CH 10

A major event took place in capital, starting a treacherous court battle in the seventeenth year of the Jia Ning.

To put it plainly, this incident is big enough to save Ren Anle, who is living under the glare of the people of the capital.

Two nights ago, at the end of the autumn exams, several drunken Confucian scholar fought for the top prize of the most popular courtesan, Lin Lang, at Ling Xiang House. One of the scholars fell from the second floor and died on the spot. The guards heard the news and took the Confucian scholars who had gathered to cause trouble back to the Da Lisi for interrogation.

The case was at the foot of the emperor, and most of the candidates involved in the examination were candidates for the examination. In addition, the official of the Da Lisi, Pei Zhan, happened to be at the home of the left minister of the revenue, Qian Guangjin, for a banquet, so the trial had to be held overnight by the deputy minister of the Da Lisi, Huang Pu, who was staying behind. However, at the last moment of the palace ban[1], Huang Pu entered the palace late at night. The court was not expecting Huang Pu to enter the palace late at night and ask for an audience with the Emperor, something that had rarely happened in the sixteen years that Emperor Jia Ning had been in charge.

[1]宫禁 [gōng jìn] - Palace ban, a Chinese word. Firstly, it refers to the prohibitions in the palace. 

The court's lamps were burning for half a night. The courtiers who had been informed of the news could not figure out why a minor minister of the Da Lisi would dare to enter the palace in the middle of the night to alarm the saint over a insignificant case of a fight between Confucian students.

Could it be that Ren Anle, who came from afar, not only disturbed the stagnant waters of the capital, but also brought the unrelenting banditry into the Da Lisi with her?

The next day at the court meeting, when an enraged Emperor Jia Ning slammed a copy of a memorial presented by Huang Pu over the head of the Ministry of Confucian Rites in charge of the imperial examinations, the ministers realised what had happened.

The Da Lisi Temple interrogated the brawl case overnight, but the coroner found a cheat sheet full of answers to the examination questions in the sleeve of the candidate who had stumbled to his death. Thinking that the candidate had finished the imperial examination and gone to a flower house for fun, forgetting to destroy the evidence of fraud. The coroner was alarmed and presented the evidence to Huang Pu, who searched the candidates and found the cheat sheet on three other candidates, one of whom was the son of the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue. It was only then that he felt the seriousness of the situation, so he asked Pei Zhan to return and went to the palace overnight to report the situation.

The court was in an uproar when the matter was brought to light. The imperial examination is held once every three years, and is a fundamental part of the process of recruiting wise and talented people in Dajing, so the fraud in the imperial examination will not only shake up the court, but will also make the scholars of the country condemned. In the twenty years of its existence, such a scandal had never occurred in the history of Great Ning.   

The Emperor Jia Ning was furious and ordered Dali Temple Qing Pei Zhan to crack the case within three days, seal the examination papers, strictly forbid all candidates to leave the capital, and dismiss Wu Yuan, the right minister of the Ministry of revenue , from his post. He also give an order that the two cabinet ministers in charge of the examinations should be banned from the government.

The Imperial examinations were held once every three years and covered all students from all over the capital, from the poor and humble family to the aristocratic family of the Qingliu faction. An imperial decree of Emperor Jianing directly pushed Da Lisi to the peak of the wind and waves[2].    

[2]风尖浪口 (fēng jiān làng kǒu) - the peak of the wind and waves/ pushed to the mouth of the storm/sharp wind and wave mouth - meaning a metaphor of an outpost of fierce and sharp social struggle; It means being pushed into a dangerous situation.

At noon on the second day, Ren Anle was  invited to the inner hall of the Da Lisi in a rare and respectful manner. At this time, Qing[3] Pei Zhan of Dali Temple, who is usually exquisite official and full of authority, was only pacing in the hall. On the contrary, shaoqing[4] Huang Pu, who had exposed the matter, was sitting at the side more calmly.

[3]卿 (qīng) - high ranking official (old)

[4]少卿 (shǎoqīng) -  is an ancient name for an official position; it was a deputy to the official title of the main minister. 

When he saw Ren Anle coming, Pei Zhan didn't bother to respond. He just casually waved his hand and invited her to sit down.

"Yu An, what do you want me to say about you. This matter has become so big. How do you think it should end!"

Obviously this was something Pei Zhan had been muttering all morning. His brow furrowed and his expression unsettled.

Huang Pu coughed, and seeing Ren An Le sitting aside, a little embarrassment appeared on his stiff face, but he still said to Pei Zhan, "Your Excellency, the matter of the fraud in the imperial examination is so important that it cannot be covered up at all. If we don't report it to His Majesty, I am afraid that the whole Da Lisi will be implicated."

Of course he knew that Huang Pu had done the right thing, but... but how such a mess had fallen on his head, he still couldn't understand how he had become the unluckiest cannon fodder since the founding of the Great Kingdom of Jing just by attending a banquet overnight.

The power to investigate the fraud in the  imperial examinations may sound impressive, but to put it bluntly, it is still a way of life in the fingers of the powerful and wealthy of Great Jing.

"How will this official investigate?  Wen Shuo gong zi, the first son of Left Minister, the youngest son of the Marquis of Zhongyi, and from Marquis of Qi Nan's family ...... are all candidates in this examination. There is no faction in the court that is not involved in this examination. Could it be that you want me to lock them up one by one in the Da Lisi for questioning?"

No matter who is involved, his official career has come to an end. Therefore, although Emperor Jianing issued the imperial decree yesterday, he still only walks through the scene today. He did not seriously interrogate the few candidates who were carrying the cheat sheets.

"Your Excellency, this is the duty of our Da Lisi. Only by investigating the imperial examination fraud can His Majesty's anger be appeased and an explanation given to the scholars of the capital." Huang Pu said solemnly, with a serious expression.

Ren Anle glanced at him, somewhat surprised. Huang Pu was born into a poor family, but at the age of thirty, he must have gone through hardships to climb to the fourth-rank Dali Shaoqing. She did not expect him to gamble on his career to find out the truth just to give an explanation to the capital's scholars. 

"Pei da ren [5]." After listening for a while, Ren Anle understood that these two had completely different positions, leading to a stalemate in the trial. Presumably summoning her to come just because she is the only one who is qualified to get involved in the current Da Lisi.

[5] 大人(dà ren)-  title of respect toward superiors; adult; grownup

Pei Zhan turned around and saw Ren Anle's stress-free expression, his face immediately fell, and hummed: "Does Lord Ren have any advice? Don't forget that you are also a member of the Da Lisi!"

This meant that he, Pei Zhan, is unlucky and no one would be able to get a good deal.

Ren Anle raised her eyebrows and lowered her eyes, "Your Excellency, now that the fraud case has been taken seriously by His Majesty and is known to the whole world, it is impossible to deceive the past ......"

"This official naturally knows." Pei Zhan did not have a good temper, said.

"This lower official does have a solution."

Pei Zhan's eyes lit up and he hurriedly took a few steps closer.

"Why don't Your Excellency leave the collection of evidence and the interrogation to me and  Huang da ren, and then Your Excellency will ascend to the court at the final trial." Seeing Pei Zhan's confusion, Ren Anle continued, "The Da Lisi is honoured by Your Excellency, and with Huang da ren doing the interrogation, those three candidates will think that the matter has not yet gone too far, and in order to protect their families, they will not involve others in it. Besides, if I were to collect evidence and witnesses... the da ren should know my reputation in the capital. Several noble families will give me face and and let me enter the residence to find evidence. At the end of the trial, Your Excellency will only convict those people who are in prison. In this way, Your Excellency will not offend the Crown Prince and the Left Minister, and the entire Dali government office will be safe."

"Let Lord Ren take responsibility for this officer..." Pei Zhan said with a slightly hesitant look.

Ren Anle has a special status, and Emperor Jianing will not easily condemn her. Why should she help herself?

"An Le first time to enter the capital, and she has little knowledge. She said something wrong in the palace a month ago and offended the Left Minister. Usually heard that Your Excellency is highly regarded by the Minister of the Left. An Le merely hope that Your Excellency can mediate one or two for me in front of the left Minister."

Pei Zhan's heart was stunned. His eyebrows lit up with joy as the gloom he had felt for days cleared and he said with a smile. "So that's how it is. Don't worry, Lord Ren. As long as this official guaranteed, he will definitely put in a good word for you in front of the Left Minister."

"I didn't know that Lord Ren was so insightful and righteous before. It was the official's fault." Pei Zhan said, and bowed to Ren Anle: "As long as I am Pei Zhan, I will never forget Ren daren today's meritorious deed"

Ren Anle got up to help him up and said with a smile, "Pei's daren speak heavily. Helping Pei daren is also helping Anle herself. In the future, we will rely on the Pei da ren a lot."

Ren Anle secretly sighed, This Pei Zhan is really a person, I am afraid that even saying he is exquisite would be a disservice to him.

The two people decided the final outcome of the case during their talk. Huang Pu's eyes were wide with anger, but he knew that even with the decree of Emperor Jia Ning, it would be too difficult to thoroughly investigate the fraudulent examination case and do justice to the scholars of the world. The whole court was involved in the case. The water was too muddy, what could he, a fourth rank official, do?

If the Crown Prince and the Left Minister are really involved, even His Majesty may not turn a blind eye to it.

"Lord Pei, the day after tomorrow at 10 o'clock is the final hour set by His Majesty. I think it would be inappropriate for your Excellency to return to your house, lest there be any complications, so I will have to ask your Excellency to rest at the Da Lisi for two days." Ren Anle spoke with a somewhat meaningful expression.

Pei Zhan is a very good thinker, he instantly understood the deeper meaning of Ren Anle's words.

In the next two days, there will be many courtiers looking for him, and he cannot be excused because he is not a high official. Although the emperor had given him the authority to solve the case, he would send secret guards to keep an eye on him, so he could stay at the Da Lisi to avoid gossip. But...Ren Anle's proposal was so sudden that he hadn't had time to discuss it with the Minister of the Left...

"Pei da ren is worried about the Old Minister." Ren Anle moved closer and whispered, "It will only take two days for this matter to be resolved. The daren will benefit the old minister without any harm and the Old Minister will not blame you for doing so. Besides... if His Majesty knew what the daren had done, His Majesty would be very pleased."

What is more important than pleasing a king's heart, Pei Zhan nodded his head repeatedly and waved his hand, "What Lord Ren said is very true. Here is my official token, Lord Ren take it. I will wait for your good news at the Da Lisi. Lord Huang, do your best to assist Lord Ren in handling this case in the next two days, and I will present the results to the Emperor after the court hearing the day after tomorrow."

When Pei finished speaking, he headed for the back hall, looking relaxed.

Only Huang Pu and Ren Anle were left in the inner hall, which was oozing with silence.

It was only after a long time that Huang Pu's angry voice was heard: "This official has long heard of the prestige of the daren in Southern Jin. He has always thought that although the daren is woman, she can still be compared to a dignified man. Today, I learned that the daren is indeed well-deserved of her reputation, bandits are bandits. Ren daren, do you know what it is like to be a poor student who has failed in the examinations for ten years? How sad it is to have your old father's high hopes ruined?"

He stood up and, without waiting for Ren Anle's answer, brushed his sleeve and walked out of the inner hall.

Ren Anle stood in the hall, Huang Pu's heavy footsteps no longer audible in her ears. She played with the Da Lisi Minister token left by Pei Zhan, hooked the corner of her mouth and suddenly spoke, "Yuan Shu."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Yuan Shu, dressed in a strong suit, appeared in the corner of the inner hall, frowning and complaining, "Miss, this Lord Huang really doesn't know good or bad.  You are protecting him. If you hadn't taken over this matter, he might have been unlucky."

"He is a good official. The Da Lisi cannot do without him."

Ren Anle said in a deep voice. Her eyebrows were rarely solemn as she tossed the token behind her and Yuan Shu caught it with one hand.

"Two of the three candidates in custody are not of high status. They are only the sons of minor officials of the sixth rank and do not need to be investigated. The other one is named Wu Yue, whose father is Wu Yuan, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue , and Du Ting Song, the son of the Minister of Household Affairs, is also in the examination. You go and investigate, there must be something wrong here.

"Yes, Miss." Yuan Shu nodded his head and disappeared into the inner hall.

Ren Anle left the Da Lisi with a pat on the back. On the carriage back to Ren's residence, Yuan Qin looked at her with a smile, holding a book of Lu's paintings: "Miss, aren't you the one who cares most about your life. Why are you wading into the muddy waters this time?"

Ren Anle stretched out, leaned on the soft pillow, and yawned: "Someone named Wen Shuo also got involved. He is Han Ye's heart..  After helping him this time, he will always remember whether I was good or not!"

After saying that, Ren Anle closed her eyes and started to sleep.

Yuan Qin shook her head with a bitter smile. She lifted the carriage curtain, glanced at the bustling capital street, and pondered over her painting book again.

The inner hall of the Left Minister's residence.

The left Minister looked at his first son, who was kneeling on the ground, with an angry face. He slapped his hand to the side of the youth's face, but held it back: "Sinner son, what did I tell you, and you actually caused me this kind of trouble!

The youth's face was full of fear, "Father, you have to save me. Ting Song and I have always been good friends. I saw him worrying about the imperial examination day and night, so I couldn't bear to tell him the topic. I told him not to tell anyone the topic. You believe me, I really said that!"

"What's the use of your command? Now that the topic of the examination are scattered among the candidates, if he didn't reveal them, who else would!"

"Father, I really don't know what's going on." Jiang Hao crumpled to the ground, sweating coldly.

It took the Left Minister until he was in his forties to get such a son, and he grew up with him in his heart, so everything was to his liking. It was a pity that Jiang Hao had a soft temperament since he was young, and his schoolwork was not at the top of the list. That was why he had gotten the test questions out in advance for his son for the autumn examinations, but he did not expect him to cause a big trouble because of his momentary kindness.

"Hao'er, you get up first." The Minister of the Left sighed, pulled the young man up and asked in a deep voice: "Who else knows about the matter of you giving the test questions to Du Tingsong, apart from you?"

"There is no one else, This son gave it to him quietly, no third person in any way knows about it."

"You go back to your room, don't leave the residence for a few days. Father will take care of the other matters." The left minister  waved his hand, his expression sinking slightly.

"Father, His majesty attaches so much  importance to this matter, if it is found out ......" Jiang Hao was still looking anxious.

"What are you afraid of!" Left Minister gently shouted, "Hao'er, father will not let anything happen to you. Don't worry, go back to your room."

Jiang Hao nodded, bowed his head and went out of the inner hall.　

Left minister sat in the inner hall and pondered for a moment. As soon as he raised his head, a ruthlessness appeared in his eyes and he beckoned.

"Someone, go and invite Du da ren over, and tell him that the Left Minister has something important matter to discuss."

T/N: Ren Anle's first case. This is gonna be exciting. 

She is concerned about Wen Shuo. She doesn't need to use Han Ye as a reason haha