038 In the Prime of Youth

The Investigation Bureau office.

Following a directive from Shen Wang, the office returned to its previously sealed state. However, news of the near-total dismantling of the four departments of the Ministry of Works had already spread. No one dared to disparage Shen Wang for his perceived inaction anymore; once the leader of the reformist faction struck, the result was earth-shattering. Now that the lid had been lifted on the Ministry of Works, it would be difficult to put it back on.

Inside the office, Shen Wang did not take the opportunity to deliver an inspiring speech. He demanded only that everyone devote their full energy to forcing the detained officials to speak as soon as possible, ensuring these cases would be airtight.

For several consecutive days, the officials of the Investigation Bureau worked day and night. Splitting into two rotating shifts, they searched for incriminating evidence within seemingly flawless files and ledgers, while repeatedly interrogating the officials who had been reduced to prisoners.

By the twenty-third, the detained officials had confessed to most of their crimes. As Shen Wang had expected, these individuals implicated many others, including high-ranking officials at the Vice-Minister level. While some of these testimonies were undoubtedly genuine, one could not rule out the possibility that others, in their desperation, were casting blame wildly. Shen Wang’s decision was firm: he would nail down the charges against the Ministry of Works officials, while the involvement of other high-ranking figures would be handled entirely by him.

After nightfall, Xue Huai looked at the organized case files on his desk and stretched his weary body. Though physically exhausted, he felt no drowsiness—only a gnawing hunger in his stomach. He rose and left the office where he had been working for nearly ten days, stepping into the cool moonlight as he headed toward the kitchen in the southeast corner.

The layout of the office was cramped, with the kitchen and canteen squeezed together. During these past few days, all the officials of the bureau, including Shen Wang, had been eating in this small room. This not only made it convenient to discuss the case during meals but also served to deepen their camaraderie.

Upon entering the canteen, Xue Huai found it brightly lit.

"Another one arrives." A hearty, smiling voice rang out.

Xue Huai looked up to see Ge Cunyi, a supervising secretary from the Ministry of Revenue, along with Fang Jiming, a principal secretary from the Ministry of Justice, and Chen Zhi, an assessor from the Court of Judicial Review. In short, with the exception of Censor Yuan Cheng, the core members of the Investigation Bureau were all gathered in this small canteen.

"Everyone is here. Did someone send out an invitation?" Xue Huai smiled as he stepped forward, picked up a sesame flatbread from the table, broke it, and began to eat.

"Everyone has been busy until late and is hungry. I had the cook prepare some snacks so that whoever came by could fill their stomachs," Chen Zhi explained while pouring a cup of tea and handing it to him. Xue Huai accepted it with a word of thanks.

Working together these past few days had taught him the strengths of each man. The absent Censor Yuan was like a block of ice, his words razor-sharp; he frequently interrogated suspects until they were weeping and trembling—Qi Huan, a deputy director in the Ministry of Works, had even fainted several times under Yuan’s relentless verbal assault.

Fang Jiming of the Ministry of Justice possessed a completely different style. He rarely raised his voice during interrogations, but through meticulous analysis, he could always find the loopholes in a suspect's testimony, step by step dismantling their psychological defenses.

The supervising secretaries were masters at following clues to their source. In particular, Ge Cunyi, who appeared easygoing, had been instrumental; his contribution to reconciling the hidden truths between the two sets of ledgers in the Ministry of Works was second only to Xue Huai’s.

As for Chen Zhi, the assessor from the Court of Judicial Review, he left an impression of calm precision, much like the strategists in storybooks who managed the rear guard—everything he handled was done perfectly. He was always considerate of everyone’s feelings without ever seeming obsequious. Working side-by-side in such a group, Xue Huai felt deeply moved.

"It is Chen's attentiveness that allows us to enjoy the fruits of his labor," Ge Cunyi teased with a grin, his narrow eyes flashing with wit.

Chen Zhi laughed, "If you feel guilty, why not put up a few hundred coins as a reward? The cook and I will split it."

Ge Cunyi shook his head immediately. "That won't do. My monthly salary is only five taels of silver, and I barely take home three. I have many mouths to feed at home; how can I pretend to be wealthy when I am not?"

Everyone laughed, though there was a hint of bitterness in the sound. Compared to previous dynasties, the salaries of Great Yan officials were neither high nor low, but after more than a hundred years of peace, prices had risen across the board, making the situation for officials in the capital particularly difficult. Without support from their families, honest officials like Ge Cunyi were certainly tight-fisted. By contrast, those corrupt officials in the Ministry of Works were bloated with greed, having clearly gorged themselves on the fat of the people.

The atmosphere grew slightly heavy. Sensing this, Ge Cunyi smiled and said, "Gentlemen, look on the bright side. Since we follow the aspirations of our Vice-Minister, we should have been prepared for such a life of poverty. Besides, the Vice-Minister is leading us to purge these corrupt officials; surely the court will grant us some rewards?"

Chen Zhi nodded. "That goes without saying."

Ge Cunyi, naturally carefree, turned to the silent Xue Huai and changed the subject. "Xue Huai, when do you plan to marry?"

Xue Huai smiled slightly. "I haven't thought about it yet. Brother Ge, are you planning to introduce a match to me?"

Ge Cunyi let out an "Oh," seemingly surprised by the answer, and seized the opportunity. "Actually, I do know of a good match. My wife’s distant relative is said to be dignified in appearance, a master of needlework, and exceptionally gentle. She is seventeen this year. The only drawback is that her family status is a bit low; she might not be a match for the stature of the Xue family."

Xue Huai had only been playing along to liven the mood and hadn't expected it to involve real people, so he waved his hand. "I appreciate your kindness, Brother Ge, but I am still young. I will think about marriage in a couple of years."

Ge Cunyi seemed disappointed, but he knew the standards of the Xue family were high. Perhaps even the person in the palace would keep an eye on Xue Huai’s marriage out of consideration for Xue Mingzhang, so he let it go with a smile.

At this point, Fang Jiming interjected, "Brother Ge, you must realize that two years ago, when our Brother Xue passed the imperial examinations, countless noble families in the capital were inquiring about him. Had it not been for Vice-Minister Shen speaking up, we might have witnessed the tradition of families vying to snatch the top scholars as sons-in-law."

Ge Cunyi glanced at Xue Huai’s young, handsome face and sighed, "If my parents had made me as handsome as him, I might have experienced being snatched as a son-in-law too."

Chen Zhi joked, "Be careful that your wife doesn't hear you say that."

Ge Cunyi instinctively shrank his neck. Everyone pointed at him and laughed, and the atmosphere instantly became cheerful. Xue Huai smiled softly, his heart filled with genuine pleasure.

Except for Yuan Cheng, who was older, everyone else was in their twenties—different personalities, but the same aspirations. Working with such like-minded people was, without doubt, a wonderful experience.

Fang Jiming looked at Xue Huai and said, "Honestly, the person who has surprised me most during this time is Brother Xue."

Xue Huai asked curiously, "What do you mean, Brother Fang? Did I give you a bad impression before?" He didn't ask this out of false modesty; for the past two years, the name "Xue Huai" had been an irritant to many officials in the court. He struggled to get along even with his colleagues in the Hanlin Academy, let alone others who only knew him through rumors.

To his surprise, Fang Jiming replied firmly, "Not at all! Brother Xue, watching your actions these two years, perhaps you weren't always smooth in your dealings, but I have always admired your pure heart. You could have lived in comfort and ease, yet you chose to abandon stability and wealth, repeatedly braving danger to speak for the people. Whether a high minister or a minor official, as long as they have a conscience, how could they disparage what you have done?"

A ripple of emotion stirred in Xue Huai’s heart.

Ge Cunyi stopped smiling and said sternly, "Those people who painted you in such a terrible light did so only because they feared your relentless impeachments. Since they couldn't find any dirt on you, they tried to destroy you with rumors. It is the classic 'three men make a tiger'—scoundrels only have such lowly tactics. I have never believed that a man of integrity, who ignores his own future just to bring down corrupt officials, could be difficult to get along with."

He paused, looking at Xue Huai. "That day at the Great Morning Assembly, your rebuke was magnificent. I wanted to have a drink with you right then!"

Even having lived two lives, Xue Huai was touched. He nodded and said, "There will certainly be an opportunity for that."

"Brother Fang and Brother Ge are right," Chen Zhi added, his tone calm and steady. "Through this time together, I have seen it clearly: Brother Xue is loyal and upright. All those other rumors about his eccentric temperament are utterly absurd."

Xue Huai felt a wave of emotion, though he acted troubled on the surface. "My brothers, if you keep praising me like this, I fear I shall lose my way entirely."

Laughter erupted once more.

Ge Cunyi finished his tea in one gulp and said with a complex expression, "The Vice-Minister intends to report back to the throne tomorrow. This case will likely end here. Although we have caught a whole nest of rats in the Ministry of Works, I still feel a sense of regret."

Fang Jiming asked, "You feel it's not enough?"

"No, that's not it." Ge Cunyi shook his head, his gaze falling on Xue Huai as he sighed. "Once this case concludes, we will return to our respective offices. I fear it will be difficult to have another chance to fight side-by-side like this."

Xue Huai stood up to refill his tea, patted his arm, and said steadily, "Brother Ge, there is no need for sorrow. We will certainly have chances to work together in the future."

As the trusted protégé of Shen Wang, his words carried weight, and the others looked at him with anticipation.

Ge Cunyi quickly asked, "Why are you so certain?"

Xue Huai looked at each of them in turn and said firmly, "Because we are still young."

As the candlelight flickered, knowing smiles appeared on every young face.