Chapter 25: High-Sounding Words

"I've come today to greet the brothers of the Eastern Depot, so that when the prayer ceremony arrives, we may better coordinate our actions."

In the main hall of the Eastern Depot, Chen Yi cupped his hands in a salute to the prominent figures gathered before him.

Wang Gu, standing to one side, spoke up: "I believe you have all heard that for the next month or two, Thousand-Household Chen of the Western Depot will be serving as the acting Superintendent."

In the hall, several officers began to chuckle and exchange pleasantries, with flattering remarks filling the air. Min Ning watched Chen Yi standing before the crowd, her expression flickered with complexity. Even though she had known since yesterday that he would take on the role, seeing him stand there in person still left her stunned. Especially since this man—who harbored desires for both her sister and herself—was now to become her immediate superior.

"Come, Thousand-Household Chen, please, this way," Wang Gu said, gesturing politely. "As it happens, there is a case file here. Take a look at it to familiarize yourself with the Eastern Depot's procedures."

Chen Yi stepped forward to follow Wang Gu. Seeing this, Min Ning furrowed her brows slightly. She recalled that yesterday, Thousand-Household Wang had been conferring with several familiar officers about something.

Upon reaching the document room, Wang Gu pulled a file from the desk and placed it in Chen Yi's hands. Chen Yi lowered his eyes and scanned it quickly. At the top of the file, a few words were written: *In the northwestern suburbs of the capital, villagers have privately constructed an infant tower.*

Checking the date on the file, Chen Yi realized it was quite old, having been shelved for several years. Chen Yi frowned. "Privately constructing an infant tower..."

He had heard of these towers. Initially, they were intended for abandoning infants born with deformities. Later, commoners began casting off excess children there as well—often boys, though the majority were girls. It didn't end with just abandonment; some extremist villages, fearing that the spirits of the dead would return to be reincarnated, would brutally kill the infants inside, whether by drowning or fire. The cruelty involved was truly beyond words. As for why they resorted to such measures... it was simply because they could not afford to raise them.

"Unlike your Western Depot, which oversees specific factories and garrisons, the Eastern Depot handles many trivial matters. Take this, for instance: private construction of an infant-killing tower. The palace, worried that the malevolent energy would ruin the capital’s feng shui, tasked us with the job," Wang Gu explained, assuming Chen Yi’s silence was due to his surprise that the Eastern Depot would concern itself with such trifles.

Chen Yi closed the file and said in a deep voice, "Take me to see it. The Great Yu legal code dictates that those who kill their own offspring shall be punished and reduced to slavery." Although he did not know if the Ding'an Party was meddling in this, he would not let his first act as a new official go to waste by sitting idly by. And if the Ding'an Party was indeed playing a game, he wouldn't mind dragging them down along with the Lin Party when the prayer ceremony came.

Wang Gu offered a stiff, insincere smile. "Let us depart immediately."

...

Their tall horses trotted through the market streets, slowly crossing the city gates and heading toward the villages outside the capital.

Billowing smoke rose from the chimneys. Chen Yi held the reins, his expression calm. He didn't know if it was his imagination, but he felt as though the number of people following the procession was growing. When they left the Eastern Depot, there were only seven or eight men, but after passing the city gates, the number had increased significantly. Chen Yi looked back and counted casually. There were fifteen men in total, mostly dressed in the uniforms of the Imperial Guard, with three of them holding the rank of Company Commander.

"Let's keep going; we're almost there," Wang Gu, who was following behind, said.

"Does clearing an infant tower really require so many Imperial Guards?" Chen Yi asked casually.

"Thousand-Household Chen may not be aware, but with treacherous officials currently dominating the court and driving the people to rebellion, there are many unruly subjects even outside the capital," Wang Gu said, his face impassive. "One must be careful, lest we capsize in a small gutter."

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes. Crossing a stretch of dirt road, the village gradually came into view. From a distance, a crude wooden tower could be seen. Inside, there seemed to be faint, indistinct sounds—not quite clear, like wailing or mournful cries.

Chen Yi gripped his reins tighter. A pervasive stillness hung over the village. Hearing the hoofbeats, almost all the villagers retreated into their homes; a few who had been working in the fields threw themselves into the furrows, not daring to rise. The sun was high, but a foul, necrotic stench emanated from the infant tower. Their horses tossed their heads and whinnied in agitation.

Behind him, the Imperial Guards dismounted, all simultaneously placing their hands on the hilts of their blades. Wang Gu cupped his hands. "Please dismount, Thousand-Household Chen."

Chen Yi did not reply, merely staring fixedly at the infant tower. After a long silence, he did not dismount, nor did he respond. He simply said coldly, "Drag everyone out of here. Find out who built this tower and who the accomplices are. According to the Great Yu code, arrest them all and take them to the capital."

Wang Gu ignored him and repeated, "Please dismount, Thousand-Household Chen."

Chen Yi turned his head and asked, "Did you not hear what I said?"

Sensing the hostility in his tone, the Imperial Guards slowly drew their Xiuchun blades an inch from their scabbards.

Seeing Chen Yi staring straight at the tower, Wang Gu sneered, "I did not expect Thousand-Household Chen to harbor such pity."

Chen Yi turned to face the guards. In the open plain, the fourteen men had surrounded him from three directions, their blades now fully unsheathed.

"Please dismount, Thousand-Household!" the guards said in unison.

"This place is in the suburbs, not far from the capital. Even without the Imperial Guard, ordinary patrols would have discovered a privately built infant tower, yet it still stands here," Chen Yi said, looking at them. "And that file—it had been gathering dust for years. Why was it presented to me only today?"

Wang Gu did not answer directly. "The Lin Party has brought chaos to the court and engaged in bribery. If we do not topple them, the Great Yu will never see a revival."

Chen Yi caught onto something. "Elder Lin has always valued Daoist practice. No matter how corrupt he is, he would never sit idly by while such a thing ruins the feng shui. This tower hinders his path to immortality and invites the displeasure of the palace."

"So... this is the work of your Ding'an Party? You deliberately allowed them to build these infant towers, just so that one day, drop by drop, you could use this to topple the Lin Party."

At these words, the expressions of the guards shifted slightly. Wang Gu offered a cold, mirthless smile. "Thousand-Household Chen, even when treating a patient, one must scrape away the bone to remove the poison, which inevitably causes pain to the flesh. Furthermore, we of the Ding'an Party are seeking a cure for the Great Yu. Compared to the crimes of the Lin Party, what does this matter?"

"Thousand-Household Chen, if not for the chaos caused by the Lin Party, would the common people have any need to kill their infants?!"

As his words faded, Chen Yi sat in silence. The late autumn wind swept across the desolate yellow earth, kicking up sand and stones. The villagers peered through the cracks in their windows in terror. They heard the sound of blades being drawn—a sharp, metallic chorus. Amidst the swirling dust, they saw the man on his tall horse remain seated, his long sword still in its scabbard, though the veins on his hands were bulging. His spirited horse threw its head back, neighing against the autumn wind.

He was not a good man, nor was he purely evil; he had his own bottom line. Chen Yi gripped his Xiuchun blade. Never before had he wanted to kill as much as he did today. Perhaps it was because... he had heard too many high-sounding lies and seen too many beasts in human clothing.