Novel The Great Game - The Young Master (Ch.308) [finished]

Thanks for the chapter. I agree with Tortex she's too naive.Moreover the king looks to be one without any spine

 

“He's not so bad.”
--Natasha Romanoff, regarding The Hulk

Chapter 116 – Meanwhile

While Huang Ming and Sunli were away at the royal banquet, Qiong Ying was busy. Still in her Quan Lu persona, she took Zhen Tian the guard and Tian Zhu the former bandit to look into the matter of Huang Lang’s disappearance. The rough and rugged men looked extremely appropriate as bodyguards as they followed handsome Quan Lu into the busy streets of the capital. Such was the hustle and bustle of the city that few pedestrians could afford the time to stop and stare at Qiong Ying’s striking male disguise.


Eventually they arrived at a large manor, the home of someone wealthy. Not as grand as the Li Clan’s, but still respectable.


“I wish to speak with your master,” Quan Lu told the servant, who was sweeping the grounds. The servant was about to say something in annoyance when he looked up and saw Quan Lu’s stunning visage.


“Ah, eh, uh…” the servant said intelligently.


“Your master,” Quan Lu repeated patiently. “Is he in?”


The servant mumbled one thing or another and fled into the residence, causing Tian Zhu and Zhen Tian to snicker in amusement.


Quan Lu sighed. “Was it something I said?”


“No offense Sir Quan Lu, but your looks are quite uncommon,” the older Zhen Tian guffawed.


The younger Tian Zhu was less diplomatic, saying quite bluntly, “You’re the most feminine man I’ve ever seen.”


Quan Lu narrowed his eyes at them. “You two fancy yourselves as manly men, is that it?”


The two men blinked but knew better than to audibly agree. Fortunately for them, the servant reappeared to forestall any further interrogation. The servant wordlessly beckoned for them to follow him into the greeting hall, where the lady of the house was waiting.


The young woman was in her late teens, her eyes intelligent and worldly. She was not exceptionally beautiful, but there was an air of elegance that men respect and women yearn for. She was dressed in rich silk robes and there was an ornamental vermilion design pasted on her forehead, adding the colour of wisdom to her aura despite her youth.


Upon seeing Quan Lu, the young woman’s brows raised in recognition.


“Benefactor!” she called out emotionally.


Quan Lu cupped his hands. “You are looking well,” he said.


“All thanks to you,” the woman said, and bade the servants to withdraw to the corners of the hall. She led Quan Lu to the table and personally poured a cup of tea reverently.


Quan Lu drained the cup twice, and both times the woman stood in attendance like a serving girl to refill it. After the third cup had been filled, Quan Lu smiled.


“Enough. Sit down before your servants start to gossip,” Qiong Ying whispered in her real voice.


The young woman grinned and sat down across ‘Quan Lu’. “Benefactor,” she greeted respectfully.


‘Quan Lu’ grimaced. “Do not call me that any more, it makes me sound so old!”


“You saved my life, and I will forever be grateful,” the young woman insisted.


“You are already a grown woman, and also married. No need to be so differential to me,” Quan Lu smiled.


The young woman frowned and shook her head negatively. One could almost see her regret at not being able to pay her respects publicly to the one she had called benefactor.


Qiong Ying gazed at her face and memories flooded into her mind. The young woman before her was one of the many that she had rescued from dire circumstances and then housed at the Lichun. Little Yin the Silvermoon was her name, and she was one of Qiong Ying’s trusted confidants in the Lichun that knew of her disguises.


Little Yin’s talent and enthusiasm for herbalism was soon discovered and Qiong Ying spared no resources to have her educated and trained in the medicinal arts. Little Yin became skillful enough to be the in-house physician, an invaluable asset to the Lichun considering the nature of its business.


Eventually a reputable patron caught sight of her and after a period of courtship of mutual affection, was allowed to buy out her contract. On the day she left, Little Yin tearfully said her farewells to the Lichun and to her benefactor, the lady Qiong Ying. Now she was a grown woman with grace and poise, a far cry from the snivelling little girl she was when Qiong Ying first saw her.


“Benefactor, how is it that you are here?” Little Yin asked.


“I am in the capital for some business, and decided to look you up,” Qiong Ying said. Then she looked at Little Yin square in the eyes and asked quietly, “Are you treated well? Are you happy?”


A smile blossomed on Little Yin’s face. “Yes, I am happy,” she said, and Qiong Ying knew that she was completely honest. Little Yin was positively radiant, the sort of glow that could not be faked.


A weighty stone lifted from Qiong Ying’s heart as one of her worries was dispelled. Despite her intelligence, Little Yin was after all someone from the Lichun, it would not be uncommon for someone of her lowly status to be bullied and ill-treated at her new home. But from the looks of things, Little Yin commanded respect and admiration in the new household.


Little Yin raised her eyes and saw the two unfamiliar men that had accompanied her benefactor. Tian Zhu and Zhen Tian were outside idling.


“Are you in trouble?” Little Yin asked.


Qiong Ying laughed softly. “No, they are my helpers.”


“Helpers? What is the matter?” Little Yin asked worriedly.


Qiong Ying lowered her voice even further. “You remember the one they called the Celestial Qilin?”


Little Yin nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! The most handsome man of Tianxin City,” she gushed. Then she blinked, before giving Qiong Ying a sly smile. “Benefactor, do you fancy him?”


Qiong Ying rolled her eyes. “He is already married,” she droned.


“Oh. A pity,” Little Yin muttered in slight disappointment. If they were in a private place, Qiong Ying would have rapped her knuckles on Little Yin’s head.


“I thought you said you’re happy,” Qiong Ying said dryly with half-lidded eyes.


“This and that are different,” Little Yin replied unabashedly, causing Qiong Ying to laugh.


“You little rascal, you have really changed.”


“Benefactor, what was that about Huang Lang?” Little Yin asked.


“I, ah, actually travelled to the capital with his youngest brother, Huang Ming,” Qiong Ying began.


A look of horror surfaced on Little Yin’s face. “Huang Ming? The beast? But why!”


Qiong Ying waved her off. “Don’t worry, let’s just say that the truth is far from the rumours,” she said quickly. There was a look of disbelief on Little Yin, but the young woman decided not to interrupt. Surely her wise benefactor knew better… right?


Qiong Ying did not know whether to laugh or cry at the doubtful look on the young woman.


“He’s the same Huang Ming the Hero of Tigertrap Pass,” Qiong Ying clarified.


“What?” Little Yin blurted in astonishment.


Qiong Ying didn’t want to be bogged down, so she quickly plunged ahead. “His brother Huang Lang came to the capital before him, and they were supposed to meet. But Huang Lang has disappeared, and I am helping Huang Ming to look for him.”


Little Yin nodded. “I understand. This time, let me help you,” she said warmly.

Repaying the favour,
To one’s saviour.​

 

“Why won't those stupid idiots let me in their crappy club for jerks?”
--Homer Simpson

Chapter 117 – The dark hands

Within the Prime Minister’s residence, there was a secret gathering. In attendance was Prime Minister Tong Xuan, his nephew Lord Fang La and finally, the Handsome Scholar Nangong Xie.


Nangong Xie briefed them about the acrimonious meeting between Princess Wu Liying and Huang Ming. The scholar could hardly contain the glee off his face as he described their collision of ideals.


“The princess does not trust Huang Ming at all, she ignored his warnings about Jin and did not approve of his methods during the campaign in Wei. Prime Minister, your prediction was right,” Nangong Xie concluded, bowing deeply in flattery.


The Prime Minister smirked, immeasurably pleased at being validated.


“Haha! But it was also partly due to your efforts, Sir Nangong! The princess was always suspicious of me, but with your help we are able to nudge her way of thinking,” he said.


Nangong Xie beamed and bowed once more.


At the side, Fang La curled his lips cynically as he watched his uncle and the scholar congratulate each other. He never liked Nangong Xie, having only took him on as a hanger-on to deal with the Huangs while in Tianxin City. But the plan to seize military command from General Huang Zheng went awry, and Fang La had to bring Nangong Xie to the capital with him so as to corroborate and explain the failure.


Who knew that Nangong Xie would worm his way into his uncle’s inner circle? At first the scholar would stand attentively like a lowly clerk.


Having known about the Prime Minister’s conflict with Marshal Gao Fang, the scholar volunteered himself to be attached to Marshal Gao’s ill-fated expedition into Wei to act as the Prime Minister’s eyes and ears. The botched kidnapping job on the Huangs was also planned by him. Had it succeeded, Nangong Xie and the marshal would have benefited. But it failed, and despite Marshal Gao marching away into Wei right after; there were still salacious rumours about the entire affair. Yet, Nangong Xie himself was not implicated. Nobody knew the true extent of his culpability.


Later when Marshal Gao went into battle, Nangong Xie managed to slip away unscathed once more. He had remained in camp while the Wu army was being slaughtered by Wei’s General Ran Wei, and managed to retreat safely. In the height of irony, it was Huang Ming’s strategy to retake Tigertrap Pass from Marshal Gao’s lackeys and allow the defeated Wu soldiers home that had saved Nangong Xie.


Far from being grateful, the Handsome Scholar felt a burning jealousy. How was it that the wastrel Huang Ming became a strategist hero? Why did he keep emerging from the ashes and come out all the better?


From then on, Nangong Xie worked actively against the Huangs. Once more he volunteered himself, this time to influence Princess Wu Liying. Prime Minister Tong Xuan had already laid the groundwork, and the presence of a ‘neutral minor official’ giving pacifist advice was enough to turn the princess around.


In a way, Marshal Gao Fang had harmed the country in more ways that he could possibly know: the way he had moulded and utilized the army into his personal domain was enough to make the princess mistrustful of any military officer, good or bad. When Nangong Xie presented the idea that the royal court should centralize military command from the powerful generals such General Huang Zheng to prevent another Marshal Gao from rising, it was music to her ears.


This was what Prime Minister Tong Xuan had wanted as well, and so Nangong Xie became crucial in his plans.


As the Handsome Scholar’s star was ascending, Fang La’s own was descending.


Fang La was initially dismissive of Nangong Xie, but no longer. The Handsome Scholar was no longer just a subordinate, but had elevated himself to be a valued advisor of Prime Minister Tong Xuan. At first he was just a sycophant. Now? Now he was a trusted strategist… and dangerous. Fang La did himself no favours with his failure at Tianxin City. His uncle began to distrust him more and more, especially since his uncle found out about his admiration towards Huang Ming’s poetry. Nangong Xie had merely narrated the events at the Lichun as part of his detailed report, but Fang La now saw that it was a deliberate and subtle sabotage.


Thus, Fang La could only sit back and stew in his disgruntlement as Nangong Xie played up to his uncle.


“Nephew, why do you look so sour?” Tong Xuan asked, noting the glowering look on his face.


Fang La took a deep breath to compose himself. “I am worried about Huang Ming. He has proven himself to be quite resourceful,” he said.


Tong Xuan stroked his beard. “Yes… I did not expect him to embarrass the Jin ambassador at the royal banquet,” he murmured.


Fang La clenched his teeth at the mention of the royal banquet. He was present and saw everything that had happened there… from the minor seats. His uncle did not even want to exert his influence to give Fang La a better placement at such a high profile event. The only consolation was that Nangong Xie was not even invited to attend, but being relegated to the peanut gallery was still akin to a slap to the face. His uncle had explained that it was to prevent him from being recognized by Huang Ming, but Fang La took it as a subtle rebuke and a sign of his declining importance in his uncle’s eyes.


“Princess Wu Liying mentioned this as well,” Nangong Xie helpfully interjected himself into the conversation. “She fears Huang Ming might be promoted further by the king for upholding the country’s honour during the banquet.


Prime Minister Tong Xuan grunted. He had already dissuaded the king from appointing the father General Huang Zheng as the new Marshal of the Army, but he couldn’t use the same arguments when it came to the son.


“Perhaps we should distract Huang Ming while he is here in the capital. Give him an impossible task, and then use his failure to ward off the possibility of advancement,” Fang La suggested.


“A very good plan, but what if he succeeds?” Nangong Xie said, his forehead creasing with worry. Fang La could barely contain his rage, it was obvious that the scholar was already pouring scorn over his idea.


“If it needs be, we can simply have him removed permanently,” Fang La growled.


His uncle the prime minister nodded and Nangong Xie brightened, pleased at the thought of Huang Ming’s demise. But to Fang La, the happy look on the scholar’s face was infuriating, why was he trying to justify his plans to Nangong Xie? It made him feel all the smaller in the presence of his uncle. It lit a fire in Fang La, and he felt the need to prevent Nangong Xie from stepping over his head once more.


“I think I have just the problem for our young strategist to choke on,” Fang La said, his eyes glinting.


Upon reflection later, even Fang La was unsure whether he had meant Huang Ming or Nangong Xie.

Dark conspiracies,
Preying on insecurities.​

 

Thanks for the chapter.

 

Thanks for the chapter

 

Update: My computer gave up the ghost today (Sunday of all days) and thus I have no computer access. I'll have to ask a professional on Monday and see if the problem can be fixed quickly.

Typing on mobile is such a pain...

 

you can persevere!!!

 

I am crying. T-T

 

“You're it, quitsies!”
--Lloyd Christmas, ‘Dumb & Dumber’

Chapter 118 – Official

Again Huang Ming was summoned to the palace, this time in an official capacity. This was no banquet he was attending, but an actual session of the royal court. He had barely enough time to digest his less than cordial encounter with Princess Wu Liying, and here he was, already ordered to face her father the king once more.


‘She doesn’t seem like someone who would cry and complain to her dad, so I think this has nothing to do with that,’ Huang Ming thought to himself, and he had cheerfully accepted the summons despite Sunli’s misgivings. Besides, it was not as if he had a choice in the matter.


As for Qiong Ying, who knows? The woman who was still disguised as Quan Lu had been going out regularly, escorted by the two burly men that Huang Ming had recruited. From their reports, it seemed that ‘Quan Lu’ had been visiting many different places in the capital. Huang Ming was at least gratified that she was putting in effort to search for his brother Huang Lang, though he was dubious when they mentioned places like gambling dens and other places of vice…


Huang Ming was led to his designated seat in the throne room where the royal court was held. His seat was nestled within the ranks of the minor officials who were still assembling before the king’s arrival. Due to his high profile display at the banquet, Huang Ming received odd looks from the various attendants. A few deigned to smile and nod at him, grateful that he had stood up and foiled the Jin ambassador’s effort to embarrass their kingdom; but there were also cold looks of envy and distrust.


Huang Ming could only smile wryly. He recognized the looks. As the saying goes, the nail that sticks out will be hammered down. There will always be those who cannot bear the success of others.


“Do not mind them, they are just petty little people who are jealous of you,” a guttural voice cackled. A few bureaucrats who were giving Huang Ming the evil eye looked past him and hurriedly shuffled away, like rats frightened away by some bigger animal.


But when Huang Ming turned around, he saw that the one who spoke was a wrinkly old man half his size, hardly someone who could inspire such fear. His back was bent, his hair was snow white and fraying and he required a walking staff to aid his movement. Yet his eyes still gleamed with vigor, and his stately robes and headdress indicated his high rank.


Huang Ming bowed deferentially to the old man. “You are..?”


The old man nodded in return. “This one is called Yuan,” he said as he rocked the end of his walking staff on the polished floor, making imperfections on the surface. Huang Ming imagined that the eunuch or servant who was in charge of cleanliness suffering a twitch if he saw what the old man was doing.


“Sir Yuan,” Huang Ming greeted with another bow.


“Do not be so stuffy,” the old man grumbled and rolled his eyes. “I lament the amount of time we have wasted bowing to each other, when there is so much work to be done!”


Huang Ming chuckled, liking the old man already.


“Old Man Yuan,” he tried again, and this time the old man smiled with approval.


“Much better. Don’t go around giving bows to simply anyone,” the old man said.


“I am but a junior, and all organizations have their hierarchy and proper places for newcomers,” Huang Ming said modestly.


“Pfaugh. A junior in age, perhaps. You have achieved far more merit for the country during the banquet than these bags of fart despite their lifetime of service!” Old Man Yuan snorted.


“It is but some trifling tricks,” Huang Ming replied, struggling to prevent a smirk from rising on his face due to the old man’s language.


“Hold your head high, you have done well for our country. Young man, you should have more pride in yourself,” Old Man Yuan said. Then he added with a sly smile, “Besides, you won’t be a junior much longer.”


Before Huang Ming could ask for clarification, a gong was rung three times to signal the imminent arrival of the king. The officials hastily took to their seats, and Huang Ming could see Old Man Yuan shuffling his way to the front. Not at the same level as Prime Minister Tong Xuan, but still quite prominent. Huang Ming’s inference was right: Old Man Yuan really was a high ranking official.


In fact, Huang Ming could see the prime minister exchanging glances and murmured greetings with Old Man Yuan. He was too far away to make out what was being said, but from the looks on their faces and body language it was obvious that the two men harbored no great fondness for each other.


‘So he’s someone from the anti-Prime Minister faction,’ Huang Ming mused.


Then the king entered, guided by discreet eunuchs. Huang Ming aped the officials all around him by bowing to the king.


“Long live the king! Long live the king!”


The king nodded in acknowledgment almost wearily. Looking as pale and sickly as before, the king slowly sat down and with a wave of his hand, began the court session.


Then Huang Ming discovered the mind-numbingly slow and boring nature of courtly affairs in the Kingdom of Wu. Each official would shuffle forward, bow, give the usual long-winded salutations before the actual memorial. Accounts of the treasury, the military, agriculture, irrigation and civil works…


Each spoken report was delivered ceremoniously at a snail’s pace and Huang Ming wondered how anything got done. The King of Wu himself barely said a word the whole morning, merely nodding in dismissal after the end of every report. There was no sign of the king wanting to question the memorials. He acted and behaved in an aloof manner, utterly detached from the day-to-day affairs of his kingdom, that such dreary details were beneath him.


‘Who is actually running the country?’ Huang Ming thought.


Just when the sensation of pins and needles on his kneeling legs were starting to become unbearable, there was a change of pace..


Old Man Yuan laboriously moved forward, his walking stick making dull thumps on the floor. ‘The person in charge of polishing the floor must be tearing his hair out,’ Huang Ming thought bemusedly.


The king stirred, the first sign of actual involvement in the court session.


“Grand Tutor Yuan, do you have a proposal?” the king asked respectfully. It was a simple question, but considering that it was the first time the whole session that the king actually asked instead of just listening passively; it was a powerful statement to Old Man Yuan’s influence.


“Your Majesty, I propose that Huang Ming of Tianxin City to be rewarded for his efforts,” Old Man Yuan said. He purposefully left out explaining the actual ‘efforts’, there was no need to officially sanction Huang Ming’s less than delicate handling of Lord Aidi the Jin ambassador.


The king nodded, and his dull eyes lit up with life.


Huang Ming realized that this was planned: the king was waiting all morning for Old Man Yuan to make the proposal. ‘Grand Tutor Yuan,’ Huang Ming mentally amended, now that his true rank was revealed.


“Indeed, We are very pleased by his performance in the banquet,” the king said in approval. “But what sort of reward would suit him?”


“Your Majesty, my bones are creaking and my skin is drying, my eyes are dimming and my breathing is shallow. I am old, and I fear I can no longer keep up with the princess,” Grand Tutor Yuan said. He coughed to add emphasis to his words.


“Grand Tutor Yuan, what are you saying? Do you wish to retire?” the king asked with concern.


Grand Tutor Yuan nodded. Then he stood a little straighter and thumped his walking stick on the ground to command absolute attention. Once more Huang Ming pitied whoever had to clean the floor later.


“Huang Ming has demonstrated his skill in the arts of war and diplomacy, I feel he is a suitable candidate to be the new Grand Tutor for Princess Wu Liying!”


There was an uproar in the court, and there was nobody more aghast than Huang Ming himself.

Unwanted promotion,
Causes commotion,
Such a succession,
Not his decision.​

 

If there are any, please bear with the mistakes,
Typing on old laptop, my hand aches.

 

Your suffering is for our enjoyment. Suffer MOAR!
Jk, take care of yourself. Thanks for the chapter.

 

@rdawv Why not buy a better keyboard, there are plenty that plug in with usb and cost as little as $10 depending on what you're looking for. Also, thanks for the chapter!

 

The laptop's USB ports are unreliable :s

On the other hand, my new PC is being assembled and will probably be ready end of this week.

 

My new computer has arrived and I spent the better part of the day and night playing games on new rig tweaking and adjusting it, so the next chapter will be released tomorrow.

For those curious:

Ryzen5 1600
16GB RAM 3000mhz
250GB Samsung EVO850 SSD
2TB Barracuda HDD
Zotac 1060 GTX 6GB

 

@rdawv This random internet person approves of your new rig.

 

New chapter today?

 

“Though it isn't sure whether there is something that he did to betray the dynasty, maybe there is.”
--Qin Hui, Song Dynasty Chancellor on framing the Patriot Yue Fei

Chapter 119 – Defame

Huang Ming struggled to maintain a poker face, resisting the urge to glare at Grand Tutor Yuan who had so ‘graciously’ volunteered him to be Princess Wu Liying’s new tutor. Was it a good thing? It did seem to offer a shortcut to reform the country as he could personally influence the heir-apparent of the kingdom. But the princess obviously had preconceived notions about him.


He was still formulating a response when a deep voice interrupted the clamour of discussion.


“Huang Ming is much too young. Though he has achieved some merits, I fear that he is not too experienced to mentor the princess,” said Prime Minister Tong Xuan as he shook his head slowly. The way he had delivered his objection was like a skeptical grandfather, one could almost see that he was more concerned for the sake of the princess, rather than any selfish reasons.


Huang Ming would have commented, but in this instance he was relieved that there was a dissenting opinion. As he himself had yet to make up his mind, it would be interesting to hear the arguments from both sides before deciding one way or the other. Besides, it seemed that there were others who were more than willing to fight it out on his behalf.


“Experience? The young man has shamed our enemies with skillful strategies in battle and forceful action in diplomacy! He has accomplished much more than even the likes of us old dotards, what more do you wish for?” Old Man Yuan said sarcastically, subtly age-grouping the prime minister with himself. It was a needling reminder of their ages when compared to the youthful Huang Ming.


Prime Minister Tong Xuan’s eyes flashed with annoyance, but it quickly disappeared. Instead, he chose to laugh.


“There is still life in us old men yet, Grand Tutor Yuan! It is too soon for you to talk of retirement when the princess can still benefit from your guidance. Besides, Huang Ming’s talents would be wasted if he was to be confined to the royal palace. He would have more opportunities to distinguish himself if he continues to serve with his father and fight our enemies at our borders,” he expounded in stirring fashion.


Even Huang Ming was slightly swayed by the line of argument. He had been a politician before, but what he enjoyed was being an actual battlefield commander. Putting aside the adrenaline rush of actual physical combat, there was a certain allure and majesty when it came to directing armies of men in the field of battle. There were those who relished playing politics, but Huang Ming was not one of them. On his Earth, he had grown up reading and admiring the great captains of history: Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte and he had to admit, coming to this world and directing great blocks of men in battle was exhilarating. The few dabbles of strategy and tactics he was able to orchestrate in the Wei campaign only served to reacquaint himself with a familiar preference.


Old Man Yuan narrowed his eyes. “Do you want this youth to spend the rest of his life in slaughter? He has so much more to offer than just ways to kill our enemies! Did you not see how he had turned away the overbearing Jin ambassador? I shudder to think what would happen if Huang Ming was not around to uphold our honor!” he rattled, thumping his walking stick on the floor for emphasis.


Hidden in the assembled officials, Tong Xuan’s nephew Lord Fang La discreetly nudged the person next to him. Obeying the signal, the fat official stepped forward, and all shifted their attention to him.


“Official Shen He has something to say!” the fat man announced his own name, and Huang Ming was startled. This was the toady that had followed Lord Fang La in Tianxin City, and they had crossed in Lin Hua’s auction hall with Nangong Xie. Ah, speaking of Nangong Xie, where had that fellow gone…?


“Speak,” the king said wearily, dust in his voice.


Shen He bowed in acknowledgment. “Though Huang Ming has been meritorious, this lowly official feels that he is wholly unsuitable to be the Grand Tutor. Putting his youth aside, I must report honestly. I have been to Tianxin City and there are very disturbing rumours surrounding him, as told by the locals.”


“Oh?” the king mouthed as he leaned forward with interest.


Meanwhile, Huang Ming was doing his best impression of an emotionless rock, though his mind was railing against Shen He, the hidden ones who were obviously behind this sudden revelation and of course, the original Huang Ming. How could he have foreseen that his past would be revealed in front of the king? Curses! Was there no end to the original’s reach from beyond the grave? How many times will he hobbled by that dissolute man’s deeds?


“What sort of stories have you heard, Official Shen He?” Prime Minister Tong Xuan prodded.


Shen He drew to his full height and gave Huang Ming a disdainful look as he rattled: “They said he allied with notorious robbers, smuggled weapons and contraband, pushed a grandmother into the sea and even consorted with a pig while drunk!”


The august throne hall erupted into boisterous commotion. Of course, not everyone believed the ludicrous charges, but the sheer gall of Shen He in spouting off the absurd in the very presence of the king was enough to set off a firestorm.


Indeed, Shen He sported a smug look as he felt his job was done: it was enough for him to publicly slander Huang Ming and cast doubt on his character. He was proud at the last item, it was a personal touch. If he was going to frame someone, he might as well use the most heinous of crimes!


As for Huang Ming himself, the laundry list of misconduct spouted by Shen He was eerily familiar. It was ridiculous and he felt insulted, couldn’t they come out with more believable lies?


The king’s eyes were widened in disbelief as he rapped his knuckles on his throne’s armrest. Immediately the noise died down, but everyone still had their eyes on the young man from Tianxin City.


“I absolutely did not consort with a pig,” Huang Ming said in a deadpan. The first two crimes were treasonous, the third was despicable but the last one was something he definitely cannot tolerate.


The way he had calmly and deliberately only responded to the most absurd of charges had a comedic effect. A few of the assembled officials could not help but chuckle at his straight-faced denial which highlighted the laughable nature of the slander.


Even Fang La who was blending in the crowd groaned at Shen He’s unauthorized ad-lib. Just one addition, and it changed the defamation attempt completely. That fat incompetent had ruined everything!


The king exhaled heavily and slumped back into his throne in exasperation. “These are serious charges. What is your evidence?” the king intoned, his eyes boring a hole into Shen He.


Shen He finally realized that he had made a mistake. A mistake which he compounded when he instinctively glanced at Prime Minister Tong Xuan. It was just for a brief second, but that one look told Huang Ming that the prime minister was the hidden hand behind Shen He’s brazen hatchet job.


Tong Xuan cursed inwardly, he was sure that quite a few in the throne room saw how Shen He had looked at him for help and thus implicating him. He narrowed his eyes, and Shen He gulped in fear. Copious beads of sweat began to line the obese official’s brows. There was no way to describe the immensity of regret for putting his own flourish in such a sensitive undertaking.


“Speak, even if it’s the thinnest strand of truth,” Tong Xuan coaxed, invoking his deep voice to inject a semblance of gravity into the farce. “This concerns the future of the princess, we must investigate even the most unreasonable of doubts,” he added, and somehow that was enough to placate the disbelieving crowd.


The officials who were quick to ridicule Shen He’s accusation began to quiet down. What the Prime Minister said was reasonable, they should leave no stone unturned.


In a way, Huang Ming admired Tong Xuan’s eloquence. With a few short words he diffused the comedy and made it all seem sensible.


‘He’s definitely someone who prefers playing politics,’ Huang Ming thought darkly.

It was a dastardly fix,
From a bag of dirty tricks.​

 

Nice timing.

 

I know it felt like you responded to me with a chapter! Thanks! What games do you play?

 

Currently being jump scared by Prey and trying to finish Mass Effect: Andromeda. I prefer RPGs (Tides of Numenara, Divine Divinity, etc) and strategy (XCOM, Wastelands 2, Civ VI etc). Open sandbox games trigger my OCD, I have to complete every quest/objective and collect every single thing, which is why I rarely play them (Just Cause 3, Mafia III, GTA V).