The din within the room rose sharply and then just as suddenly ceased.
It rose because the young man raised his arm to call out, and it ceased because he waved his hand to signal quiet.
The excitement had not yet faded from the soldiers' faces, their eyes still shining; their chests heaved as if at that moment, should Zhu Zan's hand wave them to go and chop down that band of Jin thieves,
they would not hesitate to grab their swords, mount their horses, and charge out.
Of course, Zhu Zan would not do such a thing. He bowed respectfully to the three judges seated on the high platform.
"Indeed, I cannot deny that at first, I truly intended to make some money with this," he said, looking at the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. "Lord Huang, surely you remember that during the deep winter, a sum of military funds for our northern lands had not arrived due to various reasons; the brethren cannot be expected to go without food or winter clothing, can they?"
Regret showed on the Vice Minister's face.
In reality, he could hardly recall that time; such delays in military funding were all too common and not necessarily intentional, as spending money requires approval through many procedures. What could be done if the Ministry of Revenue claimed there was no money?
"We've put you in a difficult position," he said. "The military funding for this winter will be allocated after June."
He paused for a moment.
"This map is, after all, small change and not within regulations; we should refrain from such activities in the future."
Zhu Zan readily agreed.
"I had already intended to stop," he said, spreading his hands with an innocent look. "It's just that, although it seems like small change, there are many people eager to earn this little bit of money, and these maps are quite simple to produce—anyone who knows a few characters and can draw a few lines can make one. I had no choice; our business was taken over."
The Minister of the Ministry of Justice sneered inwardly; there were likely not many who could take over his business.
However, at this point, he had admitted to the matter and promised to cease such activities in the future; it was up to the emperor to judge.
"Then, let us put this matter on hold for now, and I shall list the laws for the emperor to decide and deal with," he said, glancing at his two colleagues. "Lord Huang, Thousand-Man Commander Lu, do you agree with this approach?"
The Vice Minister obviously had no objections, and Lu Yunqi remained as still as a clay statue.
"Then it's settled!" The Minister of the Ministry of Justice struck the gavel to finalize the decision, "We will..."
"Hold on," interjected a Jinyiwei, looking at Zhu Zan. "Your action of pushing Imperial Censor Hu's carriage into the river has yet to be explained, Duke of Chengguo's heir."
It was due to this incident that the emperor had summoned the Duke of Chengguo's heir to the capital. The whole affair started when he had tossed the Imperial Censor, sent from the capital to the northern lands, into the river. Imperial Censor Hu had never suffered such humiliation in his life and, infuriated, left the northern lands, pleading with the emperor to be relieved of his duties.
Upon interrogation, Duke Chengguo and his son insisted that it was an unintentional collision due to an urgent military report.
"That matter," Zhu Zan said, looking towards the officers of the War Ministry. "Hasn't it already been resolved?"
At that, the Vice Minister suddenly remembered something, slapping his forehead.
"Yes, yes, I forgot," he said, turning to Lu Yunqi. "Thousand-Man Commander Lu, it's like this; during our investigation, Imperial Censor Hu already stated that it was a misunderstanding. He had been drinking at the time, was quite drunk, and got confused."
What?
The Minister of the Ministry of Justice looked astonished, and even the Jinyiwei present seemed as if they had seen a ghost.
Could it be so?
Duke Chengguo indeed had clever tactics, even managing to convince Imperial Censor Hu.
The Minister of the Ministry of Justice sighed inwardly.
No wonder they dare to send the son to the capital; everything was already well-arranged.
"Yes, we hadn't had the chance to report it, waiting for the Lord Heir to arrive for a confrontation before closing the case," the Vice Minister continued, looking at the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. "Imperial Censor Hu said the Princely Heir had already explained everything to him, that there was an emergency military report, and he was clearing the way. However, because he drank too much and couldn't stand steady, he ended up in the river, and it was the Princely Heir who saved him."
He gestured to the soldiers of the War Ministry standing below.
"Bring Imperial Censor Hu here."
The War Ministry soldiers agreed and were just about to depart when Lu Yunqi stood up.
"No need," he said.
This was the first thing he had said since coming in, and everyone stopped to look at him.
Lu Yunqi looked at Zhu Zan, circling a few desks as he walked down from the platform.
Zhu Zan watched him as well.
Lu Yunqi's face was impassive while Zhu Zan wore a faint smile, but everyone felt the atmosphere had become tense and confrontational.
Lu Yunqi walked straight up to Zhu Zan and stopped in front of him.
"One last question," he said. "Who is the leader of the woodcutters?"
The woodcutters?
People were briefly taken aback upon hearing this but quickly recovered. After all, for the Minister of War, the woodcutters were also a headache-inducing issue.
Though bandits could kill enemies, they were not under the controlled command.
It was like having a good knife, but if it wasn't in your own hand, it was not something that brought pleasure but rather displeasure.
Lu Yunqi's question had a certain implication.
Everyone's gaze shifted to Zhu Zan.
Zhu Zan laughed.
"I really would like to know as well," he said, his expression serious, "Unfortunately, they don't like us soldiers much, so it's hard to meet them. However, I've heard that their chief is a very wise elder with a broad mind like the grasslands. Although he can't chop wood himself, in everyone's eyes, he is the best woodcutter of all."
This admiration and esteem were genuine and unaffected by the woodcutters being an entity both dreaded by the dynasty and the army.
Lu Yunqi's mouth twitched, which was his way of smiling. Although it wasn't as radiant as Zhu Zan's, it softened his face slightly.
"Aren't you a woodcutter?" The Jinyiwei next to him, understanding his smile, immediately said, "Do we need to present personal and material evidence?"
Zhu Zan laughed, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"No need, no need," he said. "Yes, I did say I was a woodcutter..."
"You did it, not just said it," Lu Yunqi cut in.
Zhu Zan rolled his eyes at him.
"Yeah, being a woodcutter is so cool, of course, I had to give it a try. But I'm just too lousy, they didn't even let me in, didn't even touch their den, let alone meet the leader," he said. "Anyway, you ask me but I don't know. Do whatever you want."
He was too lousy?
To escape from the hands of the Jinyiwei, those woodcutters must be incredible.
The faces of the Jinyiwei grew even more difficult to look at.
He was deliberately praising others to devalue them.
Even the Minister of the Ministry of Justice couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose.
The first question asserted his rightness, the second became a misunderstanding, and now, the third answer was just being recalcitrant.
What could be done about it?
After all, the Ministry of Justice was there to ask questions, and ultimately leave it to the emperor to decide.
"Lord Huang, Lord Lu, what do you think about this matter..." he initiated.
"Let's leave it at that," Lu Yunqi also unusually took the initiative to speak, not even casting a glance at the Minister of the Ministry of Justice but just looking at Zhu Zan.
Zhu Zan smiled at him.
"Does that mean Lord Lu, you're willing to let me go?" he asked.
Lu Yunqi also smiled, taking another step forward.
"Do you know why I can't do anything to you?" he said in a lowered voice, "Because you have a father."
Zhu Zan looked at him and laughed heartily.
"Of course, I know," he laughed, then his laughter ceased, and he lowered his voice, "Do you know why you can be so arrogant now?"
Lu Yunqi just looked at him.
"Because you don't have a father," Zhu Zan said in a low voice, enunciating every word. "A creature without a father, without human decency, without humanity, that's what you are. A creature can certainly afford to be arrogant."
Although their voices were lowered, the hall had fallen into an eerie silence, and those low voices couldn't go much lower.
The hall was dead silent, and the atmosphere once again turned stagnant.