SEHE Chapter 83.1

Backing (part 1)

“What on earth is going on? How did those students suddenly start causing trouble?” Pei Yanci asked as he followed the assistant instructor toward the site of the disturbance, trying to understand the situation.

Xu Du dared to act tyrannically at the Imperial Academy, not even putting Fang Qingdu in his eyes. Ordinary students had enough self-awareness not to provoke his bad temper.

“I don’t know either. It seemed to start over some trivial matter, and the original cause was lost long ago. Unexpectedly, more and more people joined in, and it evolved into two factions quarreling. If not for several erudite scholars blocking them, they would have started fighting.”

“Who is leading the other faction opposing Xu Du?”

“It’s the son of Jian Daren of the Dali Temple. This Jian Zeqian usually loves to exclude dissidents, recruiting students from weaker family backgrounds who might pass the examinations. He and idlers like Xu Du have always stayed out of each other’s way—I don’t know why they clashed this time.”

“Where are Qi Daren and Fang Daren?” Pei Yanci asked. Though his position was quite high, he had been here for such a short time that it wasn’t his turn to handle this matter.

This wretched place had neither power nor money, and relationships were complicated and intertwined. One misstep could offend someone, making things difficult to handle and people difficult to deal with.

“Qi Daren hasn’t arrived today. Fang Daren went to the Ministry of Rites, saying he wanted to introduce several new measures and discuss matters with the higher-ups.”

As expected, Fang Qingdu had also received an evaluation task from Qi Xiang.

For small measures internal to the Imperial Academy, they could announce and implement them themselves. But for matters related to enrollment, graduation, and the civil examinations, they needed the Ministry of Rites’ approval. Then the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy Chancellor would jointly present the prepared memorial to the Secretariat for review, and finally the Emperor would approve it with his vermilion brush.

In recent years, the Emperor hadn’t been managing affairs, so memorials were basically approved by Tang Xizhui on his behalf.

Tang Xizhui’s approval wasn’t a concern—it was just that the proper procedures had to be followed. Otherwise, this was called irregular, bypassing levels in reporting, violating taboos and offending the Ministry of Rites. The Imperial Academy’s future days would only become more difficult.

Thinking about Fang Qingdu’s matters, he followed the assistant instructor all the way to Juxian Pavilion. At the moment, there was a crowd of people here, many just watching the excitement. Around the lecture halls, people were still poking their heads out, clearly distracted.

The shouting and cursing in the middle of the crowd rose and fell. The assistant instructor was about to speak when Pei Yanci pulled him back and shook his head slightly.

Xu Du’s voice, full of vigor, was louder than anyone else’s. “Do you fucking have any right to manage my affairs? How I choose to spend my days at the Imperial Academy is my business. Whether I’m fighting or sleeping, if it bothers you, close those dog eyes of yours. Your Zheng family master hasn’t even thrown you a bone, yet here you are rushing to bark. Tsk tsk tsk, come here, one tael of silver—go play somewhere else. No need to thank me.”

“You, you, you are simply vulgar and rude! Utterly stupid!” Everyone present was a scholar—how could they tolerate such crude insults? Especially Jian Zeqian, who considered himself halfway into the court now that he had entered the Imperial Academy, still remembering to use idioms even now. “If not for relying on your father’s military merits, do you think you could enter the Imperial Academy? You don’t work diligently or strive for improvement, and you keep damaging the Imperial Academy’s reputation. Associating with you brings shame to all the earnest students here!”

“Yes, ashamed to associate with you! Get expelled!”

“Get expelled!”

“You and your gang of unscrupulous friends should all be expelled!”

“The Imperial Academy is a sacred place for scholars. You crude military man shouldn’t be allowed to study here at all!”

“My father is a first-rank Grand General of Swift Cavalry. Where do you sixth or seventh-rank sesame-seed officials get off speaking? Be careful or I’ll have my father strip you of your positions!”

“Even if sixth or seventh rank, they properly tested in, unlike you lot who all bought your way in with silver. You’re all scum!”

“You’re the one who bought your way in with silver! I also properly tested in! Who are you looking down on? Rather, it’s you people who put on airs all day, looking very studious, when you barely recognized any characters when you first enrolled.”

“Student Xu, you should listen to our advice and withdraw. These past two years, there have indeed been some rumors circulating outside. At least we can’t confirm the reputation, right?”

“Are we purely to blame? When the Imperial Academy was collecting silver, you were delighted and didn’t consider reputation. How is it that now I can’t stay here?” Xu Du’s eyes turned red with anger. He and his usual twenty or so companions were now surrounded by several dozen teachers and students, their voices hoarse from shouting.

Offending one person, he could threaten to force them to withdraw or be dismissed. But to incur the wrath of the masses was another matter entirely—now even he panicked.

“That surnamed Xu is just occupying an Imperial Academy spot to gild himself. Isn’t he disgusting? We burn the midnight oil studying hard every day, creating the current reputation, while he relies on power and position to act recklessly and ruins everything in one stroke. In the end, the dirty water is splashed on us too—what kind of logic is this?”

“Speaking of which, it’s also the Imperial Academy’s fault. These past two years, for money, they’ve been accepting all sorts of rotten people.”

“That’s true. If not for the Imperial Academy…”

“Everyone shut up!”

A furious shout struck from the outer edge of the crowd straight to the center.

Pei Yanci used several degrees of internal energy in this angry shout, and the surroundings immediately quieted down.

Dozens of pairs of eyes looked at him in unison.

Originally, the two factions were cursing each other, but the topic gradually shifted to blaming the Imperial Academy. If he let them argue it out clearly, with all arrows pointing at the Imperial Academy once they unified, things would be even harder to handle.

“You still know this is a sacred place for scholars? What is all this shouting about? Erudite scholars, detain Xu Du and Jian Zeqian, along with those who were shouting curses just now—take them all to the Three Departments’ Disciplinary Hall.”

Pei Yanci pointed one by one at those who had jumped the most fiercely with the two leaders. The erudite scholars who had been breaking up the fight, hearing his order, didn’t dare delay and quickly asked them to leave.

“Everyone move aside, move aside. Everyone else, quickly return to the lecture halls.” The erudite scholars, sweating profusely, dispersed the crowd.

Those watching the excitement and the small fry who had been adding momentum and support hesitantly left, all discussing Pei Yanci in low voices.

“Who is that guy? He scared me just now.”

“Don’t know. Such strong presence—I was stunned, thought he was going to execute me on the spot.”

“It’s normal you were stunned. I saw Xu Du and Young Master Jian were stunned too. They probably didn’t react in time and were taken away directly, hahaha…”

“This is Vice Chancellor Pei. He arrived less than half a month ago.”

“Vice Chancellor? Same level as old Fang? He looks quite young—about the same age as us, right?”

“Good heavens, holding office at such a young age—he didn’t buy his way in, did he?”

“I heard the Zheng family recommended him…”

“No wonder… Young and inexperienced. Xu Du and Young Master Jian will teach him the rules…”

“This Imperial Academy is truly getting more and more confused. The students they accept are all mixed up, and now even the people they appoint are like this…”

Pei Yanci ignored their discussions, having the erudite scholars take away the students who had instigated the trouble while he brought up the rear. Suddenly sensing something, he looked up.

Above the center of where the trouble occurred, in a tree, a black-clothed youth sat with arms crossed.

This person really loved watching excitement.

“Xu Du is a gift for you.” Qi Lan lazily yawned. “No need to thank me.”

“What do you mean?”

Qi Lan tilted his head. “Didn’t he offend you?”

Tree shade cast mottled patterns of light and dark on his head and wheat-colored face. Pei Yanci, looking up, couldn’t make out the expression on his face and squinted.

He had a sudden realization. “Today’s quarrel—did you instigate it?”

“Mm, Jian Zeqian is my man.”

Pei Yanci had previously had conflicts with Xu Du, even escalating to fighting, so this person delivered Xu Du into his hands to be dealt with as he pleased?

“Why would you help me?” Pei Yanci was somewhat puzzled. “We weren’t exactly on good terms before.”

Qi Lan had a look of “I know everything now,” confident and proud. “I want to bury the hatchet and discuss cooperation.”

“What do you mean?” He was even more confused. “Aren’t we already cooperating?”

The cooperation he spoke of wasn’t between the two of them, but between the Qinghe Zheng clan and the Princess’s Mansion.

After the polo match, Gu Yueqian openly stood with the Crown Prince’s faction, recruiting retainers for Gu Jiuqing.

This actually wasn’t surprising. Empress Zheng came from the Qinghe Zheng clan and was siblings with Zheng Qinglai. The children she bore were the former Crown Prince and Gu Yueqian. Later, after the former Crown Prince died tragically, Empress Zheng brought Gu Jiuqing out of the Cold Palace and supported him as Crown Prince for the sake of her maternal clan.

These people were originally a community with intertwined blood ties and interests.

So speaking of it, Qi Lan and Pei Yanci were nominally from the same faction.

Looking more closely, their internal relationships were also somewhat delicate.

The Dragon Boat Festival polo match was originally prepared by Gu Yueqian as a shocking debut for Qi Lan in the Great Yu court, but Gu Jiuqing sent him onto the field instead, and in the end, due to a narrow defeat, it didn’t achieve the expected effect.

As for Qi Lan entering the Imperial Academy, logically, since Pei Yanci was Minister Zheng’s adopted son, the Minister would at least say a few words asking him to look after Qi Lan on the surface. But Minister Zheng didn’t mention this matter at all, which meant he very likely didn’t know beforehand about Qi Lan entering the Imperial Academy.

Now, Qi Lan had arranged for Jian Zeqian to have a conflict with Xu Du, handing the right to judge to Pei Yanci, which was equivalent to giving him a favor, wanting to cooperate with him through this. It looked like he wanted to build a good relationship with him alone.

“I want a deeper level of cooperation.” Qi Lan’s hawk-like eyes were bright and dazzling. Looking down at the person below the tree from his high position, his gaze was stirring, like a leopard lazily sizing up prey completely unaware of its situation.

Pei Yanci was a hidden piece for the Zheng family. Zheng Qinglai had never communicated with them about him and kept downplaying this person’s existence, telling the Empress Dowager not to mind him—very likely a trump card to be used against them.

“Those people killed by your subordinates last night—consider them a gift of heads from me.” Qi Lan jumped down from the tree, standing upright before him, slowly circling around him at a distance of one step. “The previous polo match, and that time you misled Xu Du into thinking I was on your side—I won’t pursue these matters.”

“How truly grateful I am for Student Qi’s magnanimous tolerance.” Pei Yanci was listless, now also understanding who had collided with Tang Xizhui’s carriage last night.

But this person had misunderstood something.

“No need to be polite. Just know that we’re on the same side.” Qi Lan said proudly, walking a few steps before suddenly stopping. “The day after tomorrow is the fifteenth—the Zheng Manor’s monthly family banquet. Don’t forget.”

Pei Yanci frowned. Last month, this month—the Zheng family hadn’t mentioned this matter to him at all.

After thinking about it, he still pretended not to know. His status was awkward; going would only invite discomfort.

****

By the time he reached the Three Departments’ Disciplinary Hall, Xu Du, Jian Zeqian, and the five or six others had long since grown impatient with waiting.

“Pei, are your legs rusty? Even if you crawled, you should have crawled here by now.” Xu Du leaned crookedly in his chair, his whole body like a spread-out pancake.

“No respect for your elders. Sit properly.” He kicked his foot.

Xu Du reluctantly sat up straight, leaning against the chair back. His summer clothes were wrinkled beyond recognition and carried the smell of alcohol. “Well, whether it’s expulsion or whatever, it’s up to you. As long as you explain it clearly to my family and they can accept it, I don’t care.”

“Look at yourself. What do you look like?” An erudite scholar supervising them scolded disappointedly. “Even ordinary academies wouldn’t accept someone like you.”

“I’m fine. No need for an old fossil who’s about to be buried to worry about me.”

That erudite scholar’s face turned completely red, his nostrils flaring.

Pei Yanci had that erudite scholar continue watching them while he first took Jian Zeqian to the adjacent room.

“Sit.”

Jian Zeqian couldn’t quite gauge his intentions. As he sat, he said, “My father has always been grateful for Minister Zheng’s kindness in promoting him. This student happens to have arrived two years earlier than Vice Chancellor Pei. If you need anything done, Vice Chancellor, just give the order.”

He and Pei Yanci were from the same faction—they should help each other here.

“Then I’ll have you expelled. Minister Jian should have no objections either.”