Chapter 41: Impractical Peace

Xiao Song stared blankly at Pei Min. In his mind, his superior possessed a calm and sophisticated wisdom that transcended his years, always facing everything with serene composure. In this fleeting instant, that entire worldview shattered. Knowing nothing of military affairs, he naturally failed to grasp the significance of the Hexi Jiuqu to the Great Tang.

Pei Min, however, was different. At present, he was no longer a naive novice in military matters. Xue Ne resided within the Pei estate; this restless and unyielding veteran general of the Great Tang constantly studied the situations of the Tubet, the Tujue, and the Liang-Long-Xiyu regions, regularly mentoring Pei Min in military strategy during his leisure time. Xue Ne’s knowledge of tactical deployment and troop formation stemmed entirely from the hands-on tutelage of his father, Xue Rengui. Although Xue Ne’s innate talent was limited and fell short of Xue Rengui’s peerless invincibility, no one in the contemporary Great Tang could match him.

Under Xue Ne’s guidance, Pei Min had already acquired a certain level of military literacy. With his current strategic vision and tactical proficiency, he understood all too well just how vital the Hexi Jiuqu was to the Great Tang.

Leaving aside its use as a horse-grazing ground, the greatest disparity between the Central Plains and foreign tribes lay in cavalry. As an agrarian people inherently lacking pasturelands, handing over a horse-grazing ground to others was tantamount to feeding the enemy. For this reason alone, the crime was unforgivable. And that was merely secondary. The Great Tang’s method for defending against foreign tribes relied on military garrisons. If the Hexi Jiuqu remained in the hands of the Great Tang, the dynasty could establish garrisons and beacon towers there to prevent Tubet invasions into Longyou and Liangzhou. As long as the Great Tang maintained garrisons in the Hexi Jiuqu, it would serve as the decisive battlefield of any war, effectively shielding the common folk of Longyou and Liangzhou from devastation. It would also be impossible for the Tubet to raid Longyou and Liangzhou unnoticed.

In short, the Hexi Jiuqu was a priceless strategic stronghold. Even if it cost the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers to secure sovereignty over this territory, Pei Min would have deemed it worthwhile. If such a prized domain had been forcefully seized by the Tubet in combat, nothing more could be said. Yet the reality was that it had been handed over voluntarily, without the Tubet losing a single soldier. How could Pei Min not burn with anger? He wished nothing more than to tear Yang Ju limb from limb. Fortunately, that mediocre emperor Li Xian had already passed away; otherwise, he might even have harbored thoughts of rebellion.

At this moment, Pei Min harbored only a single thought: regardless of whether Yang Ju was a Tubet spy who had been bought off, or if he had merely acted out of sheer foolishness, he would not be spared. He would mobilize the full might of the Censorate to drag him down and let him taste the terrors of the Censorate’s prison. It would also be a perfect opportunity to test the efficacy of Lai Junchen’s classic manual on framing the innocent, the *Luowhijing*...

Calming his emotions, Pei Min asked with suppressed fury, "Where is Sun Zhou?"

Xiao Song hurriedly replied, "Right in the safe house in Changshou Quarter!"

To ensure the safety of whistleblowers, Pei Min had emulated later generations by establishing several hidden witness safe houses in inconspicuous locations throughout Changshan, and this was the first time one was being utilized.

"Lead the way!" Pei Min walked ahead. Since the idea for the safe houses was his own, he naturally knew their exact locations.

In an unassuming residential dwelling along the third street of Changshou Quarter, Pei Min met the whistleblower, Sun Zhou.

Sun Zhou was young, around twenty or so, with long, expressive eyes, a straight nose with a high bridge, and broad temples, possessing quite a handsome appearance.

"Greetings, Chief Censor Pei!" Before Pei Min could introduce himself, Sun Zhou stepped forward to offer his respects.

"You know me?" Pei Min asked, somewhat surprised.

Sun Zhou replied respectfully, "I didn't know for certain, I merely guessed. You and this official walked one behind the other, clearly displaying a superior-subordinate dynamic. In the Censorate, only Chief Censor Pei matches this age profile. Furthermore, the matter I am reporting is of paramount importance; how could someone without a certain standing shoulder it? Although the Censorate currently has Grand Censor Cheng in charge, anyone with discernment can see that the one truly executing substantive work in that office is Chief Censor Pei alone."

"You are quite sharp!" Pei Min did not deny Sun Zhou’s words, for such was indeed the truth. Li Longji employed him much as Wu Zetian had once employed Lai Junchen; while superiors existed above them, they were undoubtedly the ones truly wielding power. The sole difference was that Lai Junchen had been arrogant, arbitrary, and contemptuous of everything, whereas Pei Min adhered to his core principles and accorded respect to his superior, Cheng Xingzhan. "Tell me, how did Yang Ju collude with the Tubet?"

Sun Zhou smiled bitterly, "I overheard it inadvertently. Yang Ju has a close friend named Feng Yuan. On the surface, he is merely a drinking buddy from Pingkang Quarter, but in reality, he is a Tubet spy and an intermediary responsible for passing messages back and forth. Originally, I knew nothing of this, until yesterday when Feng Yuan came to see Yang Ju, and Yang Ju brought him into his study to look at his collection of rare books. At the time, I was hiding behind the bookshelves and overheard their conversation."

As it turned out, Sun Zhou was passionately fond of reading. Coming from an impoverished family, he could not afford books and manuscripts. Yet Yang Ju possessed tens of thousands of volumes, which he merely collected as decorative ornaments. Being observant, Sun Zhou had noticed that Yang Ju never frequented his study unless new books were added to the collection. Knowing that thousands of volumes sat there unappreciated and unread, he was tormented by an itch to read them. Thus, he had secretly sneaked into the study to "borrow" a book or two for study. He was cautious, leaving no trace, and always returned the read books precisely as they were, never arousing suspicion. To his dismay, while sneaking into the study yesterday to return a book, he encountered Yang Ju and Feng Yuan. Hiding behind the bookcase, too terrified to draw a full breath, he had overheard every word of their dialogue.

However, Yang Ju and Feng Yuan had not discussed matters in great depth within the study, nor had their conversation touched upon the word "Tubet."

Pei Min did not immediately deduce from this that Yang Ju was a Tubet spy, but he sensed something was amiss. Coupled with the precedent of the Hexi Jiuqu being gifted to the Tubet, the possibility of Yang Ju being a Tubet spy was indeed exceedingly high.

Knowing that the information he had overheard fell short of ironclad proof, Sun Zhou continued, "To be frank with the Chief Censor, I have a congenital quirk: whenever I encounter things I do not understand, I cannot stop myself from overthinking them. Driven by necessity, I entered the Yang estate as a laborer four years ago. After working there for merely half a year, one particular matter continuously piqued my curiosity. Yang Ju spent money like water and lived extravagantly; he once spent eight hundred guan in a single day at Pingkang Quarter. I calculated Yang Ju’s official salary: as a third-rank capital official, he received three hundred and seventy shi of grain annually, alongside nine hundred mu of official service land, a monthly stipend of six guan, labor allowances for forty-eight men, and eight hundred shi from his personal retinue allowances. Adding all these various incomes together, his yearly total barely reached a thousand guan. To spend eight hundred guan in a single day—his expenditures and income were simply too disproportionate."

Hearing this, Pei Min could not help but look at Sun Zhou with newfound respect. The official salaries of the Tang Dynasty were complex, lacking the straightforward figures of later eras and broken down into grain, service lands, monthly stipends, labor allowances, and various other streams of revenue. Generally speaking, however, Tang official salaries were quite generous. Take Pei Min himself, for instance: holding the title of a Duke, his official rank was slightly lower than Yang Ju’s, yet his total income far exceeded Yang Ju’s, amounting to an annual salary roughly equivalent to around fifteen hundred guan. One should not view this sum lightly; calculated in modern terms, it equated to an annual salary of three million, with a monthly income of over two hundred thousand.

Such fragmented calculations were barely understood by Pei Min himself as a newcomer to the political arena; he simply assumed the imperial court would never dock his salary, taking whatever was issued without tallying the details.

For someone outside the bureaucratic system to calculate this with such clarity was truly remarkable.

Sun Zhou resumed, "Curious as I was, I did not investigate further, knowing that Yang Ju was a senior general and crossing paths with him would mean self-destruction. But yesterday, by sheer coincidence, I happened to overhear their conversation. Combining this with what I have seen and heard over the years, I deduced the truth. Chief Censor Pei, although today’s words lack concrete material proof, I dare stake my life on the certainty that Yang Ju harbors treasonous intentions."

Pei Min nodded silently and said, "I trust your judgment. I am merely curious: do you harbor a personal grudge against Yang Ju? With the astuteness and wit you have displayed today, you shouldn't have stepped forward to report him without absolute proof. An anonymous tip would have achieved your goal. By revealing yourself openly, you are clearly intending to lend the Censorate a helping hand. Could it be driven purely by a sense of righteousness?"

Sun Zhou gave a bitter smile. "The Chief Censor flatters me too much. I am merely a humble commoner without such lofty ideals; the principles of right and wrong I hold in my heart are merely the petty righteousness of an ordinary individual. I bear no personal grudge against Yang Ju, and he has even shown me minor kindnesses on occasion. But toward the Tubet, I harbor a hatred as deep as the sea..." Gritting his teeth, he continued, "I am originally a native of Shanzhou, with my home in Huangzhong County. Ten years ago, the Tubet invaded, plundering Huangzhong County. Most of my fellow villagers met tragic ends, and my parents were separated from me, their fates unknown. I followed the refugees to Changshan to seek a livelihood. Though ten years have passed, that initial tragedy remains vivid in my mind, and I dare not forget it for even a single moment. Whatever Yang Ju has done has nothing to do with me, but his collusion with the Tubet is something I simply cannot endure."

Recalling the devastation in Huairou County, Pei Min felt a deep sense of shared grief. He patted Sun Zhou on the shoulder and said, "Rest assured, national enmities and family blood feuds will eventually be settled. Help me keep an eye on Yang Ju’s movements. Once this matter succeeds, I will personally speak with the Ministry of Revenue and have local officials trace the whereabouts of your parents."

Deeply moved, tears glistening in his eyes, Sun Zhou bowed deeply and said, "For the Chief Censor's immense kindness and virtue, Sun Zhou will never forget this in his lifetime!"

Pei Min spoke in a solemn tone, "Return now and act as though nothing has happened. Keep watch over the activities in Yang Ju’s study, and notify me the moment anything unusual occurs."

"Understood!" Sun Zhou replied, "Yet I wonder how I should deliver the message? The Yang estate and the Chief Censor's estate are too far apart. During the day it matters little, but should it happen at night when the ward gates are locked, how is one to send word?"

Greatly reassured by Sun Zhou's meticulousness, Pei Min smiled, knowing that leaving the monitoring of the Yang estate to him would ensure absolute security. "I will arrange for men to take turns keeping watch around the Yang estate. Tomorrow, I will have them quietly make contact with you, and you can pass the word to them then."

Sun Zhou acknowledged the order and departed.

Watching Sun Zhou walk away, Xiao Song lowered his voice and asked, "Chief Censor, is this a plan to catch the thief with the stolen goods in hand?"

"Precisely!" Pei Min said sternly. "This time, I intend not only to bring Yang Ju down, but also to expose the wolfish ambitions of the Tubet, uprooting their secret agents and informants planted within our Great Tang. I want His Majesty to understand that the Tubet have already prepared for war against our Great Tang, and we must no longer yearn for an illusory peace!"