Duan Xu had long expected that Jin Yan, Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, would seek him out. When the invitation arrived, he made brief preparations and rode to Jin Yan's residence. As he dismounted at the gate, Jin Yan stood waiting in the courtyard, clad in official purple robes embroidered with peacock patterns, sleeves wide and flowing. His eagle-sharp gaze bore into Duan Xu as though attempting to pierce through flesh and bone to the very soul beneath.
Jin Yan had just passed his thirtieth year. His elder brother had married Princess Anle, the Emperor's most cherished daughter, granting the Jin family the confidence to remain above factional politics. Over the years, Jin Yan had earned renown as Minister of the Court of Judicial Review—meticulous in judgment, impartial in verdict, overturning countless flawed cases from the Ministry of Justice. He had never once pronounced wrongful judgment.
Such eyes had seen through the hearts of countless criminals and condemned men. Yet Duan Xu neither flinched nor averted his gaze under that scrutiny. He bowed naturally: "Greetings, Minister Jin. I have come as requested."
Their acquaintance was shallow at best. They had last met at a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet before Duan Xu departed for the Southern Capital, where they had played an unfinished game of Go. Today, Jin Yan's stated purpose for this invitation was to complete that game.
Jin Yan studied him a moment longer, then spoke coolly: "This way, Lord Duan."
They settled in Jin Yan's study, where the unfinished Go game from months past lay precisely recreated upon the table—black and white stones interlocked exactly as they had been left. Duan Xu glanced at the board and smiled faintly, thinking Jin Yan must have memorized the entire game long ago, genuinely intending to see it through to completion. Yet with the sudden eruption of the Horse Administration corruption case, this game now served a deeper purpose.
Duan Xu placed a stone, speaking leisurely: "Minister Jin wears his official robes—you must have just returned from the Court of Judicial Review. That you remember our game despite such pressing duties is truly my honor."
Jin Yan placed his own stone in reply: "I have heard that General Duan is decisive on the battlefield, unstoppable in courage. I once thought you merely a capable civil official, but now I must revise my assessment."
Duan Xu raised his eyes to meet Jin Yan's: "Minister Jin, you need not dance around the matter. Surely you did not invite me simply to finish a game of Go?"
Jin Yan abandoned pretense: "Have you heard that Sun Chang De has recanted his testimony in the Horse Administration corruption case?"
"I have heard something to that effect."
"He now claims he was coerced into falsely accusing Minister Sun of the Ministry of War and Minister Li of the Court of the Imperial Stud. He states that the person who instructed him to do so was you, General Duan."
Duan Xu's gaze remained fixed on the board. Hearing this, he laughed openly, as though the very notion were absurd: "I instructed him? A young man barely established in his position would dare undertake such a scheme? He credits me with more cunning than I possess."
"Three days after the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, he accidentally fell into the water while crossing Lanqing Bridge at night. You saved his life."
"That is correct. That is my only connection to him. Is saving a man's life now considered a crime?"
"According to his testimony, he bore a past grudge with the Director of the Court of the Imperial Stud and suspected the Director meant to harm him. After that day, you supposedly exploited his debt of gratitude, extracting information from him through coercion and bribery to fabricate the horse administration corruption case and frame the Ministry of War and Court of the Imperial Stud."
"Absurd. After that day, I never saw him again. Does he have any evidence to support such baseless accusations?"
Jin Yan adjusted his sleeve and placed another stone, his tone unchanged: "He has produced numerous letters and material evidence. But it is all meaningless, because in my estimation, that evidence is forged."
Duan Xu raised an eyebrow and looked up at Jin Yan. On the Go board between them, black and white stones wove across most of the grid like two armies locked in brutal campaign, devouring each other piece by piece.
Jin Yan met his gaze, expression unmoved: "Just as the crucial ledger that Sun Chang De used to accuse the Director of the Court of the Imperial Stud—that too was forged."
"Oh?" Duan Xu arranged his features into surprise, as though hearing for the first time that the ledger he himself had fabricated was false: "Sun Chang De's ledger was forged as well? How audacious of him."
"The ledger is indeed forged, but not by Sun Chang De's hand. When he made his accusation, he likely believed it genuine. Someone operated behind the scenes, pushing him forward with so-called evidence to strike the imperial drum and expose the case. But Sun Chang De does not know who pulled the strings. Now he merely follows certain arrangements, redirecting blame toward you," Jin Yan stated calmly.
Duan Xu's eyes held a glimmer of amusement: "The Minister is perceptive indeed."
Jin Yan placed another stone, his voice cool: "However, forging such a ledger is no simple feat. This document passed through the hands of several officials at the Ministry of Justice without detection. When it first reached me, I too believed it authentic. Had Sun Chang De not recanted, prompting me to verify it repeatedly with utmost care, I would never have discovered its falsification. The person who created this ledger must have seen the genuine article and copied at least half of it from the original."
Duan Xu's hand paused mid-reach for a stone. Jin Yan continued: "Only two possibilities exist. Either this person possesses the real ledger but for some reason is unwilling to present it and therefore forged a copy. Or this person glimpsed the real ledger, but it has since been lost or destroyed and cannot serve as evidence, leaving them no choice but to forge a replacement. Since Sun Chang De recants with such confidence, someone must have confirmed the original ledger's destruction before daring such a move. Therefore it must be the second scenario—this person examined the real ledger in great haste and under considerable urgency. They could not even remove the original, yet afterward, relying solely on hurried memory, they reconstructed the majority of its contents. Such an accomplishment suggests a memory of truly extraordinary caliber."
Jin Yan's piercing gaze locked onto Duan Xu's eyes: "In July of last year, General Duan returned to Dai Prefecture to pay respects at your ancestral graves. The Shun Prefecture horse farm that Sun Chang De exposed lay directly along your homeward route. This ledger also originated from Shun Prefecture. And the timing of your memorial requesting permission to attack Yun and Luo Prefectures aligns too precisely with the emergence of this case."
Duan Xu burst into laughter, pressing his hand to his forehead: "Has Minister Jin also been deceived by those idle street rumors, believing I truly possess some prodigious photographic memory? Those are merely empty flattery from others seeking favor with my family's position. What you describe—memorizing half a ledger at a single glance—I could never accomplish such a feat."
"Is that so?" Jin Yan placed another stone with deliberate calm: "This game was played more than half a year ago. I can reproduce it because I sketched the board position immediately upon returning home that evening. Yet when you first entered and saw this board, you registered some surprise—presumably upon discovering it identical to our game from months past. Then you sat down and resumed play without the slightest hesitation. You not only remember every stone from half a year ago but also recall precisely where you intended to place your next move. With such memory, would transcribing a ledger not be effortless?"
Duan Xu gradually lowered his gaze. He held a black stone, tapping it idly against the board. After a long moment, he smiled: "Is that all? Everything Minister Jin has said amounts to mere conjecture without a shred of concrete evidence. What does any of it prove?"
He leaned forward, fingers caressing the black stone while his eyes traced the deadlocked positions on the board. His voice turned lazy: "As Minister Jin himself observed, in this case, apart from the witness, all other crucial evidence has proven forged, and this witness wavers—one set of statements today, another tomorrow. In the end, Sun Chang De is merely a piece in this game. The true players are not us, though we find ourselves within the game regardless. The Ministry of Justice has already rendered final verdict, yet when the case reached the Court of Judicial Review for verification, the witness recanted. Is that not because the Ministry of Justice answers to Minister Du, and Duke Pei naturally desires to extract it from Minister Du's sphere of influence before stirring chaos? Now the case, witness, and evidence all rest in your hands. Each faction hopes you will wield the false evidence and perjured testimony they have prepared to strike at their opponents. None care about truth—only outcomes matter to them."
"No. I care about the truth."
"Minister Jin cares about truth. Then tell me—do you believe the Horse Administration corruption case genuine or a false accusation?"
Jin Yan shook his head, his voice measured: "The evidence is insufficient. No conclusion can be drawn."
Duan Xu repeated the words slowly: "Insufficient evidence? So this matter simply... passes? Great Liang has no natural pastures. Every horse farm requires seizing farmland meant for common people. The land needed to raise one horse could feed twenty-five mouths—three thousand horses means seventy-five thousand people. If the corruption is real, the livelihood of those seventy-five thousand people has been embezzled and stolen. Meanwhile, on the frontier, I face chronic shortage of warhorses. Cavalry units remain incomplete. I can only employ surprise attacks rather than face the enemy in honest battle. Every victory is won through blood and desperation. How can we defend our nation this way?"
Jin Yan studied him steadily, those deep, penetrating eyes gazing directly into Duan Xu's. From the incense ball on the table, wisps of fragrant smoke rose and drifted hazily between them. Jin Yan spoke slowly: "Everything you mention, I know. I understand these matters more clearly than you ever could."
"I summoned you today to convey this: if false evidence is accepted as true, today you may fabricate it, tomorrow another will do likewise—how then can truth survive? General Duan, you are still young. You must understand that falsehood cannot birth truth, and unjust means can never achieve justice. Sitting in the position of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, I believe only in concrete evidence."
Duan Xu's eyes flickered briefly. He said nothing.
Concrete evidence—easier spoken than obtained. The traces of this affair had been thoroughly obscured, and the ledger he had painstakingly discovered had been destroyed. To investigate further would require examining the Minister of War, the Director of the Court of the Imperial Stud, or even Qin Huan Da and Duke Pei who stood behind them—not only exposing himself but encountering obstruction at every turn.
"Minister Jin, can concrete evidence truly be found?"
"I will exert every effort to investigate. But without evidence, no case can be decided upon forgeries." Jin Yan placed another stone and raised his eyes to Duan Xu: "General Duan, for one so young navigating the treacherous currents of court, possessing deep cunning is no fault. However, you must not become consumed by obsession and walk the wrong path. What has passed between us today will remain within this study. Once we depart, it shall not be mentioned again. General Duan, take care of yourself."
Duan Xu lowered his eyes briefly, then looked up at Jin Yan. He placed a stone upon the board: "Thank you for your guidance, Minister Jin."
The endgame was ultimately claimed by Jin Yan. As Duan Xu prepared to depart Jin's residence, he bowed to the Minister and smiled: "I have long heard that Minister Jin excels at Go. Today I have witnessed that the reputation is well-deserved."
Jin Yan merely inclined his head slightly, murmuring that it had been his pleasure.
Duan Xu mounted his horse, gathering the reins as he looked down at Jin Yan: "Minister Jin, may there never be wrongful cases under your jurisdiction in Great Liang."
The words could be taken for mockery, but they issued from sincere heart. The schemer weaves paths of truth and deception intertwined, while the judicial official upholds the true law—each performing their appointed duty without error.
Jin Yan would always serve as the strongest shield, protecting Great Liang's law—not someone's unproven sense of justice.
After departing Jin Yan's residence, Duan Xu did not return home. He rode south along Shengxin Street, eventually reining his horse beside an apricot-yellow wall. Beneath flying eaves, bells chimed cheerfully in the wind, and many common people passed through the wide-open vermilion doors, their expressions both reverent and joyful.
This was the Lotus Life Pavilion of the Imperial Preceptor's residence.
To demonstrate care for the common people and share in their fortunes, the Emperor had constructed the Lotus Life Pavilion adjoining the Imperial Preceptor's residence. It opened on the first and fifteenth day of each month and during festivals. On such days, the Imperial Preceptor—who ordinarily divined and blessed only for the royal family—would preside within the Lotus Life Pavilion, listening to the wishes of all beings and resolving the worries of common folk.
Any commoner could enter the pavilion to make wishes, but only those selected by the Imperial Preceptor as fate-connected individuals could petition him with questions. It was said that the Imperial Preceptor's disciples would place tokens in the homes of such individuals or present them in person, inviting them to the pavilion for enlightenment.
Those who carried the red lotus umbrella were the fate-connected ones.
Duan Xu withdrew from the bag tied to his horse the paper umbrella He Simu had given him when they met on the streets of the Southern Capital—vibrant red lotuses blooming across its surface.
Several days ago during morning court, he had encountered the Imperial Preceptor, who remarked casually: "Fate-connected one, will you not come to return the paper umbrella?"
Duan Xu weighed the umbrella in his hand, smiled faintly, and stepped through the vermilion gate.
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