017【Edge of Brilliance】

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The court was never short of clever minds.

Xue Huai’s voluntary admission of the lost files seemed on the surface to hand over more evidence to Gu Heng, but the matter was clearly not so simple.

As he said, when the chain of logic in a matter is nearly flawless, that very perfection becomes its greatest flaw.

If only Gu Heng had impeached Xue Mingzhang, relying on records from the Ministry of Works’ old archives, he could have stood undefeated. No matter the final outcome, he would not be accused of slander or false accusation.

Yet, before Gu Heng submitted his impeachment, Xue Huai’s resolve was clouded by this issue. Setting aside whether the anonymous letter he mentioned was true or false, the fact remained that the relevant files preserved in the Hanlin Academy had mysteriously gone missing.

The combination of these two facts made the conspiracy glaringly obvious. How could these astute courtiers fail to notice?

Gu Heng’s expression shifted slightly, but before he could press further, a calm voice resonated nearby.

The Left Vice Minister of Rites, Shen Wang, slightly bowed and addressed the emperor: “Your Majesty, I humbly report that Xue Huai was assigned in early August to compile the fourth volume of the ‘Taihe River Works Examination.’ It just so happened that news of the southern floods reached the capital at that time.”

A simple “just so happened” pushed the already strange atmosphere in the hall to its peak.

Many officials eyed Gu Heng suspiciously.

Chen Quan, the Hanlin Academy’s scholar-in-residence, shrank his neck in relief, quietly thankful that Xue Huai had not implicated him.

Xie Jing, Duke of Wei and head of the military merit class, cast a subtle glance at Shen Wang and slightly tugged the corner of his mouth, silently thinking, “It seems Shen Zhanxing still hasn’t given up on that reckless disciple of his. But this time, it’s not your handiwork. I once thought you were setting a trap for Xue Minglun. Upon reflection, such crude and immature methods certainly aren’t yours.”

Shen Wang stood quietly.

He did not need to shout; his words were enough to aid Xue Huai.

From the start, he had never believed Xue Huai was in grave danger. Knowing the emperor on the dragon throne, Gu Heng was nothing but a clown in his eyes. What he really wanted was to uncover who stood behind the scenes.

The hall fell silent.

The middle-aged emperor did not respond to Shen Wang but looked toward the increasingly nervous Gu Heng.

Feeling the emperor’s profound gaze, Gu Heng hastily said, “Your Majesty, I know nothing of the events at the Hanlin Academy. Perhaps those are lies concocted by Compiler Xue.”

At this moment, Liu Huaide, the scholar reader, recalled Xue Huai’s request before the court session and was about to testify when a civil official stepped forward.

Hanlin scholar Lin Miao solemnly said, “I respectfully report to Your Majesty that I vouch for Xue Huai. What he said is true. The servant Liu Pingshun accused Xue Huai without any evidence of stealing the files but was exposed face-to-face by Xue Huai. I have already sent Liu Pingshun to the Ministry of Justice.”

He did not even look at Xue Huai, as if his actions were entirely sincere.

Yet Xue Huai knew well that if Shen Wang had not spoken first, the chief scholar would likely have remained silent.

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Otherwise, why would he have asked Liu Huaide for help beforehand?

But now was not the time to dwell on that. Although the situation had shifted slightly in his favor, it was not enough to clear his late father’s name. He had to ensure Gu Heng could never recover.

At that moment, Gu Heng spoke with urgency, “Your Majesty, I swear on my life that not a single record in the Ministry of Works’ old archives is falsified! The files clearly document many suspicions from those years. Even if this does not prove Xue Mingzhang embezzled funds, it at least shows the breach in the Yangzhou dike this year was related to his decisions!”

Xue Huai replied without hesitation, “Your Majesty, I believe what Minister Gu says is true. He would not dare deceive Your Majesty. But I think he is using a clever sleight of hand!”

Gu Heng turned angrily, “What do you mean by that, Compiler Xue?”

Xue Huai looked at his slightly grimacing face and spoke deliberately, “Minister Gu raised many doubts just now. Now I will explain why those doubts did not prompt any inquiries from the Ministry of Works officials at the time. But first, may I ask, Minister Gu, are you sure you have only seen the existing files?”

Gu Heng panicked, nearly losing control but forced himself to say, “Compiler Xue, your words confuse me further. Are the existing evidences not enough?”

Xue Huai sneered, “If that is so, then listen carefully.”

The emperor on the dragon throne did not stop their exchange but looked thoughtfully at Xue Huai.

“On the twenty-third day of the third month in the eighth year of Taihe, River Inspector Li Zhong examined the new embankment at Erlizha. He found that only fourteen thousand dan of stone had been laid, two thousand one hundred less than the approved amount. This was the first doubt Minister Gu raised, implying my late father left a huge hidden danger for selfish gain. But my father had already explained this clearly to the Ministry officials back then!”

Xue Huai turned to face Gu Heng, his tall figure straight as a pine, his clear voice reaching all the courtiers: “My father personally consulted old river engineers and found the ‘fish-scale staggered joint’ method, which saved twenty percent of the stone without compromising the embankment’s quality. The funds saved were used to purchase ironwood to reinforce the foundation!”

Gu Heng trembled inside, unable to believe what he was hearing.

Even if the Hanlin Academy’s files had not been lost, Xue Huai should not have known this, as it was not recorded there.

“Minister Gu also said that on the seventeenth day of the sixth month, the Canal Inspector Wang Xiao reported that the Guazhou section of the dike was three chi thinner than Ministry standards, suggesting shoddy work.”

Xue Huai pressed on coldly, “As the Ministry of Water Affairs inspector, do you not know there was a six chi thick inner layer of sticky rice mortar, while the outer embankment was thinner to preserve farmland? This ensured the dike’s strength while minimizing damage to fertile fields!”

Gu Heng’s shock was unspeakable. He stammered, “Perhaps that was also your father’s—”

Xue Huai cut him off fiercely: “Minister Gu, are you implying this was another one of my father’s deceptive tricks? You said my father bought three thousand dan of sticky rice at forty percent above market price and bought five thousand cedar logs at three times market price. I will now tell you the reason!”

“My father abandoned the pre-ordered hexagonal stones and bought cheaper rubble instead. This was not to line his pockets but because he had painstakingly found a ‘random stone force-distribution’ method. The rubble, laid irregularly, actually increased stability, and the remaining funds were used to purchase iron sand for filling gaps!”

“As for the so-called overpriced sticky rice and cedar, this is your biased historiography—using prices from the origin as a baseline while deliberately ignoring local market prices! My father explained all this clearly back then; otherwise, how could the responsible auditors have remained silent?”

“Returning to the biggest issue: Minister Gu insists that the thirty percent reduction in stone was my father’s selfishness. Now I ask you one last time: do you truly not know why my father did this?”

Xue Huai’s anger surged like a storm, his eyes reddened.

Gu Heng was overwhelmed by his presence, staggering but barely managing to stand firm.

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“The so-called thirty percent reduction of stone—” Xue Huai suddenly roared like thunder bursting forth, “does not exist at all!”

Does not exist!

The hall fell into complete silence.

Gu Heng’s body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Xue Huai restrained himself from looking at the emperor, who seemed to be on a cloud above them all, focusing instead on Gu Heng. Yet no matter how much he tried, the anger in his voice could not be hidden:

“From the start, the Ministry of Works deducted funds and stone under the name of wastage. You claim my father’s accounts were flawless, but how could he outmatch those seasoned Ministry clerks? To ensure the embankment’s completion, my father endured humiliation and hardship, navigating countless corrupt officials while striving to use every coin wisely!”

“My father poured his heart and soul into this and still could not escape slander and false accusations from people like you!”

“To this day, you refuse to repent, concocting a monstrous lie to pin the blame on my father. How is such behavior any different from that of beasts?”

Though his words were harsh, no one dared to reprimand him. The supervisory censors seemed to hear nothing.

Ouyang Hui, head of the civil officials and past fifty years old, sighed deeply, “Mr. Xue, you are not easy to deal with.”

The chief chancellor beside him remained silent.

Gu Heng was now utterly disoriented. He had never expected Xue Huai to know all the answers. Could this man truly possess an eidetic memory, remembering all the files just by reading them?

The problem was, some of these explanations were not even in the files. How then did he know?

Xue Huai saw through his thoughts and gritted his teeth, “Gu Heng, you really cannot alter the Ministry of Works’ old archives. But those old files were incomplete and fragmented. Many of my father’s explanations were deliberately omitted, leaving only suspicious gaps! You must be curious how I know the truth from years ago—it is because my father knew your methods all too well. So he left this notebook to prevent you from slandering him later!”

With that, he withdrew a manuscript from his wide sleeve, turned to the throne, and raised it high above his head with solemn respect: “Your Majesty, this is the ‘River Works Notebook’ left by my father. It contains detailed explanations of the construction process and every detail of the Yangzhou dike from ten years ago. It is all handwritten by my father himself, supported by witnesses and evidence, sufficient to prove Gu Heng’s report is a deliberate frame-up.”

“I, Xue Huai, plead with Your Majesty with tears of blood: Gu Heng slanders the sovereign and frames the loyal; his vicious heart deserves death!”

His voice echoed endlessly.

“Bang.”

Gu Heng’s vision darkened, and he collapsed to the ground, limp as a heap of rotten mud.