Chapter 35

Hu Xiaotian heard this news confirmed, his heart turned cold; this was no trivial matter. If the vermilion-script iron charter were stolen, and this matter involved Hu An, then once the news leaked, the present emperor would certainly investigate. If they charged the Hu family with deceiving the sovereign, it would inevitably mean the execution of the whole clan. I exclaimed! I've only just come back to life half a year ago, and I haven't even had a chance to take a wife—could it really be that terrible? If I were to die so confused and lose my head, wouldn't that be utterly unjust?

Hu Buwei said: "Hu An, you beast! I've treated you well, yet I never expected you to turn traitor and do such a vicious, immoral deed."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Father, that vermilion-script iron charter wasn't passed down from the time of Emperor Mingzong; it's been so long it's practically an antique. Even if we lost it, it wouldn't be a major crime. Better to come clean to the present emperor—perhaps we could earn his understanding."

Hu Buwei slowly shook his head and said: "In the past perhaps it would have been fine, but now is a critical moment. The emperor's health has been poor these past two years, making his temper unpredictable; even a small matter might provoke him." Hu Buwei secretly sighed, "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; the emperor's mind is as changeable as June weather—shifts in an instant, leaving us officials unable to fathom."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Father, you have rendered great service to the state of Dakang, and the emperor trusts you deeply. He surely wouldn't punish us over such a small matter, especially since we didn't lose it intentionally—someone deliberately set us up."

Hu Buwei said: "Lately many have been slandering me before the emperor, and he has grown distant toward me. If, at this juncture, news suddenly broke that our Hu family had lost the vermilion-script iron charter, what do you think the consequences would be?" This was the first time he had raised court matters in front of his son.

Hu Xiaotian's heart chilled; since his father said so, it must be true. It seems he has gradually fallen out of favor with the emperor lately. Hu Xiaotian, having studied history well, understood the emperor's fickle temper—even a favored minister is no more than an ant in his eyes; if the emperor is displeased, he can snuff out that ant's life at any moment.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Hardly anyone knows about this!"

Hu Buwei said: "Hu An has been in our household for decades; I thought I treated him well, yet I don't know why he would betray me. But I know he stole the vermilion-script iron charter for a purpose."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "If he wanted to use this to frame our Hu family, he would likely have already spread the news—there'd be no need to wait until now. I think he intends to use the vermilion-script iron charter to blackmail us; Hu An surely has someone behind him pulling the strings."

Hu Buwei deeply agreed with his son's analysis, pleasantly discovering that his son's mind had indeed returned to normal, even capable of meticulous thought, which made him feel somewhat relieved. As his son said, Hu An must have someone behind him pulling the strings. Hu Buwei firmly believed Hu An had been coerced or lured by someone, leading him to betray the Hu family.

Hu Xiaotian said: "It seems the vermilion-script iron charter is a card in their hands; they won't use it unless absolutely necessary, so for now we're still safe."

Hu Buwei slowly nodded; although his son's analysis was sound, the fact that the vermilion-script iron charter couldn't be recovered remained a hidden danger. Before the other side acts, we still have time to respond. He said in a low voice: "Please tell me in detail what happened last night."

Hu Xiaotian then recounted everything that had happened last night from start to finish. When he mentioned the two flying thieves creating a diversion to draw the Hu household guards' attention before setting fire to the Hall of Gathering Elegance, he realized, in light of Hu An's betrayal, that he now had a new inference. He opened the lattice window and gazed at the distant ruins of the Hall of Gathering Elegance, saying: "Just now I recalled that when we were apprehending the flying thieves, Hu An wasn't present; he must have taken advantage of the chaos to steal the vermilion-script iron charter, then secretly set the fire, since everyone's focus was on those two thieves, allowing him to act with ease."

Hu Buwei said: "After succeeding, he deliberately leaked the secret to you, using the pretext of traveling to the Eastern Capital to report to me as a chance to escape. This old bastard has hidden beside me for so many years that I never detected his wolfish ambition; he dares to collude with outsiders to frame me." Hu Buwei gritted his teeth in anger; if Hu An appeared before him now, he would surely cut him into a thousand pieces to quell his hatred.

Hu Xiaotian suddenly said again: "No!"

Hu Buwei exclaimed in surprise: "What's wrong?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "If those two flying thieves were in league with him, they wouldn't know nothing about him; the person they named was Zhao Zhenghao. When I and the constables of Jingzhao Prefecture went to Tuojie Street to look for Zhao Zhenghao's whereabouts, it turned out to be a trap—their aim was to kill me!" Recalling the scene, Hu Xiaotian still felt lingering fear; if not for Murong Feiyan's brave rescue of me, I would probably have died under Mo Shaolin's arrow.

Hu Buwei, though he hadn't personally witnessed the scene of Hu Xiaotian's assassination, still felt lingering dread hearing about it; he had only one son, and if the boy were to die so pointlessly, where could he go to buy regret medicine?

Hu Buwei patted his son's shoulder, full of concern, and asked: "Are you hurt?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "I'm fine; my luck hasn't been bad."

Hu Buwei said: "One can't always be lucky." Almost instantly he made an important decision: "Tian'er, I have an idea; what do you think?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "But you at least have to tell me what it is."

Hu Buwei drew the lattice window, lowered his voice and said: "The emperor's health worsens day by day; I reckon the day of succession is not far off. Whenever the throne changes hands, things are never peaceful. Lately the capital seethes with undercurrents, showing signs of an impending storm." Hu Buwei paused, then continued: "As an official in the court, I find it hard to ensure that I won't be swept up in this storm. I am old now; even if true disaster were to befall me, even if it took my life and fortune, as a father I would not furrow my brow in the slightest—only I still have one greatest concern: you..." Hu Buwei's words were sincere and heartfelt, his emotions flowing freely.

Although Hu Xiaotian disliked his father's high-handed approach to arranging marriages, seeing him so concerned about him stirred his heart; father and son are of one heart, blood thicker than water—Hu Buwei's concern for his biological son surely came from the depths of his soul.

Hu Buwei said: "Actually, I've had the idea of sending you out of the capital to serve as an official for the past couple of days."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaotian secretly rejoiced; going out to serve as an official would mean leaving the capital, which would allow him to roam the vast seas and leap like fish, to soar under the high sky and let birds fly freely. Though he felt pleased inside, he put on a reluctant face: "I hate to leave my father."

Hu Buwei said: "Father can't look after you forever; sooner or later you'll have to stand on your own." The idea of sending his son away from the capital to serve as an official had long been in place; Hu Buwei had long anticipated that during this period of imperial succession, the capital would surely erupt in an unprecedented violent storm. Although the crown prince position had already been given to the Sixth Prince Long Yinqing, the senior officials in the court were deeply dissatisfied, and many were secretly plotting to promote the Eldest Prince Long Yelin to come forth. In accompanying the emperor on this trip to the Eastern Capital, Hu Buwei had discreetly sounded out the emperor's views; the old emperor seemed to regret having earlier deposed the Eldest Prince Long Yelin from the crown prince position.

Having served beside the emperor for so many years, I've come to know something of his temperament— the older he gets, the more unpredictable his moods, changing faster than flipping a page. Though Long Yinqing is still crown prince now, who knows? One day the old emperor might take a fancy and replace him with another son. Anyway, this old fellow isn't short of offspring; he's sired countless children over his lifetime—just among the princes there are twenty‑seven, only one shy of making up the Twenty‑Eight Mansions.

The reason Hu Buwei has been able to serve two dynasties of emperors and keep his position in the court as stable as Mount Tai is directly tied to his mature art of governance. Although he has made all kinds of preparations, the closer we get to the transition between the old and new emperors, the more his heart fills with anxiety. Should any upheaval occur in the palace, the first to feel the impact would be us officials of the capital, as the saying goes, "One sovereign, one set of ministers." No one can guarantee that after the new emperor ascends the throne, we will still be entrusted with important posts.

Amidst this turbulent autumn, the theft of the vermilion-script iron charter occurred, prompting Hu Buwei to ponder deeply. His marriage alliance with the Li family is merely one of his moves; whether it succeeds and how skillfully it is executed hinges entirely on whether Crown Prince Long Yinqing can smoothly inherit the throne. Before setting out for the Eastern Capital, Hu Buwei had assumed there would be no change in the imperial succession, but the old emperor's offhand remark stripped him of that confidence, and he even began to consider whether he should pin all his fortunes on Long Yinqing alone.

A mature politician needs to know how to prepare for a rainy day; Hu Buwei had been quietly laying his plans all along, but the sudden loss of the vermilion-script iron charter disrupted the rhythm of his layout, and even with his shrewdness and deep scheming he couldn't help feeling somewhat caught off guard.

It was precisely this event that spurred Hu Buwei to make up his mind to send his son away from this capital, a place of right and wrong, to keep him distant from the impending political storm.