Chapter Fifteen: Infernal Affairs

Penglun had important matters weighing on his mind, but seeing this young girl before him—despite her age, she wore an expression of cunning far beyond her years—he hesitated, unable to speak his purpose. Her reaction was much too calm; any ordinary girl, upon hearing her father had been saved, would surely have fallen to her knees in gratitude, offering thanks again and again.

Had he perhaps misjudged her? Penglun scrutinized Lingran once more.

Lingran grew uneasy under his gaze, her dark eyes darting nervously. Only after a long moment did she realize her composure had been too measured. Hastily, she rose and bowed. “No matter what, I must first thank you here for your great kindness, General. If there is ever anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask.”

Penglun’s expression softened at last, and he resolved to see this favor through to the end. “Though Master Fangzhou has been released from prison, Chancellor Chu has decreed that no officials dismissed by his hand are to be reinstated. Therefore, your father must soon depart for your ancestral home. Is there anything you wish to tell him?”

Lingran was momentarily stunned before realizing that Master Fangzhou was none other than Zhang Ning—after all, in ancient times, everyone had courtesy names and pseudonyms; it was terribly confusing. The mere mention of “hometown” filled her with dread. She shook her head and asked, “General, do you not intend to let me accompany my father home?”

She was certain this stingy general was hardly generous enough to let three thousand taels of shining silver simply walk away with a disgraced official.

As expected, Penglun’s face grew somewhat uneasy at her question. “The one who paid for you was not I, so I am not at liberty to release you.”

Lingran met his evasive gaze, suspecting he was making excuses, but made no effort to expose him. Instead, she slumped her shoulders, feigning disappointment.

Penglun fell silent with her for some time before finally speaking. “Your father’s literary talent is exemplary, though as a censor he has offended many. Yet his heart is upright. The last memorial that offended Marquis Wuqing and Earl Dingyuan—I had only heard of it before, but this time I made a point to have it copied and read it closely. I was greatly impressed.”

Lingran, wishing to know more about her “father,” asked earnestly, “What exactly did he write?”

Penglun drew a piece of paper from his robe and handed it to her. “See for yourself.”

Lingran took the paper and saw neat, minuscule characters written in the formal style. Fortunately, she had practiced calligraphy from a young age, copying the style of Master Liu Gongquan, so even the complex script was familiar. There was no salutation or signature, only a few lines:

“The capital’s garrisoned military officers, each drawing a stipend, number over two thousand per guard, totaling more than thirty thousand. Each year they require forty-eight thousand taels of silver, thirty-six thousand measures of rice, and other forms of compensation, amounting to over a million altogether. The depletion of the national treasury is greatest here. Many among them are aged or unskilled in horsemanship and archery. It would be better to select the capable to fill vacancies in all the commanderies and garrisons across the land, and dismiss the rest.”

Lingran could mostly understand, though the full depth of meaning escaped her. Still, it was clear between the lines that this man was deeply concerned for the country and its people. If this was indeed from Zhang Ning’s memorial, he was certainly a good official.

Penglun rose and paced the room, sighing. “Master Fangzhou speaks truly of the capital garrison’s deep flaws. Just the other day, I presented this memorial to His Highness Prince Xiang. He said nothing, but the following day your father was released. Since His Highness made the decision, those like Shi Biao will not dare act rashly. You may rest assured.”

Lingran, having learned her lesson, immediately bowed to express her thanks. “It is all thanks to General Peng. I express my family’s profound gratitude for your kindness.”

Though her words were proper, her movements were so slow that when Penglun came over to gently help her up, she still had not knelt.

Penglun said, “They say ‘like father, like daughter.’ With Master Fangzhou’s loyal and patriotic heart, I’m sure you must not fall short.”

Lingran found it difficult to respond to that; in her heart, she silently recited, “You’re mistaken, you’re mistaken. I do love my country, but the one I love is the People’s Republic of China. As for loyalty to a monarch, what has that to do with me? Please don’t let Zhang Ning mislead you, sir.”

Yet Penglun clearly allowed Zhang Ning’s character to color his impression of Lingran. He gazed at her intently, asking, “Miss, in your opinion, among loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith, should not loyalty and filial piety come first?”

Lingran nodded blankly. Wasn’t that exactly what ancient people always preached?

“If you could act in a way that fulfilled both loyalty and filial piety, would that not be the greatest virtue?”

Lingran wanted to say, “General, could you please stop speaking so pedantically?” But she kept her composure, and simply answered in line with his words, “Does the general wish me to do something that benefits both His Majesty and my father?”

“Clever!” Penglun praised her warmly. “If you accomplish this, your father will be comforted, living in retirement as if still at court, finding solace in nature. When the day comes to return power to the ruler, he can proudly record your deeds in his ‘Miscellaneous Writings of Fangzhou.’”

Penglun painted a beautiful picture, but Lingran sensed the danger hidden within. Such ‘great matters,’ and to assist the emperor no less—given the current circumstances, it would surely mean opposing those in power: Chief Minister Chu, Prince Xiang, Marquis Wuqing, and the like. One misstep, and her life would be forfeit. How could a young girl like her be up to such a task? Still, her curiosity was piqued, so she asked bluntly, “What exactly does the general want me to do?”

Penglun walked to the door, peered outside to make sure no one was listening, then returned and lowered his voice. “Supervisor Liu and my godfather ordered me to purchase you and the other ‘Thousand Gold Maidens’ for a reason.”

Lingran nodded. She had already suspected as much.

Seeing that she had abandoned all trace of levity and now looked entirely solemn, Penglun felt satisfied and continued, “Very soon, it will be Chief Minister Chu’s fiftieth birthday. You will be presented to him as a birthday gift from Supervisor Liu.”

Lingran had half expected this outcome, but her heart still skipped a beat. So, that Chu Liuxiang was already fifty? If beautiful women were sent in as gifts, wouldn’t they simply become his playthings? She would rather die than go through with this! At these thoughts, she couldn’t help revealing a troubled and pleading look, asking pitifully, “Can you not send me to that old man?”

Penglun was momentarily taken aback, clearly not expecting such a reaction. But he quickly shook his head. “As I said, this is not my decision to make. There must be exactly ten of you, not one less, and you must all be sent.”

Knowing his tone left no room for negotiation, Lingran realized pleading would be useless and decided not to waste her breath, already planning to escape before ever reaching the minister’s residence.

“Of the ten of you, all but you are truly being sent as songstresses. I do not insist you vie for the chief minister’s attention, but you must remain within his household.” Penglun relented a bit. “Among the ‘Thousand Gold Maidens,’ you are not particularly outstanding; the chief minister likely won’t take notice of you. I don’t require you to do anything dangerous—just find a way to stay near the central figures, even as a maidservant.”

Lingran bristled at his dismissiveness. In what way was she unworthy of an old man’s notice? In fact, she was the one who found him beneath her! As for whether she would become a maid, that was hardly up to her. And after all this, he still hadn’t made clear what he wanted.

“We don’t mean to harm the chief minister,” Penglun explained, “but we fear that with his growing power, he may develop ambitions of usurpation. Should such a great plot be brewing, there will inevitably be unusual happenings in his residence—midnight gatherings of trusted followers, for instance. Your task is to seize upon any clue within the minister’s household so the emperor’s loyal servants may take precautions. If you succeed, your father will be grateful to you as well.”

Lingran was stunned for a long moment before blurting out, “So, after all this, you want me to be a spy?”

An undercover agent? she thought.