005 [A Sudden Storm]

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The Hanlin Academy showed no reaction to Xue Huai’s sudden request for leave spanning several days. Perhaps to many officials, it was better that this unruly troublemaker remained absent. Unlike Xue Huai, they lacked his privileged background—relying on the legacy left by his late father, the clan protection of the Xue family from Hedong, and the care of Shen Wang. This allowed him to speak bluntly and without restraint in court; had ordinary men done the same, they would have long since been ruined.

Some of these officials were entangled with the Ning faction, fearing that one day Xue Huai might impeach them. Others, though unconnected to the Ning faction, were mostly his seniors who resented and envied his continual pursuit of fame. The saying goes, “The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be cut down”—this was the truest reflection of human nature.

Now that Xue Huai had suddenly taken leave, many in the Hanlin Academy felt a considerable sense of relief and ease. Xue Huai could foresee their thoughts. In his previous life, he had often encountered office intrigue during his early struggles, yet he had no leisure to untangle these relationships now. Instead, he would use these few days to roughly clarify his own situation.

In the study of the East Cross Courtyard, Xue Huai meticulously organized the original owner's letters and essays. To be fair, the original owner was remarkably talented—gifted in both prose and poetry. Fortunately, Xue Huai had inherited this knowledge; otherwise, pursuing a career as a civil official would be fraught with obstacles. Even if he could recite hundreds of Tang poems and Song lyrics by heart, handling daily affairs would remain challenging. Studying the Four Books and Five Classics alone could give him a headache, not to mention debating face-to-face with the erudite scholars.

From the letters preserved by the original owner, Xue Huai gained a clearer understanding of his stubbornness and toughness. Most were correspondence with friends, repeatedly emphasizing one clear point: the emperor was blinded by the Ning faction. As long as the Ning faction remained, the court could not be purified, and the people would continue to live in misery.

Therefore, no matter how difficult the situation, even if the emperor’s opinion of him worsened, he was determined to offer honest advice. Reading these letters, Xue Huai felt quite troubled—the situation was more complicated than he had anticipated.

He had been able to soothe Lady Cui within two days because she loved her son unreservedly. Now that Xue Huai had achieved enlightenment, Lady Cui was naturally overjoyed, and past conflicts quickly dissipated. Others, however, would not be so straightforward.

Following his past life habits, Xue Huai began drafting a mind map on paper. The legacy left by Xue Mingzhang mainly referred to the emperor’s compassion, but after two years of interaction, it was difficult to determine how much favor the emperor still held for him—especially since Xue Huai’s perspective on the emperor, as a two-time reincarnated person, was far more complex than the original owner’s.

Initially, the emperor likely cared for Xue Huai only out of respect for Xue Mingzhang’s loyal service, using his care for the Xue family to showcase imperial benevolence. Moreover, Xue Huai’s outstanding performance in the imperial examinations added to the emperor’s recognition of talent, prompting him to appoint Xue Huai directly as the third-ranking scholar.

Yet, emperors are ruthless and their heavenly power unfathomable.

Xue Huai did not believe the emperor was oblivious to the court’s situation, nor that he was completely deceived by the Ning faction. As far as Xue Huai knew, although Vice Chancellor Ouyang Hui’s power did not match that of Prime Minister Ning Hengzhi, he had stood firm for many years with the emperor’s support—a simple act of balancing power. Besides, there was Shen Wang, the leader of the reformist faction.

In short, the court was not dominated by the Ning faction alone. Ning Hengzhi’s longevity in power was due to his cunning, tact, and most importantly, his ability to fully satisfy the emperor’s demands, thus firmly holding the prime minister’s seat.

Had the original owner only occasionally impeached members of the Ning faction to assist the emperor in reprimanding Prime Minister Ning Hengzhi, his situation would not have been so difficult.

With this in mind, Xue Huai drew a question mark beside the word “emperor.” He was not yet willing to seek recognition from the supreme ruler of Great Yan but could not hide away in his study either.

The reason was simple: though he had offended many in the past two years, he had gained some fame, successfully establishing an image of someone who hated evil. Trying to remain uninvolved now would only bring greater trouble.

This fame was a double-edged sword. Xue Huai could change his tactics but never his stance.

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At any time and place, a fence-sitter rarely succeeds in protecting themselves, and he currently had no capital to straddle sides. Therefore, Xue Huai crossed out the name of Minister of Works Xue Minglun.

After much thought, his gaze finally settled on Shen Wang’s name. Although they had past conflicts and differences, in the current Great Yan officialdom, the bond between master and disciple was strong. As long as Xue Huai did not betray his sect and join another faction, Shen Wang would not expel him.

“For now, I must rely on Shen Wang’s support to get through this most difficult period,” Xue Huai murmured, recalling Shen Wang’s life story.

This leader of the reformist faction was forty-two years old, born into poverty, and had a pure and smooth career. He was the top scorer in the palace examination during the 27th year of Emperor Xian’s reign, rising from compiler in the Hanlin Academy to chief academician, then directly appointed Left Deputy Minister of Rites. Rumors said he would next become Minister of Rites and enter the imperial cabinet.

The reformist faction was led by him, and both Ning Hengzhi and Ouyang Hui respected him greatly.

Recalling vivid scenes from memory, Xue Huai quickly realized that this master was not an idealist fond of idle talk but more like a hidden observer quietly watching the struggle between the prime minister and vice prime minister.

Such a person must have a lofty vision, and regaining his trust would not be easy.

Yet Xue Huai felt no disappointment. He did not need Shen Wang’s absolute approval now—only to improve the cold relationship between master and disciple enough to gain his protection in critical moments.

He was somewhat confident because Shen Wang, having nurtured talents for over twenty years, valued reputation above all; he would not cast out a loyal and devoted disciple like trash.

At that moment, the image of Princess Yun’an, Jiang Li, and her final warning suddenly surfaced in Xue Huai’s mind.

What had happened the day he fell into the water?

Xue Huai pondered deeply. He only remembered being on duty at the Hanlin Academy that day, suddenly leaving, wandering aimlessly through the city, and finally falling into the Nine-Bend River.

No—that was wrong.

Xue Huai shuddered violently. Could someone have tried to kill him?

Something must have happened at the Hanlin Academy that day, causing the original owner to suffer a blow he could not bear, even subconsciously sealing away that painful memory.

Xue Huai shook his head, rose, gathered the papers on the desk, and burned them to ashes in the brazier.

Just then, the maid Mo Yun rushed in anxiously. “Young Master, Scholar Liu from the Hanlin Academy is here. He insists on seeing you immediately.”

Xue Huai calmly watched the ashes and nodded. “I understand. Prepare to receive him in the front hall.”

After a moment, Xue Huai walked steadily to the front hall, where he immediately saw the stern-faced scholar Liu Huaide. This man, a fellow townsman of Shen Wang, was one of the few willing to look out for Xue Huai in the Hanlin Academy.

“Greetings, Scholar Liu,” Xue Huai said, bowing.

Liu Huaide looked directly into Xue Huai’s eyes, his expression complex. “Jingche, you’re being foolish!”

Xue Huai blinked in surprise. “Scholar, why do you say that?”

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Liu Huaide spoke bluntly, “I ask you—have you been assisting Chen Quan in compiling the ‘Taihe River Works Examination’ these past few months?”

Xue Huai nodded. “Yes.”

Liu continued, “Then why have you taken leave without reason these past few days?”

By now, Xue Huai sensed hostility and earnestly asked, “What exactly happened? Please speak plainly, Scholar.”

Liu sighed and shook his head. “This morning, Chief Librarian Lin sent someone to inquire about the progress of compiling the ‘Taihe River Works Examination.’ Chen Quan discovered that one volume had mysteriously vanished, along with the original archives. After careful checking, the missing volume documented the details of the dam project in Yangzhou overseen by your late father!”

Xue Huai frowned slightly and probed, “What does this have to do with me?”

Liu’s tone grew grave. “Chen Quan reported to Chief Librarian Lin that you were responsible for organizing and safeguarding that volume and its related documents. Now that they’re missing, whose fault is it? Moreover, a court servant claimed to have seen you hastily leaving the Hanlin Academy that day, clutching a bundle. Though no one can confirm that the bundle contained the missing archives, you won’t be able to clear your name even if you jumped into the Yellow River!”

Xue Huai knew this was troublesome but insisted he never took the documents out of the academy. Even if he had, why would he do such a thing?

Seeing he had not grasped the seriousness, Liu asked, “Where are the archives now?”

Xue Huai replied earnestly, “Scholar, I had no part in this matter. I do not know the whereabouts of the archives, nor would I have any reason to do such a thing.”

“No reason?” Liu stared into Xue Huai’s eyes, his expression more solemn. “Do you know why Chief Librarian Lin suddenly focused on this matter? Because this morning at court, a Ministry of Works official reported that upon reviewing old archives, he found your late father’s dam project in southern Yangzhou was riddled with shoddy workmanship, substandard materials, and personal embezzlement. This caused the dam to break during this summer’s floods, severely harming the local people!”

Xue Huai’s heart jolted, and he declared resolutely, “That is absolutely impossible!”

Liu sighed. “I trust your father as well, and this incident cannot be dismissed as an isolated case. Hence, His Majesty ordered the Hanlin Academy to locate the original archives. But now all the documents have disappeared, and you are a prime suspect. Do you understand how grave the situation is?”

Xue Huai’s thoughts raced, a sudden realization dawning: Could the day he fell into the water be connected to this? But who was behind this conspiracy?

He quickly composed himself and said firmly, “Scholar, I do not believe my late father would engage in corruption. There must be another explanation.”

“Alas,” Liu said heavily, “I believe your father and I believe you, but now… enough. Chief Librarian Lin is awaiting your response. You must come with me.”

“Yes,” Xue Huai replied calmly. After giving instructions to Mo Yun, he left the residence with Liu Huaide.

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(Deep thanks to the patrons “Little Bookless,” “A C_,” and “Cold Smoke Drunk in the Passing Years” for their generous support! More chapters will be added later. The new book will update steadily—thank you all for your understanding!)