Chapter 35: I Can Take Ten... No, Twenty

Under ordinary circumstances, anyone bearing the title of peerless under heaven would have already provoked restless, face-conscious martial artists into stepping forward to challenge them. However, Pei Min was a high-ranking court official and a reigning duke of the realm, wielding immense power and authority. The rules of the pugilistic world might not necessarily apply to him. Therefore, although doubts and skepticism abounded, no one had yet dared to truly challenge Pei Min and set that precedent. Wu Yuan’s decision struck a chord with the public, drawing a chorus of enthusiastic responses and cheers from the entire room.

Immediately, Ye Gu declared, "Brother Wu, when you go, this younger brother will accompany you to back you up and bolster your prestige!"

The cyan-robed swordsman Pang Yi also chimed in, "I shall go as well, to see just how peerless Pei Min's swordsmanship truly is!"

In an instant, voices of agreement arose everywhere. Over a dozen pleasure-seeking figures in the barbarian winehouse echoed each other, gathering into a mighty and imposing procession as they marched straight toward the Pei residence.

Pei Min was still unaware that the effects of the "peerless under heaven" title had already manifested, and he was busy attending to his duties at the Censorate. After a few days of familiarizing himself with the role, he officially took over the responsibilities of the Vice Censor-in-Chief. The new regulations for the terrace court were already on the right track, requiring no attention from him; the palace court had always been leisurely, with nothing of note requiring attention; only the investigative court demanded his focus. Currently, the investigative court had fifteen supervisory censors, and these fifteen individuals were tasked with inspecting all prefectures and counties across the Great Tang outside of Chang'an, patrolling to see whether local officials were competent and whether there were any instances of dereliction of duty or oppression of the people. The workload was immense.

According to traditional old rules, supervisory censors toured the empire every year in early October. Pei Min felt that this regulation was somewhat absurd; to truly ferret out derelict and incompetent officials, investigations had to be conducted when they were caught off guard in order to yield results. Once October arrived, officials throughout the realm knew that the supervisory censors had set out. To cope with the inspectors, every single official acted as if pumped with adrenaline, putting on a display of heart-rending devotion—what good was that?

Moving merely to pass an assessment was a common human failing.

Pei Min did not expect every official in the land to be as noble, incorruptible, and dedicated to the welfare of the common people as figures like Hu Zhi, Hu Wei, Bao Zheng, Lu Zhi, or Fan Zhongyan. But at the very least, while occupying their posts, they should fulfill their basic duties rather than occupying official positions merely to draw fat salaries and enjoy the awe of the people while doing absolutely nothing like grand lords.

Therefore, Pei Min proposed moving this year's empire-wide inspection task forward by two and a half months from the stipulated October, conducting it primarily through covert visits to inspect officials when least expected. The same would apply in the future: inspection times would not be fixed, but determined spontaneously, leaving local officials no loopholes in the system to exploit.

"Vice Censor!" Xiao Song strode into Pei Min's office, holding a confidential report with a rather solemn expression.

"What is it?" Pei Min put down the documents in his hands. Xiao Song was a junior supervisory censor he had promoted. Speaking of Xiao Song, he was an exceptionally formidable individual. A descendant of the former imperial Xiao family—the great-great-grandson of Emperor Ming of Western Liang, who was a descendant of Emperor Wu of Liang—he had initially served as a military counselor in Mingzhou, winning the deep appreciation of Imperial Censor Huan Yanfan, and was later recommended by Hebei Pacification Commissioner Jiang Shidu as an adjudicator. Within a year, however, he was reassigned as the Registrar of Liquan, and was recruited by Secretariat Draughtsman Lu Xiangxian as a supervisory censor. The following year, Lu Xiangxian was appointed chancellor, whereupon he recommended Xiao Song for the post of Palace Junior Supervisory Censor. Although his promotion trajectory could not compare to Pei Min's rocket-like ascent, it was still soaring steadily, as if he were riding an airplane.

When Pei Min was promoted to Vice Censor-in-Chief, the position of junior supervisory censor he left behind became vacant. Noting Xiao Song's rigorous handling of affairs, Pei Min recommended him to take over his former seat.

Xiao Song said, "Today I received an anonymous whistleblowing report. It is quite serious, and for a moment I was unsure how to decide, so I have come specifically to seek your guidance." Although Pei Min was much younger than he, in ancient times those with superior attainment were regarded as teachers, and the achievements Pei Min had made in the Censorate were plain for all to see, causing Xiao Song to display the utmost respect.

"Let's hear it!" It was precisely because Pei Min understood Xiao Song's talent that he had recommended him as a supervisory censor; if Xiao Song found it difficult to handle, the problem was bound to be significant.

Xiao Song said solemnly, "It accuses Minister of the Court of Gates Pei Guangting of harboring rebellious intent and plotting sedition!"

Pei Min's expression changed upon hearing these words. "This is no minor crime. Bring it here and let me take a look!" He took the whistleblowing letter from Xiao Song and read it carefully. The letter stated: Pei Guangting was the son-in-law of Prince Liang Wu Sansi. In his early years, he had devised strategies for Wu Sansi to secretly plot the usurpation of the crown prince's position, a crime that deserved death. Now, although Li Longji chose not to hold him accountable, Pei Guangting felt no gratitude; instead, he harbored deep resentment toward Li Longji and frequently joined his wife, Lady Wu, in disparaging Li Dan and Li Longji.

"There are no two Peis under heaven—this Pei Guangting must be from the Pei clan, right?" The name rang a bell in Pei Min's mind, but he could not recall his specific deeds.

Xiao Song nodded and said, "He is indeed of the Pei clan, originating from the Zhongjuan branch of the Hedong Pei family."

"The Zhongjuan branch?" A light flashed in Pei Min's eyes. Naturally, he was familiar with the famous figures of the Pei clan. Decades ago, the Zhongjuan branch had been the most prominent lineage of the Pei clan, because the renowned Confucian general Pei Xingjian was a Zhongjuan Pei, and it was he who had pushed the prestige of the Zhongjuan branch to its peak. Pei Min hastily asked, "Is the Duke of Wenxi his...?"

"Father!" Xiao Song replied. "Pei Guangting is the third son of the Duke of Wenxi. When the Duke of Wenxi passed away, Pei Guangting was still young and did not receive the protection of his father's legacy. However, his mother, Lady Quedi, was deeply favored by Empress Wu, allowing her to rise through the ranks to become Assistant Administrator of Court Ceremonies. He also married Wu Sansi's beloved daughter, keeping very close ties with the Wu family. Consequently, he was implicated and demoted to Inspector of Yingzhou. In Yingzhou, Pei Guangting's administrative record was outstanding, and at the beginning of last year, he was reassigned as Garrison Commander of the Right Imperial Guard, before being promoted not long ago to Minister of the Court of Gates."

Upon hearing this, Pei Min pondered in silence for a moment and said, "There is no need to report this matter hastily. I feel something is amiss. Remember, although our Censorate has the power to report based on hearsay, even making a mistake is not a crime. However, we must never cultivate such a habit, especially since we have opened the precedent for whistleblowing; we must treat it with even greater caution. We must not condemn anyone based on baseless rumors. Let us investigate thoroughly and decide thereafter."

Xiao Song bowed with cupped hands and said, "Understood!"

Thinking of Pei Guangting's situation, Pei Min associated it with his mother's wish and murmured softly, "He is a descendant of the Duke of Wenxi and rendered great service to our Great Tang. Reason and emotion alike dictate that this matter must be thoroughly investigated. If we can truly fulfill Mother's wish, that would be for the best..." With that thought, he did not remain idle in the Censorate, but set off directly for the Ministry of Personnel.

For the Ministry of Personnel, Pei Min's arrival was treated as if facing a formidable enemy, out of fear that he might come up with yet another new idea that would throw everyone into a panic. It was only when they learned that he was merely checking Pei Guangting's administrative record through the Merit Evaluation Bureau that they finally relaxed.

As the saying goes, if it doesn't concern you, hang it high.

The merit evaluation scribes dared not put up any obstacles for Pei Min; they obediently dug out Pei Guangting's performance records.

Pei Min flipped through the performance logs and immediately concluded that the accusation of Pei Guangting harboring rebellious intent was most likely a false charge: a person might put on a false front, but the administrative achievements accomplished during his tenure could not be faked. Pei Guangting's record was exemplary. Whether as the Assistant Administrator of Court Ceremonies before his demotion, or as the Yingzhou Inspector, Garrison Commander of the Right Imperial Guard, and Minister of the Court of Gates after his demotion, he had achieved commendable results. Most crucially, his official record contained evaluations from several former and current superiors: taciturn, unskilled in conversation, poor at socializing, yet rigorous in his work and utterly faultless.

An individual who was both taciturn and rigorous—even if he truly harbored rebellious intent—would not constantly shoot his mouth off and leave behind such severe evidence and gossip.

Pei Min returned to the Censorate and instructed Wang Xiaobai to inform Xiao Song to investigate whether Pei Guangting had offended anyone and become the target of malicious framing.

The hour was no longer early, and the tasks at hand had all been handled, so Pei Min leisurely knocked off work and returned to his residence.

Just as he was about to reach the Pei residence, he found his path blocked by a crowd.

Facing this obstruction, Pei Min was not angered; instead, he was pleasantly surprised, a trace of eager anticipation shining in his eyes. It was easy to tell that the people blocking his way were martial artists, and their formation seemed to carry no small pedigree. It had been a long time since he had encountered anyone worthy of a fight, and he wondered whether the challenger today would be able to give him a satisfying match.

Those blocking Pei Min's path were none other than Wu Yuan, Ye Gu, and their companions. Acting on impulse, a band of young pugilistic chivalric youths had marched imposingly toward the Pei residence. However, unlike them, who lived lives of idle leisure, Pei Min was a proper civil servant eating the emperor's stipend, leaving early and returning late. They could only wait on the main street from midday until dusk before finally catching sight of Pei Min's figure.

By the time half a day had passed, the alcohol buzz in Wu Yuan had long since worn off, and he couldn't help feeling a twinge of regret. Yet his challenge to Pei Min had already spread far and wide. Aside from the dozen or so individuals from the winehouse who had come to back him up, more onlookers had trickled in successively, gathering a crowd of over thirty people.

Faced with the public gaze, Wu Yuan was caught on the tiger's back and had no choice but to bite the bullet and preserve his energy.

Pei Min feigned bewilderment as he looked around at the martial artists gradually gathering about, and asked, "What are you all doing?"

Feeling all eyes converge upon him, Wu Yuan instantly mustered his courage, stepped forward two steps, and said, "I am Wu Yuan, successor of the Wu Family's Swift Saber. I have long heard that Vice Censor Pei's swordsmanship is peerless under heaven, and filled with admiration, I have come specifically to seek instruction." As he uttered the words "peerless under heaven," small sounds of derision rippled through the surrounding crowd. Though individual voices were soft, when gathered together, they created a humming buzz.

Pei Min was somewhat dumbfounded. Looking at Wu Yuan and recalling the saber technique he had displayed that day, his cheek twitched: his original intention had been to find someone slightly formidable, an expert with genuine specialized skills, yet instead a mere shrimp soldier had shown up. He hurriedly inspected the martial artists surrounding Wu Yuan in detail, only to discover that they were all young and green, not a single one of mature age; they were all around twenty. Not just one shrimp soldier, but a whole bunch of shrimp soldiers, without even a single crab general.

Disappointed, Pei Min massaged his forehead and sighed, "I'm not in the mood to fight!"

A fresh wave of light laughter broke out in the surroundings, everyone assuming he was afraid.

Wu Yuan's spirits rallied. In martial arts duels, whoever lost momentum first would be defeated. With victory seemingly in hand, he loudly proclaimed, "Are you not in the mood, or are you too afraid? The Vice Censor needn't worry about saving face; you are not a martial artist, so no one will laugh if you lose."

Pei Min once again looked at the surrounding shrimp soldiers, leisurely dismounted, pulled his little chestnut-colored horse aside, tied it up, and then walked over to face Wu Yuan. "You are quite right, I am indeed not a pugilistic man, so the rules of the martial world do not apply to me; they are meaningless... And you lot needn't care so much either. Since you've all gathered here in one place, you must be birds of a feather, each wanting to have a go with me. That being the case, let's keep it simple—all of you come at me together! I'll take ten... no, twenty of you!"