From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 164: Beg His Pardon
It was not shaping up to be Liu Yao’s year. Yan Zheyun wasn’t sure whether it was bad fengshui or Liu Yao born under a star that clashed with Tai Sui1 this lunar calendar or some other esoteric astrological reason that he couldn’t comprehend. But one problem after another seemed to crop up, as though an invisible hand was driving the plot of ’Hurt Me in a Million Ways’ forward despite his best efforts to treat this universe like it was a real one.
Maybe destiny was just a badly written storyline in someone else’s reality. If Yan Zheyun kept thinking like that, he was going to give himself an existential crisis sooner or later.
The abrupt end of the autumn hunt meant that the packing was done haphazardly but no one in their right mind was brave enough to question their emperor on his decision to fly in the face of tradition this once. That didn’t mean that Liu Yao had any measure of peace though. Before night had even fallen on the day of the assassination attempt, the dragon tent saw a rare visitor show up, dressed in proper robes for once and with a solemnity that Yan Zheyun would have found refreshing if he didn’t think it pitiable instead.
"This sovereign knows what you’re here for," Liu Yao said with a sigh, motioning for Liu Suzhi to dispense with formalities. "I’m tired so make this brief."
Liu Suzhi nodded. "Then this servant will keep it short." He didn’t rise to his feet from the full kowtow he’d presented to Liu Yao upon the emperor’s entry. "Please let him go."
"A please from you..." Liu Yao muttered. "That’s rare."
"Your Majesty gave me a token of pardon1 in his name, in exchange for my assistance months ago."
Liu Yao had explained previously that he had granted this to Liu Suzhi to thank him for the role he’d played in foiling Noble Consort Li’s attempt to implicate Yan Zheyun. "Great General Pan accepted it from you? This sovereign didn’t expect that."
Liu Suzhi met Liu Yao’s eyes defiantly. "The token is with him now," he said. "Is Your Majesty’s word no longer worth its weight?"
Yan Zheyun frowned. "Supervisor Liu," he interjected softly but gently because he knew how distressing the last couple of hours must have been for the man. "Your words are too heavy. Few would wish Great General Pan well more than His Majesty." Putting aside the hint of admiration in Liu Yao’s voice whenever he spoke of his mentor, Great General Pan was the bedrock standing between Great Ye and widespread unrest. Liu Yao needed him and this was why he was at the centre of this mess in the first place.
Liu Yao leaned back in his seat, his eyes hooded with a dark foreboding that left everyone in his presence ill at ease. This was the version of him Yan Zheyun was least familiar with, the one that presided over the kingdom from his elevated throne, cold and calculating as a capable ruler should be.
But when he spoke, it was not without compassion.
"I want to save him too," he said tiredly. "Your timely procurement of the token of pardon for him gives me an excuse to do so. But what of the aftermath, Supervisor Liu? What do you expect this sovereign to tell the country’s most loyal soldier? That he shall be stripped of his title and post, his men on the battlefield taken from him and placed under a rival instead?"
Yan Zheyun had never seen Liu Suzhi this pale before.
"But he was framed," he replied, words trembling with the magnitude of his emotions. "Your Majesty, no one in court truly believes him capable of treason. Surely there must be a way to restore his innocence to him—"
Liu Yao let out a harsh bark of laughter. "You think too highly of this sovereign." For a split second there, Yan Zheyun detected a hint of self-deprecation in the smile that twisted Liu Yao’s lips and knew that the mockery in it was directed inwardly. "It has been years since Prime Minister Yan was framed and to date, the only thing this sovereign has managed to achieve is to make a concubine out of his son."
"Liu Yao."
Yan Zheyun’s soft but firm interjection brought Liu Yao up short. He seemed to struggle with his words before letting out a sigh and reaching up to massage his temples. "I didn’t mean that, Ah Yun, I apologise. You’re more than that to me."
Yan Zheyun sighed too. "I’m not upset about that." He just didn’t like the way Liu Yao sounded like he was hurting.
The surprise that flitted over Liu Suzhi’s face—whether as a result of hearing the emperor addressed by name or the ease with which he apologised was unclear—went unnoticed by the other two. "Your Majesty is under a lot of pressure," Yan Zheyun said gently, touching Liu Yao on the arm to offer him some reassurance. "I do have a suggestion that we could work with. It is rudimentary but could possibly be of use to you."
"No harm in saying it."
Yan Zheyun motioned for Liu Suzhi to dispense with formalities. This time, after a moment’s hesitation, the beautiful eunuch rose slowly to his feet and stood to one side. His eyes were trained on Yan Zheyun with an intensity that made Yan Zheyun nervous the way board meetings never did; Liu Suzhi looked like his entire life was on the line here, hanging solely on the weight of Yan Zheyun’s next words.
He wasn’t so full of himself as to believe he could outwit these cunning politicians in a game of wits but he did have the gift of foresight in this situation. This still wasn’t a good time to spring the news abruptly onto Liu Yao but he could try his best to navigate them out of dangerous waters.
"As of now, all the evidence pointing against Great General Pan is circumstantial," Yan Zheyun rationalised. "His closest subordinate betrayed Your Majesty and pinned the blame on him by word of mouth. That is all there is to it. Ordinarily, such a case would hold little weight in the eyes of the different justice departments in the kingdom, am I right? Given Great General Pan’s track record of victories in the north, given this latest triumph he just earned Great Ye, if he were a traitor, he’s not a very good one, is he?"
He received two nods.
"In which case, why then are we struggling to prove Great General Pan’s innocence?" Yan Zheyun’s gaze turned cold. "Because as long as Your Majesty’s morning court wants him guilty, they will find any excuse to discredit him with the main motive of reducing his hold on the military...since anyone with half a working mind would know that he represents Your Majesty in this matter. Hence, using a token of pardon will not solve all our problems because you wouldn’t be able to justify the continued use of a man who might have committed treason to defend the borders."
Liu Suzhi’s jaw clenched. "Given the sparseness of good generals in this day and age, what would the morning court suggest then?" he asked bitterly. "After taking advantage of Great General Pan’s sense of responsibility to the people, the same dedication that has led to the entire capital sleeping peacefully at night, they would choose to discard him aside like a used rag now that he is in the way of their ambitions?"
The drumming of Liu Yao’s fingers against his wooden desk broke the terse silence that followed. "Let’s not act like we didn’t know what they were capable of," he muttered. "Supervisor Liu, you’ve raised an important point, which is also the root of this sovereign’s most pressing problem should Great General Pan be stripped of his role; who shall defend the northern borders in his stead?"
This was the part that Yan Zheyun wanted to subtly weigh in on. He knew the answer to this question. After Great General Pan disappeared from the warfront in the novel, one would have expected his son to fill in his shoes. But for some reason, Liu Yao had gone to war personally instead. Given how Scumbag 4’s determination to prove himself was so palpable that Yan Zheyun could feel it from across the room, as well as the hatred for his father that he didn’t bother to conceal, Yan Zheyun could safely say that he must have done something to remove himself from candidacy. This assassination fiasco hadn’t happened in the original storyline but Yan Zheyun couldn’t shake off the feeling that Pan Liqi was somehow involved in the matter.
"You’ll have to," he said.
Two pairs of eyes landed squarely on him.
"Impossible," Liu Suzhi said flatly. "No one will have the gall to suggest an emperor lead the army himself, not when there are still other generals left."
But Liu Yao wasn’t so quick to dismiss Yan Zheyun’s words. "With the Great General Pan and his Deputy General Song implicated, Deputy General Pan’s close ties to the both of them would mean that this sovereign would have a hard time convincing the morning court that he is the next best choice. As for other experienced generals, General Guo is needed in the southwest to keep the peace and at any rate is not familiar with the situation and the tactics required to subdue the north."
The frown on Liu Yao’s face deepened. "There are other younger talents that could be given an opportunity if this sovereign pushes a recommendation for them but Ah Yun is right. If the situation up north becomes unstable once more, this sovereign might have to make the trip personally or risk giving up even more military might to the warlords should I ask for their help."
Yan Zheyun poured them another round of tea, keeping his voice as level as he could. "There are a couple of factions that might find placing Your Majesty in such a precarious position...advantageous."
Liu Suzhi let out an ungainly snort that was at odds with his arresting features. "Who on earth could possibly want our dear Son of Heaven dead."
The princes, the old noble clans, the warlords, the foreign enemies eying Great Ye like a fresh slab of meat that they couldn’t wait to devour. Who wasn’t involved was probably an easier question to answer.
Yan Zheyun casually tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. By now, he was actively dabbling in matters of the front court, overstepping all boundaries dictated by ancient rites. He was usually so careful to conceal his tracks in front of those apart from Liu Yao but his new audience member didn’t seem to care, Liu Suzhi not even batting an eyelid as he waited for Yan Zheyun’s input. Perhaps, a long time ago when he’d first handed Xiao De over into Yan Zheyun’s care, he’d already thought about this day.
"We beat them at their game," he said. "They can’t prove he’s guilty, we can’t prove he’s innocent, that’s all fine. They want Great General Pan to lose credibility in Your Majesty’s eyes, we play along with it. But since there is a token of pardon, since there is no one more suited to protecting the north, let’s tell them that from hereon, Great General Pan will dedicate his life to proving his loyalty; should he step one foot out of the territory that he is defending, he will be immediately arrested and executed for treason."
Liu Suzhi’s eyes blazed with anger. "He’s a hero," he hissed. "What you’re suggesting is no better than a prison cell—"
Yan Zheyun interrupted him. "To prove to the morning court that your trust has wavered, Your Majesty has to put even more effort into acting." Although, Liu Yao was a natural so he wasn’t worried about this. "Send a military supervisor1 to the north." His eyes slid over to Liu Suzhi. "And before you worry about the trouble that might cause Great General Pan, I even know the perfect person for the role."
Liu Yao’s gaze followed suit as they both scrutinised Liu Suzhi, whose rage had simmered down into a muted disbelief.
"...you wish to send me?"
Liu Yao pondered this carefully. "It is not uncommon in history for eunuchs to take on a supervisory role in the military. And who else could we trust to stand on Great General Pan’s side?"
"Come the morning after such an edict is passed, Your Majesty’s study table will be flooded with memorials on the Eastern Depot gaining too much power," Liu Suzhi argued.
Yan Zheyun wanted to ask him, what are you afraid of? He didn’t miss the longing that sparked in the depths of Liu Suzhi’s soulless gaze whenever Great General Pan was spoken of, could feel the all-consuming, self-destructive love that still burned in Liu Suzhi’s veins. He had no doubt that should they find out who the mastermind behind this plot was, that person would die an excruciating death at Nine Thousand Years’ hands.
Go to him.
"It’s just as well then that you’re not affiliated to the Eastern Depot," Liu Yao replied. "This sovereign has been thinking about balancing the authority of the eunuchs in the inner palace for a while now," he said, letting out a small chuckle that revealed that he didn’t have any true issues with Head Eunuch Cao. "The inner palace departments have always been a faction of sorts, that’s an open secret, but to the outside world, let’s call it the Western Depot1 moving forward, led by Supervisor Liu, whose first task is to keep the northern army in check and remind both their commander and the soldiers where their loyalties truly lie."
Liu Suzhi ran a hand through his hair and bit his lip. He’d always had that tendency to be underdressed even on the most formal of occasions but Yan Zheyun had never seen him this uncertain before, this flustered. "Your Majesty isn’t worried about letting the tiger return to the forest1?" He hesitated. " You know my feelings regarding...him. You know I can’t fulfil this task."
Liu Yao raised an eyebrow. "You think this sovereign expects you to? You, whose biggest wish is to die in the palace from loneliness after a lifetime of pining away?" He shook his head. "No, this sovereign’s faith lies solely in my mentor. His loyalties have always been with the people of Great Ye. The orphans starving in the border towns, the poor farmers whose fields have been plundered by the invading nomads. That is where his allegiance lies."
His gaze hardened. "And that is where all our allegiances ought to lie. It appears that this sovereign has been too kind for too long, some people have started to forget this very simple fact."
Yan Zheyun’s cheeks dimpled with the first real smile this evening. "It shouldn’t take too much to help them remember," he said.
An idiom that means to set the stage for calamity in the future or to sow the seeds of disaster. The Western Depot did exist and was set up as a counterpart to balance out the power that the Eastern Depot had accumulated but the events leading up to it in this novel are fictional. A historical role created to supervise the commanders of the army. Usually taken on by a literary official that the emperor trusted well or a eunuch if they had a lot of political power in the dynasty. The did not have any power to make military decisions and were used purely to ensure that the commanders didn’t have any thoughts of disloyalty or treason. The star directly opposite Jupiter on a 12-year orbital cycle. Personified as a Guardian Deity of the year, one of 60 celestial generals in the service of the mythical Jade Emperor. if one’s astrology clashed with this deity for the lunar calendar, then one would have setbacks such as bad luck in career, health, marriage, etc for that period of time. In history, was known as a golden or red certificate, upon which a pardon was written for officials with much merit and achievement in the event that they committed a crime in the future. Popularised in fiction as an actual tablet or token, it is actually more like a scroll.
