I'll steal Gao Qiu's life and lead the Song Dynasty to prosperity.

The night is already deep.

In the study of the Cai family mansion, Cai Jing sat behind a rosewood desk, holding a copy of a letter in his hand, reading it very slowly and carefully.

Cai Bian sat at the lower end, holding a teacup in his hand, but did not drink it, and just waited quietly.

He was a few years younger than his brother, with a thinner face and sharper eyes.

There was no one else in the room; even the maids who were supposed to serve them had been sent away.

The door was tightly closed, and the windows were shut, but Cai Bian still felt a draft, as if it were seeping into his neck. He put down his teacup and asked softly.

"Brother, how are you?"

Cai Jing did not answer.

He read the letter again before slowly putting down the copy.

I looked up at the person sitting in the guest seat opposite me.

The man was around fifty years old, wearing a slightly worn dark blue robe, with a yellowish complexion and droopy eyes. When he looked at people, he always seemed to have three parts timidity and seven parts calculation.

This person is Xing Shu.

"Xing Shu, this letter..." Cai Jing began, his voice low but sharp like ice ridges scraping against a flagstone, "was it really written to you by Wen Jifu?"

Wen Jifu was the grandson of Wen Yanbo.

Xing Shu leaned forward, a smile plastered on his face, but it looked forced and superficial.

"Absolutely true! I had some acquaintance with Wen Jifu in my early years. During the Yuan You era, he... he made a slip of the tongue while drunk and wrote this letter to me. Later, fearing trouble, he wanted to return, so I kept a copy for myself."

As he spoke, he glanced at Cai Jing's expression, and seeing no reaction, he added.

"Lord Cai, please understand. During the Yuan You era, Sima Guang and his cronies were in power. Because of my past relationship with Minister Zhang, I was ostracized and suppressed by them, and was sent to a remote post for many years, suffering greatly. I cannot swallow this insult!"

The last few words were squeezed out through clenched teeth, filled with genuine hatred.

Cai Jing nodded slightly and tapped the letter with his finger: "The letter says 'Sima Zhao's intentions'... Ha, Wen Jifu has quite the nerve."

The letter was a private letter from Wen Jifu to Xing Shu. It was short and mainly complained about the current situation, saying that when Empress Dowager Xuanren was in power, the old party was still not in charge and wanted to "do more".

One line in particular stands out: "Sima Zhao's intentions are obvious to everyone, but who is Jia Chong?"

That's a harsh statement.

Sima Zhao's ambition refers to usurping the throne; Jia Chong was a powerful minister who helped the Sima family usurp the Wei throne.

Wen Jifu was implying that Empress Dowager Xuanren and the old faction were plotting to depose the emperor.

Cai Bian leaned over at this moment, glanced at the letter by candlelight, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Wen Jifu is courting death. During the Yuan You era, he followed Liu Zhi and Liang Tao and their gang, causing us a lot of trouble. Now, he's handed the knife to us himself."

Xing Shu quickly replied.

"Exactly! I think that keeping such an important item in our hands would only cause trouble. It would be better to hand it over to Lord Cai, which might... might help the country rid itself of a traitor and relieve Lord Cai's burden."

The words were spoken with righteous indignation, but the meaning was clear.

This letter is a pledge of allegiance.

Xing Shu has been suppressed by the old party for many years. Now he wants to join the new party and the Cai Jing group in order to get promoted. This is his sincerity.

Cai Jing certainly understood.

He looked Xing Shu up and down as if he were examining an object.

This person had a bad reputation and was fickle. He was indeed severely persecuted during the Yuan You era, and his hatred was genuine.

But how long can this hatred burn? How far can it spread?

"Brother Xing, you're too kind." Cai Jing finally showed a slight smile, very faint, like oil floating on the surface of water.

"This is indeed important. However..." He paused, "a single letter may not be enough."

Xing Shu's heart tightened, and he bent down even lower.

"What does Lord Cai mean?"

Where is Wen Jifu now?

"He's in Chenzhou, holding a sinecure," Xing Shu answered quickly. "And Zhang Shiliang, who used to be an eunuch by the Empress Dowager's side, knows a lot of things, but he's also living in seclusion now."

Cai Jing and Cai Bian exchanged a glance.

Cai Bian understood and replied.

"Brother, since we have this letter, we might as well see this through to the end. Wen Jifu and Zhang Shiliang are both important witnesses. Arrest them and send them to the Tongwen Guan for interrogation. We're not afraid we won't get anything out of them."

Xing Shu's eyes lit up: "Master Cai's insight is brilliant! Once you're in prison and in the Tongwen Guan (a school for learning about literature), even the toughest man will have to speak up!"

The moment the words "Tongwen Guan" were uttered, the candlelight in the room seemed to dim by a third.

Tongwen Guan was originally an inn under the Honglu Temple, not a place for interrogating people.

In the fourth year of the Shaosheng era, this place was temporarily converted into an imperial prison to handle cases decided by imperial decree.

Once you enter the Tongwen Guan (School of Combined Learning), don't expect to leave unscathed.

They might not go so far as to skin you alive, but methods like "tailor-made" or "female escorts" are enough to make someone vomit up their ancestors for eight generations.

Rumors circulated privately in the court that even ghosts would howl three times if they went into the Tongwen Guan (a place for scholars to learn from others).

Cai Jing pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "This matter requires the Emperor's approval."

"My brother has his own way of dealing with the Emperor," Cai Bian said. "The old affairs of the Yuan You era are a thorn in the Emperor's side. As long as we deliver this letter and add a few words about 'Sima Zhao's intentions' and 'plotting to depose the emperor,' how could the Emperor tolerate it?"

He spoke in an even lower voice.

"It's not just Wen Jifu and Zhang Shiliang. How many more can we uncover by following this vine? Liu Zhi, Liang Tao, and those hiding behind the scenes—none of them will escape. And what's even more amazing is—"

He looked at Cai Jing.

"That old fox Zeng Bu has always touted himself as prudent and opposed to implication. If we make this case big and spread his opposition, we can accuse him of 'protecting the old party and undermining the foundation of the country'... Hehe."

Cai Jing narrowed his eyes.

Zeng Bu.

This name bothered him more than Liu Zhi or Liang Tao.

Despite being from the same New Party, Zeng Bu was always at odds with him and hindered him at every turn.

During the last court meeting, Zeng Bu said something about "the policy of continuing the legacy should be carried out step by step and should not be rushed," which was an indirect reference to Cai Jing's radicalism.

If this case is used to implicate Zeng Bu...

"Not only Zeng Bu," Cai Jing suddenly spoke, his voice sinister, "but also Zhao Tingzhi."

Cai Bian was taken aback.

"Zhao Tingzhi? Although he comes from the old party, he's now on the fringes of the new party, just following Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu in their advocacy. Why bother with him?"

"Giving him a warning is to show the other New Party members the consequences of being two-faced." Cai Jing tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"Zhao Tingzhi is a very cunning man. He seems to be close to Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu, but in reality, he is opportunistic. His son, Zhao Mingcheng, is currently very popular at the Imperial Academy and has also gotten close to Prince Duan."

"The father and son, one in the imperial court and the other in the Imperial Academy, if they are allowed to rise to power, they may become a force to be reckoned with in the future."

Xing Shu interjected.

"I have also heard that Zhao Mingcheng recently won first place in a private examination, and His Majesty personally summoned him for a questioning and exchanged views with him, and he was highly appreciated."

"That's why we need to give him a good talking-to." Cai Jing sneered. "It's only natural for the son to pay for the father's debts. Doesn't Zhao Tingzhi like following Zeng Bu? Then let him follow Zeng Bu and get a taste of the stench of this case."

Cai Bian frowned.

"Brother, regarding Zhao Mingcheng... Prince Duan is protecting him, and the Emperor has also given his approval. Would taking action against him alert the enemy?"

"Who said we were going to touch him?" Cai Jing glanced at his younger brother, his eyes like poisoned needles. "Don't touch him yet. Spread out the case, let the news get out, and let Zhao Tingzhi choose for himself: whether he follows Zeng Bu down this dark path, or... be pragmatic and join us."

He paused, then added a sentence.

"That kid Zhao Mingcheng is a talent. If we can use him, he might be a good weapon in the future. If not..."

The rest of the sentence was left unsaid, but the meaning was clear.

The candle flame crackled and popped.

Xing Shu sat there, cold sweat seeping from his back.

He originally only wanted to use this letter to turn his life around and get a minor official position, but he never expected that the two Cais had such a deep and ruthless plan.

Not only did they want to purge the old party, but they also wanted to take the opportunity to cleanse the new party, not even sparing marginal figures like Zhao Tingzhi.

Sure enough, none of those who climbed to this position were easy to deal with.

"Then... what should I do?" Xing Shu swallowed and asked cautiously.

Cai Jing pushed a copy of the letter in front of him.

"Keep this letter safe. I will go to the palace to meet the Emperor after the morning court session tomorrow. Just insist that the letter was written by Wen Jifu himself and that every word is true. You don't need to worry about anything else."

"Yes, yes." Xing Shu quickly put the letter into his pocket, as if he were holding a hot potato.

Cai Bian stood up, walked to Xing Shu's side, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Brother Xing, if this matter succeeds, you will be the one who makes the greatest contribution. Someone will avenge your past grievances. When rewards are distributed in the future, you will certainly be rewarded."

These words are both reassuring and a warning.

Xing Shu nodded repeatedly.

"I understand, I understand."

After seeing Xing Shu off, only the two brothers remained in the study.

Cai Bian sat down again, his expression becoming more serious: "Brother, are we really going to take action against Zeng Bu? He's a powerful and influential figure, and also the Privy Councilor; I'm afraid it won't be easy to bring him down."

"Even if we can't bring him down, we'll make him suffer," Cai Jing said calmly. "Zeng Bu has taken himself too seriously these past few years. The Emperor needs to use the New Party, but he also needs the New Party to be obedient. If Zeng Bu is disobedient, then we'll replace him with someone more obedient."

"That Zhao Tingzhi..."

"Just a fence-sitter." Cai Jing picked up the tea, which had long since gone cold, took a sip, and then frowned as he put it down.

"At that time, give him two choices: either follow Zeng Bu into the sinking ship or switch allegiance. His son is favored by Prince Duan, so we can use his son to keep him in check. If Zhao Mingcheng is smart, he should know that following Prince Duan will only bring him empty fame; to have a real future, he must rely on real power."

Cai Bian remained silent. Lately, he had been hearing that Zhao Mingcheng spent every ten days accompanying Prince Duan in his foolish antics.

In Cai Bian's eyes, Prince Duan was a playful and good-for-nothing, and he didn't understand why Zhao Mingcheng cared about Prince Duan.

"As for the Emperor," Cai Bian changed the subject, "how does my elder brother plan to respond?"

Cai Jing got up, walked to the window, and murmured something.

"What the emperor hated most was the period during the Yuan You era when he was like a puppet."

"Let's hand this letter over and add a few lines like 'The Empress Dowager plots to depose the Empress Dowager' and 'The old party wants to restore the policies of the Yuan You era.' Then we'll see if the Emperor can sit still."

Cai Jing turned around, the candlelight casting a half-light, half-shadow on his face.

"I'll go to the palace first thing tomorrow morning. Go find a few trustworthy officials in the censorate and spread the word. Remember, be tactful in your wording."

"Didn't Zeng Bu oppose the implication of others? Then let's say he 'favored the old party, obstructed the continuation of the dynasty, and undermined the foundation of the nation.' Wasn't Zhao Tingzhi close to Zeng Bu? Then let's say a few words about him: 'He was two-faced and his intentions were suspicious.'"

Cai Bian nodded: "Understood."

"As for Zhao Mingcheng..." Cai Jing's lips curled into a slight smile, "Leave him for now. Let those eyes in the Imperial Academy keep an eye on him and see how long he can stay calm after his father gets into trouble. Young people haven't seen much of the world; a little scare will teach them which side to side with."

The two brothers discussed some details until the third watch of the night, when they finally went to bed.

Xing Shu returned to his residence, closed the door, and only then did he realize that his palms were covered in sweat.

He took out the copy of the letter from his pocket and examined it again and again by candlelight. The words on the paper looked like ants crawling on the paper, making him uneasy.

"Sima Zhao's ambitions..." he murmured, then suddenly shivered.

How many people will be burned to death after this letter?

he does not know.

All he knew was that his name was now inextricably linked to this letter.