Chapter 28: A trifecta of traitor, lackey, and corrupt official? What a talent!

"What is the Ascension Festival?"

In the clear spring pool of the back garden, under the glow of orange lanterns, Xue Yuan asked Jian Qi while wiping his body with a towel.

"You've forgotten even this?"

Jian Qi sat in the pavilion by the pool, a book held in his hands, and replied without looking up, "It is the day your ancestor ascended to heaven."

Xue Yuan remembered. Over a hundred years ago, on the day the founding Martial Emperor passed away, it was said that celestial cranes circled above the palace and golden light suddenly appeared. The Imperial Board of Astronomy declared this a sign that the Martial Emperor’s merits were complete, signifying his transformation into a deity.

From then on, this day was designated as the "Ascension Festival," one of the three major holidays of the Great Qian Dynasty.

On that day, besides various folk celebrations, the highlight was the grand Ascension Ceremony held by feudal princes in their respective territories, leading local officials and noted scholars to pray for the Martial Emperor’s protection over the peace and prosperity of the nation.

Just then, a fawning laugh echoed from the dim path.

"Hehehe, the Prince is truly magnificent and divine, a dragon among men, like a jade tree standing in the wind!"

Xue Yuan looked toward the sound and saw Qin Santai perform a sliding kneel at the edge of the pool.

"This student pays respects to the Prince!"

Xue Yuan had ordered for Qin Santai to be brought here, but seeing his current state, Xue Yuan thought... he actually quite admired it!

Doesn't he look exactly like a sycophantic, treacherous official? If he were given a high-ranking position, wouldn't he turn the Great Qian upside down?

"Very good. Come, come, join me for a soak!" Xue Yuan said with a chuckle.

Qin Santai didn't hesitate, immediately stripped off his clothes, and jumped in with a splash.

Xue Yuan asked with a smile, "Tell me, today at the Yuxing Silk Store warehouse, none of the other guards dared to speak up, so why were you so fierce?"

Qin Santai replied with an air of righteousness, "Reporting to the Prince! As a member of the Prince’s estate, this student must maintain the dignity of the house. As the saying goes, a scholar dies for one who appreciates him. If I lacked even that bit of courage, I would be unworthy of being a man of letters..."

Jian Qi, listening from the side, could take no more and said coldly, "If you don't want to die, tell the truth!"

Qin Santai shrank back in fear and quickly blurted out, "The truth... the truth is that this student knew Master Jian Qi could fight, so standing up at that moment was safe, and perhaps—just perhaps—I might have earned some appreciation!"

With the floodgates open, Qin Santai gritted his teeth and added, "This student has studied hard for twenty years, hoping that passing the provincial examination would allow me to realize my ambitions, but life is full of irony! Because my family is poor and I have no connections at the top, I remain a mere candidate for magistrate, with no idea how many more years I might wait! I know well that we are like blades of grass; if we want to rise, we must have a noble benefactor to give us a hand! I want to rise, so I chose to gamble!"

After hearing this, Xue Yuan held him in even higher regard. With such observational skills and such a desperate craving for power, he was the perfect candidate for a corrupt official!

Xue Yuan glanced at Jian Qi, signaling him to continue questioning.

Jian Qi asked, "Since you are so short on money and work in the estate's accounting office, why didn't you embezzle the estate's silver like the others?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Santai jumped back onto the shore and kowtowed to Xue Yuan.

"Prince, please forgive me. This student... actually embezzled thirty-five taels and three maces! But I kept the books so meticulously that Miss Su never noticed!"

Xue Yuan narrowed his eyes, really looking at him now.

***

Good heavens, he could cook the books so well that even Su Ruowei couldn't find a flaw? Does this guy have the innate constitution of a corrupt official?

So, he's a treacherous minister, a crooked official, and a corrupt thief all rolled into one? Xue Yuan now understood why the system labeled him with "Prosperous Official Fortune."

"He just lacks a stepping stone! If I put him in the position of magistrate and give him plenty of money to grease the wheels, how far could he climb?" Xue Yuan couldn't wait to see.

Jian Qi asked, "And the money?"

Qin Santai said, "The money was used to pay for my mother's medical treatment! My mother suffers from chronic asthma; without medicine... she would be gone! I have a doctor who can testify. If I have spoken half a lie, let the heavens strike me down, and may I never be an official for all eternity!"

Xue Yuan believed he was telling the truth. After all, for him, the curse of never being an official was likely the heaviest one possible. Furthermore, his status tags included "Pitied by the Prince" and "Filial to his mother," combined with the most important "Knows how to repay kindness," meaning his basic nature wasn't entirely rotten. He had simply been forced into this state by the world.

Xue Yuan smiled faintly and said, "Santai, there is one truth you haven't told."

"Prince, I..."

"You seemed to realize that I am not a fool—or at least, that there is a possibility I am not—which is why you took that gamble, isn't that right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have explained yourself to me, a 'fool,' but rather to Jian Qi!"

At these words, Qin Santai felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He trembled all over and quickly kowtowed, hitting his head against the ground with a thud.

"Prince, spare me! This student knows nothing! I truly know nothing! I have a seventy-year-old mother at home. I beg the Prince to spare my life; I am willing to serve as your beast of burden to repay your kindness!"

Indeed, he hadn't been sure whether the Prince was genuinely slow-witted or just pretending. He had only deduced it was a possibility through secret observation of details, which is why he took the risk! But he knew that if the Prince were indeed pretending, he had to act ignorant, otherwise, he might be silenced. He had thought his deception was perfect, but he never expected that a small detail exposed in his panic would be caught by the Prince!

He felt a deep sense of awe rising from the bottom of his heart.

Xue Yuan looked at the pale-faced Qin Santai and felt the purpose of the intimidation had been achieved. Although he carried the "Repays Kindness" tag, he was too much of a schemer; Xue Yuan felt it necessary to show him that he was not the lesser of the two. Of course, he had already decided to do whatever it took to put Qin Santai in the magistrate's chair in Ningzhou.

But as a good boss, he never made empty promises before things were done. He smiled slightly and said, "Come down, let's soak. I never said I was going to kill you."

Qin Santai was stunned, staring blankly at Xue Yuan for several moments before kowtowing once more. "Thank you for your grace in not killing me, Prince!"

When he raised his head, blood was already seeping from his forehead.

***

Xue Yuan sighed inwardly, remembering the times when he, too, was as humble as a blade of grass on Blue Star. Who isn't struggling just as hard to survive?

After Qin Santai got back into the water, he immediately took the towel from Xue Yuan and began to scrub his back. Xue Yuan thought, if I were the Emperor, I would love a minister like this too!

Just then, a guard came to report. "Prince, disaster! County Commandant Zhou Shen has surrounded our estate with a large force!"

"What?"

Xue Yuan rubbed his chin, thinking, what is that corrupt official Li Yuanwang trying to pull now?

Jian Qi put down his book and asked coldly, "Shall I go take care of him?"

Xue Yuan felt things weren't that simple. He noticed Qin Santai’s shifty eyes darting around, as if he were brewing a pot of malice. Remembering that this man was also a "crooked official," Xue Yuan withheld his orders and asked, "Santai, it’s known that these goods were seized from Li Yuanwang as stolen property, and now he has surrounded my estate. Help me think—what is his intention?"

Qin Santai felt his blood surge! The Prince was asking for his strategy—he was going to be put to use! After his brain spun rapidly, he said, "Reporting to the Prince, if I were Li Yuanwang, surrounding the estate is only the first step! Next, I would watch to see if Jian Qi makes a move. If he kills the soldiers, it involves the military, and I could immediately petition General Ning'an to send troops to suppress it! Jian Qi cannot defeat an army alone and would be forced to flee, allowing me to take over the estate. Once that happens, the Prince would be a dragon trapped in the shallows, and regardless of your hidden talents or intellect, you would be at my mercy!"

Xue Yuan nodded in appreciation. "You can omit the flattery, continue."

"Yes, Prince!" Qin Santai added, "If Jian Qi does not move, then on the day of the Ascension Festival, when both you and Jian Qi are away from the estate, I would have people openly enter and seize the goods! Since the estate guards are men of Qian Zhongxian, they would not dare to stop me!"

Xue Yuan nodded again. "That's a damn overt scheme! What are your thoughts?"

Qin Santai immediately said, "What Li Yuanwang fears most right now is us ignoring him! And not only ignoring him, but if we simply refuse to attend the Ascension Ceremony altogether! The powerful families of Ningzhou will surely ask why, and we will spread the word that the County Commandant has surrounded the estate and we cannot leave! Once this reaches outside of Ningzhou, other regional princes will surely impeach Li Yuanwang! The princes are powerful now, and the Emperor is desperate to win them over, so even if he favors Li Yuanwang, under such pressure, he will have no choice but to punish him!"

Xue Yuan looked at Qin Santai with growing appreciation, thinking that this man truly understood human nature and the political landscape of the court. However, mere punishment for Li Yuanwang was not enough!

"What if I tell you that I also have letters proving Li Yuanwang is colluding with Prince Yu and engaging in corruption?"

Qin Santai’s pupils contracted. After pondering for a moment, he said resolutely, "If you have those letters, this student has at least three lethal strategies! No matter which one we use, if it doesn't kill that dog-official, I am willing to offer my own head!"