Chapter 133: Provoking to the Bitter End (Double-In-One)

Speaking of Wang Hongyi, one must mention the "politics of cruel officials," which can be considered one of the major characteristics of Wu Zetian's early and middle reign. It remains a significant stain on the old Empress Wu that draws criticism down through the long river of history.

The cause was simple: after Li Xian was deposed, the imperial clan and old ministers already saw the embryonic signs of a female ruler's dynasty and rose in successive rebellions.

As a result, they were ruthless, but the old Empress Wu was even more ruthless than them!

Making an example of one to warn a hundred was nonsense; killing a hundred to warn one was closer to the truth.

Regardless of whether you had rebelled or not, as long as the old Empress felt you might rebel, or that killing you would prevent others from rebelling, then you were a dead man.

To better awe the civil and military officials as well as the imperial clan and nobility, the old Empress Wu vigorously promoted the practice of secret denunciation.

To what extent? It could be said to be unbridled and utterly insane.

The old Empress specifically issued an imperial decree: Any informer, regardless of noble or humble status, near or far, shall not be questioned by officials. They shall be provided with relay horses to the capital, and all post stations along the way shall treat them with the courtesy of a fifth-rank official, supplying them with food and drink, all the way to the imperial city for a direct audience with the Son of Heaven.

If what the informer said met Wu Zetian's approval, that person would immediately receive exceptional promotion and appointment; if the informer's words were fabricated, Wu Zetian would not pursue the matter.

...

One can imagine, once this gate was opened, what kind of chaos would ensue?

Fabrications weren't investigated, and anything with a shred of plausibility was heavily rewarded. Moreover, the old Empress even prepared horses for you, provided food and drink at fifth-rank status all the way without costing you a penny, and granted you an audience with Wu Zetian.

She even considered your personal safety thoroughly. Once you finished lodging your complaint, you didn't need to fear retaliation; there was a special place and dedicated servants to look after you.

What were you waiting for? It was simply heaven-sent gospel for scoundrels, rogues, and opportunists everywhere. Inform away to your heart's content!

For a time, secret informers rose like a swarm of bees from all directions.

Among them emerged a large batch of so-called cruel officials.

To speak the truth, every dynasty had cruel officials, but most were scholars or military veterans. Even if these people had no bottom line, they at least had a shred of shame; even if they lacked shame, they at least stopped short of acting against humanity.

Yet the batch of men employed by the old Empress Wu were truly a bit devoid of human nature.

It is easy to understand by looking at where these people came from.

First and foremost, of course, was Lai Junchen.

Not only did this man write the "Book of Entrapment and Fabrication" which was passed down to later generations, but in the present Great Tang, if he acknowledged himself as second, no one dared claim first.

Thus, he was originally a treacherous, fickle, sinister, and evil ruffian and rogue.

Slightly inferior to Lai Junchen, Su Yuanli, who excelled in brutal tortures, was even more formidable—he was a foreign rogue.

Zhou Xing had read books for a few days, but he was only a half-baked scholar; Wanguo Jun helped Lai Junchen compile the "Book of Entrapment and Fabrication," likewise starting out as an informer.

Counting further down, the likes of Wang Hongyi, Liu Guangye, Wang Deshou, Wang Dazhen, and Qu Zhenyun all came from the very bottom of society. Originally they were loafers and thugs who did not engage in production and ran amok in their local communities. Once such people gained power, one can well imagine what they would do.

From the time Lai Junchen gained power until he was executed by Wu Zetian, barely a dozen years passed. Yet his forced confessions through torture and fabricatedframe-ups resulted in several thousand families being wrongfully killed and exterminated. Not several thousand individuals, but several thousand families!! On average, annihilating one or two families a day might not even be enough.

Su Yuanli served as an official for merely a few years, yet he invented countless private tortures.

"Come, bring me my iron cage." This sentence possessed a deterrent power at the time that even surpassed Lai Junchen's renown.

Throughout his life, Zhou Xing framed several thousand people.

When Wanguo Jun went to Guangzhou, all the exiled criminals there—note: all of them! Regardless of gender or age, leaving none behind—were executed by decapitation.

Precisely because of Wanguo Jun's heroic feat, later on, Liu Guangye, Wang Deshou, Wang Dazhen, and others copied his example when they went to Lingnan.

Liu Guangye killed seven hundred, Wang Deshou put five hundred to death, and Wang Dazhen and his cohorts were little behind. Beyond the Five Ridges, political prisoners were practically no longer to be seen.

Was the politics of cruel officials something to be spoken of lightly?

...

Even though Wu Ning was not well-versed in history, he had experienced the cruel officials of Wu Zhou firsthand, so he truly had no desire to provoke these inhuman creatures.

For the past half-year or more, he had befriended Princess Taiping, colluded secretly with Sun Hongde, and was not even intimidated by the Prince of Luling's estate or the Wu clan brothers. Only with this Wang Hongyi did Wu Ning consistently avoid him, following the principle of staying as far away as possible.

The truth was, such men could not be fathomed by ordinary logic. Whatever officialdom awareness or worldly sophistication existed, none of it worked on them, nor did they understand it.

They simply had no bottom line and no human nature, and you never knew when they might suddenly take a bite out of you.

Wu Ning entered the city and, learning that Wang Hongyi had stepped down as the Prince's Chief史 and moved to an outer residence in Yong'an Ward, he sought him out.

He went to pay a formal visit, only to be given the cold shoulder.

"My Lord Censor is busy with official business. Wait right here."

After dropping those words, the Wang family servant simply left Wu Ning stranded at the front gate.

"I..."

Wu Ning was so angry he laughed. Truly, he had never seen the likes of this. The man was demanding money from him yet still putting on airs—where did he get his confidence?

"Is your Lord Censor inside the estate?"

"So what if he is?" The servant slanted his eyes at Wu Ning. "Even if he is, he won't see you!"

"Fine, if he won't see me, then he won't see me!" Wu Ning wasn't going to lose his temper with a mere servant.

"Tell your Lord Censor that Ning will come to pay his respects again tomorrow."

With that, Wu Ning turned around and left.

Let young master stand at your gate and wait? That was simply impossible.

Yet Wu Ning didn't completely burn his bridges either; coming again tomorrow could be considered giving Wang Hongyi face.

However, the further back he walked, the more Wu Ning turned the matter over in his mind, feeling something was amiss.

Why would Wang Hongyi refuse to see him? If he wanted money, why put on such grand airs? Don't forget, Wu Ning was, after all, Wu Changlu's nephew, and his close association with Princess Taiping was no secret in Fangzhou.

Logically speaking, he shouldn't be giving him the cold shoulder like this.

It defied reason.

Thinking of this, Wu Ning turned right back around.

He sat down right at Wang Hongyi's front gate. Let's see what happens if I wait for you just this once!

...

When the Wang family servant saw that this kid had returned, he hurried inside to report.

"Reporting to the master, that kid named Wu Ning has come back and is waiting at the front gate again."

"Oh? He's back?"

Wang Hongyi, who was resting his eyes in the main hall, was slightly surprised. Why had that kid come back?

"Hoh, he still knows what's good for him."

"Let him wait!" Wang Hongyi stretched his neck. "I'll go meet him after I've had a nap."

...

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This nap lasted more than an hour. By the time Wang Hongyi had slept his fill, washed his face, and changed his robes, he asked his servant, and that young master of the Wu family was still squatting at the gate.

Wang Hongyi felt a twinge of smug satisfaction. "Let him in."

...

Before long, a young man was seen entering the hall with a bowed waist and a humble expression on his face.

From afar, he offered a deep bow with hands cupped to the floor. "Your humble servant Wu Ning pays respects to Lord Censor Wang!"

Upon seeing this, Wang Hongyi couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Everyone said this Wu Jiulang was a young prodigy of extraordinary talent. Seen today, he was nothing much after all!

Most likely he had relied on sycophantic skills to attach himself to Princess Taiping, which, combined with Wu Changlu's background, was why he was so sought after.

In a bland tone, he acknowledged the greeting: "You've come..."

"Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts, Lord Censor." Wu Ning, on the opposite side, still wore a smiling, flattering expression. "The moment I heard the Censor summoned me, this humble one dared not delay and came right away."

"Mm." The kid's attitude was good, so Wang Hongyi saved his breath.

"The old man of the Chen family told you everything?"

"He told me, he told me." Wu Ning continued to smile ingratiatingly. "It was my fault for considering things poorly; a three-tenths share is naturally fitting given the Censor's noble status."

Wang Hongyi's eyes lit up. "So you're willing to give it?"

"I am willing."

Hearing this, Wang Hongyi was overjoyed and became much warmer. "If you had been like this earlier, wouldn't it have been much better?"

"Come, come, come." He politely offered an apologetic gesture to Wu Ning. "Young Master Wu, please sit."

"Many thanks, Lord Censor!"

Wu Ning felt as though he was about to vomit.

Maintaining a calm expression, he sat down and began to chat idly with Wang Hongyi.

The things they discussed were simply unlistenable.

Wu Jiulang would bet all the sycophantic and sickening words of his entire lifetime had been used up in just this brief moment.

The two began with idle household chatter and gradually shifted to business.

"This younger brother has one matter he doesn't understand, and hopes the Censor will enlighten me."

Wang Hongyi was chatting happily and felt a genuine affinity with Wu Ning, revealing his marketplace vulgarities without reservation.

"My younger brother, speak your mind!"

"This..." Wu Ning hesitated slightly. "This younger brother cannot figure out how the Censor exercised such divine calculation to accurately predict that this younger brother would willingly yield these three-tenths?"

"Could it be that the Censor possesses the ability to divine the future?"

"Eh~~!" Wang Hongyi waved his hand, looking immensely pleased with himself.

"Divining the future? What divining the future? Is there any such thing in this world? It is merely a bit of wit born from deeply pondering cause and effect."

Oh, damn it!!

Still talking about his "wit"?!

Wu Ning felt utterly disgusted, yet on the surface, he had to keep up the act.

"Oh?" He cupped his hands in a salute. "I beg the Censor to teach me!"

"Very well!" Wang Hongyi had long since been flattered to the point of losing his direction.

He ordered a servant to fetch a letter from his study and pushed it across the table toward Wu Ning.

"Young brother, take a look at this."

Wu Ning carefully received it. "This is..."

"Young brother will know at a glance."

Wang Hongyi leaned back in his chair. "If young brother hadn't come today, perhaps tomorrow this official would have delivered this memorial to the Holy Empress's presence."

Was this Wang Hongyi's backing?

Wu Ning hurriedly opened it. It was indeed an undelivered memorial, bearing the title:

"A Memorial Requesting the Re-implementation of Transit Taxes along the Shannan Circuit Based on Circumstances"

In the prosperous Yongchang era, under the boundless grace of the Holy Empress.

Your minister Wang Hongyi submits this memorial...

...

Transit taxes along the southern route of the Shannan Circuit have gone uncollected for years, yet Sichuan merchants are largely deceitful, using this pretext to usurp tax categories.

Your minister requests the resumption of transit taxes to enrich the national treasury...

...

Wu Ning's face turned green as he stared at the memorial in silence for a long time.

When Wang Hongyi saw Wu Jiulang's reaction, he became even more smug.

"How is it? To shoot an enemy, first shoot their horse; to capture bandits, first capture their king!"

"The reason your charcoal kiln yields such thick profits—doesn't it rely precisely on the fact that southbound transit taxes are not collected?"

"If this official were to submit this memorial to the court, could your business continue to operate?"

"Forget three-tenths; you won't even earn one-tenth!"

"..."

Wu Ning was completely speechless, shaking the piece of paper. "This—this is Lord Censor's brilliant scheme? That's all?"

"Then how much more do you want?"

Wang Hongyi curled his lip as he looked at Wu Ning. "Young brother, you are still too young. This single item alone is enough to give you a hard time!"

"I'll give your grandmother a hard time!!"

Wu Jiulang suddenly let out a roar, his lungs practically bursting with fury.

"You..." Wang Hongyi was startled. Why was the man suddenly turning hostile?

The humble facade Wu Ning had been wearing had long since vanished into thin air.

"Damn it, I acted like your grandson for half a day, and this is all you have to show me?"

"..."

He directly hurled the memorial straight into Wang Hongyi's face.

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"Go submit your report! Whoever doesn't report is a grandson!!"

With that, Wu Ning turned around and stalked off, leaving Wang Hongyi sitting there dumbfounded for a long time before he finally snapped back to his senses.

Letting out a furious roar: "That brat Wu Ning!! You infuriate me to death!"

By now, how could he fail to see that Wu Jiulang had been acting a play with him all along?

"I will make sure your entire family meets a miserable death!!!"

Tearing the memorial to shreds, Wang Hongyi sat in dark contemplation for a long time.

Finally, he took up brush and ink and wrote two more copies.

One was addressed to Wu Zetian, secretly denouncing Wu Changlu and Sun Hongde for colluding, using official roads for joint commercial profit, and plotting rebellion.

The other was addressed to his old friend Lai Junchen, who was serving as the Vice Censor-in-Chief at the time, asking him to pull strings in the capital and swearing to have the entire Wu family found guilty and plunged into eternal damnation.

Naturally, once the deed was done, the Wu family's charcoal kiln enterprise would be split fifty-fifty.

Having finished writing, he ordered someone to rush it urgently to the capital. Wang Hongyi sat there, the more he thought about it, the angrier he grew.

To think he had been played by a mere child!

I'll make sure your entire family meets a miserable death!

...

————————

On the other side, when Wu Ning returned home and recounted what had happened, Taiping was not a little startled.

"You've completely broken ties with Wang Hongyi?"

"Why should I keep pampering that bastard?"

Wu Ning had returned to the city already carrying anger; he had been given the cold shoulder at the door and had acted like a grandson for half a day.

Break ties? If Wu Jiulang possessed Meng Cangsheng's martial prowess, he would have slaughtered that turtle's egg on the spot.

"This shouldn't be!"

Taiping could not help her worry. "Why provoke such a despicable villain?"

Even Taiping knew that such people were best left unprovoked, as the future troubles would be endless.

"You should have listened to me from the start and let me step in to mediate; things wouldn't have come to this pass."

"You..." She cast a reproachful glance at Wu Ning. "I am going to write to my mother right now to guard against his wild talk and prevent her from growing suspicious."

"No need!!"

Wu Ning narrowed his eyes. "I will resolve him with my own hands!"

"How do you plan to resolve him yourself?" Taiping was torn between laughter and tears. "Things have reached this point, and you're still throwing tantrums."

Finding it somewhat comical, she added, "You can't even protect yourself, yet you're talking about resolving someone else!"

Instead, Wu Ning stood up. "I'll say it again: if I can't even solve a mere Wang Hongyi, I might as well give up living!"

With those words, Wu Ning turned back into his room, slammed the door shut with a loud *bang*, and didn't emerge for a long time.

...

——————————

As evening approached, Wu Ning came out of his room, ignored everyone, and headed straight into the city.

"What?! Jiulang has completely broken with Wang Hongyi?"

At this moment, Sun Hongde wore a look of utter shock.

"You—how could you be so reckless?!"

He didn't even dare to confront Wang Hongyi head-on, especially after Wang Hongyi was promoted to Censor; Old Sun basically went around him.

And this kid? He had actually run right into the man's home and cursed his ancestors.

"You must go and beg Princess Taiping right now, asking her to intercede and ideally have the Holy Empress transfer Wang Hongyi away from the Shannan Circuit."

"Otherwise, neither you nor I, nor your Fourth Uncle, will come to any good end."

"Why is the Grand Commander in such a hurry?" Wu Ning maintained a fair degree of composure, unlike Sun Hongde's panic.

"How can I not be in a hurry?!" Sun Hongde glared at him. "Do you know whose man that Wang Hongyi is?"

"He is Lai Junchen's confidant, and their relationship is exceptionally close!"

Was turning pale at the mention of "Lai" in the Great Tang a laughing matter? Once targeted by him, no one ever came to a good end.

"Rest assured, Grand Commander!" Wu Ning consoled Grand Commander Sun.

"We cannot move against Lai Junchen, but a mere Wang Hongyi... this time he must die!"

Ever since Wu Ning turned back toward Wang Hongyi's estate, he had already made up his mind.

Such people—either you don't provoke them, or you provoke them to the death, completely crushing them to eliminate future troubles once and for all.

"Ah?"

Sun Hongde was somewhat bewildered.

"You—how are you going to kill him?"

Only to see Wu Ning pull a piece of paper from his bosom. "This is why I came to find the Grand Commander. I must trouble you, taking advantage of the opportunity to submit a memorial of impeachment, to present these charges against Wang Hongyi to the Holy Empress."

"What charges?"

Sun Hongde took it and looked, laughing in exasperation.

"Are you stupid? Can petty matters like these impeach Wang Hongyi?"

The paper bore merely twenty characters:

"Peering at neighbors, presumptuously making concubines, engaging in commerce as close relatives, embezzling civilian wealth, colluding with Buddhist monks."

...