Wei Yong chose his words with deliberate care. "We all serve the Imperial Court. If you do nothing, you can do no wrong, but if you take action, mistakes are inevitable. Your situation... it’s not a major crime, but it’s not insignificant either. But if you are convicted, even if you pay the fine silver, I’m afraid you’ll still be expelled from the Night Guard."
"Fabricating charges to seize a man’s property—is this how an Assistant General conducts himself?" Li Qingxian’s expression remained serene.
Tang Enxuan glanced at the sky, worried that delays would only bring complications. He said decisively, "Speaking of fabricating charges, how could I possibly compare to your Li Family? I, Tang Enxuan, may have made mistakes in the past, but I now act with utmost integrity! I don’t have time to watch you feign composure. I’ll just ask you: do you agree or not? If you agree, our slates are wiped clean. I, Tang Enxuan, will personally toast you, and perhaps we can share a drink and be merry in the future. If you refuse, I’ll have you branded, shackled, and chained, and you’ll crawl out of this Divine Capital! Men, bring in the suspect and the witnesses!"
Tang Enxuan lifted his head high, his eyes in the twilight as cold as shattered ice.
"Such audacity!" a slightly hoarse voice with a Wu Region accent called out.
Everyone turned toward the voice to see Zhou Chunfeng striding in, dressed in a green robe. He was followed by a man in purple. Behind them were Yur Ping and Zheng Hui, clad in ocher linen prison uniforms.
Everyone froze for a moment, staring intently at the man behind Zhou Chunfeng.
He wore a purple robe with a patch on his chest, its four sides stitched with gold thread. On the patch, a peacock fanned its tail.
Unlike an ordinary patch, this peacock had eyes of inlaid black jade, and a faint, seven-colored light seemed to flow across its entire body, making it shimmer.
A Senior Third-Grade Civilian Official’s Uniform.
And it was a brand-new Qi Fortune Official’s Uniform.
Everyone’s eyes went wide. Even Tang Enxuan froze on the spot after a single glance.
"Senior Brother Yun Jing?" Zhu Zimo rose to his feet in confusion, staring at the Third-Grade Official Uniform Songg Yunjing was wearing.
Songg Yunjing gave Zhu Zimo a slight nod.
Realization dawned on the crowd. It was Songg Yunjing, the man of scholarly integrity who had been demoted five times in a single day.
’Reinstated today, and promoted straight to the Third Grade?’
Many gazes turned fervent.
Tang Enxuan’s gaze was wary, but having met many high-ranking officials before, he remained composed. He cupped his hands in a salute and said, "Tang Enxuan, Assistant General of Prince Yuann’s Mansion. Greetings, Lord Zhou and Lord Songg. Congratulations on your promotion, Lord Songg."
Zhou Chunfeng coolly demanded, "Were you the one who said you would make Qingxian crawl out of the Divine Capital, never to hold an official position again?"
Tang Enxuan’s heart skipped a beat. After a moment’s thought, he said, "The evidence and witnesses are all here. This is a feud between Prince Yuann’s Mansion and the Li Family. I hope you two lords will refrain from interfering."
But Li Qingxian sighed. "I never imagined that you, Tang Enxuan, representing Prince Yuann’s Mansion, would compete with the Emperor for profit! I never thought Prince Yuann’s influence had grown so vast."
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Tang Enxuan whipped his head around, his brows knitting slightly.
"Nonsense? The brewing method for this distillery may have come from me, but I am not the least bit greedy. From the very beginning, I had Lord Zhou Chunfeng and Lord Luo Jing of the Ministry of Revenue draw up a deed for the two shares I hold. I am not taking a single cent; they are a birthday gift for the Emperor’s sixtieth birthday. My lords, is the deed in your possession?"
"It is!" said Zhou Chunfeng.
"It is!" Luo Jing answered readily from nearby.
Tang Enxuan’s expression flickered. In that instant, he knew he had walked into a trap.
Wei Yong and Ye Han exchanged a look, their eyes vacant with shock.
The next moment, Tang Enxuan forced a laugh to mask his expression. "So that’s how it is! I’m deeply moved by your loyalty. But what a coincidence—we had the same idea! I wanted your twenty percent share to present as a birthday gift to my Imperial Uncle as well! Since that’s the case, I won’t disturb you further."
Li Qingxian boomed, "My birthday gift has witnesses and evidence. Does yours? Why don’t we go to the gates of the Forbidden City and ask the Internal Factory to bring a Lying Insect to sort this out! If someone is fabricating things, that’s the crime of deceiving the Emperor!"
"Lying Insects are not always accurate, and the Ministry of Justice has strictly forbidden their misuse. If there is nothing else, I shall return to Prince Yuann’s Mansion to find another birthday gift for my Imperial Uncle." Tang Enxuan’s tone was nonchalant, but his right hand gripped his fan so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Li Qingxian shook his head gently. "Oh, Tang Enxuan, Tang Enxuan. I never thought you’d go so far as to commit the crime of deceiving the Emperor just to cover up the misdeeds of Prince Yuann’s Mansion. Let me ask you, did you or did you not send men to investigate the distillery?"
"I did," Tang Enxuan said.
"And did you learn that the distillery’s products could be used by the military?" Li Qingxian asked.
Tang Enxuan thought of his informant in the Ministry of Works and Yur Ping’s statement, replying, "I was vaguely aware, but I didn’t know the details."
Li Qingxian let out a long sigh. "I originally thought the Demon Race attacks I encountered on my journey were a coincidence. I thought the assault on Beichen City by the three demon kings the day I arrived was a coincidence. Only now do I understand! You, Tang Enxuan, and Prince Yuann’s Mansion are treacherously ambitious! You have colluded with the Demon Race to sabotage the great cause of the Human Race!"
"You’re spouting malicious slander!" Veins pulsed on Tang Enxuan’s forehead.
Li Qingxian’s face filled with righteous fury as he roared, "And you still dare to deny it! This distillery has three main purposes. The first is to produce strong liquor to sell, filling the National Treasury. As for the second, everyone knows that true healing Elixirs are incredibly precious, and Talismanic Magic is immensely draining. In peacetime, Daoist Cultivators have the leisure to heal others, but in a time of war, they are powerless to treat every common soldier. My father, Li Gangfeng, chanced upon the discovery that alcohol of a certain concentration can counteract some toxins. I even conducted experiments myself and found it can prevent external wounds from festering and becoming infected. Crucially, it is cheap and easy to produce. The distillery has been running repeated tests. Lord Liu Muwa, how have the experiments progressed in my absence?"
Liu Muwa turned toward the Forbidden City and cupped his hands. "Heaven bless Daqi, and Heaven bless His Majesty! We have already achieved preliminary results. Alcohol of a specific concentration can significantly prevent external wounds from festering and becoming infected. Compared to ordinary golden sore medicine, it is more than three times as effective, yet far cheaper! This medicine alone could save an army of a million men!"
Li Qingxian continued, "As for the third purpose, may I ask Lord Liu, how well does the alcohol burn?"
Liu Muwa replied, "It can be used as an accelerant! On the battlefield, it could have extraordinary effects."
Hearing this, the crowd’s gazes toward Tang Enxuan now held a sliver of pity.
The hand Tang Enxuan used to grip his fan was trembling slightly.
Li Qingxian strode down the steps, fixing his eyes on Tang Enxuan’s as he advanced. "Tang! En! Xuan!" he said, his voice ringing with each word. "This distillery was a front all along! Its true purpose was to create disinfectant alcohol and military fuel! To prevent leaks, Lord Liu and I did everything we could to conceal this. But you—you first sent people to spy on the distillery’s military secrets, then collaborated with a Demon Race traitor to abuse your military authority, luring me away from the Divine Capital to arrest and interrogate the Night Guard who knew the truth. Finally, you colluded with the Demon Race, leaked my travel route, and plotted to assassinate me, along with Lord Zhou Chunfeng and Lord Songg Yunjing! Tang Enxuan, you have not only committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor—you are also guilty of treason!"
"Nonsense! I didn’t know the alcohol involved military secrets! No one ever told me!"
"A likely story! You admitted with your own mouth that the Ministry of Works and Yur Ping told you. Yur Ping, come and testify!" Li Qingxian shouted toward the door.
Yur Ping dropped to his knees with a THUD, crying out, "Li Qingxian, save me! I didn’t want to say anything, but Tang Enxuan threw me in the Military Prison, used torture on me, and threatened to destroy my whole family! I was forced into it; my confession was beaten out of me! I told him about the military alcohol! I didn’t know the details, but I told him! It’s all in the statement! He heard it with his own ears and saw it with his own eyes! I never knew Tang Enxuan was so utterly depraved! No wonder the men from the Left Governor’s Mansion are so vicious—they must have all thrown in their lot with the Demon Race!"