that, Yun Xi instinctively looked up at him.

Others might not have noticed, but she did. She had seen him fall into the river, seen him dragged ashore, checked his breath, watched as he came back to life.

He truly wasn’t the same man after that.

Yun Xi lowered her gaze again and said, “The boatman who caused your fall into the water has been difficult to track. I’ve been investigating for over a month and only now uncovered a lead. If I manage to catch him, I’ll need to ask the Third Young Master to come to the Magistrate’s Office and confirm the testimony.”

Cheng Chang blinked at that.

That Zhang fellow at the Magistrate’s Office had clearly wanted to bury the case. By now, the file had likely been closed entirely. And yet she is still pursuing it?

He didn’t question her further, only gave a simple nod. “Alright.”

Yun Xi said, “I’ve already looked into the boatman’s background. There’s no way he could’ve had two gold ingots on his own. He’s most likely not the real culprit behind the attempt on your life. I wonder, has Third Young Master made any enemies lately? If you could name them, I’d question each one. We might uncover more leads.”

Cheng Chang fell silent.

Given how the original owner of this body had behaved, making enemies was practically a daily pastime. His foes probably filled every corner of Jinling. Why else would he have brought along more than ten attendants today just to visit the Bureau of Military Affairs?

Wasn’t it precisely to avoid being ambushed and beaten half to death in some back alley?

Still, Yun Xi’s investigation was not without reason. This was a matter of life and death. The true mastermind had yet to show their face, and he couldn’t rest easy until they did.

Cheng Chang said, “I’ll take you to speak with my attendants.”

Yun Xi nodded. “Thank you, Third Young Master.”

As they spoke, the two of them stepped out of the Bureau together—and were immediately stunned by what they saw.

The attendants were sprawled across the steps like fish out of water, limbs splayed in every direction, each one looking like they’d lost half their soul to exhaustion.

Cheng Chang glanced at the sky, then back at the Bureau behind him.

He’d only been inside for four hours. They had only been ordered to run two laps around the place. That should’ve been enough time to rest and recover. Why did they all look like they were on the brink of death?

Cheng Chang asked, “Zhang Dahu, what happened here?”

The designated “drill sergeant,” Zhang Dahu, stepped forward and barked, “Reporting to the Young Master! Midway through the run, someone fell behind. According to the rules, anyone who drops out gets punished with a hundred push-ups!”

Cheng Chang blinked. Before he could say anything, one of the attendants sprang up from the ground, shouting, “Hell’s bells! Running laps around the royal estate pond is one thing, but this damn Bureau of Military Affairs is massive! You, a trained martial artist, were sprinting like you were headed to a funeral! Of course we all fell behind! And after finally catching up, you made us all do a hundred push-ups?!”

“Exactly!” another chimed in. “We could’ve taken the push-ups, fine! But after that, you didn’t even let us drink water!”

Cheng Chang frowned. “Why didn’t you drink any water?”

Dehydration after intense physical activity could be serious.

One of the attendants, shaking with fatigue, pointed accusingly at Zhang Dahu. “He said since the Young Master didn’t call for dismissal, we weren’t allowed to move! We had to stand at attention!”

Zhang Dahu stood stiffly, chest puffed out. “Young Master once said: no one is dismissed until you give the word. No dismissal, no slacking off. Rules are rules!”

Several of the attendants couldn’t take it anymore and started rolling up their sleeves. “You looking for a beating, huh?”

Zhang Dahu rolled up his sleeves as well. “Try coming at me all at once.”

Just as the scuffle was about to erupt, Cheng Chang barked, “If you lot keep at it, you’re running two more laps.”

All movement froze. A moment passed, then, one by one, the attendants silently rolled their sleeves back down.

Cheng Chang followed up calmly, “Drink water first.”

His voice was cool and crisp, and the moment it landed, the attendants straightened. After tossing a few last jabs at one another under their breath, they finally backed off, grabbed their water flasks, and drank like their lives depended on it.