The Wolf and the Lily of the Valley

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Your Majesty!" Hui Ji An kneeled before the Emperor. His body flexed forward, kissing the floor. "I take responsibility for the Lone Wolf's brazenness. I will make sure he will be punished."

The Emperor's fists were rolled into a ball, rested and pressed down the table in front of him. In his head was the conversation between him and the young man who did not appear unafraid for his life for displeasing him. Such a rare occasion for a man to act bold in front of the Emperor, much less propose an outrageous bargain.

"Make him as Head of the Censorate?!" laughed boisterously the Emperor. "What do these merchants think of me? Do they think that I know nothing of the black market? That young man is too proud, he does not know whom he's going against to!"

"Your Majesty, the Lone Wolf is known to be preposterously tactless. He is but at the peak of his youth, and you are right when you think he is yet to experience the cruelties of this world. He should feel abashed for acting that way."

The Emperor cleared his throat. "Hui Ji An, do you really think this brazen man can find Meiying? He appears too young to be somebody who is capable of spearheading a spy network of massive reach."

"The Lone Wolf, if not ambitious, is ingenious," answered Hui Ji An. "Accounts from Anyang, Khitan and Nanjing say so."

"And aren't they just from fictitious novels of a creative mind?"

"Your Majesty, if I may be bold, the Lone Wolf, I think, is our only hope."

The Emperor, displeased from what he just heard, groaned. He fell back to his seat, and his mind wondered to other possibilities.

Hui Ji An gathered his legs and stood upright. His hands clasped in front of him. His façade reminiscent of that expression he always does when trying to make a point.

"The Royal Court is infested with officials whose loyalty is questionable. The Minister of War, without a doubt, is a lapdog of the Duke of Pucheng of whom we all know is the crown indebted to. Hanzhou fell into a crisis after the rebellion sixteen years ago. The coffers were emptied, the Palace was in turmoil, and so you were left with no choice but to accept the help from Lord Wu Lei. You appointed him as Head of the Royal Treasury. Since then, Hanzhou has been living off the wealth of the Wu Family.  They have become too powerful over the years, Your Majesty, and I understand the qualms you have in mind." Hui Ji An continued despite the discomfort that was growing on the Emperor's face. "With the influence the Duke of Pucheng has in his hands, he can very well control the Royal Army, and even the other departments of state affairs. Forgive me, Your Majesty, but let me just remind you of that private conversation we had a couple of weeks ago."

"That Wu Lei is basically governing the kingdom with his wealth and power, while I become constantly and eternally grateful of his generosity?!"

"These are hard times, Your Majesty. The kingdom is still struggling to recover from the rebellion. For some reason, I do think that the Duke of Pucheng is behind all these."

"That's why I made Guang Li the Head of Censorate, this son of mine who has no ambitions but to write poetry and become a travelling musician. He has yet to prove himself."

Hui Ji An countered, "It's not the Prince of Zao's simplicity and his disinterest in stately affairs that made you appoint him the position, is it, Your Majesty?"

"Guang Li and Meiying are my only children from mothers who are commoners. Both whom I have loved dearly and died because of malicious intentions from the noble clans. If the royal court has no place for the weak and the fainthearted, and so is the Imperial Harem. Guang Li will not be swayed off by the Duke of Pucheng. He will lead the investigation with an unbiased mind."