Chapter 571: Pressure

It was midsummer, the days long, and when the officials hurried to the Jin royal palace, the sky had just begun to lighten.

Cai Cai Shizhi was among the later arrivals, strolling calmly along the palace corridor, when someone hurried up beside him.

Cai Cai Shizhi didn't need to look—he recognized the footsteps. It was his archrival, Liu Liu Wenkai. This man, upon hearing Cai had been appointed to the Sun Hanlin Academy in the Western Jin court, had traveled thousands of miles to join it himself, taking the lowly post of Vice Minister of Rites, solely to oppose him.

"No favor without motive—either deceit or theft! Liu Vice Minister, why so close? Up to another scheme?" Cai Cai Shizhi gave him no friendly look.

Liu Liu Wenkai's expression remained unchanged. "As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. We share the same stench—of course we should grow closer."

"Pah! Who's like you? You just married two sixteen-year-old concubines—afraid of breaking your old back? Hmph, against natural order!"

Liu Liu Wenkai's expression remained unchanged. "Fine, let's not speak of that. I'll ask you this: last month you issued five proclamations denouncing Wei Yuan, accusing him of disregarding human life, bringing ruin to the people, and causing hundreds of thousands of refugees to die. I ask you plainly: are all refugees equal, or are some higher, some lower? Just answer that one question—dare you shout it aloud?"

Cai Cai Shizhi fell momentarily silent. "That's the righteous path of cultivation! How can it compare to your lecherous old ways?"

Liu Liu Wenkai went on: "Alright, let's drop that. I ask you another: right now, beneath Hanyang Pass, tens of thousands of refugees are starving, trapped, on the verge of death. Why do you ignore this? Are your eyes merely decorations?"

Cai Cai Shizhi raised his eyebrows. "What's there to fear? All refugees are the same—they're our own kin! Before we cultivated, weren't we all ordinary mortals? How are we nobler than they?"

Liu Liu Wenkai pressed: "Good! Whether Wei Yuan harmed those tens of thousands is beside the point. But now, beneath Hanyang Pass, tens of thousands are starving, trapped, about to die of hunger. Why do you turn a blind eye? Are your eyes just ornaments?"

"This… this is different."

Liu Liu Wenkai raised his voice: "How is it different? You just said all refugees are equal—so now these tens of thousands are lesser, deserve to die? You don't see them—you're just too afraid to speak!"

Their quarrel had drawn a crowd of court officials. Cai Cai Shizhi's face flushed crimson. "Nonsense! I am upright, unyielding—fear no one!"

Liu Liu Wenkai laughed loudly: "Refugees from Qingming who die on the battlefield die fighting barbarians—they die with purpose! But these tens of thousands beneath Hanyang Pass? They're trapped behind closed gates, left to starve—this is man-made disaster! As you yourself said, this is truly different! You scream at Qingming but stay silent here—why? Because you fear the Xu family! You're a fame-seeking coward, a bully of the weak, yet you dare speak of moral integrity and scholarly spirit? Take off that scholar's robe—you'd shame your ancestors in heaven if they saw you."

You, Cai Shizhi, bark at the azure void yet stay silent on this—aren't you just afraid of the Xu family? You, a man who seeks fame through pretense, bullies the weak and cowers before the strong, dare speak of moral integrity and scholarly backbone? I say you should take off that scholar's robe before your ancestors in heaven turn over in their graves from shame.

He had barely spoken when Liu Liu Wenkai cut him off: "You are."

A voice spoke from beside them: "How have we of the Xu family offended you, Master Liu?"

All officials turned. It was Minister of Revenue Xu Gong. They bowed. Liu Liu Wenkai bowed as well. "I merely speak truth—I cannot abide this man Cai's conduct."

Xu Gong snorted. "This is your private feud. Don't drag the Xu family into it—else you'll invite trouble."

Liu Liu Wenkai laughed. "Minister Xu, you're mistaken. I have a master—I'm not some dog anyone can kick. Step too far, and I'll bite back. And you, Minister Xu, are the eldest scion of a great clan—would you lower yourself to strike a mere hound? That would demean you. I'm just a hound. If you dislike me, find another hound to fight. Lucky for you—here's a stray."

Cai Cai Shizhi could bear it no longer. His face darkened. "Judge me by my actions!" He swept his sleeve and left.

Xu Gong watched his retreating back, his expression grim.

Liu Liu Wenkai was said to be closely tied to the Bao family—too dangerous to touch. But Cai Cai Shizhi? A ghostly scholar, a decayed Confucian, barely tolerated even in the Four Sacred Academies—a true outcast. Since leaving Qingming and writing scathing essays against Wei Yuan, every great clan had kept their distance. Clans value loyalty first, virtue second, talent third. To them, Wei Yuan had treated Cai with courtesy, yet when they disagreed, Cai turned on him instantly, denouncing him publicly. He was an untrainable dog—no one would employ him.

The court session began. The King of Jin had barely finished his opening remarks and asked, "What matters do my ministers wish to present?" when Cai Cai Shizhi stepped forward from the rear of the line and declared loudly: "The commander of Hanyang Pass has illegally sealed the pass, leaving tens of thousands of refugees with nowhere to go—daily, many starve to death! This act defies heaven and harms humanity—his crime is so great, death alone cannot appease public outrage…"

Cai Cai Shizhi, true to his stature as a great Confucian, spoke with fiery eloquence, his words flowing endlessly. He ended by declaring that if the King of Jin failed to act, he was a foolish ruler; if the Xu family shielded the guilty, they were traitors to all under heaven.

The King of Jin's face darkened. The Xu ministers' expressions grew grim. Only the Lü faction smiled, barely hiding their glee.

Cai Cai Shizhi pressed on, undeterred. Finally, the King had to interrupt him, saying he understood and would act—but first, the matter must be investigated. Only then did Cai return to his place.

After court, the King ordered Liu Quangong to summon the Left Chancellor to the imperial study. He demanded at once: "Who let that thing into the court?"

The Left Chancellor replied calmly: "When Li Li Weisheng proposed 'When upright men fill the court, the state grows strong,' Your Majesty agreed wholeheartedly. Since then, I've recruited many renowned scholars and great Confucians—Master Cai is one of them. Later came Liu Liu Wenkai and others."

The King snapped: "That's no great Confucian—that's a mad dog! Refugees exist every year, everywhere—why must we debate them in court? You recruited him—now this mess has erupted. What do you propose?"

"It's simple. If Your Majesty wishes to avoid provoking the Xu family, the answer is one word: delay. Investigating this matter can take days, months—it makes no difference. If tens of thousands truly die beneath the pass, it's even better. The Xu family's reputation will be ruined. They'll scramble to cover it up—and every cover-up is a flaw, a weapon."

Prince Jin snapped, "What scholar is this? He's nothing but a mad dog! Refugees come every year, everywhere—why bring this up in court? You recruited him, and now this mess has blown up—what do you propose to do?"

The Left Chancellor was about to withdraw when the King suddenly asked: "What does Wei Yuan need so many refugees for?"

The Left Chancellor replied: "It is said Qingming's Immortal Stone holds a secret technique called 'Instant Life.' When activated, it doubles the strength of ordinary mortals, granting them Golden Body potential. Wei Yuan uses refugees to fill the front lines, then activates Instant Life to instantly transform them into soldiers—this is how he repelled the Wu tribe's advance.

He recruited nearly a million refugees—effectively adding a million troops to Qingming's forces, laying the foundation for his later victory over the Wu."

"No wonder it's an Immortal Stone! Then we mustn't give Wei Yuan too many refugees."

The Left Chancellor said: "Not so. First, this technique only works within Qingming's borders—so long as they don't enter Qingming's territory, they're safe. Qingming is now like a porcupine—strong in defense, weak in offense—perfect for guarding the western frontier.

Second, Heaven's Dao is constant. This technique drains the refugees' latent potential—afterward, they grow weak and die young. Wei Yuan sends them to the front lines—reportedly, not one in a thousand survives. He uses the Wu tribe to eliminate refugees whose potential is spent—ruthless, yes. But it also proves: once Instant Life is used, the refugees are useless, must be discarded."

The King's expression improved. He nodded. "Handle Hanyang Pass as you see fit."

The Left Chancellor said, "Not quite. First, this method works only within the Azure Void; as long as one doesn't enter the Azure Void's domain, there's no danger. Now, the Azure Void is like a porcupine—strong in defense but weak in offense, perfect for guarding the western frontier."

At that moment, Wei Yuan stood atop a splendid flying vessel, having exchanged greetings with Wei Wei Boyang.

Wei Wei Boyang took Wei Yuan's arm and led him into the cabin, where wine and dishes were laid out. "Lord Wei, these past three months, your bloody battles against the Wu tribe—we've watched every moment. We admire you from the heart. The court's appointment of you as Qingyang Garrison Commander was meant as an empty title—but now, it may become real. I'll be returning in two days. If you need anything done, say it."

Wei Yuan replied: "There is one thing. I've heard the scenery at Hanyang Pass is magnificent. Before you return to court, you should visit."

Wei Wei Boyang laughed. "Rest assured—I'll take a good look."

Wei Wei Boyang led Little Wei Yuan into the cabin, set out wine and dishes, and said, "Captain Wei, these past three months you've fought bloody battles against the Witch Clan—we've all seen it, and we truly admire you! The court's appointment of you as Qingyang Garrison Commander was meant to be hollow, but now it seems it may become real. I'll be returning in a couple days—anything you need done, just say it."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan said, "There is indeed something. I've heard the scenery at Han Yangguan is unparalleled; before returning to court, General, you might as well go see it."

Wei Wei Boyang laughed heartily and said, "Rest assured, I'll take a good look."

(End of Chapter)