Chapter 234: Setting the Leg

"Grand Marshal, explain this to me — what exactly is going on in Longyou? Wei Ao is the State Preceptor's trusted man; he was supposed to bring the Longyou troops here to rendezvous. Why has he still not arrived?"

Diwu Lun had only learned in his idle moments that the State Preceptor, besides counting on him, had also pinned hopes on others — sending Wei Ao to Longyou to raise troops was what they considered a 'brilliant move' of their own.

When Diwu Lun found out, he was furious. One more person in the know meant one more chance of exposure. Wei Ao might not know the specifics of the plan, but once he left for Longyou, the man was gone for good — would this alert the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties and Wang Mang?

The Xin was a ship that would inevitably sink, but at least it was still a large vessel — it could hold out a few more months, at least until it was utterly defeated militarily. But the State Preceptor's little three-man coup clique was paddling a leaky dugout canoe, liable to capsize at any moment from a leak of secrets.

Wei Ao was a clever man; he probably saw that neither the Xin nor the State Preceptor could be relied upon. When he left, he swore oaths that he would certainly bring the elite sons of good families from Longyou, yet now there has been no word at all.

Faced with Diwu Lun's questioning, Dong Zhong could not clearly explain the situation in Longyou either. All he knew was that of the twelve 'Seven Lords Officers' Wang Mang had dispatched to the various provinces and commanderies, barely any had returned — many had seized the chance to flee and slip away. With so many having fled, it had become unremarkable; Wei Ao's disappearance among them drew no particular attention.

He merely flattered Diwu Lun: "The Duke of Weixin already holds the great army. In a few days, once you enter the city to receive the axe and battle-axe bestowed by the Son of Heaven, that will suffice to accomplish the deed!"

Diwu Lun, however, lacked such confidence — especially with the three of them 'helping' in this manner. He only asked Dong Zhong:

"The Marquis of Tongmu, Chen Chong — did he really break his leg?"

"It is indeed broken. He fell from his horse and was then run over by a cart. I sent men to investigate; one foot is truly ruined, nothing but shattered bone and bloody gore. He can no longer walk."

Diwu Lun, however, felt that Chen Chong had seemingly cowered in fear of him, going so far as to risk angering the Emperor and cementing a reputation for 'cowardice' just to break a leg — but the matter was not so simple.

When he had entered the palace to request that Wang Mang appoint Chen Chong as army supervisor, he had not yet known of the State Preceptor and Dong Zhong's plotting. Requesting Wang Mang to transfer his own enemy into the army served, first, to dispel Wang Mang's suspicions, and second, to keep that schemer Chen Chong distracted — otherwise, with that man present, his own plan to get his grandfather out would become far more difficult.

Yet after he got involved in the coup the State Preceptor and the other two were cooking up, this move became drawing legs on a snake — superfluous — and instead aroused Chen Chong's vigilance.

Zhang Yu and Zhu Di had reconnoitered routes inside and outside the city several times and rehearsed the path to escort Diwu Ba out of the city. But according to the sharp-eyed Zhang Yu's report, someone had been watching the Northern Watchtower Mansions the entire time, especially whenever a cart carrying coal briquettes approached — very likely men from the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties.

Although Dong Zhong had smugly declared that he had already hinted for someone to impeach Chen Chong, accusing him of evading the Son of Heaven's command — which led Wang Mang to order Chen Chong relieved of his post as Master of Fates of the Five Majesties to properly 'recuperate' at home — Chen Chong had controlled that surveillance apparatus for over a decade, and his partisans filled its ranks. Diwu Lun considered the situation still far from secure.

Too many people already knew of this matter, and it had dragged on too long. According to Dong Zhong, he had recently also turned Sun Ji, the Palace Steward Grand Chamberlain and Marquis of Qiwu who managed the slaves in the palace — they had gained yet another ally.

The more 'allies' they had, the more precarious the matter became. If at this moment someone leaked the secret, letting Chen Chong learn of it, and he in turn informed Wang Mang...

"Then a few days from now, on the twenty-fourth day of the fifth month, when I follow protocol and bring my officers and troops into the city to swear the oath and receive the axe and battle-axe, what awaits me may not be the axe-handle the Emperor places in my hand, but a cold, gleaming blade laid across my neck!"

At this thought, Diwu Lun concluded that his plan for the coup on the twenty-fifth would likely need revising yet again.

No matter what, he had to muddy the waters first.

He therefore ordered Zhu Di and Zhang Yu to seek out Disi Xian, who had by now made a name for himself in the markets and wards of Chang'an, and assigned them a new task.

"Before you receive Grandfather and escort him out of the city, you shall first go do something!"

He would also ask Dong Zhong to inform the Guard General Wang She — strike first to gain the upper hand.

"Master of Fates Chen's leg is broken?" Diwu Lun gave a cold laugh. "Then I shall do him the favor of setting it for him!"

"How did the Marquis of Tongmu come to this?"

In Shangguan Ward in Chang'an, when the Master of Fates General Kong Ren suddenly heard that Chen Chong had broken a foot and that the post of army supervisor had landed on his own head, he was greatly alarmed and rushed to the Chen residence to pay a visit — in truth, to demand an explanation.

Chen Chong's leg was truly broken, squarely crushed by a cartwheel, the bone shattered. He was stroking it, groaning in pain. Although he had arranged for an empty cart, recovery would still take months, and for the rest of his life he would likely walk with a limp, leaning on a staff.

Just like old Yang Xiong, who back then had been chased by the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties and leaped from the Tianlu Pavilion.

But this was a necessary sacrifice, for if it were not broken...

"Then a few days from now, what would be broken would be my head!"

Chen Chong did not stint in judging Diwu Lun's hostility toward him with the utmost malice. Regardless of whether this appointment was a moment of imperial whimsy or Diwu Lun's own request, he absolutely could not go!

Kong Ren was somewhat skeptical, arguing that Diwu Lun would not dare go so far as to murder an army supervisor appointed by the Emperor. Chen Chong, however, shook his head and told him just how ruthless and merciless Diwu Lun truly was.

"I have heard that in New Qinzhong, several men who had grudges with Diwu Lun all died untimely deaths — some by assassination, some at the hands of barbarians. And in Wei, the Marquis of Yangping, Wang Mo, and others also met strange deaths at the hands of bandits..."

These were all cases far removed from the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties, difficult to investigate thoroughly, and without evidence — but each and every one was recorded in Chen Chong's mind.

Even if Zhuang Jia had not been late, would Sima Rangju have failed to find an excuse to kill him? Once inside his camp, Diwu Lun could casually find any pretext and slaughter them like chickens. Then he would simply report an 'encounter with bandits' — with the army already dispatched and on campaign, even if the Emperor was furious, he could do nothing.

Kong Ren, frightened by this, grew frantic: "If that is so, then the Marquis of Tongmu is harming me!"

As trusted confidants, they both knew Wang Mang's habits: to a general on campaign, he would profess trust with his lips while in fact assigning men to act as checks. With Chen Chong unable to go, the one to fill that role would naturally be Kong Ren — the very man who had once arrested Diwu Lun and thrown him in prison for interrogation!

If Diwu Lun truly dared kill Chen Chong, would he not dare kill him as well? Kong Ren was like an ant on a hot pan, utterly frantic. Unless...

He looked down at his own leg. Should he take a fall himself?

Chen Chong stopped him: "The reason I resorted to this desperate measure was to buy a few more days in Chang'an, so that I might detect proof of Diwu Lun's treason!"

"Plotting rebellion?" Kong Ren was shocked. Diwu Lun had lately enjoyed considerable imperial favor; since entering the capital, he had been summoned twice for private audiences, with others dismissed, and the Emperor had shown him much regard. Why would Diwu Lun rebel?

Yet in the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties, a man needed no reason, no motive, to rebel. Even one who originally had no such intent — like Wang Mang's 'sacred grandson,' that Duke of Gongchong, Wang Zong — could be convicted, so long as enough fabricated evidence was produced!

"Everyone says Diwu Lun is a loyal servant of the Xin. I alone hold otherwise."

"The Guard General Wang She, neither kin nor old friend to Diwu Lun, suddenly requested his transfer back to Chang'an and entrusted him with heavy responsibility. The connection between the two may have been made through the Ximen clan of Ye County."

It was precisely for this reason that Wang Mang had rejected Chen Chong's proposed candidate, the Master of Records Grandee Tian Kuang. On the principle that the enemy of one's enemy is one's friend, ever since Tian Kuang, out of 'public duty,' had prevented Diwu Lun's old unit, the Boar-Rush Braves, from crossing the Puban Ford, Chen Chong had gotten chummy with him.

"The Grand Marshal Dong Zhong has always been greedy and venal, colluding with the Office of the Receiver of Words to pocket pay for many phantom soldiers. Yet this time, regarding what Diwu Lun's army requires, he has not embezzled or obstructed in the slightest, but instead has wholeheartedly assisted. When something is out of the ordinary, there is always something fishy."

"The Linqu Ward is selling coal briquettes in the markets. With midsummer approaching, purchases of coal should have dropped sharply, yet the delivery carts are not few — another major point of suspicion."

For this reason, Chen Chong had ordered his partisans to keep a close watch on the Northern Watchtower Mansions where Diwu Ba resided, but so far they had discovered nothing unusual.

These scattered 'suspicious points,' though all connected to Diwu Lun, could not possibly constitute any evidence at all.

Chen Chong, who had spent years rooting out treachery for Wang Mang, had keenly sensed something amiss, but for the moment could not lay hold of the crux. Thus he could only resort to this desperate measure — remaining in Chang'an by means of a fall from a horse and a cart accident, while making Kong Ren take the fall in his place.

To avoid being killed by Diwu Lun as a sacrifice to the banners, the cornered Kong Ren had no choice but to assist Chen Chong in finding evidence of Diwu Lun's treason.

But wasn't Diwu Lun's campaign this time a matter of life and death for the Xin?

Chen Chong, however, dismissed this: "Diwu Lun is merely a minor flanking force. What will truly decide victory or defeat is the Grand Minister of Works' army of several hundred thousand. I expect that a mere pack of bandit rabble will inevitably be ground to dust."

Some believed the Xin was doomed; others firmly believed the court could still hold out. Chen Chong was among the latter. He did not believe in any popular sentiment or Mandate of Heaven. Numerous as the Red Eyebrows were, they were merely a replay of the popular uprisings under Emperor Wu of Han. The Greenwood, though claiming to restore the Han, had only wreaked havoc across three commanderies — far from the scale of Zhai Yi's rebellion.

The present peril, precarious as a pile of eggs, was entirely due to military failures. As soon as the Grand Minister of Works launched his offensive and, with the prowess of a famed general, beheaded the rebels, those fence-sitting powerful families would settle down. Then, once Wang Mang died, Chen Chong would support his bastard son Wang Xing's succession, change course, abolish the Wang Fields and the Five Equalizations and Six Monopolies, lower taxes, and the realm would be at peace of its own accord.

So even if the army's departure was delayed, it would do no harm to the overall situation.

But Diwu Lun was about to march any day now — in these scant few days, how could they find evidence of his treason?

"We don't need conclusive proof."

Chen Chong had done this sort of thing far too many times. He said, "For a suspicious Son of Heaven, 'perhaps there is' is enough to strip Diwu Lun of his military authority!"

How did the deposed Crown Prince Wang Lin die? Did that cowardly son truly have the nerve to raise a blade against Wang Mang? Perhaps the thought crossed his mind, but without the evidence Chen Chong laid out, the charge that the Crown Prince harbored resentment and plotted treason would have been hard to sustain.

Kong Ren grasped the implication at once. "Why not send someone to denounce Diwu Lun by anonymous letter, saying he colluded with the State Preceptor Duke Liu Xin, intending to rise in revolt, seize the Emperor, and surrender to the Han army."

Chen Chong shook his head. Therein lay the difficulty. "His Majesty would never believe Diwu Lun would surrender to the Han!"

"You should know, when His Majesty first summoned Diwu Lun to court, he even wished to change his general's title and appoint him 'Grand General Who Subjugates the Han'!"

But Wang Mang also realized — would that not be tantamount to acknowledging that the southern rebels who had usurped a title were the "Han"? It was truly improper, so he abandoned the idea.

Diwu Lun had, on Wang Mang's behalf, crushed and destroyed two Han-restoration rebel forces — those of Lu Fang and Li Yan. In the Emperor's eyes, he was a loyal subject of the Xin, steadfast as iron. This charge was far too absurd; no one would believe it.

The two men schemed through the night and found themselves at a complete loss. It was not until the following day, the twenty-second day of the fifth month, when Kong Ren had no choice but to proceed to the Northern Army's Garrison Cavalry encampment to serve as army supervisor and march with them to Lantian, that Chen Chong finally received a critical piece of intelligence!

"A servant of the Grand Marshal Dong Zhong and a personal attendant of the State Preceptor Duke have been meeting in secret, by the market ward?"

Although Chen Chong had temporarily set aside his duties as Master of Fates due to his injury, his partisans still reported all manner of news to his residence. Upon learning of this, he roused himself with a hundredfold vigor and ordered his partisans to follow them at once. At their next secret meeting, they were to arrest them immediately and employ the methods of the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties — even if there was no crime, they could interrogate one into existence!

"Tomorrow, Diwu Lun will enter the city for his final audience with His Majesty."

"The day after, he is to be granted the axe and tally before the Nine Temples in the southern suburb and ordered to set out on campaign."

Chen Chong and Kong Ren could only seize this last window of two days.

Yet what Chen Chong had not anticipated was that he would not even have those short two days.

At dusk on the twenty-second, the General of the Guard Wang She, who was responsible for the night guard at the Xuanwu Gate of the palace, reported to Wang Mang a matter that shook the entire court.

"Someone in the market ward delivered an anonymous letter of accusation to the General of the Guard's residence, stating that the Grand Governor of the Shivei Commandery, Tian Kuang, harbors resentment and intends to plot treason with the Marquis Who Unifies Harmony, Chen Chong — with the Shivei Commandery and several regiments of the Northern Army revolting outside, and Chen Chong answering from within!"

"Those wretches intend to slay the sovereign, then support the imperial prince, the Duke of Meritorious Cultivation Wang Xing, to ascend the throne! The day of His Majesty's grand wedding shall be the moment they wield their blades!"

PS: Back in my hometown with a lot going on, apologies for the delay.

Tomorrow's update will be at 13:00.