Chapter 501: Origin Point

Chapter 501: Chapter 501: Origin Point

Every time Jiang Cheng entered the Commander’s Office, his mood was tinged with unease. Whenever those eyes—ones that seemed able to pierce straight into a man’s heart—looked his way, it always felt like he was being stared down by a fierce beast about to choose its prey.

Moreover, Jiang Cheng had no special privileges in the Commander’s Office; if he had to wait in line in the tea room, he waited, unless there was some truly urgent matter.

If he asked himself whether what he had on hand counted as an urgent matter—perhaps not quite. But fortunately, there weren’t too many people seeking an audience in the Commander’s Office most days, since most affairs were handled in the Four Directions Governor’s Office. So after just one hour of waiting, Jiang Cheng’s turn came.

"Sir."

"Here you are? Sit." Pang Ban didn’t wear a stern expression, motioning for Jiang Cheng to take a seat. Then he instructed his deputy to bring Jiang Cheng a cup of hot tea.

"You’ve come about the trouble that Shen Hao, that kid, got himself into, haven’t you?"

"Your subordinate failed to manage his men, and begs punishment, Sir!" Jiang Cheng was forthright—Shen Hao was his disciple, and no matter how things turned out, he would be implicated, so he might as well take the initiative, perhaps even shield the worst of the storm.

Pang Ban smiled, showing no intention of blame, and didn’t take up Jiang Cheng’s plea for punishment. Instead, he shifted the topic: "Do you know what Ye Lansheng said to me at the Great Court Assembly today?"

Jiang Cheng was well aware of the day’s Great Court Assembly, and had heard rumors about it—otherwise, he wouldn’t have come rushing here to confess. He feared he’d be in even more trouble if Pang Ban sought him out instead.

Of course, Pang Ban wasn’t actually expecting Jiang Cheng to answer; he just wanted to broach the subject himself. He continued, "Ye Lansheng asked me, what law is it that the Xuanqing Guard enforces? Is it the state law, the family law, or is it just vigilante justice?"

After Ye Lansheng’s question, the Minister of Justice Ma Xuanlin also stepped in and asked me: Why does a mere Deputy Thousand Households of the Xuanqing Guard dare to brazenly slaughter innocent civilians in broad daylight, as if the law meant nothing at all?

Frankly, I’d like to ask as well—if Shen Hao can’t come up with a proper explanation... do you think I should have him choose between Waist Slash or death by a thousand cuts?"

With a thud, Jiang Cheng dropped to one knee and said in a low voice, "Your subordinate failed to keep his men in line and begs to be punished, Sir!"

"Why would I punish you? Shen Hao is, in truth, a rare talent. He’s perceptive, capable, accommodating, and has luck on his side. But this man’s vision is like any ordinary fellow’s—not far-reaching enough, and he isn’t ruthless enough in his actions. ’Soft-hearted as a woman’? Not quite. But to call him cruel and merciless, he still falls short. You, as his teacher, it’s true, have been remiss in guiding him."

In the eyes of most, Shen Shaxing was terrifying, yet in Pang Ban’s eyes he was... not ruthless enough...

One could only wonder whether those who died by Shen Hao’s hand might claw their way out of mass graves, furious at such an assessment coming from Pang Ban.

And even though Pang Ban’s smile didn’t fade, his words were razor-sharp, making clear his discontent at the trouble Shen Hao had stirred up. He even hinted that if Shen Hao didn’t produce a satisfactory solution, he’d be thrown to the wolves as a scapegoat. And as for Jiang Cheng, he wouldn’t escape unscathed either; the single phrase "as his teacher, it’s true you’ve been remiss" made that plain.

Jiang Cheng knew this was no time to plead his case—better to kneel and listen to the admonition in silence.

Who would’ve thought Pang Ban’s tone would suddenly shift: "But this time, by some strange twist of fate, it cannot be seen as wholly a bad thing."

Jiang Cheng was at a loss—just a moment ago he’d been questioned, and now suddenly things had turned into a good thing? He raised his head to peer at Pang Ban, elegantly seated before him. ℯℯ𝑙.

"What? You don’t understand?"

"Your subordinate is dull-witted. Please enlighten me, Sir!" At that moment, Jiang Cheng’s heart was pounding—Pang Ban’s smiling expression sent chills through his body. This man was truly unfathomable; no wonder he’d see Shen Hao as a decent fellow. No normal man would think so.

"The Civil Servants are getting desperate. They actually seized the chance to stir up trouble for our Xuanqing Guard in the guise of the affair between Shen Hao, Fengri City, and the Qin Family—just to secure the right to shape the narrative in the Temple Hall. Heh, their aim is not just at Shen Hao, it’s at all of us in the Xuanqing Guard—and at Your Majesty himself. Their audacity has reached new heights.

Heh, when Heaven dooms a man, it first makes him mad with arrogance. Perhaps they are all too young, never having witnessed the era of Your Majesty’s unbridled might; they now believe that by rallying numbers, they can control the voice of the Temple Hall. They’re just courting death."

Though Pang Ban’s smile made Jiang Cheng’s blood run cold, he was genuinely pleased. He saw through the Civil Servants’ little schemes: Ye Lansheng, usually so cautious, now making such a risky move—clearly the situation in the South had pushed them all to a cliff’s edge, desperate enough for an all-or-nothing gamble.

Jiang Cheng also had some interest in these Temple Hall intrigues, for though he was far removed from the Ministry of War, whatever was said in the Temple Hall could soon affect him directly.

"Sir. But is the situation in the South really so tense?" Jiang Cheng kept an eye on Southern intelligence; while it was tight, it didn’t seem so dire as to be a ’hair-on-fire’ crisis. How could the usually cunning Civil Servants lose their composure this time?

Pang Ban shook his head: "When it comes to the South, we in the Xuanqing Guard can’t see the Ministry of War’s notes, nor those from the Civil Servants’ Military Supervisors. The only news we get comes from the Inspectors we’ve planted, or official bulletins trickling down through the Dynasty. With such outdated intelligence, how accurate can our grasp of military affairs in the South really be?

Judging from Ye Lansheng and his peers’ reactions, the South must already be on the brink—any more delay, and if war erupts, the Civil Servants will completely lose the chance to ’negotiate’. All that power will shift from their hands to those of the military, and with the state the Ministry of War is in, most likely it’ll fall under Your Majesty’s direct control.

This is their desperate gamble."

"But where do they find the nerve to press Your Majesty so hard?"

"You think the Civil Servants lack courage? They may barely have the strength to truss a chicken, but their guts are more than ample—and the timing, this time, is perfect.

Weren’t you approached by the Eldest Prince recently? You should know every Prince is frantically scheming right now. And do you know why this is happening?"

Jiang Cheng thought for a while before realizing, and asked in shock, "Sir, you mean the Civil Servants have latched onto the moment when Your Majesty is deliberately allowing the Princes to fight it out—betting that he won’t clamp down and reclaim power for fear of intensifying the succession struggle?"

"Correct! You’re quick on the uptake. That’s precisely what gives the Civil Servants the nerve to risk it all, leveraging the ’Shen Hao Affair’ as a high-stakes gambit. And judging by Your Majesty’s silence at the Great Court Assembly, their gamble has actually paid off—he doesn’t plan to step in and smack them down, not yet.

So, tell Shen Hao—if he can resolve this trouble, I’ll record a major merit for him. When the time comes, Your Majesty will seize the chance to bury the Civil Servants in the mud. But if he botches this, if His Majesty suffers, then I, Pang Ban, will be pounded along with him, and he’ll have no other choice but to pick his end—between death by a thousand cuts or a Waist Slash."