Chapter Sixty-Five: Determination

Pei Min observed Dou Chen and the presiding official coolly, scrutinizing their every minor movement, hoping to glean something from their expressions.

The presiding official glared at the giant, his teeth gritted in frustration. Dou Chen had only called the man over for a brief chat, and in the span of a single tea ceremony, a disaster had occurred. If anyone were to be held accountable, he could hardly escape blame. Moreover, the person the giant had provoked was Pei Min. Pei Min was about to take up a post at the Ministry of War; compared to his own lowly rank as a registrar, Pei Min would enter the ministry as a ninth-rank official—a status significantly higher than his own. Furthermore, Pei Min was highly valued by Princess Taiping and served as her bedchamber favorite; his rise to power was inevitable.

If this incident left a bad taste in Pei Min’s mouth, his life at the Ministry would surely be miserable. Thinking of this, the official cast an increasingly hostile gaze toward the giant.

Dou Chen looked solemn, his inner thoughts unreadable. With almost no hesitation, he spoke, "Jiang Hua has disrupted the examination grounds; this is truly intolerable. Zhao Qian, record this incident. He is barred from taking the military examinations for the next three years..." With Pei Min holding the upper hand, he knew that forcibly disqualifying him would lead to consequences he could not bear.

The presiding official, Zhao Qian, acknowledged the order. The giant heard this without uttering a word and strode out.

Pei Min watched Dou Chen with a faint smile, seventy percent certain that the man was merely the second step in a larger scheme. Zhao Qian’s status was too low; it was highly unlikely he was the mastermind.

Under Pei Min’s gaze, Dou Chen felt a chill creep down his spine. He feigned composure, though he was already filled with regret. He regretted having let his judgment be clouded by Chang Yuankai’s request, and he had never imagined that Pei Min, so young, would be so formidable, seizing control of the situation instantly. Fearing that today’s events would be impossible to rectify, he hardened his heart and barked, "Continue the examination! Quickly choose your horses; the horsemanship test is about to begin."

The surrounding candidates scattered at Dou Chen’s command.

Pei Min withdrew his gaze from Dou Chen and glanced at the giant named Jiang Hua. He found it strange; the giant’s strength was truly astonishing. Had he been armed with a proper weapon, the outcome of their confrontation might have been uncertain. That such a man had never left a mark in history seemed inconceivable to him, though he dismissed it as a case of a hidden gem waiting to be polished. As for the matter with Dou Chen, he would investigate it thoroughly after the military exams; for now, the exams were the priority.

Since some were intent on preventing him from taking the crown, then achieving the highest honors in the military examination would be the most powerful retaliation. Pei Min stopped dwelling on it, a surge of fighting spirit rising within him as he went to select a new horse.

Jiang Hua was expelled from the Ministry of War and walked home without looking back. His "home" was not a house, but a dilapidated Earth God temple in the west of the city. He had been struggling to make a living in Chang’an for over two years, and the temple had been his shelter throughout.

As he stepped into the temple, Jiang Hua smelled the rich aroma of wine and meat, causing his throat to bob.

A sturdy man dressed in relatively fine clothing was busily tending to the spread. Seeing Jiang Hua return, he hurried forward to greet him, "Brother, my good brother, you’ve worked hard today."

Jiang Hua ignored the table of food and drink, walked deep into the temple, and lay down on a tattered mat stuffed with straw in the corner—the bed he had slept on for two years.

The sturdy man’s expression changed. He rushed over and urged, "Brother Li, don’t scare me. I’m faint of heart and can't take your silence!"

Jiang Hua turned over, his back to the man, and said indifferently, "I didn’t beat Pei Min. I messed it up."

The man leapt up, his voice sharp, "Li Siye, what do you mean? Are you trying to get me killed? I see now—you can’t stand to see me succeed, so you’re trying to drag me down with you, aren’t you?" His voice trembled.

Jiang Hua was not his real name; he was Li Siye, from Gaoling, Jingzhao. The sturdy man was his fellow townsman, Xu Kai, a hoodlum fond of boasting.

Xu Kai had a beautiful sister who, by chance, had become a concubine of Chang Yuankai. Relying on his sister’s influence, Xu Kai had secured a trivial officer position under Chang Yuankai. He considered himself imposing and mighty; when he returned home, he bragged endlessly about his supposed achievements.

Li Siye’s ancestors had been Great Tang "Mo Dao" (Long Saber) infantrymen who followed the god of war, Li Jing, to sweep the north, and his grandfather had been a minor officer who followed Su Dingfang to conquer the Western Turks. But by his generation, apart from a few rusted long sabers and incomplete manuals on sword techniques, there was no trace of their martial legacy. Li Siye possessed extraordinary strength and, relying on those rusty blades, had remained undefeated in his home county.

Li Siye had a heart for military service, but as a commoner, he had no path to entry. He sought out Xu Kai, hoping for a recommendation to Chang Yuankai.

Xu Kai agreed on the surface, but secretly feared that if Li Siye joined the army, he would climb above him and lord it over him. Instead of helping, he obstructed him, wasting two years of Li Siye’s life.

Just as Li Siye’s patience was wearing thin, Xu Kai learned that Chang Yuankai needed a formidable man to deal with Pei Min and specifically recommended Li Siye. His motive was not to help Li Siye, but to secure his own promotion. When he spoke to Li Siye, he naturally bragged about his own merit and feigned loyalty.

Li Siye was initially unwilling, but he could not withstand Xu Kai’s persistent pleading. Anxious about his own lack of progress and blinded by a momentary lapse in judgment, he agreed. Under the guidance of Lu Cangyong, he adopted the alias "Jiang Hua" to help Dou Chen deal with Pei Min.

Xu Kai knew Li Siye’s capability and had staked his promotion on him. Learning the plan had failed, he panicked, revealing his true colors.

Li Siye ignored him.

Xu Kai’s courage grew, and he raged, "You ungrateful, treacherous peasant..."

He continued to curse, and when Li Siye grew tired of the noise, he sat up abruptly.

Xu Kai retreated three steps in fear, trembling, "What... what are you doing?"

"Get out!" Li Siye roared, his eyes wide with fury.

Xu Kai’s face turned pale instantly, and he scrambled out of the ruined temple.

Li Siye grabbed his arm, which had recovered, and suddenly slapped himself across the face. His strength was so immense that it left his cheek swollen. He cursed himself, "You were blinded by greed!" He thought to himself: Pei Min was not even twenty, had topped the civil examination, and yet was still striving for the military exams. And himself? He had martial talent but had associated with a worm like Xu Kai to take a shortcut, and in a moment of madness, had committed a wicked act for the sake of an empty promise. He felt deep shame.

In this world, what shortcuts are there? Down-to-earth effort is the only truth.

And if one is a common soldier, so what? Did the world-renowned General Xue Rengui not start as a common soldier?

Looking back, Li Siye realized how foolish he had been to look up to a man like Xu Kai.

His gaze shifted from confusion to resolve.