Chapter Fifteen: Twisting Truth and Falsehood (Please Continue Reading)

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“Hao Chujun and his fellow townsmen have privately accepted bribes...” Wu An frowned as he looked at the ledger in his hands. If tomorrow’s morning court session went smoothly, at least half of the people recorded in this book would face confiscation of their properties and exile.

“On such and such a date, Hao Chujun’s fellow townsmen voluntarily donated silk, gold, and silver— the former to petition the court on his behalf. The Son of Heaven was greatly pleased and rewarded the official accordingly...”

Wu An pondered for a moment, then picked up his brush and wrote eight characters on the ledger: “Selling offices and titles, abusing imperial grace.”

The relationship between them was now clear and simple. Hao Chujun wanted to kill Wu An, so Wu An had every reason to strike back.

They all said he was a gentleman at court, but before me, he was nothing more than a hypocrite.

After reading the ledger thoroughly twice, the night outside grew darker. Wu An blew out the candle and lay down, dressed for sleep.

After a brief moment, he suddenly woke with a start. Instinctively, he reached under his pillow and pulled out a dagger, sitting up to look toward the door.

There was a narrow shadow there, appearing at some unknown moment, standing in an odd posture.

Pale moonlight streamed in from outside, faintly illuminating the face—a heavily made-up woman. Despite the fierce cold outside, she wore very little clothing, or rather, almost none at all.

“Who’s there?”

“I... I dropped my sock here, so I came back to retrieve it...” The woman lowered her head and knelt at the doorway, seemingly trying to sneak inside. Wu An said coldly, “Get out!”

She had no choice but to leave, her figure looking somewhat lost and forlorn.

He still had to attend the morning court and needed to be in his best form. Irritated, Wu An lay back down, closed his eyes, and tried to get as much rest as possible.

When he woke the next morning, two palace maids waited on him: one carrying warm water and a towel for washing, the other wiping her nose and setting down a food box, casting a pitiful glance at Wu An.

Anyone walking the corridors in thin silk on a winter night would inevitably catch a chill.

After breakfast, Wu An left the residence and entered the palace.

The Empress Dowager was not in her chambers. Instead, Shangguan Wan’er received him. She seemed to have forgotten last night’s events and patiently reminded him of various matters.

“The Censorate is most eager to find faults. When you meet them, just bow politely. Everyone knows you’re a soldier without a noble lineage, and behind you stands the Empress Dowager. No one dares to truly trouble you.”

Wu An immediately bowed.

“Your subordinate greets you, elder sister.”

Shangguan Wan’er was momentarily taken aback, somewhat at a loss, momentarily showing a hint of coyness before her expression turned cold once more.

She said icily, “Captain Wu, you should use your wit for righteous paths. I’m just a lowly female official; bowing to me is of no use.”

Wu An considered carefully and said, “I believe, elder sister, you are destined to rise higher; standing out is inevitable.”

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“Ah, me?” Shangguan Wan’er’s gaze was somewhat vacant as she murmured, “How high must one rise to be considered high?”

She did not wait for Wu An’s reply and casually changed the subject, hastening him to change clothes.

A palace attendant tried to place the headpiece on Wu An but fumbled repeatedly. Shangguan Wan’er gestured for the attendant to step aside, then skillfully tied Wu An’s hair into a bun from behind.

Once done, she carefully smoothed every crease on his robe.

Finally, she stepped back and looked at the young man in the azure official robe before her. Her furrowed brows immediately relaxed.

“After court, think twice before you speak. The Empress Dowager will handle everything for you,” she reminded him.

...

Morning court session.

The court was not a sea of hundreds of officials kneeling and shouting praises.

The Tang Dynasty’s rules for officials were not overly strict; usually, only heads of departments and key officials attended morning court, along with a few ministers who had urgent matters to report.

If you were the Chancellor or a venerable official, you would be granted a seat.

The hall was magnificent but seemed empty from outside. When Wu An was led in by a eunuch, he realized there were already dozens of ministers standing inside, all casting curious glances at him before looking away.

In later times, these dozens of men would form the real ruling elite of a nation, their every action and word capable of shaking entire regions.

Among them, some cheered for Li Jingxuan, while others secretly hoped that he would be crushed by the current upheaval.

It was like four roommates in a dorm building six chat groups—smiling face to face, scheming behind each other’s backs.

“The Emperor is ill and cannot attend court. The Empress Dowager will act on his behalf,” the old eunuch’s hoarse voice drew everyone’s attention again, and no one opposed the arrangement.

Wu An listened quietly from the back. Having heard no objections, he finally realized that the current court was largely under the Empress Dowager’s control.

Hao Chujun sat conspicuously at the front with several purple-robed chancellors. While all eyes turned toward the Empress Dowager, only these men continued to stare at Wu An, as if aware who today’s main player was.

Heh...

Hao Chujun sneered coldly in his heart, then turned to the dragon desk and slowly stood.

“I submit this report: This man named Wu An is a deserter from Hexi. I do not know who has been secretly protecting him, but he dares to stand openly in court and make baseless accusations.”

He looked at the Empress Dowager with an expression neither sad nor joyful, calmly saying:

“I request his execution to set an example, and a thorough investigation thereafter!”

Beside him, two purple-robed ministers also stood and bowed.

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“I concur.”

“I concur.”

Purple official robes and sitting beside Hao Chujun meant they were either chancellors or senior officials within the Three Departments.

At once, all three chancellors launched an attack together. They had no qualms about showing their opposition because behind the dragon desk sat, ultimately, just one woman.

Today’s matter was inherently unjust on her part.

The Emperor had increasingly taken sick leave from court sessions. Coupled with recent events, the Empress Dowager’s prestige in court had grown immensely.

A few years prior, the absurd event of “Two Sages Reigning Simultaneously” had occurred, and even more absurdly, many ministers tacitly accepted it.

This had to be suppressed, this pernicious trend had to be curbed!

The Empress Dowager’s gaze was clear and cold as she stared at the three imposing purple-robed chancellors. At that moment, more ministers began to straighten their backs and step out from the ranks, standing behind them.

“I concur.”

“This is insubordination and great disrespect; I concur!”

“I concur; we cannot allow baseless accusations to run rampant. Without proof, how can a mere commoner drag high officials into scandal? What of the court’s dignity?”

In an instant, the already turbulent morning court erupted into a fierce storm.

One after another, torrents surged invisibly, crashing through the entire court.

The grand hall seemed to tremble at this moment.

Hao Chujun heard the voices behind him and was almost moved.

This, is where the hearts of men lie!

Only a few ministers remained standing still, watching their impassioned colleagues with playful eyes.

“Evidence...”

The Empress Dowager, seeing this scene, appeared somewhat at a loss and instinctively looked toward the young man standing at the back of the crowd, asking:

“Captain Guo Yi, if you have no evidence, you may not slander the current court officials.”

“I have evidence.”

A steady voice sounded, causing the shouting ministers to pause.

Wu An, clad in his azure official robe, pulled out the ledger from his sleeve and proclaimed loudly:

“I have evidence of Chancellor Hao Chujun and Li Jingxuan colluding with enemy states, selling offices and titles, and rampant misconduct in their hometowns. I petition to execute Hao Chujun and his accomplices to bring justice to the world!”