Chapter 390

"Just send someone to Huashan. The soldiers there will receive word, and once they learn the person coming was sent by you, they'll bring them before Chancellor Feng."

"If the talks go well on that side, we may send someone over to go with you to negotiate with them!"

Ji Lin said.

"Good, I'll arrange this as soon as possible. The moment there's news, I'll send someone to notify you at once!" Cheng Xionglin said.

"Then I'll take my leave." Ji Lin bowed.

After Ji Lin left, Cheng Xionglin sent for his eldest son Cheng Ze.

Once he explained Feng Quji's meaning, Cheng Ze immediately shook his head.

"Father, they simply don't understand the new emperor. Doing this would only anger him!" Cheng Ze said.

"You mean to say Ying Su doesn't wish to negotiate?" Feng Quji said.

"It's not that he can't negotiate, it's that the new emperor won't accept threats! Besides, the conditions they've put forward are ones the new emperor simply couldn't possibly agree to!" Cheng Ze said.

Cheng Xionglin thought for a moment, then said, "At this point, we can only take things one step at a time! You'll still have to make the trip, to sound out their position."

"Very well, I'll set off at once." Cheng Ze said.

"Bring Chancellor Feng's seal, but don't show it to anyone right away. Go in the name of our Cheng family to request an audience with Chancellor Zhuge."

"Of course, our Cheng family's weight alone isn't enough. Zhuge Liang most likely won't see you."

"When that happens, just come straight back."

Cheng Xionglin said.

"If that's the case, why on earth should I bring Chancellor Feng's seal?" Cheng Ze was puzzled.

"Bring it just in case. No one knows what might happen." Cheng Xionglin said.

"Your son understands." Cheng Ze took the seal, carefully put it away, then bowed and left the garden.

Right after, he immediately mounted his horse and, taking two attendants, set out for Outside Xianyanggong.

It was still early in the day, so when he arrived at Outside Xianyanggong it was still afternoon.

Cheng Ze first went to the Shaofu Office, found a minor clerk who was on good terms with the Cheng family, and explained his request to see Zhuge Liang.

The moment the clerk heard this, he was dumbfounded.

He was only a lowly official—how could he possibly arrange an introduction for someone to Chancellor Zhuge?

"Please do me the favor of taking me to the Chancellor's residence." Cheng Ze said.

He knew the man couldn't take him directly to see Zhuge Liang, but leading him to the Chancellor's residence guards was still possible.

Otherwise, a minor noble's son like himself couldn't even reach the gates of the Chancellor's residence.

"Fine, I'll take you there, but let's be clear—the Chancellor seeing you or not has nothing to do with me, and if anything goes wrong, it has nothing to do with me either!"

The clerk said.

"Naturally!" Cheng Ze said readily.

In truth, the clerk was a bit dim.

He was the one bringing the man in—if something really went wrong, how could he possibly stay out of it?

It's just that, as a member of the Shaofu Office, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to his work and didn't really understand the ways of officialdom.

Soon, led by his acquaintance, Cheng Ze arrived at the Chancellor's residence.

The gates of the Chancellor's residence were guarded by soldiers. Cheng Ze stepped forward and explained his purpose.

Of course, he didn't state his real purpose—only said very vaguely that he had a matter in which he wished to see Chancellor Zhuge, and asked the guards to pass word along.

"If you won't say what it's specifically about, I won't pass word for you."

The guard's refusal was quite polite.

First, Zhuge Liang ran a strict household and did not permit his subordinates to bully others by abusing their authority.

Second, the guard noticed that the person beside Cheng Ze was wearing the uniform of the Shaofu Office, so he instinctively assumed Cheng Ze was a staff member of the Shaofu Office.

And the Shaofu Office's work centered on invention and construction, a department the Chancellor valued highly.

So the guard was extremely polite to Cheng Ze.

"Brothers, it's not that I won't say what it's specifically about—it's that I can't!"

"Please pass word along—just say I am a noble." Cheng Ze said.

"A noble?" The guard frowned.

It was bad enough that Cheng Ze hadn't mentioned being a noble, but once he did, the guard's attitude changed at once.

Who didn't know the nobles were causing trouble right now? They'd even banded together to attack Outside Xianyanggong!

"I advise you to leave quickly. Go do whatever it is you should be doing, and stop meddling in matters that don't concern you!" one guard barked.

He had assumed all along that Cheng Ze was a technical worker from the Shaofu Office, and that his reason for seeing Zhuge Liang was probably to plead for some noble.

174. An Exceptional Audience

"Please pass word along, brothers. Whether to see me or not, Chancellor Zhuge will decide for himself."

"If Chancellor Zhuge wishes to see me but doesn't because you refuse to pass word, he'll be angry afterward." Cheng Ze said.

"You're threatening us now? I'll tell you—we're following the rules. Chancellor Zhuge won't blame us!" the guard said.

"Following the rules isn't wrong, but there's always an exception to everything—and I am that exception~!" Cheng Ze said.

The two guards glanced at each other, then both laughed.

"What kind of exception are you?" one guard said.

"First, I am a noble. Second, I know that not long ago a large group of nobles came to attack Outside Xianyanggong. Third, if Chancellor Zhuge thinks I'm making trouble out of nothing, he can punish me. I'll stand right here and not run—and I couldn't run if I tried!"

Cheng Ze said.

At these words, the two guards were taken aback.

Seeing that this man would rather be punished than fail to see Chancellor Zhuge, they figured he probably really did have something urgent.

GLOSSARY:

【Cheng Ze, Cheng Xionglin, Zhuge Liang, Ying Su, Outside Xianyanggong, Damenkou, Huashan, Huangbu Society, Gailubu Society, Hui Sect, Feng Quji, Ji Lin, Shaofu Office】

After whispering a brief consultation, one guard finally said to Cheng Ze, "I will go announce your presence; if your reason for seeing Prime Minister Zhuge Liang is not sufficient, we will absolutely not spare you!"

"It is him you won't spare; I am merely the guide, and it has nothing to do with me!" the minor official who had brought Cheng Ze here hurriedly said.

The guard glanced at the minor official, then turned and walked toward the inside of the main gate.

In the main hall of the Prime Minister's residence, Zhuge Liang was sitting at a table reviewing documents.

As Prime Minister, he had a huge pile of matters to handle every single day.

And the documents sent over from various departments were also extremely numerous.

If it were as in the past, the table and the floor would both be piled high with bamboo slips.

But now the floor was spotless, and on the table there was only a stack of white paper.

Just as he was reading intently, a servant walked up to his side at that moment.

"My lord, the guard at Damenkou says someone is requesting an audience," the servant whispered.

"Let the guard come in and speak," Zhuge Liang said, putting down the documents in his hand.

In a short while, the guard walked in.

"My lord, someone at the gate claims to be a noble; he wishes to see you but refuses to say for what matter."

"I originally did not want to let him in, but he insisted on seeing you, saying he would rather be punished than do otherwise."

The guard said.

"Oh... a noble?"

Zhuge Liang furrowed his brow slightly.

Why would the person coming emphasize the identity of a noble?

Did he not know that nobles had gathered together to cause trouble not long ago?

Strictly speaking, the identity of a noble is not that rare.

For instance, some of the officials within the court are nobles.

And although other officials were not born nobles, their status and position are much the same as nobles.

If someone claimed to be a noble during ordinary times, that would be one thing.

But emphasizing this point during such a sensitive period has sparked Zhuge Liang's curiosity; he wants to see what kind of person this is.

"Bring him in," Zhuge Liang said.

"Yes." After hearing this, the guard turned and left.

After a while, the guard brought Cheng Ze before Zhuge Liang.

"This humble one, Cheng Ze, bows to my lord!" Cheng Ze performed a bow.

"Are you a noble?" Zhuge Liang asked.